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[He'll take in all of that without saying anything, just letting Kei talk without trying to interrupt him; Wesker's always been on the quieter side anyway, it's just kind of how he tends to be, though it's rather obvious that he is, in fact, listening to everything.

And once all of that is out there, he tips his head a little in acknowledgement; he more tha gets it, honestly.]

That's been the discussion I've had with people before, actually - whether those people in our memories are truly us and what their actions mean for us now, and how that relates to and impacts what we deserve in this life. It's an interesting topic, and the conclusion I've come to is largely the same as yours.

The memories I'm receiving simply give me more context with regards to the person I used to be; the person I am now is ultimately going to be the result of those memories coming to their logical conclusion. I don't believe myself to be changing into a different person, so much as I am coming to a full understanding of the person I've always been.

Happiness is a choice I've decided to pursue in this life; I didn't have the opportunity to in the life that I've been recalling.

[ It is good to know more people think as he does. He wonders what sort of memories that he will be receiving. His eyes dart to the side as he wonders if happiness is something that he could feel. The emptiness that he has felt is something that has plagued him for decades, but could he have memories of happiness in another life? Kei won't lie to himself in saying that he is not interested, but ultimately, he agrees with Wesker's point of view.

There is no changing into a different person. No one changes into someone different. Everyone is themselves. If they want to change, change always a slow and arduous task, but here they have the chance to simply have the experiences to become. They could become someone new, stay the same, or meld. But no one is never not themselves. ]

Not in the one that you're recalling... and not in the one that you've lived up to until now, either? I'm sorry that life has not been kind to you. I suppose I should have asked you more questions about yourself, or sought to find out more, but I didn't. [ A beat. ] There was no malicious intent behind my not asking. I didn't do it so that I wouldn't be closer to you. I didn't do it because I only wanted something from you, and did not desire to know you reasons for giving me anything so freely.

It wasn't out of fear or disgust of what I could find out. [ So what was it? ] It was that I didn't want you to find out anything about me. I have a set of obligations that I follow. If I probe into someone, I feel it only fair to have them probe back. Most don't seem to understand this, but [ And somehow his smile feels a little more genuine. ] you always felt like someone who would understand.

I felt Noah Isaacs would not like Kei Shigaraki, and so I decided business partners was best. But Albert Wesker seems like someone that I could talk to easily. Do you feel the same?

[You know what, this is weirdly fine. Wesker's always had a tendency to surround himself with people who enjoy hearing themselves talk, or at the very least those that need to hear themselves talk to sort out whatever's going on in their head. He's never been one of them - his thoughts remain where they belong - but that doesn't mean that he's disinterested in hearing the thoughts of those that are; this sort of discussion is different to what he's used to, but it's good. It isn't Jaeger's flippant behavior and it isn't Elda's probing, it's just an exchange of ideas in its bluntest sense and sometimes that's something that everyone kind of needs in their life.

...That said, Kei is still a fucking weirdo. But we're all fucking weirdos here, and when everyone is fucking weird, no one is.]

I won't disagree with that in the least.

[ He chuckles to himself, as he catches the joke. ]

But then, you don't believe that you're saved? Or still debating it? [ Kei gives a small jerk of his head to the side. ] Back on the app, you had mentioned that there are many that believe all of this will lead to salvation.

[ He hums. ] I don't know if happiness is the same as salvation for me. But I suppose I have prattled on enough. I called you here, but I also am curious about what you would like to talk about, too. [ He pulls his hands apart to gesture to the man. ] If we only speak on what I want to speak on, I fear you will be quite bored.

You would be surprised as to what bores me and what doesn't.

[Just saying.]

It's less that those who are on the app believe it, but more that it's a matter of Retrospec as a corporate entity seems to believe. Given that their entire premise seems to be based around the concept of rebuilding our worlds - worlds that have all been destroyed by some sort of cataclysmic event, to hear them tell it - they're arguing that their actions are literally going to provide salvation from ultimate destruction for every world represented here. Whether I agree with them or not is another matter; as for me, personally, my own salvation is well beyond my grasp - as well it should be, given the actions that I saw fit to take in my past life.

[The memories he's received have been hideous, it's a little impressive.]

Would I? Then, I hope to be surprised.

[ What does that mean? Don't ask -- monologue prepared. ]

I recall a young girl that I spoke to brought up the fact that we are the aliens of this world. Fascinating, really. You say it is because our worlds were destroyed and we were brought here? Reborn? [ He hums. ] It would seem what they wish to give us is a second chance. What is a world? If not its history and its people? If that is what they mean, I can understand their reasoning.

[ But the end of what Wesker says gives pause. ] Do you believe that Noah Isaacs could have been capable of what you are remembering, Albert Wesker?

Edited 2018-02-03 01:36 (UTC)

[He'll consider phrasing for a moment, regarding that; it won't take him long.]

