CHAPTER 574

NEW TOMORROW (IV)

The platform of tiled stars was currently a host to one of the world's greatest celebrations, with hundreds of thousands of people jaunted out and about it, dancing, singing, drinking, eating, and talking. There seemed to be no distinctions, groups melding naturally, people walking left and right without clear directions.

At the center of it, a small table extended in a crescent, standing on a slight elevation, filled to the brim with exotic foods and drinks, several figures seated behind it. Aaria sat at the very center, still wearing the crown, observing the ongoing celebration with a quaint smile on her face.

Hannah, who was just sitting on her left side, had joined the celebration down below, reuniting with the faces she hadn't seen in quite some time, while Aaria’s right side was currently occupied by Lino who was eating and drinking in silence, his gaze pointed toward the distant sky and the invisible stars.

“—don’t you want to join mom and chat with your friends? You don’t have to entertain me.” Aaria said, breaking the silence between the two, smiling lightly.

“I’d be a distraction,” Lino replied, smiling back. “She hasn’t got long to stay; let her enjoy it.”

“… haah,” Aaria sighed, glancing at the red-haired woman down below. “I really thought she could stay for a little while longer this time around…”

“Me too, firefly.”

“How are you holding up?” she asked. “Missing the crown yet? I can lend it to you from time to time if you’d like.”

“Ho ho,” Lino chuckled, pinching her cheek lightly. “You’re already too old to be taking after me, kiddo, with that tongue. But, keep the crown, though; if I begin missing it, I can always craft myself a better one.”

“… you’ll stay, right? At least for the first few years, until I settle in.”

“I’m gonna be here for a long while, Aaria,” Lino said. “Your children, and grandchildren, and children of those children, and onwards, will all grow tired of the old, eccentric Grandpa who likes drinking way too much for his own good.”

“Ha ha ha,” Aaira laughed, her cheeks puffing lightly. "You may inspire many things in us dad, but getting bored with you is hardly one of them."

“Eh, that’s ‘cause I've still got stories to tell," Lino shrugged "But what about in a couple of hundred years from now? Everyone will have heard my wonky stories a hundred times over, you know? And spending every waking hour in front of the fire and with a hammer in my hand isn't exactly building my library of cool stories."

“… I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

“Lying?! Hah! How little do you think of your old man?!”

“Just little enough to believe you’d make up a whole assortment of stories to entertain. I’m fairly certain that you were a bard in your past life.”

“… tsk, you know me too well,” Lino smiled. “You’re right. I’ll think of something. Same to you, though; now that you’ve managed to steal your old man’s crown, don’t go about plotting and scheming against me, and, even more importantly, don’t you dare stop coming for the visits, alright?”

“… I don’t think much will change,” Aaria chuckled. “I still, somehow, much prefer your stuffy smithy than the, somehow, even stuffier Court. They’ve already begun to suffocate, dad. It hasn’t even been twenty years, yet it seems their ambitions are impossible to quell any longer.”

“That’s what ambition does, kid,” Lino said. “Be careful around them. If they step over the line, don’t fear the consequences and the whispers.”

“… what would even qualify as stepping over the line?” Aaria sighed, taking a sip of wine. “At the last month’s session, Birmich called me a cloud-headed calf that will always be riding on her father’s coattails, never achieving anything of my own. Is that stepping over the line?”

“… no.” Lino said, surprising Aaria who quickly shifted her eyes over to him. “If anything, I respect that he at least said it to your face.”

“… I was thinking the same.” Aaria smiled, chuckling right after. “I know many others say far worse things behind my back; at least, he’s not afraid to share it.”

“I’ve always found myself getting along better with people who have something they believe in, and they aren’t afraid of shouting to the world exactly what that something is," Lino continued. "They may have been evil in the eyes of many, the ilk beset for the gallows, yet, in my heart, they still somehow ranked higher than the supposed saints shrouded in light, revered by everyone. It's because of those saints that the world ran on pus for eons on end, not because of the maniacs shouting and crying their ideologies. Those emotions are hardly sustainable; we burn through them quickly and are left hollow. The incessant greed, the unquenchable desire for power, all hidden beneath the clout of serenity… those things… can last forever."

“… which one are you?” Aaria asked cheekily.

“A little bit of both, I suppose,” Lino chuckled, glancing at her. “I spent a great deal of my early days shouting and crying, wearing my soul on my sleeves. The older I got, however, the more corrupt I’ve found myself becoming. I hid things from others – hid the ambitions, the intentions, the desires. Blindsided them. I justified it by claiming it was impossible, otherwise, to achieve what I set out to achieve.”

“… for the greater good.”

“Aye, the eternal adage,” he nodded. “For the greater good. Some of the greatest evils this, and every other world had ever seen… were born of the greatest intentions. And, era after era, that ‘wisdom’ was shared. And, era after era, that ‘wisdom’ was left unheard. I hope you can break the cycle, kiddo.”

“… what? I’m not allowed a stint of evilness in the name of good like the rest of you?” Aaria asked, smiling wryly.

"… you're too good for it," Lino smiled back, patting her head. "For the life of me, and until my grave, I'll never understand how did someone with as big of a heart as you, came from your mom and me."

“… I can,” Aaria said. “You two have always had big hearts, dad. The world… simply wasn’t ready for them.”

“… your mom and I had, and still have I’d say, a great capacity for good.” Lino said. “But, it was always matched. I was never above setting the world on fire if it meant protecting the few I loved. Killing, something I found abhorrent, once-in-a-lifetime sort of a deal, became a part of my nature. I could whack away at millions without batting an eye now. That's why… that crown became too light for me," he added, pointing at the jewelry. "Weight of the billions of souls… no longer felt that heavy to me. And that's a terrifying feeling, firefly… too terrifying. So, if you inherit any empty wisdom of mine, inherit this: if you ever feel the burdens of your heart easing, yet the death toll of those around you rising, set the empty crown aside and step down. Walk away without ever looking back. Those who would starve their own to propagate a mighty image of themselves to the world reached that boiling point… and pressed onward."

“… is it really that difficult to give up power?” Aaria asked.

"… it's only partly power," Lino replied. "Mind… the mind is a strange thing. Get clapped at, praised, drooled over for long enough… and no matter the reality of things, you will begin to believe you're the son of the skies. The chosen one. The unshakable. The poison of corruption is never as simple as the tangle of power; it's as complex as any other facet of the world and us. Ambition is the fuel all of us need; corruption is the wildfire that can't be contained any longer. One feeds the other if given free rein. As do countless other facets of who we are."

“… I really wish I had known you back when you were young,” Aaria said, smiling and leaning over, kissing his cheek gently. “I think… we would have been great friends.”

“… eh? What? Aren’t we the bestest of the best friends now? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Ha ha ha ha, no, not that,” Aaria shook her head. "We are; I wouldn't trade what we have for anything in the world. But… it's different. I'm a sponge, and you're the rain, dad. I can only sheepishly stand to the side and listen and absorb as much as I can. Had I been with you when you were the sponge as well, I feel… we would have gotten along just as well. And I could have grown side by side with you, instead of burning through the sleepless nights in the vain hope of catching up to the skyless tower you’ve become.”

“… eh, I prefer this,” Lino grinned. “Makes me feel quite mighty, you know?”

“Oh, I do. The way your eyes shine when you think you’ve said something profound… it’s rather adorable, actually.”

“… I wouldn’t worry if I were you, firefly,” Lino said, sinking further back into his chair and closing his eyes. “In no time, you’ll shoot well past me. I’m only here to give you the first bedrock upon which to stand. Then, just like the rest of the world, I’ll latch onto your wings and fly. Fly… fly… fly…”