Count Your Blessings

the VOICE In reality's shadow the blind see best "Why is that reminder such a burden to you, bright one?" The Voice spoke softly, keeping her hands against him. "You are different. All creatures are, but Ascended more so, and for good reason. You are perfect in an imperfect world. You are capable of the impossible, of improving the lives of all those less bright. It is something worth embracing." Tilting her head, she would close her eyes for a moment (the gesture was unnecessary but it would make her appear more human) and Sam would feel, suddenly, the connections that spanned across the Hollowed Ground, all feeding back into the Voice. Each and every Ascended, running along the same thread. "You have family," she said simply. "And if your speech bothers you, I can fix it." Finally, she removed her hands and set them in her lap, though she remained kneeling opposite him, an expression of calm and patience on her face. "Hurting them for something they cannot change is a waste of resources," she remarked. "Only those who would try to destroy me - to destroy you, and your brothers and sisters - risk harm."