From behind Wulfgang, Ehimus stuck out her tongue and pulled down her right lower eyelid with her index finger:
"Killing! Just like you said would be the best option for the liger that Fang let go. Does that head of yours know any other method to solve a problem?"
Katherine said nothing to the elf's childish comment, as the small creature shielded herself behind the Lycanthrope to speak her mind.
"Kat," Maryam took the floor, employing a cold tone of voice. "That will not be necessary, my sister. I can be perfectly selfish, as you think, but I know my limits, just as I know a mother's compassion."
Rey could interpret that his mother spoke with the voice of someone issuing a threat. A passive-aggressive threat from a vampiress who could wear a cheerful face while delivering her warning and marking her territory. On the other hand, Katherine looked frustrated by her sister's clarification. With eyes that seemed to yearn for something her sister had and she did not, the muscular vampiress—who surely had nothing pleasant to say—decided to remain silent.
Silvia tossed a comment into the air:
"Why not let the couple rest in peace?"
The maid's words diffused the situation and lowered the tension. Rey also noticed how, with the exception of Ehimus, the rest of the members gave their consent and, one by one, said their goodbyes and left the room.
Wulfgang, Maryam, the elf, and the babies were the only ones left in the room. With the situation as it was, is it even worth staying to watch? wondered the little boy no one could see, looking at the two individuals he did not recognize as parents.
Rey was more than certain that, for the rest of the day, the wolf and the little green one would satisfy the vampiress's whims. Turning around, he passed through the door that had just closed. On his way out, the little one noticed that Katherine remained standing outside the master bedroom, biting her nail, while the rest of the group descended the stairs.
Curious, the boy no one could see ignored the muscular vampiress's behavior and decided to follow the bronzed-skinned subject—the one who, in such a delicate moment, had raised his finger and given a carefree smile. The same subject who was currently his master.
After going down the stairs, the little one walked down the hallway behind Heroclades. Rey watched the leather pouch hanging from the golden belt at his master's waist; there, he kept both his book and precious objects. A book as large as it was enigmatic.
Books harbor power, the Great Wise Mage told me not long ago. I would like to know what kind of power knowledge is, the little one said to himself.
Heroclades opened the door to his assigned room and entered using elegant, refined movements. The same movements someone made when they were happy—something that did not fail to catch the attention of the pensive little boy following him.
As soon as he arrived in front of the room Heroclades had entered, Rey passed through the door and saw something he did not expect. The bed, the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were nothing out of the ordinary, but somehow, his master was looking out at a landscape beyond a window. The house, which from the outside had no windows or any other entrance besides the main door, the chimney, or the secret passage, appeared to have a window. Rey also noticed that the window looked out onto a beautiful landscape, but not like the one he remembered being outside. Observing everything in detail, he also realized that the frames seemed to float in the air. And leaning on that wooden railing, with the air of an elderly lord, Heroclades lost himself in the distance of the landscape like someone thinking of something profound—as intricate and distant as what lay before his eyes.
With a relieved face, Heroclades seemed to enjoy not only the wind laden with the scent of flowers, or the light brushing his face, but under his hands, he touched that which he always carried hidden away. Like a butterfly with open wings, the immense book rested on his legs, almost as large as the little boy's two outstretched hands.
Rey remembered it being half the size when closed. Now that he thought about it better, it was the second time he had seen an open book. Far from being like the first time, this book lacked floating things or moving images. Instead, it had static drawings—many figures with points and without points, long and short lines, pronounced and almost invisible strokes, thick scribbles and very fine ones. The book had many pages, all dark gray like his master's hair, painted with blood red.
The little one was very attentive to the book, which looked almost as old as the one carrying it. One that was not touched by the bronzed-skinned subject unless he was alone or his sister was mentioned. Rey felt curious to keep looking at the pages whose images did not float.
What kind of knowledge does a book like this hold? Rey wondered.
Heroclades, with his right hand, turned the pages delicately. Also, in his left hand, he smelled a flower made of the thin, fine, and delicate material that composed the pages. The flower was perhaps a rolled-up leaf from the book. It had the same color, almost the same size, and, of course, scribbles, writings, and lines formed by blood, so why not? Rey said to himself.
Drawing closer, he could perceive in more detail the varied ribbons, numerous bookmarks, and folded pages that made up the book, making it look fat. From that distance, the paintings did not require colors other than red or gray. Fixed colors that did not rise or float like the other book he remembered seeing. They seemed boring, very boring to the little boy.
The words of the bronzed-skinned gentleman were heard:
"What more could I want? Being patient brings its rewards."
Heroclades turned another page. On this one could be seen, represented with wise and serene strokes, a glorious black wolf howling under the full moon. Pausing in his words, he prepared to turn the page, but not without first smelling the paper flower he held in his opposite hand.
"Hmmm. I have you by my side, my precious sister."
Another page: the illustration, drawn with strong and detailed lines, formed what was a bear standing on two legs.
"I have the whole world that hurt you locked in this sacred book you created before leaving us. With my hands, I carry your legacy wherever you go."
Next page, with an almost invisible appearance: one could identify a colossal and horrifying winged monstrosity; its dragon head above the stars of a black sky, its torso on the horizon, and scattered between its legs, on the ground, a great number of snakes.
"The other one who tried to seduce you continues breathing, lives under the perpetual torment of my curse... I ask myself: when will you die?"
The bronzed-skinned gentleman paused, brought a hand to his face, and flashed a bitter smile.
"Heroclades, dwell in those bad times you must no more. Better to think of what lies ahead," he admonished himself. "The incarnation with white eyes and infinite pentagram. The one who in his first life had the potential to be the patriarch of all gods and took Mnemosyne right under Zeus's nose is now my future disciple... Rey, a worthy name, is it not? I have to train him, make him strong, and give him what he needs; I am willing to kill his parents and every member of this pack if necessary. Yes. He will make the Olympian gods tremble and our father perish, I am sure."
Returning his gaze to the paper rose and running his hand over the whitened page of the book, he said:
"He will be a better tool than Typhon. Did I forget to tell you that Gaea's last son is the curse haunting that bastard who tried to stain your chastity? It is something we will talk about later. Forgive me, but it is time to enjoy the pleasures of the night..."
Rey remained interested in his master's words, but with discouraged eyes, he watched as he closed the book whose title was hidden and scratched on the page behind the cover. Just below the title, he could also see more writings that were not as loaded with scribbles, strokes, or figures. One thing was certain: no more pages Heroclades intended to turn for him to see, nor words. Immediately after, the older gentleman put the grimoire away in his scarsella. With this, the window through which the sun and a fresh breeze entered disappeared.
