It was impossible not to be the pawn of another. The world was akin to a chess game and everyone was nothing but one more piece in the hands of the truly powerful. Jin had come to terms with that fact. While it felt horrible to be used, such was life. He learnt that the hard way. But he survived from that lesson.

He was not foolish enough to believe that he could escape being a pawn.

He was, however, of the belief that he could try to pick what kind of piece he would be. If he could be one that was nurtured instead of one that was overworked or sacrificed...It was enough.

It was enough!

Because it would enable him to keep growing.

And this was the way up.

Grow, grow and grow some more!

Until he reached a point where no one could push him around. That was the only way to escape and truly be free. And that's why the words of Nangua were very enticing.

Jin made up his mind and spoke: "I, Baem, shall allow Nangua to become my follower"

Nangua was overjoyed. He was ready to jump in joy. He had to keep his composure though. He got up, bowed and greeted his new master: "Nangua greets Master Baem!"

Jin nodded.

Ame was furious. She moved away from Jin and asked: "Are you truly going to believe this monster? Going to make friends with it? After he killed our comrades?!"

Jin nodded. He planned to do exactly that. He stated: "They are dead already and we are alive. This is the best path to take"

Tears flowed down Ame's cheeks as she stated: "Allying with monsters will never be the right path, Baem"

Jin understood what she was trying to convey. However, she did not know. She was a frog in a well. He was one too but his well was larger. He knew more of this world.

He could not blame her for thinking so. It made him sad to be looked at in such a way by the one he loved so dearly. He saw no other alternatives though...Or rather, he did not want to see them. This was a great opportunity.

He earned a powerful ally and potentially an incredibly strong backer.

For his future, those were things he could not simply ignore.

He wanted her to agree with him...

Nangua coughed and stated: "I will be waiting for you outside, Master Baem"

Then, he took his leave. Being as old as he was, he obviously understood matters between men and women. Giving some time to his Master to calm his mate was the right decision to take. Also, he had to take care of a few rats...

...

Jin waited until he could no longer feel Nangua's presence. Of course, the monster was strong enough to hide himself from his senses if it wanted to but Jin did not think it would eavesdrop. He seemed to truly believe in Jin for some odd reasons. He would ask him many questions later. There was still much knowledge he lacked.

But for now, he needed to talk with Ame.

He took a step forward, wanting to grab her hand...She recoiled backwards. It saddened him. He sighed and asked: "Can you hear me out, Ame?"

She was still glaring but had not made any moves. Since she did not run, he decided to take it as a 'yes' and proceeded: "Imagine that there is a village in a mountain. A peaceful village. Then, one day, a beast attacks it. The beast was killed. Afterwards, they noticed that it had been starving. And a day later, they discovered its offspring, born only a few days ago, dying from hunger. Do you think it was right for the villagers to kill the beast? Was it right for the beast to attack the village?"

She frowned and declared: "What about it? This has nothing to do with our situation!"

Jin calmly spoke: "It does. Both sides tried to kill the other. But none were wrong to try. Because it was for survival in both cases"

She grinded her teeth and seethed: "So what?!"

Jin continued: "The Church of Light is considered good but does that mean that everything they do is 'good'?"

Her fury had yet to calm. Jin could only go on: "What I am trying to say is that right and wrong are both dependent on your point of view. Remember how that monster was full of reverence towards those 'Evils'? To him and his kind, they are probably the 'good' side"

Ame screamed at him: "But we are not their kind! You are not a monster!"

Jin nodded. That was true. He did not consider himself as one of them. He stated: "I am not. But I don't see any problem in making use of their goodwill"

Ame stopped and looked at him with pity in her gaze: "Do you really not? He killed our friends, Baem. He killed them!"

Jin could not empathize. From the very start, he never grew any affection for those people. He was too numb. He had seen them die so many times in previous lives. Seeing them die once more was...It brought no emotional fluctuations to him.

To Ame, however, it was her first time seeing them die. And it would be the last too. Because this was reality. Jin understood that but could not empathize... He was stuck with no idea on how to proceed... So, he asked her: "What would you want me to do then? I am only trying to raise our chances of surviving"

She wanted to scream at him but as she saw the hidden tiredness and pain within his eyes, feelings he himself probably was unaware of, she cried.

She walked into his arms and hugged him as she cried.

Deep down, she knew that he suffered as much as her. She believed it. And she understood that he was only trying to survive...