Really sorry for the delay and all that. Several universities in my city have gone on strike, and I'm a bit tired of it all.
Peace.
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–
"This is unbelievable!" Artemis exclaimed out loud as she took a step forward
"... Artemis..."
"Unbelievable? Only your reaction is, did you even hear anything at all?" Bhera asked as she raised an eyebrow, somewhat annoyed at Artemis' tone as she cut through Silver's words
"..."
This isn't going to end well...
'Silver looked with a blank expression as the Goddesses threw words at each other, not knowing when nor how to interject.'
"I could say the same! Did you hear what you just said?! You've told these people that the only way to live was by breeding a sacrifice across generations!"
"How could you subject them to such atrocious life?!"
"... You're disgusting." Bhera said out loud as she looked at Artemis
'In the cruelest, most brutal definition of what she felt, those were the words she chose to define Artemis...'
'She wasn't completely wrong.'
"What?!"
"I never told them to follow my words; they chose them themselves."
"That is easy for you to say! What do you expect a desperate mortal to do when answered by a God?!"
"That is their problem, not mine, they asked, I answered. What they do with what I said is none…"
"Do you have no sense of responsibility?! Do you feel nothing watching these children as they treat their bodies like…"
"And what do you know?" Bhera asked slowly, her tone icy and cold
/Tug.../
"..."
'Hestia tried tugging Silver's shirt to have him do something, but he wasn't sure what to do either.'
'Right now, Artemis wasn't being herself, and if he interjected, the only thing he would be getting would be a pincer attack from both of them.'
'He wasn't ready for that level of bickering yet...'
"You're not from this place, you don't know them, what they do, their habits, their dreams, nothing."
"Do you know the aspirations of a child starving on a cold winter night under a blizzard? Do you know the aspirations and determination of a starving mother as she gives the last piece of bread to her already dead child?"
"What do you know? What do you understand, spoiled Goddess from the city."
"You speak of golden laces, marble thrones, Heroes, and fairy tales. You only know how to act, not solve. To swing your sword around and kill with your arrows."
"What do you know about their circumstances?"
"I've been here for a millennium, watching them grow, walk, reproduce, die, time and time again. Don't speak as if you know anything of me or my emotions."
"You know nothing; you can do nothing." Bhera said in an icy cold tone
'If she felt any anger, it was impossible to tell, Bhera's expression was now completely and utterly devoid of emotion.'
'As Goddess of Winter, it was no surprise her emotions were cold and silent. She had seen many deaths, maybe too many.'
'Silver felt as if he was staring at a block of ice... Even the room itself got colder. To some degree, Bhera may have released a portion of her Divinity, but it was hard to say if that was the case, only Artemis and Hestia could define that.'
""...""
'While Artemis closed her eyes in pain, understanding full well that her rage wasn't well placed or directed at the right person, Silver and Hestia stood silent on the side, watching it all unfold.'
'Hestia tried to comfort Artemis but Silver stopped her, shaking his head.'
'From the moment he heard Bhera's story, he knew this would happen.'
'Artemis was too just of a person to overlook such "gruesome" acts… And in a sense, he felt her disgust. She was right to feel anger and display such emotions...'
'This wasn't a way to live, stranded in the middle of a mountain, having to raise your children to become sacrifices just so you can continue to live a half-life, bound to the decadent, corrupted Spring of Life. Hostage to a monster.'
'But what did he know of them? For all that he knew, they could be happy, extremely so, they could see being a sacrifice as an honor, a duty, to save their kind before ascending to heaven.'
'It wasn't unusual for civilizations to seclude themselves and live peacefully. In fact, it was usually when two different cultures clashed together that conflict arises.'
'As for Artemis, she was also too smart not to realize how Bhera trully felt.'
'Her aggression towards her and the situation came from her helplessness, which in turn, came from sympathizing and mirroring Bhera's stance and weakness...'
'Although that interpretation came from herself and not Bhera... But then again, how could a God not understand another?'
'It's obvious Bhera didn't wish for them to live like this, she answered, yes, but was that the SOLE answer?'
'No... But for Bhera, answers she didn't know were variables she threw aside, what she told them was the greatest truth she believed in... And the one they followed.'
'It didn't mean she liked her own answers.'
'Artemis was also helpless in a way… This feeling must've been heightened after seeing the abandoned Village and destroyed places on their way here.'
'Maybe… She wasn't screaming at Bhera but herself. Artemis had many regrets, she saw many die, she saw the Dark Ages, she saw friends go, be kicked out, the despair of the people in the face of time, disease, monsters... Themselves.'
'Bhera is a Goddess that stood in this land for hundreds of years watching over the people as they fought for their survival against a monster that could not be defeated... No, she was there even before that.'
