[32] Fear

"If I see you guys pulling something like this again, it will be more then just a limb. Attach their limbs please Sera." I said, before turning away from them.

"What?! You want me to heal them?" Sera spat out, disbelief creeping into her voice. Her eyes darted between me and the writhing men on the ground. "After what they tried to pull?"

"Yeah," I said, shifting my gaze back towards the men, "If we leave them here like this, they're as good as dead. I didn't cut off their limbs to kill them, but to teach them a lesson."

"You're just... ugh!" Sera huffed, rolling her eyes dramatically before she reluctantly knelt down next to the injured men. She extended her hands, the aura of her magic beginning to glow around them. Her eyes softened, her healer's instinct taking over, despite her initial resentment.

The men's screams subsided as their wounds stopped bleeding, and gradually, their severed limbs began to reconnect with their bodies. The process was painful, but it was better than the alternative.

With her task done, Sera stood up, dusting off her hands. She shot me a sidelong glance, a mix of begrudging respect and exasperation. "You're one strange man, you know that?" She said, shaking her head.

I simply shrugged, adjusting the straps of my newly acquired sword. "We should get going, it's not far to the black market." I told them, starting to walk away from the scene.

***

As we resumed our journey, I turned to look at Lila, her eyes still wide from the spectacle. "Lila, are you scared of me?" I asked her. There was a moment of silence before she replied.

"No," she replied, shaking her head and meeting my gaze with her clear, innocent eyes. "I am not scared of you, Master."

Her reply caught me by surprise. Considering the violence that had just transpired, her reaction was unexpected. I raised an eyebrow at her response, prompting her to continue.

"You...you are strong, yes," she admitted, her gaze shifting down to my sword. "But strength isn't what's scary. It's how people use it."

She paused, lifting her gaze again to meet mine. "And you, Master, used your strength to protect us, and even those men," she said, motioning toward the alleyway we had just left. "You could've left them for dead, but you didn't. You're not like them, you're...you're just."

Her response brought a small smile to my face. "I'm glad you see it that way, Lila. Let's keep going, we have a jewel thief to catch."

Q: If someone did this in real life would you be scared?