Chapter 33 – Private Practice (Part 1)
Zane found himself caught in the coldness of her gaze. There was no anger in it, no sadness either—only the weight of experience, the shadow of countless lives taken in the name of duty. It wasn't just bloodlust. It was something deeper, more ingrained. It was survival.
The souls Fiora had killed weren't nameless to her. That was what made it even more haunting. She'd looked into the faces of the innocent-turned-monster and ended them—again and again.
What looked like heroism from the outside, Zane now realized, was far from noble on the inside.
'I didn't know... I didn't know they carried such a burden.' His fingers slowly curled into a fist. 'Am I going to carry that too? Forever?'
The weight of that question pressed on his chest like a boulder. Killing monsters? Sure, he had come to terms with that. But killing them with the knowledge that they had once been like him... that they had lives, hopes, people... That was something else entirely.
"Take your time to let that sink in, Zane," Fiora said, her voice breaking his spiraling thoughts. "You've still got a little time to accept it. But the sooner you do, the easier it'll be for you to adapt. And that's your first real mission as a Dimensional Knight—adaptation. Learn everything. Embrace everything."
"..." Zane nodded faintly, staring into the reflection of his cup. "How long did it take you? To accept all of this?"
Fiora leaned back and tilted her head thoughtfully. "My situation was... different. I didn't have the luxury of time. I had to adapt fast. Sink or swim. Took me a few months."
"A few months..." he echoed softly.
'I wonder what forced her hand.' He studied her expression—neutral, almost unreadable. But there was something in her eyes, a flicker of pain quickly masked. 'Not that I'll have much time either. I didn't sign up to play this game forever. I just want to find those bastards... and end it.'
He took a sharp breath, clearing his head of doubt. "Well, I don't have any other choice, do I? No point lamenting over it. I'll accept it quickly."