Lucifel's Ideal World, v.2

[idolpro]

—The world is ugly, he once declared.

Chaos is inevitable in this world. Pure good can’t be achieved, and pure evil breaks down. And these two extremes are always incompatible with each other. There is still some evil in a good world. That is how the world is, and it is what continues to create ugly things. Evil sneers at good, and good rages over evil. But, in a world where good and evil oppose each other, there is a group that is far more numerous that always appears.

That is ‘grey’. Neither good nor evil. A group that drifts through life haphazardly and merely exists. They don’t believe in goodness and are simply proud that they aren’t evil. Even though they affirm evil acts, they deny evil intentions. They happily say that ‘I am not evil, I am a good person’ and pardon all forms of cruelty.

They kill people while sneering. They kill people out of contempt. They kill people as part of a game. They use the excuse that they can’t restrain their desires—That’s how humans are. That’s how the world is.

Yes—this world is extremely ugly. Neither dyed by good nor fallen into evil. Unable to decide on a color, the wills of people continue to waver. As long as such evil intentions and such foul-smelling corpses aren’t destroyed.



The world will surely continue to rot eternally.

While wrapped within a curse-like fog in darkness frozen to its core.

He thus concluded.

Powers are off.
Corruptions are off.
Carry-on Weapons are not available.
Other carry-on items are available.

Comments

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

[Looking around at the bloody mud and the flowers and yeah, cool, Lucifel is fine.]

Yet you live on in hell. Do you feel responsible for their deaths?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

I am responsible for their deaths.

[ lucifel is totally fine ]

After all, what crime did they commit deserving of death, except to follow my flag? To believe in me?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

[Hm. He'll cross his arms and look across at the field.]

Did you not say they put you on the pedestal in the first place? That the persecution was coming regardless of your existence?

From the story you told your only purpose was to help them reach a death they could be content with, there was never hope in the first place.

That's quite a lot for one man to carry.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

. . . Even their deaths were brutal. To the very end, they were mocked, their lives and bodies desecrated.

After they . . . we, died, the country was shut down. Xenophobia was made more and more the cultural norm, and everyone who would sympathize with me would be killed. The country would remain that way for five hundred years.

. . .

If not peace, then meaning. I am responsible for giving their deaths at least that much.

But, like this, that is all the meaning they have. "In the end, they fought and lost their lives, and the world was made worse for them trying to fight at all."

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

[Why are mortal lives always bad.

He doesn't agree with the premise but...]

I am sorry. What meaning would you give them?

1/3

[apocryfall]

If the world has ten people, then at least one must suffer for nine to be happy—and oftentimes, it's more likely that nine will suffer for one to be happy. At the basic, most fundamental core of everything, is that there is scarcity—is that there is an idea that there is "not enough". So people will fight, and people will pick out those who are different among them to abandon, in order to protect themselves.

That is how the current state of affairs are—but I won't have it. If the world is that way, then there is fault is in the world.

. . .

. . . In the end, they gave their lives for me—though I did not survive, their deaths and tragedy was known well enough that it was carved into human history. So, I was given a second chance, by the Holy Grail—

So, this time, I won't be distracted again.

This time, I'll reach the goal—so that there will never again be another man, woman, or child that is oppressed for their differences, when we humans are all more similar than different. So that there will never again be another man, woman, or child that is left without attending to their basic human need, so that they may live, regardless of who they are.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

—. . . ah.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

. . . Well, I said "human", but "people" should be more accurate. In my time in that production, I've learned that my own worldview was too narrow, too. So—

Everyone. Humans, Miqo'te, Ascians, Hyur, Elezen, those made of metal, and everyone else as well—all who would live in the world. Having met you and Emet-Selch-san both, as well as Noah-san, and Santa-san, too. . .

I can still say that we are all more similar than we are different. We are all deserving of life, of the freedom to live, without oppression.

In their deaths, they granted me a second and third life. What I can make of this life will, therefore, be their meaning. Then, I wish to make the very most of it, to achieve this dream of mine.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

Well, I do agree with those goals. I have seen a world where they are reality--scarcity and strife do not exist there. Making it real is not impossible.

