Spring, Day 70, Year 509
22nd Bell
Everything was as busy as usual, most people walking by the various flowers, having a quaint little picnic as a romantic couple, or simply relaxing in the lush, colorful place known as a garden. Majority of people are celebrating the Star Festival: Dancing, Eating, Singing, You name it, it's there. There's vendors for nearly everything set up, but in the midst of all this excitement there lies two beings sitting in a garden at night, far from the commotion of the plazas. One of which was Eldecrok the Akvatari, the other was an Ethaefal lady who had found him lost and sat him down for a while as they tried to find his caretaker...
"So. I heard your old man is a scientist," said the lady, calmly staring at the flowers of the garden, taking notice of the withered petals on some of them. "I'm sure he would love to be here right now."
"Yep, He's a really good man, isn't he?" He was also staring at the flowers, but took notice of the thorns in some of the roses. "Why do these flowers have thorns?" Eldecrok said, pointing to them like a child would a stranger.
She would continue to stare at the wilting flowers for a moment before giving her response. "Why? Because Caiyha made them that way."
"I mean what purpose do they serve? They must make a lot of people hurt..." Eldecrok said, putting his hand down but continuing his gaze. The Ethaefal shifted the gaze from the wilted flower to the one with thorns.
"It is to protect them." She replies with a quiet somberness.
Eldecrok was not happy with this response, since people would raise and make the plants happy, why would they grow thorns? "I don't get it. We grew them didn't we? Why do they do that to us?" He promptly stuck his tongue out at the flower.
The lady sighs, and closes her eyes and tries to think of a response that will quiet him down. "Say if I were to save your life. I then told you that you had to be my slave. Would you do it?"
Shifting his eyes from the flower to her and the Ethaefal's horns. He was troubled by this question she proposed. "You would make me happy right? Even if I was your slave?" He hadn't been taught what slaves were, and thought he would be treated like a flower: He would be fed and look nice in exchange for a better life.
Sighing once more, the lady looks at him with a bit of disgust, though not easily detectable to the boy: "Yes, I would. However, it would make people unhappy since they can't do whatever they want. Slaves have to obey masters you know. Sometimes those masters are mean and don't let you do what you want."
"Really?" After hearing this new definition of Slaves and Masters, he wouldn't just leave the conversation there. "Why would people be slaves then? People shouldn't listen to mean people."
"Well now... People don't ask for you to listen to them sometimes, do they?"
"I would love to be a slave if someone were nice to me. I would do all the housework, and take care of master on my own, even if I were a slave! It's boring as a scientist. I know that someone is always better than me anyway."
"Such Foolishness. What do you think that will accomplish? You are just going to be replaced when you die."
"I don't care, I want to do what I can now, even as a slave I am free, for I have the option to obey or not."
"Are you really free then?"
"So. I heard your old man is a scientist," said the lady, calmly staring at the flowers of the garden, taking notice of the withered petals on some of them. "I'm sure he would love to be here right now."
"Yep, He's a really good man, isn't he?" He was also staring at the flowers, but took notice of the thorns in some of the roses. "Why do these flowers have thorns?" Eldecrok said, pointing to them like a child would a stranger.
She would continue to stare at the wilting flowers for a moment before giving her response. "Why? Because Caiyha made them that way."
"I mean what purpose do they serve? They must make a lot of people hurt..." Eldecrok said, putting his hand down but continuing his gaze. The Ethaefal shifted the gaze from the wilted flower to the one with thorns.
"It is to protect them." She replies with a quiet somberness.
Eldecrok was not happy with this response, since people would raise and make the plants happy, why would they grow thorns? "I don't get it. We grew them didn't we? Why do they do that to us?" He promptly stuck his tongue out at the flower.
The lady sighs, and closes her eyes and tries to think of a response that will quiet him down. "Say if I were to save your life. I then told you that you had to be my slave. Would you do it?"
Shifting his eyes from the flower to her and the Ethaefal's horns. He was troubled by this question she proposed. "You would make me happy right? Even if I was your slave?" He hadn't been taught what slaves were, and thought he would be treated like a flower: He would be fed and look nice in exchange for a better life.
Sighing once more, the lady looks at him with a bit of disgust, though not easily detectable to the boy: "Yes, I would. However, it would make people unhappy since they can't do whatever they want. Slaves have to obey masters you know. Sometimes those masters are mean and don't let you do what you want."
