Welcome to Gaia! ::

Caedus originally seemed to have been resting; he was not swaddled in the blankets he had been brought, or any of the gifts the others had presented to help comfort him or aid him in passing the time. His arms were wrapped around himself, underneath the layers of fabric. Particularly in the shadows, his eyes seemed to glow. It was not a reflection of the moonlight; it was a light that they seemed to emit themselves. It was eerie, but not particularly menacing.

"At this point, I would eat anything," he said, though could not help but draw closer to himself when the Knight sat so near to him. He seemed to have some reservations about his personal space, but he had neither tried to move away nor requested she put distance between the two of them.

…Besides; the allure of food was too hard to resist.

"…Have you come for a reason other than just to feed me?"

Slowly, Caedus' head tilted, as if he were trying to decipher what she had said. He was silent for a very long moment after she spoke, and then slowly admitted, "I do not understand parts of what you are asking. I will do my best to answer, but I know nothing of Zirconia, or the Dark Mirror. What I know of 'the Code' I learned from brief lessons and conversations. If my information is dated, please forgive me."

He cleared his throat and repeated her questions in his head before he attempted to tackle them.

"Chaos is…the desire to consume, or destroy, or intentionally harm others. I do not believe there is a true balance that would promote Chaos of any sort. We live in a chaotic universe, but some chaos is natural. There is conflict. And then there is resolution. Strife makes us stronger. It opens our minds. But the will of Chaos is not the same as natural chaos. Chaos, like Metallia, would disrupt all order, to its favor. Because it thrives in the disruption. Chaos, like Metallia, will never see a resolution. That is why I hate the Negaverse. They are not natural. They are manipulated, and warped, by a being that would remove all good that comes of chaos."

He was quiet, trying to determine how best to word any further answers. "I know of many Cosmic Powers. But I know not what exists and what is lost. I will need to inquire once I am home. But I know that here, and now, you have a being that is not 'balance'. I cannot tell you what to do or how to act. But you must do what feels right. The Negaverse does not feel right. It does not give room to grow, or improve, and it cares only for devouring as many souls as it can. For the balance to be restored, good must come of it. What cannot be redeemed must be destroyed."

"There is no answer to 'right' and 'wrong'. It is subjective. But things were not 'cut and dry' in 'my era' either. But we are not closed minded. It feels like some of you think there is only one right answer." He was quiet for a moment, and then continued, "There is not. There are an infinite number of choices. I have known planets that think murder and torture are justified. I have known planets that have never known violence. They are too different to compare. But they all had their own version of peace. I do not know what has become of them…But I do know that, for whatever reason it has happened, you have more Senshi and Knights gathered here in this one place, than I have ever seen. I think if anyone could succeed in bringing down Metallia, it is you."

"You do not need to apologize," he said absentmindedly, but the truth was just that he was quick to move onto the topic of his homeworld. It was a place he missed, and a place he was eager to speak of.

"My homeworld is…very different from Earth. We are very busy. Like your city," he said, nodding towards it. "Only, our air is much cleaner, and we are not so noisy. The lights make me think of home. We have many buildings. We are always researching and improving. We thrive on knowledge." He could not help but ask a bit of her own world: "Are they still functioning? Your Wonders, and planets. Or are they all…lost?"

Caedus had seemed enamored with Andronicus as she spoke of her wonder. He had leaned forward a bit and tilted his head as he listened. He was imagining the location as best he could, and his eyes almost even looked sad when she mentioned how desolate and worn her Wonder was.

And then she asked about his eyes, and he seemed completely taken aback. It wasn't that the question was insulting, only that he had not at all been expecting it.

"Yes," he said after a second. "That is natural of them. Why do you ask? Does it bother you?"

"Everything," Caedus confessed, almost sounding eager. He glanced to the city in the distance—to all the lights, and noise. "When I was last here, things were so incredibly different. Some of what I see over there…almost makes me think of home. I remember when Earth seemed so small, so…fragile. It was this blooming planet, full of so many opportunities. In a thousand years, I admit, I had imagined more. But I suppose it is difficult to grow when you have the Negaverse breathing down your neck. I want to know, though…"

He slowly managed to pull his gaze from the city back to her. "What about this planet do you hold most dear? What, of all the things on this Earth, makes it so great to you? …What makes this planet special?"

Caedus listened intently, nodding occasionally. When she finished, he took a few seconds to absorb it. Finally, he said, "You are very passionate. That is a good trait to have. I suspect you will go far with that attitude. And yet…"

He watched her still. "Something is holding you back? You came here. You seemed to have your doubts. But when I ask you what is important, you know without a doubt what you are fighting for. What does it matter, then, what is 'right' or 'wrong' to someone else? What matters is that you protect what is important to you. You are your own warrior, capable of fighting where your heart tells you to fight."