Chaos Theories

"Why are we here, Blane?" Alexei asked irritably, climbing over a boulder to reach the next ruined building in the late afternoon sun. "You said it was important, but all I see is rubble."
"Be patient," Blane said to Alexei. He was in his humanoid form, standing atop the boulder that Alexei was currently climbing. "There's a place here that I want you to see."
Alexei rolled his eyes, but pulled himself to the top of the boulder regardless. "You could stop being so mysterious about it at least," he grumbled.
Blane smiled. "Now where's the fun in that? It's just a little farther anyway; we just need to get down to the valley." The pair set off towards the bottom of the ravine the ruins were built in, one smiling, the other annoyed.

As the two descended into the ravine, they would no doubt spot the small, black-haired woman who stood with a book and pen in hand and small satchel over her shoulder. Her clothing was somewhat worn, and it was clear she had owned it for a long time.

Almyra finished writing a page in her journal and turn the page forward, then back, smiling as she was greeted with a fresh page. Her sister had made such wonderful things for her to take on her adventures. She closed the book and hugged it, smiling as she thought of Timara. She should visit her soon. She slipped the book into her satchel, hearing two voices off in the distance as she did so. She turned and looked up the ravine to see two people descending and waved to them. She called out in a friendly manner. "Hello! Are you here to visit the pretty ruins, too?"

"Do you see that?" Blane asked Alexei when they were a little bit down the decline. "There's a girl down there."
Alexei looked down to where Blane was pointing, his Soul Gaze picking out the girl from the rubble. "I see her," he said softly. "Is this the thing you wanted to show me?"
"Not really," Blane said, "But she looks cute. Let's go say hello!" In a flash, he vanished from Alexei's side before the Slayer could complain and appeared a short distance away from the girl. "Hello," the light elemental said jovially as he adjusted his hat, "I'm Blane. You're kinda cute; what's your name?"
Alexei sighed. If he had known what he was getting into with Blane, he wouldn't have told the messenger that he could stick around in human form. Still, what's done is done; nothing good came of dwelling on the past. One had to look forward to move forward, after all. Alexei followed Blane down and stayed behind him, not wanting to talk to the strange, black-haired girl.

Almyra jumped a bit as one of the men she was waving to appeared near her with a flash. That was surprising. Still, she smiled afterwards, since he was friendly. "My name is Almyra." She wasn't too curious about how he had appeared there, since she knew some mages were capable of teleporting, and simply assumed he had done so. "It's nice to meet you, Blane."
She looked past Blane to Alexei. He seemed grumpy, perhaps it was best not to talk to him. Then again, maybe he needed someone to talk to to cheer him up. She smiled at Alexei. "What's your name?"

Alexei stared at the girl with his intense Soul Gaze eyes, admittedly somewhat impressed. The last girl Blane had tried that warp/flirt combo on had run away screaming; this one had just given him a curious look. Granted, this girl was likely insane (what other reason would she have to be sitting in these bland ruins?), so it was possible that that kind of thing happened all the time in her little world. Still, when she greeted him warmly, he felt obligated to return the favor, so he made eye contact with her and spoke. "I am Alexei Sarona," he said softly. "Nice to meet you, Almyra."
"It's nice to meet you, Almy!" Blane exclaimed, taking a bow. "The pair of us happen to be on a trek to the center of these ruins," he explained. "Would you care to join us?" Alexei shot the light elemental a sour look, but he didn't complain aloud; she would likely turn them down, being insane and all.

Almyra smiled a bit wider when Alexei greeted her. He still seemed grumpy, but at least he was nice enough to greet her, so he couldn't be all that bad. Maybe he was just having a bad day or something and Blane had taken him here to cheer him up, since it was pretty here. Ancient ruins were always interesting and, Almy had heard, that sometimes you can find magical things in them if you were lucky. "I'm glad to meet you both!"

She turned back to Blane and giggled a bit as he bowed, missing Alexi's sour look. "Sure, I'll join you! Exploring is always more fun with other people." She would start following the path slowly, allowing the others to walk a bit ahead of her. If Alexi chose to pass her, she would try to hold his hand when he passed, thinking he could use some cheering up.

"Sounds good!" Blane said happily. "Follow me!" He set off down the decline again, motioning for the other two to follow. Alexei followed after Almy, scowling; he hadn't been planning for a random stranger to agree to follow them to whatever place Blane was leading them. Everything about this situation rubbed Alexei the wrong way: He didn't know where they were going, they had a random stranger traveling with them, and Blane was being mysterious about the whole situation.
Frustrated with the whole situation, Alexei decided that he was going to go give Blane a piece of his mind. He sped up, speedwalking past Almy, only for her to grab his hand. He whirled around, glaring at her; the last thing he wanted was to make physical contact with the crazy stranger. He yanked his hand out of her grip, staring at her with cold eyes. "Don't touch me," he warned her. "I don't like being touched by people I barely know." Blane turned around at this, frowning. "Come on, Alexei," he muttered. "She's just trying to be friendly."
"How would you know?" Alexei shot back. "We literally met her two minutes ago!" The pair continued to argue as the group moved further down into the ravine.