The little one was still intrigued by the attitude of the bronzed-skinned gentleman. He didn't understand how to interpret him, whether he was perhaps good or bad. Especially the part where he was willing to kill his parents and every member of this pack if necessary. Was it good for him? Was it bad for his parents? Would it be necessary?
Suddenly, Rey was taken by surprise when two lumps moved under the sheets of the bed behind him. As soon as he turned to look, two women were crawling across the sheets on all fours.
Turning his face back, Rey saw how Heroclades, just by unbuttoning the button at his shoulder, made his garments fall to the floor. The sound of silky fabric accompanied by the jingling of golden metals could be heard.
"Right? My ladies..." the bronzed-skinned subject finished.
As soon as they crossed the bed, the two women with skin and features similar to Heroclades went to meet the naked man. One went straight to his mouth; the second knelt in front of him while he extended his hands and opened his legs. Rey heard the three of them laughing and making wet sounds. The little boy understood that they were laughing because they well knew the "pleasures of the night," the last phrase his master had said.
Rey didn't think anything more interesting was going to happen, nor that his questions would have answers. It was true that there were three naked adults in a room alone, but it would do the little boy no good to learn about "the pleasures of the night" if he wasn't yet an adult like them.
Amid the sound of kisses and mundane caresses, Rey passed through the nearest wall to reach another room. He found that in this room, Ehimus was yawning while finishing filling a second bag of blood, which she proceeded to give to Katherine to feed on.
She hasn't fully recovered and wants to have an orgy as a reunification, he thought.
"I want to give them a mother's affection," she said. "Good thing I rescued you from that room in time. I don't intend to fall into her spiderweb! At least not again! She has to understand that I am quite angry about letting that child live!" said the indignant vampiress, moving from side to side and gesturing with her hands like someone trying to make her point. "Surely that thing passes the clan initiation. It's her son; how could he not be loved by her? But what if at some point I incapacitate my sister's abilities?"
"You get paranoid," said Ehimus, "especially when you're bored. The initiation consists of them trusting and experiencing death, so that afterward Maryam, with her love, brings them back to life. She wouldn't love someone who doesn't deserve to be loved, whether or not it's her son."
"I admit I'm bored," said Katherine, "tired of hearing her frolicking like never before, frustrated at not being able to get a man on my own, worried about the future De-Bastador. Many things, and I don't know what to do."
"What is it you want most right now?" asked Ehimus, like someone who knew the answer.
"I want the warmth of a man inside me without her having anything to do with it! Are you listening to me?" the muscular vampiress told the elf, who didn't even flinch.
"You and Miján, think about it," replied the little elf, as if downplaying the matter. "Although he thinks he can substitute everything with wealth, despite always stealing the group's funds and calling in favors from the needy to gamble, at least he is a better option than Heroclades. And I think he is sensible enough to stay solely with you if you demand it," Ehimus suggested. "Besides, the De-Grecias are very ambiguous. They don't work, and whenever they approach someone different, they do it with a question: 'What do you think it is to reign?' And if you don't know how to answer well enough to have a dissertation on the subject, they reply, 'It doesn't matter, I was just looking for someone rational.' How irritating!!! They talk about logic, decisions, wisdom, knowledge...! They look at a person as if trying to determine if they really have any idea what they are talking about, and if not, they corrupt you. They shatter your argument into a thousand pieces and you end up seeing that you were wrong..."
Katherine stopped listening to Ehimus, but even so, the elf kept talking as if she had traveled back in time. For the muscular vampiress, the elf present there seemed motivated to hate Heroclades. The two of them were always glued together whenever they fought, not to mention that perhaps she wanted to keep the De-Grecia for herself. Katherine, having ignored all the words related to Heroclades, returned to the present:
"Sometimes you surprise me, little green one. I have already been thinking about it. He has all the time and life force of an elf. Within the group, at least he is the only one left who can afford the luxury of investing them in a rather selfish vampiress like me," she said while sitting in one spot, thinking out loud.
Ehimus, offering warning and advice, said:
"Try not to be so rough in the first encounter. Let him gain confidence and enjoy himself. Maryam says all men love the pleasures of the flesh, so if you control your very bad habits in bed at the beginning, everything should go well."
Changing the direction of her words, the little green one pointed to the bag of blood she had already filled.
"You already have one. I'm going to leave this other one in the temperature-controlled box." Standing up, she prepared to leave. "I wish you luck, ah... I want to warn you. Leave me out of all this!" she said in a low tone, like someone weary.
Katherine opened her eyes wide, sketching a grin from ear to ear:
"Don't take offense, but I don't find you as entertaining as I used to. Despite being so small and asking so many questions, your old-woman character is becoming very predominant in intimacy whenever Fang isn't around. I was more attracted to your look of fear and your dislike of what was going to happen to you," the vampiress said as she made the entire room turn dark, enveloping the elf, who didn't even flinch to react. "See what I mean? You are growing up and becoming boring..."
On the other hand, Rey was surprised. He didn't expect to see such a display of darkness. Hungry and terrifying, the blackness devoured even the sound in that small room. Unable to see anything for a second, he waited in place until, little by little, he saw a ray of clarity entering through the cracks of a door being opened. He also noticed that as soon as the little green elf finished opening the door, she left the room as if escaping the muscular vampiress's grasp, who wanted to seduce her in her own way.
Once Ehimus went out into the hallway, Katherine followed her, naked, with a somewhat disappointed face. Rey also stepped out of the darkness that made him feel so uncomfortable. Suddenly, the little boy was intrigued when he saw Katherine crouch down in front of her room and begin to pretend she was looking for something when evidently she had nothing to look for.
There, without clothes and before Rey's eyes, Katherine didn't look very different from his father or Heroclades. Of course, she didn't have something hanging between her legs, but her deep voice, build, and scars made her comparable to the other members who did.
While touching the floor with her hands, Katherine made shadows slip through the gaps in the wood that made up the floor. Rey felt more curious about the event, and not because she was bent forward with her buttocks spread open in front of him.
Darkness looks like water, but it can't be water because even though it runs along the floor, nothing gets wet, he thought. It wasn't the first time he had seen the vampiress use shadows as her ally, and if she was someone the future opposed, it was better to be cautious and learn.
The white-eyed boy continued down the hallway until he slipped under Katherine's legs to get a closer look at the floor. Suddenly, Rey heard Miján saying goodbye to Ehimus, who had suggested he go to sleep.
