Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 70: Introspection

I missed some of the questionings between Leian and the Inspector, still trying to reconcile the legalities of murder and torture with a civilization that was as advanced as the Sidhe were.

The capricious and cruel nature of man were legion, and from mythologies and stories, I knew the same was true for Sidhe. But for some reason, I'd thought civilized equated a framework of rules and laws that I considered morally just.

[Sidhe are creatures of nature. Hard to tame. Hard to control. Does it really surprise you that they would have very few rules and laws? Especially laws that would constrain their nature?] Caraid asked reading my thoughts and responding to my confusion.

[The rules of the Unseelie, the Morrigu are battle-hardened, even on Earth, you have tales about their nature. The stories that boast of their prowess is one of war and bloodshed. They gained power and Rank because of their talents in killing others.]

[The court of light may put on a pretty face, but light is adept at illusion, illuminating the pretty while ignoring the ugly.]

[Knowing this. Why would you be surprised that murder and torture are allowed, even encouraged by the Sidhe?]

"Wait." I said, momentarily sidetracked from my moral quandary, "aren't the Morrigu considered Gods? Why aren't they in Sleep?"

[Demi-Gods at best,] Caraid answered. [It is unknown their exact Rank and level, leveling and skill progression is a private matter. Why they aren't considered Gods? That is something only the System can answer.]

[But they are powerful.]

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[Something else you may have forgotten. We will need to contend with that power at some point in the future.]

[The rulers of both factions have been Kings and Queens for ages. They are all probably Demi-Gods, approaching Godhood itself. Attaining King Rank is just the first step for implementing your plans. Don't think that attaining that Rank is the end of the path.]

[To attain the Rank you need to succeed, you will kill. Perhaps much can be accomplished with dungeons, monsters, and beasts. But the other methods of leveling are simply not efficient for the speed you require.]

[Also, consider this.]

[In a civilization subject to the vagaries of System. Where experience is earned by killing. Wouldn't laws that forbade this practice simply repress the populace? Why would you set limits on gaining the experience you need to become more powerful? To keep you from leveling up?]

He was right. System actually rewarded killing. Hadn't I already experienced this? My entire increase in levels had come from quests or actions that dealt with killing in some manner. Thom's men. The Olympians in the Summerlands. And Lord Kel's banquet hall. All events that ended with someone's death.

The Sidhe, Olympians, and Asgardians were well suited for a universe with System established protocols. These cultures and Pantheons embraced the capricious nature of man and glorified it with cruelty, envy, and jealousy. If something was bright and shiny, they wanted it. And if it was something they couldn't have or control, they wished to destroy it.

"How can the Sidhe thrive, let alone survive?" I wondered.

[It's a constant balance. The System rewards killing, but It also rewards creation, exploration, building, healing, crafting. And it creates dungeons as spawn points for monsters and beasts to help offset the brutal and aggressive nature of Sidhe.]

[As for the reasoning? Why does System encourage death?]

[No one is really sure.]

[Even you, who have met with SYSTEM know that Universal Laws and Constructs are unfathomable.]

[Philosophers have pondered the meaning of life across all Universes, across all Times. And none have managed to solve those questions.]

[Why would Gods or System or S-Prime desire conflict?]

[S-Prime hinted that the reincarnation cycle was a method the Universe employed when tempering the soul. A way to funnel those who met some esoteric criteria to Universal sub-level one. Maybe conflict and pain are ways to test and temper those souls.]

[What is Karmic Balance if not a way to reward and punish an individual for how they respond to events and people around them? You earned such high Karma in your past life because of the good you did for others AND the evil that was done to you.]

"But System is encouraging and rewarding people to kill," I said. "Doesn't this generate negative Karma?"

[Of course. But System doesn't force a person to kill, it simply offers the chance. The System also rewards slower less violent means to level. In the end, the individual is responsible for the choices they make.]

[And be honest, aren't there some people that should be killed? Removing evil by killing those people may result in generating more positive Karma than negative.]

"Why do you think the System is generating quests that are leading me to create a kingdom? A kingdom that will lead to direct conflict with the Seelie and Unseelie? Do you think it wants Seelie and Unseelie deaths?"

[I'm not sure.]

[But if the Universal imperative is to funnel souls to higher sub-levels, how would System react to a Universe of peoples that can live forever? How can it temper the souls of people that are never reintroduced to the cycle of reincarnation? Wouldn't it reward and give experience to those that hastened the reincarnation process?]

"You think I am nothing more than a harbinger of death? A fulcrum created to restore balance to the reincarnation cycle for the Sidhe?"