#askzeffer

As stated in this post, Zeffer dies in the upcoming story "For Goodness Sake". His own escalating madness becomes his downfall, driving him to attack Lily in order to goad Evan into killing him. But in an unexpected turn of events, Lily actually defends herself for once, thanks to Alaine's training "Pig Bait". She is forced to kill Zeffer in order to protect herself, and this haunts her for a long time afterwards.

She does eventually work through her grief during her time with the Karenzans. Her relationship with Zeffer was highly complicated, because he was her savior as well as her abuser, and some of that abuse was not his fault because Dario forced him to do it. Lily claims she "loved" Zeffer, but the nature of that love isn't clear. Romantic? Platonic? It's probably not even clear to her.

Despite how he terrorized her towards the end, Lily forgives Zeffer, recognizing that he had good intentions but was deeply tortured by his own sickness. After losing her own mind and trying to resurrect Dario, she really comes to understand how trauma can make good people do despicable things.

In "The Aldfog Mystery", Zeffer becomes an unrecognized hero when he slays every major vampire clan in Noalen. The only vampires left after that are small gangs and lone stragglers, which are easily controlled by the Evangeline and Folkvar guards. No one realizes that Zeffer was responsible for this until many years later, when Lily makes it known.

She does not want Zeffer to be remembered for the crimes he committed in his state of sickness. She wants the world to remember him for the bravery and selflessness in his heart, and the good deeds he did in order to make the world a better place.

Because that truly was what Zeffer intended. He grew up in a rough, violent area that was oppressed by vampires and suffered depression because of it. He took inspiration from Evan and decided to put his vampirism to good use, by using it to eradicate other vampires, instead of succumbing to his bloodlust and joining their oppressive ranks, or simply taking his own life.

When the Karenzans create the Etherean territory of Azizaland, Lily contributes Zeffer's name to its history books, describing him as a benevolent hero. He is the reason that Azizaland (formerly Taybiya) is no longer terrorized by vampires, including the ones who victimized her. Zeffer is the reason she is alive and cured of her own vampirism. Despite his flaws, he made a tremendously noble sacrifice on her behalf by giving up his own mortality to restore hers.

He did this not because he loved her or expected anything in return, but because it was simply the righteous thing to do. Zeffer despised all the corruption around him, so he rebelled against it with honesty and goodness. He knew someone in this crime-riddled shithole had to make a change, so he started with himself. That's pretty darn commendable.

The Ethereans love statues (Karenza is a sculptor, after all) and use them to commemorate benevolent entities. There are statues all over Azizaland, everywhere you turn, depicting beauty and heroism. Wicked beings do not get statues. So, Lily sees to it that Zeffer gets his own statue in Azizaland's grand palace--which was once the Dusk's castle.

His effigy stands guard over the courtyard for ages, watching as this once hellish city becomes a place of healing and benevolence. That is all he ever wanted: for Taybiya to be a better place, for Gaia to be a better place, and for everyone to be happy and fulfilled in life.

Karenzans often meditate at his statue, as it reminds them never to succumb to dark temptations, and to keep fighting against darkness no matter the odds. It empowers them with the will to stay righteous-hearted in the face of cruelty and wickedness.

RIP Zeffer. :( Gaia knows you weren't a perfect man, but you were a real Good Guy.

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Questions/Comments?

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