I am not easily angered, nor do I eagerly raise my hand against another. It is not in my nature for I believe all other avenues must be exhausted first. For these reasons and more, I have no intention of harming you.
But if you should wound the Warriors of Light and their companions, unlikely as that may be at this juncture, I will not hesitate to stop you. It is only right to make you aware of that fact.
[Something in him feels lighter for the telling. It was wrong to hold Emet accountable for things he hasn't done yet, so it feels... better... to make these thoughts clear. And to subtly explain why the Exarch doesn't simply tolerate him being around, but actively avoids him now. He's not scared but he is cautious.
Still... He wants to try to keep things fair and civil for the sake of the Warriors caught in the middle. And besides that, they're both on even ground for the first time. Their conflict has been shelved out of necessity.]
I fear that may be an impossibility, and not because you are fated to die.
If you can bring yourself to accept my assurance, I have no interest in attacking neither the Warrior nor their allies. They have shown me no ill will, and I have no reason not to maintain our current friendly ties.
I extend the same to you, Crystal Exarch. My future reasons are hardly relevant here, and harming you would aggravate those heroes to no good cause.
[Not that he expects the Exarch to go 'oh okay' and forget all that torturing business, but. He figured there was no harm in being clear about his intent.
The last part has him pause, trying to work out what the Exarch meant. Though there were a limited amount of options, and Emet-Selch could guess at a plausible scenario.
That explained what the Exarch had been doing in Kholusia to begin with, rather than lurking in his stolen Tower as normal. Assisting the Warrior with the Light after the hero failed to contain it- yes, that would be a reason for him to be there (though the Ascian was unsure how that would simply kill him, instead of just turning him into his own Lightwarden). And it was a reason for his future self to stop him, stealing the Exarch away while he was vulnerable.
[That's... unexpected. He's immediately suspicious but he can't say anything without looking like the asshole. And it does make sense, if he has a truce between himself and the Warriors.
... He'll remain cautious even so. While Emet might be telling the truth right now, he's capricious. He studied Ascians with the Students of Baldesion; Galuf would be judging him beyond the grave if he blindly accepted one.]
I had another reason. Suffice to say it was not a popular decision.
[He decides to not push the issue. If circumstances changed- well, he'd do whatever he had to. If that meant hurting the Exarch or any of the heroes, he would. Emet-Selch had no particular interest in it, but neither would he hesitate. He'd lived too long to question himself now.
Still, he did prefer to hope it wouldn't come to that.]
I can imagine they were quite cross. Letting their friends die, whatever the reason, is not something I can see them doing quietly.
[It was a terrible, inexorable answer. The death of his world, his people left sleeping in Zodiark's darkness. Would the remains of his god be rooted out and smote as well?
He couldn't even muster up the energy to be angry about it; there was only a dull grief for what was lost.]
Which particular things...?
Could my conflict with the Warrior have been avoided? ...Mayhaps not. We would have to go back quite far. Before the events in Kholusia. Before my first meeting with the hero. Before their first encounter with any Ascian. Before the first Calamity.
Before the world was sundered. Before Zodiark's creation. When did events tip into inevitability?
[They can't help what they are, either. It's all just-- a waste. But that's war. Just because a battle is won doesn't erase the lives lost. The grief caused.
He sees it written on the Warrior's face when Emet-Selch is discussed.]
... Change is not impossible. I cannot-- I will not believe otherwise. To do so would betray all who placed their faith in me.
But in the end, this does not fall to me. It begins with you.
The change you ask requires my giving up on everything I hold dear. Abandoning them. Naturally, I realize that I'm asking the same thing of all of you.
[Even if Emet-Selch viewed it as short-sighted and borne of ignorance, it was comprehensible. That was part of why it was so frustrating. They weren't doing it out of spite, or cruelty, or even indifference. They all cared. Everyone cared too damn much, that was the problem.]
I can't say I'm optimistic of our chances.
...Well, I would have believed it impossible to be dragged into a place like this against my will, so who knows? Some miracle may yet occur. Perhaps there's some third option none of us have considered. Perhaps this will be the first time in thousands upon thousands of years that you mortals won't disappoint me.
