Eric waved the notion off with his hand while looking completely disinterested: “That’s just some nonsense primitive people came up with to control the stupid, gullible population. You shouldn’t take it seriously. Those are just fairytales, it’s nothing serious. There’s not a single shred of evidence to back any of it up.”

“It’s hard to get evidence for something that happened in a different plane of existence.”

“You’re reading too much into it. Those are just some silly stories and nothing else.”

That made her laugh, “It’s funny how you’re all about thrusting the authorities in one moment, only to start scrutinizing them in the next one.”

“Hey, I have nothing against authorities as long as they know what they’re doing and treat me fairly. I don’t know how it is in this world, but religious authorities are extremely oppressive back home.”

“That’s good. You’re talking like a real demon now.”

“It’s not an exaggeration. A single accusation of heresy was enough to get you burnt at the stake. With no evidence at all! I don’t think it can get any more oppressive than that. Hell, there are still some places in our world where saying something bad about religious figures will get you beheaded.”

“That’s only natural if you feel like worshiping evil, vengeful gods. They can give you enormous power, but they don’t like it when their subjects question or disrespect them.”

“And what about people who don’t feel like worshiping that god but are forced by their family?”

“Then you’re just being a spoiled brat.”

“What, you don’t think people deserve a right to make their own choices?” His eyebrow rose in scrutiny, “To choose what god they’re going to worship, if any at all?”

“If your family makes a deal with a god, you must uphold your part of the bargain. You don’t get to receive blessings and then leave.”

“And what if people have a change of heart? What if the god has tricked them? What if the god has presented himself as a being of compassion and love, but once the deal is struck, he changes his behavior and starts acting petty and vengeful?”

She turned her palms up instinctively: “Then it’s your fault for being a fool! You don’t go around accepting blessings from random gods! You have to study them first!”

“But what if that’s the only god available, and you have no alternative? How is that fair?”

“That’s just bullshit. As soon as a deity presents itself as the only real one, you know you’re dealing with a self-absorbed, evil god. It takes a special kind of pompous egoism to consider all the other gods non-valid. Even some of the most evil, selfish gods wouldn’t do that. Even gods that are hell-bent on destruction recognize the validity of other gods. Hell, some of them even seek their validation through it.”

“So, you think it’s people’s fault when someone tricks them?”

“Absolutely!”

“And trickster shouldn’t be faulted for any of that?”

“You can’t control the tricksters, idiot! Tricksters will be tricksters no matter what. Besides, they’re beneficial to society and nature in general. They’re ensuring gullible idiots stay at the bottom of the food chain.”

“And I take it you’ve never been tricked yourself? Something tells me you wouldn’t be so relaxed about it if I’d tricked you somehow. There’s no way you’d see yourself as an idiot, and I’m absolutely certain you’d want reprisal for it.”

“That’s true, I’d have my revenge. And if you feel butthurt about the way the gods are treating your people, then feel free to take revenge on them, just like my people did. But of course, you guys are too cowardly to do that.”

“But we are!” Eric started gesticulating wildly, “Isn’t ignoring the gods a form of revenge? And yet here you are, telling me we should fulfill our part of the bargain!”

“If you or your family have received the blessings, then you should.”

“Why should I fulfill my part of the bargain if the god himself refuses to do so? Why am I the only one who’s bound by the rules? The rules I couldn’t complain about in the first place since they were made generations ago! That’s unfair as fuck!”

Phisola rested her head in both hands now: “We’re just going in circles. I don’t want to argue morality with you, and I certainly won’t waste my time explaining why some gods don’t feel obliged to obey the rules. That’s nothing but a waste of time. This whole conversation started when I pointed out that you have some very demonic views of the world, especially when it comes to gods and their worship. Add to that the fact that your people were banished from heaven, and it’s very obvious that you guys are demons, too. Weak and cowardly demons, but demons nonetheless.”

“What fact?” Eric’s gesticulations only intensified, “I’ve told you so many times that those are just some silly stories! There’s no truth to them! It’s all made up! This entire silly idea that we’re demons is based on zero evidence! I can come up with a story right now! I’m a descendant of a mighty emperor that ruled over half of the Earth! But I have to bring some solid evidence forward to be taken seriously, don’t I?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Stop being a fool and listen to what I’m saying,” The casual tone of Phisola’s voice didn’t change one bit, “I never said that’s the only thing I’m basing this idea on. That’s just icing on the cake. Your views of the world are demonic. Your values are demonic. Your morality is demonic. You have much more in common with me than with any other race in this world. Sure, you have a long way to go since you’re weak and pathetic, but the foundation is there.”

“What is demonic about any of that? It’s all just common sense! Why the fuck would I respect someone who isn’t true to his word, be it a god or a man? Respect needs to be earned! Isn’t that exactly what I’ve been trying to do ever since we met: earn your respect?”

That made Phisola chuckle: “The very idea that gods and people should be judged by the same standards is inherently demonic, you silly head. Good, godly people would never even consider something like that.”

