endbook rogue 2 1 2

All living things have the instinct to grow, survive, reproduce, and migrate, constantly walking down the path of evolution in order to adapt to their environment.

But why do there exist creatures that pursue self-optimization with an uncanny persistence far surpassing what can be considered individual survival instinct, as if pulled along by some higher purpose? Ægir will not give me an answer.

I knocked on the doors of the Church of the Deep, if only to seek their resources and their perspectives. But even after extensive research, accumulating fame, and becoming a respected bishop, I only ever got answers like 'everything is touched by God's hand,' which did not satisfy me.

I once again took up my position as a biologist and tried to survey all the lifeforms on this continent, and though I dare not say my search was exhaustive, I ultimately could not find an answer despite observing countless organisms. Only the creatures of the ocean continue to defy every existing theory or hypothesis.

In the end, I must admit that 'God' does in fact exist. Not a 'God' like Ishar'mla, nor a metaphysical deity from peoples' imaginations. There must be some noble will that transformed Them and gave Them a higher calling, driving Them to become far more efficient and orderly than humans and further explore the possibilities of life, until They finally become 'God.'

Even when I was young, my colleagues and I had been astounded by the social structure of the bee colonies we observed on land, and now we are on the cusp of having a blueprint for living organisms that is far more logical and ideal than even a bee colony. In the never-ending cycle of the distribution and circulation of resources, all conflict and hatred must be ended through the expurgation of the soil in which they take root.