In a lot of ways, the difference between languages was rather astonishing.
Jax could switch from a casual conversation with Aiden about what he could do better next time while sparring to something Aiden could not even begin to understand.
It was honestly astounding.
But from what Aiden saw, it seemed like Jax had been scolded or something by Little Fox.
That was why he was surprised Little Fox had picked him to be the one she sparred against.
He was even more surprised by how far away from the others she was leading him.
Jax and Aiden had only been a few dozen paces away, but Little Fox had already led him across the clearing and was beginning to enter the forest on the other side.
"Hey," Aiden asked, turning back to where the others were now little more than small shapes on the horizon, "where are you taking me?"
Little Fox stopped and turned back to him.
She seemed to think for a moment before saying in broken Common, "You like others healthy?"
Aiden blinked.
Then he thought about it and realized what she was asking.
"Yes," he said. "I want to keep the others safe. Why? Did something happen?"
Little Fox turned to face him fully.
Then, in perfect Common, she said, "Good. Because I think Jax may end up killing everyone, and Selene will help him."
Aiden stared at her.
For a moment, all he could do was try to wrap his head around what had just happened.
Then he asked, with clear astonishment, "When did you learn how to talk so well?"
Little Fox rolled her eyes.
"Not important," she said. "Take a stance. We're supposed to be sparring, remember?"
Realizing she was serious, Aiden nodded and took a stance.
They both began to move.
Neither swung with real intent, but they moved enough to make it look like a fight.
"What evidence do you have that Jax and Selene are planning to kill everyone else?" Aiden asked.
Little Fox feinted and jumped back from a strike of his spear, hissing slightly through steadily increasing labored breaths.
"He killed a bunch of kids," she said. "And Selene helped him cover it up on that quest we went on. I saw him do it. The malice in his eyes alone was enough to show his intention."
Hearing that, Aiden's mind flashed back to the events of that night.
He was late to react.
His block came clumsy and slow.
Little Fox's claw caught his face, leaving a gash as the price.
She turned, maybe surprised she had actually landed a hit.
Aiden let out a sigh and lowered his spear.
He thought for a moment.
Then he looked back at her.
"Do you have siblings?"
Little Fox stopped.
She seemed surprised by the reply, and her body tensed as if she expected him to suddenly attack her for real.
"Two of them," she said. "They died years ago from old age and infection."
Aiden nodded.
Then he sat down and patted the dirt beside him.
Little Fox hesitated before making her way over and sitting down, though she still looked poised to jump away if he moved too quickly.
"What would you have done if, say, a wolf had killed one of your brothers just to kill them?"
Aiden looked toward where Jax stood talking with the others.
The normal wagging of his tail was absent, likely because of whatever Little Fox had said earlier.
"I would hunt them down in revenge for his death," Little Fox said, sounding impatient. "What is your point?"
"Those kids were from the organization that killed Jax's brother."
Little Fox stared at him.
Instead of her expression softening, she snarled.
"You think that makes it better?" she snapped. "They were children. They had families, lives, goals, dreams. They did nothing to Jax's brother, so how the hell does that give him permission to slaughter them?"
Aiden stared for a moment, trying to formulate a response.
Then, to his surprise, a system notification appeared.
Skill Fragmented Will (E) has activated and taken control of your mouth.
"Then what exactly would you have done in his place?" Will asked through Aiden's mouth. "From what I know, a group of terrorists had kidnapped and were torturing someone when you all arrived. You said yourself that if your brother had been killed, you would have hunted down his killers."
Little Fox turned, seemingly surprised by the sudden aggression in Aiden's attitude.
Aiden, however, was a bit distracted.
Welcome back, he thought. How are you doing?
"I just got overstrained from seeing shit we weren't supposed to see and went into a coma for a week," Will barked inside his mind. "What do you think?"
Luckily, Will gave Aiden back control of his mouth before he yelled that out loud.
Aiden chuckled to himself.
Then he turned his attention back to Little Fox, knowing the next few words could change everything here.
"That's…" Little Fox's claws dug into the dirt. "That's not fair. My brother wouldn't die to kids."
"Then what about the parents of the man being tortured?" Aiden asked. "If he died, do they not have a claim for revenge just because the ones hurting him were kids?"
Little Fox recoiled slightly.
Then she clawed at the dirt and yelled, "So you're saying I'm not allowed to feel sorry for them!"
Aiden sighed.
He tried to imagine the situation from her perspective before speaking.
"I'm saying it's almost impossible to find something so black and white as absolutely wrong or absolutely right," he said. "Things like that don't naturally appear very often."
Little Fox glared at him, but he continued.
"Everyone has reasons for why they do things. From why they pick certain foods to why they kill. So claiming the death of someone because of something is forbidden no matter the circumstance becomes hypocritical."
Aiden stood, stretching and moving around as a cooldown after sparing.
"Obviously killing kids isn't good, but can you expect to not defend yourself if attacked? I will not explain everything as some of it is private for Jax, but they are part of a group known to hunt down kids, adults, and elderly alike, killing all of them. They are young, but each of them was just as much of a killer as you blame Jax of being."
Little Fox paced.
She hissed.
She clawed at the ground as if trying to find the response that would break his argument in an instant.
Then, finally, she slumped to the ground.
Small tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"Why can't it be?" she asked.
Her voice cracked.
"Why does everything have to be complex and layered? Why can't it be that simple?"
Her claws dug into the dirt.
"Why? Why? Why? Why?"
Spectral vines slammed into the ground around her, sending chunks of earth flying.
Aiden gave the vines a sideways glance.
In some ways, he agreed with her question.
Some days, he hated the complexity.
The nuances of everything.
Money.
Emotions.
Right and wrong.
All of it.
But at the same time, it was those layers that led to so many good things too.
Aiden patted Little Fox on the back.
Then he stood and looked toward the others.
For a moment, he was lost in his own thoughts.
Then an idea came to him.
"I can't make everything less complicated in general," Aiden said. "But I can help you simplify things for a few days, so it's easier to get used to. Would that help?"
Little Fox looked up at him in silence.
Tears fell down her face, matting her fur.
Then she nodded.
Aiden began making his way back toward the others and called out to Liora.
"Hey, Liora! Are there any teleport gates near Hopestone?"
She turned, seemingly surprised, before walking over to the vehicle and grabbing the map.
After a moment, she yelled back, "There's one in Clayland, but it's a six-day trip across mountains to get there one way. Why?"
Aiden smiled as he thought about his small cabin on the mountain.
"What can I say?" he yelled back. "I want a bit of a taste of home."
His smile widened.
"Plus, we can go see Misty again."