Si vis pacem, para bellum.
If you want peace, prepare for war.
The ancient words had echoed through countless civilizations across countless eras, spoken by generals and philosophers and common folk alike who understood a fundamental truth about Existence.
Peace was not a gift freely given.
Peace was not something that simply happened because one wished for it strongly enough.
Peace was a fortress that had to be built with blood and iron and the willingness to use both. It was a garden that could only flourish when surrounded by walls high enough to keep out those who would trample its flowers. It was a dream that required nightmares to be faced and conquered before it could become reality!
The pacifist who refused to raise a blade would watch everything they loved burn while congratulating themselves on their moral purity.
The warrior who never knew when to sheathe their blade would drown in blood of their own making until nothing remained worth protecting.
