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“Stay here. Think about what you did.”
He could still hear Veld’s stern voice echoing in his mind when he closed his eyes. See the judgment in his eyes. The disappointment, too. He’d failed him.
Well. That wasn’t hard. Everyone failed Veld, didn’t they? The standards were too high. Just like his real father.
His confinement would be much easier If he didn’t feel guilty. If he didn’t feel wrong. If it was as easy as wanting his father dead. If he didn’t care.
Who wants to kill their own father? they asked.
Who wants to hurt their own son? They didn’t think of that.
Why should he be the bigger person, despite quite literally standing taller than the man now?
The youth had not faded from his cheeks yet.
But his anger was that of a young god’s. Shinra Inc. indeed.
Why not face off against the man who had stood in all the doorways of his mind projecting into the judgment of a powerful death god with the justice of a heavenly saint and the actions of a common rapist?
He heard the screams.
He kept his mouth shut.
He had to hear and see things no child should.
He didn’t expect people to get it, but he was done.
He was accumulating weight and tipping the scales.
If Justice was truly blind,
He was not.
He would balance the scales himself.
Is that not what projecting into the gods was for, when men were thrown to the wolves?
Reno had looked at him strangely as he led him into the room.
When they thought he was asleep, he heard him talking to Rude.
“Man, what I would give to have a relationship with my parents. They didn’t want my ass. What a spoiled idiot. And he didn’t even think about how it would affect us.”
“Don’t be judgmental,” Rude returned. “I don’t think anyone can predict how the President will act about anything, let alone a betrayal coming from the bloodline. He’s lucky he didn’t kill his own son to make an example of him. He calls himself a president, but we know what he is in his mind.”
“Even tyrants love people.”
“Not sure how you can say that, Reno. Not that I know, or care to, but most people say that man is incapable of love. You know what he does. With the secretaries. You know Rufus was there, right?”
“I dunno, Rude. How do I explain? Some shit is louder than words ever gonna be. And it don’t gotta make sense. It’s like Veld. Veld cares about us. Don’t gotta say it.”
“Are you really comparing Veld to President Shinra?” Rude asked, raising a brow.
“They’re both tyrants projecting into saints, ain’t they?”