They’re not doing it right, are they? All of the words are about conquering darkness, or pushing it aside, or reaching for the light. They don’t understand it at all.
And you do? You understand the darkness, the night, and what must be done about it?
More than some.
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They call themselves Sunset and Twilight.
Indeed they do… how ironic that they should be so dedicated to brightness--they, who are named for the balance between light and dark. They, of all people, should understand.
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Sunset has the power to see people’s memories. Essentially, she can read their minds. The empathy isn’t so much a problem, but the mind-reading power could more easily be turned to evil than good.
Has it been already, do you think?
Do the ends justify the means? Everything turned out well, but it was done crudely. I have a feeling that the people she used her power on will be alright, but someday there will come someone whose mind is actually private. Who would only pull away more from being invaded, and who could only be healed and helped the proper way.
That way being…?
Revealing it themselves. Letting down their walls and learning to trust someone who has actually earned it. Taking a risk and letting themselves be understood.
Far more painful.
Far more beneficial, as well. Especially for someone who is just waiting for another to ask them about their worries. Having that knowledge, their experiences, simply taken from them--dragged unwillingly from their mind--it could drive them away forever. They might turn to evil magic if only to protect themselves from the magic used against them.
Indeed. Why do they not understand? Going through the darkness is frightening, but it is the only way to deal with hidden wounds. Pain cannot simply be banished. The light just chases it away to fester in the deepest corners of a being, until its host is eaten up completely. I’d rather live with a scar than an open wound.
So would I. But culture today does not like scars. It says that happiness, youth, wealth, and beauty are all tied together, and that they are all the goals of life. A bright outlook and charisma are more important to society than depth of thought, imagination, experience, and wisdom.
Personality over character.
Indeed.
Is that why you have so few friends?
Nobody has yet sought to know my inner self for the right reasons, in the right way.
You are condemning yourself to loneliness by being so picky.
I’d rather be alone with what I value than spend all my energy pretending to be a more “likable” version of myself for the sake of company that I don’t even enjoy.
Hm.
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We’re getting off topic. Sunset has a heavy burden to bear with these new powers, and she must learn to use them properly.
Who will teach her, though?
Perhaps she will teach herself.
There is another, with a similar power.
In a different world, and Sunset knows almost nothing about her.
Indeed. Perhaps she must teach herself.
That is not in our hands.
So what now?
We wait.