Meanwhile, Levi and his friends had noticed the massive shitty situation those two teams had put themselves into the moment Levi’s echolocation picked up on the thunderous noise coming from the capital.
Although tens of kilometers separated them, he was capable of seeing everything that was happening in the capital, making his expression turn solemn.
"What have they done to awaken a Leviathan Class Beast and thousands of Corrupted... this is no laughing matter." Nurah uttered coldly, "Should we leave them to deal with the consequences of their own actions and sneak inside the pyramid?"
"I am down." Shia agreed indifferently, "They are bound to leave the site once they realize that there is no running away from them... this will save us the trouble of worrying about them picking up the plague at dawn... the less we are, the better in this situation."
"That’s not cool." Arthur frowned in disagreement, "At the end of the day, we are all humans and part of the same side... if we left them to suffer on their own, a day will come when Karma bites us in the ass."
"As much as I hate to agree with the Gorilla, he is right." Jojo shook her head, "I am not comfortable with the thought of not offering help to those in need... especially for those who tread on the same path as us... Namaste."
Neither Arthur nor Jojo had any intentions of turning their backs on them just because of what happened in the camp... although they weren’t likable at the start and had some frictions between them, they did put everything behind them in the bonfire and got closer.
They were technically competitors in the site, but still, Dominic insisted on offering assistance to each other when required since all they had was each other.
-What do you think, Jasmine?- Nurah asked for Jasmine’s opinion with simplified signs to get her point across.
Jasmine glanced at them for a moment and then at Levi... she shrugged and pointed her finger at their captain, seemingly telling them that she was fine with any decision he made.
Seeing this, everyone focused on Levi, who was left in deep thought... analyzing the best option to commit to, not the easiest, but the best one.
He knew that the easiest option was to change their trajectory and sneak inside the pyramid while letting both teams act as the distraction.
However, he also knew that they would provide vital assistance during their exploration of the pyramid and retrieving the Sun Amulet... they were told that the Dawn Phoenix was slumbering at its depths, and Levi had no clue if it possessed the same monstrous strength or not, but it would be much easier with eighteen of them than just six.
’Worse... if we left them on their own and forced them to use the dimensional gates to leave while we can provide help, Dominic won’t be pleased... especially if we had our asses kicked in the pyramid and were forced out of the site empty-handed too.’ Levi knitted his eyebrows, ’Most of the blame will be put on us, and we can’t afford to get on Dominic’s bad side when we still have plans to join the SAS Conference.’
Dominic had already stressed many times that they needed to act as a united front inside to ensure the retrieval of the Sun Amulet... they could compete over the treasures, sure, but only if the situation allowed it.
If any team was in deep trouble, it was their duty to assist them... although he hadn’t told them what would happen if they went against his wishes, Levi wasn’t interested in finding out... He would rather be on his good side so if he ever needed assistance with anything, he would still be an available option.
’Even if we want to help, how can we do it while ensuring our safety?’ Levi pondered, ’It’s not like they are trapped under a rock... they have a Leviathan and thousands of Corrupted behind them... this is no joke.’
Levi believed that under such a situation, their team might be excused if they decided to ditch them... after all, he could easily tell Dominic that they didn’t have what it took to handle the situation. If they were going to offer assistance, it might lead to having them also put in the same cursed situation, which might force them to retreat back to Earth.
This would conclude the exploration with nothing to show for it.
In simpler terms, the grounds were equal... there were both benefits and negatives in rescuing them while also having a foolproof excuse for Dominic if they didn’t, making the decision much harder to make.
"If there was a chance of them dying, we won’t hesitate to save them." Nurah remarked calmly, "But, if we got ourselves involved, nothing guarantees that we can succeed, which might end our exploration because of their mistakes."
"If it were us, I doubt any of them would have bothered to spend a second discussing our rescue... they would have ditched us in a heartbeat."
Shia nodded in support, understanding that both teams had a way out, which they were refusing to use... it shouldn’t be their problem to help them fix their mistake, especially not when it would have them putting their lives on the line.
"I disagree... Dreads might be an asshole, but he ain’t no coward." Arthur remarked sternly, "Consider me delusional, but I would rather see the light in their hearts than their darkness... we already have enough darkness around us."
