"Is there something wrong with the commander?" Cristopher asked Sherry. "He's been staring off into the distance for the past hour. Did something happen last night?" The teenage boy was still fine when he returned to rest yesterday after training the new recruits. But now, he seemed absentminded. Cristopher had been with Zion for a long time, but this was the first time he saw the latter act like this. "He had a bad dream earlier," Sherry replied. "He might still be thinking about it right now." Zion had bad dreams before. Sherry could still remember the nights when he cried in her arms as he slept. And most of the time, he would call out names she had never heard of. So far, Sherry recognized only one name among the many her lover mentioned—Vincent. However, that was before Zion met the other party during the tournament sponsored by the Ashford Clan. But in the past, even if she could tell that Zion had a nightmare and no matter how much he cried during the night, the teenage boy would be perfectly fine when morning came. This was the first incident when he was still affected after waking up. Zion seemed to be thinking about something very deeply, and it made Sherry feel anxious. Erica and Shana had left for an inspection in the nearby city. This was done to help boost the morale of the Defenders there, as well as make sure that the presence of the members of the Hero Party could be seen. As Zion continued to stare in the distance, Vincent appeared and sat beside him. "Zion, I think you have some love problems," Vincent said. "But worry not. I am a love expert. If you have some concerns, feel free to ask me." The young man patted his chest with confidence as if to say he knew anything and everything about love. Thirteen gave him a sidelong glance before staring off in the distance once more. "Then let me ask you a question. If your loved ones were taken hostage, and the culprit asked you to kill yourself in return for their safety, what would you do?" Thirteen asked. "Such a specific question," Vincent frowned. "But since you asked, then allow me to give you an answer." The young man, who had cultivated the Dao of Love when he was still Thirteen's host, also looked in the direction where the teenage boy was looking. "Frankly, if I can guarantee their safety, I believe I'll choose to sacrifice myself so they can live," Vincent replied. Thirteen already expected this answer from the other party. After all, the love expert had walked this talk in the past. But Vincent was still not finished with his explanation. "At least, that's what I should do." Vincent sighed. "However, I'm sure the lovers I'd leave behind would also choose to follow me in the afterlife if I were to die for their sake. "You see, Zion—love is complicated and simple at the same time. Anyone would wish to protect the ones they loved, whether they be family, lover, or friends. "It's a very 'human' thing to do. But, remember this. If others were to use our loved ones against us, then what is stopping them from doing vile things to them after we are gone? "What's the guarantee they will keep their word? Perhaps our continued existence is the greatest protection we can offer them. The fact that they cannot fight us directly and have to resort to such lowly acts means that they are scared of us." Vincent chuckled faintly as if remembering a very distant memory. "There are times when we need to make hard choices, Zion. And sometimes, we shouldn't choose the easy way out for the sake of convenience. Take this with a grain of salt, but if my loved ones are used as hostage against me, I will not choose to kill myself. "I will simply walk in their direction and stare at them with killing intent. This will let them know that if they do something funny to my lovers, I will make them die a very slow and painful death." Thirteen glanced at the young man, who had a determined look on his face. In his past life, he had chosen to sacrifice himself for his loved ones. But this time, Vincent was implying that sacrificing oneself may not save the people he loved, but instead, make them suffer more once he was gone. "You've changed," Thirteen said softly. "I changed?" Vincent asked in confusion. "What do you mean?" "No. I misspoke. Don't mind me." "Well, if you say so." Vincent shrugged and decided to no longer persist on the topic. "Now, are there any more questions you want to ask?" Vincent asked in a mischievous tone. "For example, how to melt the hearts of ice queens and the like? I have a surefire method on how to do that." "How about Ice Princes?" Thirteen inquired. "Ah that…" Vincent scratched his head. "You will have to ask Penny for that since he swings both ways." "Is that so?" Thirteen pondered a bit as a nefarious plan started to form inside his head. "Zion, I don't like that look on your face. Are you perhaps planning to throw someone in Penny's way?" "No comment." Vincent uttered a silent prayer in his heart for whoever the unlucky being Zion was plotting against. But before he could finish his litany, Thirteen stood up and lightly patted his shoulder. "Thank you for the advice," Thirteen said. "I feel much better now." "Glad I helped," Vincent replied and raised his fist. Thirteen understood what he wanted and exchanged a fist bump with his former best friend, who once sacrificed everything for love. He then approached Sherry, Cristopher, and Hugo and smiled at the three of them. "Why do the three of you look worried?" Thirteen asked. "We're worried about you, Sir," Cristopher replied. "I see." Thirteen nodded before patting his right-hand man's shoulder. "Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm fine now." He then held Sherry's hand, intending to pull her back to their room so they could talk in private. They would need to make a trip to the Domain of the Apocalypse for a while because Thirteen had finally made a decision. He would not sacrifice anyone in this lifetime. Not himself. Not his family, lovers, or friends. Those who would use his people against him. would soon realize that they were messing with the wrong person. Thirteen wasn't human. He was once the System of Cannon Fodders and could think of countless ways on how to give his enemies a very slow, painful death. Back then, he thought his hosts were stupid for prioritizing saving their loved ones at the cost of their lives. Even now, he still believed that they made a bad decision. As long as they were alive, there was hope, so why would they end their lives like that? Vincent's words earlier had also made the teenage boy realize that he was no longer the same person as he was in his past life. In this life, his previous host had learned to no longer choose sacrificing himself and choosing the easy way out. Thirteen still didn't fully understand what love was. But he knew with every fiber of his being that he would not allow Erica, Sherry, and Shana to get hurt because of him. For that, he would need to make preparations. And ensure that those who dared to touch his reverse scale would suffer a fate worse than death itself.