So few get to choose their end, after all. Joshua nods firmly. "That was indeed what we fought so hard for: a world in which everyone could live and die on their own terms, as for so long so many could not. I have no regrets."
He watches those little sparks weave and frolic in the air with a small smile of delight. He lifts a hand when they come near as if he might touch them, as he listens to Elidibus speak.
"Your description of aether is familiar enough - indeed, in my world we refer to an ambient excess of it as an 'aetherflood,' with similar aquatic metaphor. And I wonder...when such an aetherflood occurs, anything living therein becomes saturated until it reaches a state we call 'akashic.' Reduced to an aggressive, mindless thing with far too much strength and far too little self. Perhaps the akashic are the result of a process like the one you describe - such a process isn't meant for living souls still housed in material forms, which I imagine is why it would go terribly wrong."
The single spark left that comes to dance and play with him makes Joshua laugh quietly, enchanted. But he sobers soon enough, as the Ancient goes on.
Lives, souls, entire realms ripped apart into pieces and diminished so thoroughly...it's a wonder Elidibus can speak of it so calmly at all. And yet, it isn't entirely unlike what appeared to have been the state of Ultima's people, or rather, the beings that were all precise copies of each other. As Ultima gathered them all together and fused them, he became exponentially more powerful, judging by the unimaginable density of his aether the more he progressed.
But the Ultima collective was able to separate and reunite at will, and it seems that this Sundering was far more permanent, far grander in scale, and far less controlled. Still, more similarities exist - 'shards' drowned in one element or another to the exclusion of all else, like the Mothercrystals. And when the powerful immortals departed the realm, it fell to mortals to maintain it without them. Curious.
It's apparent on Joshua's face that the gears in his mind are turning just like one of Mid's complex inventions all the while during Elidibus' tale. Thus, the apology is actually a little jarring. "Please, do not apologize. All that you have told me is fascinating, and it seems there may be more similarities between your star and mine than simply the way their aether flows. You have indeed answered many questions, and raised just as many." He smiles slightly. "Which is no bad thing."
Then, turning more serious again, he says, "But the fate of your people and your home...I cannot even imagine how devastating it all must have been for you and these two others who were left. And yet, your star lives on. I hope that has at least helped your heart to heal."
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He watches those little sparks weave and frolic in the air with a small smile of delight. He lifts a hand when they come near as if he might touch them, as he listens to Elidibus speak.
"Your description of aether is familiar enough - indeed, in my world we refer to an ambient excess of it as an 'aetherflood,' with similar aquatic metaphor. And I wonder...when such an aetherflood occurs, anything living therein becomes saturated until it reaches a state we call 'akashic.' Reduced to an aggressive, mindless thing with far too much strength and far too little self. Perhaps the akashic are the result of a process like the one you describe - such a process isn't meant for living souls still housed in material forms, which I imagine is why it would go terribly wrong."
The single spark left that comes to dance and play with him makes Joshua laugh quietly, enchanted. But he sobers soon enough, as the Ancient goes on.
Lives, souls, entire realms ripped apart into pieces and diminished so thoroughly...it's a wonder Elidibus can speak of it so calmly at all. And yet, it isn't entirely unlike what appeared to have been the state of Ultima's people, or rather, the beings that were all precise copies of each other. As Ultima gathered them all together and fused them, he became exponentially more powerful, judging by the unimaginable density of his aether the more he progressed.
But the Ultima collective was able to separate and reunite at will, and it seems that this Sundering was far more permanent, far grander in scale, and far less controlled. Still, more similarities exist - 'shards' drowned in one element or another to the exclusion of all else, like the Mothercrystals. And when the powerful immortals departed the realm, it fell to mortals to maintain it without them. Curious.
It's apparent on Joshua's face that the gears in his mind are turning just like one of Mid's complex inventions all the while during Elidibus' tale. Thus, the apology is actually a little jarring. "Please, do not apologize. All that you have told me is fascinating, and it seems there may be more similarities between your star and mine than simply the way their aether flows. You have indeed answered many questions, and raised just as many." He smiles slightly. "Which is no bad thing."
Then, turning more serious again, he says, "But the fate of your people and your home...I cannot even imagine how devastating it all must have been for you and these two others who were left. And yet, your star lives on. I hope that has at least helped your heart to heal."