driftfleet | (no subject)

Is it arrogant to say the truth? What is impossible is impossible. A human may never truly become a god. Similarly, a god may never truly become a human.

[She appears to be aware that this contradicts what she said earlier, and her ears droop down.]

Even if one becomes a Bodhisattva, who escapes the cycle of suffering and Samsara, whose existence is on a scale above humans or spirits, that's still a separate kind of being.

It is humans who make that choice. It is humans who deify you. But... That is all. You have simply 'been deified'. But you don't need to be so angry about it, after all. You have much more freedom that way.

The freedom to be looked down upon by someone who doesn't know a thing about me?

[Thrilling. And yeah, he has no idea what the hell you were talking about there, but his irritation is overriding his curiosity at this point.]

I don't recall looking down upon you.

Everything you say is degrading my kind, you're only justifying it by saying it's "truth"!

You were the one who insisted you seraphim are gods, you know.

I did not! I objected to the idea that even the highest of seraphim stand unequal to whatever your "god" is, when a moment ago you didn't even know what a seraph was. And clearly you still don't.

The relationship between gods and mortals is always one of inequality.

... Very well, then. Explain to me.

Well first of all, seraphim aren't mortals.

[where the hell she got that assumption, he has no idea.]

Is that so? Your existence will never come to an end?

[I was going to make a crack about 'smelling human on him', but really, there was no way I could phrase it that didn't just sound like thinly-veiled shipping of Mikleo and Sorey.]

Not in the same way that a human might. Will yours, miss goddess?

[He's still annoyed, but he does remember what she's already said.]

... Mine already has. This can simply be thought of as... Something extra tacked onto the very end, I suppose.

But, I am but one facet. My original self? She will exist as long as there is a sun.

So a god can't become a human and a god can't be killed, but you and your sun goddess can do both?

[But nah, he's the irrational one?

...wait did she just admit to being dead]

[She did, in fact.]

... She tried to become a human. A spirit... Well, I'm not exactly a fox demon, but it's close enough. That was the closest she could get. Have you ever seen a human with ears like mine, after all?

I who was split from Amaterasu have died. It's not an unusual story, you know. No matter how pure one's intentions, as soon as the humans sense someone is different... To be hunted down is always the ending to that. But I 'was once' Amaterasu, that's all. I am no longer her. She is but my distant origin now.

[So she's like Dezel... well, that adds a bit of a sobering tone to the conversation, and he backs off a little, looking back to the shrine, because now he feels kind of awkward.]

Is that why you call yourself Caster?

Hm... Close, but not quite! My name in my life as a human was a much more elegant and refined name. But, as a Servant, I am simply a Caster-class Servant. So, Caster!

We Heroic Spirits must hide our names. We are... Though we are still ourselves, truthfully, we are still pitiful shades bound by the legends told of us. They can twist and corrupt, changing the Servant by forcing deeds they never committed upon them. And more importantly, stories tell of heroes' weaknesses. If you recreate the circumstances in which a Heroic Spirit died, then bound by our fate, we will surely be killed again.

A hero who died from poison, as a Servant is much more susceptible to poisons. A hero who died from an arrow takes extra damage from those. One killed by a beast may become weak to those beasts. So, in order to survive and win our wish, we hide our names and identities.

[H....uh. He gives that a careful ponder, suddenly wishing more than ever that one of the elder seraphim were around to help him out here. There's still a lot he doesn't know about himself and his own kind, but even so, it's impossible to not feel a defensive solidarity with them. His lack of knowledge shouldn't mean that she's right.]

That, I can understand. We have true names that aren't meant to be shared idly, else we risk misfortune.

Right! It's the same sort of thing. Your enemy getting a hold of your true name can only lead to certain defeat. My Master and I were only able to win because we were able to discover everyone's true identities in advance.

Who's your master?

[He's not too familiar with that- there are no master-servant relationships with seraphim. Even if Lailah technically has authority to enforce orders on him as sub lord, it's more of a partnership than anything else.]

The magus whose summoning I responded to.

... More information than that is off-limits during a discussion like this, okay?

Understood. Anyway, it isn't as if I'd recognize a name if you gave it.

[He's the type to keep asking questions until someone tells him to shut up (or the situation merits shutting himself up), so it was bound to happen sooner or later.]

I was more interested in the nature of the relationship, but if you can't discuss it at all, that's fine.

The relationship? Well, it's something like the relationship between a husband and a wife!

You're lovers?

[With someone who summoned you? That's. Different.]

That's right! Our hearts and souls are bound together!

... And. A Heroic Spirit is summoned to a Master through a spiritual connection- A spirit similar to the summoner, whose souls and personalities are compatible... Well, there are cases where being too similar can cause problems, or someone being too dishonest can as well.

But the Master and Servant share their strengths and know everything about each other, baring souls and secrets to each other, devoting all of their power to working towards a common goal... The contract is the same as that of a marriage, isn't it?

That does sound like a pretty deep partnership. That sort of team is usually stronger than most, as well... to be synchronized in battle can make a huge difference. Is that the case with you?

It is! My Master's understanding and orders in combat are what allow us to win! We are synchronized through the power of love!