☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- I wasn't particularly interested in philosophy, but I remember one passenger on the "Thunder" once presented the sailors with a rather peculiar problem. He said: imagine you are a representative of a nation that is oppressed in every way by the whole world. And then, after several centuries, one of them gains enough power to destroy all other intelligent races in the world in order to save his own people. But this person's friends don't like this plan, and they decide to kill him, even if it means that their own people will continue to live in oppression, or even be completely exterminated... Hmm, what would you do?

—Interesting, I haven't heard this interpretation before. I think I'll also remove the possible options for resolving the conflict with minimal bloodshed, other than the two described above, so as not to seem too clever. And by oppression, I will mean the worst and most truthful of the options, and not as it was with the conquest of my homeland by an empire, otherwise it will be unfair. —the blue flame in the eyes of the black knight dims for a moment.

—Let's look at it from the point of view of a representative of this very oppressed nation; for simplicity, let's consider him a patriot. Perhaps my country is harmful to the surrounding world, and the hatred towards its people is quite justified. Maybe the world would be better off if we remained only on the pages of history. But for me, all this: my homeland, family, friends, love, are far more important than any reasons and consequences, any distant powers and their inhabitants. Could I restrain myself from the heart-consuming hatred if I saw the systematic extermination of my fellow countrymen every day? Revenge is a cruel and insidious feeling, but it is often presented as a good thing, especially if it is justified by a suitable motive. For every one of our people, we will bury a hundred of yours, and so on.

—But let's move away from human matters and look at the world around us: isn't the survival of the fittest the main guarantee of evolution, on which the entire divine universe is based? How many hundreds of different species have been wiped out by battles with each other, including humans, simply because one side had an advantage at a crucial moment, capable of completely eradicating the opponent? Everything is according to the will of Anuzish, otherwise this would not become the norm in the wild.

—And there remains only one way back, the very "high-minded" one that this person's friends choose. This is the path of betrayal, loneliness, sadness, and hope. The belief that all human lives are equal, that violence will only lead to more pain and suffering, until this fatal cycle closes in its apex. But the problem is that this is also not a righteous path, but a thin thread full of vice. And its victims and their suffering will not disappear anywhere; they will simply be stretched out over a slightly longer period of time.

—And what is the result? In essence, it all comes down to a very superficial choice: "Are you willing to kill a thousand to save your love?" Or "Are you willing to kill your love to save a thousand?" And that means there is no good solution to this problem. If you think with your mind, you will choose the second option. If you think with your heart, you will choose the first. And I... —the knight fell silent for a moment, not daring to finish this unexpected monologue. —You will probably be disappointed in me, but I once faced a similar choice, although not involving genocide. And if reason had won in me, neither you nor I would be here now.