☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Continuing his walk through the city, Garret notices Erefir disappear behind the doors of the philosophers' guild, and, having nothing better to do, decides to listen to their tedious speeches and see what the brave commander has to say. Surprisingly, the questions being discussed turned out to be not so boring after all.

— Uh-huh, — this time even the usually unflappable Lee Joon seemed a little confused; catching sight of Erefir, he turns to her, — esteemed one, what do you think about these two questions? Which is worse – seduction or rape, and what, in your opinion, defines kinship?

While Erefir was pondering her answer, Garret spoke up.
— I've never heard anyone ask which of these is worse. Usually, people just do what suits them. — the former rogue smirked. — And my personal opinion... Both are extremely dangerous, the smell is different, but if throats are slit afterward, it doesn't matter anymore. Considering that violence is essentially aggression, the chance that someone's blood will flow is very high. But seduction is not so straightforward; anything can happen. Which is worse in the end? If you look at it from the perpetrator's point of view, it depends on what they prefer – cruelty or excitement. If you look at it from the victim's point of view, it depends on what they value more – their life or their ideals. And if you look at it more broadly, it depends on the consequences. For example, the violence of bandits against the mayor's daughter, leading to her death and the subsequent raid by the guard on their lair, and then the mass slaughter of both sides, in which everyone ultimately loses, is worse than if some gigolo seduced the drunkard's wife, he went to sort things out, fell, and froze in the bushes overnight. And conversely, seduction in high circles, leading to wars, or even the destruction of the world, is worse than a random maniac raping a random woman in an alley.

— As for kinship... Closeness of spirit and blood ties – both are powerful factors. The first is always, the second usually. But I believe that rituals and curses that bind souls together are the most powerful. And no, Grisha, marital bonds mean little in comparison, they are nothing more than a trivial formality. For this type of kinship, connected with otherworldly intervention, neither closeness of spirit nor blood ties are necessary. In a sense, there is also a perpetrator and a victim here, and it is not a fact that there is kinship between them, and it is not a fact that both individuals are human. For example, a death knight binds his soul to a loyal blade. Or, conversely, a cursed sword absorbs the soul of a slain warrior. This is more than just magic; it exists outside the concepts of life and death, and even entities that hate each other can be fused together in an unbreakable kinship and remain together forever.