The Curse of Foresight

This impressive tome is written upon vellum and bound in yew plates inlaid with electrum.

''I should begin by noting my deep and uncompromising respect and adoration for divination and the powers granted by the Demain, the essence of Dystava granted unto their followers and practitioners of the art. The unloading of thoughts, be them despair or no, are simply the extraction of ill thoughts to balance the heart, soul and mind. And whilst this journal may seem sombre, downtrodden and seen as unstable thoughts of one with the powers to change fate, I believe that the acknowledgement of these cruxes are evidence of my deep understanding of the laws of probability, prophecy and untold weight of expectations and demands that lay upon my shoulders.''

''Too often are we told to decide between what is just and what is not. We are taught the meaning of good and evil, yet the practice of 'human' behaviour breaks these very rules of our society. Which leads to the essence of the behaviour of man. Good and evil could easily be seen as social constructs, laws created by man to hold their behaviours to the expectations of others. The teachings of entities make pass down their ideals, but then whom among them may define the rights and wrong, the good and the evil of one's acts and behaviour. If gods can be perceived as evil, their actions seen as unjust, to whose standards to we hold them to? If we compare the actions of gods to man, it seems ridiculous to believe for a moment that the thoughts, prayers and scolding of lesser beings hold any weight unto them. Yet we in turn accept the same in return. Do I believe that we are equal to gods? Not in the slightest. But can those with sight be granted the ability to see the movements, actions and steps that gods take to further their agenda? Absolutely.''

''Just as humans acts as pawns in the games of gods, so too do they act as thorns in their sides and end their machinations. Even without the sight of divination, man has fought against greater beings since the dawn of time. And now, as the sight granted unto the disciples of Dystava grows stronger, what could we have to fear from the gods. If the absence of knowledge is what we fear, and that void grows smaller with each passing day, then divination is not required to know that soon the power of the almighty beings shall dwindle and falter. The power of the world is sourced from the Demain and Dystava grants the world a taste of it. But the hunger of man grows insatiable and the portions we are granted only grow with our ambition. It would be foolish not to believe that Dystava do not see the path we walk down. They know the words I write, yet they do not break or hinder my connection. In spite of these words, it grows ever stronger. Which leads me to believe the ultimate truth.''

Dystava has foreseen the downfall of the gods.

''Perhaps it will not be at my hands. Perhaps it will fall to my students, or their students. But soon, divination shall exceed the laws of actuality and what man knows of the arcane. Soon it shall be man that acts as the divine power of smiting of the unworthy. Soon, man shall act as gods in crafting the manifesto of life and deciding who lives and who dies. Man will seize the power of the Demain and source their powers from the great conduit of arcana.''

''But how do I decide who lives and dies. If I see a man commit murder, before the act takes place, what right do I have to condemn him, to have him stand trial of an act he has no knowledge of, for which I can present no evidence for? Is this what it means to be a god? To believe to your very soul that you are righteous and those who move against you are sinners?''

''Perhaps it is all gods who have foreseen their future and have done nothing to act upon it. Perhaps the curse we shall soon receive shall be a blessing onto them. A time without prayer, without sin, with retribution. The almighty beings shall find their peace and leave the worlds of man to their own devices. And in that time, there are those who must ascend to these positions of powers. Without leadership, guidance, wisdom and knowledge, there will only be despair, death and destruction. We must take the responsibility, the burden and the curse of caring for this world. We will make the hardest decisions in the face of certain death. We will sacrifice what we must to ensure the survival of all worlds. Because without the almighty beings, who will stand against the threats of humanity? Who will rise as the shield to protect Elysia?''

''If the Elysian pantheon is truly on the brink of its extinction, then we must be ready to take their place. We will falter, we will make mistakes and we will fail. But that is our curse. I have seen the downfall of pantheon, I have seen the downfall of the faith, I have seen the world that follows our abandonment.''

''Knowledge. Guidance. Wisdom. Leadership. These are the pinnacles of life. These shall be the foundations of the world we shall create. Under the watchful eyes of those who see the world protected, we shall defend the multiverse where deities have failed and refused. The weight of these demands may destroy us, turn us ash and push us into madness. That is our curse. I only hope the others are strong enough. I only hope that I am strong enough.''

We are not Gods.

We are Arcadia.