What is humanity?

With that, the ceremony for the blessing was over.

The villagers were all surrounding Lucius, congratulating him and all that bothersome flattery. While the villagers increasingly became more and more rowdy, the bishop coughed, getting everyone's attention.

Then, he asked Lucius to come up to him. As soon as Lucius went over, he began whispering into his ear. Although they were a bit farther from the group, people noticed the changes on Lucius' face. One from surprise, to fear, to sorrow, and then to grim determination.

After a few minutes of whispering, the both of them turned around, facing the crowd, who fell into a hushed silence.

The bishop then took a deep breath, and looked at the crowd.

"Perhaps you all have noticed why I, a bishop, along with a platoon of holy paladins have come to this rural village? Why would I come here, if not for the importance of a task."

The villagers voiced their agreement. Indeed, they were also curious. Some of the observant villagers noticed how excited the bishop was when he saw Lucius being awakened.

Still, said bishop, as if waiting for the climax of the show, for the stage to be set, waited until everyone was quiet. Once there was only silence, he waited a few seconds before finally speaking.

"It is to find this newly awakened hero!"

As he said that, the bishop patted the shoulders of Lucius.

"The holy church was given a prophecy by the goddess. The goddess told us of a grim future ahead of us, heralding such darkness, the whole world could come to an end. It was foretold that the descent of the seven trumpets shall bring about such a change."

The bishop then stopped, and watched as the villagers began whispering loudly to each other.

"Th-this can't be true, it can't be!"

"Are we gonna die?"

"Why...why is this happening now!?"

After a few minutes, the bishop raised his hands, and suddenly light fell onto the villagers. The villagers then gradually calmed down, and the uproar was just a distant memory. When there was only silence, the bishop continued to speak.

"Do not be afraid, for the goddess shall always protect us! We are her loving children, and we live under her light."

"Yes...that's right! We are the goddess's children. She would never leave us!" one of the villagers yelled from the crowd, and the others began murmuring in agreement. Few remained quiet. Tacitus, one of those few, only watched as the actor on the stage continued playing his role.

The bishop nodded at the one person who yelled.

"Yes, it is with her great wisdom and love that she warned us of this very dark future. This dark future will come because of the arrival of the seven trumpets..."

He then looked to the dark skies. Although the sun was up, the gray clouds remained in the sky.

"The Seven 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, they who shall change the world. They who follow the orders of a false god. They, who are truly evil. Enemies of our beloved and benevolent goddess. They...who are heretics!"

The villagers then started yelling, saying things like 'heresy' and 'blasphemy.'

Meanwhile, Tacitus and Rin began moving to the back of the crowd. As expected, Rin was shocked, and so Tacitus was easily able to guide her away from the fanfare. There was nothing more to be accomplished staying there, other than watching the bishop continue to play his role.

Tacitus only shook his head.

'If my theory is correct, then one person is probably the reason behind this singularity.'

Yes, the only person who appeared out of place. While they were moving away, Tacitus was still able to hear the bishop shouting.

"This is why we have come to this village, in order to bring this boy back to our church to train for his destiny, to prepare for the coming catastrophes! These calamities will bring about an era covered in chaos and strife, their sole purpose is to go after all life in this world, especially humanity, changing the world to fit their vision! So...if you all don't want to die, then place your trust onto these holy heroes! The heroes who are blessed by the goddess! The holy church will assist them in their endeavors, so please, assist us!"

Then an even louder uproar rose from the villagers, and they began chanting things like 'praise the goddess! Praise the holy church! Praise the heroes!"

He shook his head. Then, he felt something tugging his sleeve. Tacitus looked down his left arm, and saw Rin gripping his sleeve tightly. She moved into the crook of his arm, and she trembled

...

The villagers crowded at the entrance, yelling their farewells. It had been thirty minutes since the bishop's grand speech, and now Lucius had prepared the necessary belongings needed to leave. Said boy waved his hand in response towards the crowd as he was sauntered off by the bishop and the knights.

In the end, Lucius took it upon himself to go to the headquarters of the holy church, and begin his training there.

Meanwhile Tacitus's father and mother both shed tears as they saw him off, while Rin and Tacitus watched from the crowd with neither tears nor heartache. In a way, they had to be there for the farewell as they are family.

There is no doubt about that.

Just like the two barely interacting at home with him, the future of the siblings would barely be changed, even as their older brother will be gone from their lives for the indefinite future.

It may seem harsh, yes, both siblings had never really interacted with him for most of their life. Even if they do live together in the same house, Lucius was more of an outgoing social person, never staying in their home for long.

