[Contemplations of Knowledge, Spirit of Knowledge: Part 1]
My name is Knowledge, the Spirit of Knowledge and among the four remaining Celestial Spirits permitted to inhabit the floating isle of Caelestia Sanctorum.
For the past 3,727,380 sunsets or 10,212 years, I have gazed upon the world, collecting all kinds of knowledge and information from which I have fulfilled my raison d' etre (reason to exist) and for countless times, intervened in the lives of mortals so that they can advance the progress of their civilization.
When one mortal in this side of the world discovers how to grow and care for a food crop, I was the one who had the authority to intervene and make sure that by some "coincidence" another worthy human can do the same at another part of the world.
When one man learns how to smelt valuable metals out of the rocks of the earth, by yet another "coincidence", another man would learn the same for the sake of his own people and collective's advancement.
When one man learns how to construct a dwelling that is of greater comfort and convenience than what nature can provide for him, I will yet again, be the one to disseminate this knowledge throughout the world for the convenience of the ones who didn't make such a discovery.
This mechanism of distributing knowledge and information through "coincidences" was something that I have been saddled with ever since I was born. For some sort of reason, the "Essence of the Original World" that composes the very being of I and the other Spirits that dwell in this world compels us to provide a suitable and orderly world for all mankind.
It was as if… there was something that happened in the Original World that we have to exist in this new iteration of it in order for whatever it is to not repeat again.
Although I should've been the among the first to be born out of the Essence, as I am Knowledge, Spirit of Knowledge who holds all the information of this Fragment of Reality, strangely enough, I was tied as the fourth with my Spiritual sibling, Love, Spirit of Love.
I record all of this today before I make my trek towards the great mountain of Hyperion, the birthplace of all Spirits and from where, with the endorsement of my sister, Love, I shall become one of the Celestial Spirits that can step into Caelestia.
May all be well in the great Northern Continent of Youn and all of our people whom we shall cast our gazes towards.
My true name is Logos, the Spirit of Knowledge. And today, I shall be a Celestial Spirit.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A Tale older than Time: Law]
In the beginning, when this Fragment was born out of the Roots of Reality and nourished by the energies of the great expanse of the Sea of Stars, it was said that a lone being, born from the essence and memories of the Original World, opened his eyes and casted his gaze upon the primordial chaos.
It was a mess where all kinds of energies endlessly flowed and through the principle of energy-mass formation, formed the particles and matter which all things are made of.
This being who motionlessly watched all of this transpire was no other than Law, Spirit of Law, Order and Time. With the Sun and the Cosmos being inexistent, there was no way for time to be quantified during all of this. According to my calculations, he must've watched the formation of everything in the universe for no more than a few billion years. However, when I presented this figure to him, he simply shook his head and with his usual unexpressive visage, told me that such things are not meant to be known and even he who was the sole witness of it simply refer to it as an "extremely long time of statis".
It was then said that after the world has taken form, strictly following the design of Creation by the Original World, Law was freed from the shackles of his statis and was given a physical form in the floating isle of Caelestia. This island that floats above the clouds is anchored to the great mountain of Hyperion, which is itself, rooted and eternally powered by the Sea of Stars.
From there, he saw the fishes and cretins of the sea beginning to inhabit the seas, the beasts and plants of the earth filling the land with greenery and life and in the sky, birds and insects that soared amongst the clouds and followed the winds. Law said that as he witnessed these beautiful sights, it was the first time that he realized that the changes he witnessed from the primordial chaos wasn't undesirable after all.
Before long, humanity followed in the flow of Creation and with these beings given free will to decide about things as they wish and the dangers it can bring, Law saw it fit to step out of Caelestia, baring the other spirits about to be born from Caelestia in exchange of protecting humanity from the chaotic beings that form from their chaotic thoughts and emotions.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A Tale older than Time: Knowledge]
Following the creation of mankind, my sister and I, Love and Knowledge, was born in the Great Falls of Naopa of the Central continent. The waterfalls were large and tall, spanning a kilometer in width and twice in height. With the topography of the Central continent where countless rivers and lakes all flow towards the sea east of the landmass, it was inevitable that the Naopa waterfalls would be the hotspot of an enormous proto civilization where a quarter of a million people from varying tribes and creeds gathered and generation after generation, became closer and more attached to one another until they formed the first civilization in the world named "Ur Aol".
