"Ah?" ×2
Not only was Li Lin taken aback, but Zoe was also left stunned by Morgana's request.
Li Lin was aware that Morgana despised her own powers.
On one hand, this stemmed from her mother's increasingly divine nature. Her father, Kilam, had led them to flee from Mihira to protect them, bearing the agony of betraying his loved one. This caused Morgana immense pain, as she believed her father's suffering was due to her mother's divine power bestowed by the star spirits.
On the other hand, the longstanding estrangement and conflict between her and her sister, Kayle, had erupted into violence, impacting their father and leading to his death.
Morgana cursed her own powers, viewing her wings as an inescapable mark of her suffering, and she desperately sought a divine weapon to sever them, hoping to finally distance herself from her sister Kayle.
Li Lin had not anticipated that Morgana sought him out because of this.
"These wings are so beautiful! Why would you want to sever them?"
Zoe materialized a portal with her mind, appearing behind Morgana. As she caressed the wings covered in the hardest, darkest feathers known, she muttered:
"I want wings too, like those of unicorns and star butterflies... But even if I conjure wings with magic, they won't be a part of my body."
Morgana felt deeply uncomfortable with Zoe's touch. She swiftly moved away from the seemingly "disturbed" girl.
Though she had not fully inherited the knowledge of the star spirits, she knew enough about the Twilight Star Spirit.
So this is the host chosen by the Twilight Star Spirit...
Morgana glanced nervously at Zoe, who hovered in mid-air, and thought to herself.
"Boring, boring, so boring, hmph~~!"
Zoe stuck her tongue out at Morgana, teleporting back to Li Lin's side. She continued to hover in front of him, deciding never to engage with this annoying entity, who was even more vexing than the two star spirit hosts at Mount Targon.
"Setting aside whether my weapon could sever the 'divine' body... Why are you so fixated on cutting off your own wings?"
Morgana lowered her gaze into silence.
After some time, she slightly lifted her face, pushing her veil aside to reveal a visage that could captivate the weakest-willed men but incited no thoughts of disrespect. Her beauty was incomparable.
Li Lin was quite surprised.
The real Morgana was worlds apart from her in-game depiction!
"Because this power is nothing but a curse to me," Morgana said, her expression filled with melancholy. "Gods are merely titles bestowed upon transcendent beings by mortals. Gods, too, have desires and flaws. Compared to imperfect humans, I do not wish to interact with those deceitful and cunning deities."
She raised her gaze, her violet eyes even more intense, fixating on Li Lin's deep brown eyes.
"I measure this unchanging land with my own steps, and I understand human flaws. No one is perfect, and no one can completely avoid mistakes.
"Kayle's justice and judgment are merely proof of her moral decay, step by step abandoning her humanity. She is receiving the legacy of the Justice Star Spirit, and once she returns, the world will face the purifying flames of false justice.
"No one can resist Kayle, and no one can survive long in her heartless, inhuman kingdom.
"I want to completely sever my ties with Kayle. I will represent humanity and lead the fight against her cruel tyranny…"
Morgana hesitated, her lips pressed together. "She is no longer my sister. Since our father died in my arms, and she turned her back on us, abandoning her family to pursue the elusive star spirit legacy at Mount Targon."
But have you considered that perhaps it's not just your sister Kayle who is extreme, but that you are another kind of extreme as well?
If you and your sister could truly understand each other and bridge the gap between the two extremes of justice you both represent, it could lead to a more harmonious balance.
Li Lin let out a barely audible sigh.
Kayle represents the side of justice that judges all sins without leniency, embodying one side of the scale of justice.
Morgana represents the other side, accepting the repentance of all wrongdoers, no matter their crimes, as long as they show remorse.
This scale of justice cannot achieve true impartiality or fairness no matter which side is lost.
"Setting aside whether our 'mortal' weapons can sever your wings... Morgana, I understand the legend of you and your sister Kayle."
Morgana raised an eyebrow, her expression showing surprise, intrigued by what this young man, barely twenty summers old, could possibly say.
"Your pain actually stems from your guilt, from the heartbreak and sorrow of betrayal by those you loved, not from your own abilities.
"I understand your desire to distance yourself from Kayle, but have you considered that you, too, might be an extreme?"
"Are you defending Kayle?" Morgana's mood shifted to displeasure immediately, and she sneered, "I can sense the blood on your hands as well. Have you ever thought that even this could lead Kayle to 'purify' your sins with divine flames?"
