Chapter109:

Chapter 109 XENOIS "My nature," I said, and I felt anger starting to burn through the fear. "My nature is what I choose it to be. Not what you were. Not what the past dictated. I get to decide who I am." "Do you?" he asked. "Because from where I'm standing, you're letting the situation decide. When you need to be soft, you're soft. When you need to be hard, you're hard. You're not actually choosing anything—you're just reacting." "That's what being human is," I said. "Adapting, responding to circumstances, trying to do the right thing in impossible situations." "No," old Xenois said. "That's what being weak is. Being strong means knowing who you are and never wavering from it. Means having principles and sticking to them regardless of consequences. I had principles—power, efficiency, protecting what's mine. What are yours? 'Be nice when convenient but violent when necessary'? That's not principles, Xenois. That's just opportunism." I wanted to argue, but I couldn't find the words. Beca