Dreiki remembered a human story he read about a massive river with a ferryman who ushered lost souls to the afterlife. Unlike xiozians, humans liked to believe their souls would live on eternally once they shed their mortal coils. Human souls often surrounded the gods of the afterlife.
Savekio had always described it as a method for gods to horde and grow their power. Utlizing the souls of the dead more as currency and a symbol of wealth than anything else. In exchange, the deceased humans would never know pain, adversity, or sorrow ever again.
Dreiki liked the idea of a world with eternal happiness. One where he could live alongside his friends without anything to keep them apart. Still, Savekio taught him against it, and Dreiki always had a difficult time understanding why. Especially in this moment. I Dreiki died, what would happen? Would he be reincarnated and changed forever? Would his soul go to whatever god he’d been born under in Lithiria? Would he ever meet Luna, or Rixam, or Gornax, or even Ezo ever again?
As they walked through the blinding fog, Dreiki realized how much more he had to lose now than he ever had before. Before, all he had was his mother, but over the last two years he had grown attached to so many more people. He had met new friends each of which he cared deeply for. The idea that he might perish here and never see them again was endlessly terrifying.
And yet, he would have rather lived in this moment than died and met everyone again in an afterlife. If he could have everything he wanted, would it even be worth pursuing in the first place?
It was because of the struggles he’d faced that he met Luna, Ezo, and everyone else. Would he ever have met them in an afterlife where there was no struggle? Would he ever have bonded with them as strongly if he did not share their burdens?
The answer was no. Dreiki felt like he finally understood it. At least to some degree. There was no point in an afterlife without struggle. It was merely an opportunity for gods to keep souls complacent and indifferent.
Savekio stopped, turning to look at him, “You won’t be needing that coin anymore.”
Dreiki raised an eyebrow, looking around. They were still in the midst of the fog, “Why not?”
“Seems you’ve both deepened your understanding during our trek here. It is rather impressive for ones as young as yourself, but unsurprising given your circumstances.”
“How do you know that?” Luna asked.
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“I can sense that your Ux has jumped in power. You have both accepted death in one way or another. More than knowing, you have come to understand it. Instead of denying reality, you have come to accept it. Therefore, your Ux guards you, so that you may continue to live and struggle.”
“So that’s the real reason we’re walking through here, is it? You’re exposing us to death again.” Dreiki said.
Savekio nodded, “Up until now, you have always been able to rely on my protection. You have always known that either I, or your mother, will come running to rescue you. And yet, this is the first time where I have told you I cannot save you here.”
“So you lied?” Luna said.
“I did not. What I said was true, and it remains to be true even now. The monster which lurks below is something I cannot protect you from. Remain vigilant. Even though you no longer have to worry about the fog, we currently stand in the middle of this lake. The ice is thinner here, and so we should tread carefully. Any disturbance or break could mean our death.”
“How does deepening our understanding of death increase the power of our Ux?”
“Asking something like that is like asking me ‘Why do we die?’ or ‘What is the purpose of death?’ It’s purely rhetorical, and any answer I could give you would be closer to a philosophical guess than a real answer.”
“I see, so it’s something that just happens. What is your guess, then?”
Savekio laughed dryly, “My guess is that it is through accepting and understanding the finite nature of our lives that we come to see its true value. In response, our Ux, our very being, is allowed to bring that value to fruition. We will never be gods. We will never be able to destroy and create planets or universes. However, we do not need those abilities to defeat those that can. As we accept the finite nature of our power and our lives, we therein bind others to those same rules as a result. No matter where we are, who we face, or why. The power inherent to all xiozians is the power to restore mortality and law back to those who believed themselves above it. Immortals become mortal, gods bleed, and universe destroyers find they cannot lay a scratch on us nor the universe we inhabit. All because we accept that limitless power is meaningless, and worthless. Therefore, it becomes their reality too.”
Even Dreiki, as astute and clever as he was, had difficulty wrapping his head around the concept. Simply manifesting and understanding was all it took to deny the power of a god? It was all it took for him to not be harmed by poison?
“That concept is a more advanced lesson, though. I do not expect you to understand it. Even now, as old as I am, as much as I have taught it to others, I feel I still do not fully comprehend it.”
“I see. I will keep it in mind, though.”
“As you should. Lessons like this only become more clear as you experience things for yourself. Careful thought and meditation is not always enough. Making memories is its own exercise in deepening our understanding. It is its own form of meditation.”
Dreiki fell silent, lowering the coin to watch as it blackened. And with the silver of that coin, so too did the bright fog once again blacken beneath their feet.