futurology | text | un: Sasaki

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text | un: Sasaki

Like a few others here, I'm among those who met the goddess Nalanni. And like others there are things I learned from having a conversation with her. First and foremost, I'd like to request some help in conveying a message she intended for her people.

She wanted them to know that she loves them, and that she knows they can go on without her.

At the time, I was struck with the thought that she'd considered her own passing a possibility. And now that I've seen mentions of slaying gods here, it seems she wasn't wrong. Maybe some of you know more than me, but I'm not convinced it's the only way. Having said that, I'm not blind to the reality that those are our orders, and that there are those who will follow them.

I'm more interested in helping the Nalawi. I gave my word that I would do whatever I could, and so... To those who are already making efforts to ensure the Nalawi are able to sustain themselves, whatever may come, I'd like to volunteer any help I can provide.

If anyone wants further information on the conversation I had with Nalanni, please let me know. I'm unsure how much would be redundant, since admittedly, I've picked up on recent developments here and there.

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There are those who have been in fits of moral outrage over Nalanni's destruction of the Dakal. In truth, we are not here to render judgment on her past actions or anyone else's.

[ Those who maintain timelines are to be neutral. He learned this a long time ago, regardless of how sick and tired he became of cleaning up humanity's messes. ]

I expect you'll do well and that others more suited to such a task will join you.

[ In fact, he hopes they will. ]

I've been seeing some of that, as people have responded to me. Had I seen her actions first, and not known her in any other way, I can't deny that I might feel differently. Being evenhanded seems preferable, though it seems people were given one side of the story, and I can't fault them for their reaction.

[Though it does seem that those who feel they're doling out justice are, if anything, taking vengeance for a loss that isn't their own.

That strikes him as dangerous]

Thank you. I'll do everything I can on that front, since in the end, it's the people of this world who are left with the results.

There is always more than one side to every story, and even those with good intentions are capable of causing great tragedies. I do not fault them for their reaction, either, but sweeping judgments were made without awareness of all the details.

The Timeline has since clarified the issue, but Nalanni's actions against the Dakal weren't even a factor in its calculations.

In matters such as these, raw emotion shouldn't be what guides us.

That's the impression I've been getting. While I can understand the outrage, it seems that some may have looked no further. As an investigator, I can't say it would be my approach to something that affects an entire world so heavily.

[But then, he's always been told he's too soft for sympathizing with creatures that are conventionally accepted as being monsters in his own world...]

People judge where the system does not, from the sounds of it.

Do you feel those calculations are sound? Admittedly, I was familiar with nothing capable of action on this scale, and it's difficult to fathom in some ways.

Based on personal experience, yes.

[ He's been doing this sort of thing for a while. ]

There are powers that exist in other worlds that serve as a check when timelines are out of balance. They may be smaller in scale than ALASTAIR itself, but the purpose is the same.

Most solutions never factor ideals of morality or justice. It is a matter of balance and ensuring the least amount of collateral damage.

Judging by the Timeline's analysis, slaying the goddesses is indeed the best way of achieving that goal.

Edited 2016-05-27 05:22 (UTC)

I see. It sounds like you're much more knowledgeable in this area than I am. Such things would've only been found in works of fiction, where I was from.

Was it stated just what effect is meant to be achieved in killing the goddesses? I find myself unclear on that.

[Not that he finds himself any more on board with the notion, but knowing something more concrete at least gives him a better understanding of the stance others have taken, and this person he's talking with seems fairly reasoned]

Based on the Timeline's comments, I gathered that there is a finite amount of energy in existence that powers or allows worlds to exist.

Nalawi is apparently running low on such energy, and the goddesses, being what they are, are now a drain on the world. In order to preserve the world itself for a longer period of time, the goddesses must be removed from the equation. Once they are destroyed, the power they hold will flow back to the world. The Gifts of the Nalawi will not return, but world itself will not burn out prematurely.

That is why simply moving the goddess off-world will not help the situation. The problem itself is what they are.

Thank you for the information. I've felt there were details I was behind on, and that seems more substantive than meting out some form justice for a cause we couldn't claim personal stock in.

I take it no one knows of a way to change the flow of that energy without ending their lives, then... Nalanni seemed pretty low on reserves rather than brimming with power, when I encountered her. Is there no way for them to be anything else?

[From personal experience, what someone is seemed fairly changeable...but that's humans and ghouls. He doesn't know the first thing about gods and doubts classical mythology applies here.

But did a method exist and was it deemed too costly? Or were there no means?]

Edited (typo) 2016-05-27 06:48 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware, the Timeline indicated there is no way to remake the goddesses into something other than what they are no matter what form they take.

[ Which makes sense to him, really. ]

Deities such as Nalanni and Ryba have come and gone in my world. The pantheons of many cultures have faded from existence, and with them, the presence of magic and those capable of using it has diminished. Great feats that were once possible and even easily done in earlier ages are no longer feasible.

Though we have been tasked with slaying them here, it is not such an uncommon occurrence for gods and goddesses to fade into obscurity. The Nalawi must learn to make do without their Gifts, but as humans in my own world did, I believe they will adapt.

Edited 2016-05-27 18:06 (UTC)

I see... It's a shame, being able to draw us from so many places, but something like that isn't possible.

