ã€ŠWhat?! The world outside the village is full of villains.ã€‹


 Chapter 1 - The Path that the Fog Hides

    ¡°Freeze!¡±

    On a path avoided by those who are cautious and frequented by thieves, several cries altered the tranquility of the passage.

    ¡°Hands behind your head!¡±

    Two young men were shouting at who moments before was just an ordinary traveler, walking to his destination.

    It was no surprise what was happening on this path.

    The geography of the place had contributed to it being a road known in the surrounding area for its little mobilization. Made of earth, with potholes and stones that cut in half any possibility of moving massively in the middle of it, the path wasn¡¯t suitable for traveling on wheels as well as on foot. In addition, due to the presence of small hills that bordered the road and the unpredictable apparition of fog, the risk of colliding or stumbling increased the chances of suffering an accident.

    In conclusion, a dangerous path for people and vehicles.

    But that wasn¡¯t the only reason why the Oyogue Path was dangerous.

    The presence of bandits was known by the inhabitants of the nearest city.

    They used to steal especially in the early hours of the morning when the city just woke up. That was the best time they found to operate without being discovered, protected by the still deep darkness of the remnants of the night. Likewise, the lack of security on the Oyogue Path was due to the inactivity of the Forces of Order, who used to begin their surveillance activities with greater diligence once daylight and eyewitnesses reminded them that they should work to protect citizens.

    However, this wasn¡¯t always the case.

    An elderly man had the misfortune to walk the path in solitary company when the sun would still rise in up to half an hour. In other words, the old man was a victim of this robbery because with his carelessness he had created the necessary conditions for it to happen.

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    A third person spoke, immediately interrupting the young people''s exclamations against the elderly man.

    Aaron Escalante.

    A man with a powerful voice.

    An individual capable of pronouncing words that bent people''s will. Where that voice came from was that of a man with a calm aura, but strong in appearance. Covered by a mustache, a long beard beyond the chin, and by hair grown up to the neck, the aura conveyed by this man was one of respect. If it weren''t for his scruffy hair, he would undoubtedly have a neater look in his image.

    ¡°Understood, Aaron.¡±

    ¡°We just wanted to make sure.¡±

    The two young men accompanying Aaron moved to one side when they specifically heard that word from the man now approaching the old man.

    That they both walked away without protesting was a clear indication of the differences that separated them as individuals. Starting certainly from the fact that they didn''t have the same physical musculature as Aaron, this didn''t mean that their bodies were out of shape. Only, at first glance and by first impressions, it was easy to identify who was the most powerful member of the three.

    ¡°Remember that he is an older person.¡±

    Who Aaron referred to as an ¡°older person¡±, was an elderly man who was surrounded as their center of attention

    An elderly man with a white beard and a very fragile physical constitution.

    As an older person, the one with the last few years to live, his tired appearance was noticeable due to the effort he made to stay on his feet. If it weren''t for the wooden staff he was holding, the safest thing to say would be that he would only be able to advance a few steps without falling. That was how weak the man was. However, one more aspect made his appearance stand out.

    Two light blue eyes, very close to being crystalline, were staring at the three men aimlessly. For Aaron, it was the only thing he could say that reflected some life in the old man.

    The old man, with his old age and state of health on his shoulders, besides the numerical disadvantage he faced, had nothing to do to avoid being assaulted. Aside from his null resistance, his presence in a path known in the vicinity for being dangerous wasn''t due to chance.

    A few kilometers to the north of the Oyogue Path was located a port city of marvelous natural sceneries and attractive constructions due to their cultural, historical and religious value. With pleasant beaches, churches and museums full of archeological pieces and history to tell of the place; the city was frequented all year round by tourists.

    This city was named Boggio.

    The locality was known by the citizens as a close escape for relaxation and enjoyment, away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.

    To get to Boggio, access was mainly via the North Highway, a fast road that linked the capital with the other coastal cities in the north of the country. Since the capital was located close to the middle of the country''s territory, this point was taken as a reference to name the road system.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Thus, the road to the north of the capital was called North Highway; and the road to the south, South Highway.

    Therefore, it was logical that the North Highway was the preferred access road, both from south to north and vice versa, for all those travelers who wanted to move directly from the capital city to Boggio.

    In addition to this road, it was also possible to arrive from another road, to the northeast of the city of Boggio, although not with the same influx as the North Highway. Even by boat it had become more common the arrival of visitors. For this, the small fishing port had been conditioned to receive larger ships. In this way, access to the city allowed visitors to travel both at sea and on land.

