Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 4

[Oldmansour]

>"I suppose if the mystery of where the vision came from is to remain a mystery for now, I will repeat the question I did earlier: did you live in that castle? You've said that your Mother's attention is focused purely on Makai now, but was this always so during your lifetime? Or did she interact with you and your kin more directly? I know little of your society, nor indeed how much resemblance your relationship has with the parental ones I am more familiar with."

>Louise looks a bit put upon by your question. "I may not have spent much time in your world, nor was I there to learn. But I did learn somethings during my time before you caged me. If I were human, I believe I would say, 'That's a personal question' at this point."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, my apologies; I didn't mean to pry. I suppose I just still know so little about your people and culture that I was curious, and the boundaries of propriety can vary so much from one to another."
>Give a weak smile
>"Though I suppose it may be another thing we have in common if talk of our families is something we would often rather keep within them. Forgive me."

>I'm not exactly on a roll here, am I?

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, my apologies; I didn't mean to pry. I suppose I just still know so little about your people and culture that I was curious, and the boundaries of propriety can vary so much from one to another."
>Give a weak smile
>"Though I suppose it may be another thing we have in common if talk of our families is something we would often rather keep within them. Forgive me."

>I'm not exactly on a roll here, am I?

>The demon does not seem offended. If anything, she seems curious. "You are not what I would expect from one with your power, Magical Lotus." she says after a moment. "You and your friends had the power and the will to damage me, to imprison me, and to thwart Air's attempts to gather energy twice. And you survived a battle with Fire and Ice. And yet here you are, asking about not our weaknesses, but about the lives we led beyond our actions here, and our survival. Our 'family lives', I believe is the term."

>Sorry for sayin', but, she is a demon. Rin says with a sort of verbal shrug. It's good ya got as much out of her as ya have so far.

[DracoOmega]

>"I think that is a fair enough term for that, yes. And that is because I do not see you simply as an enemy to be vanquished and overcome, but as a person. A person different than those I have otherwise known, true, but a person nonetheless - one with their own heart and mind and life outside of how it intersected with mine on the day of our battle. I would like to know you not simply to gain some tactical advantage, but because I feel that all different kinds of life have value, and stories to tell and learn from, and I would like to learn from yours. For many of the same reasons I might wish to get to know a fellow Terran, I suppose. And because I hope to find common ground that neither of us might have known existed. It might seem a strange and impossible thing to you, but I do earnestly hope for a day where our two peoples might call each other friends. Where the two of us might, even."

[Oldmansour]

>"I think that is a fair enough term for that, yes. And that is because I do not see you simply as an enemy to be vanquished and overcome, but as a person. A person different than those I have otherwise known, true, but a person nonetheless - one with their own heart and mind and life outside of how it intersected with mine on the day of our battle. I would like to know you not simply to gain some tactical advantage, but because I feel that all different kinds of life have value, and stories to tell and learn from, and I would like to learn from yours. For many of the same reasons I might wish to get to know a fellow Terran, I suppose. And because I hope to find common ground that neither of us might have known existed. It might seem a strange and impossible thing to you, but I do earnestly hope for a day where our two peoples might call each other friends. Where the two of us might, even."

>Louise sounds almost apologetic when she says, "You've seen enough of my kind to know that there are those among us who will see that sentiment as a weakness. It could prove to be your undoing, if you are not careful."

[DracoOmega]

>"I do understand how this might be viewed by some of your kin, but if there is to be mutual understanding, it is as important for them to understand our mindset as it is for us to understand theirs. And if there can be even a sliver of peace because of it, then it is a risk worth taking. But make no mistake, I am prepared to fight with all my power those who would rebuke cooperation for a more violent path. While tolerance may seem a weakness to some, it is the hope for a better future that drives me and empowers me. A better world, where all our kinds can live in peaceful coexistence, where Terrans need not fear predation from your kind, and where your kind need not fear predation from your world or any other.... Where you can find the peace that was denied you for millennia. Can you even imagine how different the course of your race might have been without the weight of this upon you?"
>"Even if this is an impossible dream, I will strive for it and I will draw strength from the striving, for it is an end so important as to be worth all I have to give. If I fought merely to defeat the foes before me, I might not be nearly so strong, but now I fight for them as well. And for you."

