Chapter 54: Worthy to be protected? 149 BCE

[1st POV]

The air was filled with smoke and blood.

Me and Druig was standing on a wall, overlooking the city of carthage. The city was in chaos. Smoke raised through the air, screams of dying men and women echoed throughout the night, the cries of children haunts my mind.

“This isn’t war.” murmured Druig as his face was getting paler and paler. “This is a genocide.”

“As I recall, I did this once in Troy.” I said solemnly.

“Troy was different.” Druig said. “In Troy, we could them save them, because you were involved, but here…” Druig continued to clenched his fist so tightly.

“You cannot.” I stated.

“I- I could do something, I could stop the soldiers in an-”

“Stop Druig.” I patted Druig’s back. “Stop.”

“But those humans… those children… all slaughtered like pigs!”

“I know.”

“I could stop them!”

“I know.”

“Was it a mistake then?!” Druig roared at me. “Was it a mistake that we helped this human develop!?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. “I truly don’t know.”

Druig then looked at the burning city in front of him, and said. “Why? Why can’t we interfere? We are tasked to build a better world for these humans, are we not?”

“I wanted to say that we couldn’t hold their hands forever, but…”

“Hold their hands, huh?” stated Druig, he started to calm down. “I’d say that we’re not holding their hands enough. If we guide them thoroughly and detailedly, there would be no war, there would be no blood spilled.”

“Perhaps.” I hummed.

“If we could just control them.” murmured Druig. “Control their daily lives… we could stop the wars.”

I frowned at his words. “Freedom is an essential thing, Druig, you cannot take it away from them.”

“But there would be no war, right?”

“That doesn’t mean-”

“If they do not have free will, no blood would be spilled.” murmured Druig. “No death, only peace.”

“That is a dangerous thing you’re thinking Druig.” I warned. “Do not delve into that.”

Druig was silent after that. He doesn’t say anything.

I clenched my fist, and said. “Our mission is to make them develop Druig.” A lie. “Free will is essential for development.” They are just pigs for slaughter for the Celestials. “If they are controlled, creativity won’t bloom, thus no development.”

Druig was still silent, and he turned around. “Let’s go.”

—

As Druig and I walked through the bloody streets of Carthage in the morning, we saw the destruction that was caused by the romans. Children’s corpses were everywhere, heads were scattered, guts were opened, and blood ran through the streets.

“I have the power to save them, yet I cannot do anything.” murmured Druig. “Then what’s the point of having power?”

I didn’t say anything, I let him be.

“Pluto, do you not feel anything when you watch them die?” he questioned me. “You’re the strongest of us, you could easily save them.”

“I do feel something.” I answered. “Sadness, guilt, helplessness, pity…”

“Pity?”

“They are innocents.” I added. “They were just dragged into their leader’s selfish conflicts.”

Druig chuckled. “Maybe, just maybe, could you absorb them all? And help them take revenge against whoever did this to them?”

“You know I cannot do that, Druig.” I answered. “If I ever do that, you will never see me again, I guarantee you.”

Druig just hummed. “In the end, we are all selfish beings, are we not?”

Selfish? I guess a little bit. “I don’t know these people Druig, I cannot care about them, I can only pity them. War is terrible, and men must become terrible to wage it. Because you’re rather sheltered in this mission, you don’t know what we fighters encountered in the wilds, the world is not fair, and unless you’re above Arishem, we could only protect those who are close to us.”

Druig stood calmly amidst the rotting bodies in the middle of the streets. “Above Arishem…” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Above Arishem, can we really reach that?” he said as he turned to me, his eyes glowing gold.

I just smiled as I saw his determined expression. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”