[It may be specifically because they're gods - he's hardly in a position to gauge.

But it seems his conversation partner is, on the other hand]

Although this might be a strange question, what do you mean by "fade"? Do they just vanish over time?

Nothing exists in a vaccuum. The actions we take invariably have consequences. Even if it were possible to change what they are, even miracles require a certain amount of power.

Would it be worth it -- to save two lives with a massive amount of power that could be used to help countless others elsewhere?

[ Perspective. ]

It means there was a period in my world's history where magic, the occult, gods and goddesses, and heroes played a dramatic role in shaping the course of events.

It is my understanding that they retreated from the world or were otherwise rendered powerless. Whether or not they still exist, they no longer play a part in human affairs. The age of man, of technology and civilization has superseded their existence.

Edited (omg i cannot spell!!!) 2016-05-28 18:32 (UTC)

Ideally, I'd wish to save them all. That being said, I've yet to find an ideal world.

[As much as he wants to spare lives, he comes from reality in which that's far from possible. Sometimes he can manage, working within the system, but...often, he's delaying the inevitable at best.

Too soft.

Arima's words echo in his mind]

I see. It's hard to imagine such a place, but then, I thought the things I'm experiencing now could only be in fiction.

From the sounds of it, that transition was more peaceful and gradual than what's to occur here.

[ And that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? There is no such thing as an ideal world. ]

No world is exactly the same as another.

The gods and goddesses that reigned during that time period were not always kind. Some were, but others were just as cruel and petty as you might expect their human counterparts to be.

There were wars and battles, much as there have been since their age has passed.

As long as there are people, those capable of free will, there will be conflicts.

I couldn't argue against that, much as I wish I could. Even those with a common cause may conflict, just as it seems some of us do.

Forgive me for this comment if it sounds strange, but the way you discuss these matters makes me think you've been around for far longer than myself.

[Worldly isn't quite the right word, but it comes close]

[ If that's your way of asking if he's an old man, you would be right, Haise. ]

Heroic Spirits such as myself are beings removed from the bounds of time.

I could not tell you how old I am, but I have served as what we call a 'counter guardian' for hundreds if not thousands of years.

We clean and maintain timelines - a role very similar to what is expected of us here.

There is no program such as the Timeline directing our actions, but there is another power that does.

Edited 2016-05-29 14:38 (UTC)

[He never would've guessed quite that ancient though...what a notion]

That's the first I've heard the term. Are Heroic Spirits a particular rank, or a state of being?

[Can't help but be curious, being told something like that]

From the sounds of it, this must be pretty familiar ground to tread. At least to some extent, since some particulars must surely vary.

[ He's got the white hair for it and everything...! ]

Heroic Spirits are figures of myths and legends, sometimes heroes of great renown, who achieved great deeds in their lifetimes. There are those who qualify by other means, but such individuals upon their deaths are removed from the cycle of incarnation and become powerful spirits that can be summoned into the world.

[ There's the Holy Grail War to consider too, but that's a whole other can of worms. ]

Particulars vary, but as I said -- solutions rarely factor ideals of morality or justice.

[ It's cleaning up others' messes, cold logic, and reducing the overall collateral damage. ]

I'd never heard of something like that before. Where I'm from I'd expect to find something like that in a novel, but that puts differences in some perspective. So great deeds are usually the qualifying criteria for people like that?

It sounds like one would be forced to stop thinking in human terms. It might just be my thinking, but that sounds like an incredibly taxing sort of job.

[To put aside personal beliefs that way, and act on what was deemed the best course. It's all theoretical to him, something he knows he can't fully relate to, but...

In some small way, he thinks he can, just a little. As someone who'd had it impressed upon him that he was a weapon to be used]

Generally, yes.

[ There are exceptions, of course, but when aren't there? As for the rest of Haise's analysis...well. He's actually quite right. ]

To become a Heroic Spirit is to become a tool for another's use. We safeguard humanity, but we have no say over who summons us or why.

More often than not, we acts as weapons and nothing more.

[ So....yeah. Thinking in human terms doesn't really work. ]

[He may not be able to relate to the mystical nature of what's being described to him, but that last part...

That last part he knows quite well. For the CCG, he has the same role. Having been told this much, he knows the circumstances surrounding it are quite different, of course. The actions he was to take would never have such great significance]

I can imagine why it would take particularly strong people for that kind of role.

[At the same time, he can also imagine it would still be frustrating]

Thank you, for explaining it to me in such detail. I realize it wasn't the original subject we were discussing, but I found myself curious once it came up.

[ It is incredibly frustrating, but that's something Archer largely keeps to himself. The foolish choices he made, the ideals he once held that shattered under the weight of so much death -- these things are personal and rarely ever discussed. ]

There is nothing wrong with asking questions.

I hope my answers have offered some perspective.

[ Why they're here and what they're meant to do... He doesn't expect everyone to be cold and logical like he is, but tempering emotionalism, in his mind, can only be a good thing. ]

I appreciate the time you took in elaborating on the subject, especially as someone more experienced in this area.

[Taking actions that change worlds in this way. It would've been unfathomable just a short time ago, for him]

It does give me a few things to think about.

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