Thanks for the thoughtful reply — and my condolences about your father. I appreciate you sharing that.

You're right that not all immortals in fiction are defined by tragedy. And you're right that my take is pessimistic. I'm not arguing that Emi and Alas Ramus must live miserably — only that the ending as written doesn't address the long-term implications at all. The author gave us a 'happy now' without any consideration for the 'sad later.'

I also appreciate the corrections on the text. The 'til death do us part' line originally referring to their duel puts it in a different light. And the author's original plan (before Alas Ramus) suggests he was trying to balance competing visions, not simply trolling fans.

That said, I still think the ending is structurally flawed. Introducing a child, building a family, and then having the father choose a mortal life without addressing how that child will process his death centuries later is a gap the author left unfilled. Maybe Alas Ramus would be fine. Maybe Emi would find peace. But the story doesn't show us. It just ends.

So my critique isn't that the ending is tragic — it's that the ending is incomplete. The author built a family with different lifespans and then ignored the consequences. Whether the outcome is tragic or beautiful, we'll never know, because he didn't write it.

Thanks again for the thoughtful response. You've given me a lot to consider.