Ur Aol was a hunter-gatherer society who based themselves by the banks above the waterfalls. At first, these tribes fought over who can have the exclusive right to make use of the river delta and for a few years, these feuds would cause many of the tribes to be wiped out. However, it soon became apparent that there is no need to fight over the river area that is more than adequate to provide for the needs of all of them. With the intermarriages between tribes that symbolize and solidifies the agreements they made, Ur Aol ceased to be a place of fighting and chaos.
This was the moment when we showed ourselves to the humans and took them under our wing as their Patrons.
While my sister, Love, was more interested in aiding and guiding the mortals to unite and understand each other more, my focus was on how we can maintain the population of Ur Aol from fluctuating further due to illnesses, accidents and attacks from Malignances and somehow, advance the level of civilization of this land.
I can easily help them by using my powers, but Love warned me that if mankind must advance, it must attain it using its own strengths and ingenuity, and if I would really do what I just said, I am at the risk of breaking my Principles and becoming a "Tainted". With that in mind, I spent a lot of sunsets going through my Principles and found out that there are flimsy rules that I can make use of in order to help the people of Ur Aol.
I picked a gullible young couple who just got married and while the husband was away with his other tribemates in order to hunt, I handed a straw satchel to his wife and instructed her to "dig holes as deep as your ankles and in there, pour out the contents of this satchel and cover it with the dirt you have dug". Though skeptical and puzzled with my orders, she nevertheless knew about who I am as one of Ur Aol's Patrons and did exactly as I instructed her.
Soon, beside their tent, a strange grass grew out of the holes and though none in their tribe noticed or cared about it, she was gripped in horror with the strange plant that she knew came from her actions. Faced with the unknown, she would've dug it out and threw it away, but I intervened once again and told her that she must "pour water on it and let it grow for it will save you and your people one day".
Months later, much to my expectation after I made my predictions about the generation after generation of ceaseless hunting and gathering that the humans have done to their surroundings, the animals are either extinct or have migrated elsewhere and the fruits, berries, mushrooms and herbs have also ran dry.
Many would've died due to this, but the strange plant that grew and spread at the camp of one of the tribes became their much needed sustenance. At first, they simply chewed on its grains, but it soon became apparent to them that it would be better consumed in a mash, gruel or soup. However, its best form was when it is ground by stones to produce a coarse powder, mixed with water, kneaded again and again and after a moment, cooking it above a fire before consumption.
Bread. It was Ur Aol's first milestone of civilization.
With the people surviving due to this grain, the tribes began to distribute the seeds and plant it the same way as that young woman did. Consequently, that same young woman, who also gave birth to triplets during the same time, somehow became deified as the goddess of agriculture and fertility.
(T/N: Ayo. Author Rai deserves a segment in History channel for this lore about civilizations. Both I and KEY are having our minds blown by this narrative.)
Several generations later, Ur Aol, powered by and given food security by their cultivation of grains, decided to split the land in a more manageable way. It became apparent to them that there is no need to be conservative about growing grains as the saying "better have plenty than few" spread from one tribe to another. However, the plains above the waterfalls have long become a residential area and no matter what they do, there are simply far too little space there to expand their farms. Couple this with the fact that it is impossible to implement the new irrigation system proposed by the Harvest Priestess (a direct female descendant of the young woman who was the first to practice agriculture and became the goddess of agriculture) due to the lack of steepness from the rivers to the farms, it was decided that it was time for the land below the waterfalls to finally be used.
One of the reasons why for most of Ur Aol's existence, the bottom of the falls was never used, was because of the sheer distance between the top and the bottom. There was simply no reason for anyone to trek to the bottom of the one kilometer high steep cliff face. However, all of that changed now that there is a need for more land that can also be easily supplied with water.
Years and decades would pass and soon, Ur Aol became a marvel of mankind's civilization. Verdant fields of golden-brown wheat would always cover the lower farming lands and from all over the central continent, people would join Ur Aol's population in order to contribute at the work at hand and share at the plenteous harvest to come.
