Anonymous 2011/12/03 (Sat) 11:55 No. 150433 ▼ File 132291333965.jpg - (12.01KB, 225x225 , images.jpg)
“Both. The goal of punishment is to prevent the same crimes from happening again. If others do not fear, they will commit crimes. If the criminal does not repent, he will merely repeat it again.”
“I see, so that’s your answer.” Eiki lets out a small laugh.
“Did… did I answer wrong?” you said.
“No, you didn’t answer wrong. It’s just that you answered that question with a hard answer.”
“Hard answer?”
“You must balance the scales between justice and mercy in order to do that. Too much justice leads to tyranny, whereas too much mercy leads to chaos. So, would you be capable of doing that?”
“I… I don’t know.”
She sighs after hearing your answer. Then, she looks towards Sariel and says, “It will be your job to guide him, o Angel of God. If you fail in doing so, I shall judge both of you as tyrants who rule over Gensokyo unjustly.”
She points to the gate and says, “Beyond that lies the Dragon. Now, show me what you’re capable of. Create a Gensokyo filled with virtuous and righteous people.”
She steps away to the side, allowing you to continue your journey. After you’ve reached the gate, you push it open with all your might. It opens with a *click* sound, revealing a long, golden stairway behind it.
“Hey, human,” says the red-haired girl nearby. You look towards her to see that she’s grinning back at you.
“Good luck in becoming a new prophet and all that stuff. I’m Komachi Onozuka, a shinigami under the service of Lady Eiki.”
“Err, thanks,” you said.
“No problem. I just want you to help me in my job.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a person dies, I’m the one who ferry his soul to the afterlife. If he’s a righteous person, the process will only take a few moments. But, if he’s a bad person, it will take hours or sometimes even days. That’s where you come in. If you make everyone in Gensokyo righteous, I will be able to finish my work faster.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
“Great! Now, go meet that Dragon. Lady Eiki and I will stay here to guard this place.”
“Guard? From who?”
“Don’t worry about it, just go already!” She pushes you inside the gate and closes it behind you, leaving you alone with Sariel and the others.
“Let us go, shall we?” Sariel says.
-------------------------------------
After you’ve climbed the seemingly endless stairway, you see the Dragon in all his glory. His long, circular body covers the golden sky behind him, creating a beautiful sight that makes you stare in awe. Sensing your presence, he turns his head towards you.
“At last, you finally stand before me, o Chosen One.”
Dai whimpers, “A… are you really the… the Dragon?”
“Yes, I am the Dragon, the supreme guardian and creator of Gensokyo. Little fairy, you have done well on making it this far.”
“Tell me just one thing, O Almighty Dragon,” Keine says with a clenched fist. “Why… why do you do this to Gensokyo, the land that you created and nurtured by yourself? Why do you make its inhabitants fight each other like this, just for the right to recreate it by their own selfish ideals?”
The Dragon closes his eyes for a moment before answering, “This… is for the good of Gensokyo, no… for the good of the entire world.”
“Bullshit! We all know that you are doing this only for your amusement!” Mokou says, her face flushed with anger.
“I see… so Sariel hasn’t told you yet about the true purpose of this Creation.”
Everyone’s eyes are immediately directed towards Sariel. She only responds by giving a smile that you’re not sure is sincere or not.
“What? What is the meaning of this, Sariel? Do you intend to trick us?” Keine says.
“Not at all,” she replies, still giving that eerie smile of hers, “Some knowledge are better off not known to man, after all. But, I guess I could tell you now.”
“Spit it out then!” Mokou says.
She sighs before looking towards the sky and starting her explanation. “Let us start from the very beginning, shall we? The Dragon that you see before you right now wasn’t always like this. In the past, he’s just a small lizard youkai, powerless and weak compared to the rest of his kinds. However, he had a strong will and a good heart. He always tried to help others, even though it will cause him much grief and sorrow.”
Sariel pauses for a bit before continuing, “One day, a youkai attacked the daughter of a very influential aristocrat. Angry at the loss of his daughter, he sent out a huge army to eliminate all youkai that resided on the land. Needless to say, his action caused the conflict between humans and youkai to escalate into an all-out war. Thousands of lives, both humans’ and youkai’s, were lost in that war. Tell me Fujiwara no Mokou, didn’t you witness for yourself the atrocities that happened back then?”
“Yes, I… I think I remember it now,” Mokou replies, her expression darkens, “At that time, I was still wandering the land to search for Kaguya. In my travels, I saw many youkai hunted and killed by the humans. Hell, I was hunted by them too, just because of my immortality.”
“Mokou…” Keine says, staring at her.
“The Dragon was one of the victims of the war, just like you. After seeing all of his friends and families slaughtered by the humans, he concluded that there should be a land where youkai can live in harmony, free from humanity’s influence. Alas, he was not strong enough to pursue that conclusion. So, he did the only thing that he could do. He prayed to the gods, day after day, night after night, just so that they could grant him the power that he needed. God saw this as an opportunity to begin his plan. He sent me to give him the power which he wanted so badly, the power of creation.”
“Let me guess, there’s a catch right?” Kasen raises her eyebrows.
“Of course there was. He couldn’t just give such a dangerous power freely, could He?”
“So, what’s the catch then?” she replies.
“The catch was that his power couldn’t work permanently. He must recreate his creation periodically or they would cease to exist. That is why this Creation happened; it’s a necessary step to preserve Gensokyo’s existence.”
“Can’t he just recreate Gensokyo without making its residents fight each other like this?” Keine interrupts.
“There’s another catch to his power you know,” she replies while smiling at her, “He must follow God’s orders or his power would disappear forever along with his creations.”
“So, the one who ordered him to do this… was God?”
“Ordered isn’t really the right word. After all, the Dragon himself agreed with His plan.”
“So tell me then,” she replies, eyes swirling with anger, “What is this plan of His that makes His actions justified?”
“Justified? God doesn’t need to justify his actions to his creations. They’re the ones who need Him, not the other way around.”
“So, that’s how your God works, huh? Not caring about his subjects at all?” Mokou says sarcastically.
“That… couldn’t be further away from the truth.” Sariel shifts her gaze towards the sky and spreads her arms towards it. “The sky… the land… everything is made for the wellbeing of his creations. This Creation too, is made for the wellbeing of both humans and youkai.”
“What do you mean by the wellbeing of humans and youkai? Can you not see, the chaos and destruction this battle for Creation has caused? Everyone tries to kill each other just because of their different ideals, their different views of how Gensokyo should be!” Keine says, voice shaking heavily.
Sariel lowers her arm and gives off a comforting smile towards her. “I understand. I too, did not wish for this to happen. That’s why I brought you all here, to end this once and for all.”
“But, you left me when I was going to fight with Satori,” you say.
Sariel shifts her gaze upon you before speaking apologetically, “I had no choice. I’m an angel of God, bound to serve Him without question. He wouldn’t allow me to intervene at that time so I couldn’t.”
“Fine, I forgive you,” you say, eyes still fixed at her, “So tell us then, God’s plan in all of this.”
“Thank you, I’m glad that you understand. Now, I shall tell you everything that you want to know.”
She closes her eyes before starting her speech. “This battle is God’s way of knowing what kind of world would be the best for his creations.”
“Are you talking about… Reason?” you ask.
“Precisely,” Sariel replies, “As creatures that have free will, they have the capability to decide how the world should be.”
She raises her wand, creating a light that forms a familiar figure in front of you. It’s…
[ ] Kaguya
[ ] Byakuren
[ ] Satori
