Ascendance: The Rebirth Of The Unknown Gamer

That said, it was not as if he believed in fate, he simply believed that there was no meaning in what others think and feel.

It was impossible to truly read someone's mind and emotions, so it was likewise impossible to prove that they are real.

'Since this is so, why would it matter if they are or not, I am Me, and I shall remain Myself regardless of who they think I am.'

Were Aura's thoughts on the matter.

He was a logical person who followed his emotions.

He was very human.

As a child he had always spent his time thinking 'what if?', but as he grew and saw more of the world, he realized that it didn't particularly matter so long as he was enjoying himself.

There was no point in contemplating the meaning of life while one could simply be having fun.

That said, there was nothing 'fun' for him to do.

There was nothing that could catch his interest.

So instead of going out and having fun, he continued his contemplation.

He came to several conclusions.

'The problem with this world is humanity, who destroys everything they touch in order to remake it in their image.'

'The ideal government is a true theocracy, one ruled by an absolute, benevolent deity, who will continue to rule for all eternity.'

'All the problems afflicting this world of humans can be solved by the extermination of humans.'

None of his conclusions were particularly functional solutions to any actual problems, but they were the foundation of his final conclusion:

'This world is a failure.'

He came to this conclusion after noting the spread of humanity and the race's effects on the world itself, as well as humans.

The continued strive for peace and comfort had led humans to eradicate all things that could be considered threats, illness, predators, age, and had continued to erase all things that might harm them.

Without threats, they had begun to create their own, but they still overcame these and even when the planet they lived on began to die, the looked towards a solution.

To put things simply, the moment the struggle for survival ceased to be for humans, the meaning of their existence was lost.

It was best compared to a book or a journey, where the moment it is finished, it no longer means anything.

Some may enjoy looking back upon them or perhaps reading them again, but that initial experience will never return.

The ending of a story is the ending, once it is put into existence, the story is complete, and thus does not need to have existed in the first place.

Certainly its existence changed the world around it, but because that world will end, it having been changed is meaningless.

This was why Aura feared death so much.

He didn't fear dying, he feared the invalidation of his existence.

What meaning would his life have had if there was nothing after death?

No matter how great of a person he was, the changes he could bring to the world would not mean anything after that world ceased to be.

That was why he tried so hard to enjoy the beauty of the world around him, because at least if he died and there was no afterlife, he would have at least tried to seek joy within his life.

To put things more simply, Aura d.e.s.i.r.ed immortality to escape the fact that his life had no inherent meaning.

At least if he was immortal, he could give his own life meaning without having to worry about the deadline ahead of him.

It should be noted that the greatest mistake Aura had ever made was rooted in his tendencies towards pessimistic thoughts and contemplation of life's meaning.

His greatest mistake was so great that few would ever understand it.

It was simply so fundamental that it would make many cry if they ever noticed it.

Aura's life wasn't a story, at least to him.

That was his mistake.