A lot of Aquila’s less-great decisions make a lot more sense when you consider the fact that talking about Corvus was forbidden, meaning that even if he wanted to, he literally couldn’t get therapy.
And it’s not like that’s the only example we’ve seen of people being left to stew in their emotions for three-hundred years leading to a non-ideal outcome. Stop putting your problems off for three-hundred years, people. It’s not worth it.
Yes. In a way, his decisions make perfect sense from his point of view.
Yes, he IS prideful and arrogant, very much so, but that mostly impacted his views on his own power and capabilities. The fact he believed to be strong enough to defeat the king while challenging him head on is what doomed him. He should have been more careful at that moment and take a less... "Frontal" approach, which he is entirely capable of, given his manipulation skills.
The fact he did it alone and didn't ask for help... Heh.. not so much.
He has to do it alone because nobody seems to care about Corvus anymore. I mean, even Columba, in all her support and friendship, tells him that he should somehow move on. He never gave up on him while the others simply accepted his "disappearance" without any actual confirmation of his death.
Yeah, there probably would have SOME Celestrians who thought like him and would have aided him.. but did they show themselves? Did they support him while he grieved? Did they talk to him about it? No. Because they couldn't or didn't want to.
Apus Major was careless and even cruel in a way, even though that's probably not what he aimed for.
As for us, his student... Well, he doesn't consider it our responsibility nor our "right" to aid him. He probably also did not think we would become so strong, especially without our celestrian attributes..
Saving his mentor.. doesn't and shouldn't concern us. It's his business and his duty, not ours.
Also, and that's where we will enter in the "in the need of therapy" part... Aquila made his choice between us and his master. Saving Corvus.. is more important than us. At least emotionally.
It goes against everything he actually believes in, for Aquila may be a harsh and even authoritarian mentor, but he truly believes in his responsibilities towards his student. He truly cares for us and, like he said, deceiving and betraying us is his only true regret. He thought himself completely unworthy of being our teacher and blamed himself extremely harshly for it.
But Corvus.. well... He's one of the only people who truly understood him. He is the core of his trauma, the very reason he kept on fighting and doing his mission even if he didn't really believe in it.
In a way, it's better that Aquila died before liberating Corvus, and let us finish his mission for him. Seeing him in that state, desperate and having forsaken everything he believed in.. would probably have broken his heart. I don't think he would have been able to truly face him afterwards.
He would probably have thought that being attacked by Corvus (which I honestly believe our favorite fallen grandpa would have done) was only some kind of fitting karma for the things he did to us. He would not have had anything to believe in and fight for anymore.
His sacrifice.. and ultimate death.. was tragic, but necessary.
