"No, no, it wasn't like that..." Hamuko rebuffed gently, shifting her weight on her feet. "We didn't know for sure what to do, before then, either. We were told by..."

How many terms would be too much? How to explain succinctly? Hamuko considered, just for a beat.

"...by a Shadow called Death... that when Nyx arrived, the Fall would be inevitable. He told us that there wasn't any way to avoid dying, even if he tried to offer a mercy to us. Everyone together... we all decided on our own to keep fighting to the end. And it was when Nyx was descending that I saw Igor again, and he showed me those that I'd gotten so close to. The bonds I had with others... that unlocked the power in me to change things. And all I wanted was Nyx to leave humanity alone, so that's what the card that emerged from me got used for. I staked my life on it, of my own free will."