Archaic

"Life must be very different for you than it was for me."
"What do you mean?"

You shifted, somewhat nervous. You were old, very old, over ten times that of the boy. Over a hundred times that of the boy. It was hard to adjust to modern life, such a peaceful time compared to how you were raised.

"You know I am far beyond your age. I lived very unlike you ever would."
"And what do you mean by that...?"

The boy was too curious for his own good. Always asking questions, always trying things he shouldn't ever attempt. You had taken his own body from him many times in his own attempts to gain power; surprisingly, he kept you around. And now you were whole again, and with no place to go, and he still let you stay with him. It felt wrong to be so grateful to a child, but you couldn't begin to express your gratitude.
You'd hate to ruin his perceptions of you.

"The time in which I lived was very violent, and cruel. It was before anything recorded in your books. Those who remember it are dead or will not speak of it."
"Violent?"
"Yes. Especially towards those seen as evil or wrong. I was one of them."
"But you aren't evil, are you? Not when you're whole again, right?"
"No. I simply wished to be left alone in my studies. Unfortunately, people thought I was suspicious, or hiding something insidious within my home. They attacked me, came at me with everything they had."
"And... what did you do?"
"I killed them."

The boy stared at you with shock in his eyes. As if he hadn't expected this from you.

"I had nothing else to do. They would kill me if I didn't kill them."

He remained silent, green eyes still wide.

"After that, hardly anyone attacked me. Until those men came with the book, I was left by myself. They feared me."

He was still quiet, but seemed to be pondering something of his own. When he finally spoke, it was a question. Something you had never been asked before.

"Do you regret it?"

It was something you had never thought of. Did you regret taking the lives of those who tried to take your own? Was it worth worrying over? Were you evil for defending yourself?

"...No."

Your answer satisfied the boy. He turned to face forward, sitting silently again.