Rey raised his head, looked toward the living room, and saw Miján approaching. One step, two steps, three firm steps. Seven, eight, and nine, not so much anymore. The elf noticed the hallway was darker than usual, and also that the muscular vampiress was looking at him as if proud of her nakedness. It was an uncomfortable situation for Miján. Rey could imagine and agreed that it is always intimidating when prey is observed by a hunter. As fast as he could, the one wearing advanced garments shifted his gaze as soon as he made contact with Katherine's eyes. Rey remembered that the elf always looked nervous in front of the vampiress.
Miján stopped. He had the face of someone trying to calm himself; even with a movement of his neck, he ordered the strange floating device to disappear. Placing his right hand behind his head, the Light Elf came closer and said:
"Maybe I should be more sociable. I can count on my hands the times we have spoken alone..."
Katherine interrupted the elf with the confidence of a winner:
"Words are not necessary... Do you plan to resist?" she said, and with a snap of her fingers, a whole cloud of shadows filled the hallway.
Miján, with a smile and locking his gaze between the vampiress's legs, replied:
"What can I do? I am compelled to reciprocate your feelings. I like you if you like me."
Rey watched as all the frightening darkness enveloped the body of the confused silver-haired youth. At the little boy's feet, like a sack full of dirt, Miján fell helplessly. Lacking the strength to struggle or the desire to try to escape, he surrendered to the effects of a gas that seemed to be sedating him.
"Then, you belong to me," Katherine added as soon as she opened the door to her room, wearing the face of someone who had no intention of wasting much time.
The vampiress dragged her victim inside the room, which had previously been brightly lit and was now so dark that nothing could be seen. Rey watched like someone observing a murder scene. Standing in the hallway, not daring to get closer, the nameless boy only heard the door close and the click-clack of the lock.
There weren't many other rooms left for the little boy to check. At least, not without two or more adults rolling around on top of each other. He didn't understand what they saw as interesting about being glued together all the time.
I am not an adult, it is not my time to understand, he repeated to himself. Unlike them, I am small. I remember how Heroclades always did his best to separate me and my brothers from Miján and Katherine whenever those two got together and went to a secluded area.
Walking toward the hallway exit, the little boy, who was trying to understand, stopped dead in his tracks. He heard a familiar voice speaking from the second floor.
"A maid well-applied and strong for combat..."
If the voice hadn't been enough, the capricious laugh that preceded the words was unmistakable. It was Maryam speaking.
"I always believed every house needs good employees. Particularly, maids to look after my husband, the children, and the other tenants whenever I cannot. Brenk Priom shared my opinion on the matter; the other nobles thought it was an unnecessary luxury..."
Silvia clicked her tongue. "Tch." Glaring at the vampiress and using a strict tone, Rey heard her say:
"What does Lady Maryam desire?"
Maryam, from the second floor, just began playing with the fringe of her hair, just as she had done on the first day when she first saw Silvia. Rey was seeing his mother's curious and flirtatious gaze, a gaze that wanted to undress the one she beheld. The vampiress arched her back, letting her breasts spill out of her loosely fitted dress, and continued.
"I know you hunger for knowledge, Silvia. These eyes, which have seen everything, can see a curious, jealous girl full of unsatisfied desires. I can give you and provide you with what I have; I have plenty to share, and I know you wouldn't care how much it costs you... Tell me: if I use you as a tool or as a slave, would you be interfering directly with us? After all, it is I who makes the proposition, and I would need your services in another way."
Rey noticed that, even though no one had raised their voice or insulted each other, the atmosphere was tense. He also realized he had never seen his mother angry. I wonder what she would be like angry, Hmmm!
Silvia looked away:
"Among my rules as a maid, I am within my rights to demand respect. I must not allow myself to receive treatment I do not want, and if it happens, I must, politely, inform the guest that their insinuations are unjustifiable and will go nowhere."
Maryam nodded, made the expression of someone realizing something obvious, and yet, afterward, showed a growing smile as if expecting to get the best out of the situation:
"Your maid rules are somewhat strict. Officially, I want to hold a reunification act for our family. My room is not big enough for all the pack members to gather. For that reason, I intend to change the meeting point. I always believed the foyer of this house was the most convenient place for us all to be. You won't have to keep listening behind the door. As a maid, you can do your job and be attentive to any wet spot that might be left on the floor without 'having to interfere directly with us.' Even so, keep in mind that I am willing to receive you as a daughter if you so desire. What do you say?"
As soon as the maid thanked her for such a tempting offer and clarified the points she needed to clarify, Rey could hear the vampiress turn around and enter her room. Silvia placed her hand on her chest and let out a sigh.
The little boy went to take a step toward the maid, but time stopped. This time he wasn't amazed; he already knew he couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. He also knew he could only watch and wait until everything returned to normal. Looking up, in the middle of the living room, Rey could see all the members of the house naked on top of each other, and how Silvia simply watched them without doing anything.
"You're looking at my ass... Are you curious? Isn't that right? If you want, I'll let you see it from closer up... even inside... How it looks, how it feels... what sounds it can make if you stick your tongue in it."
Those were the few words Rey was able to distinguish in the intense scene that lasted for a good while. When everyone finished, they returned to their rooms swift as the wind. At that moment, the maid proceeded with her routine of cleaning everything from top to bottom, left to right, and turning off the lights until the place was dark. The darkness felt long to Rey, who did nothing and saw nothing.
As soon as the lights turned on and time returned to normal, the little boy looked up at the opening of the upstairs bedroom door. This time it wasn't Maryam, but Wulfgang who came out onto the balcony adjoining the stairs. Leaning on the handrail, he proceeded to go down to the first floor while clearing his throat and breathing like someone who needed calm. Rey realized his father didn't look the same. The wolf had a somewhat different expression on his face. It wasn't the usual sadness that weighed him down, but rather the face of someone who couldn't believe what he had seen.
"Guys," called Wulfgang to the rest of the group.
The doors in the hallway opened delicately. The footsteps of the pack members could also be heard throughout the house. Rey stepped aside, then turned and directed his gaze to those present. Those walking were dressed, with attentive gazes; they also looked worried, although not even Ehimus dared to ask. The Lycanthrope seemed to speak with his eyes. As if he had said: Come see this... you are going to be surprised. He turned around and went up the stairs he had just descended.
Following the wolf's suggestion, the members went up behind him to the second floor. No one knew precisely what had surprised Wulfgang so much; they could only wait to see with their own eyes.
