Sorek finished his tea, with more than a few comments about how they were missing out. He then led the way down another pipe with Alice following close to him. He led them through several larger spaces converted into rooms similar to the first. Some grew food, others seemed more focused on growing spiritual medicine.

They followed after him in silence and he walked unhurriedly but with a purposeful stride, his hands clasped behind his straight back.

The pressure from the wards faded as they walked away from his home and into the dark tunnels. A noctilith lashed out at Sorek from the darkness. Sorek gestured with one hand as though caressing the air with the back of his hand, and a wave of water swept the noctilith down another passageway. Jie heard it scuttle away.

Jie stared at Sorek as they walked, her blue eyes boring into his back as she tried to understand him. He'd been overpowering and terrifying at first... yet his water had moved away from their mouths and allowed them all to breathe even before Jie had broken out... and the things he said were unlike anything she'd heard on Xiannu. Her frown deepened.

"Spit it out. Your silence is deafening," Sorek said.

"It's just... your killing intent is overwhelming, but you seem to go out of your way to avoid harming anything... I don't understand," Jie said.

"Mmm... I killed many before realizing the truth," Sorek said.

"The truth?" Jie asked.

"That killing is wrong," Sorek said, "and anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate others."

"It sounds like you speak from experience," Jie said.

Pan Tian looked at her like she was crazy, her green eyes screaming the words 'What are you doing!? Stop talking!'

"I'm ashamed to say I do," Sorek said bitterly, "they told us it was okay because we were stronger. Because we were descendants of one of the Great Lightning Dragon's disciples and thus this world, everyone, and everything in it belonged to us as our birthright. Because we were somehow superior to our enemies. Whatever that means. Because they were different or for their own good or the greater good. So many lies. A bouquet of them. Anything to keep people from thinking. From realizing that what they're doing is wrong and turning on those who would use them as puppets to do their bidding."

"And you were a puppet?" Jie asked.

"Jie," Pan Tian said with a forced smile, "let's not insult our host."

"It's alright. Your young friend is correct. I was a puppet. A fool. Their lies made me think myself a master when in truth they made me a slave... for far too long," Sorek said, "what better way to enslave someone can there be than to convince them of their superiority?"

"Who did?" Jie asked.

"Does it matter? They're all the same," Sorek said, "families, clans, sects, countries, this group or that. They're all the same... take a step back and they all blur into one big dot."

"So now you don't kill... at all? Not even noctilith?" Jie asked.

Sorek nodded.

"But... isn't that too extreme the other way? I mean... I don't like killing... and I don't like the way people think of it here... but sometimes it's necessary," Jie said.

"Necessary? It's never necessary," Sorek said, "take the noctilith for example. I've not killed a single one as we've traveled. So, how is it necessary?"

"But they're disgusting," Ithilix said.

"So? They only go about their lives as we do ours," Sorek said.

"And they try to kill us," Jie said, "how am I evil for defending myself and my friends?"

"Was it not your actions that put you in a place that made such defense necessary?" Sorek asked.

"So, I'm just supposed to hide under a rock my whole life? Too afraid to go anywhere because maybe I'll have to kill some freaky bug, or it'll eat me?" Jie asked.

"I've not needed to do so," Sorek said.

"You live in the sewers of a dead city in a cavern filled with creatures too weak to be a threat to you. How is that not hiding?" Jie asked.

Pan Tian flashed her another warning look and Jie noticed her tone was indeed growing more aggressive. Yet, she couldn't help it. His words infuriated her, and she didn't know why.

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"It's peaceful. And, I enjoy studying these ruins," Sorek said, "I wouldn't call it hiding. But, if I had to, to avoid doing wrong then so be it. And, I might add if I followed the moral philosophy you suggest... you'd not be alive now to criticize my current one."

Jie found it hard to think of a response to that.

A black blob with far too many mouths dropped down on them from the ceiling and was swept away by Sorek's water before Jie could even get a better look at it.

"Maybe you don't like killing if you can avoid it, but what about when you can't? What about when someone bad needs to be stopped? Not just some mindless beast you can overpower and sweep away or people like us who could be reasoned with. But someone who wants to kill you or others? Someone you cannot reason with. Someone strong enough to be a true threat," Jie asked.

"If I couldn't stop them without killing, I suppose I would flee," Sorek said.

"What if they go kill someone else then? And another person? Maybe hundreds? Or thousands? How is it not okay to kill them?" Jie asked.

Though she tried to control it, more anger bled into her words and her lack of control further annoyed her.

Why is this conversation making me so angry? Jie wondered despite her inability to prevent herself from feeling that way.

