Salem, Mistress of Inquisition – Side Stories.
Ep 3: The student of the Sigilitte.
28th Millenium. Himalazia Mountain Chain.
Inside the cold mountains of Terra. Far from the hustle and bustle of the Techno-barbarian kingdoms.
There is a palace inside a snow-capped mountain, an underground palace, containing countless knowledge from ancient times.
The guardian is Malcador the Sigilitte, a thousand-year-old man from an older and more glorious age of Humanity, now completely forgotten.
But for several years now, he has been accompanied by a student, also a millennial woman but whose experience is still that of a young girl barely emerging from dementia and mourning, prey to countless questions. Her name is Salem, a woman from nowhere.
It's been almost 5 years since Salem, since the attack of Lutetia's Bloodthirster, has been trying to understand the world around her.
Malcador could see that Salem was still unsure of her role, although having learned much about the history of Humanity, she understood nothing of the thinking of the Earthlings. Due to the fact that it is the result that the Earthlings were born from Terra itself when it was still alive and not from gods from the depths of the universe.
This discomfort was present and it bothered the Immortal in addition to undermining her already fragile self-confidence despite her remission.
Thus, for Malcador, it was high time to teach his student the philosophy of Old Terra so that Salem would have a new look at the world and be more confident.
It was on a blizzard day outside that he decided to teach her philosophy.
That day, it was a curious Salem who was reading the treaty of alliance of the Aeldari and Men written at the beginning of the 15th millennium, at the very beginning of the Age of Technology.
Salem: "How could such an alliance fall into oblivion... it's sad."
She closed the book before putting it away. She got up from the table before heading off into the library halls, thoughtful and confused.
Seeing all the extremely complex wars, conflicts, and politics between humans for millennia. Salem always asked himself the same question: Why? Why conflicts are present even during the Technological Age why so much hatred and distrust even for trivial things. Could it be that in the absence of gods, men could reveal their dark sides? Could it be that his crime revealed to his fellow men that they would be capable of great things, both good and bad?
She asked herself these kinds of questions during her hours of solitude but always ended up putting them aside from her thoughts, telling herself that there was no point in thinking about them because she had other important things to do.
She joined Malcador who was walking towards her.
Malcador: "I was looking for you Salem. Come with me."
Salem blinked, when Malcador asked her something, it was always important.
Salem: "Yes, master."
Salem followed Malcador without asking questions, it was a habit.
Malcador arrived in a large, soberly decorated room with a table and two chairs placed side by side. Books were placed on the table.
Malcador sat in the right seat and Salem in the left.
Salem: "What should I learn today?"
Malcador: "It's high time you must learn philosophy."
Salem's eyes widened.
Salem: "Philosophy?"
Malcador: "Exactly, it's time to do it for you."
Salem: "I'm not sure..."
Malcador: "Why not?"
Salem looked at Malcador for a moment before looking at the books.
Salem: "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think. I don't know what side to take, what decision to make, I'm stuck everywhere. And philosophy risks making me even more confused."
Malcador: "Of course, but you can find a way out. Philosophy is the education of wisdom and understanding. Separating literature and philosophy is idiotic at best, even dangerous at worst."
Salem: "Really?"
Malcador: "Yes, literature and philosophy have tenuous but real connections. We often learn the philosophy of life through literature. This was the case in my youth. It allowed me to fully enter into these philosophical books as old as the world. Thus, we can differentiate educational literature, leisure literature from rags who think they are intelligent by writing 3000 pages of contradictory and inapplicable remarks. Do you understand that?"
Salem: "Hm... yes."
Malcador: "Now you will read this."
He took a book and put it in front of Salem, this book was that of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Things to one's self", also called "Meditations."
Malcador: "This is the first book. It will teach you the values of stoicism. It the homage of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius to his masters."
Salem: "But what is the stoicism?"