What situation could have happened for them to have such faces? With this question in mind, Rey put himself first in the line going up. As soon as he invaded the room along with the others, he found no reason to be amazed, but he was puzzled because the others couldn't stop gaping when they looked toward the cribs. The little boy looked again where everyone was seeing. He still didn't understand why the adults were so surprised. Even so, alongside them, he positioned himself at the edge of the three cribs.
Rey saw six people surrounding three little ones who had ceased to be babies. He also heard murmurs, questions, and exclamations: "How is this possible?", "Incredible!", "It must be a dream?", "Not again!". The adults emphasized what they saw so much that, to Rey, it no longer seemed so normal that overnight, both he and his brothers had grown big. The little boy could also see in his own version of the past how his brothers opened their eyes. He remembered that both the brightness and the noise bothered him; he also vaguely remembered another noise, independent of the one the adults present were making. Knock, knock, knock. Rey turned at the sound of wood being knocked to see the Great Wise Mage at the entrance of the room.
The old man, who knocked on the door and immediately captured the spectators' attention, spoke with the usual jovial tone he always carried:
"Good, good morning, my tenants! Isn't curiosity splendid?! That which motivates us. That which takes us by the hand and leads us to explore a new and fascinating world. Give the not-so-little ones a chance and you will see."
Everyone looked at the old man as if they didn't understand what he was talking about. Even so, he continued as if it were the opposite.
"I say this because the currents of time act differently with our bipedal species than with the rest of the animals. In one night, your children developed enough to reach the capacity to fend for themselves. I can assure you that the children have enough maturity to walk, run, reason, and fend for themselves."
Everyone returned their gazes to the little ones. Running seemed like a lot for them. Even Rey, present there, remembered that he didn't run from the first moment he opened his eyes. But he did remember that the adults wanted to put the Great Wise Mage's theory to the test.
After those present made room, the Lycanthrope picked up his son without a surname, the one who had an infinite pentagram inside his white eyes. After taking a step back and turning around, Wulfgang placed the little one he was carrying on the floor.
Rey saw himself standing; he saw himself as someone he didn't want to see. He had the same height, hair, and build, but he didn't share the similarity of their gazes. He also saw his father walk away and the gazes of the other members from another angle, but everything was exactly as he remembered it, only this time he carried the burden of knowledge. And, although the result would be the same, now he sensed it was going to be much more painful.
His naive and carefree self from a not-so-distant past took the first steps with wide eyes. Clumsy and almost falling. He corrected his posture several times, regained his balance, and took strong steps forward again.
Rey's gaze was painted with disappointment, more so remembering how he couldn't resist the desire to discover in that moment. The Great Wise Mage was right in what he had said: That curiosity motivates us and takes us by the hand is not entirely a lie. In the past, he was as innocent as he was credulous, and the feeling of discovery encouraged him, even if he didn't know how to observe or listen or behave with the best attitude. But, as much as he wanted to change it, that was a past that couldn't be altered, erased, or eliminated. Events that were there to stay and live among memories.
Rey turned his gaze. The other self of the little boy could be seen looking at everyone who was encouraging him. With his curious eyes, he only saw faces with gestures, smiles, and grimaces, but not what lay behind those faces... that the adults were judging him and even despising him in silence. Once the little boy lost interest in those surrounding him, he turned his gaze away without reason to be grateful or return any gesture, smile, or grimace. He wanted to pursue his discovery beyond where he had been left.
Preventing something bad from happening, since the little one was approaching where Katherine stood, the worried mother tried to hold him. With a clumsy slap and a squeal on his part, Rey hit his mother's hand and refused help so he could continue with more freedom. With much discretion and tact, Maryam withdrew the hand with which she tried to help and kept her distance.
Rey, after hearing the sound, walked to where his other self was and almost joined him. There he lifted his face and with it, his gaze. His eyes looked somewhat worried. Although he didn't recognize the vampiress as a mother, she was the one with the most right to kill him if she felt like it. However, in response to the rejection by his small self, Maryam simply gave a pleasant smile and stepped back. Although a smile meant nothing more than just an appearance, Rey didn't take it badly. Even so, Maryam was Maryam, and at the gesture toward the mother, the other members present fell silent, turned off their grimaces, and paid closer attention. Rey was ashamed of himself, but he also knew the worst was yet to come and that he could do nothing but be strong and see what he had previously ignored. His former self remained upright on his legs and, at the same time, tried to lift one to lean on the other.
Although no one seemed to be expressing anything in particular, they had lived a long time and, therefore, anticipated the fall of the little one who had just stood up. Wearing dull faces, they focused their gazes without making any comment, as if they wanted to see what the reaction of the little adventurer would be upon falling due to the pride of wanting to overexert himself alone. One clumsy step. A second little step without any balance and, immediately after, thump. The little boy fell to the ground.
The one who had felt curiosity was now feeling another sensation—something intense, annoying, and unpleasant. Pain. The white-eyed little boy stayed there for a moment, like someone assessing the situation. Touching the ground with his hands, he proceeded to touch his knees, which ached, and finally raised his puerile face to look around. None of those present had sufficient reason to pretend to help him, nor had they received approval from the parents.
Rey remembered asking himself: How can they stay standing and I can't?
When he noticed the adults were paying attention to something else, he turned his neck and saw that Dante couldn't even stand up, and despite the effort, he also fell to the floor. But Dante acted differently in the same scenario. His Lycanthrope brother opened his mouth, squeezed his red eyes shut, and screamed in a pained cry.
Rey's past self realized that his brother Dante's loud crying was what got him help from the worried mother. Maryam, with regret on her face, did not hesitate to pick her son up from the floor to comfort him like someone intending to alleviate another's pain. He also saw how the third little one, the blue-eyed one, acted cautiously. Jhades, like someone learning from others' mistakes, decided to keep clinging to his father, who helped him with the intention of ensuring he didn't fall.
Boom, Crack.
A thunderous sound preceded something splitting in two. The adults turned their gazes back to the first little boy. However, Rey could do nothing but look away. He didn't have to look to know what had happened. Despite not even being able to walk well, with one blow his "self" of the past had destroyed part of the floor. He could understand that, in that moment, in his mind, the floor had been responsible for his fall, so he hit it with his hands to try to solve the problem. Then, with clumsy and unbalanced movements, he stood up once more to walk again without realizing something: the new expressions on the faces of the ten adults present.12
Who would have imagined that so many different expressions could be the result of just one decision? wondered the little boy no one could see. The past cannot be changed, but I can learn and reflect. This is also the moment where I can know who is with me and who is not.