[Oldmansour]

>"I do understand how this might be viewed by some of your kin, but if there is to be mutual understanding, it is as important for them to understand our mindset as it is for us to understand theirs. And if there can be even a sliver of peace because of it, then it is a risk worth taking. But make no mistake, I am prepared to fight with all my power those who would rebuke cooperation for a more violent path. While tolerance may seem a weakness to some, it is the hope for a better future that drives me and empowers me. A better world, where all our kinds can live in peaceful coexistence, where Terrans need not fear predation from your kind, and where your kind need not fear predation from your world or any other.... Where you can find the peace that was denied you for millennia. Can you even imagine how different the course of your race might have been without the weight of this upon you?"
>"Even if this is an impossible dream, I will strive for it and I will draw strength from the striving, for it is an end so important as to be worth all I have to give. If I fought merely to defeat the foes before me, I might not be nearly so strong, but now I fight for them as well. And for you."

>"You fight for your enemies." Louise answers, shaking her head. "One way or the other, I would see you alive at the end of this conflict, Magical Lotus. You are truly unique."

[DracoOmega]

>Smile
>"Your words are kind. And perhaps in time you may even find there are more of us on this world who think this way than you would expect. We have been blessed with the chance for peace and coexistence, and we have seen why it is something worth preserving with all our will. Though many may not share the power I wield, they nonetheless share my hope."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile
>"Your words are kind. And perhaps in time you may even find there are more of us on this world who think this way than you would expect. We have been blessed with the chance for peace and coexistence, and we have seen why it is something worth preserving with all our will. Though many may not share the power I wield, they nonetheless share my hope."

>"And you think these same people will also share your hope that my kind could come to this world peacefully, and acclimate?"

[DracoOmega]

>"There are those who would, and many more who might once they see your kind treat ours as fellows and not adversaries. This world is no stranger to racial diversity and my desire for peace is by no means unique among its peoples."

[Oldmansour]

>"There are those who would, and many more who might once they see your kind treat ours as fellows and not adversaries. This world is no stranger to racial diversity and my desire for peace is by no means unique among its peoples."

>"What might be a greater problem even than that, Magical Lotus, is when the Celestials move against us." She looks at you out of the corner of her eye. "Would you fight them, too? Would you defend us against those who would destroy us?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I would greatly prefer that no one destroy anyone at all. What was done to your people does not sit well with me, whatever the original cause, and I do not think I could stand idly by and watch it be repeated. But I know so little of substance about these Celestials, who they are, where they can be found, or even what motivates them, that I feel it premature to say too much. But you have my word on this: an end to this conflict that involves either your kind's destruction or their being trapped once more on a vengeful Makai are not ones I am willing to accept so long as any other path exists. If you choose honestly to embrace peace and the Celestials come to war with you nonetheless, then I would defend you just as I would defend any of my fellows, for that is what you would be."

[Oldmansour]

>"I would greatly prefer that no one destroy anyone at all. What was done to your people does not sit well with me, whatever the original cause, and I do not think I could stand idly by and watch it be repeated. But I know so little of substance about these Celestials, who they are, where they can be found, or even what motivates them, that I feel it premature to say too much. But you have my word on this: an end to this conflict that involves either your kind's destruction or their being trapped once more on a vengeful Makai are not ones I am willing to accept so long as any other path exists. If you choose honestly to embrace peace and the Celestials come to war with you nonetheless, then I would defend you just as I would defend any of my fellows, for that is what you would be."

>For the first time since you've seen her, the Water demon smiles. "If that day comes, we will be allies rather than enemies. It is possible I would enjoy that."

[DracoOmega]

>Smile
>"As would I."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile
>"As would I."

>"But that moment is not here yet."

[DracoOmega]

>"I can be patient."

