Gordon stared at Valeria with his one remaining eye, the words echoing hollowly in his ruined head. Only a good man could feel true pain. He didn't understand. He couldn't. The question burned inside him, but she offered no explanation.
She turned away.
Valeria walked toward the others, her footsteps unhurried. Gordon's breath hitched as she reached his family. Without ceremony, she sliced through their restraints. One by one, their bodies dropped to the floor in dull, lifeless thuds, still unconscious.
She looked down at them, her face empty of warmth or hatred. Just calm.
"There's an ancient tribe," Valeria said softly, "that believes becoming one with one's family is the highest form of nirvana."
Gordon's eye widened.
"Let's see how true that is."
The change was instant.
