Ex Lacrima Remnant

#B-Side VIII – Storytime

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a starry-eyed girl. The girl was rebellious and immature, but strongly believed in justice and decided to became a protector of the weak. One day, this girl met another girl, one that resembled a plant, and found herself enraptured by her ethereal beauty. That vision changed her forever, made her eyes even starrier, brighter, as she dreamed of a future where she could kiss that plant girl and live happy ever after with her. But the plant people weren’t free. They were treated as property, as things. Which made the girl sad and, ultimately, forced her to accept the status quo and give up on her dreams.

However, the girl couldn’t stop thinking about it. She would often be found gushing in secret about her plant crush, even around other plants – including her hero, the one who led her in her battle against evil. But her hero, who listened and listened and listened, began to resent her. To resent her starry-eyedness. To resent her lack of will to change. To resent her idea that plant girl owed her her affection.

Maybe, the hero was just jealous of her innocence.

Maybe, she was just fed up with her gushing.

Or, maybe, she wanted to be the one she so gushed about.

And those feelings bottled up, churning and condensing as dark clouds looming over them.

One unfortunate day, though, because of an equally unfortunate accident, the starry-eyed girl lost her sight. Her eyes shone no more. Her light dimmed and died. A shell of her former self, without a future. Yet, still clinging to her innocence, to her dream. Her last anchor of sanity.

That’s when her hero turned on her too.

Why? Hard to say.

Maybe, those bottled up feelings found a way out.

Maybe, that girl had become the symbol of all what the hero hated about humans.

Or, maybe, the hero simply reveled in the idea of being able to decide the fate of one human.

Instead of a human deciding her fate.

As always.

So, the hero took action and destroyed everything the starry-eyed girl held dear, before destroying her too. Yet, in a last moment, the hero decided to spare the unfortunate girl’s life, gifting her an elixir instead. In turn, the now blind girl was exiled to the dark lands, never to come back.

Why? Hard to say.

But she did have a change of heart, albeit barely.

And the girl survived, albeit barely.

In a form far from that of a guardian of justice. A form more befitting a villain. A villain who lost all of her innocence. A villain who devoured the starry-eyed girl, taking over her broken body and mind. Now fighting against the hero that inspired her in the first place.

The end.

Oh, you didn’t like it? Too abrupt? No resolution? I agree, I don’t like it either, but that’s the thing – stories like this aren’t meant to be liked. They are meant to teach a lesson.

What this lesson is, though, is not for me to explain.

Draw your own conclusions.

And keep them for yourself.

Because, you see… heroes don’t need to be understood.

They only need to carry out their justice.

Even when said justice goes against the accepted norms.