Malcador: "This is the teaching of personal ethics influenced by logical and views to the natural world. This teach you to accept the moment and not be overwhemeld by desire, pleasure, fear and pain. Understand the world and doing you part in the world. Health, richness and pleasure are neutral. What is important to make a good life, for stoicism, you have to understand natural order. And separate what it's depend from you and what is not…"
Salem was silent, not wanting to say otherwise.
Malcador: "I will let you read. You need it."
Malcador leaves the room and Salem alone. Salem looks at the book and after hesitation. She decided to read.
Page after page, Salem was discovering more and more truth about the world thought stoicism. She realises that "Meditation" it was the book she needs. It was written millennias ago. But it was these quotes from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius were universal and even after millennias, it what still relevant.
She read all the book and began to read the IInd and IIIrd book, talking about death. The old age thinking, the time passing have the beginning of urgent need to do the greater good, in harmony with nature and others, without fearing the death conceived has an evil to compromise the harmony and ethic quality. Exploring the possibility of stable community. The finality is living by nature and virtue, living thought experience of event who comes by nature. Because nature is part from the universe.
The IVth book are meditations on death and the ephemeral nature of life. A protreptic climate and work about antagonism between life appearance and life of wisdom. The method is meditation of doctrine associated with the necessity with memorisation of precepts like disjunction, argumentation by disjunction between atoms and providence. Proposing opposite and independent arguments to reinforcing a thesis.
The Vth is the matinal thinking, the life who is think like concept and concrete environment. The cosmology principal with active cause and passive eternal return.
The VIth book is the most important because this is the main view of stoicism of Marcus Aurelius. The first dogma is the good or evil are moral and axed on the will on the Man and what depends from him. The rest doesn't depend from him. The second dogma it the principal directive, the Universal Reason who produce the beings and events on rational plan. The life rules of three domains of human existence, who the man does, sudden and think. What he receives from nature doesn't depend from him. From these domains of human life has life rule. In action life, you have treated others with true love and goodwill as in society. You have to accept the events of Universal Reason.
The VIIth book present two themes who dominates it: nature with patience precept and act with righteousness.
The VIIIth book present life reasonable life expectations.
The IXth, Xth and XIth books present small chapters and repeats from other books. The physical importance is shown in these books.
The last book, the XIIth, this is recapitulation of "Where grace is, there is peace."
Salem finishes the book and was stunned from what she read. Now, Salem has a better understanding of her world and feels her body lifted from a weight.
For the next days, she takes her time to assimilate these views of stoicism and began to trust herself a lot more unlike the past.
Malcador was delighterd to see a Salem was trusting herself more.
Months have passed and Malcador and Salem were on a plateau. Salem's face was serious, her hair was attached in two braids and she wore an martial art clothes. Malcador on his side has still his cape.
Malcador: "Are you ready for this exercice?"
Salem: "More than anything…"
Malcador: "Good, because I will not restrain myself this time."
He removes his cape, revealing his shirtless form, wearing a white pant. Despite having a millenias of age, with very long white hair and a wrinkled face. Malcador has an athlete shape, with Dry muscles, and abs.
[Theme: Metal Gear Rising OST: Senator Amstrong vs Raiden Theme Music].
Malcador: "Ready or not Salem. Here I come!"
He rushed to Salem, Salem stops his fist but he strikes a kick to her, sending her to the sky. She stops herself in the sky, before coming back at greatest speed. She attacks with everything she got but her fists and her kicks were stopped by Malcador.
Malcador: "Not bad! This is better than last time; you haven't forgotten my techniques!"
Salem: "In fact, I have even learned a few things from it!"
She managed to strikes a blow to Malcador before chaining him with her burning fists, she received an uppercut from him, sending her a few meters away. Malcador wipes is blood from his lips and before smiling.
Malcador: "You managed to hurt me… good. It's up to me to show you a little spice in the fight!"
Salem sees Malcador bulking up and gaining more muscles and thickness. She stands up and takes a pose. (Note: Goku poses in Saiyan's Saga).