Almy smiled as she watched Blane take the lead. She liked Blane, he was clearly a nice person. She saw Alexei speeding up and reached out, grabbing his hand as he passed only to receive a death glare from him. She shrank a bit under it, not wanting to have made him more angry than he was. "Y-you seemed upset a-and I just wanted to cheer you up." Almy whimpered. She only grew more upset as the two argued. As they walked, she pulled Tammy out of her bag and hugged the doll tightly.

"See, look what you did," Blane said to Alexei as he noticed Almy whimper. "You've gone and made her upset. Use a little more tact next time."
"So it's my fault?" Alexei shot back angrily. "She's the one who touched me! Any normal person would freak out if a total stranger touched them."
"She's not a total stranger," Blane insisted. "Her name is Almy. We know her name, and that she has a doll; she's not a total stranger. She also obviously likes to hold hand with people, which-"
"All right, all right, I get it!" Alexei groaned. "I'll apologize to her, I guess." He turned to face Almy, not making eye contact with her. "I'm sorry," he murmured, just above a whisper. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm not mad or upset, I just don't like people." He turned back to Blane, shooting his companion a death glare. "I apologized. Let's keep moving."
"Sure thing," Blane said cheerfully, turning to shoot Almy a reassuring wink before setting off again. They were nearing the bottom of the ravine now, where a large building with half the ceiling caved in awaited them.

Almyra smiled a bit shyly at Alexei when he apologized to her. "It's okay. I'm sorry for trying to hold your hand." She tilted her head curiously at him. Curious as to why he didn't like people. People were nice. "Why don't you like people? They aren't so bad, are they?" She asked, still holding her doll as she followed he two. She gave Blaine a small smile as he winked at her, then looked at the building wide-eyed, admiring its beauty, wondering if Blaine was able to see the same beauty she did or not, since he seemed so happy to be here.

Alexei sighed when Almy asked him the question; he didn't want to answer, but he had a feeling Blane would 'ask' him to regardless, so he might as well skip the hassle and answer it. "People are selfish," he said bluntly; Blane looked over, obviously listening, but he said nothing. "They only focus on their own needs and desires; even when they help others, they almost always have an ulterior motive. I've only met one person who was an exception to this rule, but she died. Do you know why she died?" He asked bitterly. "Because she tried to help too many people at once, got in over her head, and angered some people who she couldn't handle. Trying to help others isn't worth it; more often than not, they'll leave you at a critical moment, or outright stab you in the back. You want to know why I dislike people? Because they're assholes who only think of themselves."

"Oh..." Almyra replied to Alexei somewhat sadly. People weren't all that bad. She had met lots of nice people. They had given her food and money when she needed it,arm clothing that they could spare, buttons when they heard she collected them, all without her even asking for it really. Her sister was nice. She helped Almyra and everyone she knew. Almy was nice, or at least she thought of herself as nice. Her goal was to help people, though in a different way than most. "Most of the people I have met have been nice. And what about Blane? He's a nice person." Almyra still assumed he was a human. Even if he wasn't though, that wouldn't make him any less of a person in her eyes.

"People are probably nice to you because they take pity on you," Alexei responded, not missing a beat in his tirade against humanity. "In case you don't know this, I'm fairly sure there's a screw loose in your head. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the insane people make all the progress in technology and such, but people tend to think it's a disability of some kind. They probably feel bad for you, and by giving you food and drink they alleviate their own guilt of being 'better'. Even kindness has ulterior motives," he explained. 
"As for Blane, well, he's a strange one. I'm only with him because he's the one responsible for my magic; I can't get rid of him without getting rid of my magic as well. I haven't really figured him out yet, although I have noticed that he's kind of a flirt." He shot a glare at Blane as he said the last part, and the light elemental just laughed. "Alexei is right for the most part," Blane said, smiling. "I'm not actually human. I'm a light elemental, sent here by the God of Light to guide his champion in the mortal realm. As for my personality, I won't deny that I enjoy flirting, but I also consider myself to be a chivalrous man." Alexei rolled his eyes at the last part. "Get over yourself," he groaned, which only made Blane chuckle more. "Anyway," he said, "Our travels now take us inside. Feel free to join us if you'd like, Almy; there will be a truly rare sight at the end of the journey."

