We had dinner after my lesson with Lapia was done.

Sauteed liver with onions, seaweed, potatoes, and mango. In one dish.

I obliterated the meal to the point my plate looked like it had just come out of a dishwasher.

It was a religious experience.

Having taken the turn to cook, Bromisnar had a proud smile on his face across the table.

I am marrying this man, I thought while contemplating the experience and looking at him. Or find the way to achieve immortality and keep him around for the rest of my life.

While machinating a plan to acquire six pretty powerful pebbles spread across the cosmos to grant the Satyr eternal life, my stomach rumbled. Loudly.

Bonte chuckled. “That good, huh?” He teased.

I nodded, stood up, and took my plate to the kitchen to get seconds.

The sweet and bitter taste of the meal was just delightful. The caramelized onions did wonders, and the potatoes did a spectacular job to unite the flavors with a healthy- but not to overbearing- push from the mango.

I finished the second serving before realizing, once again leaving me satisfied beyond reasonable levels.

I faced a dilemma.

On one hand, I wanted to learn how to cook the meal myself so I could look behind the veil of masterful artistry and reach a higher state of being simply by knowing how to. On the other hand, however, I wanted the mystery to go on. I wanted grandpa Nikolai to be real for a while longer.

I knew what removing the layer of magic intrigue would do. What satisfying my selfish curiosity would lead me to.

Would there be a point of no return? What would be next? What if... there was no 'next'?

Am I ready to know such secrets of the universe? A simple individual such as myself has no right to check under the proverbial hood. To unravel the intricacies of such divine alchemy.

Would I, like Nobel, create a monster in the pursuit of knowledge and progress?

All it would take is one recipe.

The power to rule the world... in the palm of my hand. Or more accurately, in my stomach.

Lapia, who was sitting next to me, touched my shoulder. “You okay?” She inquired after I kept quiet for a while.

I nodded, not sure what to say. The words escaped me.

Sure, Lapia was a Wizard Elf who understood the mechanical workings of the world. She had a solid understanding of E'er.

Would she understand my plight, then? The desire to know... accompanied by the wish to simply stay ignorant and full of glee like a child that hides teeth under the pillow, fully believing the beautiful facade presented by cruel and heartless adults?

Did Lapia, too, face the tragedy of knowing the truth?

I felt my eyes sting a little.

Why must the world be this cruel? Why is it that the two tragedies of life still exist in such a beautiful planet?

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Is this the wrath of the Gods? Is this the price of life?

“Could I get the recipe?” Alyssa brazenly requested, breaking all taboos civilized society has built in three million years of collective effort. “This is really good,” she added with a smile, taking a bite.

Bromisnar nodded. “Sure,” the Satyr willingly replied, forsaking the secrets of the future generations' success like it was a receipt one got at a grocery store, throwing it away like it had no value whatsoever.

Tragedy was unfolding before my very eyes!

Still, I could do nothing to prevent it. It was not in my hands to tempt the fates.

Having crushed the hordes of Hell and brought down the beings of the Abyss gave me no power to interfere in the event that was taking place.

No being in the universe had faced such moral predicaments, of that I was absolutely sure.

Even if I were to ask Ivan Karamazov, he, in his so-called endlessly brilliant mind, would find himself short for words, and his cynicism would only grow as a result. Or perhaps he'd give me a 30 page-long speech on why it was happening. Still, I doubt even he could give me a proper answer on what to do, even after rationalizing the events.

Would Nietzsche, the Pope, or even Dalai Lama know how to advice me in this situation?

I bet Vergil would know.

...Still, I listened to the recipe. Just in case.

----------------------------------------

After such a rollercoaster of emotions, it was time for Alyssa's lesson.

Elena did the dishes and the rest retreated to do their own thing.

Bromisnar the ever brilliant sat in the living room playing his lute, the mastermind not satisfied with having blown my taste buds.

The Luzo sat in front of me across the table and produced a thick book. “Today we'll go over the cultural implications of good and evil in the world,” she announced, opening the text.

I nodded and retrieved a notebook from my storage and a pencil. “Alright.”

She eyed my tools and raised an eyebrow. “You don't need to take notes,” she told me. “Just understanding is enough.”

“Okay,” I muttered and stored the items.

“Now,” Alyssa started, looking me in the eye. “Unlike the last time we tackled good and evil, this is not a discussion, but a revision of what once was.”

“Fair,” I replied.

“We'll start with the first Dragons, my ancestors,” my girlfriend continued, flipping a few pages. “They saw evil in weakness. They believed that those who were weak presented no benefit to their society, and instead would cause its downfall. Thus, evil.”

I nodded.

“Back then, the strongest Dragon, who so happened to be a Storm Dragon at the time,” she started, a small smile on her lips. “Gathered the strongest members to cleanse their species of evil.”

Oh no, I thought. Genocide, really?

“Weakness, you see, is something that can be changed,” Alyssa lectured. “Spiritual weakness, emotional weakness, physical weakness, mental weakness, and most important of all, social weakness. When society is weak in these aspects, it can't flourish. Spiritual weakness means they do not regard the teachings of the Gods with due respect. Emotional weakness means they can't relate to others when it comes to individual struggle. Physical weakness means they can't protect themselves or others from the dangers that existed back then. This was... more excusable since Halves exist, but paramount to prove themselves independent as individuals separate from each other and as a group when dealing with the world at large. Mental weakness means they cannot face challenges that demanded them be competent. Social weakness meant they had trouble when living with others and forming the society they desired.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“By erasing these weaknesses, the Dragons found themselves at the peak of mortal prowess,” Alyssa explained, then smiled. “Right below Halves. As one of the first societies, Dragons had no concept of currency, privacy, written language, and geographical limitation to call home. They roamed the world in order to gather other species awakened by Danuva that fit their description of evil, and guide them to the nine-tailed foxes in order to further spread the teachings of the Gods.”

Pretty good ones, I thought with a smile. A bit too passionate, though.

“The belief that evil is that which will cause the dawnfall of society began with them,” Alyssa continued. “This was picked up by nine-tailed foxes, but differently. They believed ignorance was evil. There is a separation from Dragons since... well, they're pretty big. Physical prowess was not a priority to foxes for obvious reasons. They believed that, in order to advance society, an understanding of the world was to be achieved. A deep one. Here comes the first wave of individuals separating from the group as a whole through the acquisition of a class, which would then become a second identity through which micro-societies would form.”

This is going to be a long one, I thought with a nod.