Zoey covered her eyes as she indirectly looked at the bright shining sun. She sighed as she looked at her death-soaked hands. It was a little insane for an eighteen-year-old to have as much blood on her hands as she does. She wanted to blame herself. It would be the normal thing to do after what she did.

But Zoey just couldn’t feel bad about it. It tore her apart that she couldn’t feel guilt and remorse for what she had to do. Is she really that far gone, thanks to the Box? Even normal human emotions are starting to fade away as she gets stronger and stronger?

“Still moping around?” Victor stood in front of her licking an ice cream cone.

“Shut up…” Zoey adjusted her bikini.

Victor thought she needed a vacation to relax and get her mind off things. So, he took her to a private beach. Sadly for him, Zoey didn’t know how to swim, and being at the beach just by themselves wasn’t exactly the most fun. For the first few days, she just drowned herself in training. It didn’t allow her to think about anything. Training just made her feel.

“Listen, kiddo. I don’t see the big problem here.” Victor crouched, no longer blocking her from the sun’s harmful rays. “You took care of someone that would have eventually found a way to hurt you or those you care about. If anything, you did the responsible and good thing by dealing with him.” Victor looked into her eyes.

“It's not about doing the right thing or whatever. I feel like shit because I don’t feel bad about doing it!”

“You shouldn’t, dumbass!”

“Isn’t it normal to feel bad about taking the life of your own friend?!”

“I wouldn’t call him a friend if he really said what you told me he said.”

“I-I… I guess not, but still… I didn’t want the first human life i had to take to be from someone i thought was close to me. I even freaking spared a criminal gang leader who probably had far more deaths on his hands than Hayato ever did but left him alive!”

“Did that guy know about the people close to you?”

“Maybe?”

“Probably not as much as one of your friends, though, right?”

“I guess…” Zoey shrugged.

She was famous now. Zoey didn’t think about it when she first joined the YFTL, but there was definitely a downside to fame. Anyone could find out information about her. There was little privacy surrounding her life. So that also meant that her whereabouts were always posted. The other students recorded anything she did at school. Sometimes the parents of the kids she teaches at the gym record her sessions. Even while walking or jogging about, she would be recorded or stopped by people asking for autographs.

This also meant that information on her family and friends slowly started to grow as well. Fans and haters began to build information about people close to her. Their full names, ages, and more. So, it wouldn’t take much for people to find information about her or the people she cared about. All of this was already in motion, and impossible for Zoey to stop even if she wanted to. There was no turning back time as far as she knew. Trying to give up her fame and riches wouldn’t work since she was apparently a world-famous fighter after defeating multiple opponents across the world. Retired celebrities were still celebrities.

“How can I protect them?” Zoey suddenly asked.

“By getting strong enough that no one would dare touch you or your family.” Victor grinned.

“Does that work for you?” Zoey narrowed her eyes at him.

“Nope.”

“Then why would you tell me that?!”

“Because being weak is a crime.” He seriously looked at her. “Those that are weak will be taken advantage of. Weak physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, or emotionally. I don’t mean to be strong enough to blow away all of your problems with your fist. It helps, but that is only one part of the whole. There is more to being strong than just hurting others. I never knew this growing up, so take this advice with care, alright?” Victor took a bite out of his ice cream. “Cherish your bonds, protect those you care about, and get strong enough that maybe all you will need is a strong fist to solve your problems.”

“I don’t know if this is making me feel better or not. My heart is still heavy.” Zoey frowned.

“Give it time. Killing a friend isn’t something that will just go away, even if it turns out that they were a crazy, manipulative, sociopathic murderer. It's better if it doesn’t go away. This way, you’ll always remember to be careful in choosing your friends.”

“If you say so...” Zoey sighed as she laid her head back on the beach lounger. “Did you have to kill a friend of yours before?” Zoey asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t call them friends now, but they were close associates. We worked together on a few cases back when I was around your age.”

“How did you handle it?”

“My situation was different from yours. Those people I knew betrayed me because the people they cared about were being held hostage by the old foggies in the OM at the time. They either captured or killed me, or their loved ones would suffer. I understood they didn’t have a choice, but I wasn’t going to give my life for someone else. Especially if I had to do it because of those old fuckers. When I saw them trying to do it again but threatening me with your life, I figured it was time to get rid of them.” Victor explained.

“My friends betraying me because of someone else… What if I find a good way to fake die!? That way, my friend or friends could report back that I was dead. When they leave my body to rot, I’ll secretly go investigate the asshole who put us in this situation and punch their brains out!” Zoey reasoned.

“Sounds annoying.”

“Better than having to kill my friends.”

“Well, can’t argue there, but what if they weren’t ordered to kill you but capture you? Their loved ones are still in the hands of the bad guy, and you’re captured. How will you save anyone then?”

“I don’t want to leave my life in the hands of others either…” Zoey didn’t like the thought of playing the damsel in distress. “Wait! Is there a way to seal someone’s magji? Like you said, they captured me, but can I still use my magji?”

“I don’t think this is how twenty questions is supposed to be played.”

“Shut up and answer!”

“Such a disrespectful student… Aye, what did I do to deserve this?” Victor groaned with regret. Zoey simply glared at him.

“I don’t know anyone or anything that can stop someone from using their magji. Magji comes from one’s soul. As long as a magjistar is alive and well, there should be nothing that can stop them from using their magji.” Victor answered her.

“Say I was chained up on a wall or something. I could still use my magji?” Zoey asked.

“Right…”

“What if I was just tortured or something?”

“It’ll be harder but not impossible as long as the magjistar has good control over their mahna.”

“Unconcious?”

“Impossible.”

Zoey went silent at this response. Maybe getting captured wasn’t that big of a deal then. She’d get captured, taken to the person behind the kidnapping, use Overdraft, and deal with him then and there. After that, she would go about helping her friends and the people they care about, and problem solved! Nice and simple.

“Hold on! Can’t I take someone’s mahna by using the Mahna Gathering Bomb?”

“That’s stealing, not sealing. Their mahna would recover back eventually.”

“Okay…”

“So this daemon friend of yours. How is he?” Victor changed the subject.

“He’s cool.” Zoey replied.

“Cool? Cooler than me?” Victor flashed a smile.

“Way cooler.” Zoey didn’t hesitate to bring down his ego.

“You’re just saying that to hurt me.” He laughed.

“Whatever…” Zoey looked at all the caring notifications from her friends and family. “I think it's about time I went back home… I probably have so much schoolwork piled up for missing a week of school…” Zoey sighed.

“Girls really are a lot more emotional than men. It only took me a few days to get over the death of my friends, but it took you a whole week.” Victor chuckled.

“Shut up, asshole. I’m not over his death, I just understand I don’t need to torture myself trying to feel guilty over it.” Zoey got up from her chair and stretched.

The scars that should be present all over her body from fighting daemons and magjistars didn’t exist, thanks to Victor. Zoey didn’t have a wicked scar from Hayato shoving his sword into her side. That scar that used to be on her back from her fight with Hayato’s dad. Wow, to think that both the father and the son would have left their marks on her even after their demise. Victor bought an expensive magji tool for help on the account of girls needing to look pretty. How could she look pretty with so many ugly marks on her body? Zoey thought the scars were cool but didn’t refuse him. As a young woman, she was still self-conscious about her own body and the way that others looked at it.

“That’s better than what I did. I just drank a bunch of alcohol until I was forced into case after case. You’re lucky to have me.” Victor told her.

“Whatever.” Zoey didn’t deny it, although he was still pretty annoying.