Legacies of light

“Go ahead my little wolf.”

Setanta acts nervously as if his mind is undecided about whether he should be having this conversation or not.

So Scáthach says, “You’re uncharacteristically hesitating. So is this another one of your love ballots, because if so I would really like you to sing it to me again..”

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO FORGET ABOUT THAT!”

Giggling, she says, “How could I ever forget something so cute? It is cruel to even ask me too.”

“You’re an evil woman.”

“I am far more divine than you know?”

“Whatever you say.”

Suddenly from the distance, Setanta hears a loud noise, and walks forward to say, “I guess the party for the soldiers has finished.”

Scáthach walks forward and says, “Considering it has been going on for a week, I think it is fair for it to come to an end.”

Sitting back on the floor, Setanta says, “It used to be commonplace for week-long celebrations and parties to happen when beastkin won battles, but in our recent history the Red branch has their little parties far away from the rest of the soldiers.

In all honesty, our parties feel like they are more human than we beastkin, The clothes, the jewellery, the castles. Kind of feels like we are betraying our history by doing such things like this.”

Scáthach comes up beside Setanta and says, “That’s not exactly through?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you spend a lot of time examining history you can find how two different groups from across the world can invent the same ideas, traditions, and festivals with next to no correlation to each other.

A perfect example would be Samhain, there are many human tribes which have celebrations around the same time for different reasons. Another thing to consider is how much of people's culture and so forth are a mismatch of other ideas.

Throughout most of history especially the last few thousand years, humans haven’t been stationary. When people join other cultures, worship other gods, or simply steal other ideas, through the acts of marriage, migration, conquest, shows of allegiance, or just a need to start something new they bring what they once had and end up combining it will what other have,

Saying our current parties are bad because they take more from human cultures is a very narrow way to look at it because if one were to truly examine the history of our people they would probably find it hard to say that our culture is simply our own given how migratory our people have been over time.”

Setanta then says, “I guess if you look at it like that, you really can’t say our culture is just ours, in all honesty, you could make the argument that everything that belongs to the Tuatha Dé Dannan could belong to all other life on this planet. Still, I don’t think I like the way our current parties are for the Red branch.”

“You can still criticise the way things are regardless of whether they are your culture or not. I don’t really think whether something is acceptable or not should depend on such a thing, so feel free to think for yourself.”

“I think I will.”

Setanta jumps up and says, “Master you have given me to courage to ask this. Is violence a good thing?”

Scáthach sits up and says, “Why do you ask?”

“I am wondering more and more if violence really is as important as I thought it was. Violence and killing are the way all great empires have ever sustained themselves for as long as we know.

It is the main way they grow, and the main way they stay safe. It is through the power of it that order, hope, and growth are born. To me, it is simply the best way to move people in the direction you need them to be, and those who wield it are people I admire.

Our superior ability to wield violence is what puts us ahead of humans in every regard, and it’s the dragons' superior violence that stops them from ever knowing invasion. It is truly a wonderful weapon.

But I think I have seen someone wield another weapon to great effect just like war. He changed the hearts of people and protected them, he curbed violence without any of his own. It his moment the man's will and ability because something I admired.

It wasn’t exactly equivalent, but if this weapon could be refined, to its utmost limit, if humans could wield this weapon to that degree doesn’t that mean that mean that my entire basis of humans being weaker than beastkin isn’t through.”

“I see so you pondered this question as well?”

“Has someone asked you this before?”

“Many of my students end up asking this question. It is like an unknown curse that falls upon each of them, and changes their lives permanently going forward.”

“So how did you respond to them?”

“With a story.”

Standing up, she walks and Setanta follows behind her.

Scáthach starts to speak and as she does her shadows show what she says, “A long time ago, in a time that only exists in the memories of the old, there was a titanous being that walked the land of the western continent, of what humans call Molstoria.

It was so big that it could walk on the sea with its own two legs, and pick islands up to throw them. It was a walking calamity, a living menace, and all those who met it simply accepted death when it came.

Though the god of the humans took pity on both them, and the being in question, and sent a demi-god down to slay the beast. A spectral man who looked like a black rabbit.

If the titanous being was the pinnacle of physical strength, at the time this demi-god was the pinnacle of spiritual strength, and passively absorbed the spirit energy and thoughts of those around him.

Using this great power bestowed on him, the demi-god fought the titanous being for days, and nights on end until the seasons had passed and after this numerous amount of time the demi-god stood victorious over the beast. Because, unlike the titanous being, his soul wouldn’t break no matter what.

So with his reason for existing over, he proceeded to help the humans in all the things he did. For years, decades, centuries, he helped each one of them develop their world into the greatest it could be.