Having seen their rise and myself being keen on spreading this to all other fledgling civilizations all over the world, I left Ur Aol and my sister, Love, to journey across the world and expand the extent of my Principles. Love, always acting as if she was the one who is older than I, when in truth we were born at the same time, told me to take care of myself and make sure that I am following my Principles to a T.
What a doofus… didn't she know that her beloved Ur Aol only survived and thrived because I bent the rules of my Principles and gifted mankind with the ability to farm?
Nevertheless, it wouldn't be long after our parting that we would meet once again in a small village at the Northern continent… However, it was clear to me that the Love that I left in Ur Aol wasn't the same one that I met again here… and as she narrated what happened, I soon realized that we two must've made the gravest of mistakes in this new world.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A Tale older than Time: Love]
Following my departure from Ur Aol, my sister became the lone Patron of the place which she kept on looking after for a couple of centuries. She witnessed it taking in more and more people and tribes, establishing better shelters and buildings to keep the harvests from pests and thieves, and even forming its own monarchy that comes from the male offspring of the temple's Priestess lineage.
She said that all of it was perfect and would've remained so for almost all of eternity… until one day, rumors of a strange thought went from person to person.
The "thought", as it was generally referred to, was the idea of "expanding the borders" of Ur Aol… and the direction of the "expansion" was on the east, where news of another civilization that is under the rule of another Spirit spread by word of mouth. Normally, none of this was out of the ordinary. After all, Ur Aol isn't the only habitation of mankind in the world.
What set apart this other civilization though is that, as the rumors speak, it is "ripe for the picking".
This was the beginning of Ur Aol's descent. At first, Love thought of it as nothing more than the drunken rambling of some people who just had nothing else to do due to their bountiful and convenient lives in Ur Aol. But as the weeks went by and the sounds of hammers hitting heated iron in the workshops of blacksmiths never ceased, wooden poles drying out in the sun and notched on the end for a spearheads continued to multiply and raiding boats at the river leading to the sea east of Ur Aol to filled up the water, Love knew that none of it was mere ramblings but instead, a serious pre-emptive attack of one civilization to another.
"Cease this plan! I order you as your Patron!"
Such words were spoken by Love to the people of Ur Aol at the feast a night before their warriors would leave for the war.
She has long believed that Ur Aol would one day become a civilization worthy of being called a Utopia. With the massive farms that surrounds it and supplies even the lowliest of peasants with more than enough bread every day, she knew that by giving them the capability to fulfill their daily needs, they would be contented… but as usual of her attitude towards my warnings, she completely disregarded my prediction that her "Utopia" would just simply go off into smoke and instead, a horrible outcome of be the product of this action.
However, I can't entirely blame this on her exactly… I knew that if she can see things in my own perspective, she would know that the heart of humanity harbors a great desire that is deep and dark that at some point, it crosses into the abyss of sickeningly evil chaos. Mankind's needs might be shelter and sustenance, but its greatest temptation is the desire to dominate and be pleased beyond reasonable excess.
And so, Ur Aol, the paradise that she has looked after and I have advanced beyond any other civilization on earth, did not become the Utopia that she wished for it to become… but from there was born the first footstep of the great evil that has destroyed many other Fragments of Reality.
"To war!"
"Raise anchors!"
In the end, Love's pleading for the people of Ur Aol to stop their invasion not only failed… it even added to the thirst of some warriors for spoils after the battle. Seeing their Patron Spirit, who is more than able to force them to cease all of this with her powers, but instead, decided to plead to them helplessly, made some to realize that riches such as gold and jewelry, and glory in battle aren't the only rewards that they can take to their selves.
The seed that contains the desire to dominate has taken root and from it sprouted the idea of taking advantage of helpless women… and enslaving those who you do not share a common trait with.
To a usual Spirit, such an act is justifiable to warrant a direct intervention. By all means, she had the right to wield her power to stop them and no matter what the mortals may raise as a complaint, no other Spirit would reprimand Love if she attacked them… but she is different from the others. For instead of using her powers to stop them, she instead followed and kept away all harm from them in the form of bandits, wild animals and even a stormy sea.
She was a pitiful martyr by all accounts… she took her Principles at face value and even in a situation where she is no longer compelled to take their side, she went on to protect them.