"You misunderstand me, Morgana." Li Lin shook his head. "Let's set aside Kayle for now and discuss your own actions."
"Oh~~? Then I'd like to hear what you have to say."
Morgana's brows furrowed further, her aura rising as if she were ready to lash out if Li Lin failed to convince her.
Even Zoe was stirred by her demeanor, abandoning the pastry she had taken from the portal to teleport beside Li Lin. She regarded Morgana with what she considered her most "cruel" and "cold" gaze, showing her distaste for this fellow being who displayed hostility toward someone she liked.
However, Li Lin remained unperturbed by the hostility she displayed, calmly responding, "What is justice? What is corruption? These are the questions we must first consider.
"A person who has never done a single bad deed in their life, a paragon of virtue, is judged and sentenced to death for stealing an apple from a farmer because, for some reason… perhaps due to war… they have not eaten for days and are on the brink of starvation.
"Yet, without that apple, they would die… Is it just to let someone who spent their entire life doing good deeds die in such a manner?
"Does a lifetime of helping others and doing good not outweigh the sin of stealing that single apple?"
"This is the extremity of Kayle." Morgana sneered, her anger subsiding slightly.
"Let us consider a different perspective," Li Lin continued.
"Consider a villain who has committed countless atrocities, oppressed the weak, destroyed numerous families, and killed countless people. If, faced with judgment and terrified of death, this villain experiences a genuine epiphany and repents, leading to a commutation of their death sentence…"
Morgana opened her mouth, wanting to express her opinion, but Li Lin didn't give her the chance.
"I understand what you wish to argue: because this villain has had a true awakening and understood the meaning of life, you believe they are still worth saving.
"But have you considered that this villain's repentance is only born of fear of death? And what of the innocent victims they have harmed, the families they have shattered—how do they face this decision? Just because the villain says, 'I have had a true awakening, I sincerely repent, and I ask the Winged Guardian Morgana to spare me from death,' does that erase their past sins?"
Morgana's expression shifted.
What about those whom she had protected, who had been harmed…
In the past, she had never considered this question.
However, she quickly reaffirmed her resolve, "I can see into people's hearts. This ability comes from the power of the Justice Star Spirit that I inherited."
Morgana continued, "I can discern whether their repentance is genuine. For those who are merely trying to evade punishment, my cold dark flames will reduce them to ashes as a punishment."
"But… what if those villains had killed your father?"
Noticing Morgana's expression change abruptly, Li Lin quickly added, "This is just a hypothetical. I certainly do not wish to offend your esteemed father… I simply want to ask, if your father were still alive and a group of robbers came into your home, killing him in the process to steal valuables without revealing themselves…
"If you captured those villains and they sincerely repented when facing death, realizing their errors, would you still forgive them? Forgive those who have avenged your father's death?
"Don't rush to answer me. Ask your heart, Morgana. I believe it will tell you the answer."
Morgana's purple-black lips parted slightly, wanting to refute Li Lin but unsure where to start.
This was her personal experience.
She had always loathed the power she inherited, yet when faced with robbers who sought to harm her father, she used her power to turn them into ashes.
If her father had not died due to the battles between her and her sister, but had been harmed by a group of villains…
Even if those villains sincerely repented, she couldn't guarantee she would be able to suppress her anger and forgive them like other criminals.
What is justice? What is corruption? Morgana could not help but question herself.
Kayle's actions are not justice, but were her past actions truly what the world considers as genuine corruption? Morgana remained silent for a long time, "You have a talent for debate, child."
She shook her head and smiled faintly, slowly speaking, "But if you intend to persuade me only with these arguments, I must say you are mistaken."
Indeed…
Such extremities brought by the Star Spirit's power cannot be resolved merely through words.
Li Lin furrowed his brow.
"No matter what, I have completely abandoned my past code of conduct," Morgana said. "Justice is merely a grandiloquent term, and I will shatter this fractured false shield, even if it means standing against the world."
Her aura rose fiercely, though it was not directed at Li Lin.
Morgana's violet eyes gazed southwest with a stern expression, seemingly sensing something beyond. She gathered a sphere of cold, dark flame in her hands and then extinguished it.
"Every step I take is a path chosen in the flames of suffering."
She said coldly, "If people need a villain, then let me be that villain!"
(End of Chapter)
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