Eventually, Nero finally turned to leave the ceiling. He didn't like the idea of his wheelchair being carried down, but he forced himself to remain silent as they did, taking it in. This was the consequence of being weak.
It wasn't like he was blaming himself. He was doing the best he could, and his opponent was literally some ancient Aetherkin - an animal that could use aether, with unsurpassed skill and power at that. As if that was not enough, it could talk and clearly had advanced mental faculties.
Nero was outmatched in every way, so even surviving was an incredible achievement. This was not him admonishing himself. No, this was a reminder that he possibly couldn't slow down, or waste time on distractions such as love and romance. The cost of weakness was too great, and the more he distracted himself with such things, the more he would actually stand to lose.
