Chapter 431 (2/2)
“With the higher Levels appearing, the pressure increased. Of course, with increased pressure, there was an increased danger, but also increased gains. Our warriors, our warriors were forces of nature, almost unstoppable when they appeared. Even against the higher Leveled opponents… until they began to grow sick, the great hunger gnawing away at their insides.”
“Aether Sickness,” Rose supplied, her eyes narrowing.
Aratta nodded. “There are many names for it. But such was the weight of their strength that their physical bodies could no longer sustain them; however, that was just the surface level of the problem. Within our small world here, life works in a cycle. There is but one pool of energy, and everyone takes a pinch of it when they are born. When they die, that pinch returns to the pool. When these warriors became exceptionally strong, not only were they taking larger pinches but… the pool itself was being depleted. Some of our children…”
Aratta fell silent. Randidly was frowning. Although he had never seen that in person, or heard of it, it wasn’t hard to imagine how twisted and weak a being born without any Aether at all would be. It would be more husk than person.
It’s fascinating, however. Lucretia commented. This Creature… the more I learn of it, the warier of it I become. It is effectively manipulating the Aether ecosystem in the Raid Dungeon to push the people towards the Path of the Heretic. Those floods of monsters… based on what this girl is saying, they are not from inside the Dungeon, right? So as she increases their strength, the Dintan have no choice but to get stronger, or die…
‘But why?’ Randidly wondered back.
Lucretia seemed to shrug and started thought whispering to herself. Shaking his head, Randidly refocused on Aratta.
“Of course, the golden-haired woman wasn’t unaware of this; she once more approached our people. In the equilibrium era, we had once more expanded to 12 or so villages. But to suddenly find out that we had effectively lost the ability to bear children… She… was aware of this problem, and could not solve it, but if we agreed to her terms, at least she could beat back the great hunger from our warriors, and ensure the safety of the living. In a show of good faith, she even explained the process...the… consumption of other life, to fuel your own…” Aratta trailed off.
And if the children were dying anyway… Lucretia said softly. Again the vivid shape of those twisted bodies in Aratta’s flower garden appeared in Randidly’s mind. Instantly, his expression hardened. It was difficult to recall, but she was just like them. For her own existence, she was willing to sacrifice the lives of others. It was almost as if she didn’t notice the contradiction, in her current regretful stance.
It was almost like she had become so numb to the act of consuming another’s life that she didn’t even notice.
“Still, the King stood firm, refusing. The Queen begged and begged, but was unable to sway her husband. Even when their only child, the Dintan’s greatest warrior, fell to the great sickness, becoming completely bedridden, he did not falter. Following his lead, the head warriors agreed.
“However, one among them, the holy Zith, felt a deep sense of responsibility and resolved herself to approach the King in private to ask him to reconsider. While they were speaking, there was a noise from the Queen’s chambers; the two rushed into the room, fearing a monster attack, but only found the Queen. Her lifeblood was draining out of the slit in her neck.
“She had taken her own life.” Aratta stood slowly, standing. Then she turned her face upward and looked towards the overcast sky. “In the wake of that… the King crumpled. He was a shell of who he was. Zith took word to the golden-haired woman, and agreed that the Dintan be bound to a single favor in return for the method.”
“...So you took it and became Heretics. You started stealing life… so you could live longer.” Rose said.
“Selfish.” Lucifer simply said, shaking his head.
Aratta just sighed and smiled at them, her expression so brittle the hairline cracks from age were visible on her skin. “How easy it is for the young to imagine ways around old problems. Let me give you a hard truth; it is the new problems that you will need to deal with, not ours, not the ones that have grown clearer in retrospect. And when that day comes, who knows how deeply you would be willing to sell yourself to the devil, for his hand.”