+ Fallacy, a 100themes Challenge +
Sarehptar
Theme: 12, Insanity
Characters: Kharl
Pairing: None
Warnings: Rambling
Need to Know Info: None
Title Provider: Everybody's Fool (Evanescence)
Perfect by Nature, Icons of Self-Indulgence
There is a feather fine line, someone once told him, between insanity and genius. He has lived under this saying for centuries, knows the truth in it and knows the lie in it. Garfakcy would tell him that there is no difference between his brand of genius and insanity—in fact, he wonders if the boy would call him a genius at all. They know each other too well, and he has learned that when one comes to understand a genius, there is nothing remarkable about them at all. Knowing, really knowing a genius is to find they are completely ordinary creatures with mouths that say what they want and minds that refuse to obey.
In the end, he decides, whether one is mad or is a genius depends on who is questioned. How many people would say his mind is twisted, would say his mind has been lost to the science of his art? He can think of a multitude of them, and rolls the names on his tongue. There is the Dragon Knight of Water, Rune, and his princess-mate, the sovereigns of a race he has virtually exterminated. If they do not think him mad, they must think him exceptionally cruel, and he knows they could never understand that death is a necessity if greater things are to be born. There is Rath and the Dragons in their peace-loving castle—but they only fail to understand him because a lack of love between them limits coexistence.
Perhaps Lykouleon, on his cold throne, does not think the Alchemist, in his cold castle, has fallen into insanity. Kharl blinks in the darkness, and wonders if this could be true. Lykouleon, who knows that sacrifices must be made, Lykouleon who plays life like a game of chess (where every piece is slightly more precious than they should be), Lykouleon who knows sorrow and betrayal… Kharl thinks for a moment that they could understand each other—it does not make him hate the man any less.
Was it madness to slaughter faeries to create a demon? Was it genius to transform such purity into a creature capable of building souls—was it genius to create a creature with which to play God? Was it madness to throw himself in his enemies' keep; was it genius to service his own whims and slip among them so undetected?
Kharl turns the white quill feather over in his pale hand, admiring its blue sheen in the moonlight. There is a feather fine line, someone once told him, between insanity and genius. He has lived under this saying for centuries, knows the truth in it and knows the lie in it. There is a line between insanity and genius—but it is so much finer than a feather. The line between genius and madness is not straight; it is far less corporeal than this shimmering blue fletched edge in the moon rays.
It is thin enough that even he, sometimes, cannot tell the difference.
Review Reply:
Random Irony: The entire story was in italics because it was a memory, yes. As far as the indication for such, the theme for that challenge was "Memory". XD The themes are listed at the top of the author's note/intro thing, and they can be really helpful for establishing the setting/conditions of the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
