Legacies of light

The man who says these words has one of their holy amulets right next to his next, he is a follower of the church of the messiah.

Walking forward he says, “I will do no such thing.”

Ronald dashes forward and grabs the man by his collar then he says, “So you that’s what you choose, fine by me. I think a living example will get my point across.”

Ronald truly is far more cruel when handling humans. Well what do I expect from a man who enjoys a hunt, making sure you get to play with your prey is a must.

While still in Ronald's arms, he says, “Please don’t do this.”

“Too late to beg for your life now.”

“I am not begging for mine but for yours.”

Surprised by these words, Ronald says, “What?”

“Right now you members of the empire of Louernia are riding a path straight to hell. If you all continue your indiscriminate slaughter and suppression of others it will one day lead to your doom.”

Pulling him closer Ronald says, “Those are very charged words, you talk as if you know more about our empire than us who live in it. Human arrogance at its finest

“I may not know the ins and outs of your empire but I can see the signs, the signs that our holy scripture tells us come with the fall of me. Your empire will grow more bloated and lazy by the day, and all the while you incur the wrath of countless due to your own godless morality.

Even those blessed by the messiah himself will fall into the pits of hell if they were to follow your path. So I beg of you stop this foolishness, because if you continue on a day will come when the beastkin will live the rest of eternity in a hole unbeknownst to man if they are lucky.

Right now due to your peoples' actions humanity is the most connected it has been in millennia. None have ever survived the depths of malice that live in the hearts of humanity, not even humanity itself.

I can hear the whispers god sent to me, and right now we are at a turning point in history. If you all continue on your path the way it is, I am sure a wonderful future that could exist with all of us walking hand in hand could exist.

So yet again I beg don’t do this, and spare the lives of yourself and all those who will share a drop of your blood, because your actions will decide whether they shall live in the future or not.”

Anger Ronald starts to choke him more and says, “If you think you humans could ever wipe us out, you're far more delusional than we could ever be. The empire of Louernia is the greatest society to ever exist on this feeble planet, I am sure even the dragons would be jealous of its beauty.

So never in your pathetic short human life think that you can tell us what’s best for the beastkin or not. Unlike you, waste of flesh we are chosen, granted a special power to tame this planet and take it as our own.”

“God gave us all this planet to help each other and be with one another. Not for the shake of ever controlling it.”

Ronald throws him to the ground, and as he does my eyes remain transfixed on him. I haven’t been able to break my gaze on him, and my ears only care about the words that live him mouth.

“Back when the humans took of Tir na n-iontas, our holy land they used your god to say they had a right to take all that lay before us, to kill and enslave us just as your holy scriptures said.

And when you're in the opposite situation your scriptures now say the opposite, rather convenient? You talk and talk, and talk, yet nothing of actual substance is said. At the end of the day, this is all you say just exist to save your own life.

You’re just scum who decided to beg for his own life, whilst you couldn’t even bring yourself to beg for the lives of your young. Each and every one of you humans are the same.”

On the floor, the man rises whilst saying, “I know not what those fools have said to your people, but would an evil man not say he loves a woman just so he could deflower her, and would an evil woman not use men simply for their value?

Is love now an evil existence due to their use of such a thing? Our scriptures tell us that humans can go without food, sleep, and sex, but one thing they cannot exist without is love.

It is the building block of our existence that the scriptures exist to remind us of the paths god has given us that lead to the greatest future for all existence on this planet.

I make the choice to love you beastkin even though the acts I have seen today have caused me deep unbearable pain. I truly wish to stand beside you all in my greatest or lowest moments.

Some may have used my words to attack you, and I denounce them and will spend any time I have left fighting against those scum.

Those scum have left deep wounds on your people, which will not heal instantly, but I am sure we can all receive a miracle that will allow us to move forward, and I will walk with you all the way.

So even if you have to kill me, I ask that you don’t kill anyone else. Even if you have to kill all of us in a horrendous way I ask you to let us be the end. This is my plea for the future of the kids who lay under humans, and those who lay under the beastkin, because if you were to continue this the hatred and pain that would be passed down would be something our minds couldn’t even comprehend.”