'Bhera stood in this land as their Goddess even before the monster manifested. She saw with her own eyes as the once peaceful and isolated nation fell into chaos at the hands of the monster.'
'Those Knights they saw before, their strength did not come from mere training... They fought to the death before, multiple times before coalescing into a new stage...'
'The scarred walls of the city facing the swamp, there were conflicts there before, they were constant reminders of the difficulties of these people.'
'Bhera gave them a method to live when asked, but it wasn't out of a sadistic desire to see them suffer for countless eons, it was everything she knew, the only thing that could work.'
'When asked, did she feel compelled to answer? Just because she has an Oath to answer every question, it doesn't mean she has to...'
'A lie can be an answer, and so can be silence, but as a Goddess, she knew that silence or lies would change nothing apart from giving them false hopes or a slower death.'
'Gods have to make choices oftentimes beyond the scope of a mortal's lifetime. They'll pass away, leaving a legacy behind, a problem for successive generations to deal with.'
'But a God stays eternally, watching the seeds of their actions, the consequences of their choices across all time.'
'Whenever she sees a sacrifice being flung to its death, does she remember the words she said centuries ago?... Definately.'
'Beltane was Bhera's living Hell... And Haven.'
'She must've felt helpless as well; just think about it: over those centuries, all of the people she must've met, all of the children she grew close to, maybe even a lover, someone that truly understood her, people she treated dearly, all dead, to the swamp.'
'Even if they did not die to it, they passed away while thinking of it.'
'Gods often desire to return to their loved ones in heaven, but Bhera couldn't because she had her own responsibility. If that was the case to her.'
'Her hatred for the swamp must be no lower than her hatred of her weakness and the disease the people were slowly dying from.'
'And also, from how she and Hestia met, it seemed that her reasons for throwing blizzards into the mortal world and extending Winter was much more than just a whimsical action, she had purpose.' Silver thought deeply as he closed his eyes
'Gods act in strange ways. Perhaps to her, someone dying of cold was better than dying of the disease or whatever troubles the mortal world had to offer.'
'To have their body ravaged by beasts, humans, or natural disasters, maybe an icy tomb was for the best, because at the very least, in their final moments amidst the winter storms, they would feel warmth one last time...'
'For a God of Death, embracing the end was a form of salvation. In the face of adversity, accept it, and maybe your dreams will come true…'
'Silver felt no remorse for the Gods that make such controversial choices, instead, he felt happy these people were given a chance to live, most do not have the chance.'
'It is true many Gods acted in malevolent ways, spreading mayhem and disasters, bringing chaos and dooming the lives of many... But at the same time, many Gods did what mortals could not, spreading their words and bringing hope to others throughout all of Genkai.'
'This country seems peaceful, at least from the little he saw, but if despite such odds the people are sane and cheerful, then the hope they were given has given them strength to keep on living for all this time.'
'Would such a scene even remain had she never given them the choice? Maybe by now, this country would be nothing but ruins, and in its place, a deadly swamp with an ancient monster would remain.'
'The Age of Heroes and Great Spirits has long passed, there is no one left who can deal with this monster...'
'The people of Belthane lost their chance to ask for help... Maybe they already did once before, Silver wouldn't be surprised if they had.'
'But by the looks of it, the result mustn't have been pretty.'
"Tche, I'm pissed off now." Bhera said out loud as she looked away, annoyed
"Go on now, do what you came here to do, look around, buy some stuff or something, and leave, never return while you're at it."
"I'm not in the mood to entertain your guys anymore."
"Can I ask you a question before you leave?" Silver asked somewhat awkwardly as he tried to reach for her
"No."
'With a silent reply, she left, leaving the three of them alone in the room, and this time, no one else seemed to arrive.'
"... Sigh."
'This time, while Silver was distracted, Hestia approached Artemis, trying to appease her as the latter clenched her fists, pensive.'
'Silver, on the other hand, thought about how he would get Bhera to spill out more details about everything she said, including something like the Swamp King's location, which he didn't know.'
'It may seem uncaring that Silver wasn't approaching Artemis to comfort her, but the truth was that he cared deeply about her, which is why he did not do so.'
'His trust and confidence in her was too large for him to feel the need to comfort her right now. Besides, this was necessary.'
'What was justice? Was there something like true, all-encompassing Justice?'
'In the past, the God of Darkness and true Evil sought to answer this question: What was justice? Was there such a thing as "absolute"?'
'To this, he asked the Goddess of Justice what it meant to be just... And she couldn't answer him.'
'And in the end, as he played a game of knives and tricks with the God, he reached a conclusion... But in the end, it went back with him to Heaven.'
'The Goddess of Justice was left alone with his answer. She was Justice, but they did not need her justice.'