"Really?" After hearing this new definition of Slaves and Masters, he wouldn't just leave the conversation there. "Why would people be slaves then? People shouldn't listen to mean people."
"Well now... People don't ask for you to listen to them sometimes, do they?"
"I would love to be a slave if someone were nice to me. I would do all the housework, and take care of master on my own, even if I were a slave! It's boring as a scientist. I know that someone is always better than me anyway."
"Such Foolishness. What do you think that will accomplish? You are just going to be replaced when you die."
"I don't care, I want to do what I can now, even as a slave I am free, for I have the option to obey or not."
"Are you really free then?"
Spring, Day 70, Year 509
22nd Bell, 21st Chime
Eldecrok quietly contemplated this question to himself before asking more questions. "What do you mean by that?" He asked with a naivety only a child has.
"Well. Let's say you had to choose between the worst food in the world or the worst drink in the world. Let's say you had a choice between them. Would you choose any of them?"
"Of course not silly! Why would I choose things I don't like? I would much rather have the best food or the best drink!"
Hearing his response, the Ethaefal lady chuckles for once; "Of course. Now what if I were to tell you that you had to choose one."
"I could always refuse, right?" He shuffled himself a bit before continuing, "I mean, no one can force me to take them right?"
"What if you had to obey or else you would get hurt? Doesn't that make you sad at all?" She gave a sigh before moving forward. "I don't think I am free."
"Why not missus? You seem really nice, what makes you say you aren't free?"
"You did your history right?"
"When Leth faded to make way for Syna and her light, or Syna bowed out for Leth to glow, their followers shifted in form. While their deity shone, the creatures were beautiful, but when the light changed, their form faded and contorted to an ungraceful race. They were doomed to return to the shape of an earthbound life."
"That's not fair, is it? I'm sorry to hear that." This was all that Eldecrok wanted to say.
"Do you think I am free young one?" Her question was serious, but almost in a begging sort of tone.
"I think so." Replied Eldecrok, and despite his uncertainty he was ready to prove his argument.
"Here's the thing though young one." Said the Ethaefal, ready to push him to see if he had the answer he was looking for. "I cannot control the world. I cannot control most of myself. I cannot control my mind most of the time either. I am helpless, don't you see?"
"You're wrong missus!" He cried, a bit panicked to hear this from one of the great Ethaefal. "I know that you can't control the world, no one can. However, you can control yourself and your mind. It's because we are free."
"Freedom. Liberty. Do you know where the word liberty came from?"
"No, why do you ask?" He said, keeping his current conversation in the forefront of his mind.
"Liber is an ancient word for Free, to not be bound by chains. We are all bound by chains though, no one is truly free." She sighed, then continued. "I don't know why I bother sometimes, it's just an ancient myth we are free. It is the gods that control us. No one else."
"You're wrong. And I'm going to prove it to you. You are free, even if the gods control your life."
The lady gave a soft chuckle, amused by this kid's determination. "Really now? Let's start off with this then. The gods created this world, and some gods know everything we're about to do. How can I be truly free if my moves are to be predicted at every move?"
"Why can't you have both? Simply being able to see what you're about to do doesn't mean you can't do it right? It's like reading a book and having a character take an action, despite it being written by the author. The author knows what is going on, but lets the character act on it's own."
"That's where you are wrong, The author has full control of the character. No one trumps the author. The author's word is final. This means that the character in the story has no freedom. As do we, since this was all written beforehand."
"No, no, no! You're wrong missus! See, the author has to make the character realistic right? You can't call something a book unless it has realistic characters, or at least something that has a bit of sense in it. This way, the character has something predefined about it, but then the author is forced to go in the will of the character since he has to build off what he has!"
The Ethaefal lady, who was getting quite mad at this point, sought to try to end this child's foolishness, not seeing her own failure to prove her point to the child. "Why are we talking about storybook characters and authors? This is on the levels of gods and people! Shame on you child." She said to mask her fear that she could actually be in control of her life this whole time.
She stares at him and continues her rhetoric. "Let me tell you this... every event is necessitated by antecedent events and conditions together with the laws of nature. This means that every event in all of time and space has to have preexisting conditions. If there is any slight deviation of the conditions, then a completely new world will arise. This also means that since there is only one set of preconditions for every event, then that means that we cannot have free will, for that would mean that there would be more than one set of preconditions in order for a realm to sustain itself. This cannot be true since no two worlds can have two different sets of preconditions and still be the same world"
"Well. Let's say you had to choose between the worst food in the world or the worst drink in the world. Let's say you had a choice between them. Would you choose any of them?"