Technically so. As I mentioned before, i don't believe myself to be becoming a different person, and as such it stands to reason that Noah Isaacs would be entirely capable of such things, given the means and the proper circumstances to lead into those actions.

However, possessing the capacity to commit atrocities doesn't mean that those circumstances would have ever come to pass, or that I would have had either the means or the desire. So it's not particularly a matter of yes or no - I can say easily that I wouldn't have acted in such a way in this life, but I can't say that I don't comprehend the actions taken in my past life. I don't condone them, naturally, and I believe firmly that I deserve to die for what was done back then. But I do understand, and I don't hate who I was in the past, nor do I claim myself to be inherently superior now. It is what it is.

[ He lightly taps the side of his face in thought. His fingers slide down to pinch his chin as he continues to mull over what is said. ]

I suppose I asked a rude question. No, not rude, but leading. All evil is within our means to do. No one is without evil. The only thing that keeps us from committing such is the fact that we are human. [ A beat. ] Angels know goodness and purity only. They can never know what evil is. Demons only know spite and sin. They can never know what goodness is. Humanity can experience both and decide which they wish to do.

As such, you've witnessed quite an ordeal... you've gone through your own baptism to become more like who you desire to be. And so, I believe that salvation is open to you as well, Albert Wesker. Society has not yet cast you out as evil, and while what was done in the past may be unforgiveable to you, it may not be truly unforgivable. You see my meaning, yes?

[He does, arguably, but - ]

Society's choice to not cast me out as evil is their collective own, and I don't claim to know what thought process went into that particular decision. I don't make much of a secret regarding the things I've done, though I haven't told many the scale.

I do wonder, however, what you consider truly unforgivable. Just personally speaking.

[ His eyes close. ] Because it did not happen here, there is the belief that your honesty is colored as attempting to prevent what you have already done.

[ He opens his hands in surrender. ] Society does not wish to see humans as "evil," because if it did, it would be incapable of maintaining order. The image you present is colored by this simple fact, because humans can experience both good and evil, most will choose "good." Scale does not matter.

[ And he opens his eyes. ] It may very well be, because it was not in this world that they are forgiving of what you have done. In the end, humanity -- no, society will forgive what has not affected their world. [ He smiles his humorless smile. ] You see why I did not wish to have anyone grow too close to me. My views of the world are ultimately positive, but equally twisted. I have not even received any memories yet, but this is the sort of person that I am.

But what I consider unforgivable... I would say the destruction of one's soul. One could argue every evil act could indeed be the end result in the ruin of a person's inner light, as it were. But what I speak of is the true and honest intent of destroying a person. It matters not the reason why you are doing so. All that matters is that is the result that wishes to be seen. A broken human for no other reason other than to break them.

Then you would consider what the person who raised me did to be unforgivable.

[He has a lot of thoughts on Spencer, honestly, but that's one of those things that's always going to be oddly reassuring to hear.]

Since I've been forthcoming with the others regarding what I've done, I see no need to play coy with you. After all, you seemed interested in knowing what kind of person Albert Wesker is; as such, there's no harm in knowing who he used to be, as it were.

My life was designed to fulfill a specific purpose. A purpose that I had no hand in choosing, but one that I ultimately decided to take on for myself once I was no longer obligated to the person who gave me that purpose to begin with.

To put it simply, I was created to pass judgement on humankind. To decide who deserved to live, and who deserved to die. And once that decision was made and judgement handed down, I was to rule over what remained of the world as its god.

In the years leading up to my point of judgement, three-quarters of a billion people died. For most of those my influence was indirect, but the fact remains that if it weren't for me, seven hundred fifty million people would still be alive. If I succeeded in my attempt at purging those who I deemed deserving of death, that number is much, much higher; unfortunately, I haven't recalled whether I succeeded or not.

Do you still believe me to be worthy of salvation?

[ His head tilts. Most people would have an answer right away, wouldn't they? ]

Do you know why you decided to carry on the work of that person? The one that wished to break you, I'm assuming? [ Because the numbers itself are surprising. His morals are appalled by the number alone and that is a second of shock that appears and vanishes. So that is what Wesker means by the scale. He breathes in and out slow. ]

You view your actions as evil. You view what you've done as wrong and unforgivable. You believe that your other self deserved to die and that you are beyond redemption and salvation. [ Kei carefully watches Wesker's face. ] Yes, I believe that you are still worthy of salvation. But I cannot give it to you, of course. Salvation has to come from the person themselves. You are worthy, but you have to want it, too.

I didn't expect you to be able to give me such a thing in the first place.

[That said, he's fairly sure that's not...actually how anything works? But it's an interesting perspective to hear, at any rate.]

As for why I decided to carry on with that particular work... It wasn't about the person, it was about the work itself. If judgement was to be passed, it would be by my own standards, and for my own purposes and benefit. For the benefit of mankind as well, in the end, but the right to decide what that consisted of was mine to decide.

I'm glad.