“Now you’re being contradictory once again!” Eric pointed a finger at her accusingly, “Not so long ago, you were pestering me about how godly I am, and look at you know! Now you’re accusing me of being demonic! Pick one!”

“Well, that’s the funny part, isn’t it? You’re doing your best to present yourself as a godly person, yet you’re doing the exact opposite. One moment, you’re invoking godly morality as an argument, only to denounce it in the next one! Pick one!”

“First of all, I don’t care about gods one bit! I never claimed I did, and I never used any of them to justify anything!”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re trying to appeal to their morality.”

“Well, what makes me demonic then, huh? If I’m appealing to their morality, then what am I doing that’s demonic? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I got the feeling that you’re trying to gaslight me into believing I’m a demon. Me and all the other humans! So … what is it? What argument are you trying to make at this point? You’re being very confusing right now.”

“You just need to listen to what I’m saying, and any confusion will disappear. You’re trying to appeal to godly morality while doing the exact opposite. In other words, you’re hypocritical as fuck.”

“Ok, what have I said that is hypocritical?”

“Here’s a very simple example. Do you think we should protect the weak or let nature take care of them one way or the other?”

“… why wouldn’t we protect our children?”

Phisola, who was rather calm during this whole argument, furrowed her brows all of a sudden, “Nobody is talking about children right now, you imbecile!”

“Aren’t children weak?”

“I thought we were having a constructive argument, but here you are, pretending you don’t understand what I mean! You’re acting in bad faith, and I won’t allow it!”

“Huh! A devil talking about faith!”

It took her a moment to process those words, after which her furrowed face turned into a smiley one, “I guess you do have a point there. But see, this is exactly what I mean!” She pointed her outstretched hand at him, “You’re appealing to godly values while using underhanded, demonic means to justify them! I know you think we should protect the weak, yet you’ll use underhanded methods to justify it! Don’t you think that’s strange? Don’t you think it’s strange for a good person to use bad-faith arguments to justify what is good and right? And I know you genuinely believe you’re doing something virtuous when coming in bad faith!”

“If you think that protecting the weak is wrong, then why are you protecting me? Why are you, a devil, protecting me, who is weak, if that’s such a stupid thing to do?”

“I’m protecting you out of self-interest, not out of the goodness of my heart. You should’ve realized that by now. But I think you’d try to protect someone even if you’d have nothing to gain from it. That’s what godly people do.”

“So, if you’d find a lost child in this cave, you wouldn’t protect it?”

“Only if I have something to gain. Taking care of other people’s children isn’t my business! Why should I take better care of it than its parents are?”

“Maybe they would but weren’t able to? Maybe they weren’t strong enough to protect it? Maybe someone took it away from them?”

“If they are weak, they should get someone strong to protect them. Do you see what I mean? You genuinely believe that protecting fools is the right thing to do, while I think people’s safety should be in their own hands. And if they themselves are too weak, they should pledge allegiance to those stronger than them, like you did! That’s the difference between godly and demonic thinking.”

“So, one is generous while the other is self-serving?”

“You could say that. Or you could say that one is idealistic while the other is practical. But that’s not important right now. What confuses me to no end is your inconsistency. Your values are inconsistent as fuck. On one issue, you’re godly and think that everyone should be protected, while on the other one, you’ll say ‘fuck the gods’ without flinching or even pausing to consider what you’re saying.”

Eric outstretched both hands in annoyance: “Has it ever occurred to you that people who grew up in a world without magic and gods wouldn’t care about those things?”

“But your people do have a concept of deity! How can you talk about gods if they don’t exist in your world?”

“We do have a concept, but that doesn’t mean gods exist in our world! Just as we have the concept of magic! Same thing! Just because something doesn’t exist doesn’t mean you can’t create a concept for it! You can still imagine what-ifs and entertain all the possibilities.”

“Then why were you talking about having the right to abandon gods?”

He placed his hands as if he was about to choke someone: “Because I was trying to help you understand my views by bringing them closer to something that you can understand! I was entertaining the thought to make my point for the sake of an argument because you kept on insisting on how humans are demonic!”

Hearing that made her let out a long sigh: “I don’t know what happened back in your world and how you got so confused, but you have no idea just how confused you are. You’re getting mad at me for calling you a demon, only to denounce gods in the very next moment. You’re appealing to godly morality while twisting my words to prove your point. And I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that you think you’re a good, moral person while building your life on other people’s misery,” she raised a hand as if to stop him from coming closer, “But I don’t know that. I’m not saying that’s how it is, I’m saying that wouldn’t surprise me one bit.”

“What in the world makes you think that someone from an alien world would have to abide by the same moral standards that you have here? Why wouldn’t we have a mix of those? Especially since we have no gods to tell us what we’re supposed to do.”

She sighed again, looking up at the ceiling: “I see that your awakening will have to wait. And it’s not going to happen anytime soon.”