Jade didn't feel compelled to call out Palitutu's moral failings. He had no right to it, anyway. He'd planned the same thing as her in the other future the Sage had shown them -- so very convinced that his way was the only correct option to take. Always so caught up in his own "genius"...
Well. If his brain really was good for anything, now was the time to put it to work. Their discussions so far hadn't led them to any ideas that Palitutu hadn't shot down. The answer had to be elsewhere.
Forget about defeating the Calamity for a minute. What else was there?
Jade was quiet for a while, brows furrowed in thought. Then he pushed back his glasses and faced Palitutu. Maybe... This might be completely insane, but it wasn't as though they weren't backed in a corner already...
"I can't help noticing you didn't answer my question. But I suppose that's fine. If you'd indulge me for a moment?"
Jade's tone was light, as if he was simply settling in for a friendly debate. The relaxed but firm posture hid the fact he was more or less making this up on the spot.
"The root of all our problems is the First Crystal lacking the energy to sustain this world. Even if we locate the Crystal, I doubt any energy we could give it would be enough. However," he tapped his chin, "there is one thing we know to possess an immense amount of spiritual energy, worth far more than a single world. I'm of course talking about the Calamity itself -- the mass of broken worlds trapped in the Rift."
He didn't stop to see how others reacted to this. Arms folding, Jade went on.
"The obvious problem is the Calamity's nature. As you've said yourself, it's not a malevolent entity so much as desperate to become whole again. Letting it into the planet's cycle of souls is out of the question as things stand now -- it would simply devour Crystallis out of instinct.
"Which is why we'd need to seek out the remaining Avatars. If anything can make the Calamity as a whole to hold back its base instincts, it would be them. Rather than allow the Calamity to consume the First Crystal, we can do the opposite -- convince it to let itself be absorbed by the Crystal. This way, the Crystal would have more than enough energy to revitalize, and the shattered souls inside the Calamity would be freed and return into a normal cycle of souls. Become a part of a whole world again."
Jade paused. There were a lot of what-ifs in this idea, which Palitutu would no doubt notice too. But as uncertain as the plan was, it was still a plan.
"I don't expect you to know whether this is feasible at all. There's probably no one in this world who could know. That is precisely why we need more time -- to learn exactly how much influence the Avatars have on the Calamity." Jade's hands went back in his pockets as he held Palitutu's gaze. "If this turns out to be a dead-end, then restarting the cycle may be the only way left. But until I'm proven wrong, I have no intention of settling for the last resort."
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Well. If his brain really was good for anything, now was the time to put it to work. Their discussions so far hadn't led them to any ideas that Palitutu hadn't shot down. The answer had to be elsewhere.
Forget about defeating the Calamity for a minute. What else was there?
Jade was quiet for a while, brows furrowed in thought. Then he pushed back his glasses and faced Palitutu. Maybe... This might be completely insane, but it wasn't as though they weren't backed in a corner already...
"I can't help noticing you didn't answer my question. But I suppose that's fine. If you'd indulge me for a moment?"
Jade's tone was light, as if he was simply settling in for a friendly debate. The relaxed but firm posture hid the fact he was more or less making this up on the spot.
"The root of all our problems is the First Crystal lacking the energy to sustain this world. Even if we locate the Crystal, I doubt any energy we could give it would be enough. However," he tapped his chin, "there is one thing we know to possess an immense amount of spiritual energy, worth far more than a single world. I'm of course talking about the Calamity itself -- the mass of broken worlds trapped in the Rift."
He didn't stop to see how others reacted to this. Arms folding, Jade went on.
"The obvious problem is the Calamity's nature. As you've said yourself, it's not a malevolent entity so much as desperate to become whole again. Letting it into the planet's cycle of souls is out of the question as things stand now -- it would simply devour Crystallis out of instinct.
"Which is why we'd need to seek out the remaining Avatars. If anything can make the Calamity as a whole to hold back its base instincts, it would be them. Rather than allow the Calamity to consume the First Crystal, we can do the opposite -- convince it to let itself be absorbed by the Crystal. This way, the Crystal would have more than enough energy to revitalize, and the shattered souls inside the Calamity would be freed and return into a normal cycle of souls. Become a part of a whole world again."
Jade paused. There were a lot of what-ifs in this idea, which Palitutu would no doubt notice too. But as uncertain as the plan was, it was still a plan.
"I don't expect you to know whether this is feasible at all. There's probably no one in this world who could know. That is precisely why we need more time -- to learn exactly how much influence the Avatars have on the Calamity." Jade's hands went back in his pockets as he held Palitutu's gaze. "If this turns out to be a dead-end, then restarting the cycle may be the only way left. But until I'm proven wrong, I have no intention of settling for the last resort."