There was once a being who woke for the very first time and knew with that first waking, with that first breath, that their purpose was to manifest justice in the world. This may seem a strange thing to have as one's very first thought, and indeed it would be strange for you or for me, but this being was something different from mortal folk, and something different from gods, too. They were an archetype, an answer to a need that wasn't conscious enough to be turned into a prayer. The world needed justice, and so this being set out to try and determine what that was, so they could provide it.

They began by speaking with kings, who explained that justice was an expression of their will, and then they spoke to priests, who said that justice was divine, and couldn't be perfected by humanity anyway. They spoke to animals, who told them that justice was survival, so things tended to work out in the end anyway, and they spoke to merchants, who outlined the financial benefits of a just world (but had few concrete steps for how it might come about). They spoke with children, who said that justice and fairness were equivalent, and with lawmakers, who pointed out all the complicated factors that made that equivalence too simple to rely on.

They read books, too, and listened to debates, and studied art, and for a good while simply observed the world - the way it worked, the ways in which it didn't, and glimpses of what it might someday become. They took in all of the lessons, both overt and subtle, and discarded most of them.

In fact, after everything, as Justice took their aspirational spot among the archetypes, there were just three things that they kept from all of their study and discussion.

First: Justice must be aware, always, of what has happened and of the impact of those happenings, so they hold scales to measure.

Second: Justice must be mindful of its own power and the power of its thoughts and decisions, so they hold a sharp sword to remind and - if necessary - to cut.

Finally: Justice must occur in connection and with compassion, and not hide behind the comfort of distance, so their eyes are open, always, to see.