[ And he seems it. ]

Well, then, what is the criteria? I doubt I make the cut, so I'm curious about how much I fail to be a person that deserves to live in the world by your standards, Albert Wesker.

It came down to a matter of genetic superiority.

[...Yeah.]

As much as my intention was to rule over my created world as its god, I'm well aware that I'm not without personal bias. As such, my decision with regards to how the world should be judged was by way of another entity, something of my own design, created solely to be impartial. Something inhuman, that would be swayed by neither goodness nor evil, but rather by pure biological fact.

I called my creation Uroboros. It was designed to kill all not bearing certain genetic markers; approximately one in ten million would be capable of bonding with it, creating a new race of superhuman beings that would inherit the earth.

Perhaps you would have been one that deserved to survive. Perhaps not. Only Uroboros would know for sure.

Well, of all things to decide on something, that isn't necessarily the worst.

[ So he muses to himself. ]

You wished to save humanity from itself and create a new race of humans. [ Kei smiles at the endgame that he is slowly coming to understand. ] Indeed, there is a chance that I could have survived. I suppose I would never know. If it is a marker that could exist in all humans, it disregards race, personality, and age, too.

That is why I say that of all ways to judge people, it's probably the kindest.

Some would argue the opposite, given the projected mortality rate - they would see it as a death sentence for the human race as a whole, rather than an attempt to save it.

It's fortunate, perhaps, that you can see otherwise. The purpose of Uroboros was judgement and improvement, not cruelty. It was never about cruelty.

Society is all about numbers, Albert Wesker. While the projected death rate is surprising, it is all about numbers. People would think that the scale of it would cause society to collapse, but there are more than enough numbers to hold society in place.

And no. I do not sense any cruelty from you, Albert Wesker. There is a coldness to it. But there is no cruelty behind Uroboros. It's merely so esoteric that no one else can properly understand it. So, it is named cruel and insane.

And yet you understand, at least to some degree.

[From the sound of it, he doesn't consider that a bad thing in the least.]

I'm sure you've come to recognize that I'm a very strange person. Morally speaking, I am upset about the number of deaths that would happen. Removing myself from those morals, however, it doesn't upset me. However, if you attempted to do something like that now, I would attempt to stop you ... even if I understand you. I doubt I would be capable of doing much. I'm no fighter or mastermind. I would stand up to you because it is morally right and my morals tell me to do it.

[ He smiles that humorless smile. ] But since we are just talking about it, my morals can be disturbed but I have no reason to do anything. [ A sigh. ] After all, would it be "right" for me to pass judgement on you here when we are just discussing the past? No, because it would only be a show and barely a self-satisfying one, at that.

[ His shoulders drop. ] There was a time that I would have been upset that my reaction is not normal. There was a time for the sake of appearing normal, I would admonish you. But I've given up on it.

So while I understand you to some degree, I also must say that I cannot decide if it is a good or bad thing for you that I do.

Edited 2018-02-04 06:58 (UTC)

If I attempted to do something like that now, I assure you that I would want to be stopped. That's why I'm so open with the others about it, after all; it's why I make sure that everybody knows.

[It's a failsafe, in other words. Because if everyone knows that he's predisposed to it, it'll be harder for him to do anything of the sort unnoticed. He'll be stopped, if enough people know to look for it - theoretically, anyway.]

Morals have never had much of a place in my own consideration, given that I've never found them to be universally relevant. Nor do they hold much personal sway over me, just as a person.

Whether I consider you strange as a person is likewise irrelevant - most people strive for understanding in some capacity. That you should offer me that despite your morals is an interesting choice.

Is that so? Does that mean that you don't quite trust yourself?

[ Interesting. Kei never thought to put failsafes in for himself, but then, his emptiness is something that he's never felt too curious to look into. ]

In truth, I suppose these morals stemmed from something of my past. It is thanks to, ah, an upperclassman. The problem with my personality is one that plagued me since my youth. This oddness in me... yet despite how horrifying the implications were, I was offered acceptance and some understanding for it by that person.

I will tell you now, since you have been so honest with me, that it did not make me happy. It didn't make me overjoyed to be accepted by that person. I felt nothing. However, I knew that I should not discard or dismiss what has been given to me. I am indebted to that person for keeping me human. For as odd as I am, I can still say I'm human to recognize what is right and what is wrong, because humans are the only beings that can do that.

I didn't expect that acceptance in and of itself would make you happy, simply because that's expecting flexibility from something fundamental. If this is truly how you are, then it is what it is.

[He doesn't sound like he's judging anyone for it; it's just kind of how things are.]

It's good, however, that you were able to reap some benefit or another from it. More than it could have been, I suppose.

While the action itself may have been worthless to me, I felt that it had a lot of meaning. The meaning behind it was enough for me to ground myself.

[ So he gives a small nod as he accepts that he is understood without judgement. It's the best either one of them can do for one another, isn't it? ]

So you are right in saying that it was good I could reap some benefit.

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