Taking a deep breath, Rey prepared to turn and accept reality. First, he saw neutrality on the face of the eldest. The Great Wise Mage, black-skinned with a shaved head, manifested expressions between lively and cold with his half-closed eyes, like someone who didn't intend to react but didn't deny himself the observation either. Further back, Rey focused his gaze on Silvia's interested face; she leaned her body forward to see better. To the right was Miján; he looked offended, narrowing his eyes with his brows, pursing his lips, and pushing his jaw forward. He looked like someone who wanted to antagonize the aggressive behavior of Rey's former "self" but couldn't, since he wasn't the father.
Turning fully to look at the other side of the room, Rey could see the corners of a thin, stretched mouth on the happy and carefree face of the vampiress he had to call mother. Continuing to turn his body, Heroclades stood by the entrance door, amazed, raising his eyebrows high and letting his eyes look like large plates. The bronzed-skinned subject did not divert the gaze he had locked on his disciple's son. Further inside, with lowered brows and a curled upper lip while wrinkling her nose, the muscular vampiress denoted an expression of disgust. Katherine intensely disapproved of his past "self's" destructive conduct.
Completing another full turn, next to Maryam was Wulfgang, eyelids drooping, full of sadness, as was typical. Behind the Lycanthrope was Ehimus, trembling with fear, trying to stay hidden. Rey could imagine that the elf, with her childish personality—as previously stated by the adults—was imagining a future De-Bastador.
On the other hand, ignoring the adults, Rey also inspected the gaze of the one who had stopped crying in his mother's arms. Dante seemed to be in search of more emotions, intent on competing and making himself look better. Meanwhile, Jhades looked disinterested and appeared to evade every emotion possible.
Rey watched his brothers with close attention. These two little ones also had to enter the equation. He understood that he didn't just have to watch out for his parents, but he had to keep an eye on Katherine and Miján, who were nothing more and nothing less than his brothers' current mentors. That event implied an infinite number of detrimental situations for him. The faces of contempt that became more intense made the moment suffocating. But the situation didn't stop there. Someone had to speak, and someone else had to say something about it.
Miján, looking in Wulfgang's direction, was the first to throw out a comment:
"He is a true monster with an undecipherable heart."
Katherine, taking a step forward, also communicated what she thought:
"Not only that, there is no doubt in my mind that he will become a danger, a devastator capable of eliminating everything around him. Do you still want to keep him alive?"
Maryam said nothing in response. Her silence meant yes. The muscular vampiress continued:
"Something De-Bastadores have in common is that they need to break something to understand it or simply to relieve their emotions. What? Is this not the most obvious example? He is here; tomorrow maybe he will be a little closer, and so on until he is right next to us. In that moment, and without anyone knowing, he will crawl inside our heads to steal our sanity and eliminate every member of the group one by one."
She was saying something she had experienced firsthand in the past, even showing the scars on her shoulders to confirm the events that traumatized her. The group members remained silent; they didn't dare contradict the muscular vampiress's beliefs. The look in Wulfgang's eyes said he was disappointed and only hoped time would prove otherwise, for whatever was said, he had no solid proof to back up his nameless son's attitude.
The voice of the Great Wise Mage was heard:
"My dear tenants. You must not be hasty. The different situations and emotions the little ones will experience in their childhood will undoubtedly be the connecting thread that links to the great decisions they make in adulthood," the old man said as he slowly opened his eyes.
His figure seemed to duplicate, and although one remained static, the other moved and looked at Rey.
"Your eyes were mistrustful from the start; now you obtained the confirmation you needed and no one noticed. Such a situation meant a lot to you, didn't it?... Because no one helped you when you fell in this moment, you will not expect to receive help from anyone, even if you need it. Although you cannot understand me, let me tell you something, little one. Pain can come in unequal proportions to the happiness you are willing to experience. But if you choose the best path, you won't have to deal with so much pain and perhaps you won't have to witness what death is..."
Rey realized that time had frozen the whole while and that the Great Wise Mage was there, speaking to him. Even so, silence reigned supreme. He wasn't going to break it; he wouldn't speak just to speak anymore. He resolved to be more consistent and take his time.
The black-skinned old man was there. He needed to confirm for himself the assumptions he had created about that child. Nor did there exist anyone else the white-eyed little boy trusted.
The past I showed him hasn't skipped any fundamental point regarding the truth, thought the old man. You were able to see with your own eyes and hear with your ears the key secrets that, without a doubt, are crucial for your survival. With everything you observed, you will have to adopt a submissive attitude before those who can help you or whose alliance is beneficial to you.
Time kept passing and the silence remained.
The old man opened his eyes and showed a calculated smile to continue his internal dialogue. Say your word. Even just one, kid. Based on your behavioral conduct by instinct, you do not lack the fundamental means to reflect and act sensibly. You can be reserved, cautious, confident, arrogant, proud, haughty, high-and-mighty, presumptuous, gallant, but above all, you are someone rational...
Rey maintained his silence. Nor did he move from the spot. With his gaze held high, he was mistrustful, or appeared to be hesitating.
For the old man, the time passing supported his theory that someone so proud and self-sufficient cannot admit he is wrong and that he needs others to survive. But, precisely for that reason, you have to do it. Coherent or not, you know you must try to integrate into the pack to prolong your existence; it is part of the common sense of all existential logic... or am I wrong? No, I am never wrong... How can I be wrong? Impossible... and why am I hesitating?56
...
The smile on the old man's face remained9 firm and convincing, although 10a drop of sweat ran down his black complexion.
Come on, kid! are you still full of doubts and continuing to study the situation, or is your pride too great? You know I am the strongest, a supreme being that transcends the present, the past, and the future. You know that if you bow your head before me, you will have my protection. What will you decide to be in response to this situation? What will be your identity? With that last variable, I will finally have what I need to calculate the equation... Come on, little one, let me hear what you will be. On what will you base your actions? On... pride? Instability? Nervousness? Insecurity? Cowardice? Curiosity? Aggressiveness?! Come on!!! Lower your gaze and let me hear who you will be in this life, damn it!!! thought the Great Mage.
Rey closed his eyes. In theory, he didn't care about witnessing what death is, he thought. Turning my back and walking... will avoid giving him an answer as to whether I am rebellious or submissive toward him. Even if that means walking toward the most painful destination, it will only make me someone stronger.
