This story in many ways began with tragedy and ended with tragedy. Along the way I think that is also showed how an otherwise good and loyal soul could be corrupted by the opulence of power. From the onset Liras obviously did not want this burden of leadership and responsibility though it is not entirely obvious whether this was due to ulterior motives (laziness) or an understanding that he was not up to the task assigned to him.

His sudden turn to decadence (after a time jump) reminds me in some ways of the transition that Tiberius made during his time as Roman Emperor - from frugal administrator with little love from the public to a debauched individual. What makes this characterization all the more tragic is how in the end he struggled to save his daughter only to be cursed for his excesses, failure to live up to his father's teachings, and his final reckless act. It can be a difficult thing to make such a narrative of self-destruction while still making the protagonist sympathetic, but you have succeeded in this striking this delicate balance. The final scene with Liras resolving to atone for his past misdeeds and maladministration further puts him in a sympathetic, if tragic, light.

The only real thing that I would recommend for future stories is to make a clear demarcation between time jumps and scene changes. The use of a double gap when showing a scene change can be easy to overlook on the forum, so something like a few dashes might be a good way to more clearly show such a scene break.

Other than that minor point, this story is a very powerful addition to the world-building involved with Separate Ways. Like Anagnos I think that this could be implemented in the story itself (perhaps with one of the flyers recounting it to Petrie to make a point) but it also works well as a stand-alone story. This sheds some additional light on the history of Olres and his family, and adds to the (already rich) lore of the story as a whole.

Outset of this narrative felt really heart-breaking with especially Olres' passing and his last words to his only son and the duty father must pass down to his descendant were really well done in my opinion. Loss is always an obstacle that is hard to overcome. Some get through it better, some harder.

Liras' characterization took a harsh turn subsequently, and it is quite hard for me to comprehend how and why it occurred, but it did not bother me that much. It is also difficult to understand to how Liras could've forgotten his father's teachings about life. But, like I said previously, these were only small nuisances that didn't ruin reading further.

This tale also displays just how desperate parents can become, when faced with an impending death of their children, and how far they are willing to go to thwart it, and you nailed that part excellently.

I feel that this particular portion could have been implemented in Separate Ways itself, but this works fine as well. At the end of the day, Liras at last grasped his ill-mannered deeds, and is now striving to fix what he has brought with him. Overall, this was a good story that explained little of Olres and his family line's backstory, which I liked considerably. Well done, yet again, Sovereign!