Hear Me - (Red) [Double XP]

"I see." Israel said, still leaning on his hands in a rather relaxed fashion. "I ask because I have brought something that might help with that..." He said, motioning his head towards his right side pouch. He then paused in thought.

"I have other, more direct questions that I wish to ask that pertain more to why I am here, but they are quite personal and I do not want to overstep my bounds as your guest." Israel said quietly. "You see... I have seen..." Israel trailed off.

"Well, to put it as the biggest understatement possible. I'm not from here." He said, sitting up straighter. "But I will ask this... If you could contact someone in the afterlife... Would you?"

Lucius shook his head left and right. Yes, he had made such contact in the past, but not by his own choice. The fact was, that situation had been extremely unpleasant up until the end. The horror of the event was the exact thing he intended to avoid by not giving into the temptation of seeing those that he had lost.

But nevermind his answer. The more curious thing was why this man had decided to ask this question specifically, especially after offering something that would quote "help." The more Lucius thought about it, the more he connected the dots. This man didn't have something to supposedly contact the dead, did he?

"No, i wouldn't. If someone is dead, they are not meant to interact with us. What happened to them was supposed to happen, an event determined by the chain of actions preceding it. As much as i would enjoy seeing certain people again, i can not bring myself to go against the very universe that brought me into existence." Lucius explained, now scanning Scion up and down. Whatever he brought, it wasn't visible, or at least not apparently visible.

"You mentioned this 'something' you brought with you twice now. What exactly is it?" Red asked, finally making the conversation a two way street. He of course intended to continue answering questions, but he certainly wanted to know what Scion had brought with him.

Israel looked a bit sad at his response, bringing his right hand to his chin in thought.

"I see..." He said.

Then, in response to Lucius looking him up and down, he pulled out a tiny vial of silver liquid. "A serum... The same one that expanded my own abilities to the point where they are now, or at least, what provided the way for me to expand said abilities thus far. Descriptively speaking, it is a catalyst of the soul. Practically speaking, with training, it will expand your control over the abilities you already possess, as well as provide a way for you to be connected with the spirit world." Israel said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"There is a catch, ofcourse... What you do feel, you will feel more deeply, be it happiness or sorrow... But I believe it may also help you find peace through the spiritual connection I mentioned. You see, when we spend time with the people we love, our souls mingle together. The connections that you made with those who have passed is still strong as ever. A tether between this world and the next." Israel said, pausing to gauge his reaction.

The idea that such a thing, even if it genuinely was what this man said it was, would help him was ludicrous. He was without his abilities at this time, so no need for better control, and he had no desire to further connect with his own soul. He had seen inside it's depths plenty of times, and the result was always a negative one. He took the vile in his hand, then brought it up to eye level. He scanned the liquid, as if he were getting more information out of looking at it then the normal person would, then laughed.

"I am truly sorry, but no. Even if i trusted you enough to take a substance i know little about for certain, i wouldn't. If i have to take a serum to make myself a better person, then what meaning does the change have? Connecting with my soul would also not be a very good idea. It's been damaged in numerous ways, if it exists at all." Lucius said, handing the man his vile back. This meeting was weird as it was, taking something he didn't even have the time to analyze would only make things worse. He wasn't stupid, he didn't go putting things into his body just because the person giving it to him seemed reasonable.

"My emotions often cloud my judgement as it is, why would i want to feel them more intensely? Better yet, why would you want me to? You know so little about me still. If you knew everything, you may not wish to help me, and you would know why this serum of yours would backfire." Lucius said. This stranger may have had good intentions, but that didn't mean the results would be, or that Lucius could trust him.

Israel held up his hand. "Please, hold onto it. Study it's components. I did not expect you to just drink an anomalous liquid. I will say that a couple of it's ingredients will probably remain foreign to you. I don't believe they exist on this Earth."

"My emotions often cloud my judgement as it is. Why would I want to feel them more intensely? Better yet, why would you want me to? You know so little about me still. If you knew everything, you may not wish to help me, and you would know why this serum of yours would backfire." Lucius said.

