wipingallout

"A world filled with kind, welcoming people...yes," he nods slowly. "Now that would be a miracle in its own right. Maybe that was our true purpose, you know? To give each other hope..."

And yet, she would grow up realizing that she would pass away before she could really even begin to enjoy life for what its worth.

"But what if you lose it when you never had the chance to savor it?" The smile insists, even if his jaw is tight with barely unbridled emotions. "What happens when the world wishes for ruin again? So many things in your life will always be out of your control- why wait to set it all right when you have the means to escape it?"

Edited 2025-07-03 10:19 (UTC)

"The world still wishes for it. That's why I'm still the Seal," Hamuko shook her head, smiling. "Escape means sacrificing everyone else, and I won't do that. I don't have a lot of control over how events happen, but I want to give people the ability to find happiness and hope with each other. I might be the Seal for a long, long time... and that's okay. That's what I knew going in. Even if it takes forever, I know people will find their way, someday."

"Through the power of cognition anything is possible," he remarks. "I am not sure if you are from my world or not but...if we could change the general perception to let things play out a certain way- surely that could help you."

"Or your twin brother...er, I am not sure."

"Either one... I just... worry. I don't know that Nyx would be the only supernatural entity to try and inject themselves into reality like that... even if she wasn't quite..."

Hamuko trailed off a little, unsettled.

"Apparently gods of all sorts keep appearing and competing for the fate of the world. I worry about people not being strong enough to take care of each other if the worst were to pass."

"Those gods only manifest because humanity calls upon them," he answers honestly with the smallest frown of his own. "Whether one generation of persona users step forward to seal them away for good or not- it is a little hopeless at the end of the day."

"People aren't strong enough to do that on their own. Not when it offers them safety in its certainty."

"I guess it depends on whether they all function like Nyx does - she did exist long before humans, supposedly... according to Ryoji..."

An ancient consciousness... Hamuko remembered the impression of her presence, and how truly alien it was. Especially from behind her as the Seal. But she understood the feeling in a much more... raw state.

"Nyx answered humanity's call. But what if the next one doesn't? Supposedly there was one ruling over people in the future - one that the Phantom Thieves fought? And who knows how many more before or after us."

She pauses, a little, resting a hand on her chest. Over her heart, which for now, still beats.

"...I want everyone to be better. I believe that we all can be. I think... that's what our souls cry out for - a chance to light and lead ourselves. To determine our own destinies. To stand up against something impossible or inevitable and say not today - not like this."

I think... that's what our souls cry out for - a chance to light and lead ourselves. To determine our own destinies. To stand up against something impossible or inevitable and say not today - not like this.

It took everything in his power not to scoff at the unrealistic approach Hamuko was laying out for him. Like it were easy to simply step forward, watch your entire life collapse and still find the respite to continue. His heart ached with every syllable and some aspect of his disapproval showed in the way he hummed. Or with the way his brow twitched.

"That's not possible, you know."

Edited 2025-07-09 12:03 (UTC)

"It could be. It wasn't supposed to be possible for me to stand up against Nyx."

Everything had collapsed in Hamuko's world, repeatedly. People had failed her. She had to step up where others couldn't or wouldn't.

It's okay that not everyone could do that. They shouldn't need to. But those who can... there's a responsibility that someone eventually needs to take.

"I believe in people. I think we could be capable of so much more than even we think... I think the world itself can change to make it possible for people to flourish."

Maruki chuckled lightly at her words, now thoroughly amused by her words.

"Now that is something we could precisely agree on," he nods slowly. "We can absolutely change the very fabric of reality through the power of our imagination. It's why our personas exist. Otherworldly beings, gods and goddesses stemming from the general concilement of the collective conscious."

"Had I ever mentioned where my research first stemmed off from?"

It's just a difference of opinion on how, exactly, isn't it...

Still, she paid him attention, smiling. "Where from? What inspired you to look into it?"

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