The reflection had gone silent, closing her eyes as Esperia thought about it, her recent efforts to impersonate HER, the desire to save the world as some sort of divine champion, was it truly her desire, or just a borrowed ideal?
"If you fight for ideals, then you will only ever be able to save ideals."
Why? Why did she find herself unable to retaliate? "That's all. You won't be able to help anyone like this, a desire to save someone or something stands out as a reason to fight, to struggle. Or at least it does for you... Right, Esperia?"
The reflection merely shook her head. "Salvation at the hands of another is never true. Such salvation is like a currency. When used it is passed onto another. It's indeed true that your wish to save others can probably be achieved. But in doing so you must give up all hope in saving yourself."
Esperia averted her gaze, gritting her teeth in frustration. "You will chase your ideals, all the way until it ends up destroying you. And that is why the ideals you hold so dearly, are meaningless."
Yet Esperia finally spoke: "Then why! Why did you help Kon? Then why did you help me?!" But her reflection only continued to speak in the same cold tone as before. "Trying to become a savior is meaningless, you will neither be able to help others, or save yourself. That future you dream of is an illusion."
Esperia shook her head in defiance. "But I- I can't know without trying!"
Yet a firm step forwards was made by the reflection: "Wake up to reality Esperia! Nothing ever goes as planned within this accursed world! The longer you live, the more you will realize this harsh truth: There is only pain, suffering and the futility of those who oppose it."
The reflection went silent, a firm shake of her head following. "Everywhere you look within this world: wherever there is light, there will always be shadows to be found as well. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The desire to save others, breeds conflict, and hatred is born to protect love, you can't expect to become a savior in this accursed world."
Esperia raised her hands to her reflection, grabbing her arms firmly as she shook her lightly. "Then what do I do?!" To which the reflection merely smiled at her. "Think for yourself, fight for yourself, throw aside those borrowed notions of others, you were never meant to be a hero or a savior. Pursue your own desire, continue to reach for that power so that you always be among the victors. Only then can you save yourself."
Only then...
"Can you truly become Morrigan."
As the words escaped her lips Esperia found herself outside the entrance of the Dawncliff Mine, a hand raised for her face, feeling the cold touch of the Millennium Eye where once her right eye had been.
It was the harsh reality: She was no savior, not the hero this world desired or needed. And yet, if she wanted to save herself she needed power, she needed to scheme and trick to reach that peak where humanity would transcend, and beyond there Morrigan would be waiting for her.
But for that to succeed she would first need to figure out how to deal with the matter of Tomoe and Odin, and yet little did Esperia knew there were others who had set in motion their plans, plans that would well and truly change her entire perspective of the future ahead of her.
WC: 601
Total WC: 2289/2250