    And among these, one of the options that enriched the experience of traveling to Boggio implied the most basic way of moving.

    During the last year, the form of access to the city that gained popularity among travelers was crossing the Oyogue Path on foot.

    A few kilometers from Boggio, near an intersection of the North Highway leading east, was a tourist attraction that fit with the lifestyle that more city dwellers adopted as ideal for relieving the stress of their responsibilities.

    ¡°Did this old man come from the Harek Community?¡± asked one of the young people who had stepped aside from the path.

    The Harek Community.

    An ecological space of spiritual retreat.

    Inhabited by followers of a religion dedicated especially to a supreme being; the members of this community had as life style humble life, prayer, gratitude, removal of the vices and harmony with nature.

    Known in the news for being a self-sustainable ecological area, it offered its visitors the opportunity to get involved in the religious activities of the community, as well as the possibility of experiencing a lifestyle very different from the city, based on vegetarian food, spiritual growth and simple living.

    ¡°It''s the most likely. If not, why would he come walking from that direction? I don''t think he appeared here out of nowhere.¡±

    The address the other young man was referring to was the beginning of the Oyogue Path.

    To the north of the Harek Community, leaving the domains of their territory, was the Oyogue Path, a dirt road that connected the community with the city of Boggio. Bordered to the left by the sea and to the right by the North Highway, the main difference that the Oyogue Path had with the North Highway was the state of the surface, the former being a flat terrain (in some sections), but not asphalted; while the second one was entirely flat and asphalted. Because of this, the Oyogue Path was very occasionally used by vechicles.

    However, there were those who preferred that dirt road. The reason why travelers, like this elderly man, from time to time took such a lonely road as the Oyogue Path was due to two reasons presented to them on the journey.

    The first one because, as crazy as it might sound, it could be as dangerous to go on the road as on the path if one didn''t take due care. The problem was that the vehicles that traveled the North Highway had to go through a long sector that was difficult to handle before arriving at the intersection of the track that preceded Boggio.

    In this stretch of the North Highway, the state of the road was optimal, but the humidity coming from the sea caused it to become quite slippery for motor vehicles. Many car accidents happened because the vehicles skidded in the curves. But that wasn''t the reason why the previous stretch to Boggio was difficult to handle. Since the North Highway was built so close to the sea and in several stretches at the edge of the cliff, the fog that covered the coast at the same time also affected the road. As a consequence, many accidents happened due to the decrease in visibility caused by the fog.

    The second reason was that, unlike having to pay for a transport to the city, walking was cheaper. The distance to be covered wasn¡¯t excessively long and a traveler accustomed to walking could go through the Oyogue Path without getting too tired. However, a third reason overcame the others and Aaron knew very well why:

    To enjoy the landscape experience, you must be part of it.

    And the Oyogue Path, even with the danger attributed to it, had a particular charm that encouraged people to venture along its dirt road. Mysterious, relaxing, challenging. Whatever adjectives were used to describe it, usually attracted tourists and onlookers alike who wished to experience a stroll by the ocean and breathe in the rare vegetation that grew in an arid environment such as the one surrounding Boggio.

    ¡°Old man. Cooperate and you won''t get hurt.¡±

    Old man.

    The provisional name with which Aaron referred to who they forced to stop. Of course, he didn''t need to know his victim''s real name in a situation like this. About two minutes later and each would follow his respective path. The old man with less burden with which he went out. And Aaron and company, slightly richer than when they arrived.

    As a result of their criminal activities, a small fortune they accumulated. With the number of tourists increasing and the lax vigilance to take care of the entire path at all times, Aaron and company had no difficulty to steal without being detected. Also, the dense fog that covered the place helped them to hide their presences, especially in the first half of the Oyogue Path.

    Therefore, it was no surprise that they had a considerable amount of money in their hands.

    With this, it would be the fifth robbery they''d perpetrated in the week and also the fifth time they repeated those same words. ¡°Cooperate and you won''t get hurt.¡± Exactly over and over again. What made each robbery different was how they referred to the person in question. Traveler. Peasant. Husbands. Woman... and now an old man. Each of them was reckless in crossing a path known to be dangerous.

    Fame that the three contributed that the path acquired...

    BOOM!

    At that moment, a loud noise was heard.

    Altering those present, everyone''s attention was immediately focused on the place of impact.