"W-What on earth…?"
"How did this place become like this…?!"
However, what awaited them after they landed on the other side of the sea channel wasn't the other flourishing civilization that they heard about from rumors but instead, a warzone filled with cleaved corpses and innumerable crater holes.
"You must be the warriors of Ur Aol…"
"-!!!"
"Pitiful scum… to think that you would really attempt to do all of this, you mortals should really be brought down to your place."
And atop a literal mountain of bodies, a booming voice resounded, carrying scornful words and a threat to all that heard it.
"Huh? Am I seeing things right? Is that a fellow Spirit over there?"
"H-How did you-!"
"The white robes aren't hiding it well, girlie. And another thing, are you really sure that you should be here? You've protected them all this time but I can see in your heart that you desire no part in the lunacy that these mortals were carrying in their hearts and minds."
"N-No! I am willingly here to-"
"Nah-uh-uh! No lying in my presence, girlie. You don't seem to know that you're in the presence of a Spirit who gravely hates such things."
"-!!!"
In an instant, the clear sunny sky that was over their heads swirled on and on with dark and thick clouds until in an instant, lightning bolts struck down and hit their ships one by one.
"W-What the-!?"
"The ships! The ships are on fire!!!"
The hundred boats that brought them here was gone in a matter of moments. Made with light wood that allows it to float more easily, it was also greatly susceptible to the lightning strikes and the fire that followed.
"You darned-"
*Shiyaik-!*
"Gurk-!"
One of the leaders of the Ur Aol troops drew out his sword and raised his shield to attack the mysterious female spirit, but in nothing but an instant, both the top of his shield and his head dropped and rolled on the ground with a thud.
"You've dug your graves when you thought of sailing here and wreaking havoc. I've protected and allowed the people of this valley to grow as they promised to live under my rules and principles. But it seems like unlike I, your Patron Spirit doesn't have the guts to annihilate her people once they have turned their backs on her."
Sensing the mysterious Spirit's murderous intent, Love stepped forward and spread her arms out as if protecting the warriors of Ur Aol.
"W-What the hell are you talking about?! I am their Patron! It is my responsibility to protect them! How can a Patron bring harm to the people they are protecting and-"
"They ceased to become my people the moment they have crossed the morals that both they and I have promised to live by. Where else did you think all of these corpses came from?"
"-!!!"
"Now move… or I will move you, Spirit worthy only of my pity."
As the mysterious Spirit walked past her, Love can do nothing but stand still and listen as she began the one-sided slaughter that ensued and continued on for a few hours until once again, another mountain of corpses stood at the plains where a bountiful civilization once stood.
"W-What did you…?"
"You should've dealt with this by yourself, young one. As their Patron, you could've given them a painless death unlike I who has nothing to hold back from brutalizing them just to stop their lunacy."
"My people… the people of Ur Aol…!"
"…Truly pitiful."
"I'm sorry…! I AM SO SORRY, EVERYONE!!!"
"To shed tears and bewail mortals who have already turned their backs on you. You are too attached to your Principles to see what is truly morally virtuous."
According to Love, the mysterious female spirit didn't give her name nor what she represents in this world. But with how she saw Love as someone below her and the way she called her like she was nothing to her but a brat, it made me realize that she might be Justice, the Spirit of Justice, Balance and Righteousness.
Spirit Justice left none of the warriors alive… and even though Love knew that everything Justice said was right, she still can't help but cry for the loss for several days when she didn't want it to happen at all.
Once she have burned all of the bodies to at least give them a proper send-off, she went back to Ur Aol… only to see it as a dilapidated wreck riddled with signs of an internal conflict and traces of a great battle.
As it turns out, the continued acceptance of more and more tribes who carried their own unique way of life and beliefs became a detriment to all who didn't leave Ur Aol for the war. Little by little, the tribes grumbled towards each other and in the end, it caused a great battle to ensue that claimed the lives of many and drove away the other settlers from the city, possibly never to return again.
"T-This is…"
"Guoh-?"
However, the great battle wasn't one fought exclusively by the inhabitants… but instead, the product of the dark and destructive thoughts that their minds brought out.
"Malignances…!"
"GRAAAAHHH!!!"
