Hellion (Awaken Online, #5)

by Travis Bagwell

“It can be a horrible experience to feel like you have no choice. Like your back is forced against a wall, and there’s nowhere to run,” Jason answered, his gaze still locked on the cat. “But it can also offer a strange sense of enlightenment. Those situations highlight that deep down, you’re two different people. “There’s the calm, logical exterior that passes off pleasantries and studiously fulfills its obligations. That self that responds to every twinge in your gut when you do something you believe to be ‘wrong’ or ‘inappropriate.’ That toes the line. Conforms. That rationalizes how certain behavior is right and good and just, even if others may not see it that way.” Jason cocked his head. “But there’s also something below that veneer of civility. Something different. Something darker. Animalistic. Almost feral. That self is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. To win. And there’s something both horrific and holy in that purity. It’s simpler. Cleaner. That creature doesn’t care about complex and ephemeral things like consequences or morality. Only self-preservation.