[ yes, he has. yes, it is. had this situation been in reverse, an alhaitham plagued by eleazar (archons forbid), an alhaitham who posed him the same question, it's exactly what kaveh would have said: he would give him the hope to believe. it could be a well-crafted lie, in a way. what hope is there for an illness that will consume him, little by little? what hope is there, when they are well aware of what the future holds for them?

kaveh, then, thinks. it is the hope of living every day like it will be his last. that is what it means to have faith in the world he loves so dearly. the sun comes and goes, seasons pass by. time does not stop for anyone. not even kaveh, once light of kshahrewar. ]

Then. [ a choked up start, and kaveh realizes he's shaking. his grip tightens. ] ... It's fine, right? For me to be scared. It's fine if sometimes I feel like everything is just meaningless, right? You— You will be there. To remind me to have hope?