Side Story Inari POV: The Giver Takes (2)

You made a choice to take a life, and now you are facing the consequences of that decision."

The three bandits grit their teeth at my words. They're probably too concerned about getting struck to yell at me anymore, so I decide to continue.

"I'm sure you were tired of living days over and over again. Working hard just to end up in the same position? Who would continue doing such a thing? You were recurring the same events eternally, and that can hardly be called living."

"Yeah, that's right! We had to take a chance," Steve speaks up.

"What you fail to realize is that suffering is equivalent to living. No matter what position you find yourself in, it will seem endlessly monotonous unless you can find some meaning in it. What you should be striving for is the ability to cope with reality no matter what situation you're in. Even if you did capture a fairy and made a lot of money, what then? How long would that last until you had to do something similar?" They don't say anything in response to my words. I can see the mess of emotions swirling around within them.

[I think they have worked out most of their anger; let's move on to the next step.]

"How about some lunch?" I ask.

"Why are you feeding us if you're just going to kill us later?"

"So, you don't want lunch?"

"I didn't say that." The male named Juan mumbles quietly. A small flutter of fairies flies over from the cauldron of soup I had them prepare earlier. It takes at least four of them to lift each bowl. They drop the food on the ground before the humans, who are still tied up. I instruct the fairies to untie one of their hands so they can eat unassisted.

"No spoons?" the woman asks.

"Nope. If you can't eat it without a spoon, we'll just take it back. The three humans each grab a bowl and drink it down without further conversation. "Let us know if you want seconds."

They each have two more bowls before they begin to slow down. Eventually, Steve works up the courage to ask me a question.

"So, what can we give you in exchange for our lives." he says as he massages his injured shoulder.

[Bargaining.]

"Nothing," I flatly deny his proposition.

"Come on; there has to be something," the woman pries with a devilish grin.

"The only thing you have that I find valuable is your lives, and that isn't something you can give to me. It's only something that I can take from you."

"We'll give you money, tools, anything; just give us a chance." The pathetic man, Steve, pleads for his life.

"Money and tools have no value to those who live with nature. The forest provides us with everything we need to survive, and magic grants us the ability to obtain whatever we need. I've seen no part of your human society that doesn't make you more miserable. Your inability to regulate your desires is what leads your species to unhappiness. Nothing will ever be enough. No amount of resources will sate your hunger. To walk the path of unlimited consumption is to walk the path of self-annihilation. You will continue to increase productivity until there is nothing left. To consume all for the sake of a currency that has no inherent value. One cannot eat money. It doesn't allow one to live longer or happier. Often, the humans with the most money are the least happy. You're offering me a malignant poison when you offer me currency, a poison I have no desire to own."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to die." I make sure to leave no room for negotiation. Their shoulders collectively fall. It seems as if my words are starting to sink in.

"What's the point of anything?" Steve sighs.

[Depression.]

They have taken the next step forward.

"There is no greater purpose to life. There's only what you choose to do with what's been left for you. The strong leave crumbs for the weak, and you have to make do with what you're given."

"So all of this is pointless? Why was I even born?"

"That's a question you need to answer for yourself. Why are you here? What is your purpose? What would you have done differently given the opportunity? We are all horribly, absolutely free." The man, Steve, thinks for a minute before responding.

"I wanted to be a teacher. I like kids. Just watching them play around makes me happy."

"That's what we could have had." the woman says to Steve with a sad smile.

"Sasha, I need to be honest with you," Steve begins. The woman, apparently named Sasha, loses all the emotion on her face, and her jaw drops open. "I'm in love with another woman. She was my neighbor growing up, but I never told her how I felt. Eventually, a local asked her to marry him, and she accepted. I've never really gotten over her and I regret not acting sooner every day of my life. When we started spending time together, I think it was because I was afraid of being alone more than me being in love with you."

Sasha's eyes dart back and forth as she thinks about everything she's been through with this lowly man.

"To think I've been in love with a pathetic coward. Hey, fairy! You can go ahead and kill me now." Sasha pushes off her emotions with a joke. I turn to Juan and try to pull some information out of him with my eyes. He looks at the ground to avoid my piercing gaze.

"You're really gonna kill us, huh?"

"Yes." I keep staring to push him forward.

"My life is such a joke."

"Most humans' lives are."

"Heh, surprisingly, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"It wasn't supposed to. I am your Shinigami. I am here to guide you to your death and nothing more." Juan goes quiet, so I turn back to Sasha.

"Oh, is it my turn?" she asks me sarcastically.

"…"

I don't respond.

"Well, I guess I didn't want to be a bandit, at least."

"…"

I press her to continue with my silence.

"I wanted to be a knight. Are you happy?"

"Why's that? What changed your mind?" I ask.

"I didn't change my mind; I just couldn't do it."

"It was harder than you expected. You thought it would be easy to be a noble, but you weren't willing to put in the effort."

"No, I just couldn't do it."

"Really? Why not?"

"…"

"You see, almost everything in life comes down to effort. We're able to accomplish almost anything if we apply ourselves properly, especially those things that are skill-based like being a knight. The only possible reason for not being able to accomplish that goal is your incompetence. Our lives are made of all our choices added up together. Every day you choose not to work towards your goal is a day it grows further away."

"I just didn't want to suffer all the time," Sasha says with a sigh.

"That was never an option. The only choice you have is why you're suffering and for what purpose."

"I wanted to be a merchant," Juan interjects.

"And what stopped you?" I ask as I turn back to him.

"Money. I needed money to get started. This was supposed to be my shot at starting my own business."

"So you gambled and lost. I'm sure you knew the risk you were taking."

"I just didn't think things would end like this."

"We never die on our own terms. If we did, we'd all live forever. Death, by its very nature, is revolting." The three humans become silent again.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

"I guess."

"Very well." I cast a sleep spell and drag the three of them into the abyss of dreams from which they will never awake. "Follow me."

A flutter of fairies flies in behind me to pick the humans up off the ground. We carry the limp bodies deep, deep into the forest. The journey is long. The suns have set by the time we arrive at the mouth of a cave. I have the fairies lay the gently breathing bodies down near the entrance. A giant, three-headed snake appears from the cave without making a sound. Each of its heads is steadily tasting the air by flicking its tongues in and out.

"We bring tribute." I begin.

"You're late."

"My apologies. We came as fast as we could."

"You've always been a terrible liar, Inari." I can feel the words being forced into my mind. It has not made a noise since we arrived and is instead speaking telepathically.

"My apologies, Guardian." This enormous snake monster has been defending this forest for many years. It's expected that we bring it food as a tribute to ensure our safety.

"Don't let it happen again."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Liar." This is the last thing it says to me as each head reaches down and picks up a human in its mouth. A thick mane runs down the back of their necks with jagged spikes sticking out from within the fur. It truly is a monstrosity. We all stay kneeling down on the ground for the duration of their short meal. After it has finished, we quickly make our way back to the village.

[We're safe but not secure. Is there no way to end this cycle of violence?]

My complaints go unheard as we leave the lair of the vindictive guardian. Our safety is now guaranteed until next time.

On the way back, I hear the sound of crushing leaves. No creature in the forest is clumsy enough to make that much noise, so it must be an intruder. We follow the noise and discover a small human male struggling to stand. It appears very weak, likely from a lack of nourishment. If this were any other time, I would immediately capture the small human and bring it to the guardian as tribute, but I decide to do something different.

"Blindfold and bind the child. Make sure you feed it something, so it doesn't starve to death." The returning fairies comply without a second thought. They pick it up after it has been subdued and bring it to our village. I can feel a mischievous smile forming on my face.