Courage by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

don’t. It’s simple as that.” Baku finished half of his delicious sandwich before saying another thing. Eve pecked at her food in silence, mulling over what he’d said. He continued in a subdued voice. “Earth’s people have a history fraught with violence. Even now there are civil wars, rebellions, and mounting tension between nations that have never trusted one another.” He looked at his sandwich but couldn’t bring himself to take another bite. “All that is a mirror to... to the warring and tension between my son and I. I’m sorry.”
    “I’m not sure I understand.”
    “What I do and how I feel is re-expressed through my mortals. I’ve been at odds with my son for a long time. In return, humans have a long, bloody history.”
    Eve gave a slight nod and both of them fell silent. She took a sip of her lemonade and gazed out the window that overlooked the table. She eventually began working at her sandwich. Baku did too, deciding there was no good reason to let a perfectly good sandwich go uneaten.
    “Tell me something,” Eve said casually, but Baku sensed the anger and resentment behind it. “Why do you go through so much trouble to hide the fact that you exist?”
    “Fair enough.” He took another bite of his sandwich and swallowed. “My mother asked me the same thing once. She spent all the time she could among her creations. She loved it. They loved it. It was nice enough, but I decided I didn’t want my creations spending all their lives showing their devotion to and reverence for me.”
    “Do these people have free will as well?”
    “Yes. It’s a law that every mortal a Creator brings into existence has the power of free will. The only exceptions to that are Aigis.” As soon as he said that, he regretted it. He’d been deeply into explainer mode today. He stared wide-eyed at Eve, who stared back with anger brewing under her shocked faced.
    “You better explain this too. First.” She sat up straight in her chair, folding her hands in her lap, and ignored her food.
    Baku took a deep breath and let it out, then let a silence draw out between them. The wind chimes dinged away, almost like warning bells. Now that the mistake was made, there was no taking it back. Eve had chosen listen, then chosen to demand an explanation. Sure, he could get up and leave, but what kind of god would that make him if he ran away from his own blunders? “No one but the god who created them has dominion over an Aigis. Neither you, nor my son can command Aerigo and Roxie to do anything. Just me. However, I cannot tell them what to feel, or what to think. I can mold them, brainwash them, feed them lies, but I cannot control their thoughts or emotions. Their natural personalities reflect my own, but they can be nurtured to behave otherwise. I cannot tell them to die or kill themselves. Their lifespan is limited, so that part of their design negates such a morbid command.”
    “But you can command them to throw themselves into danger and put their lives on the line for you. You! That’s the same as commanding them to commit suicide! You didn’t see Roxie when she came back to me all black and blue. I thought she’d died before twenty four hours went by of her being a proper Aigis. And then you made Aerigo take her away into I don’t know how much more danger! How do you justify all that?”
    Baku sighed again, pushed his plate away, and leaned on the table with his arms. “Let me tell you the story of the first Aigis ever created. It was eons ago, eons well beyond your counting, a time before Earth ever existed, before even I existed.” He looked up. Eve had watery eyes and a slight frown, but the mention of his story had deflated her justified tirade. “Back then there had been a war among the gods. They were warring over the rules of creation, the way things should be. Even today, gods debate over changes we wish to make, but for now things are at a stalemate.
    “Long ago, one of the gods decided to end