Elia paused in her work, glancing up at Fiore with an unreadable expression. Instead of answering directly, she posed a question of her own. “Fiore, do you believe that monsters are naturally evil?”
Fiore blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in the conversation. “What do you mean?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. What was Elia trying to say?
Elia smiled faintly, a sad sort of smile, and continued. “I don’t believe monsters are monsters because they’re evil. They’re monsters because of fear. They are feared, and they carry fear within themselves.”
Fiore’s confusion deepened, but she listened intently as Elia spoke.
“In our world,” Elia continued, “we often ignore the fact that even the strongest of us have fears. We assume that because someone is strong, they must be fea