Making an expression of understanding what was happening, he turned around and, using his own means, undid that world of the past incarnated in the present to march back to where his master Heroclades was, who was still telling the story of the past to Dante and Jhades.
"I have no words," the Great Wise Mage said to himself after breaking his smile and opening two pairs of cold, expressionless eyes, while watching a countless number of futures that could have been created shatter into pieces. "Maybe everything I know isn't enough... Without a variable, my calculations won't be able to control you in this, your new life, on this plane or any other. Something is clear: first I have to find the reason that makes you an irregularity before eliminating you. The question is, how many pawns will I have to sacrifice to get the answer? If you decide to be rebellious, I fear many. Planets, worlds, planes... but even so, it would be a necessary price to pay. For now, I have to intervene so you make enemies that slow your step. Sicken your flesh, your blood, and bones... You will also carry with you the curse of having eyes different from any being that has ever been or ever will be. Eyes you will have to show to anyone you wish to look at. That infinite Pythagorean star, floating on a white background around your pupils surrounded by a circle, will be the cause of untold damage to the living beings of the three planes, the symbol of vicious destruction and true evil."
It could be said that everything seemed normal, but no one else could see the world the Great Wise Mage saw. He saw how the little wolf cub, along with the vampire, observed the attitude their brother had as soon as he finished speaking with him. He also saw how the threads holding Rey's limbs caught fire until they cracked and broke into a thousand pieces. With every step, the body bearing a name and no surname took control of an unstoppable flame surging in his heart, unlike the other two.
...
With the conclusion of his epic narration, as well as the appearance of Miján and Katherine, Heroclades took the opportunity to mention the name of his distracted disciple.
"Rey."
The little boy looked up, like someone returning to the present.
"Come on... Say goodbye to your brothers. You won't see them again for a long time."
The little boy's master looked hurried; he had the tone of someone who wanted to get ahead of the darkness before ending up in any other entanglement.
Katherine, who was still walking around with her lower garment shifted to one side and traces of moisture still dripping down her legs, looked at Jhades and made a signal. Miján, trying to put on his one-piece suit, looked at Dante and beckoned him with his hand. They were also masters, but words concerning the white-eyed little boy didn't seem to come out of their mouths.
Knowing the reason they were distancing themselves, Rey raised his gaze to the faces of the two individuals who despised him in silence. Then he looked at his brothers and realized just how right his master's words were. They are my brothers now, but after the training, maybe they won't be anymore, Rey thought, somewhat overwhelmed.
Immediately after, he said aloud:
"Dante, Jhades. It's not much, but... I hope to see you again..."
Both the vampire and the wolf cub felt somewhat uncomfortable with the words the white-eyed little boy said. With a grimace for a smile and a goodbye, the two brothers, not knowing how to respond, turned their backs on Rey and marched down separate paths without even looking back.
The black-skinned old man contemplated how the words the little irregularity had manifested caused the threads, which no one else could see, to tense, shrink, and twist as he said goodbye to his brothers. The threads that bound the life of every mortal, those that connected those who existed and ended in the abode of the three spinners who personified birth, life, and death. Although they tensed, shrank, and twisted, none could break, but they were on the verge of giving way—a situation that made the old man, who was organizing his beard, reflect.
I suppose I won't need to depend on something defective if I can control everything surrounding him beforehand. Although threads won't be the best way. I will have less to worry about if the one who pulls on luck ties your destiny better as your woman in the future, he told himself. The old man visualized in his mind a little girl with dark skin and violet eyes, busily studying and trying to learn what her sisters, dressed in long black dresses, were telling her.
...
In the meadow, under the intense brightness, Rey and Heroclades walked on the opposite path that would take them to the other side of the lake and the mountains. Heroclades had chosen the longest path because the conversation with his disciple would be equally long. Now that he thought about it, it was the first time the two would be alone for an indefinite period. He was also free to teach him whatever he wanted and deemed necessary. As his master, he had the right to corrupt him without facing any consequences.
"Rey..." he began speaking aloud, in a firm and calm tone, but stopped.
He was afraid of being disappointed. Maybe it was too soon. What child could pay attention to the boring words of an adult? he thought. Even so, why not try? he answered himself to continue speaking:
"Now that you know how to speak. I have things to tell you... As a master, I shall not scold you for something I haven't taught you first. So maybe, most of the time, you'll find me talking to you about things and things. I hope it doesn't bother you. To be honest with you, this is one of those moments... In the past, in my golden age, I had many friends whose names are plastered in history books today. In the beginning, they were nobodies, but they worked hard and managed to obtain what they wanted most. They sought recognition and immortality. They obtained what they yearned for. Their names became immortal and their teachings will have the recognition of being transmitted for thousands of years and to the others yet to come. But if they had preferred to have a small part of those years added to their real lives, they would still be with me. Even so, they decided otherwise. They worked hard without regretting even a second... they respected their convictions until the end, even though inevitably the fruit of their labor was the main reason they ended up dead. Tell me, based on the story I have told you, can hard work accomplish everything?"
Heroclades was surprised to finish his story without a single interruption. As unbelievable as it seemed, his disciple had stayed quiet right up to the end. And even though the tale itself had sounded boring and a bit rushed, the boy had appeared to pay as much attention as someone his age possibly could.
The bronze-skinned man believed that, even if the son of his first disciple could be considered a newborn in terms of lived experience, he had the eyes and bearing of someone who understood the power of not rushing into decisions and of learning from mistakes. Maybe he was giving the boy more credit than he deserved, but when he thought about it, Heroclades could reach that conclusion.
"He didn't rush to make decisions, since if he had, he would have asked questions that led nowhere," the old man thought. "He also learned from his mistake, because he didn't interrupt me again the way he did before when he spoke over the elder, and this time he listened all the way to the end... He takes his time before he answers."
Heroclades turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder to study his disciple's face.
"In fact, he has the gaze and posture of someone so gifted that he values the company of others more talented than himself and handles his own emotions with a certain grace."
Meanwhile, Rey kept silent. Ignoring the fact that his teacher was scrutinizing him, he sank into thought.
"His first question. Even if it's based on a personal story, it's exactly as Ehimus described it... he's going to try to find out if I really have any idea what I'm talking about. Being right doesn't mean you're correct from another point of view..." the boy mused, lifting his eyes to his master as they walked. Then he answered aloud:
"'Hard work can do anything.' It's a rather ambiguous phrase for people who ended up dying without ever tasting the fruit of their efforts. What a phrase: 'Hard work can do anything.' Was it one of your friends who said it? What a story that is too. Or did you make it up? So short and fleeting. An eternity in a few seconds, and at the same time, a few seconds in an eternity.