Salem crashed her feet inside the ground before propelling herself to Malcador to a great speed. Malcador catches her fists but she doesn't restrain herself by launching powerful fist against Malcador body.
Malcador strikes her back to the sky before flying to her. Salem throws a barrage of magic balls to him but Malcador pierce through like nothing before striking his fist to her face, sending her backwards to the mountain behind her.
Salem seeing that Malcador is winning, clench her fists and began to scream.
Salem: "AAAAAAGHHHH !"
A great yellow aura surrounds her body before she flies to her master with a so much greater speed that she manages to strike a devastating blow to him before chain him everywhere.
Salem (between breaths): "I am… not… restraining myself… as… you… can… see… Master !"
She kicks Malcador gut, sending to a mountain, he crashes inside digging a great hole inside of it. The Mountain explodes, revealing a Malcador covered a golden aura, with his eyes shining to a gold color.
Malcador: "Let's see, to what you can go!"
Malcador and Salem rushed themselves against each other, fighting a merciless fight against each other. Sending each other flurry of fists, of kicks. Before going apart and sending their psychic and magic attack.
Salem enjoys it so much, the psychic power, since this is opposite of magic. Psychic could actually hurt her; she feels the pain of the fight. Each session of fight between her and Malcador remind her the physical pain and adrenaline she has missed so much. And so, she doesn't restrain herself to do it.
She strikes a powerful punch to Malcador but it does nothing to him and he replicated with a punch to her face, shattering her nose and sending her meters away. Malcador stops himself and see Salem's nose regenerating itself. And could see that Salem has an expression of euphoria.
Salem (euphoric tone): "This is so good… This pain… Each time I fight with you. I can feel it… I still couldn't get over the fact that I am a bit masochistic…"
Malcador: "Don't be overwhelmed by it. A lusty student can't do anything."
Salem: "I know… You teach me to restrain myself… I won't exceed it…"
Malcador: "Then let's go again!"
The two rushed each other and began to kicks with fists again with violence.
After a moment of intense fight. Salem strikes Malcador and send him meters away. Salem joined her hands before her and a ball dark magic formed between her hands and overflows it.
Salem: "I have conserved my deadliest attack just for you Master. I hope you enjoy it…"
Malcador could see Magic attack whose Salem is preparing, with a serious expression on his face.
Salem: "Don't avoid it. I challenge you to restrain it with your own hands!"
Malcador: "… Very well."
Salem smiled and after the ball of magic reached the size of a watermelon.
Salem: "TAKE THAAAAAAAT !"
She launched a big laser of magic to Malcador that him. But for her surprise, the Malcador blockaded her blast with ease with his hands filled with psychic power.
Salem: "What?"
Malcador: "You are progressed but I am a lot stronger than you think. I have a bit lied about my true power; you forced me to use a bit more of it. But it still much more to achieved."
He displayed his psychic force, sending a blast who vaporise the Magic blast and pushed Salem to the mountain, she crashed hard to the wall. Her martial art clothes were half ripped, displayed the upper-half of her body and a bit of her legs. She feels pain everywhere and it was too much this time, even if her body healed. She still feels an intense pain and cannot move her body.
Salem: "Oooooh… This is… is… oooh… by the… Twins…"
Malcador levitate to her, a bit worried.
Malcador: "Are you okay? I think I put too much power…"
Salem: "I cannot… move… my body… If I move… ouch! This hurt me…"
Malcador takes Salem on his shoulder and flies to the palace. He enters it and lied her down to the bed of Salem's room.
Salem: "Hmmm… That's better… I am feeling better…"
Malcador: "Are you sure? I think I used too much…"
Salem: "I have also… used too much… (stirred a little), I know the risks… but I'll go along with it… Because we have to take risks, right?"
Malcador: "Hm… Just get some rest. My lesson is finished today."
Salem: "Okay…"
Malcador leaves the room when Salem falls asleep by exhaustion caused by the Psychic pain.
End of the episode.