Beings of the chaotic void, attracted by negative thoughts and given form by foul and violent actions. Malignances entered Ur Aol from the feuds that turned into fights and eventually, claimed the lives of many of the dead strewn around in the city.
Seeing all of this destruction and noting in her own mind and heart that she cannot let this happen again, she gathered what little remained of Ur Aol's survivors and traveled with them to the Northern continent where she must've sensed I was staying to study the people here.
"I will start again, Knowledge… But this time, I will be stricter. It was my relentless desire to follow my Principles that costed me both my people and the place they called as their home. Ur Aol was a paradise that provided everything they needed, so much so that it allowed them to foster the idea of desiring things that they shouldn't have simply as an idea of pleasing theirselves…"
"…And how do you plan to do it, Love?"
"…If I truly love my people… I must teach them that I cannot only protect by letting them do as they wish. I must also force them to give up on things that I know they must not do."
"…"
How I wish that she can keep those thoughts truly close to her heart… for I know that once she has expanded the extent of her principles, she will certainly learn that even when it is for the best, some people… maybe even some Spirits, would rather do what they want rather than what they should and need to do.
I should've just given that brat to someone else other than her… for if there was a anyone that she should've not met back then, it was no other than the young Spirit named Freedom, the Spirit of Freedom… and the one whose temperament is closest to Chaos.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A Tale older than Time: Justice]
I first met her a few weeks into my journey to the northern continent. Although the civilization under her rule named "Os Peri", was directly to the east of Ur Aol and separated only by a fairly wide sea channel, it seems like the dry prairie canyon north of both areas was also her territory.
"Do you know whose land you're stepping on, boy?"
"…Do enlighten me, madame."
"Heh! Very amusing… you're among the first ones to address me properly."
"I make it a point to treat anyone I meet for the first time cordially."
"My, my… Is it because you think it's polite and you feel like you should be someone good?"
"Not at all. Logically speaking, it is just better to be polite and cordial altogether."
Although it would delay my trip for a while, I accepted her invitation to come with her to a cave inside the cliffs of the canyon where some of her people are placed to patrol their borders. There, I took some dried leaves that I have discovered from a lush western mountainous region that I cared after and allowed to multiply back in Ur Aol, crushed them and brewed them into a bitter yet refreshing drink.
"And this is…?"
"Tea. Mint tea, to be exact."
"Huh… What a peculiar and bitter-smelling beverage… Heh! Not bad, though."
Naturally, the humans were reluctant to partake, but after seeing Justice take a sip and have a pleasant change in her expression, they drank too and seemed to have enjoyed it.
"Now, now… May I know why you asked me to come here, Spirit Justice?"
"The answer is easy to guess, Spirit Knowledge, I am here to forge a deal with you."
"…A deal, you say?"
"…You see, the people of Os Peri, the civilization where I am its Patron, has been troubled recently with the rumors of another civilization to our west named… uh… what was it again, you louts?"
"Ur Aol, dear Patron."
"Ah, right! Ur Aol… we heard that like us, they have managed to harness the power of the rich soil of the central continent and from there, cultivate crops that gave them the ability to multiply and settle down properly."
She spoke with the human language towards the mortals around us before speaking to me once again in the language that we Spirits exclusively use. Once I heard her say that the people of Os Peri have practiced agriculture at roughly the same time as Ur Aol, I knew that my rash decision back then has finally come to haunt me.
"You should already know as the Spirit of Knowledge that even the most docile of animals would bare their fangs and extend their claws when their needs and desires are threatened by something. I have repeatedly warned my people that if they would attack Ur Aol unprovoked, they would all pay the price with my blade… what I fear though is that whoever is leading Ur Aol may not be doing the same thing and soon, my people would be in danger against them."
Her intuition is more than correct. Now that I am gone, Love would surely not be able to stop the humans from forming an army and attacking their neighboring civilizations. Soon, war would tear apart the continent.
"With that said and over, I am here to make a deal with you."
"…State your demands and I'll see if I can do anything about it."
"Right… I wish to know if Ur Aol will attack us… and if the answer to that is yes, would it be wise for Os Peri to attack preemptively?"
