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Fate is a funny thing.
No really.
Of all the places that Menter expected to find Kori in, this was at the very bottom of that list. Actually it wasn't even on that list. Imash was so far removed from any of his expectations, honestly that alone should've made him consider it.
Fate was funny like that.
"Did you come here to mock me?
Such harsh words. Had Kori always been so prickly? Menter can't really remember. Though he thinks that it's reasonable. Fresh wounds and all that.
He wonders, is this how Kori had felt when he watched him run into the tunnels?
Probably not.
Kori wasn't Menter after all. And that was good. He can't imagine what it would've been like if Kori was even a portion as theatrical as he currently was. That mental image almost makes him wanna smile.
"To kill me?"
Kori's question isn't without reason. Most people would harbour at least a little bit of resentment against him for what he did. Many people did. And it would be a bold faced lie to say that Menter didn't hate him even just a little bit for what happened.
Kori's plan had been insane and selfish and egotistical. Menter isn't quite sure how on earth they even came up with something like that. And people tend to pay for insane plans with insane prices.
"Do you believe in coincidences, Kyol Koorien, of the Court of the Origin?"
Menter knows that none of this will make any amount of sense to Kori. Not until later. Not until Kori will stand on this planet again in the far far past where anything could still happen. Not until Menter isn't Menter yet and Kyol Koorien is no longer Kyol Koorien.
Hah… Time travel is such a messy thing.
"To mock me, then."
"Please, do not harbour hatred in your heart"
Hatred is an ugly thing. And Menter does hate Kori, just a little bit.
But the thing with this planet, with Imash, was that this was a place of mistakes.
Mistakes were made here. Many misakes. Countless even. Some might even call those unforgivable.
The council had made mistakes here.
Jagg had made mistakes here.
Menter - Phil - had made mistakes here.
Regardless of how guilty they had been for those actions and their consequences, mistakes were made. Horrible, terrible mistakes that were paid with in countless lives.
Kori has also made mistakes. Mistakes that might be unforgivable to some.
"Hatred's roots grow unseen and rot all they touch"
Kyol Koorien of the Court of the Origin is a war criminal.
He is responsible for the death of Aikel Eile, for the death of Shiaikel Tarani, for the countless lives that were taken in the aftermath of his mistake,
By all means Menter, Aikel Menter, has no reason to trust him. He has no reason to help this man that got one of his best friends killed.
He should have him arrested. Or maybe even kill him right here. Maybe he should mock this man that thought that bridging the Source Light would not have disasterous consequences.
"No need to chase what's gone, to indulge in regret or revenge"
But people can learn from mistakes.
"bear the name of your clan and-"
And here is the thing with "Menter".
"Don't lose the kidness that helped you be born"
This was not a name of hate.
This was not a name that called for grudges or demanded retribution.
Phillip Maxwell - Phillan Thi Menter was a child of this world.
He was a child born with the wish for a bright peaceful future, one free of the invasive roots of hate.
And so, Menter does not hold onto that hate.
He lets it go.
He crushes the seed of hatred before it can take root.
Menter extends a hand to a man that made bloody mistakes. Menter extends a hand to a man that has lost everything dear to him. Menter extends a hand to the man that will become the one that said these words to him.
For Menter was the legacy of the future.
For Menter was the legacy of kindness.
For Menter was the legacy of love.
"A wise man once told me that woos don't lie."
(You once told me that woos don't lie.)
He doesn't understand. He won't understand for a long time. But that is alright. One day Kori will understand.