AGG: Rise: Human Side Sidestories: Lorelei 1

Lorelei 1

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Commissioned by Binge Reader and Althero

Word Count: 2181

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Disappointments abounded across the world.

[It is to be expected. Mediocrity makes up the most of mankind.] Hades was as quick as ever with his assertions. His voice always has the finality and swiftness of a sword. [The Plains of Asphodel rivaled Hell in size, child. I speak from experience, not arrogance.]

/There are many whose hearts are neither lighter, nor heavier, than the Feather of Truth, when upon the scales./ Anubis’s words are carefully wrought and stated. A tenor akin to an encroaching, unassailable wind. /They do not suffer the jaws of death, but neither do they experience the pleasures of the heavens, so they live perpetually unchanged, after the loss of their bodies./

{To be perpetually trapped is a form of punishment most appropriate for the mediocre, uninspired, and weak.}Hel’s voice is  aggressive and scathing. With a whiplike voice that is both remorseless, and seeping with finality. She speaks. {They will not suffer the coldest reaches of pain, but nor shall they be warmed by the ever-full hearth, or rejoice in eternal battle. It is a fitting fate for those who lack courage.}

There are another two in your mind who wish to speak, but they remain silent. Ereshkigal and Morrigan bide their time, going over the knowledge imprinted into your mind through your augmentations. Three, and only three, of the gods of the Dead shall advise you at any time, with their hours carefully curated to be equal over the course of the week. You are sure this careful arrangement has allowed you to stay sane and capable.

Idly, while considering the refreshments you’ve been given, you consider how many you’ve found, who deserved to be reforged anew through suffering, how many have managed to reach heaven, and those who merely wait to return for another chance to prove their worth. It is difficult to forget such facts, but you do not mind. It is an interesting matter to ponder, especially given the numbers you have, and the histories you’ve learned.

[874 to be cast into the pits. 5423 to await another cycle. 123 deserving of Heaven. 27 of Elysium. None for the Isles of the Blest, even considering how lenient my standards have become.] Hades huffs petulantly. He seems very miffed by the outcome. [In ancient times, a single war would have most set for Elysium, a smattering for the Isles, and the rest cast into the pit, for their crimes and transgressions.]

/War and battle extracts, from even the most common man, the greatest of sins and virtues./ Anubis agrees with his counterpart with his typical implacability. You consider his voice very calming, despite all the judgements he has given. /One can choose to be good or evil with greater ease, to be great or feeble, when there are many moments where choices are presented to them in a small period of time./

{Slothfulness is all I saw. One ought to strive for greatness. Simply reaching out, placing oneself in danger, this allows one to choose whether they’ll be a weakling, coward, or a champion.} Hel is the most absolute of the gods in your mind. When you’d asked her about it, she simply cited her father. {Those caught by the temptation of ease, who never strove to seize grandeur, are to be nothing more than contributors to the glory of those more deserving, or prey to the wicked.}

So, why were most so mediocre? Many were soldiers, with storied pasts and histories. Individuals who have spent their lives fighting, and being fought against.  However, the vast majority of them are painfully average, merely footnotes, despite the glories they’ve achieved, and the horrors they’ve wrought. They have slain monsters, and had been monsters for their nations many times over, yet most of their number are in a meaningless equilibrium. Neither good nor evil, merely alive.

{Bah, it can only be due to the “equilibrium” which engrosses modernity so thoroughly. Humanity has grown balanced. Good and evil are now substances that are quantified, measured, and wrought to be weighed against the other.} Hel provides the simplest and swiftest answer. You cannot refute her words, and you’re sure the other four cannot, as well. Her words echoe within the depths of your bones, and the others most likely feel the same. {With such a society, with all the reasons and methods made disgustingly palatable, the brave and the wicked shall be swayed towards the center. Only the truly courageous and truly wicked shall find true pleasure, or punishment.}

/It is as Hel says. The center of the scales is growing heavier and heavier. More and more cannot be thought of as good or evil, resulting in the mediocrity that you despise./ Anubis’s agreement with Hel surprises you. All the gods in your mind may concede points, but they are not ones to agree. /I see what I see, Concept. To deny the truth is a transgression. I will not allow myself to transgress, given the duty I hold./

[Aye, what Hel has said is most likely what’s occurring. The mortals, fearing judgement, seek to not be judged. They run from punishment, by burning the bridge to paradise.] Hades spoke with no small measure of disgust. You feel Ereshkigal and Morrigan’s distant agreement. [There are powers at work that bar the doors to paradise, so that fewer would fall into the depths of punishment. Those who would enjoy eternal pleasure, are being sacrificed for those who would be unmade, and reformed, due to their heinous deeds.]

Perhaps it was due to my own inclinations, but the words of my newfound allies immensely unsettled me. What could possibly do such a thing? Who lived here and now, who could manipulate the whole of humanity into neutrality and normalcy, forcing the median of good and evil into the greater population, leaving only the outliers, capable of being either punished, or rewarded?

So worried was I, by my thoughts, that I hardly noticed the door to my room opening.