"…"
I pondered about her question for a moment. I was torn between the pros and cons of both decisions. It's true that Ur Aol will attack and Love would lack the will to stop them. It's also true that Os Peri should intercept them in order to protect their selves. However, mortals would surely not be contented with simply stopping their adversary. In exchange for the lives of their comrades and the danger they faced, they would desire reparations that both sides would surely not accept at all.
I cannot lie. As the Spirit of Knowledge, I am barred from not telling her the truth and nothing but the truth… but I can at least turn it to be seen in a way would elicit a different interpretation.
"Your hunch is correct, Spirit Justice. The mortals of Ur Aol will come and attack your land. My predictions and rationalization of the events we have so far say this so."
"I see…"
"However, I would greatly advise against having the people of Os Peri to attack preemptively."
"What…? What do you mean?"
"…"
I looked around the cave and sure enough, the humans seemed to have deduced from my tone and the mention of their homeland that something wrong is afoot.
"Let's speak about this at night when I can better illustrate and explain it in detail. For now, try to think about what Os Peri and its inhabitants are worth to you."
Night came and while the platoon of soldiers walked back to their city and exchange places with another group of soldiers as per usual rotation, Justice and I had the opportunity to speak privately about what I held back from saying earlier.
"Os Peri, just like Ur Aol, is a civilization that attracted countless tribes and groups of people and over time, with intermarriages and agreements on land ownership, stabilized into an orderly and cohesive country, yes?"
"Right. When I first came across the family of about fifty or so humans who held this enormous oasis in the middle of nowhere, I thought of them as nothing more than the usual riff-raff mortals who'd sooner or later, be wiped out by starvation or disease. After all, that family was too large and bundled together to not escape that kind of fate… however…"
"However?"
"I was amazed that unlike the nomadic hunter-gatherers who does nothing but drive wild animals into extinction and pick fruits and berries until those plants cannot reproduce properly and spread out, these people have stayed near the oasis in order to water these plots of land where they grew this plant that fed them far into abundance."
"So, they independently discovered how to farm?"
"Right. Through sheer will and effort, and strictly passing it from one generation to the other, they harnessed the power of the rich soil of this land and escaped starvation through it. Actually, when I heard that Ur Aol did the same thing and grew into a strong civilization because of it, I was amazed as well."
Huh… it seems like no one has heard about my interference in it. That's good for now.
"However, unlike Ur Aol that attracted tribes with good will and desire to integrate into the growing civilization, Os Peri was beset on all sides with bandits, thieves and many dangers that lurk in the darkness. The family's head said that if they didn't have to always be on the look out and prepared to fight in order to protect their farms, they'd probably not only be fifty people or so, but instead, probably a hundred members."
"These bandits and thieves… are they…"
"Right. Nomadic tribes was also saddled with the fate of no longer having wild animals to hunt in this desert. To Os Peri, they didn't have any problems with sharing the oasis with the nomads so long as the latter wouldn't block off the canals they have made to irrigate their fields, but the nomads not only desire the oasis… they also desired the fruits of that family's labor… and having nothing of value to exchange with for the grains, they decided to take it in the only other possible way."
"Through force…"
"Right… Through force."
Justice would speak more about how even through ceaseless adversary, the family that founded Os Peri would stand guard on the land they called their home and wave after wave, would triumph over their enemies. However, some of what Justice said afterwards caused some concern with me and further cemented my prediction about what may befall Os Peri and its people.
"The old rules of these sands speak that "no matter the circumstance, no honorable man shall ever turn his back on a widow and her children… especially when he is the one who claimed the life of her husband"."
"Wait… are you saying that-"
"Right… Unlike Ur Aol, Os Peri grew out from those nomadic tribes that attack them losing all of their men and ending up being taken in by the men of the founding family. During its rise in prominence and population number, on average, one man would have more or less five wives with him. For the family head, that soon became called as a king, it wasn't only customary, but instead, compulsory to have ten or so women as his wives."
I see… Ur Aol never had this kind of marital arrangement because there are more or less a balance in the number of men and women and frankly speaking, monogamy was one of the balancing powers in Ur Aol's formation as a state. It seems like Os Peri, being formed in the vacuum of its own circumstances, developed its own societal system and culture.
