The wise men spoke to one another about many philosophical and religious topics where they sat; their conversations revolved around several topics regarding theology, astronomy, magic, cosmology, and law. All three of them are educated men who have gathered vast knowledge in different areas of fields, which has made them the intellectuals that they are.
Time went by, and their discussions became longer and longer. It has been a long time since they all conversed this enthusiastically about the many subjects that lie before them. Never once did they stray from the main topic and their thirst for understanding about the fundamental things that question reality itself.
"To believe existence is simply what we see is a mere illusion, or an outer facade, is like looking through a mirror that is broken by an explosion of glass. One half is distorted by the impact while the other remains intact," Bruno explained as the two nodded at that. "Though to think of it, in some way, it can be used metaphorically as a concept that explains the two halves of reality: the spiritual and physical world, the outer and inner," he concluded to them.
Seth understood clearly what this is all about, a question of how there is always something beyond, "science of imaginary solutions, is what is needed to solve real problems, sometimes," he suggested while also contemplating the concept in which Genno grew interested. "Man can try to study the fundamental nature of reality, but man will never truly discover what it truly is as we can never achieve all truths," the holy man added in with a smile, "not with merely our mortal eyes for what we call reality is nothing more but a small window through a curtain that hides an amazing view of what is the truth behind all things."
Both wise men's insightfulness on the very aspect of what lies beyond the world they see is quite similar to the great philosophers themselves. Genno decided to step in on the conversation. "If so, then everything must be viewed at the level of abstractions and conceptualizations instead of being bound to the mere physical senses," the wise monk calmly replied while gesturing at Bruno to go forward, as the philosopher saw it as an invitation.
Then Bruno's grin grew wider. "Of course, just like in my study of the stars. Using a telescope or calculations, we can see them much closer and clearer to the eye, and I want to try it on what is there. The ultimate truth will never be there if we unite all religions, for there are no other paths outside of our own limited perspective, but more importantly, what else can't we see? What else is hidden from our sight?"
Looking at them, he said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible," Seth quoted the verse from the Holy Book as his eyes moved down to gaze on his own hands: "The world we know is merely a tiny fragment of what truly exists. The truth you seek is God, and he alone is the key to unlocking what is beyond." He then brought them back up to see them, giving him their full attention, "but in order to do that, we must accept his love and teachings." However, this made the monk disagree.
"Attaching yourself to God is only limiting your imagination, not expanding it. You say that there are no other paths outside of the divine's perspective, but that itself is an illusion for you to think otherwise," Genno firmly answered while placing his hands on the table. "It is man's path to release himself from all suffering and pain so he alone can achieve enlightenment and truly see what the truth is that has been hiding behind the curtains all along." After hearing all that, the other man with green hat frowned and slammed the table with both of his fists.
The poet was growing mentally exhausted by these two. "How could either of you say that? Enlightenment and God's love?" Bruno stood up from his seat as his outburst drew the attention of his comrades. "Don't you see? Neither can bring man to find the ultimate truth of what lies beyond everything and all there is." He shouted angrily at them before returning to his seat in relaxing himself with a sigh and heavy breath.
Silence consumed them for a moment, and tension began growing within each wise person until Seth's voice broke it apart. "You could be right," he said, finally admitting to them what was going on in his mind. "Enlightenment can lead to understanding the truth, as it will give man the ability to grasp a deeper and greater understanding of the world, while God's love can bring the truth unto man," finishing by taking a deep breath out. "Though I suppose which one leads us to truth will always depend upon the individual themselves," he said while keeping eye contact with both of them.
Gathering his bearings, Bruno was skeptical about this claim, but this holy man might be correct in some way. It is true that perhaps the ultimate truth is based on one individual rather than everyone else. However, it still didn't satisfy him, no matter what.
He knows there is so much more to be uncovered and questioned. Everything has a source, but how far will he go in pursuing this? Bruno has no clue about it because death is inevitable, and the longer he waits, the faster time will run out for him.
Regardless of this fascinating subject they are in, time has passed by as the sun started to set and dusk began to approach them. Already, they have spent several hours debating each other to the point where they have grown tired of it.
Their faces were full of sweat, and their bodies were relaxing in their seats after their extremely long intellectual discussion. It was exhilarating to behold, as they enjoyed it greatly with the many interesting things that were being revealed to them by their fellow friends.
Though the wisdom of Genno seems to be more focused on spiritual enlightenment and metaphysical understanding over religious concepts rather than scientific observation or mathematics, this makes him stand out from other philosophers who were more rationalists in mindset.
Seth, on the other hand, values faith, as he sees it as the ultimate truth for man. His beliefs are based on a wide range of different ideas, but nonetheless, he is a devoted Christian who worships an all loving God and adheres to a different creed than others. This makes him unique among the three who are intellects of their own rights.
