‘To take from the universe, you must give,’ said Akiva. ‘But . . . why pain? Couldn’t you give something else? Like . . . joy?’ ‘It’s a balance. If it were something easy to give, it would be meaningless.’ Karou said, ‘You really think joy is easier to come by than pain? Which have you had more of?’ He gave her a long look. ‘That’s a good point.
