Page 140 - Musings 2022

Love and Hate

Priyamvada Nair
2020A5S1113P

In this world, there are no heroes or villains, there is only perspective. I had read an article in
which it asked an intriguing question, who’d you consider as the real hero, a villain who will

fight the whole world to protect you or a saviour who’d sacrifice you to save the rest of the

world?
This world works on emotions like love and hatred. Two of the many feelings known to man,

which are assumed to be the opposite of each other, but are they? I wouldn’t have doubted it
for a second before, but now, I don’t think that it’s as simple as that.

In our small Village, Sora, it was normal to leave the doors open and valuables unattended.

Again, it’s a very small village, with a population of over two thousand. Almost everybody
knows everyone else. This peace and trust continued for many decades until the village got a

new commander in charge assigned. Kori Ikari, a wise woman. Evil, according to many, but
wise. She had a way of walking and talking that left an impact and a sense of worry and

restlessness. She was ruthless to the point that anyone who’d oppose her or even displease her
in the slightest, drafts out a command to execute the disobeyer. She wasn’t a sadist or a torturer

and to say that she is ice cold through and through would be a little off as she’d show mercy

only by making their death as quick and painless as possible.
Ikari-sama’s “reign” began just a few years after I and my best friend, Shinsetsu were born.

Although Shinsetsu is a few years older than me, we have been super tight for as long as I can
remember. He and I are so close that people mistake us for a couple, but our love goes beyond

any feeling known to humans, at least that is what and how we feel. We both grew up to be

fine gunsmiths. Our shop is well known everywhere in our village, even the neighbouring
village’s ammunition is under our undertaking. It was because our village was the ammunition

capital, such an austere commander was made in charge.
We named our Factory- Heiwa, which means peace and harmony. We find this irony very

amusing, but we never want to be held responsible for wreckage and deaths in wars, hence the

name Heiwa. Shinetsu’s hatred towards any sort of conflict and my impulsive, explosive nature
never went hand in hand. Any small fight in the village, and I’ll be the root cause. Shinsetsu

says it because I feel too intensely and that is why I cannot hold any emotions in. His optimistic
approach to anything and everything, charm, calm and composure is what made the entire

village love and trust him. His infectious, ear-touching smile would quieten even the most

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