Giordano Bruno is a free thinker who seeks truth through rational thinking and empiricism over dogmatism or authority figures. He holds that knowledge must be built on solid foundations, such as logic and science, rather than superstition or blind faith. Therefore, his view on this subject can be seen as an extension of Pythagorean, even though he is known for his cosmological theories.
The sky was colored orange as the sun continuously and slowly descended into the horizon, while nightfall was fast approaching for these three. There's so much to discuss yet so little time; it's clear that the time has come to finish it.
"Any of you gentlemen got anything else to say, or are we done here?" Genno finally asked them a simple question that would end it for good. They all nodded at that request and decided to conclude this enlightening conversation they had.
Nodding in acceptance, Seth then pulled himself from his comfortable chair before standing up with his legs stretched for a few seconds. His eyes gazing down at the round table, he was given the opportunity to leave this place with his two companions. "Let's get going," Seth suggested with a smile on his face as he was waiting patiently for them to come.
Although both insisted on this, Genno spoke up, "It's better to rest and sleep here for tonight; our minds are tired, so would it be wise to let our spirits rest first?" gesturing them to remain calm while Bruno smiled back at the suggestion.
"I agree," the poet agreed while placing his hand on Seth's shoulder. "Besides, we all could use some good sleep after such an eventful day, no?" He added jokingly, which only caused them to chuckle in return for the humor he was presenting himself to.
Seth nodded, happily complying with this idea, and agreed to stay here overnight. Who knows what kind of danger roams around at night, and none of them wants to face those horrors ever again? It was traumatic enough to see one another get seriously hurt.
Especially Bruno himself, who never wanted to be reminded of seeing the undead things ever again in his life. It is both terrifying and horrible to behold, but it is over. At least they were spared at that time thanks to Seth's mere presence in conceptually and spiritually burning those manifested unholy abominations altogether.
Genno stood up, catching everyone's attention. "I shall rest over there," he said, pointing to the nearby Sakura tree. "I have gotten accustomed to meditating on the ground," he said with a joyful smile before walking away to find a suitable place for him to relax and sit.
Bruno can only observe this man before turning to Seth. "I'm going to take a short walk; don't worry about me, as I won't be seriously far from you or this place," he promised as he also headed off in a different direction from them. Alone once again, Seth quietly sat on his own chair as he closed his eyes with a single prayer upon him: "May the holy spirit keep watch over me as well as my fellow companions throughout this journey," muttering before taking a deep breath in as his heart was filled with relief.
Leaving the two to himself, Bruno was away enough to still see them from behind his back while giving enough privacy to have his thoughts alone. The trees were swaying in the gentle wind while a few animals could be heard rustling within bushes or low shrubbery nearby. It gave him peace of mind as he kept walking around until his legs were halted by the sight of many beautiful pink flowers blossoming near the grasses.
Blinking his eyes in wonder, Bruno couldn't resist taking one and staring at it with awe. Most won't even care about it because of how common it is, but for him, this piece of leaf is common to everybody's life, but one cannot forget something else entirely.
The simpler things are, the easier they are to overlook. However, its more precious moments are the ones that tend to be the most important. And that is what he thinks in this very finite life they call human; it is more beautiful to focus on the small parts of reality instead of the big picture itself.
One day, everything will be forgotten, but not the people who lived through it. That is why history is what's worth preserving, and he will do anything to keep those memories alive until his final breath has been drawn out of him. And to him, nothing is more important than remembering these incredible sights, sounds, and smells of experiencing the wonders of the natural world around him.
Lessening his grip on the pink leaf, it then flew away from the wind, where it landed somewhere unknown to him. Bruno stared at where it fell, and that gave him the inspiration for his final book. He is going to write about not just the unification and acceptance of all creeds but Bruno's own experiences throughout this long journey.
He hopes that those who read it will understand his message, a message that transcends any limitations imposed by those who preach intolerance towards others who practice a different faith or religion than theirs. He hopes everyone will realize how important they are to this world and how their presence gives meaning to its existence.
Sighing heavily, he lifted his eyes up to the beautiful, starry night sky with its many constellations that littered across its vast expanse of black space. Gazing into those points of light made him remember how insignificant humanity actually is compared to the beings who call themselves gods.
How many worlds out there live beyond Earth? Are they filled with sentient beings? And if so, then God has not just created life here but also other worlds made in the image of man, an idea that fascinates Bruno immensely. Surely this thought must be considered heresy by the Christians, but it doesn't bother him because his love for knowledge knows no bounds.
"I never expected a human to be out here," the woman's voice appeared to speak to him from behind his back, resulting in him snapping out of his trance and turning around immediately as his eyes widen in seeing something that's wholly different than that of any person on this planet.
"What?" She amusedly asked, crossing her arms and raising a single eyebrow at him as a smile spread across her lips, "Never seen Automaton before?" The strange woman said, sounding curious with a hint of playfulness at this shocked person.