[Oldmansour]

>"I can be patient."

>"As can I." Louise holds up her hand, palm up, wispy trails of water flowing up from her open palm. "Water is patient, Terran."

[DracoOmega]

>"Then I suppose we shall have to see what the future brings, as I think some of your compatriots are far less patient."

[Oldmansour]

>"Then I suppose we shall have to see what the future brings, as I think some of your compatriots are far less patient."

>"Of that you can be certain." Louise says confidantly, the water over her palm flowing together into a spheroid shape.

[DracoOmega]

>"Speaking of which, there was something else I was hoping to understand. When I spoke with Fire and Ice earlier today, Fire said that Ice's existence was literally dependent on and bound to his own, but in a way that I would be 'incapable of understanding'. Well, I'd like to try, and I was hoping you might know what he meant; Fire was somewhat less interested in conversing at the time than in having Ice attempt to bury us."

[Oldmansour]

>"Speaking of which, there was something else I was hoping to understand. When I spoke with Fire and Ice earlier today, Fire said that Ice's existence was literally dependent on and bound to his own, but in a way that I would be 'incapable of understanding'. Well, I'd like to try, and I was hoping you might know what he meant; Fire was somewhat less interested in conversing at the time than in having Ice attempt to bury us."

>"I really don't know too much about those two." Louise admits. "We Six didn't interact with each other too much before we left Mother's home. I do know that Ice never directly communicated with anyone, not even Mother. At least not while the rest of us were around. And I believe the only time Ice was ever apart from Fire was when Mother made her the Ice Champion; all of us were alone for that. Other than that time, I believe the two were always together."
>"Back up a step." White Rose interjects. "Ya mean you weren't born Champions?"
>"No, we weren't. Mother bestowed those gifts upon us."

[DracoOmega]

>"I thought you said you had been created specifically for this purpose?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I thought you said you had been created specifically for this purpose?"

>"We had to grow strong enough to hold the power. We had to survive Makai until the time was right."
>"Even Forest?" Lily asks.
>"Even Forest. The time had to be right for all of us."

[DracoOmega]

>"But wasn't Forest older than even your exile to Makai?"

[Oldmansour]

>"But wasn't Forest older than even your exile to Makai?"

>"She is. And Fire asked about that as well. Mother told us that her path was different than ours."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, at the very least she could not have been created for a cause that had not yet come to be. Though I suppose that matters not."

>"Do you have any idea what Fire might have meant, though? I imagine you are, at the very least, more familiar with your physiology than I am."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, at the very least she could not have been created for a cause that had not yet come to be. Though I suppose that matters not."

>"Do you have any idea what Fire might have meant, though? I imagine you are, at the very least, more familiar with your physiology than I am."

>"Let me think...." The ball of water Louise had been contemplating splits into two different streams, the liquid encircling the demon's head in a crisscrossing pattern. "I am not sure I can aid you. If there is such a profound connection between those two Champions, then helping you figure out its nature could provide you an avenue of attack against it, and them."

[DracoOmega]

>"Fire seemed to treat Ice abusively, and Ice had the bearing of one beneath a yoke they cannot remove. I wanted to help her. This is not about exploiting an enemy's weakness, but wishing to offer succor to someone who seemed to be suffering. She spoke with me - not in words, but in images, in a brief moment when Fire had first fled. Something akin to feelings and sentiments, carried on a feather she shed. And she seemed very sad."

[Oldmansour]

>"Fire seemed to treat Ice abusively, and Ice had the bearing of one beneath a yoke they cannot remove. I wanted to help her. This is not about exploiting an enemy's weakness, but wishing to offer succor to someone who seemed to be suffering. She spoke with me - not in words, but in images, in a brief moment when Fire had first fled. Something akin to feelings and sentiments, carried on a feather she shed. And she seemed very sad."

>"That's a unique form of communication, even among us. I wouldn't have thought of that, but then again, I don't have wings as she does."

[DracoOmega]

>"Have you not seen her communicate to any others that way, then? I did actually wonder if she could not speak at all."