Chapter 333: Magnificent
“The answer to that question is precious little,” Koyu said, blowing out a long breath as he held Arwin’s gaze. “There aren’t many beings that can claim to know much about the Mesh at all.”
“Precious little is more than nothing. You said there was a time before it.”
“And I said that I didn’t care to remember it.” Koyu’s eyes narrowed. “Much of that time is lost to me. All I truly remember of it is that the Mesh did not always exist. There was a day it came into being, and things changed. As to what changed… can anyone ever remember what the boulder looked like before it was eroded away by the sea?”
“What’s that meant to mean?”
“It means the change has been so gradual that my already fragmented memory can barely tell the difference between what was and what is. I have not left this street in centuries. My view is narrow.”
“You have to remember something. With everything you were just going on about, it seems pretty ridiculous to be completely and utterly clueless.”
Koyu’s lips pursed. The old man stood in silence for a long second. Then he let his hands unclench. “It has a motive. The Mesh plays impartial, but it is not.”
Arwin’s eyes widened. Out of everything he’d been expecting to be told, that was probably at the bottom of the list. There was basically only one thing that everyone agreed on about the Mesh.
It was impartial. It treated everyone the same. It didn’t care who you were or what you did. All that mattered was challenge. If you sought it, you grew stronger. If you didn’t, you were weaker.