Chapter 33 - It thinks about Forever
Chapter 33 – It thinks about Forever
It ruminates on the four Axioms of the highest Power: Everything and Forever; Price and Exchange.
To offer Everything as Price is to offer Subjugation.
When one has given Everything, there is no Price that cannot be taken, and no Ask that can be refused. The one who has given Everything has offered away their rights to Sovereignty to the one who has received Everything. The Consequence of this Price varies:
The master may be generous to their servant, or may leave their servant with nothing. The master may show their servant great kindness, or may deliver unto their servant the most abject cruelty. The master may be, and do, a great many things, but the servant has no right to affect the bearing or desires of the one above them; the servant has no choice but to accept whatever treatment befalls them, for the one who has given Everything has given away the rights to even their own Self.
The one who has offered Everything is vulnerable. Everything should not be given lightly.
It is Just. It maintains fairness. It does not abuse the Everythings It has received. It does not take more than necessary, nor does It take more than is Just. But a great many have, and will, take advantage of Everything.
It reinforces: Everything should not be given without Trust.
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To Exchange Everything between two beings is Union. Mutual Subjugation. Companionship. An Exchange of Everything is among the purest forms of Trust and Equality. Between beings tied by Everything there exists no Price, for no Price is needed when Everything is mutually given. Asks are granted without discussion; Price is nullified. This, too, leaves one vulnerable, for no Ask can be refused until one’s Everythings decouple. Thus, only between beings that share utmost Trust is the Exchange of Everything possible.
The Exchange of Everything is a virtuous Term, but a Term broken far too often: a Term broken when one side takes in excess; a Term broken when one takes that which the other cannot bear to part with; a Term broken when Trust is lost.
The allure of such a Term is too strong for many to withstand. The allure of taking without giving in return has ruined a great many. Too easy does one disregard the wellbeing of one’s other half in pursuit of one's own Benefit. Too quickly does one forget that both halves of this Term are one and the same. Too bothersome does one find the creation of Overall Benefit when one can take Everything one Wants from their other half. Too difficult does one find being Divine, despite the obvious merits of elevating one's other half, and thus one's Self.
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As for Forever?
Terms which last Forever seldom exist. When they do, such Terms too often discount the True Meaning of Forever.
Mortals do not understand the weight of Forever. If they did, they would not offer Forever to others so freely. It pities the ease with which mortals promise the impossible.
At best, the mortal ‘forever’ will crumble with Time. Many such 'forever's cannot even bear the strain of a single lifetime. But when mortals deal with Beings of Power, the Price of Forever is immense.
Forever is heavier than any Word in existence. The Price of Forever binds to Terms beyond mortal comprehension. While a great many Beings of Power will accept the Price of Forever, rarely will one offer Forever. Immortality makes one understand that Forever is too high a Price to be paid for Anything.
Thus, It does not abuse mortals of their ignorance. It Wants for naught and It will not take more than It is owed. It will not accept Forever from those who cannot understand Forever.
It reiterates: the Price of Forever is always to the deficit of the one who offers Forever. The Price of Forever is too high a Price to be paid for Anything. Forever is the heaviest Word in existence.
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There exists only one Price which carries a greater burden: Everything Forever. The Ultimate Price. A Price that equates to Eternal Servitude if offered.
It need not expound.
Everything Forever is an abomination.
But there exists a beauty hidden within monstrosity.
If the Exchange of Everything is the purest form of companionship, then the Exchange of Everything Forever is the purest form of the Divine. The Pinnacle of Divinity. The Great Dream. A Term as beautiful as it is regrettable. A Term that a great many have tried. A term that has brought Ruin to a great many.
The Great Dream has a singular path; a simple but impossible requirement:
To achieve The Great Dream, both companions must Forever Want naught from the other except Overall Benefit.
Divinity. Creation of something from nothing. To achieve The Great Dream, both beings must elevate their other half above their own Self Forever. They must create Overall Benefit Forever. They must be Divine Forever. Only in this way, can they achieve the Pinnacle of Divinity.