    On the curve closest to their location, near a rocky ledge, the raised dust made it difficult for them to see exactly what had happened.

    Apparently, something heavy had fallen from the height.

    ¡°Did a bird drop its prey?¡±

    For Aaron it was a possible scenario given that a few kilometers in the second half of the Oyogue Path, after crossing a bridge, there was a place full of vegetation and water ideal for the habitat of numerous species of birds.

    Coming closer to expecting to find a half-eaten body of a small creature, that idea was immediately erased from his mind as the dust dissipated.

    ¡°And this?¡±

    Aaron was astonished to see the scene in front of him, allowing his countenance to lose some of its usual tranquility and seriousness.

    This far exceeded all the possibilities he had imagined for the object that fell.

 Chapter 2 - The Most Hidden Danger

    ¡°A backpack?¡±

    The person who put into words what Aaron had in his thoughts came from a short-haired young man. At first glance, he wasn¡¯t too tall to instill fear in others, but as if genetics were trying to compensate him because he was short, he was quite wide of bones.

    This boy''s name was Don.

    ¡°And not just any backpack. It''s one of those modern ones that open with recognition code.¡±

    The recent comment came from the last person to complete the group of three individuals who were attributed the robbery of belongings in the Oyogue Path. He was also young like the other; but unlike his companion, his coarse face gave him a more adult appearance than he actually had. In addition, he was tall, but thin on physical build.

    His name was Ryder.

    ¡°Really? I preferred when only a lock was needed to take care of your belongings.¡±

    Aaron''s comment brought with it a remarkable regret of previous experiences.

    The travelers who crossed the path didn''t usually use security devices in their backpacks and if they needed to protect their belongings, they did it with a simple padlock. These devices were easy to open with a tool as simple as a pincer. But lately, to his discomfort, the backpacks protected with recognition code became popular, which meant having to ask their frightened owners for the password.

    What a nuisance, seriously.

    It was a headache to have to force the owners to say the password when, on the other hand, with the padlocked models, it was enough to surprise the victims and deprive them of their luggage.

    Aaron shook his head in denial.

    The memory of travelers who choked on their words or said nothing because of the fear of losing their belongings was part of the accumulation of bad memories that he preferred not to remember in particular in front of this old man. Shouting and asking his victims for the key only added pressure and stress to his already risky work.

    This backpack was part of the headaches that he preferred to avoid:

    If weren''t the owners, were the backpacks, and if weren¡¯t the owners, were the backpacks.

    But, beyond his security system, the backpack would go through any other he had seen had it not been for what one of his comrades noted.

    ¡°And it has a very particular shape as well. It almost doesn''t even look like luggage if we take that into account.¡±

    For Aaron, what Don said was quite right.

    This strangely bulky backpack gave the appearance of having been designed for an unusually large person. Aaron, after stealing more than one hundred backpacks in this path, could say without reserves that he had never seen such unusual luggage.

    ¡°Leaving that aside. Look how heavy it is!¡±

    ¡°It''s true. I can''t lift it,¡± said Ryder rubbing his hands after the failed attempt. ¡°What''s wrong with this backpack?¡±

    Aaron, approaching the boy who had just spoken, instructed him to watch over the old man, who remained motionless and with no strength to try to escape from his captors. It''s not that he was suspicious of the boy''s strength, but he also wanted to confirm it. In addition, among the three, Ryder was the weakest.

    Putting his hands on the straps, Aaron pulled with all his might.

    And as it happened moments before, the backpack didn''t move an inch, leaving Aaron perplexed and with a slight pain in his hands.

    ¡°Surely the valuables inside are of high quality to be protected like that.¡±

    ¡°Or it''s just clothes,¡± Aaron said, suggesting a more real possibility.

    ¡°Valuable clothes,¡± Don replied, resisting that his illusion was destroyed.

    Aaron didn''t answer back. Instead, he exchanged glances with the two young men.

    ¡°How did this get here?¡±

    The question that the group forgot to ask because of the surprise of the discovery was accompanied by a current of cold air that froze their bones at the first contact with the skin.

    In the blink of an eye, as if everyone had had a brief mental connection, Aaron ordered what was evident to the group.

    ¡°Bring that person here.¡±

    The two boys nodded in unison. With the strength of their feet to the maximum, both hurried to climb the slope in search of the intruder. Soon, they were out of sight, leaving the elderly man in the hands of Aaron.

    Someone was careless while watching from above.