The two of them were the complete opposite of Lucius.

Rin took after Tacitus by being more introverted, not talking to others unless being talked to.

She was only ever really interactive with Tacitus, as he himself was the one who raised her since she was just a baby.

Finally, the people of the church had finally disappeared into the forest. At that, the villages began leaving, and Tacitus turned to Rin, who was still shivering.

"Rin are you..." he said, hesitantly reaching out to her. In the end, he faltered, his hand dropping to his side.

Tacitus had remembered that both he and Rin were scared by the bishop's 'prophecy' of the coming Calamities. They couldn't stop shivering for days, but as life always continues, so should they.

Right now, only Rin was scared, and now Tacitus barely felt anything at all.

How could he, for he is one of the existences that scared his beloved little sister?

So, he simply pulled Rin away from the crowd once again, and started walking to the hill outside of the village.

The hill where he had woken up.

...

On the hill beneath the same tree in which Tacitus had first arrived in the dream, Rin was sitting down, her arms wrapping around her legs as she stared off into the distance. The older brother stood over her, looking at the now, albeit dark, blue sky.

The morning sun had risen up, and although it was cold, the feeling of warmth washed over his face.

It has been a few minutes since they both have arrived here, but neither one of them moved to talk. The wind blew a rather cold breeze, ruffling the golden wheat fields and the tree leaves. While he was watching, he heard a small voice.

"Big brother, what are these Calamities? Why are they coming here to...kill us?" Rin asked, her voice growing smaller and smaller.

Tacitus turned to look down at her. Although her hair covered her eyes, he knew that his little sister's eyes were dim and dark. After thinking, he simply sat down beside her. After thinking for a bit, he finally decided what he was going to say.

"They are coming after us, because we're 'human.'"

"...what do you mean?" the little girl asked, turning towards him. So, Tacitus decided to explain.

"Humans are special, even amongst the many races that existed or once existed in this world. Yes, comparing other humans to these races is indeed unfair. The elves with praiseworthy agility, living long lives that are unthinkable for mortal humans. Fairies being immortal and unparalleled in magic. Dragons being born with impenetrable armor, claws like swords, teeth as sharp as spears, their mighty wings creating the strongest of winds, letting them freely fly in the sky, soaring above the white clouds."

At that, Tacitus chuckled.

"Don't even mention that they can even breathe fire, hotter than even the hottest of flames. Still, even with them existing, how could we humans live until this day, and most of them disappearing?"

"W-why is that so?" Rin asked, and her eyes began sparkling. Tacitus smiled at that.

"Why? Because it's not because of talent, or power, or anything. It is because we are powerless. It is because we are many. It is because we have emotions. Finally, it is because we have wisdom."

"Powerless? Many? Emotions? You mean like when we cry and stuff? Doesn't everyone have emotions?" Rin voiced her confusion.

Tacitus shook her head.

"To a degree, everything has emotions, but it is us who are the most volatile with emotions. It is because of this that we are predictable, yet unpredictable. That is why we are what many consider...imperfect, and feared. That is why the Calamities wish for their-our end, in more ways than one."

"...imperfect and feared?" Rin scrunched up her face. She was befuddled by the thought. They were going to be killed because they have...emotions?

"Humans are blessed with wisdom, but cursed with emotions. They're-we're seen as imperfect because they have fear, and with fear comes the fear of pain, fear of starvation, fear of dehydration. With those fears, it is obvious that we will inevitably come face to face with the fear of death. And because we fear death, like all living beings do, they-we resort to drastic means...such as doing whatever is necessary in order to survive."

Tacitus paused and took a breather. Then, he simply waited for Rin to digest his explanation. So seeing that she was waiting eagerly, he resumed his speech.

"Humanity thrives on conflict. If there was no conflict, and if there was only peace, they would only stagnate. Then, they would look at themselves. In a way, having no conflict is having conflict. It is a paradox unto itself. This time, the conflict will be internal, between all humans. With this, they will never truly move forward. Only under a single, external, outside threat will they truly come together to face this terrifying enemy. Until then...they will face the conflict internally."

As Tacitus continued explaining, a thought rose inside him. Why would he take this time to just explain to Rin? Wasn't this a figment of a dream? A memory?

'Curse this curse of overthinking. Why am I even thinking about this? Even if this was a dream...I would still take the time to help Rin,' Tacitus thought, even while he was still explaining.

