Fucking Humans Never Change (4) Seeds of Destruction
My heart is troubled.
These gentle, kind goddesses are now forced to pour their malice upon humanity, and I can't help but feel sorry for them.
Yet, unexpectedly, the goddesses were quite proactive in filling Pandora with the curses meant for humankind. The sole reason these women, who would ache at the thought of plucking a single flower, freely poured their malice into Pandora was simple.
-They insulted Zeus.
It was an insult against me.
Because they insulted me, the goddesses felt as if they themselves had been insulted, as if all of Olympus had been insulted.
And so they began pouring their malice into it, aimed at humanity.
"I shall go first. I will make it so that humans... die if they do not drink water."
Neptune, the Goddess of the Sea, pronounced a curse of death by thirst, a curse of dehydration.
"The former humans could survive without drinking water. But the newly born humans will be different. Their bodies will constantly expel water, and they will only survive by drinking it regularly. If they go a single day without water, they will suffer an unbearable thirst. If they go for an extended period, the water will drain from their bodies, and they will die."
Now, humans cannot survive without drinking water.
"I shall go next. I will ensure that death can approach them."
Hades, the Goddess of the Underworld, pronounced a curse of "creeping death"—a curse of aging.
"A human will reach the peak of their physical age once. But from then on, their body will age with each passing year. Death will creep closer, and no human shall ever escape it."
Now, humans cannot live in eternal health and longevity. No matter how long a human lives, as long as they are human, they cannot avoid death.
"I will give them love for their family. And the sorrow of losing that family... they will feel the pain of losing a loved one."
Hera, the Goddess of the Home, bestowed the love of family and the sense of loss that follows it.
"Humans will now die from any number of causes. Before, each person living for themselves was the primary way of human life. Now, they will be unable to live without family. Everyone will desire a family, want to create one, and find happiness when they are together. But when they lose that family, they will suffer and grieve as deeply as they were once happy. Be it the death of a parent, a child, a sibling, or a beloved."
Now, humans will love their families and feel the sorrow of losing them.
"I will teach them hunger."
Demeter, the Goddess of the Earth, pronounced a curse of famine upon humanity.
"They will be made so that they lack the strength to survive unless they eat, and not merely drink water. Until now, humans treated eating as a mere pleasure, but to survive, they must now consume solid food. It will be less urgent than water, but they will have to eat things other than water."
Now, humans will feel the pangs of an empty stomach and struggle to find something to eat.
"I will make it so the human body must constantly maintain a fixed temperature."
Hestia, the Goddess of the Sacred Hearth, pronounced a curse of fixed body temperature.
"The human body will maintain the same temperature at all times and places. But if that temperature rises even slightly, they will suffer. If it drops only a little, they will be in pain. The same goes for the external temperature. From now on, humans will feel heat and cold."
Now, humans will react sensitively to their own body temperature and their surroundings.
"It is my turn. ...I shall bestow upon humanity incomplete wisdom. I shall give them intellect."
Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, pronounced a curse of intellect upon humanity.
"As Lord Zeus often says, sometimes knowing is the curse itself. The curse I give is one that makes humans aware of the curses placed upon them. From now on, humans will know of thirst, death, the sorrow of losing a loved one, famine, and the change of body temperature. They will not merely feel it. Beyond just feeling hungry, they will know that they must eat something to solve their problem. Humans will no longer die passively. They will struggle desperately to find an answer to the problems that befall them, all the way until they die."
Now, humans will anguish and agonize over the problems that befall them, struggling with all their might to find an answer.
"...I will give them weapons."
Hephaestus, the Blacksmith Goddess, pronounced a curse of tools.
"Humans seem to enjoy making things. But they do not realize that those very things can lead to their own ruin. A bow and arrow made to hunt beasts can be used against another human. The tool is innocent. The fault lies with the one who wields it. Therefore, I will hand humans the blade. I will give them weapons."
Humans will know of weapons and seek to use them.
"Then I'll deliver the very catalyst that destroyed the old humans! ...Ah, no. I'll do this. I'll teach humans how to fight!"
Ares, the Goddess of War, pronounced a curse of conflict.
"If you want something, you fight and seize it! That's it!"
Now, humans will use violence for the sake of their greed and start wars.
"I suppose I should make it so they need medicine. I will spread disease among the humans. They will come to need doctors."
Apollo, the Goddess of Medicine, pronounced a curse of disease.
