And that was why he wanted Kisha to speak her mind, to lay out exactly what she wanted him to do, so he could act without giving her any reason to see him as an opponent. If Kisha only knew what he was thinking, she might feel a little embarrassed for being overly cautious, but at the same time, she would likely feel grateful to have met such an understanding and considerate man.

Kisha took a deep breath and, following the old man’s suggestion, finally spoke her mind. If things went wrong afterward, she could act accordingly; being overly cautious now, before anything had even happened, would only weigh on her own mind and health.

She realized that preparing was wise, but letting fear control her would make her no different from a paranoid. With that clarity, she shared with the old man what she had discovered. Once she let go of her tension, the old man noticed too, and the smile on his weathered face grew wider and more genuine, free of any worry.

"Actually, I think your grandson has the potential to awaken a ’Mental-Type Ability’ in the future," Kisha began. "I’m not sure whether it will happen during the second batch of mass awakenings or later on. But if it does, and others find out what kind of ability he has, it could put him in danger... or the opposite."

The old man frowned, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words. Questions raced through his mind about how Kisha could know such a thing, but his greater concern was the safety of his grandson, who was still so young. He looked her squarely in the eyes. "City Lord... please explain. How exactly could this put my grandson in danger?"

"Like I said, he’s going to awaken a ’Mental-Type Ability.’ And it’s not just any ordinary ability; it’s a control ability, one that could let him manipulate others to do his bidding. I’m not even sure of the full extent... he might even be able to control multiple zombies at once. And if anyone were to find out... well, I don’t need to spell out the consequences."

As Kisha spoke, she studied the old man closely, watching his face tighten the moment he heard that his grandson could manipulate people. She could see the fear stop his heart for a moment as he grasped the weight of her words.

"Do you mean... he’ll be able to control people like puppets?" the old man asked, his voice tight, almost a whisper.

"Yes," Kisha said steadily, without blinking.

After her confirmation, the old man drew in a shaky breath. He knew then that such an ability was far too dangerous for a child to bear, especially one so young. Worse still, if people with dark hearts discovered it, his grandson would become the perfect tool for their cruelty. A weapon, not a child.

At his age, the boy would suffer more than anyone. Even without malicious intent, children around his grandson could turn cruel. Fear would turn them against his grandson, and whispers would brand him a monster long before he ever understood what his power meant.

If his ability were guided and used for good, he might one day be hailed as a gifted warrior, or even a hero of the base. But if evil hands claimed him first, he would be molded into something twisted, someone despised and feared by all.

The old man’s expression tightened as understanding finally dawned on him. Now he knew why Kisha had been so anxious earlier, why she had looked as though she were carrying the weight of a future that had yet to happen.

Even someone as strong as her, someone capable of cutting down hundreds of frenzied zombies without hesitation, could not help but fear what this child’s fate might become.

After all, if his grandson were to grow stronger, if it were proven that he could truly command both zombie hordes and human minds, wouldn’t that make him virtually invincible? His allegiance alone could determine the survival of HOPE Base itself.

And the fact that even the City Lord was this worried told him everything he needed to know. If that day ever came, she wasn’t even certain she could bring herself to fight his grandson... or stop him if he went astray.

’No. I can’t let that happen.’ The thought struck him with iron resolve. He lifted his gaze to Kisha, who had been quietly observing every flicker of emotion on his face, and in that moment, the old man understood the weight she carried and the terrible future they were both trying to prevent.

"City Lord, I understand what you’re saying, and I understand how serious this news is," he said carefully. "But... may I ask if you already have a suggestion in mind?"

His tone was wary, not because he doubted her character, but because this involved his last remaining family. His grandson was still so young and different from other children. The boy’s mild autism meant he sometimes reacted slowly, struggled to express his emotions, or retreated into silence, and the old man couldn’t bear the thought of placing such a heavy burden on him so early in life.

He didn’t want his grandson to grow up carrying fear, expectations, or responsibility he never asked for. He wanted the child to be healthy. To be safe. To live a simple, carefree life, untouched by the cruelty of power and ambition.

That was why he asked.

He wanted to hear what the City Lord would suggest first, before deciding what he was willing to accept, and what he absolutely could not.

Kisha was momentarily stunned when the question was thrown back at her.

She had been waiting to see how the old man would react, how he would decide after learning that his grandson might one day become something terrifyingly powerful, whether as a hero or a villain. She never expected him to place the decision in her hands instead.

What was she supposed to say?

Tell him to guide the boy carefully and keep him hidden, to protect him from anyone with ill intentions? But wasn’t that, in another sense, telling him to cage his own grandson so no one could ever discover him? If she said something like that, she half-wondered if the old man would chase her off with a broom. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Then what about sending the child to the military academy? On the surface, it sounded reasonable, as he would be surrounded by warriors, protected by strength, and constantly watched. But what if one of those warriors developed ambitions of their own? What if someone decided the child was a weapon rather than a person? Wouldn’t that be just another kind of danger?

And more than that... he was still so young.

Kisha doubted the boy would even understand what was being taught in a military academy, let alone survive the pressure and cruelty that came with it.

For the first time since becoming City Lord, she found herself hesitating, not because she lacked power, but because every path she could see came with a cost she wasn’t sure she had the right to decide.

Kisha was momentarily speechless. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no words came.

Seeing her like this, the old man laughed heartily. He realized he had been worrying for nothing. Their City Lord had no designs on a child, and besides, with her strength, even a grandson with such potential was not someone who could easily overpower their City Lord.

The fact that she had come to inform him rather than eliminate the boy before any "problem" could arise showed that she was just and fundamentally a good person.

But in Kisha’s mind, she wasn’t so sure. Good, bad... what did those words even mean? Aren’t they just labels humans created? You were "good" if your actions served others well, and "bad" if you did something that displeased them. By that standard, Kisha considered herself neither good nor bad.

"City Lord, since you are the one who discovered my grandson’s potential, why not let him follow you?" the old man offered. His suggestion caught Kisha completely off guard, yanking her out of her wandering thoughts. Her eyes went wide, her mouth falling open in surprise.

"But... didn’t you say he gets anxious when he’s not with you?" Kisha replied automatically, though her mind hadn’t yet caught up with the direction of the conversation.

"Well, that’s true," the old man began, his voice softening, "but I can see that my grandson is calm when he’s with you. Besides, with his potential, I can’t just have him following me around making candies when he could achieve so much more in the future."

"Yes, my grandson has mild autism, and he’s close to being socially anxious, but in terms of intelligence, he’s on the higher end, almost genius-level for someone on the spectrum. I believe that if he follows you, he’ll learn many useful skills that could help him survive in this apocalyptic world."