"Humanity in its entirety also falls because of their desires, such as their greed for power. Some steal, some lie, and some even murder to fulfill those desires. Most of the people who are powerful or feel powerful obsessively hoard their power, doing whatever means necessary in order to keep it. The race to get ahead of everyone and grow stronger...the feeling they get when people lower themselves before him or her, it's..."

Tacitus paused, thinking on what to say to her next.

He to once climbed for power. He saw many others once rising to power with good intentions, but fell into its lust. For them, it was truly exhilarating, having such power in their hands. For Tacitus, however, he truly did differ from them in terms of intentions. The feeling of power wasn't something that he wanted to pursue. In fact, he didn't understand it.

He felt empty with it. Still, in the end, his pursuit of power...he failed.

It was for nothing.

While he was thinking, so to did Rin. She looked down at her hands, and stared at them. A comfortable silence passed as they watched the world around them becoming brighter and brighter. Just before Tacitus could truly relax, Rin asked a question.

"So are all humans bad then? Even...even I could be bad?" she asked, and there was a heartbreaking shaking in her voice.

"..."

Tacitus closed his eyes.

'To think she would come to that conclusion...how frightening. Even at this age...was she always this smart?'

It's a controversial topic after all, and there are different answers to it. Every person was different. Nevertheless, in spite of such a fact, there was one thing that didn't change.

After a few seconds of silence, Tacitus turned to look her straight in the eye. Holding her breath, Rin watched as he opened his mouth, and said-

""No.""

Tacitus slowly stood up, with Rin following suit. The two siblings turned to look at the trees-no, the golden wheat fields. A figure seemed to blend in with the field as she slowly walked through it the waist-high sea of wheat.

The breeze rustled her long hair and swaying white dress as she walked towards them, both graceful and determined.

Tacitus felt exasperated.

'This girl...'

Charmeine, undaunted by Tacitus's warning look, started saying what she had wanted to say.

"It is precisely because they have emotions and fear death; that is what makes them special. Although it's a tragedy, it's what makes people learn to cherish life more."

Tacitus shook his head, but the blonde girl carried on without so much as a pause.

"As for those who do whatever is necessary to survive, that is called life. Those who are born will always have fear towards death, of the unknown. That is the unchanging truth. Still, there are those who are different from that majority. The ones who have pure and kindhearted intentions, their hearts always pursuing what is right."

"There are limits to those of pure hearts, Charmeine, and you know it," Tacitus said.

For the first time, he felt something flickering inside him. Yes, there was some merit to her argument, but that doesn't mean he would agree.

He had already seen it for himself before. The purest ones who thought to be incorruptible, fell into the abyss, and was corrupted by it...

Tacitus simply shaked his head, but Charmeine didn't seem to notice. Or rather, be bothered to react, Rin, the observer, did.

"Even so, humans who are not pure of heart can still learn from one another. After going through many obstacles and trials, they will finally understand what it means to be kind, and will go forward from that day onward as a person with humility," Charmeine said, unfaltering.

At that, Tacitus became...

'Irritated? Me? I'm feeling such a feeling? Did I deign to let myself to feel this because...because of this girl?'

He was irritated not because it was false, but because it was possible. The only good thing about humanity is that they will move forward, even if life throws hurdles at them. They do not even need the Lord God Almighty's assistance on their path forward.

For he had seen that himself

In spite of that, even if they think they don't need it, Tacitus knows they need it. Their path towards without the Lord God Almighty will only result in their end.

So Tacitus decided he would drop to her level.

"That would only be a small part of humanity. Even if people do go through these trials and obstacles, who can say they can still fall into their darkest desires? Do you want to give them a third chance, even after a second chance? Who are you to assume that they could possibly change-"

"Who are you to assume that they couldn't change?! What gives you the right!?" Charmeine said, and Rin flinched. Tacitus narrowed his eyes.

'How dare she scare my beloved little sister?'

"You would ask me...what gives me the right? You already know who I am, so drop this nonsense. I do have the right to judge, for I am-"

"No! You don't have that right! You are only his servant, nothing more! Only...only he can have that right, and you know it."

"..."

"We could change...we have to change. Otherwise...otherwise what else could redeem the humanity of now of their sins? Of...of our sins?" Charmeine's voice grew smaller with each word, and Tacitus, for the first time, saw how tired she looked.

How her eyes were empty. The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice seemed to be pleading. Pleading for him to agree with her.

Tacitus was having none of that. Even so, he had to admit there was merit to her argument.

"Yes, I believe in redemption," Tacitus trailed off, and Charmeines face began to brighten.

