The Seer's voice, which had painted a vivid picture of the island as humanity's last, best hope, now returned with a raw, unsettling honesty. It was a confession, stripping away any lingering illusions of heroism or altruism, revealing the profound, terrifyingly human core of its motivations.
"I have told you much," the Seer began, its modulated voice losing some of its earlier prophetic grandeur, settling into a tone of stark, almost brutal pragmatism. "I have shown you the future, revealed my powers, offered you tools, and laid out a plan for survival. But there is one fundamental truth I must make clear, for your understanding, and for your expectations."
The mask on the global screens seemed to gain a new, stark intensity, reflecting the unvarnished truth about to be spoken.
"Hear this now, clearly: I am not a hero," the Seer declared, its voice unwavering. "I am not a saint. I do not carry the burden of saving all humanity out of some selfless, noble decree."
A collective, global intake of breath. This was not the messiah many were beginning to imagine, desperate for salvation.
"I will try to do everything to save you," the Seer continued, its voice firm, "but understand why. I am just a human being."
The screen momentarily flashed to a quick, almost subliminal image of Arjun's own face, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and grim determination, before snapping back to the masked figure. It was a fleeting, unprecedented glimpse behind the digital veil.
"I am a human being," the Seer reiterated, its voice resonating with a profound, personal urgency, "who wants to save myself. Who wants to save my family. Who wants to save my friends."
The words hung in the air, a chilling reminder of the very real, very human fear driving this impossible entity.
"If, after saving myself, my family, and my friends," the Seer concluded, its voice softening slightly but losing none of its resolve, "I can save you, the rest of humanity... then I will save you. My primary directive is survival. My own. And those I cherish. Your survival is secondary, but intrinsically linked, to mine."
The broadcast continued, leaving a world to grapple with this unprecedented honesty. The Seer was not a benevolent deity, but a desperate human, armed with unimaginable power and terrifying knowledge, fighting for his own. His self-interest was undeniable, yet paradoxically, it offered a new kind of terrifying hope. Humanity's survival was now bound to the fierce, selfish will of one ordinary man.
The Seer's Ruthless Will: A Personal Vendetta
The masked figure, having laid bare its unsettlingly human and selfish motivations, allowed a moment for its stark declaration to sink in. The world was left to grapple with the reality that their potential savior was driven not by altruism, but by a fierce, singular will to survive, and to protect those closest to him. The Seer's voice returned, sharper now, colder, as it prepared to demonstrate the brutal implications of its power and its personal agenda.
"I have made it clear," the Seer stated, its modulated voice utterly devoid of warmth. "My goal is not to save all of humanity. I am a selfish person. If I have to choose between you and me, I will always choose myself, always. Irrespective of the reason."
A chilling silence fell globally. This was not a plea for understanding, but an absolute statement of intent, designed to impress upon them the raw, unyielding nature of the power they were witnessing.
"And to show you my will to save, and to show you my power," the Seer continued, its voice now edged with a dark, determined resolve, "I will give you an example. A very clear example."
The screen behind the Seer changed, dissolving into a stark, grainy black-and-white feed. It showed a group of men, heavily armed, moving through a desolate, ruined urban landscape. Their faces, though partially obscured, conveyed a ruthless, hardened demeanor. They were clearly a terrorist cell.
"Across your world," the Seer announced, its voice hard as stone, "there exist groups of individuals who have brought nothing but suffering. They are terrorists. They have killed countless innocent people in the world. They have perpetrated numerous attacks, leaving behind trails of devastation, fear, and death."
The scene on the black-and-white feed subtly shifted, showing a glimpse of their past atrocities: a blurred image of an explosion, terrified faces, a fleeting moment of chaos and destruction.
"Even now, with the world disturbed by the coming destruction I have shown you, these groups continue their vile acts," the Seer stated, its voice laced with contempt. "They bring only further chaos and despair. They are a blight. The world does not require them. They do not deserve to live in this world."