"But it isn't something you invented; it's a story you shortened when you told it to me. Your friends' lives couldn't have been as insignificant and brief as you made them sound. And that phrase... not that either.
"If you said, 'If you truly set your mind to it, hard work, at every moment and across the span of an entire life, will at least give you the possibility of accomplishing anything,' that might be true. But even then, it would still be a small phrase.
"What do you think about that?"
Heroclades heard words he never would have expected from someone so young and so inexperienced. Rey hadn't spoken just to hear himself talk; he had controlled his emotions in the most measured way he could while exploring and pointing out other points of view.
Hero even began to consider the possibility that his disciple retained part of the knowledge of his past life, but he still saw that probability as small. If Rey had truly kept his memories, he would have crafted an even better response—or even told the story of his friends in a more complete way.
Even so, the words "ambiguous," "invented," "fleeting," "eternity," "seconds," "insignificant" were words the Great Mage could never have taught him, because he had no reason to; they served no immediate purpose. These were words Rey must have heard from someone else. But how, from whom, and when?
"Rey, do you remember what was happening around you while you were in your mother's womb?"
The bronze-skinned man asked because he knew there were special cases—creatures who were conscious in the womb and could learn. His own sister had been born fully grown, with clothes, armor, and wisdom, so what could really surprise him anymore?
Not only did that support his suspicion, but he also remembered that Miján's artifact, the one called XWZ, had declared that Rey was the only awakened individual within the womb. And last but not least, when Heroclades had been recounting their arrival in Paradise, Rey had been the only one who showed no interest in hearing the rest.
Rey, a little puzzled by the question, answered honestly.
"Yes. I remember a great deal of what happened while I was in my mother's belly..."
A slow smile crept across Heroclades' face, and he remained silent for a long moment.
"I've found you. I've found the one I was looking for," he thought, as if seeing the green of nature more radiant than ever, the sky brighter, and everything around him somehow improved. Then, out loud, he added another question:
"Can you feel the wind on your face?"
Rey's gaze drifted to the symbol on the cover of the enormous book hanging from his master's belt. At the same time, he listened to the third question Heroclades posed, as if the man were suddenly inspired to say more.
"Take a deep breath. Enjoy this calm, this life, and the air around you. These tiny, 'insignificant' things you stop noticing, even though they are so necessary and so wonderful.
"Oh, my disciple, enjoy it. Enjoy it now and every time you can, because I assure you a very busy future lies ahead, and it's already eager for your arrival.
"You will train a great deal. Your training will serve as the compass that guides you along the path of survival. As soon as you and your brothers learn how to guide yourselves through calamity, we will return home so the other members of the pack can form a different opinion of you... that you are not a burden and, of course, not a threat—and that you are ready to undergo initiation."
Before any other comment could leap into the air, Rey's and Heroclades' attention was seized by the sound of a guardian-of-Paradise cub crying for help.
A defenseless liger cub, howling in distress, was calling for the one who was missing. Hungry and battered, it stumbled weakly through the undergrowth. The little creature shrieked as loudly as its exhausted lungs would allow.
Rey, worried, scanned the area until he came across the small cub.
"Am I really seeing what I'm seeing?" he whispered, his voice low and almost trembling, like someone disappointed who couldn't believe what was happening.
Both travelers came to a halt. Rey lifted his eyes to his master. Heroclades gave him a brief confirming nod and folded his arms, deciding to observe the unusually empathetic behavior of his disciple. For him, this was a perfect chance to see how the nameless boy related to other living beings.
Heroclades knew that no matter how hard someone tried, no matter how much advice or discipline they received, a creature with an intelligent nature could not always stay fully in control of itself or avoid behaviors that revealed its mental condition or power.
"No matter how correctly a De-Bastador wants to act, he will always be exposed by his personality shifts, especially in front of those weaker than himself," the old man thought.
In this case—faced with a disciple who was intelligent and rational, and who might already be aware of his problem and the consequences of his condition—Heroclades expected that, over the course of training, Rey would show one or more obsessions he would constantly battle in order to maintain a normal façade.
And what better chance to witness those behavioral episodes than by letting his disciple have a pet? The desire to hurt and cause suffering in others is like an intrusive thought: uncontrollable and a source of torment.
Rey, on the other hand, once he received his master's approval, turned his gaze back to the little feline. He could not understand how the great white beasts he remembered—majestic and true examples of family bonds—could have left their cub unattended.
Lowering himself almost to the small liger's height, Rey moved closer and slowly extended a hand toward it.
"This has to be a mistake. Maybe they're looking for you... Two parents must be desperate to find you. Come with me and I'll help you find them. You don't deserve to suffer what I've suffered."
When Heroclades heard his disciple's words, he didn't know what to think. He had been prepared to watch the boy violate the rights of the defenseless animal: ripping off its paws, gouging out its eyes, driving an object through its stomach and forcing it to walk until it died from pain and anguish, without remorse or empathy.
But instead, Rey had put aside his arrogant, prideful behavior to help someone else avoid what he himself was going through.
"Of course," Heroclades concluded, "instinctively, Rey is doing for others what he wishes others would do for him."
He tore any thought of personality shifts from his mind and completely discarded the idea that his disciple might be a De-Bastador.
"I warn you, being strong becomes a lonely path," Heroclades said aloud, a hint of sorrow in his voice.
He was seeing things differently now—a somewhat problematic future.
"I don't recommend what you intend to do. Far from helping, you might end up causing a lot of harm. Even so, if you really mean to let it come with you so you can help it, never treat its lick as something to despise."
With a mix of cruel realism and genuine curiosity, the master warned his pupil as he noticed Rey's gaze had grown fond of the liger cub and the boy kept trying to make contact. Rey was looking for a family. It was no surprise that someone like him would try to find someone even younger to attach himself to.
Heroclades went on:
"If it licks you, it will feel strange. Felines have rough tongues, but in that moment it would be making you one of its own. With that affectionate gesture it will share its scent with you..."
The master kept talking as he saw the boy awaken feelings for those who needed someone.
"Admire that creature. It's an intelligent animal for recognizing that it can't keep living on its own, and even so, it distrusts you. It doesn't understand your language, your intentions, or your motives. Unfortunately, its experiences may have forged its behavior. Eating the flesh of beings similar to you doesn't exactly make you very trustworthy in its eyes.