He made that little continent into an utterly marvellous empire, a place where people didn’t starve, cry, or sleep without a home, a place many of today would call a utopia.

But when one loses all of the major issues that plague existence, and only has the minor issues left, they tend to lose sight of themselves. Just as many kings forget what it once felt like to be a common man, they started to forget what it felt like to be human.

My sister once told me, that the greatest issue life will ever face will always be within it, if you lack everything else but have a strong mind you will still be better off than one who has all in life but that.

The humans filled with abundance forgot to educate themselves of value, and soon disgusting thoughts and behaviours started to leak from each of them, they became so self-absorbed in their mental superiority that they had forgotten the basis of what a human even is.

When one reaches a certain level of intelligence, they can use that to make reasons to hide the same dirty impulses that other humans have used for evil throughout history, and this society excelled at that.

And as I said, the demi-god was influenced by the thoughts of those around him. Passively he absorbed all of those emotions, and thoughts that they had, and soon his mind became poisoned as well.

He became a vessel for all of the ideas these people had created, but unlike the humans of that time, he singlehandedly had the power to act them out, and when he did their society crumbled.

When faced with the ideas they created being carried out instead of just pondering they saw what could only be called the end of existence, and faced with that they were nearly wiped out.

The humans who lacked the strength of the titanous beings managed to do what they never could, they slayed the demi-god, and turned it into a pathetic version of itself, all without ever spilling a single drop of blood.

So if one can completely destroy the greatest of existence without spilling a single drop of blood, I ask you this is thinking and progress evil?”

Setanta looks up and then throws his body back saying, “I don’t know!”

Scáthach laughs and says, “Most of my students don’t know at first.”

“Well what do you expect, you can’t just tell me a story like that and ask me to think straight.”

“I am sorry, but I do think it gets my point across well enough.”

“Still I find it hard to believe humans could do such a thing to a demi-god as you have put it, but more than that I find it hard to believe such a story, since by that logic wouldn’t the human god have sent another demi-god down to liberate the humans from the beastkin.”

“For all we know he already has and the demi-god could be secretly out their gathering strength.”

“Well that sounds fun, I can’t wait to fight such a being.”

“Did you really learn nothing from what I said?”

“I don’t see how anything we talked about means I can’t enjoy a good fight?”

“I guess you can, but still please be careful I don’t need you almost dying like in your last battle.”

“I promise I will, now let’s return back before someone wonders why a young man and woman are strolling in the night.”

“Yes we have to make sure no one sees this beautiful lady, and baby are walking beside each other this night.”

Setanta clicks his tongue and says, “I am a few years away from my growth spurt and I will tower over you just like father.”

“I hope to see that one day. But for today could you tell me why you decided to talk to me instead of your father for such an important issue?”

Setanta gets his head up and says, “Oh that’s simple because your style is filled with compassion.”

“Compassion? I have been told many things about my fighting style, but that isn’t one of them. My style plies up bodies more than any other.”

“What a foolish idea. Every single one of your techniques can quite easily be modified to disarm an enemy, the high speed one can move at allows them to fight like a pacifist and also be incredibly effective. A compassionate style filled with love for one's enemies.

You told me that all of the forms of your style work together, and when I put all I have learned through them together, I get that even though one has the power to end life in the blink of an eye, they should still not choose to do so.

I have always gotten his message from your fighting style, but never really understood why this would be until recently. Master you really are filled with compassion, and I am sure all of your students felt the same.”

Scáthach stops and says, “Whatever you do don’t betray the empire, stay here and stay alive, it is the one thing I request from you. Whatever foolishness I have taught you forget it, if it would make you leave.”

Setanta then turns around, and says, “Your trembling voice when you spoke right there was really arousing.”

“This isn’t a joke!”

“I know that, but if you say something foolish I will respond with one as well. I won’t turn out like Aoife and the rest of your former students the compassion you have taught me won’t ever be used against the empire.”

“But if you find that the empire doesn’t align with your answer to your question what will you do.”

“Isn’t that obvious, I will simply take over the empire and change it for the better.”

“You do realize the scale of what you’re saying?”

“Of course I do, I love this empire and all those within it so if I see something as good I sure as hell am going to force them all down this path with me.”

Sighing, she says, “You’re both selfish and arrogant.”

“I know I am and I love it.”

Scáthach rubs Setanta’s head and then looks up at the night sky.

The moon and the stars shine brightly and Setanta says, “You like the moon?”

“Yes, it always keeps the shadows company, and shares its light with us.”

“Then I will make sure to be the brightest moon ever.”

“I have heard from my father that the moon is cold, not something a hot head like you could ever be.”

“I can be cold, I will be so cold that everything here shall freeze over.”

“I would like to see that happen.”

They both talk and walk with joy leaking from their bodies.