"Of course not silly! Why would I choose things I don't like? I would much rather have the best food or the best drink!"
Hearing his response, the Ethaefal lady chuckles for once; "Of course. Now what if I were to tell you that you had to choose one."
"I could always refuse, right?" He shuffled himself a bit before continuing, "I mean, no one can force me to take them right?"
"What if you had to obey or else you would get hurt? Doesn't that make you sad at all?" She gave a sigh before moving forward. "I don't think I am free."
"Why not missus? You seem really nice, what makes you say you aren't free?"
"You did your history right?"
"When Leth faded to make way for Syna and her light, or Syna bowed out for Leth to glow, their followers shifted in form. While their deity shone, the creatures were beautiful, but when the light changed, their form faded and contorted to an ungraceful race. They were doomed to return to the shape of an earthbound life."
"That's not fair, is it? I'm sorry to hear that." This was all that Eldecrok wanted to say.
"Do you think I am free young one?" Her question was serious, but almost in a begging sort of tone.
"I think so." Replied Eldecrok, and despite his uncertainty he was ready to prove his argument.
"Here's the thing though young one." Said the Ethaefal, ready to push him to see if he had the answer he was looking for. "I cannot control the world. I cannot control most of myself. I cannot control my mind most of the time either. I am helpless, don't you see?"
"You're wrong missus!" He cried, a bit panicked to hear this from one of the great Ethaefal. "I know that you can't control the world, no one can. However, you can control yourself and your mind. It's because we are free."
"Freedom. Liberty. Do you know where the word liberty came from?"
"No, why do you ask?" He said, keeping his current conversation in the forefront of his mind.
"Liber is an ancient word for Free, to not be bound by chains. We are all bound by chains though, no one is truly free." She sighed, then continued. "I don't know why I bother sometimes, it's just an ancient myth we are free. It is the gods that control us. No one else."
"You're wrong. And I'm going to prove it to you. You are free, even if the gods control your life."
The lady gave a soft chuckle, amused by this kid's determination. "Really now? Let's start off with this then. The gods created this world, and some gods know everything we're about to do. How can I be truly free if my moves are to be predicted at every move?"
"Why can't you have both? Simply being able to see what you're about to do doesn't mean you can't do it right? It's like reading a book and having a character take an action, despite it being written by the author. The author knows what is going on, but lets the character act on it's own."
"That's where you are wrong, The author has full control of the character. No one trumps the author. The author's word is final. This means that the character in the story has no freedom. As do we, since this was all written beforehand."
"No, no, no! You're wrong missus! See, the author has to make the character realistic right? You can't call something a book unless it has realistic characters, or at least something that has a bit of sense in it. This way, the character has something predefined about it, but then the author is forced to go in the will of the character since he has to build off what he has!"
The Ethaefal lady, who was getting quite mad at this point, sought to try to end this child's foolishness, not seeing her own failure to prove her point to the child. "Why are we talking about storybook characters and authors? This is on the levels of gods and people! Shame on you child." She said to mask her fear that she could actually be in control of her life this whole time.
She stares at him and continues her rhetoric. "Let me tell you this... every event is necessitated by antecedent events and conditions together with the laws of nature. This means that every event in all of time and space has to have preexisting conditions. If there is any slight deviation of the conditions, then a completely new world will arise. This also means that since there is only one set of preconditions for every event, then that means that we cannot have free will, for that would mean that there would be more than one set of preconditions in order for a realm to sustain itself. This cannot be true since no two worlds can have two different sets of preconditions and still be the same world"
Spring, Day 70, Year 509
22nd Bell, 42nd Chime
Eldecrok pondered this for a moment, and glanced at her and the clock. Time was running out, where was his friend? "Well... Here's the thing. What if we could have more than one set of preexisting set of conditions?"
The lady raised an eyebrow and yawned. "What ever could you mean?"
"Well, let's say for instance that we have free will. How do we determine our actions? We will it to. I think the world is someone similar to that, in which we will it to do what we want."
"How is that possible? Our emotions can't just change the universe. Especially not everyday emotions when we laugh and cry."