"I became the Patron of Os Peri because they made a pact with me that they'd honor the rules of their ancestors that greatly valued duty, fairness and family. They were a perfect fit to my Principles and I saw potential in them to be able to achieve great things if they continued down that route."
"…Why the low tone now?"
"Because the ones I made a pact with, as well as the values they carried, are no more. Their children, fattened by the bounty of their fields and drowning in the ecstasy of their total control in this side of the continent, has began to enter the squalor of hedonism. Wishing to meet and even surpass the glory attained by their forefathers and yet, lacking the aggressive nomads that once beset their lands, they've started to look around for lands to conquer and people to take over and there was only one place in this continent that met that standards."
"Ur Aol."
It seems like another one of my predictions became right. I have long expected for humanity to enter this kind of phase once they have solved one of their crucial challenges in life, which is in this case, the challenge of lacking in sustenance.
Now that the differences and similarities of both sides have become clear to me, I can now give my verdict that may as well be the future if no unexpected factors will come into play.
"Let's forge that deal that you were talking about."
"Finally… will you be answering the latter half of my question?"
"Yes. I don't think that it's necessary for you to gather and head the intercepting force against Ur Aol's army."
"Haah… that's a relief. If there's anything in this world that I don't like doing, it's being mixed up with the mess of mortals like-"
"Don't be so hasty to say that. I told you it's not necessary to lead your people because they're more than willing to do it without your leading or even permission."
"W-What-!?"
"Didn't you notice that the replacement soldiers hasn't arrived yet when they should've already been here a long time ago? I'm predicting that the ones that came before have already warned the others and are now gathering every soldier they can muster to attack Ur Aol."
"T-those pests! How dare they do that to innocent-"
"By the way, Ur Aol has also just sailed out of their cities in order to attack Os Peri. Both sides would certainly have a clash by tomorrow morning."
"-!"
All of this went too smoothly… As far as I know, things such as wars aren't entirely explainable by ordered logic. If anything, war itself is illogical and chaotic. It is something that I can only look at in a single point of view as the Spirit of Knowledge and Logic.
That's the reason why I question the utter number of coincidences that brought all of these seemingly random factors into the fruition of war. There is simply no way for all of this to be coincidental. For now though, I have to shelve that thought as the Spirit in front of me began to fume in anger towards the people she is leading as their Patron.
"At this rate, I can't stop them from clashing together and giving Malignances a way to be brought to this world in a massive wave!"
"Be at peace, Justice. There is a way for all of these to be stopped."
"W-What?"
"It's connected to what I desire out of this deal."
I've already expected for this day to come, but I didn't expect it to happen only decades after I left Ur Aol.
"The Patron of Ur Aol is a Spirit that, due to her unwillingness to make a compromise with her Principles, will not be able to stop the Ur Aol army. Because of this, they'd surely arrive at your shores and wage war with Os Peri. However, there is a way for you to end this before it even begins."
"…And that is?"
"Destroy Os Peri and decimate its people by your own hands under the justification of them breaking their ancient pact with you. If anything, what they have done right now, which is to not heed your warnings, is more than enough to justify such an action. To add to that, once they arrived at your shores, you can do the same to the Ur Aol army under the justification of them trespassing on a land that you have jurisdiction over."
"Lunacy! You're basically asking me to become a Tainted Spirit at that point!"
"True… but if the alternative is to have both sides fight a fierce war and give Malignances a chance to assume physical forms through the dead bodies that would pile up from the battles to come, wouldn't nipping this in the bud be better for the entirety of the world?"
"…"
"And worry not, I don't think that the Divine Principles would be violated if you'd follow my instructions properly. It's true that you'd need to be reformed as a Spirit since in a way, what you'd be claiming far too many mortal lives than you can carry to the Sea of Stars… but don't be bothered, I'm sure that this world will never last long without a Spirit like you that embody a crucial aspect of reality. Didn't an ancient proverb speak that "A world without justice is doomed to destruction"-"
"And destruction without justice is not something this world deserves."
It seems like I was able to convince her that this is the best way to go in our present situation. With a sigh, she stood up and as her pure white robe glistened with purplish lightning static, I knew that she's ready to do what needed to be done if the Central Continent is to avoid the fate of being the nest of Malignances.