"All the same, it is not possible for those with the heaviest of sins to be redeemed. They're sins are too heavy, and even if they do regret it, so what?" at that, he simply sneered. "Those who don't take such a chance earlier will be punished, and-"

"So, you do agree with me after all," she said happily.

"...no, I don't. What part did you not understand that humans are-"

"Why are you trying so hard to disagree with me? You stubborn fool, you do agree with me."

"Me? Being stubborn? Would you like a pocket mirror?"

"You don't even have one."

"It was just a way of saying that you should look at yourself first, you self-righteous fool," Tacitus said.

Truly, he was flabbergasted.

Flabbergasted at the extent to which she wanted to persuade him. This went from an opportunity to teach a lesson to Rin, to comfort her, to a socratic seminar with Rin being on the sidelines.

At the end, the two breathed heavily, staring each other down.

Rin watched them from the side, confused, yet the sparkles in her eyes grew much brighter. This was the first time where her quiet, big brother actually got into a serious argument.

With Charmeine of all people!

He usually always lazes about, helping Rin occasionally, mostly because her mom made him do so. On the other hand, Charmeine is always kind, helping others out, giving advice, and is always calm.

'Well, now it's almost always,' Rin thought, seeing the strangely disheveled figure of Charmeine. It was unlike her to be so invested in such a thing. Usually, she would always go along with the flow, to be helpful and agreeing. Did something or someone touched a nerve?

It made Rin feel excited for some reason, seeing this 'civilized' argument. It seems like the two of them were polar opposites that were attracted to each other.

After a minute passed, the two of them finally calmed down. They still stared each other down, but Tacitus saw how Rin looked, and decided to end this pointless and senseless argument.

"...your argument has some merit, but you shouldn't wish for the near impossible."

"Even if it's only a sliver, there is still a possibility. It is still possible, and it's called hope," Charmeine said, and she 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥.

"A person can dream after all, right?"

Tacitus simply looked downwards slightly. A person can indeed dream.

Charmeine took that as a sign of agreement, and smiled even more brightly. The wind breezed through the field, drifting past and through the three.

With this, the argument has ended. Somehow it felt as if a trial had passed for him, and now there was clarity and peace.

Then, someone spoke up.

"So that means people can be good if they choose to, right?"

The two of them looked at the forgotten Rin, who was smiling brightly.

'It seemed like her fear finally disappeared,' thought Tacitus.

Rin's fear of the pending doom seemed to have been forgotten in light of the serious argument.

"Anyways, this is the first time you two actually were enjoying something. It was so boring in the village, something like this should happen once in a while!"

They both looked at her, and then at each other. Charmeine smiled tiredly, while Tacitus closed his eyes.

'I can't believe I was actually invested in this argument. Perhaps it was because I'm a grandfather now?'

Normally, with his age and experience, he wouldn't be so childish. However, Charmeine somehow brought out his need to prove that he was right all along.

That his actions as one of the seven were truly meaningful. That the Lord God Almighty is always right, and his plan is unknown.

What Tacitus does know is that his plans are for the good of all. To redeem everyone.

"Alright, enough brooding around. It's about time we get home, our families must be worried. I'll head home first, so you two can 'talk it out.'"

Saying that and smiling mischievously, Rin began humming, skipping off to home.

As Rin left, Tacitus' face became empty as the blonde girl moved to his side. The both of them watched Rin closing the distance between her and the village in silence. When Rin disappeared, the two just looked at the golden field.

Finally Tacitus broke the silence.

"...just what are you doing?" he asked.

Tacitus already had a feeling that something was wrong with this dream at the beginning, and especially now that Charmeine wasn't chosen as a hero. It was so obvious, even a blind person could see it.

"I'm helping you 'teach' of course," she responded.

'Seems like she is hiding it after all. Lord God Almighty, this lowly one prays to you. Help me.'

"I don't recall ever asking anyone to help 'teach'...especially you."

"Perhaps you forgot you did?" the blonde girl responded with a serious face.

"Did you also intend for Rin to forget her fears, albeit for a short while?" Tacitus asked.

The only response he got was Charmeine putting her hands behind her back, swaying with the breeze.

Tacitus felt tired, and he shook his head, sighing. This curse of thinking is really a curse.

As much as he would like to stay here and watch the sunrise, time waits for no one.

"Well, it's best I return home. I can't keep Rin waiting."

"Yes, it is indeed best to return home," the blonde girl agreed.

Bowing, with admittedly feigned respect, Tacitus simply started walking down the hill. Charmiene closely followed suit.

They both walked down the slightly windy hill, and into the sea of gold, swaying with the cool breeze as the sun shined on them.