"What kind of person is Aponia?"
Mei asked the female voice. She finally had some free time to rest. This person's deep understanding of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers and Lin exceeded Mei's expectations; she should be able to get more information through her.
There were many mysterious places in Elysian Realm, and the Deep End where Aponia resided was one of them.
"People who truly believe in a deity often have a unique sense of neurosis. It is especially severe in Aponia." This time, the female voice didn't dodge the question. She said bluntly, "That nun devoutly believes in God. When 'God' was still just an ethereal 'thing', she was no different from any other believer."
"Wait, you're not going to tell me that the God she believed in later manifested in reality, are you?"
Mei knew that World Serpent was essentially a religion, but its Sire, Kevin, was a genuine living person. Those people believed in Kevin might and his promise.
The female voice paused. "Not exactly... it's just that the target of her faith changed from a merciful deity who never descended from who-knows-where, into a human."
"That person..."
"Herrscher of Thunder, has no one told you that interrupting others is very rude?"
"..."
Mei quieted down, and the female voice continued: "However, I'd like to ask you something. If your 'God' appeared in reality, what would you do?"
"I don't believe in God."
"God is just a form. To be precise, it's everything you consider beautiful concentrated into a single person."
The image of a certain person immediately flashed through Mei's mind.
"I'd probably... want to be her friend."
"There's no need to be so coy. It's nothing more than possessiveness."
The female voice sneered without restraint: "Aponia is a believer. She is gentle, kind, and compassionate. But as I said before, those who truly believe in God are usually a bit neurotic. Aponia pathology in this regard is particularly severe."
"She knows human nature inside out. Her power allows her to easily manipulate others' thoughts, so she doesn't suppress her possessiveness—which is more insane than anyone else's—especially after she concentrated her faith in God onto a specific person."
"...Wait, didn't I ask about her as a person? Why do you keep talking about her faith?"
"Fifty percent of what constitutes Aponia is the destiny she sees; fifty percent is her faith." The amusement vanished from the female voice.
"But the person she believes in only wants her to have one hundred percent of herself."
............
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
"Aponia."
"What is it?"
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
"No... it's nothing."
Lin silently shut his mouth. He was currently confused about what Aponia was thinking. Actually, he had always been a bit unclear about her thoughts.
Take right now, for example. She was holding a towel and rubbing his ear. The force and speed of her movements were just right. Even though the sensation Lin could feel was minimal, the crisp sound alone gave him a comfortable sense of pleasure deep down.
Afterward, Aponia produced a pile of items from somewhere. The ear pick used last time was there, and Lin also saw a bottle of liquid of unknown composition.
Aponia eyes narrowed; it seemed she was the one enjoying this, not Lin. "Lin... you may ask now..."
"Aponia, you spoke of my destiny before."
"Yes... but you do not believe in destiny..."
"No, I do believe." Lin lay on his side on Aponia lap, deep in thought. "I believe you, but I also believe that destiny can be changed."
"Heh..."
Aponia didn't say much. She neither argued nor agreed.
"What I want to ask is... when I die, will I still be human?"
Lin was resting on Aponia lap. He wasn't sure if it was the effect of the medicine Vil-V had injected or something else, but he seemed to clearly feel the softness of Aponia and the faint scent she radiated.
In the silent Deep End, no "one" dared to make a sound except for Aponia. As long as the nun was there, even mindless monsters would follow their instincts and grow quiet.
Her breath was warm and moist. Whether intentional or not, it would occasionally blow into his ear.
Aponia gave a soft laugh. She gently stroked Lin earlobe, then her finger slid down to the pendant on his neck: "Lin, what is 'human'?"
"Is a MANTIS like me human? Is a person eroded by Honkai human? Is someone who harms their compatriots human? Is someone who doesn't consider humanity at all human?"
"..."
"How you define others is how they will define you. Lin, if a Herrscher has a human heart, would you consider her human?"
Lin nodded quietly.
"Then if a human is more depraved and inhuman than a Herrscher, would you consider him human?"
Is he... human?
At this moment, Lin realized that Aponia was intentionally guiding him.
The greatest principle Lin had set for himself was: he must not kill humans. Even if they were guilty, it was not his place to use vigilante justice.
Those Herrschers who revealed a smile before death had a bewildered self even while destroying; they lacked humanity, yet they were confused by it.
But if a human possesses humanity and knows it, yet still actively abandons it, is he still human?
A Herrscher who saved humanity, and a human who harmed humanity—which one is the "human"?
Is it the flesh or the consciousness that determines the race?
........
Lin sat on the return transport, gazing at the distant sunset and reflecting on Aponia words in that quiet darkness.
He would not harm humans.
But was he, like the Fire Moth high-levels, going to "define" humanity himself?
Lin had wanted to ask more questions, but Aponia had given a mysterious smile that made his skin crawl.
"If you wish to continue the consultation, the next fee will be quite expensive."
Although he didn't know what the next fee would entail, Lin weakened color vision seemed to catch a flash of crimson in Aponia eyes. After careful consideration, he left quickly.
She wasn't giving answers; she was helping Lin think through the consequences of each answer.
Beep—
Just then, his communicator rang like an alarm. Lin looked up and stared at it silently.
Beep—
It was as if it were announcing something.
The caller ID was... Sakura.