Cross Effects > Areas
The Slums
YOLF:
Lubei
His expression only tightened, and he crossed the space to Uria in a hearbeat, snatching her chitinous arm into a grip. "What are you doing?" Lubei asked, royal iron hardening his voice. "Have you turned him into a demon?"
The frown strayed to the dragon's coils and unfurling weapons and grew on the way back to Uria. "Pity is not a good enough reason. Do you even understand what you're forcing?"
Umbra of Chaos:
Uria
"Hey!" They pulled back with surprising force. "He's a dragon not a demon, and it was his choice! If he didn't want it it wouldn't have worked right anyways. Hmph, it's not like you were going to do anything for him yourself either."
The dragon spoke then, a hiss of steam that echoed the voice that had given it a choice. "If you wish for glory, choose resurrection. If you wish for indolence, choose eternal rest. God is fine with either choice."
YOLF:
Lubei
He let the arm go without offering resistance, but bared his teeth. His eyes and crest alike momentarily flared with chilly light. "God is fine with either choice, but they are not equal! Your decisions have consequences beyond your own life."
Neither the transformation nor the disagreement went unnoticed by the squatters. Some gasped and fled, and some hid with murmurs of panic, and a pair of faint lights went out as residents cowered. Lubei's thoughts split bitterly between them and the child he had taken upon himself to foolishly drag along. A blunt voice echoed behind his ears, Inaction is a choice, and his throat rumbled in response.
If he could focus on a face, then learning what to do would be easier. Smashing a foul leader couldn't feed anyone, but this barren was beyond a single thing to fix. He would rather start from a single cog than take the destitute for lost with thoughtless kindness. And humans or not, this demon king would not wrong the wretched like that.
"There's a line between doing nothing and thinking before you act. After is too late to avoid responsiblity, you reckless cub."
Umbra of Chaos:
Uria
They puffed out their chest. "I'm very responsible. People don't have a choice without the power of God." They opened up their arms wide as they unfurled into strands of light that flapped about, almost resembling wings. Although there wasn't a bird in the world that could be half as beautiful.
"Oh, look at me! I'm a big special king! All my actions have big, big consequences so I'll judge everyone like they're me. I'm gonna go make my big important changes and then lecture people when they actually help." Uria stuck their tongue out at him for a moment, their shining arms a beacon to anyone with eyes as they waved them about furiously. But then a note of seriousness came over their features, a stern look in their now narrowed eyes.
"That was the only real choice he ever made."
YOLF:
Lubei
The looming, glacier-like figure of Lubei went as quiet and still as one. It took the time to light an incense stick and say a prayer to whatever god would listen for him to respond. "I am not lecturing you for helping. I am lecturing you because you did not consider for a moment what it could mean to yourself."
He sighed like an ice that groaned with cracks at the start of Spring. "We are held to account for the life we take, but so are we for the life we save."
The demon king raised an arm, and his open hand hovered hesitantly above Uria's head.
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