(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

"It may not be aware and know itself in the sense that you or I might know
ourselves, but it lives. It grows, changes, and touches the minds of all that
live here."
I cocked my head, "Why did you say the city does not know itself?"
"The city exists in opposition to itself. It has set itself apart from the planes,
yet it seeks to be everywhere at once. Its walls are doors, yet it keeps these
doors locked. Such an existence tells of a thing that does not know itself. In
not knowing itself, it is flawed," his voice was disapproving.
"What if the city is not flawed, and you just do not know the reasons for its
contradictions? There is order in everything. Perhaps there is an underlying
pattern that you cannot perceive."
His voice was sure and knowing, "To your question, a question: What if the
city is flawed, and you see its contradictions all around you?"
"To your question, a question:" I countered, "You claim this city's existence
is flawed. You have accepted this rather than explore the possibility that
something greater may exist. That suggests you are flawed... and that you
do not search for knowledge, but only for a convenient answer."
Dak'kon fell silent. "There is no knowing the answer to the questions we
have asked. Yet the city exists. That is all."
"Yet I would maintain that we know ourselves by the questions we ask and
the ones we do not. If we cease asking questions and accept only what we
can perceive..."
"Then we will cease to know ourselves." Dak'kon's voice had changed
slightly, become heavier. "Such words have been spoken before. I have
heard them and know them."
I leaned back in surprise, "Where have you heard them?"
"The words are mine. Once, I knew them and knew their meaning. I had
forgotten them until you spoke." Dak'kon's gaze traveled through me, and
his blade stopped shimmering, bleeding of all color until it was translucent.
There was a moment of silence, then Dak'kon looked up at me. "I would
167