The Third Step
'The more one falls into a pit, the easier it is to climb out, each time.'
Reflecting on this, Daneel stood up after a few seconds to see that many of the sovereigns still looked horrified. Only the Emperor looked sad as he already seemed to have understood what he was doing.
The corners of his lips rose mournfully, and it was all he could do to not look back at the terrible sight of so many lying on the ground as if dead. If he did so, he was sure that he might stand there, petrified, with the weight on his shoulders keeping him in place unto eternity.
So, turning away from it all, he walked towards his family and said, "They're sleeping. They will continue to sleep when I do what I wish with them…and in that sleep, they will perish, too. But one day, when they wake up…this will be their last memory, and they will continue their lives as if nothing has happened. That… is my goal. And to reach it, I must be ready to do anything."