ESPERSIA: Requiem of a Revolutionary

"War and peace. Power and weakness. Assailant and victim. Corruption and honesty. Ugliness and beauty. Sympathy and revenge. As they say, these are two sides of the same coin—one cannot exist without the other. Our world is dominated by this undeniable fact. Theoretically, an overwhelming amount of goodwill, in the long run, will always be balanced out by an overwhelming amount of bad. This is nature itself, yin and yang. Yet you defy this simple truth. You ignore the consequences of life for your desire. How can you be such a self-conceited bastard!?"

"It's good, that's why. It's good to be selfish; in fact, it's the ultimate good—or, I dare say, the only good. Greed is the most valued characteristic and the core of being human. Tell me, sire, how does humanity progress? By staying within its boundaries? No, that's preposterous. The answer is greed—our desire for something more, for something better! Take away our greed, our drive to be selfish, and you take away everything. Any reason to live! What you want could hardly be called living. You desire humanity to be an empty shell, with no concept of motivation or aspiration!"

"You think greed is the only motivation? Ha! How gullible you are. Let me tell you personally, my friend—values, not my greed, are what push me forward. Just because that concept doesn't apply to you doesn't mean it isn't true."

"You dare call me gullible and respond in such a naive manner?! All of your values, at their core, can be traced back to self-interest—your desire to protect your family, your desire to lead, your desire to help others. Can this not all be linked to one singular thing? You protect your family because they bring you joy. You lead your nation because it brings you pride. You help others so you can sleep soundly at night. All these feelings, all these emotions—they are selfish in their very nature!"

"You're wrong…"

"How? Tell me how I'm wrong!"

"Have you ever taken a knife for someone? Run in front of a barrage of arrows to protect your fellow soldiers?"

(Silence.)

"Of course, you haven't. Look at me, boy. Don't tell me what makes me human when you know nothing of true sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice? For what? This war-torn travesty of a world, full of deceit? My family, who were murdered before my eyes? Or, maybe you would say for the gods? Hah! I've learned throughout my wretched life that nothing here deserves my sacrifice. Not this ground, not the people who stand on it, and especially not the gods who preside over it. So don't lecture me about sacrifice, you ignorant fool."

"…Now, I'll do you a kindness. I'll allow you to maintain your ideals—by sacrificing yourself to me. Die, you bastard!"