Responses
I somehow did not even notice that he took phos' last piece, I had to reread the chapter and it's like my brain imploded
The ending of that chapter can go two ways
Either we get a happy ending where phos finally gets peace
Or we get a heart wrenching, soul crushing, jaw dropping, toe curling, end
So the thing being, I was genuinely upset and even to some extent disappointed when phos forgave aechmea and the master and the gems. But now it hit me...
To everyone of them, forgiveness was the one thing they never expected. The one thing, despite them desperately wanting it, they were wary of. Because forgiveness would make them realise how heinous they were towards phos, who was after all just a child they all shoved the heavy burden onto.
Aechmea wanted phos to be more human like, and if possible something more. And he himself said "Vengeance is the most human emotion" so when phos did not choose the path of hatred and instead chose peace, it made everyone come to face with their actions.
In that chapter where phos forgives them, you can clearly see that it's painful for them all, because they realise their actions and the consequences they had. They were forced to face it, after years of living in ignorance.
And in my opinion, the reason phos decided to stay back on the planet, was because of a few things. They were there when it all started. But now they were the only one who carried all the memories of the lunarians and the gems. The only one who remembered everything, including the humans, so the final step to finally letting go of everything would be to surrender to fate.
Phos just wanted to rest, and let go finally. They wanted this cycle of hate, torture, pain, self loathing, self questioning and solitude to end with them. They did not want to pass it on to the next generations. That is how kind Phos was.
And at last in chapter 106, we see that brother takes phos's final piece of phosphophyllite, which is essentially the only remnant of phos themselves which was not tainted by the other minerals. The one piece that truly made phos, phos.
I hope that finally phos can be granted peace and salvation and that they can experience so in their original form, as Phosphophyllite. Not by any other external identity like lunarian, or gems or human or God. Simply Phosphophyllite...