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Ah, how refreshing it is to finally encounter an individual who truly deserves paradise! Though tinged with sin, Li Song’s afterlife was undoubtedly the same as those of great heroes, earnest individuals, and legends among legends. Meeting with him, looking upon his history, and evaluating him, was far more satisfying than meeting those smattering few who barely satisfied the requirements for entry. Finally, for the first time, I met an individual who was unequivocally, and undeniably, true to himself, and to his ideals! Despite knowing the unfortunate truth of the world’s current state, I couldn’t help but have most of my fears alleviated after meeting Li Song.

<Indeed, finally, there is a subject for the realm which will not disappoint us in the future.> Ereshkigal speaks with measured glee and grace, having replaced Anubis, as both he and Hades have both adjourned for the evening,  <Finally, we have encountered an individual worthy of the splendors of the Kingdom Beyond Life.>

*As far as heroes go, I must say that quite a few whom I’ve met are lacking compared to him. Even without the power he holds, or perhaps in spite of that, he is peerless.* Morrigan has always exuded a sagely air, but upon meeting Li Song, the goddess of war and fate seems giddy. *Oh, he shall wage great battles and fight glorious wars, I simply know it! He shall shine brighter than all others, and be the measure to which all other heroes will be compared!*

{It’s as though Thor has been given a scholar’s mind, but with none of that man’s weaknesses. In both peace and war, this ‘Li Song’ can only bring glory to his people.} For the first time, Hel seems enthused to meet another individual. Typically, the ruthless goddess holds nothing but contempt for others. {His transgressions are only sins in the eyes of modernity! All he has done, is grant a warrior’s death to those who have been defeated! Finally, this current age presents an individual worthy of passing into Valhalla’s halls, to be seated at the center of all the kings and heroes that were, and shall be.}

With a few idle thoughts, as you examine your new room and unpack, you tell your companions to praise Li Song less. You warn them that their words might slip through your tongue the next time you speak to him. That would be immensely unbecoming of you, especially with your recent addition. With an individual such as Li Song leading the Preservers, you’re sure that the organization will require the very best of you. You will never be a mindless sycophant, regardless of how worthy he may be.

Hades and Anubis make idle sighs of relief, but both the gods return to their hobbies after they take note of the “glares” sent their way by the three goddesses.

It doesn’t take very long for you to realize why.

Sighing, you plainly remind the goddesses in your mind that your personal life is your own. You will heed their advice and thoughts in the new domain that you must now oversee, but you will not have them influence the whole of your life. Chastising the three goddesses, you state that your parents already do an adequate job of trying to match you with another. You do not want three others, in your mind no less, to do the same.

{You’ll scarcely find a better man, but I’m a woman of my word. Still, should you regret your decisions, you best only blame yourself.}

*Indeed, you’ll only have yourself to blame for refusing this opportunity.*

<Oh, how disappointing.>

If you were easily manipulated, you’d have addressed their words. However, you merely roll your eyes in response and begin to unpack.  The conversation has been concluded. They may have had the last word, but it ended on your terms, and you don’t wish to consider it any longer. Until you’re content with your current circumstances, with stability ensured across the world, it would be the very height of irresponsibility to let such thoughts stew. Without proper adherence to priorities, you’d be nothing more than a base creature, and the very thought alone disgusts you.

A knock on your door ensured that your current three compatriots wouldn’t speak, so long as you answered it, so you did. They could advise you before or after a conversation, but not during. After all, strength was a matter of image, and you could not appear strong if you seemingly argued with yourself.

Still, even with that promise in mind, you didn’t fault each of them from expressing shock and surprise at the individual before your door.

[Many have suffered tragedies as they’ve lived. Many more have been punished near the pits of Tartarus. However, I must admit that I’ve never looked upon a living tragedy.]

*Wreathed in darkness, shame, and self-loathing, held together only by purpose, and teetering on the edge… what a miserable existence I’ve laid my eyes upon. Even the Fae would’ve wept at the sight of this thing.*

<We look upon a half-life, my peers. It is a being without its own purpose, held together only by the will of another. Perhaps, we ought to consider ending its suffering?>

/It is not dead, therefore it is beyond our judgement, regardless of how destruction and renewal would benefit it. To act now would be unjust./

Surprisingly, Hel speaks last in regards to the creature you look upon now, and her words are far from what you’d expected.

{Be silent! You all look upon a warrior seeking redemption and glory, regardless of her prior failures. Host! Cease your staring! Greet this woman properly while I see to my fellows about following their oaths!}

You manage to greet the suited, scarlet haired Dhampir before you, without allowing your voice to tremble. Though you can see her history, all that she has endured and inflicted upon herself, you hold fast. No, you will not coddle this being before you, regardless of her current circumstances. An individual drowning in an abyss, feverishly holding on, and protecting a single strand of light. It is difficult, but you manage to introduce yourself to her without allowing even a hint of your concern to show.

“My name is Shizi. Song asked me to escort you. We’ll be working together in the future.” Her hand is cold to the touch, almost like you’re touching a corpse. You don’t manage to make small talk. “I look forward to working with you, Miss Alrtringham.”

For a second, you wonder why Song would ask such a thing of the suffering creature before you, but the answer unravels itself like the simplest puzzle, the moment the thought crosses your mind.

Li Song wants you to help her, as only you could.

This is your first, unofficial assignment for the Preservers.

On your first day, without any warning, and with a tremendous amount of trust, he conveyed such a mission to you.

You don’t know whether to be flattered or afraid. 

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