[17:24] "I think I should make it a habit of having these kinds of talks with you because you usually have something interesting to say."

Unlike the last time she had one of these questions, Lea seemed to be in a fantastic mood. Whatever was on her mind wasn't quite as stressful as the last question she had, but she still wanted some input from someone she considered wise. And...

Well, the virtue of wisdom is probably the best person to ask about that.

"Do you have to be a strong person to be a good person? I don't mean in the might makes right sense, I mean in the... hm..."

She paused.

This was clearly another question pertaining to the deaths of her loved ones, which were still issues she was battling with. Now, though, she appears to have come to terms with the actual events surrounding them, and was now just wondering what her role was in all this.

"I mean, if a person claims that they restrain themselves from doing something out of their morals, but they didn't have the strength to carry out whatever it is they claimed to restrain themselves from, is that still a function of morality?"

"...or to put it simply, are they a good person if they can't do the thing?"
(Lea Elisheva)
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[17:31] "Well..." Cal listened and brought his hands together atop the Oracle's desk that he sat at. He was always happy to have these conversations with Lea, given she seemed to be one of the brighter members of her generation. Without the Academy, classes and teachings had stopped, but if he could pass on a little bit more of his knowledge in small moments like this with his niece, Adrian, or anyone else, then he felt like he was still fulfilling that role as a teacher and mentor that was needed within Levengard.

"If a person is claiming that they are restraining themselves from doing something they couldn't do in the first place, then isn't that a lie? Or in this scenario, are they not aware that they cannot perform the task that they say they stopped themselves from going through with?"
(Calael E. Kang)
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[17:36] Would it be a lie...?

She didn't have a quick answer to that, so she once more paused and allowed herself to think. She appreciated these moments, too, as she was always in the academy for the sake of learning and never wanted to stop. Having someone who could help her answer moral questions like that was a blessing, as the only person she really had before for that was dad, who...

...

Wasn't the best at this.

"I don't know if anyone would claim to be moral if they knew they couldn't do something. Maybe they would, but I haven't met anyone who would."

Lea was still a little bit on the naïve side.

"So it's more about either unawareness or denial, which I'd think might have a different answer."
(Lea Elisheva)
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[17:44] Cal crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat as he considered the further explanation of the question before offering more answers. "If they don't know they can't do it... and restrain themselves anyway, then in their mind they truly did stop themselves from committing an act that they felt was wrong. So yes, I believe that would be morally acceptable."

But still, he had to answer the other part on strength. "It doesn't take strength of ability to be a good person. It's about the mindset and outlook. Some things are obviously right and some things are obviously wrong, but the world can be far more complicated that black and white, as you know. From there I would say it's a matter of the heart and mind, and it takes a talent of falling back on one's faith and values in order to determine what the moral course of action is. In some rare cases, however... there is only worse... and worst. There is not always a 'good' option."
(Calael E. Kang)
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[17:56] Lea felt a sense of relief at his answer, and nodded her head in response. The second part of his statement was a bit different, though, as it was something she more or less already knew, and not something she was happy with. She understood that sometimes you just had to do the not-worse thing to do rather than the right thing, lest the reality of the situation be cast into the realm of the unpredictable.

And sometimes... it was just better for things to be predictable.

Godfrey was proof of that. So was Ethan.

"Sometimes I'm just unsure that my decision that everything would be better off had not tried to stop my dad and Godfrey from being killed is due to my fear of the consequences, or thinking that I couldn't have done anything."

"I... actually don't know whether or not I could have done anything ornot because I don't know if I could beat you or anyone else there, but if it's not a matter of my ability to do so, then I don't really need that question answered."

She was starting to grow a bit curious about her strength relative to that of others given her warming up to the idea of fighting, though...
(Lea Elisheva)
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[18:06] Cal knew most of these issues came back to those two deaths. They were heavy burdens to bear in their own ways, Lea as a family member who watched and Calael as the executioner. By all accounts, his niece should hate him, but the demiangel had a quiet gratitude that somehow she understood.

He nodded and then opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out for several seconds while he considered what to say, given the sensitivity of the subject.

"You... let them know you cared... cared enough to speak out about their deaths. My biggest regret concerning your father was how... quickly it all moved. I should have allowed you and Magdalen the rights to see him one last time, to say goodbye, as I allowed for Godfrey... but that was a different time, with more authorities involved than I would have liked."

Cal looked down at the desk. "No matter who the person is, a vile criminal or a noble hero, I believe goodbyes and farewells some of the most important aspects of death. The final things we say to one another before we are gone forever are... immortal sort of words. Everlasting emotions... They are what we will be remembered for, most of the time."

"I wish to offer that to every prisoner Levengard will have to see to for as long as the city stands."
(Calael E. Kang)
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[18:15] Lea didn't have those words for Ethan, but she had them for Godfrey. For that, at least, she was grateful. She could see in Calael's eyes and face that he meant no harm. When he did those actions, his expression wasn't stern, solemn, or anything of the like.