"Humans will suffer from various illnesses. From simple fevers to wasting diseases that slowly sap life until death. There will be diseases curable by praying to the gods with a devout heart, and others that can be cured by anyone who knows how to mix the right remedies. Humans will know pain and realize their need for doctors."
Now, humans will suffer from diseases and be forced to heal themselves.
"I shall make it so that man and beast hunt each other!"
Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, pronounced a curse of hunting, the law of the jungle.
"Ever since humans gained fire, they've used it to hunt animals. Now the animals shall recall those days! The days from two hundred years ago, when beasts held the advantage over humans! And the newly born humanity will begin a life of struggle, hunting and being hunted by beasts! The hunter and the hunted shall not always be fixed! I will let humans know the taste of animal flesh, and let carnivorous beasts know the taste of humans! Humans will keep hunting beasts, and beasts will hunt humans!"
Now, while hunting beasts, humans will sometimes be caught and devoured in turn.
"I don't particularly have any curse in mind... But if I am to give one, I shall give a curse that prevents them from eating grains unless they have been properly cultivated."
Persephone, the God of Grain, pronounced a curse upon the function of digestion.
"Unless the grain is properly raised until it is fully ripe, humans will eat it and still feel hungry. In other words, the food they eat will not properly digest in their stomachs."
Now, humans will not reap a proper harvest unless they put their whole heart into farming.
And then, me.
By placing the final piece, the beginning of the end for humanity was now set in motion. The existing humanity will die out, and they will be reborn as a new race of humans.
Yes, the time has come for the evolution into Homo sapiens sapiens, not just Homo.
Even if future historians, when discussing this very moment, condemn Zeus, I will not regret my choice to deploy Pandora.
For those future historians, too, will be among the new humanity I create.
"What is the greatest malice one can inflict upon a human? I agonized over this. And there is no sickness more serious than this."
I reached out my hand toward Pandora's box. Countless curses were already thickly engraved upon it, and a single, small strand of hope barely breathed, only its head poking out from among the malice.
"I believe in humanity."
That is the innate goodness humans possess.
Depending on what emotions they feel as they grow, that good energy can expand, consuming the malice, or the malice itself can grow stronger.
"What I give you is one thing alone."
Whooo.
I used my divine power to invoke my authority. From now on, every human will be born with this, and every human will suffer because of it.
-I said, if I tell you not to do it, then don't do it!
-They're going to die young at this rate.
-They'll only come to their senses after they fall flat on their back and crack their skull open. Tsk, you fool.
What is the path that leads humans to the most agonizing death?
War? Famine? Pain? Disease?
This is what I think.
"Why?"
Why. To close Pandora's box, I moved my fingers for the last time. Tracing a hook shape centered on her lower abdomen, I used the current of Astrape on my fingertip to push it inward.
A question mark.
Curiosity.
A spirit of inquiry.
Integrating all of these into one, I placed this 'Why?' into humanity.
It could bring prosperity to humankind, and it could lead them to destruction.
But curiosity itself will be the shortcut that most easily guides humans to their own ruin.
"I will now spread taboos among humanity. And humans will inevitably violate those taboos. What happens if I break a taboo? What will happen if I do what is forbidden? Those who arrogantly violate a taboo with such thoughts..."
I drew my thumb across my throat, then lowered it.
"Will face divine punishment."
A question arises here.
Who exactly defines these taboos?
Should the gods decide?
No. That would diminish the authority of the gods too much.
The moment a god designates every little thing—don't do this, don't do that, don't do the other—they become nothing more than a nag.
There is only one thing I forbid as a god.
Challenging the authority of the gods.
Only that, and nothing more.
Therefore, someone else must define the taboos.
"The children born to Pandora will become the rulers of each region. And they will govern others through law, ruling over humanity on behalf of the divine authority."
This is what you call the enemy of man.
The enemy of a human ends up being another human.
"I now inaugurate the era of kings."
Those who become kings will now control humanity.
In the name of legislation, law, and taboo, they will govern humanity.
By creating a ruling class between man and god, I will ensure that the vast majority of humans will never dare to harbor discontent against the gods.
"Pandora. Though I have filled you with all manner of curses, your box was originally filled only with hope."
No one knows what fate will bring. I could only pray silently in my heart.
"If someone who loves you impregnates you, the world will be filled only with hope and love. But should someone force you into pregnancy..."
Then, the curses will be unleashed one by one.
"Go now, Pandora."
Now, the rest lies in the hands of humanity.
The old humans were annihilated at the speed of Mach.