I couldn't understand it. I didn't want to understand it.
For two days on end I was forced to stay and watch their suffering repeatedly until I couldn't turn away blindly no matter how hard I tried. It was revolting,and just the sight of it made me sick.
The villagers' bodies were unique. Some could regenerate their limbs and tissues while some could harden their bodies to past a superhuman degree. Unfortunately,this only added to the never ending torment. The longer they struggled,the more interesting it would become for them to finally break. The longer the fall,the greater the impact after all.
I was helpless to do anything. Just floating around their futures elves like an invincible God or spirit yet unable to do anything about their conditions made me truly realise how awfully pitiful their lives was.
Ina way they were like me;small,young and powerless. In my previous world,values like strength or weakness wouldn't mean a thing as all are equal before death,God and punishment but in this world it made all the difference!
In this world,one can hone their magic and martial arts however they liked,even to a God-like degree and escape the mortal dullness and illusions of everyday life.
We all fear death yet we live like it will never come. We chase after fading illusions,build fragile existences and cling to memories that corrode with time. In the end,they are forgotten. What worth was living a life that left no mark?
They were like me;they were praying to the point of desperation for meaning in their lives. Life was short. Life was small and fragile. So were they. They were not allowed to seek higher power and life.
What could they do? What were they allowed to do? All they could do was to die after serving their so called purpose and watch others outlive them by decades,centuries or even millennium. That was their life,the life of the demibeasts of this world.
They wanted an answer to their prayer but sadly it was too late for them for their story was presumably ended.
All things have an end to them,it was just a matter of when. All are equal in death's warm embrace. That was natural,and they understood it too. What hurt them was that they were never allowed to look,to search for meaning beyond the sight given to them by the world. That was what stung.
"Such a good story with amazing potential can not end like that without even a good ending. It is such a disappointment. How could the world turn a blind eye to such a good seedling of a story before it even sprouts?"
I couldn't let the chance slip by."If the world is turning a blind eye to people who are not even given a chance to lie in life die like this,then I'll...,"interrupting his thoughts,the voice in his head prompted him not to stay in the future for long as it could potentially lead to a severe backlash.
The voice then said," After interacting with the skill,I could only know that the skill you have in possession and in use has some time property. It may be that it has a high requirement and severe consequences upon usage. It is highly recommended for the deactivation of the skill."
What was a skill? There were many interpretations of it. For others,it was a source of income while for others it was their life. It was a source of joy for one while a source of disaster for others. It was different for each person depending on how they lived their lives.
But one thing was certain. A skill was 'the ability to do something.'
Your ability to see through the world;discernment.
Your ability to hope for something greater than you have;dream.
Your ability to lean on someone else;dependence.
Different for others yet they all hold the same meaning;just phrased differently.
They constantly need to be practised. If left alone,they will wither away like a tree without water. One couldn't just forget about it after use. They were like human. They couldn't go long without food or water.
If left to starve,they will then go back to their 'motherland from which they came' as they wait for another owner worthy of using them appears.
That was skills. If overused or underused,consequences are bound to occur between the user an its skill.
Sighing in acknowledgement,"Fine,fine I get it. Just tell me the name of the skill so I deactivate it."
"The skill's name cannot be accessed. Result:The skill has been categorised into a skill with no name."
"Wait a sec. What does a skill with no name mean? Does I mean that the skill is weak or something?"
"It is a skill that has spent a long time in the world without being called its name by the user it deems rightfully owned or worthy of it."
When one knows their ability then they call upon it and use it freely. Sort of like running. There is a difference between one who just runs and one who knows what their running for. One will get tired from the run sooner or later while the other will keep pushing himself forward regardless. That's the difference.
Those who know their ability,their goal can call upon them and use them freely.
If the user doesn't know their goal with that skill,it won't function to its true abilities.
If the user isn't worthy of the goal then,the road to the goal,the skill won't be able to be used how it is supposed to be.
That is how life operates. Know what is precious. Guard it well and let the rest follow the way of heaven. Such is the world,unchanged through the ages.