"Please don't blame yourself for this," Carlisle insists again. However, when more honest with himself, he does have to admit he wasn't thrilled to hear Glacius would be going on a voyage to look for the fragments of the Door. It was likely to be a lengthy mission, facing the dangers at sea, being aboard a ship with a demon, all while leaving him alone. He hadn't wanted to impede his partner, though; he'd told himself it was for both of them, that it was best if Glacius found a way to escape the city. He could return to his people, perhaps take Carlisle with him—

Ah. But the thought of him going with Glacius was more of a hopeful afterthought to the main priority: getting Glacius back to his people, to his home he so desperately wished to return to. That was bigger and more important than them in the long run, wasn't it? Carlisle had certainly managed to convince himself of that, but he'd always looked at his lifespan as short, temporary. Getting Glacius home would make his partner happy for far longer than he ever could.

And perhaps, with that line of thinking, he too had blinded himself to what was truly important: them. He'd swallowed down his anxieties, but it wasn't from some newfound bravery, but the desire to do what was best for Glacius. They had both been fools in that regard.

"Your intentions were good, my friend," Carlisle continues, looking toward Glacius' face; his own is a mess, but he tries to be reassuring.