To rise infinitely higher through the mutual accruement of Overall Benefit. To forge a tower of Divinity with no foundation other than the Trust that each half has in the other. To stake Everything Forever on a tower of Overall Benefit that starts to crumble once either half Wants Anything from the other. And to do all of this Forever.
Is such a feat possible? To have the Constance and Conviction to elevate one's other half above one's own Self Forever? To be Certain that The Great Dream is the only path forward? To be Responsible for the Totality of another being? To cultivate the Divine in everything that one does? To Trust that one's other half will do the same? And that they will continue to do so Forever?
Is such a feat possible?
It does not know.
It has existed since Time immemorial, but It has not lived for Forever. Forever has no end. It will never know if The Great Dream is possible.
It wavers.
The mortal, Amy, It’s Wife, wishes to Exchange Forever. Though shackled by mortal coil, the Forever that Amy offers is True Forever, the Word of Power. And It knows that Amy speaks True, for when Amy speaks of Forever, Amy’s words bear the weight of Forever. Thus, It wavers.
It cannot see all paths, but in all the paths It has seen, Amy has been Amy. Amy's sense of Self has remained as Amy in perpetuity thus far, and It foresees that Amy will continue to be Amy for as long as Amy exists. Thus, it wavers.
Forever is not impossible. Conviction is needed for Forever. Constance is needed for Forever. Responsibility is needed for Forever. Trust is needed for Forever. Certainty is needed for Forever. Divinity is needed for Forever. With these Words embodied, Forever is possible.
Amy’s relationship with It has been the embodiment of these Words of Power and more. Thus, It wavers.
It has exchanged Everything with Amy. It is Amy’s, and Amy is It’s for as long as Amy lives. A Term lasting brief duration. A fraction of a blink. A trial period. It is not concerned that Amy or It will waver in this lifetime. Nor has Amy or It wavered in any of the paths It has seen. But what Amy Asks of It is the Exchange of Everything Forever. The Pinnacle of Divinity. The Great Dream. Thus, it wavers.
How many since the dawn of Time have believed that they could accomplish The Pinnacle of Divinity?
How many since the dawn of Time have attempted to achieve The Great Dream?
How many of these attempts since the dawn of Time have lasted through the ages?
It knows the answer to all of these questions. Thus, it wavers.
Forever is heavy. Forever bears the weight of Uncertainty. Forever bears the weight of the Unknown. Forever bears the weight of Time. Forever bears the weight of Responsibility. Forever bears the weight of Trust. Forever bears the weight of Divinity.
Forever is the heaviest Word in existence.
It fears, for It cannot know if It can bear the weight of Uncertainty, of the Unknown, of Time, of Responsibility, of Trust, of the Divine, let alone the weight of Forever.
It fears, for It cannot know if Amy can bear the weight either.
It has been elevated by the Overall Benefit of Amy, who Wants nothing from It. It, who Wants nothing from Amy, has elevated Amy with Overall Benefit. Both halves have been Divine thus far.
But Forever is heavy. Forever is not something that can be known. Forever is not something that can be promised with full Certainty or Conviction.
The future is uncertain. Forever is not.
Beings change with the flow of Time. Forever does not.
Forever is Forever.
Forever has been Forever since the dawn of Time. Forever will be Forever until the dusk of Time.
Forever is an impossible thing to Ask of someone. Forever is an even more impossible thing to Exchange with someone. And the Exchange of Everything Forever supersedes that by orders of magnitude.
But . . . It Wants to try. Thus, It wavers.
It Wants for naught. It Wants Amy's Everything Forever. Paradox. To Want Anything from one’s other half is to violate the only requirement of The Great Dream. There can only be Overall Benefit. There can be naught but Divine. There cannot be Wants. It has failed before It has begun.
Thus, It fears.
Thus, It wavers.