This is love's eternal duty:
To stretch you, to beat you out, to mould you and shape you
To sift the superficial from the true; to distill purity from the plain


and so if you find yourself left on the dry tide of love after its job is done
and you find yourself truer, although worn and beaten
and you have fought the bitter bite of regret and envy and hatred - and won;
the light in you has grown stronger (for what is faith except the torch that guides us in our hearts)

then just know that love has done its eternal duty
and like all the people before you and all the people around you and all who will come after you,
you are part of the fabric of life and of humanity that has been tested and shaped by love

sometimes all it takes is a dream to unhinge you.
i wake up with your warmth on my skin. a look on your face. feelings in your eyes. a declaration of love. a comfort of knowing that it still matters to you. another few steps walked together.
then i wake, and i still do not have you.

We must be careful that in our journeying and coping, we don't end up taking on the narrative of the villain. Some thoughts that may foreshadow a resemblance to the villain's voice:

"Everyone does it. Evil is reality. If I act unjustly, I am just being a normal player in this world."
"All of these ________ people are the same."
"You/They made me do this. If I hurt you/them, it is your/their fault."
"For me to do well, you need to crumble."