Israel smiled knowingly. "I know more about you than you might think, and I believe that you underestimate yourself in this matter of self-mastery. And even if I couldn't see your spirit, the simple observation that you are alive tells me that it's there. That said, I can, in fact, see your spirit, and I can tell you that it is quite intact. Somewhat empty, perhaps, but intact... And let me add that I have seen far worse."

Lucius pondered the man's words. They were that of an optimist from the sound of it. That wasn't something that was exactly bad, but it definitely wasn't what Red was used to. Most of the time people were intent on calling him a monster, or a terrorist, or something equally terrible. Lucius didn't entirely agree with them, but he would also never claim to be a good person, not now.

"I underestimate my self mastery? No, no i am quite sure i don't. I am simply honest. I have improved myself in every way you can imagine, learned enough to rival and even surpass the great geniuses of old, and for what? To be remembered for some theory? Some innovation? No, such little things are only a fraction of what can be done for the improvement of the world. Make no mistake, i have mastered my life, but now i set my gaze upon the Earth. It is more important then me, so i don't mind degrading my soul for it." Lucius said. He found this conversation quite interesting, especially since this man claimed to know about him. Oh, how little he was really aware of.

"Whether you have seen worse or not is irrelevant. I know for certain the things i have done are not even remotely noble, and i also know that i don't want to stop. They are a means to an end. Every great leap in history was initiated with blood and wrongdoing. A great good requires an even greater evil to be done beforehand, and my belief in that is why you can't help me, nobody can. I am set in my goals, and they will be done by whatever means i deem necessary."  Lucius said. He was surprised how honest he was being, but he hadn't admitted to anything. Besides, he wanted to make it quite clear to this man where he stood.

Israel nodded thoughtfully, then smiled sympathetically. There was a slight pain behind the smile. "I understand... You plan to make a better world and I share that vision... But it need not be built upon the ashes of the old, and you need not throw yourself down and let the world step on you to raise it up. History is indeed filled with examples of the world raising itself up by climbing upon rubble, that is true, but it is also filled with examples of people lifting eachother up to greater heights.

Surely a world where all benefit albeit perhaps more slowly than your current ideology is preferable. A world where you can be recognized as more than a hiss and a byword." Israel said.

Red tapped his chin. It was clear this man's views, though reasonable, were a lot different from his own. No, they weren't fundamentally opposite ideologies, on the contrary, but they were different enough that this conversation would only go in circles. Red would say the world has shown bad deeds are what has always lead to leaps in innovation, and Scion would counter with examples of good nature. The only argument was how much those two things occurred. Did this man really think the majority of people wanted to help each other?

"In a perfect world, people help each other always. In a perfect world, everyone has the single goal to make life better for everyone. In a perfect world, those examples of people lifting each other to greater heights are commonplace......." Lucius said, staring off into space as if in contemplation. It was clear by the repetition of his words that he was building to something.

"This is not a perfect world, Israel. I do not presume to offer one, either. There will always be evil in humanity, always people who aren't willing to put themselves aside in favor of cooperation. The trick to a better world is not perfection, but the tipping of the scales. There are examples of both good and evil, our best bet is to do little bad for the biggest payouts in good possible, instead of the other way around." Lucius said, now standing. He reached out to shake the man's hand, apparently ready to leave now.

"No, i am not of the mind that the ends justify the means, they don't. I'm a realist, and the reality is the only way evil can be minimized is through control of it.

"Now, i really should get back to the event. Did you have anything else to say? An offer, perhaps? I don't think you came down here just to discuss ideology and my past with me." Lucius concluded. This had been interesting, but he saw no end to it. He explained himself in the best way he could, and he would only repeat himself if the conversation went on.

Israel nodded, retrieving his badge and rising to shake the Prime Minister's hand.

"I understand." He said, completing the hand shake. "I have probably kept you too long. And no, I believe I have said all that I needed to say. Just know that if you ever just need to talk with someone, well, keep me in mind."

Israel walked back towards the event with Lucius, adding as he went: "I understand your views, but we build the world in which we live. We need to strive for that perfect world even if it is out of reach. The closer we get, the better."

And with that, he bowed slightly out of respect and wheeled about, weaving through the murmuring crowd to the open city.

Israel knew he would not be likely to hear from him for some time, if at all, but he figured that all he had said was worth saying...

... Perhaps he could prevent this man from following that same path.

Fatewriters be willing.