Chapter 2345 - Ask (2) (1/2)

A balance appeared to Dyon's back as he charged forth once more.

He never really thought about it before, but what were the purposes of the weapons the four horsemen wielded? Conquest wielded a crown and bow… War wielded a broad sword… Death wielded nothing… While famine wielded a balance…

According to the order of legend, Conquest would appear first, followed by War, then Famine, then, finally, Death.

A crown and a bow… It could represent both authority and distance. Maybe not authority as in a King or Emperor, but maybe so as in autonomy. It came first because it was a choice.

The bow was a sign of distance. How easy it was to make a cruel choice when the problems that would result were so far away, so out of reach. However, the crown was also a reminder of responsibility, or more to the point… accountability.

No matter how far you were from the situation… The ownness was still on you.

Then came the broad sword. It was more forward, more savage. The decision had already been made, there was no taking it back, but now one had to bear the brunt of their decision themselves.

This was the very War the Battle God turned his back on. He chose to run from the responsibility, the accountability his title of War came with, and as such, he died before ever stepping foot into the Dao Realm.

In the end of it all, there was Death. He and his pale horse held nothing. There was no more choice to be made, there were paths back waiting for you, there was simply nothing at all.

An empty hand stretched outward to lead you to death… this was Death.

But what about Famine which appeared in between? He held a balance, sitting upon his black horse silently.

Was this a final call to turn back? Or was it a judgement for the crimes you had already committed? Maybe the reality was that it was both. Maybe at this point, there already was no turning back. That deep feeling of regret toward your own foolishness was only there to taunt you…

As they say… There was no medicine for regret.

So as Dyon's mind cleared and the world became nothing but black and white reflected in his ashen pupils, he wondered… Why had the Heavens chosen to have Famine appear first?

Dyon didn't need to think much more to understand.

Famine didn't appear to ask him to 'turn back', nor did it appear as judgement. It appeared as nothing more than a question.

Who would balance the weight of the world? To take on this burden for themselves?!

Famine was a punishment. It was the plight of the people after the crown made its decision and after the broad sword executed it all. Who would take on this punishment? For the sake of common people, the innocent, the unfortunate… Who would take this weight upon their shoulders?