Au Justeaze here.

[grailheart]

[AU details here.]

How beautiful...

[A bell-like voice emerges from the mouth of a woman whose beauty resembles that of a glacier; cold, harsh, eternal.]

How full of hope...all these worlds, and even this place. If only my world could shine with hope as well.

[Her face darkens for just a moment.]

Ah, but you know as well as I, mun, that such a thing is hopeless. Even something designed to bring hope by subverting impossibility will inevitably become mired in despair.

[A sigh so faint as to go almost unheard.]

Even now, in a place of such hope, you have muns who seek to bring their muses despair. You have muses who will never appreciate their good fortune. Human nature...is always the same.

But I digress. It is still much better here than in my world. So will someone show me? A hope worthy of a wish from this Great Grail

Comments

[grailheart]

There is no progress!

[For a second, the glacial facade breaks and her ruby eyes flash with fire.]

Technology progresses; magecraft, or at least its outer workings, progresses! The state of humanity always remains the same!

[She takes a second to calm down.]

I wished to save them once. But as you have said, the experiment has been discarded. Destruction is their only salvation. And the world shall continue on without them.

[gordianknots]

Technology and magecraft are both results of human actions, incapable of having even been created without people to do so.

And again, you speak without definition. Define the state of humanity as you see it, you can't do any work without clear cut definitions. You spout nonsense otherwise.

[stare] The destruction of humanity was not what I meant by that statement. [Does he have to pull another grail apart? Jeez, where's Rin?]

[grailheart]

They are insects who abuse the intelligence given to them, content to wallow in their own shit and suffer instead of changing for the better. They invent, but only to further hurt each other. They give up when presented with a challenge. The only road to success is violence. At their core, they are cowardly, yet savage beings. Look at them, living in fear and poverty. And look at them, unwilling to be saved. Even when offered a chance, they either cower or abuse it. Do you argue such a species is still worthy of existence?

[Unfortunately, this Grail has a will of its own. It might not be easy to disassemble the remains of a vengeful Archmagus.]

[gordianknots]

Invent to further hurt -- [snrk] Oh yes, technology doesn't do anything aside from make break throughs in medicine and helps to keep people alive, provides lifelines and new ways of forming friendships world wide, makes it easier for people to contact each other. Clearly only the large events of devastation are permissible evidence if humanity was to be judged!

[Fuck it, he'd die for stupider things.]

[grailheart]

Have you seen how people speak not to each other, but personas spouted from a computer? Have you seen people's live prolonged beyond the point where they can remember themselves? Is Zolgen in your world? How does he fare there, with his life that has lasted hundreds of years?

[Of course, Waver's world lacks the fascination with death that Justeaze's world possesses.]

And that much in a world that can still hope.

[gordianknots]

Forbid me from suggesting that for some people text is easier, that to be creative in even the smallest ways is worthy of preservation and how much is this you loathing humanity, hm?

You're being petty because what you wanted didn't happen, like a child.

[grailheart]

[How much of this is her loathing humanity? Well, easily all of it is. But in her opinion, humanity deserves all of this hate.]

What child can sacrifice their existence for the sake of their humanity? For the sake of their comrades and their families? What child can torment themselves for a hundred years before realizing that they are no messiah?

[And what hero lived to see the futility of their sacrifices?]

[gordianknots]

One with an overblown sense of self importance to begin with who thinks that what they want is wanted by everyone else.

[grailheart]

The humans of my world worship death above all else. Then, would not my destruction be exactly what they want?

[gordianknots]

And you know that's the case for everyone? What about those that don't want that, hm? How can you generalize a whole populace of billions?

God, martyrdom is an ugly colour on you.

[grailheart]

Even if it is not the same for everyone, it is still the same for most. A miracle created by just a few people can change nothing.

...An ugly...color?

[gordianknots]

Do I stutter?

Live for yourself then instead of the desires of others. You'll find it a lot more rewarding, and I should not like to tear apart another grail.

[grailheart]

Then I shall. And my sincere wish, born from my heart and not the hearts of others...is to destroy.

[The corners of her lips twitch and pull up in a slight smile.]

[gordianknots]

Then whatever version of myself where you are will stop you before you do. That much I can promise.

[grailheart]

Will he? Or will he drown in his despair and die first?

[Waver Velvet is indeed a Master in her world. But the Grail War is far from finished, and given the myriad universe, his survival is not assured.]

[gordianknots]

I trust myself across all timelines.

[grailheart]

...Your hope is beautiful.

[She honestly means it. Even if they disagreed on almost everything, even if this man was an utter fool, his hope was something that she wished the rest of humanity could have. Or at least could develop before she killed them all.]

[gordianknots]

There's no hope involved. I am myself, or else I am not.

[grailheart]

You are still younger, from the time I remember. A young and hardworking magus with great potential. Does this sound like you?

[gordianknots]

Mmm.

[grailheart]

And his Servant was a great hero. Possibly the last hero Greece or Macedonia ever produced. Do you recall that?

[gordianknots]

Alexandros ho Megas in his own tongue, yes. I'd be a shame to him if I forgot.

[grailheart]

Then it seems that you two are indeed the same, only with different forms of magecraft. If you are the man he grows up to be, then perhaps my ritual will not be wasted.

[The three Archmagi would all be able to rest in peace. Even Zolgen, who had long become something different that how she would have liked to remember him.]

[gordianknots]

[Does this asshole look pleased? You can bet he does, without a single word]

[grailheart]

[And this Great Grail is giving him a rare thumbs up.]