As the man speaks Ronald looks shaken, as if his words have had an effect on him. He isn’t the only one in such a state, the humans who were all just moments ago being consumed by fear and are now focused on this conversation.

The human continues while taking steps forward, “You say you care for the future of your empire, but is your anger and hatred for us enough to doom your people for the rest of time? If you truly have pride in your nation, and care for it's well-being stop this foolish behaviour.

All that exists was built when people worked together as god intended. One might be able to receive short-term gains by trampling over another, and these gains might persist for 40 years, 60 years or even 100 years, but one day that loss will far outway the gains, and all of the striving your people have done whether good or bad will be lost.

So please I beg you give up and stop this!”

Ronald who looks shaken, acts irrationally and goes to strike the human saying, “SHUT UP!”

I prepare to move forward as fast as I can, but my father grabs his hand, and says, “Control yourself.”

Ronald composes himself, and then my father says, “The malice of humans is truly something to be feared almost like a raging river, but even that can be redirected if one is smart enough.”

My father moves back to his platform, and says, “Listen here, humans. I am giving all of you a choice, you will split into two groups one on the right and one on the left.

If all of you stand on the left I will spend each one of you back to the most peaceful plantations under my men’s direct rule unharmed, for the rest of your days you will know no harm.”

Aren’t the plantations under my father's direct rule the place he keeps all of the beastkin who manifest only human traits? One could easily say it is the only place in the entire empire where humans are treated the same as beastkin.

“Or if all of you stand on the right, I shall let every single one of you go, and won’t give chase. I will march my armies back to Tir na N-iontas, I swear this to you on my ancestors, and on the name of our god Danu.”

These words get both the beastkin and the humans incredibly hysterical.

The generals beside my father say, “Lugh if such a thing was to happen you would lose your position.”

“Not even Setanta would do something this reckless.”

“This is utterly insane.”

“Do you know how many of us died in this battle? If you did this it would be too far.”

My father then says, “Though there is a single condition. If even a single one of you chooses left instead of right I will torture all those who choose right to death right before you all, and those who choose left will still get their reward. Oh, and I will only allow around half of you to be on the left side.”

The humans who were unified in their decision to go right now look at each other with distrust and animosity.

What a horrible decision to play on them, if they all work together they win, but those who choose left will be able to secure their safety. What makes it worse is the ridiculous number the humans have.

If it was a small enough group you might feel calm but these are people who mere moments ago felt like they could betray each other, and now their lives hang in the balance of their trust.

A human shouts, “HEY, how do we know you're going to truly keep your promise if I go to the left.”

“If a single one of the men here reports I broke a promise to Danu, they could easily have me removed from my position as king of Gorias during the next selection for who should have the position. Unlike you humans, we don’t take our god's names in vain.”

The humans continue to think, and think over the options they have, but then the man who had been arguing against Ronald moves to the right, and says, “God gave us the miracle of each other, and I will believe in that miracle as long as I live.”

My father says, “That’s what I expected of you. Now the rest of you have a minute to choose. Close your eyes and move to one side and if I see a single one of you open them, you will die regardless of the side you choose.”

My father starts to count loudly, and the humans follow his instructions.

Φ With my back turned and my eyes closed I stand here shaking as I hear footsteps move. Unable to bear the idea of people moving to the left side, I put my fingers in my ears.

I am scared, so scared. My legs shake and I feel like I am about to sully my undergarments just from the thought of being reduced to such a state.

I am not strong or powerful, my mind is weak and so is my body. Even now I think back to the beastkin who fought to protect us and wish they could have done more to save us.

I feel far more upset that all the people who sacrificed their lives are unable to save me than the fact they are dead. I am not a kind person.

But still, I will make the decision to stand up despite this fear, and to believe in people. No matter how much I want to run to the other side to save myself, I won’t because I believe in the precepts of the messiah with all my heart.

He has spoken to me before and has shown his light to me in my darkest times. I have sinned plenty in the past, but for now, I will believe and have faith.

The leader of the beastkin shouts, “Now open your eyes.”

So I do, I turn around and open them.