"I'm not talking about that kind of emotion, I'm talking about determination. Determination and Will are things that can change what the preexisting conditions have to be. Am I making sense or should I be a little more clear, what do you think?"
"I'm not sure if I understand you correctly little one, what do you mean change the preexisting conditions? How would one do such a thing?"
"Let us say we are characters in a story and that we-"
"Now hold on a second, that analogy doesn't work. We know storybook characters aren't free. They are written a specific way to do a specific action."
"Alright, say we were to commit heresy and attempt to fight Leth and Syna."
"How dare you! Do you know what could happen to you if you said such a thing in public? You ought to be ashamed of yourself."
"It's not my fault people are slaves to gods. Anyway-"
"Now hold on a second, are you saying that we don't have to serve gods?"
"Yes of course, but should be left for another time and another place. For now I am simply using Leth and Syna as examples. As I was saying, if we were to commit heresy and attempt to attack Leth and Syna, we would immediately lose to them because of the preexisting conditions, am I wrong?"
"No, you are right, any fight against the two gods would fail."
"A poor assumption missus, for you see, what if I were to tell you that lesser beings can win over gods, even when fate binds them."
"You are a crazy child, but this is most amusing. Go on."
"There are several things that make even gods fall. Hope. Determination. Perseverance. It is the ability to desire an ending worth living, even though your defeat is literally inevitable. Suddenly, there is a ray of light they say. So then comes a miracle."
"You sound like you like to write stories. Why should I believe any of this?"
"Do you remember of the Valterrian? It was a horrible time, a time when the world would surely be wiped and devoid of life. But here we are. Alive and well. Now some may not wish to be such, but they are. Are we to say that they were fated to be here? Or is it because of the events right after the Valterrian, the events that let us live and even thrive in this place that should be hell?"
The Lady smiles, and looks behind Eldecrok to see that his scientist friend has come. "Perhaps you'll make a great scientist someday. See you next year?"
"Sure. Why not." He said, turning towards his friend with a quiet gaze of reflection and went home for the Midnight rest.
The lady raised an eyebrow and yawned. "What ever could you mean?"
"Well, let's say for instance that we have free will. How do we determine our actions? We will it to. I think the world is someone similar to that, in which we will it to do what we want."
"How is that possible? Our emotions can't just change the universe. Especially not everyday emotions when we laugh and cry."
"I'm not talking about that kind of emotion, I'm talking about determination. Determination and Will are things that can change what the preexisting conditions have to be. Am I making sense or should I be a little more clear, what do you think?"
"I'm not sure if I understand you correctly little one, what do you mean change the preexisting conditions? How would one do such a thing?"
"Let us say we are characters in a story and that we-"
"Now hold on a second, that analogy doesn't work. We know storybook characters aren't free. They are written a specific way to do a specific action."
"Alright, say we were to commit heresy and attempt to fight Leth and Syna."
"How dare you! Do you know what could happen to you if you said such a thing in public? You ought to be ashamed of yourself."
"It's not my fault people are slaves to gods. Anyway-"
"Now hold on a second, are you saying that we don't have to serve gods?"
"Yes of course, but should be left for another time and another place. For now I am simply using Leth and Syna as examples. As I was saying, if we were to commit heresy and attempt to attack Leth and Syna, we would immediately lose to them because of the preexisting conditions, am I wrong?"
"No, you are right, any fight against the two gods would fail."
"A poor assumption missus, for you see, what if I were to tell you that lesser beings can win over gods, even when fate binds them."
"You are a crazy child, but this is most amusing. Go on."
"There are several things that make even gods fall. Hope. Determination. Perseverance. It is the ability to desire an ending worth living, even though your defeat is literally inevitable. Suddenly, there is a ray of light they say. So then comes a miracle."
"You sound like you like to write stories. Why should I believe any of this?"
"Do you remember of the Valterrian? It was a horrible time, a time when the world would surely be wiped and devoid of life. But here we are. Alive and well. Now some may not wish to be such, but they are. Are we to say that they were fated to be here? Or is it because of the events right after the Valterrian, the events that let us live and even thrive in this place that should be hell?"
The Lady smiles, and looks behind Eldecrok to see that his scientist friend has come. "Perhaps you'll make a great scientist someday. See you next year?"
"Sure. Why not." He said, turning towards his friend with a quiet gaze of reflection and went home for the Midnight rest.
