Amelia watched Kain and the children walk away before she spoke.

"What exactly is your problem?" Her eyes were blazing. She stared pointedly at Matthew.

He pursed his lips, eyes downcast.

He knew the kind of person he was. He was a calculating person. He needed to deal with gains and losses. He felt that if someone needed to yield, it should be the other party.

Though he felt Kain could be a good leader. He couldn’t see the kind of leadership that would make him submit.

He was willing to accept what he had to offer, but giving himself in return, he wasn’t sure he could do that.

Even with the warning of ’betrayal is death’, in his mind, he only needed to become stronger and crush him, then nothing he said would make a difference.

Yet, what he had seen a moment ago told him a different story. He felt the cold sweat on his back. Kain looked at them, not with his usual bored indifference. The gaze made him feel like he was a step away from death.

He once again realized he had underestimated this person.

Matthew swallowed, "I didn’t mean anything..."

"Shut up. You want the truth from him, at least be honest with yourself." Amelia scowled. "What you said was uncalled for. So what if he can tell whether you’re loyal? That’s for his own protection. Who wouldn’t want to know that the people around them won’t stab them in the back?

He told you to leave if you didn’t want to be a part of this. Why didn’t you leave if you had so many doubts?"

She knew why. He was enjoying the luxury of the situation. He had someone willing to feed and clothe him. He didn’t need to wonder where his next meal was coming from.

She felt she needed to talk with Kain. If he kept treating ungrateful people so well, they would start to believe they owe them the world.

"Veronica, Jake, you two deal with the logistics." She scoffed at the other, "You four...this is the last time. If you don’t want to be here, just say so. Don’t sit there questioning every little thing.

If you do this again, you don’t have to wait for Kain to kill. I’ll do it myself."

Kain, meanwhile, went to the space with the children. He wasn’t angry about being questioned. It was inevitable that in building a stable force, there would be opposing parties.

Whether at the beginning, the middle, or the end, conflicts are inevitable.

Had he told them he thought they were all worthless, it would only make things more difficult. Pointing out some minor flaws is more than enough.

As for whether they would last, he wasn’t sure.

If they did, then great. If not, he could find new ones. The six that Dominic mentioned, he needed to check and see what they had to offer.

He walked around with the children for a while.

"Dad, here," Avery called him to her room.

She dragged him into the training room and stopped in front of a punching bag.

The corner of Kain’s lip twitched when he saw the discarded punching bags. The holes in them made him wonder just how strong the little girl was.

"Dad, I hit this when I’m mad. You should hit it too."

"Dad isn’t mad, Ava."

She didn’t respond. Only putting her little hands on her hips and staring up at him.

"Dad, just do it. If you disobey, sister will punch you. Her punches hurt." Ashton said from behind him.

The two had come in at some point to watch.

Seeing the three little pairs of eyes, he decided to give it a try.

"Stand back."

He curled his fingers into a fist. He punched the sandbag lightly. The impact sent a tiny ripple to his heart.

"Hit harder," came the little voice behind him.

Loosening up, he punched again. He felt a small release. He didn’t need the children to tell him to hit harder. After that second hit, a dam burst open.

The harder he hit, the more he felt the tension leaving his body. He lost himself in the sensation. The tension rolled off him like waves.

Was he upset? He might be.

With every hit, he thought of every distrustful gaze, their gratitude for what he had to offer, and the inevitable disappointment of their unwillingness to assist.

They take everything he has to offer, but give nothing in return.

So far, all they had done was take his kindness. They have laughed, eaten, and slept in comfort. What have they given to him?

Ridiculous. He was utterly ridiculous. He was looking for loyalty without being a leader. There should be distance.

He wanted something more than a subordinate relationship. He was hoping for the kind of closeness that comes from life and death.

But things have been too easy. It needed to stop. He would no longer coddle them. Everything he had given would be taken away.

They needed to earn their keep.

He didn’t stop until he felt his hand go through the sandbag. Coming back to his senses. He looked at the hand in the pouch. He noticed the sand wasn’t actually sad.

There were small metal pieces. He held them in his hand and pressed them. He couldn’t even make a dent.

He saw the ball, wondering if Avery had ever thought he might hurt himself when using them.

Swiveling, he found he was the only one in the room. He chuckled. When did they run away?

He looked at his hand. The knuckles were red, but there was no other injury.

’Guess I really was angry. Looks like it’s time for a change.’

[The host is on the path to becoming a great leader. You have learned the lesson, subordinates are not friends.]

[Sanctuary restrictions have been enabled.]

’Well, that’s a surprise.’

He was just about to check the restrictions when he heard Amelia knocking on the door outside the station.

The second his feet touched the floor, he understood the frantic knocking.

He hadn’t felt it in the station, but as soon as he came out, the rumble in his ears and under his feet caught him off guard.

He flung the door open, meeting Amelia’s frightened eyes. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Wrapping her in his arms, he whispered, "It’s fine. It will end soon."

This time, however, he was wrong.