Sorek's words were calm and yet she couldn't help feeling as though he were judging her. Judging her for the things she'd tried so hard to make herself do since coming to this world. The things she'd already done... the things she'd promised to do. And worse, judging Ming for what he'd done for her.

That last thought made Jie clench her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms despite her best efforts to steady herself and remain calm.

"We don't know the true effect of our actions," Sorek said.

"What?" Jie asked, doing her best to keep her anger and frustration out of her voice. She doubted she succeeded.

"Actions are not self-contained. They ripple forward. So, perhaps you kill someone to save another, and his sect comes seeking revenge and kills twice as many as he would have. Now you've stained your soul, and cost the world even more lives," Sorek said.

"No, you did your best and now you need to stop the sect too," Jie said.

"And, so your one evil deed now creates a need for more and those will create a need for even more. On and on it goes," Sorek said.

"So, you should just let everything happen because you don't know what the end result will be? That's not goodness. It's cowardice," Jie said.

"It's humility," Sorek countered, "but there's more. For when you kill, your soul is stained by it. To harm another is to harm yourself and be plagued by turmoil. Say you seek revenge against someone who wronged you. You will gain no peace from this. You shall only stain yourself and create ripples you cannot see."

Jie gritted her teeth. "Well, I got my revenge and I didn't feel in turmoil. I felt relieved that they were gone and would never hurt anyone else. It wasn't like they were ever going to change," Jie said.

"Yes, you sound truly peaceful," Sorek said with a smug smile that made Jie want to hit him, "and you don't know that they wouldn't have changed."

"Too bad for them, then. Maybe they should've met the deadline," Jie snapped, "and I felt your killing intent. It's easy to say you wouldn't kill, but what if someone attacked Alice? Not just a mistake like we made, but someone who knew how important Alice was to you. Someone who couldn't be reasoned with. Strong enough that you couldn't stop them without killing them. You're saying you'd just let them? That you'd just stand by and watch them butcher your friend?"

Sorek's killing intent flared for just a moment and Jie smirked even as it sent ice-cold fear running down her spine. Sorek took a deep breath and his killing intent faded as though it had never been there.

"Jie, please. You're being rude," Pan Tian said evenly.

"Not at all," Sorek said, "I can sense deep conflict within Jie and I would be delighted to help steer her to a better path. I'm not so easily offended these days."

Pan Tian gave a polite smile though she looked unconvinced.

"You don't know the full story of why someone or something does what it does," Sorek continued, "Perhaps you're told that thievery is wrong and so you kill someone for stealing a bushel of apples only to--"

"Only to find they were trying to feed their starving family or whatever. Yeah, I'm not talking about petty thieves. I don't think it's okay to just let people go around murdering, raping, and doing whatever they want because 'oh they weren't hugged enough as a child.' Too bad for them. It doesn't justify their actions and you didn't answer my question," Jie said.

"I don't know the answer," Sorek said, "I would certainly try to avoid killing... but I'm not naive enough to believe that I have perfect control over myself. Still... I would do my best... and perhaps that would mean grieving and moving forward, allowing karma to take care of it, and avoiding yet another stain on my soul."

"Karma?" Jie asked.

"Yes, karma. Actions create positive or negative karma that carries forward. Like I said with how we cannot truly know the outcome of our actions," Sorek said, "do bad things and bad things shall flow back to you. Do good and good shall flow back to you. It is, of course, much more complicated than this."

"You're joking, right? I heard something similar back on... home. But, for a moment I thought you were talking about something different. Something real. If karma was real, then good things would happen to good people and bad people would have everything fall apart. Instead, bad people destroy lives and run off free and happy with rewards!" Jie said.

Sorek shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. Karma takes a long time to manifest and follows one through lifetimes. It's not nearly so... deterministic. Nor is it one to one. It's more like do one bad deed and have a thousand return to you. Do one good deed and have a thousand returned to you. Do something bad and in a future lifetime, you may lead a life of innocence only for a thousand times your actions to come crashing down upon you," Sorek said.

"So, then if something bad happens to someone it's their fault? Like they deserve it? That's insane!" Jie said, "And that means I could kill anyone because then if they die it must be what they deserve!"

Dragon lightning qi crackled over her for a moment before she took a steadying breath.

"That's not what I meant," Sorek said calmly, "I can see that my words have struck something within you. As I said, it's not so deterministic. It's more complicated and fluid and not all that happens is the result of karma. It's simply a force. One of many in the universe and one with far-reaching consequences."

Jie cycled her qi to calm herself back down. "Maybe... but if it's real... it's too slow for my taste," Jie said.