Know Thy History: Part 3

Dante shifted again only his eyes across to Devi and spoke in a monotone manner “I dont’ snack, I don’t feed at all.” One hand slowly raises to rest his elbow on the arm rest of the chair once more his forearm straightened and he pointed to the ceiling ”shadows are my life, I exist from them, I consist soley of them, and they are a stream of neverend.” Devi blushed “yea okay, sorry. I guess I am totally clueless about that. Most of my studies centered on the lighter side of magic to be honest. Dark Magic is to tempting, I chose to stay away from most of it.. my family seems to be vulnerable to it” her eyes deliberately avoided looking at her as she spoke. She leaned back into her chair relaxing as she listened to Devi speak, her eyes intently danced across the library and then focused on Dante.

Dante lowered his hand and placed it on the edge of the table, sending small shadows from his finger tips to rush across the table in odd spiralling movements towards Devi. They stop just short of her and gather in a large cloud before manipulating and seemingly mutating into small creatures. Sitting on her end of the the table and looking up to her he continued “Because something is within the darkness and haze, and not within the well lit streams you are used to. Would you be making the assumption of implication that it is evil or perhaps of the wrong?” She watched the shadows dance over to Devi across the table, her eyes lighting up with amusement, but she remained silent, she knew it was time for Devi to finally learn the darker side of things, to stray away from the light, away from the divine.

Devi smiled at him gently, her fingers restless on her thigh tracing small patterns almost unthinkingly “the dark holds no fear for me, but there are things in the dark, things that lure the unwary. This I know.” Devi suddenly straightened as she glanced about for a moment her eyes shifting and then landing on a large heavy book “so here is another lesson in history..” the book gently floated over to the table, the gilt lettering on it and is titled Kinder-und-HausmArchen. Devi seemed to be ignoring the dancing little shadows her eyes intent on Dante “stories of the dark.. to scare children.” DAnte raised the rested hand and then slammedit onto the table suddenly, as if summoning his creatures as they appear to lift from the table and lightly shatter and disperse. Racing around her in what sounded like jibberish chants they returned to the cracks between the books on the shelves, under the chairs, and other places throughout the library before he spoke “A fear of the dark isn’t necessary, but an understanding is necessary if you wish to truly understand your own teachings and could wish to preach and make others knowledgeable of the light properly. Would you think?” he looked down at the book with a grin before glancing back up at Devi with a subtle tone “I’m done with literature for the evening, discussion period began a few minutes ago. And.. what is knowledge if you aren’t able to discuss, share, and debate on the things you know?” She held out her own hand to try and play idly with one of the shadow creatures before it danced away amused “Darkness, Devi.. is what drowns out the light.”

Devi nodded and smiled “this is true, you are supposed to seek knowledge to gain power over your fears, your enemies, yourself. But there is a fine line you must walk. If you cross the line while on the search for knowledge you can become addicted. And the darkness would not exist if there was no light Vish One needs the other. You might also say light is what vanishes in the dark.” Dante shifted his body to the other side of his seat as he replied “How would you define such a line? Eager to learn versus addiction?” Devi tilted her head her voice hesitant as if she is feeling her way on a subject that she has not often explored “I suppose, it is when you choose to betray your own moral or personal lines in the sand.. we all have boundaries, rules we set up for ourselves. When we betray ourselves, when we lose ourselves, a person has to decide if this is a transformation or a personal betrayal they are embarking upon.” She let out an exasperated sigh “I don’t think I answered your question though.. Look I am not the Righteous, I don’t seek to impose my values or will upon others. I tend to let people chart their own course.. unless my doing nothing becomes a betrayal of my personal line so to speak. Bust as to when it becomes an addiction verses a quest for knowledge, I suppose that is it, when the quest causes you to betray yourself.” Dante nodded “or perhaps instead of feeling this ‘betrayel’ for or against yourself.. feel the growth within your being and evolve with the things around you. Knowledge is power, and power can lead to corruption and ill subjects. But such power from knowledge has lead this human race of yours to discover medicines, cures, therapy, surgeries, technology, even sciences dealing with genetic manipulation. All of these chose to go with the times and evolve with them. Think back to philosophers who had the right ideas and were actually quite correct with the hypotheses and predictions but were punished and shunned, even put to death for their difference in thought.” He folded his arms across his chest now with a nod “Could you imagine the possibilities of how your race could have ended up or could have been better off if people then would have expanded their horizons and listened?”

Devi smiled gently “Ends and means. Look at Hitler. Was his quest for medical knowledge justification for the torutre and mutilation of so many? This I can not agree with. Perhaps there is knowledge that is gained but it is not to me a justification of the method.” Finally she turned and looked across to Devi “We both know what it is to bring light into this world, never once have I seen you act as a righteous would, I do not believe this is the case here.. the case is that you must realize the dark. is always there, even in the light.” She paused momentarily before continuing “When you walk into a room of a building it is dark until the light is on.. the shadows dance away, but if you look around if you really open your eyes you will see they have always been there.. it is man that has forced the light onto the situation, the sun before used to be the only source, the darkness reigns over everything. Think about it dear sister, just because there is darkness, does not necessarily mean ther is violence, darkness can be powered by ones words, ones thoughts, ones actions.. ”

Dante leaned back and looked to the many books behind him “I’m unsure of which it was in, but somewhere within these many texts you would find something along the lines of “with power comes responsibility” along with “with greatness comes sacrifice.” He then leaned back forward towards her “not an excuse or good reason for the happeneings to these people..but then we must then follow through with ‘learn from the past, and hopefully grow’” he snickered quietly from behind his mask “but given the human race and their train of thought, history tends to repeat itself..but you get the jist of things.” She turned her head to look from Devi to Dante as she raised an eyebrow “I do hope dear brother when you mention the human race, you are excluding at least one..” Dante grinned and nodded “a generalization of course.” Devi glanced towards her “It is human nature to try to control things, and common light is a form or power..” Devi then turned to look towards Dante “Yes history does repeat itself, some of us learn but we are as a whole a slow learning lot..” She smiled as turned her attention to her sister “I simply say.. don’t conform Devi.. you might find you like the darkness.”

Devi shifted lightly before she continued to speak “Through out history my kind have been hunted down, burned at the stake, persecuted, even as we seek to help others. I could let this cause me to become bitter and vengeful, or not.. what used is retribution on innocents?” Devi turned to face her.. “There in lies my danger sister dear, I simply adore the darkness.” she reaches out her palm to rest on hers the shape and form so similar but hers showed signs of scars and constant weapon training, Devis did not. Devi’s hand glowed as her most recent cuts and bruises faded with the green glow “I just choose to abstain from the temptation.” She smiled as she looked over her sister “I think it is time you stop abstaining..” she slowly stood as she stretched looking to Dante and then to Devi.. “Regardless, I feel as I’m sure Dante agrees, it is time to rest.. it has been a long day for us both..As much fun as these lessons have been.. when the time comes for you to finally realize the dark is where our ENTIRE family belongs.. you know where to find me.. “ Devi simply sighed “and you have to only call and you know where you will find me..” It was at that time that she proceeded home with her brother at her side.. leaving Devi in the library to think… and wonder