Hou looked back, Zhou Tian was completely limp. Hou nodded, he needed to explore how to use the mindscape as soon as possible, now that his enemies had already learnt of it.
"As you say, the world has been completed. Do you really think you can win? Give up." Hou stood guarding Zhou Tian's body.
Intuitively he knew that Zhou Tian could not be initiated into a mindscape since he is already on his own, he would need his body protected only.
Again, the three spoke like one bring connected, "You do not understand. You have completed this world, it is too late now to stop you, but we must leave."
"Leave and do what?" Hou questioned.
***
Across the world, Hamar too questioned the figures.
"You want to leave, why? What is your purpose really?"
The two figures came together and placed a hand on eachother's shoulders, "Why do you think the Sea of World's is called that?"
***
Hou furrowed his brows, 'The Sea of Worlds...'
***
"Just explain it." Hamar pinched the bridge of his nose, 'Why do they have to be opposed, why can't we all just live...' he thought inwardly while composing himself.
"The 'sea' isn't just a metaphor or fanciful name. Of course, it's not a literal sea but it's close in concept. Let us continue to use that metaphor to explain."
One of the two figures held out there hands and a ball all causality formed above it. Hamar flinched, ready to activate his own in response.
"We will not harm while explaining, be calm. This Causality, think of it like the plant life fish feed on. Each world is a fish in this metaphor. They take in plants and grow, all is fine."
They then let the Causality ball break apart and start spreading out, "And this is an incomplete world, blood in the water attracts predators."
***
"Call them whatever you want, Devourer of Worlds."
"And that false world is attracting them..." Hou followed their explanations. He looked up, "Then can't you just let it be completed? You don't need to stop me now that this world is complete?"
"That is fundamentally flawed, you are unique. His creation is False by nature, it is like a parasite. Even if it leaves now, it has injured its host. The Devourer is still attracted, the only way to stop it now is to completely destroy both worlds so it can dissipate."
"Right now it's concentrated but bleeding, if it's killed the 'fish' will bleed a lot but then quickly become diluted? Is that what you're saying?" Hou put the piece together, in his mind he was starting understand.
***
Araxis rapped at his table, "Master...." He anxiously tapped his foot. It had been some time since he called for his Master, he wants to believe in Hou and Hamar but still...
"You called?" Behind Araxis, the floor shimmered and a small boy jumped out of the rippling floorboards as if they were water.
He landed on the ground solidly and patted Araxis on the shoulder, "What's the issue, if you had to call me it should be to do with your experiment."
"I did it..."
The boy jumped in place, "that's great! Te–" he saw Araxis' serious expression, "What's the problem?"
"It worked, we created a new world but I'm not confident in them being able to be dealt with. Is there anyway you can help?"
The boy jumped onto Araxis' desk and swung his legs, "I'm not sure... Lately I've been studying with them even. They aren't perfect but I've seen too many worlds get destroyed without their interrupting, maybe sacrificing the many is the only way."
Araxis sighed, 'He always gets like this when he's been away so long...', he tried the boy's hair, "Even so, you want to help your old friend, right."
The boy nodded, "Do they have the Causality?"
"They should have enough but it's crude," Araxis said, the word heavy. "Hamar and Hou are still learning to use it, luckily Hou was smart and made me create a religion here too give him causality so the amount isn't much of a problem."
The boy whistled, impressed, "Smart, I like him. But they're new like you said, you were confident?"
"Hardly, but it was worth it if it helped even a little." Araxis slumped backwards and covered his wrinkled eyes, "Just how..."
The boy hopped off the desk, his youthful demeanor dimmed, in its place replaced by the gravitas of an old mentor, "Do you remember what I told you about them?"
Araxis though back, "The sea, the fish, the blood in the water. That my false world is a parasite creating a bleeding wound attracting a predator, and the only way to stop me..."
The boy was silent for a long moment, staring at the blue orb in its armillary sphere, "That to protect nearby worlds both the issue and ghost need to be eliminated. They're not wrong," he said quietly.
"Not wrong?" Araxis turned his head, eyes still closed.
"Not exactly. That is one perspective. A very...fitting one for them. From their viewpoint, there's so little worth in one world to save it at the risk of anything."
"But?" Araxis prompted, he needed to know he was right. He needed to hear it from his own Master.
"But it assumes the parasite has no value beyond its threat to the whole. It assumes that only those True Worlds are with saving, that a damaged True World is no different than that if a False one."
The boy turned, "Araxis, you created that world. You poured your everything into it. It is flawed, yes. It is 'false' created by another's Causality. But is it not alive? Do the people in it not laugh, cry, love, and fight for their existence?"
"Their consciousnesses, even if originally 'evil' criminals, are good now. You took evil from this world, and you forgave then and brought with them new life."
He paced, facing away from Araxis, "They see your False World as tempting fate for naught a reason...and in some ways, they're right, it does attract...devourers. Their solution is destruction."
"But that forgiveness and healing..." Araxis gritted his teeth.
"...is worth it. The life of that parasite, it is not only harm. It took something bad from this True World and created something beautiful. It's messy. It's sentimental. But above all, it's beautiful. Do you know what that makes it?"
"..." Araxis stayed silent.
"That's not a parasite, it's something symbiotic and worth protecting."
He placed a hand on the armillary sphere, spinning the bronze rings, "*They* think they're doing the right thing. They're preserving the safety of the nearby Worlds. They're preventing a greater catastrophe. From where they stand, you are a danger but remember our ultimate goal!"
Araxis smiled, 'That's more like him, invigorated by talking...'
The boy exclaimed seemingly into the False World, "We won't sit back hiding from the devourers! We will create new works, and...a single ant cannot shake a tree but can that be said about a whole colony?!"
The boy looked back to Araxis, "I will go into their world, I will do something I've yet to succeed in...I'll convince a portion of *them* to believe in our goal."
***
Hou stared at the three figures, their explanation...the logic was cold but convincing. To save the rest of the Sea of Worlds from a predator, sacrifice the wounded and kill the wound-er."
But then–
From the sky, the clouds rippled. A boy fell from the sky, flailing his arms. Before even thinking, Hou used his Causality to catch him, "He falls in my hands safely" he whispered.