Chapter 947: What About Us?
"It’s not a straightforward class. No clear path. No simple playbook. It’s like Kitsara’s Nine-Tailed Sorceress class. Full of trickery, schemes, bait-and-switch tactics. It demands cunning, improvisation, and sharp instincts. The kind of power that thrives on unpredictability... and experience."
"To use that class fully, she’ll need to know people. Their fears, their hopes, the little cracks in their armor. She’ll need to understand how the world works, how people think, how they react. And for that..." He exhaled. "She needs life experience. The kind no amount of books or simple battles can give."
"That’s why I spoke to her openly. Not just to do my duties of being straightforward with her as she deserved, but also because it might help. She needed to hear the truth. She needed to feel it and decide for herself what to do with it. Because that’s how we grow, isn’t it? When it’s real. When it matters."
He let his gaze trail back toward the courtyard’s edge.
"She’s an amazing girl. And she’s going to surpass every expectation placed on her. Of that, I have no doubt. But... she needed a gentle push first. Not to be cradled. Not to be coddled. Just reminded of who she is, and who she can become."
And then, more quietly, with a great deal of affection threading through his voice, he added:
"The last thing she needs now is to be protected from the harshness of the world. No. She needs to see and experience all of its cruelty and wonders for herself. After all, despite my earlier words, she’s not just a random child. She’s Feng Jiai. The future Gremlord of Chaos... and a damn terrifying creature."
A quiet pause followed. The wind whispered through the leaves of the forest, and for a moment, the only sound was the distant chatter of the stronghold slowly returning to life after battle.
Then, slowly, Quinlan turned.
His gaze shifted to Serika, the warmth in his elemental eyes tempering, cooling, becoming more focused, deliberate.
"Seeing her like that... it reminded me of something."