"Where do I begin…"
Itvasme sighed, as she tidied herself up after everything that had happened and sat elegantly on the side of Zhang Lu's bed.
"It was just the two of us in the beginning. My brother and I. We grew up with very little.
"We lost our parents early on, and had to fend for ourselves to survive. It wasn't easy, and we almost lost our lives… the cruelty of which people are capable…" she shuddered at the memory.
"We… don't have to continue if it's too painful…" Zhang whispered.
Itvasme shook her head.
"Power truly corrupts people. Humans are capable of great evil… and there are some things that are worse than death…"
She let the silence hang, before continuing.
"That was when we discovered Dark Rizzardry, given to us by an old person…"
Zhang Lu gasped, whilst the readers raised their eyebrows. They were beginning to see a pattern!!!
"He gave us the manual of Dark Rizz... and It was literally, magical. Like a superpower… "
"All of a sudden, with the help of the Dark Rizzard's manual, we began to improve our situation… We began to gain power. Influence.
"Through our dark charm, we cultivated an aura of mystery, of power…
"Yes, we got revenge, but it was do or die…"
"Should we have given up? Should we have accepted our fate?"
She said angrily.
Zhang Lu didn't know what to say.
"At the same time, as we witnessed and experienced the dark sides of Humanity, my brother and I responded in different ways…"
"My brother was naturally drawn to the Yang side of the Dark Rizzard ways, whilst I was drawn to the Yin…"
"I-I see." This was likely how Itvasme was able to transition so successfully from a boy to a girl!
"In short, Dark Rizzardry… saved me."
Itvasme said quietly. "It gave me, gave us both, the tools to survive in a world that would have devoured us in every way…"
Her delicate hands gripped the sheets, and Zhang was filled with an urge to comfort her.
"You want to hold me? Don't. Not without my permission."
Itvasme said matter-of-factly as her eyes narrowed.
Her cold style simply made Zhang increasingly attracted to her, but he swallowed down what she gave him… that is, that piece of information regarding the importance of consent and respecting other's boundaries, regardless of even good intentions on your own part.
It was Zhang Lu's turn to speak.
"Itvasme… I-I don't know what to say. Thanks for enlightening me. I-I want to help you. So that's why you want to promote Dark Rizzardry?"
"To give those that have been dealt a harsh hand in life, those that are powerless… to give them a chance to survive…"
"That was what that old person, our Teacher, gave us. Power. Knowledge. Opportunity. A chance…"
"That's why we joined the Dark Rizzard Alliance. To give others, the many others like us in the world… a chance! To show them the truth of this world."
What should Zhang Lu do?
On one hand, he now understood where Itvasme was coming from.
At the same time, some of the things that Dark Rizzardry promoted, manipulation, deception, lies, looking out for number one… treating others like chess pieces in a game to be played… was it really justifiable?
"It's a lot to take in… Zhang Lu said, after seeing the sheer size of the issues that Itvasme was presenting - it was truly a large package of problems that she was pushing forward, slowly entering... his mind. I- I need time to get used to it… slowly. Please be patient with me…" he said.
Itvasme nodded. Even the author was… coming around to using the right words to better describe the tense predicament.