Almy frowned. Were people really just nice to her because she was different? No, certainly not. Her sister was nice to everyone. She had seen some of the people she met being nice just because they liked people and helping them. She felt bad for Alexei, thinking someone must have been mean to him to make him think this way. It made her want to hug him and show him that not all people were cruel. She looked at Blaine. "Just because you aren't human doesn't mean you aren't a person. Humans are people, but so are other people." What she said made sense to her, and hopefully would make sense to Blane and Alexei as well. She smiled when Blane said they were going inside. "I'll go in! This sounds like fun!"

Blane simply chuckled at Almy's comment, while Alexei breathed a sigh of relief at not being questioned anymore. "I do know that," Blane stated, "but it's always nice to get a re-affirmation. Now, shall we move inside?" He walked inside, beckoning Alexei and Almy to follow.
The interior of the building was larger than it looked on the outside; the floor extended far into the ground, so they were actually coming in at the top of a large staircase. "Watch your step," Blane warned, "It would be awful to lose either of you this far into the trek." Alexei rolled his eyes, but followed Blane down anyway, conjuring a cylinder that emit light from it's base using his Hard Light skill. Using it like a torch, he revealed a pattern of runes on the wall. "What do these mean?" He asked Blane, who simply shrugged in response. "You'll find out," he said, causing Alexei to growl in frustration as the group continued down the staircase.

Almyra watched as Alexei made a light using a spell. "That's an interesting spell." She said idly as they walked in. She looked around in the light, admiring the place. She stopped once to get a closer look at the runes, committing the sight to memory. She was eager to find out what they meant. She turned back to the others and followed quietly, enjoying the adventure of exploring this neat ruin.

Eventually, the group of three reached the bottom of the staircase, noticing something glowing in the dark of the ruins. In the center of the round, circular room they found themselves in was a small, glowing orb; it looked like a Lacrima, but gave off a much more intense glow. "This," Blane told his companions, "is where I was born. This used to be the largest temple dedicated to the God of Light in the entire world, before it fell into disrepair when the natives were wiped out." He walked over to the orb in the center of the room.
"Come over here, Alexei. This Lacrima is special; it is the only way in this world to achieve direct communication with the God of Light outside of dreams. Come over and eat the light with your Slayer powers; it should summon him." Alexei slunk over to Blane's position and opened his mouth, watching as the light flew into his mouth. He hadn't tried eating anything before, but it was actually quite nice; the light from the Lacrima felt smooth as it went down his throat, and his increasing magic power certainly helped as well.
As soon as all of the light was sapped from the Lacrima, it erupted with a light three times brighter. A white-haired figure emerged from the magical orb, towering over the others; Blane kneeled before him, motioning for the others to do the same. The figure looked at the three group members before turning to face Almy. "Speak," he said in a booming voice. "Why do you come before me with my champion and his mentor?"

Almyra saw the glow of the lacrima and stared at it intently. It was beautiful. She watched with fascination as Alexei ate the light. That sort of magic would certainly be interesting to have. Her eyes shot open a bit wider in surprise when the lacrima suddenly crated a burst of light and summoned the light god. She flinched a bit when the god spoke, not expecting that amount of noise. Why did he have to be so loud? She smiled up at him in a friendly manor. "Blane invited me to come. He said it would be a sight to see, and it is! You're really pretty!"

"I see." Rakoto might have had a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth before he turned his gaze back to focus on Blane, barely even turning the rest of his head. "She has dangerous magic, you realize. Chaos magic, that messes with the balance of existence. Eliminate her."
"E-excuse me...?" Blane asked, looking up at Rakoto. "A-are you serious?"
"When am I not?" The Light God replied, his gaze stone-faced. "For the good of the world, she must be-"
"Like hell she must!" Alexei shouted suddenly, standing up and glaring at the Light God. Rakoto's eyes narrowed. "Are you challenging me?" He asked the young Slayer. "I can take your powers as easily as I gave them, you realized."
"Honestly, I couldn't give a crap about these powers," Alexei responded, moving to stand between Almy and Rakoto. "But I can't stand by while you threaten somebody who hasn't done anything wrong! People have the right to live their own lives, regardless of what they choose to do with them!"
"Her magic is destructive," Rakoto responded coldly. "It will lead to chaos."
"Chaos isn't a bad thing!" Alexei shot back. "A world in lockstep is the most boring thing I can imagine! Without chaos, life is dull and drab! I'd take a world of chaos over a world of order any day!"
The Light God's eyes narrowed, but he did not speak. The God and his Slayer continued to stare each other down while Blane watched from the side, dumbfounded.

Almy's eyes widened in fear, though she breathed a small sigh of relief as Alexei stood up to defend her. She stood up as well. "E-excuse me... sir. I-I know my magic can do a lot to affect the balance of the world, b-but I won't use it to bring things out of balance. In fact, many of the people who used the same magic that I did used it to keep the world in balance, just as I want to do. I like this world, it's a beautiful place filled with chaos. I feel its ripples and waves. See its strings and fractals. I wish to preserve it. Balance is the most important thing there is in this world, and it can only exist through chaos."

