Chapter 11: Trials(4)
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"Huh... Ren, you really seem to have broken out of your shell," Kai muttered under his breath, half-amused, half-critical.
It hadn't even been a full hour since the boy was on his knees, begging for mercy like a kicked dog. But now? Now he was glancing back over his shoulder at the two Class D slaves they'd just captured, subtly giving commands with the air of someone who thought he'd found purpose. No stuttering. No hesitation. He even barked orders at the other members of class C earlier, as if he were already assuming a role above them.
Kai watched this shift with a certain detached interest.
There wasn't even a moment of shame on Ren's face no flicker of guilt or shame for trying to establish a chain of command that didn't belong to him
"I guess you could say that..." Ren had said earlier, when Kai commented aloud.
But Kai didn't buy it for a second. This wasn't character growth. This wasn't some inspiring arc about a coward finding his courage
This Purley about dominating the weak to make yourself feel better
This was math.
It was busines
And Ren?