"River? .....I..... I see." There's a measure of confusion in his voice, and a bit of subdued alarm; Hizashi doesn't so much as twitch to look where Hades is pointing. There had been a river out there? He'd heard screaming, of course, the wails of the damned lamenting their fate, but otherwise..... No, he'd thought they were being tortured, not that they were drowning for all eternity, or being boiled alive (boiled dead? Boiled undead?), or devoured by fish of some sort, or..... whatever was causing them so much anguish, out there in the water.
So..... this is his fate, is it? To serve another master, or to suffer for all eternity..... Death really hadn't been freedom at all. Just one more kind of cage for the soul, freed of its earthly shell. This is his punishment, for trying to defy destiny..... He feels vaguely sick at the thought. But at least..... At least he has a choice in this matter, even if it's a terrible one, even if it's hardly better than no choice at all. At last it's something, maybe even something better than what he'd had in life..... At least he might be able to get something out of it, some sort of compensation. He's being offered payment of a sort for his services, more like a mission than his role as a Branch Family member of the clan.....
Freedom for his world, his country, his village, his family. His home, the people that he cared about most, would be safe. They could enjoy some measure of freedom and peace, even if the rest of the world--of the multiverse?--does not, as long as this god keeps his word. (And what if he doesn't? Does it really matter? What could he possibly do against a god?) Isn't that what he'd sacrificed his life for to begin with? What other choice does he have? If it means his brother and his son will be safe.....
The thought is..... revolting, to be perfectly honest. Genocide against another world's population, poisoning a world's environment, obliterating its soul..... He's dimly grateful that souls can't be physically ill, because he can already feel his heart sinking at the prospect? But what other choice does he have? What else can he possibly do if he wants to see those he loves safe? (The Branch Family is a tool and a weapon. They are there to serve and protect. Like the leaves of a great and mighty tree, they are indispensable as a whole force, yet utterly expendable and interchangeable as individuals.) He has to do this. For the sake of their happiness, he has to destroy that of others. Isn't that the way of a ninja's life? To do the mission you're given, no matter what your personal sentiments, no matter what the cost?
You do as you're told, obey orders, fulfill objectives. You're paid to act, not to feel. No deed is too dirty for a true shinobi. The Will of Fire demands that you do what you must, sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of your own shogi King--and while Hades isn't his King, he knows very well who is, what matters most to him.
It's not his place to judge his assignment, or Hades' excitement over it. So Hizashi just nods, willing himself to smile, to accept the truth of his new existence. Above all else, from now on, it seems he'll be an instrument of murder and destruction. If he can distance himself enough, in a certain way, it even is..... interesting, he supposes. He's never even heard of anything like this. "I hadn't realized worlds had souls, or that they could be killed."
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So..... this is his fate, is it? To serve another master, or to suffer for all eternity..... Death really hadn't been freedom at all. Just one more kind of cage for the soul, freed of its earthly shell. This is his punishment, for trying to defy destiny..... He feels vaguely sick at the thought. But at least..... At least he has a choice in this matter, even if it's a terrible one, even if it's hardly better than no choice at all. At last it's something, maybe even something better than what he'd had in life..... At least he might be able to get something out of it, some sort of compensation. He's being offered payment of a sort for his services, more like a mission than his role as a Branch Family member of the clan.....
Freedom for his world, his country, his village, his family. His home, the people that he cared about most, would be safe. They could enjoy some measure of freedom and peace, even if the rest of the world--of the multiverse?--does not, as long as this god keeps his word. (And what if he doesn't? Does it really matter? What could he possibly do against a god?) Isn't that what he'd sacrificed his life for to begin with? What other choice does he have? If it means his brother and his son will be safe.....
The thought is..... revolting, to be perfectly honest. Genocide against another world's population, poisoning a world's environment, obliterating its soul..... He's dimly grateful that souls can't be physically ill, because he can already feel his heart sinking at the prospect? But what other choice does he have? What else can he possibly do if he wants to see those he loves safe? (The Branch Family is a tool and a weapon. They are there to serve and protect. Like the leaves of a great and mighty tree, they are indispensable as a whole force, yet utterly expendable and interchangeable as individuals.) He has to do this. For the sake of their happiness, he has to destroy that of others. Isn't that the way of a ninja's life? To do the mission you're given, no matter what your personal sentiments, no matter what the cost?
You do as you're told, obey orders, fulfill objectives. You're paid to act, not to feel. No deed is too dirty for a true shinobi. The Will of Fire demands that you do what you must, sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of your own shogi King--and while Hades isn't his King, he knows very well who is, what matters most to him.
It's not his place to judge his assignment, or Hades' excitement over it. So Hizashi just nods, willing himself to smile, to accept the truth of his new existence. Above all else, from now on, it seems he'll be an instrument of murder and destruction. If he can distance himself enough, in a certain way, it even is..... interesting, he supposes. He's never even heard of anything like this. "I hadn't realized worlds had souls, or that they could be killed."