"On the other hand, good things don't come on their own. It needs support, and it's qualifying you for the position simply because you're still hesitating. Don't reject it, and don't let your intentions falter now that it's at its weakest."
Rey approached the small feline slowly, the cub watching him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.
"It's a great cub, and one day it will be able to shine. Get closer. Show it something that gives it a reason to trust you. Its fur is dirty, but you mustn't show rejection because of that. A gesture like that on your part might strip it of its will to live, because it could end up amplifying its feeling of being abandoned."
After hearing Heroclades' advice, the boy took off his upper garments and, careful not to frighten the striped cub, tossed them aside.
"Felines might not have faces that show emotions the way I do, but they can still look—and they can still understand. Understand that I also need someone, that my father and mother abandoned me too..." Rey thought, scooping up dirt from the ground and rubbing it over his own body to soil himself.
Instead of stretching out his arms, he dropped to his knees, left his chest bare, and showed a face full of sadness that clearly said, "I'm just like you."
Heroclades' eyes widened, and though he hid it behind his hand, he laughed softly at the boy's sincerity. It was like a parody: the sick one taking care of the wounded.
The cub, for its part, tried to stay as steady as it could. It no longer howled like before; instead, it stared with sharp eyes and pointed ears at this being so different and yet, somehow, so similar.
With hesitant steps, the feline came closer, letting out a strange sound—one the white-eyed boy had never heard before.
Heroclades, seeing the surprise on his disciple's face, decided to explain:
"Purring. You must not worry. That sound has the particular effect of calming him when he's afraid. He's throwing himself into trusting you."
Once the two little ones made contact, he continued, his tone softening for a moment.
"You can bring him with you, but from here on out it will depend on you whether he becomes your best companion."
His voice grew louder, his inspiration flaring. Almost shouting now, he went on, without realizing he was scaring the little feline.
"The greatest secret of beast tamers is that they were always one with their companions! They fed them the same food they themselves put in their mouths. They shared the bed, the bath, their joy and their tears. If one fell ill, the other cared for them and shielded them from every danger, from every predator of the dark.
"If they had no goal, they forged common interests over the course of their lives. Each one was proud of the other. And if at some point one of them died, a true tamer would intend to die at the side of their faithful companion, or at the very least bury its body with respect.
"Will you follow my advice? If you do, you'll be able to create an unbreakable bond between you and that beast. Otherwise, it will end up nothing more than a miserable creature that would have preferred to die rather than lose its freedom."
Rey scooped the little cub up from the ground before it darted off, startled by Heroclades' rare outburst of emotion. With sharp, attentive eyes, Rey studied the grimy ball of fur he was holding in his arms, as if inspecting it for wounds, while the cub twisted in fear at being in the air, claws unable to touch the ground.
Heroclades went on:
"It doesn't matter how strong you are or how strong you become, a bond of friendship can save your life by shielding you from loneliness. I said that being strong is a lonely path, but that's only true if you never learn to care for those who walk beside you...
"If you don't, then you'll have to defeat despair on your own and fight to stay sane in the process."
The cub was terrified. It was the first time anyone had ever lifted it from the ground, and it was convinced it would fall. To counter that fear, the boy gently set it down on top of his head.
Stretched out across Rey's shaggy hair, the feline suddenly saw an entire world it had never been able to see before because of the height of the grass. It was no longer only green and light that reached its eyes; in that world there were also trees, rocks, hills, water, and a horizon where sight got lost.
From swimming through vegetation to almost floating through the air, the little liger could now make out others of its own kind.
As they walked, the cub did its best to keep its balance and let out a sharp cry in the direction of the ligers it spotted, but none of them seemed to care about the desperate calls of a creature that wasn't theirs.
Rey and Heroclades spent the rest of the journey talking to each other, ignoring the frantic behavior of the little creature on the boy's head. They went on like that for a long while, until they seemed to reach the opposite side of the place from which they had started.
Since the white-eyed boy was walking behind, he had to stop short so he wouldn't crash into his master when the man came to a halt.
"This is where I'll put the house. This place is perfect, don't you think?" Heroclades said cheerfully, once again startling the small feline, whose eyes flew wide as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
"A one-bed tent with a campfire outside will be enough. Not to mention all this space we have to train without hurting anyone. Best of all, the Forest That Is Always Changing is only a few leagues from here..."
He let out the air in his lungs, and the bronze-skinned man's tone shifted.
"Listen to me carefully, my disciple. Beyond that forest lies hell, and beyond hell there must be a path toward the other two planes.
"As long as you do not sleep, no one else will be able to wake. That means you will have all the time you need, if that is what you want..."
Rey raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and lifted his chin—a clear sign of distrust. Because of that brief reaction, Heroclades realized he had genuinely taken his disciple by surprise. It would have been far more reasonable for Rey to expect a warning, not encouragement.
"You can trust me," Heroclades said. "I know you're sharp, so I'm going to speak the truth to you. Listen closely. Every night, as long as you live in this place, you will have the chance to be free—if you can find a way. Do whatever you wish to do, whatever you truly believe is best.
"But by day, if you are still alive, here is where we'll continue with your training. Well... 'training' isn't really the best term, because you will have to fight as much as—or more than—you suffer in order to survive. Torture, martyrdom, and torment are better words."
Rey arched his right eyebrow and squinted the opposite eye, glancing to the side as if weighing every angle. Then he spoke in the tone of someone dissecting a contract:
"You're telling me I can escape? And also that if I fail to pull off my escape, I'll be subjected to torture and torment?"
Heroclades continued, sounding almost distressed:
"Exactly. If you fail, you will come to know hatred. Yes. I assure you that you'll end up hating me with every last fiber of your being. As time goes on, if you do not live up to the immense expectations I have of you, or you fail a trial, I will be the one to grant you the most painful form of punishment.
"There may even come a time when punishment will fall on you whenever I wish it, without you needing to fail me or do anything to 'deserve' it.
"You might think, 'This old man plans to kill me in a roundabout way, just so he doesn't have to dirty his hands, and then tell Fang I died because I was too weak.'
"Yes, I will be that severe, and your thoughts would not be entirely wrong.
"I'm warning you in advance that, as your mentor, until you fulfill the conditions I set for you, I will be responsible for putting trials in front of you and guiding you through them—but I will not be responsible for whether you live or die.
"I would feel terrible if you died one day because I was an incompetent teacher. You must be capable of surviving not only any situation you might encounter out there, but also those created by the ones around you—those who might provoke danger while disguised as allies...
"I hope you understand what I mean."