Contemplations

The sensations were familiar to Itsuki by this point. 

The small pool of water, the golden radiance, and the eerily omnipresent dragon that sat a few yards away from him. 

"A coward, am I?" Bahamut mused. "Belittling your patron in such a manner doesn't carry much wisdom, now does it?"

"I think you and I both would prefer to skip the polite antics," Itsuki admitted. "I need to figure out what to do next. It feels as if this situation is all sorts of messy..."

"You think that I'm going to provide you assistance in the matter?"

"No, that's not what I thought, actually. Even if you just sit there in silence or ask random questions, it won't matter to me. I need a place to ponder and think out loud..."

"I see," Bahamut growled, irritation filling the void around them. "You believe my domain is just some tool for your amusement, boy?"

"What I believe is that I'm playing a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with another deity. Her presence is everywhere in Evermere, just like your presence is everywhere in this space. I don't know what I'm up against. Can she read my thoughts and sense my emotions? The safest choice, and wisest choice, was to go somewhere that would be the least likely to be under her influence. That place, for me, is here."

The dragon took in Itsuki's words. After listening, the irritation in the air seemed to fade. It was replaced with a different feeling - almost like a small curiosity or piqued interest. 

"An interesting strategy," Bahamut admitted. "You're quite cautious of that girl from the old world, it seems."

"Oddly enough, Amane is the most trustworthy person I know from my world. That's why it's so intriguing to me that I'm so suspicious..."

Itsuki began pacing back and forth in the water. He didn't wait for Bahamut to speak, he simply began recalling facts for his own analysis. 

"No matter how it's sliced, that meeting was rigged. Not only did she suggest that the Goddess get married to some outsider, but she suggested it as a way to draw the Directive's aggression towards Evermere. If it were any normal 'council' meeting, I feel like at least one advisor would've spoken up to disagree or at least express caution. That wasn't what happened at all, though. Either Amane has surrounded herself with zealous 'yes' men, or they had preemptively met and planned on that course of action."

"You don't think that perhaps they're just all unanimous in their thinking?" Bahamut questioned. 

"Maybe they do all see eye-to-eye, but I don't think their unified philosophy is 'risk Evermere'. That guard that flagged us down when we approached. He noted without hesitation that they drove away and killed outsiders who would try to enter. It wasn't because he was malicious, it was cultural. Also, when Yuna and I went on our date, there was no real mention of the outside world at all. Everyone seemed content with the idea that Evermere was all there was, and everyone outside could be left to their suffering."

It was a drastic mindset shift that Itsuki was pondering. Could Evermere truly go from 'screw outsiders' to 'protect them all' just like that? Doubtful - he expected there was some ulterior motive at play. 

He turned his attention towards Bahamut. 

"I have a question I'd like to humor you with," he called out. "If I were to be killed, what would your retaliation be?"

"Do you feel that I would have any remorse for your death, little one?"

"For me, no," Itsuki admitted. "But if I were to be killed due to my own foolishness, I don't think you'd bat an eye. But if I was murdered... specifically to prevent your judgment from being carried out. Would you just sit there and let that transpire?"

Bahamut's initial response was not words, but a terrifying grin. Itsuki shivered at his expression - it was almost unnecessary to hear his answer. 

"If anyone or anything believes they can delay my judgment...then they will be thrown into chaos the likes of which they've never known!"

The entire void rumbled with his words, confirming his passion for the idea. 

"I expected no less," Itsuki continued. "In that case, we have an outsider from the Fallen Lands who cannot be controlled or disposed of, despite the Goddess' omnipresence and vast powers within Evermere. As the Judge, this outsider single-handedly holds the key to the future of the Cataclysm. A Cataclysm which may - or may not - be able to extend over Evermere itself under the right conditions. Amane knows this. Amane also knows me and how I felt about her back home."

"Unite together under marriage and manipulate the threat with emotional connection," Bahamut surmised. "That is what you suspect?"

"Precisely!"

It seemed very reasonable, and Itsuki could see how Amane would land on such a plan. It was a bit underhanded, and under normal circumstances he might have felt some sense of betrayal. This had been her home for the past four years, however, and the Goddess likely had quite the influence on Amane's mind. 

She was acting in self-preservation. Itsuki couldn't be mad about that, regardless of the circumstances. 

"The other large unknown quantity is this 'Directive' that she keeps bringing up. They never got mentioned in Brightmoor or Velmoria, but perhaps they didn't even know about the threat. Perhaps Evermere is the only one that knows about the Directive because of the power and knowledge that Evermere has at its disposal..."

Itsuki's monologuing stopped at that notion, his brain locking onto a particular word...

--Knowledge

Evermere, a city at this caliber, must have access to untold amounts of knowledge. Amane had even mentioned learning about the Judge through records that were here. If Evermere had a vast collections of tomes and scrolls that could provide more information...

"It seems you're starting to think more along the lines of a Chosen of Wisdom..." Bahamut chimed in. "I wouldn't be so excited, though. The Goddess will likely sense your scheme long before you utter any words. If she's as cautious about you as you suggest, then she won't just hand over their archives for nothing. Unless, of course, you do intend to marry her?"

Itsuki thought about it for a moment. He thought about marrying Amane, a girl he had felt so in love with back home. The thought was almost blissful - it was all he had hoped for back then. 

Now, however, there were other factors at play. It wasn't just how much Amane had changed, nor was he sure what would come of marrying this Goddess. He also thought of Yuna, and it pained him to betray her so blatantly. 

"What's the matter, boy? Emotions are often the antithesis of wisdom, you know?"

"The antithesis of logic, maybe, but not wisdom..." Itsuki boldly corrected. "Knowing when to trust your plan, versus when to trust your gut, is the highest level of wisdom I can think of."

He and the dragon stared each other down briefly. Despite his 'correction' of Bahamut, there was none of the typical malice in the air that Itsuki would've expected. Perhaps the dragon already knew that Itsuki was on the right path. 

"I'm ready to go back," Itsuki finally called out. "I have a plan. It's a risky one, and it may cost me everything...but it's my best chance if I'm going to outwit a god."