Rakoto listened closely as Almy spoke, but he snorted derisively at the end. "You don't know what you're talking about, girl," he said harshly. "A human whose life is a blink of an eye compared to ours cannot possibly compare to the judgement of a God."
Alexei arched an eyebrow in response. "Really, now?" He said. "Then answer me this. Why does preserving balance in the human race matter so much to you if we live in the blink of an eye? Why bother appointing me as a Slayer if I'm only going to exist for a fraction of a second to you?"
The Light God was silent for a moment as if pondering before he spoke again. "Why, you ask? Because it is right. A world in perfect harmony is a dream that is nearly unreachable without the aid of a higher power. As such, we use agents like you in the mortal realms to further our goals."
"Exactly!" Alexei said, as if he'd just proven a point. "You further your own goals through the human world. You use us, selfishly, because it is 'right'; you think that because you have more power, you can use us like puppets however you desire. You're no better than the human race, pursuing your own selfish goals at the expense of others. I have no intention of being a puppet to a person like that, God or not!" He finished, his voice having risen to a shout. There was a moment of stunned silence as Blane stared at him in disbelief; even the God of Light broke his stony gaze, an eyebrow arched and his eyes widened.

"You don't know what you're talking about, girl," he said harshly. "A human whose life is a blink of an eye compared to ours cannot possibly compare to the judgement of a God."
Almyra was about to respond when Alexei did. She stopped and waited for his response, watching with a bit of surprise over how angry he was. She turned to the light god and spoke again. "I do know of that which I speak. There is a goddess. Eris of chaos. I have not spoken with her directly. She works in far more subtle ways. Leaving hints and ripples only able to be found by those who follow the path of chaos, true chaos, balanced chaos. Long has the world existed in harmony through chaos, thanks to her hands, both visible and invisible." She frowned. "The false harmony you wish upon the world is deadly stagnation. It defies the dynamic equilibrium of this world, and to attempt to bring your harmony about will end in this world's destruction.

The Light God looked back between Alexei and Almy, stunned. "Not just one person defies me, but two?" He said in disbelief. "This is astounding. The one who follows Eris is understandable; Eris is a fool who believes that she can create order through chaos, and the two of us are always clashing. My own champion, though?" He looked down at Alexei. "Ridiculous." He continued to look back and forth between the two for a while before he continued. "I suppose I asked for this when I made a stubborn boy like you my champion. I shall condone your insubordination for now; willpower to directly defy their own benefactor is a rare trait, especially when it is a God." He turned his gaze to a shocked Blane. "Keep an eye on both of them."
"S-sure thing," Blane said, his composure completely lost. "A-are you sure about this?"
"I am completely sure," Rakoto replied. "As for you," he said, turning to Almy, "Continue on your foolish path if you desire, but do not be surprised if our paths cross again." The Light God then vanished, leaving only the small glow of the Lacrima behind.
Alexei muttered something about the Light God before turning to face Almy. "Your theories are interesting," he told the girl. "Order through chaos? I'd never even consider that."

Almyra shook her head. The light got did not truly understand Eris. She did not seek order. She sought harmony, balance. It was no wonder the light god clashed with her when he was not enlightened enough to understand what she stood for. It didn't matter though. There was nothing he could ever do to stop her. Her agents were everywhere, whether they knew it or not. She smiled at Alexei, wanting to hug him for being nice to her and defending her, but not sure if she should, since he doesn't like it. "Thank you for defending me. Those are not my theories though. It is not order through chaos that I seek, but harmony and balance. They are are not the same as order, but can exist through order, though it is unnatural and far more difficult to maintain than when in chaos. Chaos is flexible, allows the balance to change and fluctuate, but still exist, a dynamic equilibrium. Order is hard and brittle, things must be static for there to be harmony and balance in order, a state which is unnatural, so they will naturally begin to change, fighting order until it shatters like glass, and with it, harmony and balance."

Alexei frowned as he listened to Almy explain her theory. "Chaos isn't exactly what you're describing here," he said. "That seems more like cause and effect, with the ripples and whatnot. Chaos isn't something that's controllable that way. In fact, that's exactly the opposite of it's definition. Chaos is uncontrollable events that happen beyond control; granted, your 'chaos' magic might have some degree of control over chaos, but I don't think anybody can create harmony through chaos like you're describing." He smiled. "Still, it's interesting; and if there's one thing I like, it's something interesting."
Blane, who had gotten up and walked towards the pair, cleared his throat. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I expected you happen," he said a bit sheepishly. "You two are both insane, standing up blatantly to him like that." He put his hat back on as his smile started to return. "Regardless, I'm apparently supposed to keep an eye on both of you now." He turned to Almy. "I don't suppose you'd like to travel with us a bit more?"