A Fire in the Flesh

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

“Love didn’t create monsters.”

Kolis’s twisted tenderness and his insistence on possession are manifestations of an obsession for Sotoria that consumes and corrupts. His “love” is driven by a desire for control and dominance, not by a mutual or selfless bond. Kolis embodies a toxic blend of entitlement and delusion, believing that his obsession justifies his actions, and the theme of The Weaponization of Trust manifests in his behavior throughout the novel.

“‘This conversation is over,’ Kolis said. Another laugh almost snuck free. He thought this was a conversation? ‘We are going home, and once you’ve calmed down, we will talk then.’”

By framing his argument with Sera as a “conversation,” Kolis belittles her and invalidates her opinions. The choice of words implies an equality of power and a mutual exchange of ideas that Sera’s thoughts reveal to be glaringly absent. Instead, Kolis’s actions—physical violence, compulsion, and emotional manipulation—demonstrate his need to dominate and control. His insistence that they are “going home” reflects how he conflates coercion with care and control with affection.

“There will be no more favorites after me.”

Sera’s whispered promise is a declaration against the systemic abuse that she has witnessed and experienced as she vows to dismantle the cycle of suffering perpetuated by Kolis. The “favorites” were the women he abused over the decades and centuries to distract himself from Sotoria, their title an ironic subversion of their actual position.