"About your deal, what is it precisely, Knowledge?"
"Spare the naïve Spirit who isn't willing to do what must be done for the mortal of Ur Aol. She deserves to lose those mortals who have abused her naivete and inability to not placate what they want out of her… but she doesn't deserve to be slain or punished by the Divine Principles for it."
"...Are you asking for this because it's logically better for her to remain alive… or because you hold her as someone important to you?"
Being asked that question, my inability to lie would certainly expose the truth that I am asking for her to be spared because she is my sister and someone I hold important in my life… and perhaps, it would be apt to call her as my other half since we are twins born out of the polar opposite of each other's equally important Principles. With me being the logical part and her being the emotional part of the human heart and mind. Because of that, I just answered in a way where I would neither lie nor speak the truth.
"I prefer to not answer that."
"…Is that so?"
Before we parted ways, and perhaps, with this being our last time to talk like this since she'd have an entirely different physical body, personality and memories after she has done everything that she needed to do, she turned around and spoke these words that almost made me chuckle with its hilarity.
"You know, if both of us are humans instead of Spirits, I bet you'd be a huge pain in the ass to deal with if we're on opposite sides. Seriously, you suck."
"Really? How so?"
"You're exuding the aura of someone who can only be satisfied with something if he manipulated someone to get it… But I guess that's what makes you the Spirit of Knowledge."
"I'll be taking that as a compliment."
"Whatever… Get going before I kick your ass."
As she flew off to her city while wreathed in lightning, I stood up from where I was sitting and walked off towards my original destination to the north.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
[A Tale older than Time: Courage]
Months later, I'd hear about everything that transpired there through Spirit Courage and his student Spirit Faith, who came there after being called by Spirit Justice to quell the calamitous waves of Malignances that sprouted out of Ur Aol. Before setting off to another adventure together where they plan to track down and request the guidance of the rarely seen Primordial Spirit Law, they said that some survivors of Ur Aol, lead by my sister Love, would come here in the Northern continent to form a new civilization.
"Another thing, if by some harebrained misfortune of mine decides to swing off again and Spirit Law comes by here as soon as we left, ask him to stay for a while and contact me through our Link."
"I know that this is a pretty late time to ask for it, but can I know why you're so keen on meeting with Spirit Law of all beings?"
"Well… Argh! Screw me and my excuses… I want to consult him about the troubling rise of incidents where Malignances have begun to crop out in the world all of a sudden."
"Shouldn't that be normal now that every society worth its tack and stability is now practicing farming and beginning to balloon out their populations?"
"Normally, you'd be right… but the thing is, my Truth Formula has been telling me something else."
"And that is?"
"Whatever caused the Original World to Fragment like this after it has fulfilled its fated purpose is starting to crawl out and assemble the fractured pieces again. One by one, it's moving its limbs to every piece in order to claim it as its own."
"…How can you be sure of this?"
"Normally, it takes an abysmally enormous number of deaths before Malignances can manifest into the physical world, but Ur Aol only required a hundred or so before wave after wave of them came out."
"…"
"I am saying this with all seriousness, Knowledge. This world of ours might be in danger sooner or later. As the surrogate father and teacher of that little girl, I don't want her to shoulder this burden as well later on as we are doing it now."
As he said that, he looked at Spirit Faith who was playing house with other kids as if she's nothing but a normal little kid as well.
"I don't plan to sit idly when I can change all of this for us… with that in mind, I require the Primordial Spirit's guidance and possibly, even his help."
"What makes you believe that he'd actually help?"
"Because its among his Principles to bring order wherever he may go… and if my senses are right, all of this wouldn't end with just puny little Malignances hanging out in the surface world."
He heaved a sigh and turned away from me before he said the following words.
"…I believe that as mankind advances, the aspects of reality would also be spoiled, thus creating Tainted Spirits that would lead to nothing but mankind's ruin."
How I wish that I wasn't filled with skepticism about what Courage spoke about that day… for only a few thousand years later, it would not only claim countless human lives and the handiwork of all Spirits who wanted to foster the good stock of people… it would also claim the life of the only other person who truly cared for me.
And her killer… will be the very same person whom she should never have met with.