World Without Song

Chapter 1: Greatest Evil

The Goddess Arioch squirmed in her seat.

"That man might just be capable of curing my infertility."

The shadow at her side shifted around in anger.

"Calm down brother, he might replace you, but I shan't forget you."

The embodiment of war seemed to easily relent to the woman's whims.

She laughed aloud... "Can you hear me sister? I'll turn that hope of yours into my husband! And then I will be the one blessed with a child, not you!"

Yhidawach turned his head towards her from his place on the ground below.

"I understand now why you dislike this woman, Nada. She disgusts me too."

Nada clung to his back, becoming something of a permanent companion to Yhidawach, though he didn't have to fret for her safety, or follow her advice.

"She's far worse in person."

"And she won't cease her lustful gaze..." Yhidawach held Omen in his hand and bent space once more to strike at the goddess while she reclined in her throne.

He managed to just scratch her cheek, the wound disappeared instantly, but it was inflicted upon a goddess nonetheless.

This act apparently had the opposite effect than the one Yhidawach intended, the lustful gaze was only strengthened for some reason.

He decided to turn his head away to avoid it and began descending the mountain.

"So tell me Yhidawach... do you go now to save lives? Or to take them?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, you don't hate humanity like you did with us, so I'm wondering if you see the killing you are about force on them as salvation or mercy."

"Murder is murder; my thoughts on it change nothing."

"... But I want to know what you think of it."

"Well, it's better for them to die united against me than divided amongst themselves... I don't think of myself as noble in doing it, but I do believe I'm right."

"So you won't regret killing them?"

"Regret is the one thing I find impossible to understand. Haniel explained it to me as a bad feeling after committing an action, but why feel bad for something that happened in the past? It's unchangeable; the experience of regret is lost on me."

"How about this as an example... If you found out that had you done something differently, the entire world might have been better for it."

"But I didn't do anything differently... What is the point in worrying not only about the past, but also something that never happened? The concept of such things will forever elude me."

"Alright then think about it like a battle. What if dodging left would have kept you alive, but instead you dodged right and died? Would you not, in your final moments regret not evading to the left?"

"No, because I would be dead. I would have lost and died, that is simply the end of my line. There is nothing to regret or ruminate over, even less when you're dead."

"I have plenty of time and things to ruminate over and I'm dead now."

"I can't fathom what your worries are, there is not a single thing you can do now."

"I can guide you."

"If you think I'll listen and hang on to your every word, you're very wrong, Nada. I have nothing against idle chatter with you, but nothing you say will have any sway over my decisions."