Praise the Institution!

The sight of human blood had turned sickening, the razing of Earth to the ground making his heart ache. What was left was fear, despair, rage as the Old Institution slaughtered all in their path. Those who disobeyed, were put to death. Those who went against their ideals, were put to death. Those who fought against, those who loved humans, those who were innocent, those who were weak. All were dead, some by his hands. And he hated it, hated it with the passion of a thousand burning suns.

Oh how he wished he didn’t knew of the Old Institutions intentions when they first came to light! How he would have loved to remain blissfully ignorant to the death and despair! And yet, would he have felt the same as his old self if he hadn’t killed a human for the first time? Their expression of fear, pain, an innocent child watching while crying for their daddy, it tore into his mind and heart and left him shaking. But it was too late, the razing had begun and that girl soon met her end by his hands, not wanting her to suffer and not wanting to seem weak amongst his fellows.

He wanted to turn back time to when he pledged his loyalty to the Old Institution. Blind faith, blind hatred, was it worth it in the end? He didn’t know. But his heart was dying and he could only see blood on his hands, rather than the blue ink of his own body, as he washed and washed without purchase. Death and despair, was it worth it? He didn’t know.

The death of humans, the death of his own kind, was it really worth it in the end? He had become a general now, a leader amongst his people, but was it worth it? He couldn’t kill anymore, didn’t want to kill. Was it worth it? Was it all worth it? Bal could only weep as the days went on, silent, silent tears as he looked at the carnage his people wrought. Perhaps, if he had known, how alike he and the humans were, he wouldn’t have fallen for their lies…