[Emet-Selch isn't the only one fighting for a world only he remembers. The difference is that the Exarch wants to prevent it from coming about. The past isn't a good place to live in, even for immortals.]
Our friends are very tenacious. We may both be surprised.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Love it when mobile eats my tag for no damn reason.
But if you should wound the Warriors of Light and their companions, unlikely as that may be at this juncture, I will not hesitate to stop you. It is only right to make you aware of that fact.
[Something in him feels lighter for the telling. It was wrong to hold Emet accountable for things he hasn't done yet, so it feels... better... to make these thoughts clear. And to subtly explain why the Exarch doesn't simply tolerate him being around, but actively avoids him now. He's not scared but he is cautious.
Still... He wants to try to keep things fair and civil for the sake of the Warriors caught in the middle. And besides that, they're both on even ground for the first time. Their conflict has been shelved out of necessity.]
I fear that may be an impossibility, and not because you are fated to die.
It was my intention to, in Kholusia.
no subject
I extend the same to you, Crystal Exarch. My future reasons are hardly relevant here, and harming you would aggravate those heroes to no good cause.
[Not that he expects the Exarch to go 'oh okay' and forget all that torturing business, but. He figured there was no harm in being clear about his intent.
The last part has him pause, trying to work out what the Exarch meant. Though there were a limited amount of options, and Emet-Selch could guess at a plausible scenario.
That explained what the Exarch had been doing in Kholusia to begin with, rather than lurking in his stolen Tower as normal. Assisting the Warrior with the Light after the hero failed to contain it- yes, that would be a reason for him to be there (though the Ascian was unsure how that would simply kill him, instead of just turning him into his own Lightwarden). And it was a reason for his future self to stop him, stealing the Exarch away while he was vulnerable.
Something like that, anyway.]
So eager to martyr yourself for them...?
no subject
[That's... unexpected. He's immediately suspicious but he can't say anything without looking like the asshole. And it does make sense, if he has a truce between himself and the Warriors.
... He'll remain cautious even so. While Emet might be telling the truth right now, he's capricious. He studied Ascians with the Students of Baldesion; Galuf would be judging him beyond the grave if he blindly accepted one.]
I had another reason. Suffice to say it was not a popular decision.
no subject
Still, he did prefer to hope it wouldn't come to that.]
I can imagine they were quite cross. Letting their friends die, whatever the reason, is not something I can see them doing quietly.
[Such noble, good, misguided people.]
no subject
They shall always fight to see their friends and their world through whatever terrible shadow is cast upon it. That... is their 'answer'.
Do you believe things could have been different?
no subject
He couldn't even muster up the energy to be angry about it; there was only a dull grief for what was lost.]
Which particular things...?
Could my conflict with the Warrior have been avoided? ...Mayhaps not. We would have to go back quite far. Before the events in Kholusia. Before my first meeting with the hero. Before their first encounter with any Ascian. Before the first Calamity.
Before the world was sundered. Before Zodiark's creation. When did events tip into inevitability?
So... I do not know.
Do you believe things can change now?
no subject
He sees it written on the Warrior's face when Emet-Selch is discussed.]
... Change is not impossible. I cannot-- I will not believe otherwise. To do so would betray all who placed their faith in me.
But in the end, this does not fall to me. It begins with you.
no subject
[Even if Emet-Selch viewed it as short-sighted and borne of ignorance, it was comprehensible. That was part of why it was so frustrating. They weren't doing it out of spite, or cruelty, or even indifference. They all cared. Everyone cared too damn much, that was the problem.]
I can't say I'm optimistic of our chances.
...Well, I would have believed it impossible to be dragged into a place like this against my will, so who knows? Some miracle may yet occur. Perhaps there's some third option none of us have considered. Perhaps this will be the first time in thousands upon thousands of years that you mortals won't disappoint me.
[But he doubted it.]
no subject
Our friends are very tenacious. We may both be surprised.