[Though he's never seen mortals do it but details.]

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

Your words fill me with confidence.

[ details! ]

I'll certainly get there—this dream has helped me test the ropes before I put it into practice, so to speak.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

Working out the kinks of your system? What are you finding works and does not?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

Providing an unlimited food source is difficult, for even in that case parents may keep the food from their children, or otherwise special dietary needs might not be met. So, I've done away with hunger entirely.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

An interesting take. What else?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

Vehicles are dangerous, so I've removed them as well.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

What about the issue of mortality?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

You mean by natural causes? Old age, and sickness born from it?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

Yes. To an extent. But I mean the fleeting nature of man's time on earth. It leaves them too much undone, too much they still desire to do, I think.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

. . . Well, between you and me, I would prefer to scrap that too. But I've been told by a certain person that it would "change humanity on a fundamental level" to the point that they "wouldn't be human anymore", so I'm regretfully unable to take that step.

[ sigh! life is hard ]

Frankly, I'm likely already in enough trouble as it is, even with just this much. I'm surprised he hasn't come with you all to tell me off for this.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

That seems a pointless thing to want to hold onto. So what if they are whatever arbitrary definition makes them "human"? Who is this man with such firm beliefs that people should not be allowed to improve?

If they can laugh, cry, love, and hold wonder and friendship in their hearts why should they be confined to things like short lifespans and old age, the anxiety that comes with the march of time for mortals, if you had the ability to remove it?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

[ SITS UP. EMPHATICALLY. ]

That's what I think, too! But, if I try to go beyond this much he'll definitely get in my way, and he has a class advantage against me, so I'll lose every time!! My hands are tied, Lahabrea-san!!

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

I think it's a reasonable viewpoint, people improve by evolution and technology why would this be so different?

...A what advantage, sorry?

1/2

[apocryfall]

Somehow I don't know how to feel about finding a kinship with you . . .

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

—a class advantage. That is to say. . .

[ hum ]

The cards you were given—you could say I'm one of them, and that other person is another card. I'm of the Ruler class—we who enforce order and the law—and he is of the Avenger class—the exception which breaks the law and the very system that contains it.

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[temperedinpride]

I can assure you I am having similarly complicated feelings.

But in any case your world's rules sound somewhat odd to me. A magical system I assume? But why would you be assigned classes?

Re: 『Heaven's Grass』

[apocryfall]

There are many other systems of magic in our world, but the Holy Grail—[ with a gesture to. the stone he's sitting in ]—has its own system of magic.

To put it simply, every sixty years or so, the Holy Grail will choose a number of mages to participate in a War against each other. The winner is granted one wish to any degree of impossibility.

In this War, the weapons that are used are not spells, but summoned familiars—those who made an impact on human history, no matter how slight, are capable of being summoned as one of these familiars, known as Heroic Spirits. These classes are generally based on what sort of weapon we are known to use in life, and in a regular Grail War, there are seven standard classes. You would know them as divided between Knights and Cavalry.

With each class comes their own strengths and weaknesses—naturally, humans are far more capable than fitting into a specific type of person; for example, it's more likely than not that a person well-known for riding a chariot can also use a lance or other weapon, but in these Wars we are given a specific skillset based on that specific part of our myths. It's a balancing act, you could say, with a clear hierarchy of which classes are "better" and which classes are "worse".

Knight classes are considered better capable of fighting, as they have more allotted strengths, and Sabers are considered the best out of the Knight classes. The Cavalry classes exchange strength for alternative skills—for example, Assassins are not typically strong, physically speaking, but they are able to use Presence Concealment, being completely undetected by anyone and everyone, magical and not.

[ pause ]

In other words, it's basically like a game. Because it's like a game, even in its being a War, there are classes with stats and skills. However, it's also most certainly a War, as there is great and immeasurable power behind every Servant summoned, and even just one Servant could wipe out a city should they so desire it.