"Nurah, Shia... I understand that you were raised in a cutthroat environment where logic tramples over emotions." Jojo sighed with a bitter smile, "But we can’t complain about the system when we are given the chance to contribute and ignore it."
"..."
"..."
Shia and Nurah went silent, grasping the meaning behind her words... humans constantly complained about one another, neglected to help those in need, carried more evil than good within them, and, more often than not, simply fell short of being decent human beings.
Yet, here they were... put in a scenario that encapsulated what it meant to be a human... put in a situation that gave them the choice of either being the good guys or the bad guys.
They didn’t hesitate to choose the latter, not thinking anything was wrong with their decision... In a sense, they were correct.
What would they get from offering their assistance to Tyrese’s and Evangeline’s teams besides putting their lives at risk? Thanks? Appreciation? Favors? They weren’t too enticing to have them risk their lives for others.
However, this was the crux of everything that was going to shit with humans as a race... what would I earn from doing this? A question that guided most of our lives from birth to death.
Worth.
Shia and Nurah didn’t notice it, but they had just put a value on Tyrese’s team and Evangeline’s team.
A value that was so low, it made them reject giving them a hand when considering the value of the second option... leaving them to act as the bait, the distraction.
"I understand where you are coming from as I also was like that in the past... but one of the quotes that helped me make the transition to a monk was a verse in a scripture called Dhammapada." Jojo narrated with her eyes closed and a soft tone, "Even when no fruit is seen, the wise do good... the good act done at cost is greater than a thousand done for gain... Namaste."
Hearing this, even Levi had his thoughts altered like he was struck by a lightning bolt... his mind went as still as a lake. Instead of hundreds of thoughts about whether to save them or not, he realized that he was thinking about this wrongly.
If he truly was a good person who was guided by his kindness, then he wasn’t being the best example of it... what he was doing, what he had been doing before, it wasn’t kindness.
He was choosing kindness when it suited him and forsaking it when it proved to have some downsides.
True kindness was to do good, always, every time, and regardless of what effect it would leave on his body, soul, or identity... as long as it was for the sake of goodness.
Hence, the reason the kindest souls were the most broken and the strongest of them all... for one to be truly kind, their life could never be an easy one since they decided to be kind all the time despite the negatives.
Anything else was nothing but rationalized decisions while having kindness slightly alter one’s decisions to keep the illusion alive... the illusion of being kind.
’Maybe I’m not as kind as I’ve always believed. Perhaps my rationality makes it impossible to be kind when I consider the consequences... maybe, I can’t be a truly kind soul when my path demands I play the devil too. But... I’m okay with that.’ Levi smiled softly. ’I’m okay with trying, even if it seems impossible. As long as I keep trying, as long as I don’t give up on my good side... I will be okay.’
Levi swiftly changed his approach to figuring out a way to handle the Leviathan and the sea of the Corrupted with minimal loses as much as it seemed impossible... he had to try, he just had to... for himself, for his brother, for his friends, and just for humanity.
Ash’Kral scoffed in silence at his decision, but he said nothing... for he understood, kindness was not a single decision, it was a series of tests put before one... a series that would only get tougher, and more cruel to one’s heart.
It was up to the person to either continue being tested for his eternal life to maintain his kindness and purity, or... be defeated by one of the tests and have his world view shifted once and for all.
’One day he will realize that kindness is a poison that slowly eats one’s soul and body away until the day they will be put before a test that demands their life as the ultimate price.’ Ash’Kral spoke indifferently to his friend, his mind swimming with scenes of the past, ’She chose to pay the price, and still, it led to nothing but pain for all against her wishes... they betrayed her, kindness betrayed her.’
’As I always say... Kindness is Death, and I will die on this hill.’ He uttered coldly.
’Ash’Kral... don’t be so hard on him... he is still young, they are all still children figuring out about themselves and their universe.’ The Titan smiled bitterly, ’A day will come when they will understand that kindness only works if everyone was... kind.’
’Otherwise, to be kind, is to keep giving always, and get nothing in return but suffering...’