Ethan tilted his head. A crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"Killing's a bit dramatic, don't you think? I prefer to say I'm... intervening. Trying to stop them from growing into monsters like us." His smile faded. "I'd stop all this if there were any other way."
Kai gave a dry chuckle. "If you asked anyone which one of us is crazier, they'd point to you without blinking."
"I'm aware," Ethan said with a shrug. "But isn't that the price of conviction? No one ever understands you until it's too late."
Kai stood, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "They say a madman with conviction is the most dangerous kind."
Ethan stood too, brushing dust from his coat. "Then imagine two of us."
To any outsider, it would've looked like a conversation between lunatics—one driven by rage, the other by delusion. And maybe it was. But even madness had its own pecking order, and they both knew which role they played.
