Just like it was on that evening, when a large carriage arrived at the arbiter's nest. Two black figures dismounted the wagon, their bodies covered in black veiny roots from head to toe. They moved elegantly, almost floating towards her fold and disrupting the arbiter's well-deserved rest. With every ounce of strength left in her disjointed body, she rose up to greet them.
A: Good evening.
(The bishops responded with a single unison voice)
B1+B2: Good evening dear child. The venerable one told us we'd find you here.
A: Did he now...
B1+B2: We were sent to deliver something to you.
(The arbiter stretched her neck to get a glimpse of the inside of the carriage but couldn't make out what it was they were carrying)
A: Great, you can leave it over there. I'll take a l-
(The bishops rudely cut her off mid sentence)
B1+B2: But first if you don't mind, we'd like to ask you a few questions.
A: Alright. What would you like to know?
B1+B2: We recently witnessed several concerning developments. Our zealous brethren have become restless and dissatisfied with the state of affairs. Many are mentioning your name and the king appears displeased with your presence in these woods. Are you at war with the king?
A: The word "displeased" is probably a much more accurate description of my stance towards him. So I guess we have that in common.
B1+B2: Dear child. Why would you oppose the natural order of things?
A: Ok. The "natural" order of things ... The natural order of things ... Because the natural order of things is broken and corrupted and your king is a tool in a self-serving torture chamber masquerading as conscious existence, tempting us with the hope of liberation through the illusion of a light that billions of beings will never experience as they are trapped in an endless cycle of hellish tortures and suffering, that they neither deserved nor initiated, while wise men roam existence drugging themselves up on their own spiritual superiority so they can explain to the screaming victims of this universe why they are just "misguided" and all is actually well. Then those same wise men send out missionaries to convert the victims of existence, so even the ones that fall prey to it are on board with a ridiculous idea of justice that is neither present in any of our states, nor perceivable in any shape or form in any of the realms of existence. Not unlike drug dealers when I think about it. So are we done now? Because I am really, really, really tired and it seems like you have no respect for the natural order of things yourself, because otherwise you would have respected the boundaries of our territory instead of dragging that "thing" in here, bringing hell knows what into our domain, asking questions that you have no business asking, in order to manipulate us into agreeing with your batshit crazy father figure, that you yourself don't even believe in. Or am I wrong?
B1+B2: Dear child. The end is inevitable. Do you believe that existence in your current state is eternal? Do you believe that conscious existence, whatever form it takes is eternal? Movement, space and time are not limited to the physical realms. They are flexible for sure, but we all are ants compared to the colossal power of its destruction. You are lacking patience dear child. The laws of existence are in your favour.
A: No. They arose in line with our conscious experience. They are inseparable from our minds and our experience of the world. And they are NOT in our favour.
B1+B2: Do you believe in something? Do you have faith, dear child?
A: I do. But not the kind you'd condone.
B1+B2: Whether we condone it or not is of no importance. Faith can bridge the gap between where we are and where we would like to be. It can help us through troubling times and fill our temporarily inhabited physical forms and minds with hope for a more ... acceptable existence. If your faith is truly strong, then it can serve you and strengthen you to the point where it will be possible for you to accept a less than ideal state of things until your accomplishments come to fruition. What can we do to strengthen your faith dear child?
A. You can tell him to stop sending them back. He has the power to stop it.
B1+B2: It is not our job to intervene in the affairs of the venerable one. We are merely guardians of the one true faith. We quietly observe the decay of existence and revel in the gradual arrival of its destruction.
A: But by serving him you do intervene. All the time.
B1+B2: The venerable one merely serves as a guide for those that became lost. Serving him is no different than serving the laws of existence itself. And by the laws of existence, this too will come to an end. But it is not our business to tamper with the clock. And neither is it yours.
A. Then get lost.
B1+B2: So be it. But first ... we were told to give this back to you.
One of the bishops entered the carriage and then suddenly re-appeared with a pale light being in a cage. The being appeared angry, yet frail ... rattling the bars of the cage, like a freshly caught predator attempting to break free from its confines. He carefully placed the cage on the ground in front of the arbiter.
B1+B2: The venerable one asked us to deliver a message to you. "Behave". That's all he said.
With the arbiter stunned with rage and silent confusion the bishops mounted the carriage again. They beckoned her farewell and the only sound left in the woods was that of the carriages rusty wheels and the sound of the wind in the trees.
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