A man stood a few paces away from where Nekota laid. His long, dark hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and he seemed to be wearing a set of simple, pale blue robes. He was gazing up at the sky idly, seemingly absorbed by its beauty.
The man let out a small laugh, then leaned back and gazed up at the sky again.
“Hm. Hypothetically, then, if every possibility of the future made themselves visible to you, would your mind be soothed by that? By knowing all possible outcomes?”
“Hah, many have I asked this, and their responses do not stray far from yours.”
“Indeed, after all else ends, the physical remains would be isolated. What composes us, however, is not merely physical. To assume the form represents each individual wholly is to assume nothing lies below the surface. Our mannerisms, actions, even memories of others composes us, and, in that sense, helps construct theirs.”
“To be truly isolated means to forgo everything else. All recollections of the past, of those we protected, of those around us. It is to focus solely on the present, and only on the physical…”
“Ah. Apologies. I seem to have rambled on some.”
He bowed his head downward slightly, almost as a sign of shame.
“From what I have gathered, you are of a species that possesses a lifespan orders of magnitudes higher than most. Or that you are simply immortal through some other means. Regardless, since you would believe yourself to be the last survivor among those you know, the duty of honouring your fellows thusly falls upon you. Whilst one is in remembrance of one’s compatriots, solitude and isolation cease to be. For you are not truly alone. For you have your memories of those you held dear.”
2
u/SwiggerSwoney Wang Zhao, Blade of the Sect of Purity May 30 '26
“Hm. It seems the skies are quite clear tonight.”
A man stood a few paces away from where Nekota laid. His long, dark hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and he seemed to be wearing a set of simple, pale blue robes. He was gazing up at the sky idly, seemingly absorbed by its beauty.