From Seteya’s point of view
When Zen left — quiet, lost, yet somehow himself again — I stood there for a long time, watching his back disappear.
I was shaking.
Not from fear…
But because for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do with a student.
I turned around and quickly headed for headquarters.
Norris stood by the map table.
Haras was beside him, as always — huge, silent.
— Norris. Haras. We need to talk. No extra ears.
They understood immediately.
We moved toward a ruined wall, away from the children and the wolves.
The wind carried ash and snow, but the conversation was colder still.
I went straight to the point:
— You saw Zenhald’s eyes yesterday.
Haras exhaled heavily, as if dropping a stone from his shoulders.
— I did.
— He… became different.
The way he said different stayed with me.
Not “dangerous.”
Not “terrifying.”
Different — a word too deep to ignore.
Norris answered sharply:
— Different or not, you both saw his power.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
— He stopped an army of demons alone.
— Alone.
— He can save thousands.
I bit my lip to keep from snapping.
And managed to hold back.
— I watched him today, — I said quietly.
— He looked at a dead man…
— At a demon…
— And there was nothing in his eyes.
My hands trembled slightly.
— No pity.
— No anger.
— No emotion.
— As if there was emptiness inside him.
Haras nodded.
— Yes. I felt it too.
I took a breath.
— But…
Then he looked at me…
As if he remembered something important.
And light returned to his eyes.
That… darkness vanished.
I didn’t know how to explain that moment.
Not how it looked.
Not how he saw me.
— His black eyes came back, — I continued.
— His feelings too.
And that frightened me even more.
— I’m afraid for him, — I said.
— If it happens again…
And he can’t come back…
What then?
Norris was silent for a long time.
Too long.
He stared toward the field where yesterday people, wolves, and demons had died.
Then he said:
— If he ever becomes an enemy of humanity…
— I will kill him myself.
The words cut through the air.
I froze.
Haras didn’t.
He roared so loudly that snow fell from a nearby beam:
— HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!
— HE’S A CHILD!
— AND YOU DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT HE’S BEEN THROUGH!
The giant stepped forward, towering over Norris.
— You’re young, Norris.
— You still don’t understand the price of life.
— And you throw words about death around where you should be thinking instead.
But instead of backing down, Norris shouted back:
— A child?!
— Did you see what that “child” did yesterday?!
— He annihilated an elite demon unit!
— Shattered a wall with a single blow!
— And lightning obeyed him like dogs obey their master!
He stepped forward just as firmly.
— That’s not a child.
— That is a power none of us understand.
I looked at Norris.
And there was no anger in his eyes.
No rage.
Only… despair.
He was afraid.
Not of Zen.
But of what would happen if such power ever turned in the wrong direction —
And no one could stop it.
Haras understood too.
He lowered his fist.
Exhaled.
— Power or not… — he said calmly now.
— He’s still our boy.
— And if you ever try to kill him…
— I’ll kill you first.
Norris nodded.
Slowly.
Heavily.
— I don’t want to kill him, Seteya.
— It’s just…
If the world ever depends on a single decision…
I have to be ready.
For the first time, I saw this man look older than his years.
I looked at both of them — at the massive Haras and the exhausted Norris — and understood:
They were both right.
Zen is ours.
Zen is a child.
But Zen is also a power no one understands.
Not even himself.
And if he ever loses control again…
Will we be able to bring him back?
I didn’t know the answer.
And that frightened me more than any battle.
A power we cannot control is the most terrifying thing of all.
