"After Sparkle disappeared, I got a little... untethered," Atton said slowly. "Sia was all I had left. After a while, it seemed to make sense; joining the Imperial Knights would give me some sense of personal loyalty and purpose again."

He shrugged.

"Then she pointed out that it's a job for life," he said. "And that I might not be happy doing it. She was right. I was just... lost, looking for something to grab hold of."