Prometheus's Fire

"Have you heard of the Fire Thief?"

"No. What's that?"

"It was someone named Prometheus... There was a race called humans. They lived in darkness for a long time. Without fire to cook their food, they could only eat it raw. Without fire for light, they could only spend one long night after another in that endless darkness..."

"Uh, is darkness bad?"

"Some races think darkness is bad."

"There are races like that?"

"Yes. Humans were one of them... To help humanity, Prometheus stole fire and brought light to them."

"Ah, Prometheus really was a bad guy, tempting humanity to betray the darkness."

"Yes, he was a bad guy, so he was punished afterward."

"Good, he deserved it! Bad guys like that should be punished severely! What happened next?"

"Then the fire spread throughout the world. That flame was the fire."

"..."

Both voices fell silent for a while.

"Really? That fire was the fire?"

"Yes. It was still carrying out its mission, bringing 'light' to every race."

"..."

Both voices fell silent again for a while.

"Prometheus's crimes were unforgivable!"

"Unforgivable!"

The fire did not know what was right and what was wrong.

It only knew that it had to lead living beings out of the darkness.

"Darkness is a bad thing," its Master, Prometheus, had told it.

Darkness was a vast gulf between savagery and civilization. Only by burning away the darkness could those creatures filled with wildness step onto the path of civilization.

Humans were the first race it had "saved."

This race was very obedient and did not resist. Their wildness was not strong; they only needed a little guidance before they would naturally distance themselves from darkness and draw close to light.

As for those humans who liked darkness, the fire would keep burning