145 Fear of the World (2/2)

Watching the people they once called friends grow old, weak, and frail was too much to bear. The endless deaths and funerals one would have to attend were not worth whatever wealth or fame the mortal world could ever offer.

The worst pain of them all was reserved for the very few Chosen who had fallen in love with a mortal. It was an act considered incredibly taboo amongst Chosen for very obvious reasons.

If watching one's own beloved turned to dust was not enough, the death of their children and grandchildren would often cause Chosen to take their lives in the end.

Chosen, for all of the wonderful blessings they had been given, were still very much mortal.

Demigod on the outside; mortal on the inside.

There was a hidden conflict present in almost every conqueror on Mulia because of this simple fact. It was a truth that always threatened to tear apart Chosen -- the nature of their existence.

Although it was not spoken aloud, every mature Chosen -- contender and conqueror -- understood what they had really been gifted when they made a contract with the Will of the World.

Not a blessing, but a curse. A terrible burden that had been made to sound sweeter than honey in their youth.

This was something Reed had learned on his own, much faster than all of his peers because of his unique circumstances. But even so, he did not feel the same way as most of the older Chosen did about mortals and their world.

Unlike them, Reed thought of the mortal world as indispensable. If Chosen, who were cursed to life beyond their normal, predestined lifespans, hid away from the mortal world and detached themselves from it, what purpose would they have to fight?

For wealth? For fame? For power? These reasons belonged to immature Chosen who had not yet learned the truth. They were meaningless in the face of the destruction of the world.

Then, if not for those mundane reasons, why should they continue struggling?

For one's self-preservation? That would not cut it since all Chosen were destined to die in service of the world at some point. This was something every Chosen knew from the outset.

Cowards interested in living forever would not live long anyway, not with the burden they had been entrusted with.

No... it was the people. They were the key. As strange as it sounded, Reed was sure he was right. He felt it in his gut.

Running away from the mortal world for fear of loss is not something a 'wise' person would do.

Reed gazed at the faces of the deceased victims and said, ”...I think I understand, now. Why I feel this way, even though I do not know them.”

Lu'um who had been focused on plotting their next destination said, ”Who are you talking about?” She peered over Reed's shoulder and looked at images, the pictures of the deceased, on his tome.

”Them. I thought that I had been only fighting for my sake, but I might have been wrong. I was so sure that I was right, but now I don't think I can honestly say that I'm doing this for my own sake anymore.”

Reed pitied them. The Chosen who had chosen to run away from the mortal world. There was nothing to be gained in hiding in some hidden estate, for fear of losing something... that they had no control over.

”I suppose I have more work to do, now. Though I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish it,  if ever...”

There was too much involved in such a tremendous thing