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For the lessons. Obviously they are for your eventual benefit as well down the line, but I do appreciate it.

And for showing your face, I suppose.

[He snorts, then sips his coffee again.]

Very well. You are welcome for both. But I do expect you to work as hard or harder than you have been. And without impatience.

I have set you on an unorthodox learning path, but mastering the fundamentals will serve you better than skipping too many steps, in the long run. I will write you a brief syllabus for training that may seem boring to your mind, but I recommend you stick to it.

[ he sighs because that already sounds terrible. Then he's going to keep drinking his coffee as well ]

I'll try to keep it to a minimum. It's been a while since a subject frustrated me this much. It's an interesting challenge if nothing else.

I'm sure your stubbornness will see you through the tedious parts.

It probably will.

But while we're resting — I should inform you I've revised our contract to include Vergil on the list of exceptions. I haven't put any contract on him, since it would be pointless. And I suppose I trust him.

That I can't imagine him caring about Auracite over you even should he come back.

Ah, thank you for your diligence.

I do not know about that with Auracite, that young man was charismatic for his few years and little experience, at least when I knew of him on the source, but I suppose that we will find out should he return.

I suppose Vergil is on your unit, and perhaps more aligned with your personality than most. Is that why you trust him so readily?

[Like you have room to talk Lahabrea]

No, if it were just that I wouldn't risk it. Obviously it's a factor. But by itself it wouldn't be enough.

It's because he likes you.

And he must be somewhat aware of your intentions by now.

He has inferred a fair bit from what I have said, yes. Surprisingly, he's very supportive.

I'm not too terribly surprised by it, actually. But I'm still glad to hear.

Are you not? I confess my expectations of anyone being supportive of our cause are negative.

That's because most people are too short-sighted to realize people have already died. The moment they understand the details of the rejoining all they can think about is that billions of people are going to die and completely disregard the fact that it makes absolutely no logical sense to keep things as they are just because, well, that's how it is now I suppose?

There's no logical reason why the shards lives should weigh more than yours and those of your people. If anything. You were there first and restoring the world to its original state makes more sense than keeping things as they are.

But at the end of the day neither option is "good" or "righteous". One inevitably denies the value of someone's life, and their right to live on.

Don't get me wrong, I understand people's desire to keep on living, so I wouldn't exactly begrudge your enemies, and I'd likely be on their side if I was living in a shard. But I don't. And neither is Vergil, and he's obviously not the type to get caught thinking "oh no, billions of people will die, this must not be worth it".

Edited 2020-06-18 17:48 (UTC)

Hmph. Ever is your blunt pragmatism refreshing.

No, he seems unconcerned with how many must die, and yet he is not heartless, either. Much like you, in some regards.

Glad to see you approve of it.

But you're right, he's definitely not heartless. I'm fairly certain he came to the same conclusions I did and also decided your cause makes more sense, and he likes you more anyway.

Personally I'm obviously not a fan of "what's meant to be is meant to be" so, you know. For me it was an obvious choice.

Ah yes. The personal bias. I was quite aware of its influence on both you and him. For better or worse.

[He smiles wryly.]

Logical reasoning aside, what we do is based on emotions in the end. You, just as much as Emet-Selch and I, I think. And Vergil as well I suspect. However we may justify the ends and the means, really it is all motivated by pure selfish desire.

[ good answer bread ]

Pretty much. I do believe out of all of us I might have the strongest case for anyone wanting to go on a moral crusade, but I'd save my world regardless of any eventual consequences for others, or the timeline.

In the end it's a selfish desire for me as well.

I admit it's refreshing to know I've found like-minded people here. I never expected it.

Perhaps you do. But it's good not to rely on self-delusion. One must accept that the path one walks is for oneself, in matters like ours.

Too fragile are the ideas of righteousness and good versus evil.

Love and personal desire are good enough motivators, it need be no more complicated than that. In pursuit of the rebirth of my god, I will do all that must be done, no matter the cost.

[ okay that is a considerably less good answer and he does tense up, it's obvious there's not as much approval of THAT ]

Of course. Your all-powerful god.

[Sorry they be like this]

Yes. Our all-powerful god. You disapprove.

Is that surprising? I understand he had to serve its purpose and that he's necessary to stop whatever it is that destroyed your world in the first place.

But I dislike that you've been tempered.

[He refills his coffee with a tap of his finger to it, gotta love dreams, and takes another sip.]

I suppose from your perspective it would seem we are thralls to His will. But His will is our own. We created Him with a singular purpose and with our thoughts and desires aligned. Surely Emet-Selch told you this?

He did, but you'll forgive me for being skeptical given that you're bound to him.

I've had the pleasure of experiencing the tempering myself, in one of Emet-Selch's dreams. Suffice it to say I haven't exactly been enthusiastic about it ever since.

Interesting. How would you describe the experience? You may well be the only being in existence to experience tempering without then... Being tempered. Academically I would find your perspective on it fascinating.

It felt like shit.

[ that's it that's how he sums it up. But he'll finish his coffee, and then put the cup down like he's expecting Lahabrea to refill it ]

I tried to resist it at the start of it, the moment I felt something in my head insisting everything would be all right. But I couldn't. I couldn't tell whether all my thoughts were my own or if some of them were suggested by it. And at the time I didn't even care.

Even now I don't know what part of it was me and what part of it was him. Not that it matters - all I did after was look for Emet-Selch.

[He does in fact refill the cup. Listening with interest at least.]

And then?

Nothing else of interest happened. It was Emet-Selch's dream and it isn't as if I was given direct commands. I suppose it was simply as if I was trusting your God and truly believing that initial promise. That everything would be all right, and I was safe, and all I had to do was believe in him.

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