It seemed remorseful, like any executioner should be.

And his tears, most of all, spoke louder than any expression ever could.

"I want that too. I know from experience that... there's really nothing worse than something left unsaid, or questions left unanswered..."

You are allowed hatred. You are allowed resentment. It is only human.

The response letter she got from Sors, as well as her experience with Isaac, both echoed within her mind.

"The desire for that brutal, quick revenge is really strong, and a really human thing... butI think it's the role of people like you to be better, right? Not better than human, just..."

"Better than what people think they can be, right? Because there's always something better. There's always something to overcome. Even something so... primal."
(Lea Elisheva)
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[18:21] "Revenge... will never bring the comfort so many seek from it." Cal began again, looking up to Lea now that some of the more emotional topics had passed. He could at least give his attention to this. "Even if it is human to hate and become angry over something you resent or regret, fixing it by harming another will only ever bring more pain and more heartache to the cycle that continues these things."

"One man kills another, and the fallen's son rises up to kill his father's killer. Only for the son of the original murderer to fight against the newest one and then... it goes on and on. Until you are left with two hundred years of war and nothing else." This was the story of Agartha. It was one Calael had recognized in his youth, a cycle he had vowed to break, but at his age now, he was realizing that he likely never would.

"Because of that burning wheel, it is our job to... at least try not to feed into it. I think... by doing that, we are being our most moral selves. Forgiveness is not for the criminal, but for the person they harmed the most. Carrying hatred around is a burden, a weight no one really needs to bear. And yet so many do, and so many let it get in the way of their happiness. Whereas forgiving another person... despite how difficult it might be? Will bring peace."
(Calael E. Kang)
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[18:29] That answer gave her a surprising amount of relief that she wasn't expecting. The question of revenge was one that plagued her mind for a while now, and she had finally been given a long, detailed answer as to just why it was bad, beyond what she had actually figured out. Her relief was immediately evident, too, as she appeared to be, somehow, less tense. A weight had been lifted off of her, one that she didn't even know she had. There was a permanent tension in her mind over what to do and what advice she should give others, and now...

It was gone.

"I was told by a certain someone that I don't know how dark and despair filled this world really is..."

She looked up at Calael, a bright smile on her face.

"And I don't think I ever will, because I'm gonna make the world brighter wherever I go, no matter who I have to forgive."

She wasn't expecting this to go the way it did, but once more, a conversation with Calael had (probably) forever changed how she thought about things.

His virtue was well-earned, in her eyes.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[18:37] "Many would believe they know more about the world's pain than another, but comparing something like that is almost always a silly conversation to have. Who wants to compete when it comes to despair anyway?" Cal asked, returning something of his own, warm smile to Lea.

"You continue to surprise me, Lea. Not many believe in forgiveness or mercy these days, but it's as I have said before; they are candles that we much keep burning, if not for ourselves, then for the future. The world can only get so dark if we tend to our flames and keep them alight."

The Oracle looked down again. "The time is coming nearer where you and your generation will determine the future, if it is not here already. With this expedition being what might very well be my final mission on Agartha, I am pleased to know my teachings are no longer falling on deaf ears."
(Calael E. Kang)
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[18:42] Two parts of that caught her attention: That this expedition might be his final mission, and that his teaching had fallen on deaf ears until now. Both of those were depressing. Someone she had just now began to consider a mentor was close to a potential death?

The world really was forcing her to grow up.

But rather than not asking him to die, or trying to get him to say, she said one of the hardest things she could say in the face of a potential loss:

"I'll make sure to not let you down, uncle Calael."

The key word here was potential, but she was very much an 'expect the worst, hope for the best' kind of person.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[18:47] Calael E. Kang asks, "I'm certain you won't. I've had a little more hope for the future, given the aid I've received around here. Which reminds me, while we are away on this expedition... I would ask that you keep the city in order. Consider it a... trial run, as Sage. Hm?"
[18:48] Lea just had the thought of everything bad happening in Levengard when she was the only one around to protect it. It wasn't a cause of anxiety; the thought of things going so wrong so quickly on the day when she was supposed to be the one guarding it actually made her smile. It was a morbid kind of funny.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[18:49] Lea Elisheva says, "Heck yes."
[18:49] Calael E. Kang says, "..."
[18:49] Calael E. Kang says, "I'm sure things will go smoothly."
[18:49] Calael says, having maybe read her mind.
(Calael E. Kang)
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[18:49] Calael E. Kang says, "Anyway, is that all you wished to discuss at this time/"
[18:49] Calael E. Kang asks, "?"
[18:49] Lea Elisheva says, "Yes."
[18:50] Lea Elisheva says, "I really appreciated this discussion."
[18:51] Calael E. Kang says, "As do I. Take care, Lea."
[18:51] Lea Elisheva exclaims, "Mhm!"