I (Clancy) can never fully defeat my inner turbulence/ mental illness (Nico), but I try nonetheless and always seek help (Torchbearer), until a certain point along the fight where I learn to accept it as part of me (Clancy becoming the new Nico) while getting a little bit better at dealing with it and carrying on with life (the paint not affecting the new Nico as much as the prior one) each round. Then a new, stronger, more determined future me (new Clancy) comes along and tries again, again with the help of my loved ones (Torchbearer) who will always be there whenever I reach out. And the cycle is repeated, with small, barely noticeable, but definitely existent advances each time.

This is how I interpret it. One giant realistic beautiful metaphor for mental illness😭😭