'Her Justice did not save those she loved.'
'Such was the legacy left behind by the God of all Evil.'
'Could someone be just all the time? Some said yes, others exclaimed no...'
'Silver did not agree with either as there were many kinds of justice, and in a sense, the environment one lived limited which were possible.'
'A King can be just for decades if his people allow him to, if the environment lets him rule peacefully and wisely... But such is an ideal world, far from common reality.'
'To the common folk, there were many kinds of it. Many asked such questions in the past, especially when the Astrea Familia was still active.'
'Justice for a peasant is completely different from a Noble's justice, but just because he is a figure of power, does that disqualify his answer and need for justice?'
'What did he do throughout his life? How was he raised? How do you expect a frog raised in a well to dream of a mountain? Is he wrong to act in a certain way when subjected all his life to act like it? Are his sins truly his to bear alone, and is his justice any less than another's?'
'To understand it all and encompass all, that was true Justice... But it wasn't the one the people sought.'
'Justice was... In its essence... A matter of personal taste.'
'Justice was something you created to fit your goals.'
'In that same way, Astrea's justice differed from Artemis'.'
'And Hestia's too… Silver's also.'
'Artemis needs to understand that the world isn't so direct and simple. And she knows that...'
'What pains her isn't all that, but the helplessness in being utterly unable to help those in need.'
'Silver was somewhat surprised she acted this way; Artemis was a strong girl who usually displayed her emotions in a silent but mature way, which was usually a direct but simple approach of getting her hands dirty and working to solve the problem rather than... Whatever this was supposed to be.'
'Tamtrum?'
'This was something her Captain had her fair share of trouble dealing with. More than once, both he and Artemis were walking on the street only for him to realize she had vanished because she saw a couple of kids being bullied on the side, so now she was reprimanding everyone, including the parents... If there were any.'
'The moment she heard Bhera's story, something flipped inside her head, causing her to lose that coolness of, acting out of the ordinary as she pressed her troubles onto her.'
'Still, amidst her confusion, there was one thing she could do…'
/Step…/
'She stepped forward, looking at Silver.'
"Did you calm down?"
"Mhum..."
"Bhera was harsh, but you were also rude." Silver replied plainly as he crossed his arms
'There was no need to beat around the bush, he was going to confront her about it.'
"I know… I have, and I'm sorry. For showing you such a sight." She said as her eyes sharpened
"Do not be, you shouldn't be apologizing to me but to her... And again, no matter how ugly you look, this won't change how I see you, it's but part of life."
'From her serious gaze, Artemis slowly looked away as she smiled awkwardly, having difficulty choosing whether to laugh at his remark or be serious, causing her lips to tremble.'
"... N-Not now…"
"Grr! Stop flirting!" Hestia exclaimed as she jumped between the two
/Chuckle…/
"Ahem… So? Are we…"
"Killing the Swamp King? Of course." Silver said as he cut through Artemis's words
"Huh?! How did it get to that?!" Hestia asked out loud as she looked between Silver and Hestia
"What do you mean? The moment they mentioned a monster that has never been defeated, I knew I would be killing it, fate has led me here." Silver said with a smile as he looked around
"Fate? What fate?!"
"I knew there was something special about this place… That swamp drew me in instantly…"
"Stop trying to excuse your actions!"
"Well… Excuse or not, there's only to gain by taking it down."
"That… We don't know much to state such things…" Hestia replied weakly as she looked at her hands, trying to figure out replies to 'rationally' have Silver reconsider his actions
'She didn't want him to stop persuing eliminating the Swamp King, instead, she wanted him to take it slow... They weren't from here and they didn't know how the people felt.'
'Bhera's words seemed to have taken root within Hestia somewhat.'
"That's why we need to go ask some questions, aren't we tourists right now? I'm sure someone is bound to tell us where the Spring of Life is, from there it's easy…"
"No, it's not! We can't just engage in a conflict within a foreign land! Besides, not only do we not know its strength, we also don't know the damages clashing with it may have on the environment!" Hestia exclaimed out l oud as she pinched Silver's arm
"And you think I don't know that? I'm not talking about engaging the creature, I'm talking about figuring it out."
"Is it a mutant? If so, from which monster?"
"She said it was a weak one, okay, can we figure out a weakness?"
"Why is the sacrifice necessary? How does it work? Why does it affect the swamp king the way it does? Can we figure out a way to deal with it without relying on the sacrifice?"
"Why was Belthane unable to eliminate it?"
"If we can solve those questions, maybe we can start talking about taking it down."
"Or would you prefer to leave them all behind? We can leave if you wish, if you promise not to mention this again."
"That is..."
"It's settled them."
"What is?!"
'Silver smiled.'
...
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Notes