Chapter 51

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The woman who had interrupted the mess was an Auror, which was why Ethan's parents had complied. Aurors were all highly trained wizards in the way of combat, and more importantly, they represented the law.

Ignoring the security of the Market of the Sun was fine because it was a private organisation in the end, and while protected by the law, Ethan and his family were attacked in the first place, and adding to that the connections of his parents, ignoring them was fine. Aurors were something else, however.

But while they couldn't be ignored, they also couldn't make any outlandish arrests, and so once it was made clear that they were the victims here, Ethan, his parents, and Tracey were allowed to leave after Henry and Helene promised to go to the Auror's Office to help clear up the case.

Ethan and Tracey were dropped back at the hotel before Henry and Helene left. Left alone with Tracey, Ethan gazed in the direction of the underwater lighthouse as he said, "Pretty intense for a shopping trip, wasn't it?"

Tracey replied with a humourless chuckle, "That'd be a way to say it, yes. But I'm fine, really."

"You don't have to be fine, you know."

Seeing she kept silent, Ethan added, "I'm not going to think any less of you for it. Hell, it would be the normal reaction to what you saw. When I warned you, I wasn't being this serious. Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have asked you to come along."

Tracey had her head down as Ethan finished speaking, her hair masking her face. After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke with a distant voice, "But that's the problem. I-I didn't feel anything. Even as his arm was ripped off, I didn't feel disgust, shock, or horror. I just-I felt like a passenger in my own body; I couldn't react. Is… is there something wrong with me?"

This was not the direction Ethan had anticipated the conversation to go in. Taking a moment to mull over her words, he offered, "You are probably still in shock. I mean, an assassin did try to kill us. Besides, if that meant there was something wrong with you, then how bad would I be?"

Tracey raised her head, and although her words were mean, a faint smile was tugging at her lips. "I'm not sure I like that comparison."

Ethan smiled back before leaning back into his seat and saying, "Let me tell you something. People like to pretend that killing is inhuman, that it goes against our very nature, but the truth is, killing is as much part of us as it is in any predator. And that includes other humans. The true reason murder is frowned upon is because humanity needs society to thrive, and society cannot work if the people are killing each other."

"That's a grim way to look at the world."

"One born from personal experience. I've never told you how Miyuki and I came to be together, did I?"

Tracey shook her head, and Ethan, feeling Miyuki twitch slightly on his head, started, "I was four at the time. My parents brought me to Japan because of a job they had, well, that my mother had, and before leaving, the monks we were with agreed to bring us with them to an exorcism."

"Exorcism?"

"That's what they call hunting magical beasts. We were hunting for an Oni, a cousin of the Troll that only exists in Japan. But what they didn't know was that it was under the charm of a Kitsune. Miyuki's mother."

Ethan felt Tracey's glance rest on Miyuki as she remained silent, and he continued his tale, "Have you ever seen a dragon? Well, that was worse. Before I even saw her, she had decapitated half of the members of our group. Hell, had my father not pushed me away, I may have died myself without ever seeing anything."

Tracey looked back into Ethan's eyes and asked, "How was it?"

"Scary. I thought I was going to die. But the deaths of those monks, it was sad, because I had been introduced to them before, but their deaths by themselves? It wasn't disgusting to the four-year-old me, because I did not understand life and death yet."

Ethan had changed the truth a little, but he still firmly believed in what he said. He simply couldn't tell the exact story because he would have to reveal that he had reincarnated into this world and was pretty much an adult in a child's body.

"The point of my story is that the disgust felt towards the deaths of fellow humans is hardly an innate condition, or there wouldn't be so many murders."

Once again looking down, Tracey looked a little absent-minded as she asked, "I'm pretty sure I remember hearing about an instinct within us that hinders animals from killing members of their own species back at school. Muggle school."

Tracey was a half-blood, which was why she had attended a muggle school before Hogwarts. She had received education from both worlds. Unbeknownst to her, so had Ethan, although under different circumstances.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ethan chuckled, "Well, this is going a little dark, but no, not really. The only real difference there is between killing an animal and a human being is sentience and the life that gets snuffed out. To humans, the life of an animal is pretty much meaningless because it is inferior. A human will grow up, experience the world, find a partner, and contribute to society. In a few words, have a life. An animal will only follow its instincts and live for itself until its death. So killing an animal is just that—ending something. But killing a human is cancelling what this person could have been—their identity."

Tracey gave him a dry chuckle. "You're right, this is dark."

"But this is not innate. This is ingrained in us through our education because that is the only way to have a functioning society. As for you, there could be a number of reasons you did not feel disgusted. First off, that assassin wasn't killed; you only saw blood. Secondly, we are still young, and you have hovered between two vastly different societies for your entire childhood. Although both see murder in a negative light, they go at it differently, which might explain why this idea that murder is bad hasn't been completely ingrained in you."

Tracey did not look very reassured by his words, unfortunately, as she nervously held her hands together as she said, "You make it sound like the entire world has been brainwashed."

Ethan did not show any hesitation in his answer: "Because they have. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. People are all about freedom, but you do need some level of control to have an operating society."

"You really are starting to sound like a Dark Lord." Tracey's voice lacked the usual humour it had when she said these words.

Ethan paused before smiling, resting his chin on his hand as he slightly tilted his head. "So it would seem. What about it?"

Tracey looked at him, shocked, no longer feeling like this was a joke in the slightest. She gulped, looking into his blue eyes, before saying, "I believe you."

Ethan was surprised she had accepted his words so readily, not expecting it from the carefree girl. Relaxing his body, Ethan defused the situation, saying, "Don't worry, I wasn't talking about taking over the country and forming a dictatorship. When I say a certain level of control, I am mostly talking about the law. The common law. But we've gotten a bit on a tangent, haven't we?"

Tracey laughed genuinely, "Yes, I suppose we have."

Smiling as he heard her repeating his words, Ethan finished with, "You are perfectly fine, and if you ever feel doubt again, don't hesitate to come to me."