    He was very sure of his reasoning.

    Whoever was on the slope dropped his backpack in an oversight from the surprise of witnessing an assault or because the weight was too much. Knowing the reason for this presence would be revealed once his two companions brought the one involved.

    ¡°Now.¡±

    Taking out a rope that he kept between his clothes, Aaron advanced towards the person who remained next to him. The old man with the blue eyes.

    Every step he took towards the perplexed old man; he couldn''t help but worry a little about how frail his health was. Its structure resembled that of a branch of a tree, sick and about to break. Anyone who saw him for the first time would agree that the old man had to put an incredibly effort to walk this far. Without any doubt, he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach Boggio.

    And I don''t expect that you can''t even get to the bridge halfway down this path.

    As much as he thought it, he couldn''t understand how this person wasn¡¯t resting in his house or in a home for the elderly. Public policies or programs for older adults should have him as one of their beneficiaries ... Or at least his family or assigned nurses should take care of him. Not here, on this dangerous path.

    ¡°A few more knots and...¡±

    With ropes covering the entire torso area, the old man had been tied almost completely to a nearby tree that Aaron chose for its robustness. Because this man''s body was weak from the ravages of age, he had no problem advancing with his task.

    After immobilizing the captive, Aaron couldn''t help but think that the rope around him gave him a more helpless appearance than the one he already had.

    However, after a moment of fleeting doubt, that thought wouldn''t stop him.

    ¡°Old man... Have I not seen you elsewhere?¡±

    The question that Aaron was asking had to do with the reason why his group decided to intercept the old man. Without knowing exactly why, he felt a certain sense of familiarity with him. He was sure he had never seen him in his life, but at the same time he felt that he knew him. It was a feeling like suddenly meeting a childhood friend who you saw after a long time, and yet, it was difficult to remember about that person no matter how much you wanted to.

    That''s how Aaron felt.

    Those blue eyes are strangely familiar to me. They are extremely crystalline as I am sure I remember... But that person should have died a long time ago.

    With doubt in his mind, he continued with his task.

    ¡°This will be enough.¡±

    He didn''t say it out loud, but he felt that, if he kept pressing the old man with the ropes, his body wouldn''t resist the pressure and would break.

    ¡°Old man?¡±

    By the time Aaron realized it, the man''s head was resting on his chest. It was there that he realized another detail.

    ¡°With that weak mooring did he faint?¡±

    The old man no longer listened to him. He didn¡¯t move nor react to Aaron''s attempts to awaken him. He simply stopped listening to his words.

    I think that from the beginning I didn¡¯t need the ropes.

    Immediately, he looked for a sign of life in his chest. Paused sounds indicated to him that fortunately the old man hadn¡¯t left this world.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Finished checking his condition, Aaron still didn¡¯t understand it. He left enough space for the old man to breathe, but without untying him too much to allow an escape.

    ¡°... For how long I have not dealt with senior citizens.¡±

    Knowing that he had nothing more to do until his two comrades returned, Aaron lay down on the ground, near a tree to the right of the old man. They were one of the few trees that were in this first section of the Oyogue Path. Putting his arms above his head, he prepared to enjoy the momentary tranquility that he could afford if no one observed him. The situation was controlled for the moment.

    Leaning on a tree, the cold wind blew over him with enough force to move his hair a little. It was a pleasant weather. However, now he had to wait until the old man regained consciousness to calmly ask him.

    I was too focused on verifying if he was the old man from that occasion, that I foolishly distracted my attention in case someone was watching us... But once he wakes up, he will tell me what I want to know... If he is that same person who witnessed my first crime in that alley.

    Aaron remembered the feeling of having to point a gun at his victim''s neck. The despair of this person, whose face he long ago forgot, was immediately transmitted to him who had no experience in this world of crime.

    It was an action he had carried out on countless previous occasions against his enemies; however, that time...

    ... his hand shook.

    He remembered it vividly: The conflict of pointing his gun for a different reason than the reason he liked his job. Not toward an enemy, but toward a victim.

    That was the first time he directed his will for a different reason that wasn''t to protect.

    Finally, when he released his victim, he quickly ran away.

    Horrified by what he could have done, he noticed a presence watching him.

    He remembered it as if it was happening again.

    Two blue eyes were staring at him and at his recent action.

    It wasn''t an accusing or fearful look.

    They were only a few seconds, but were enough to disconnect him from reality.

    That eyes of disappointment he would never forget them.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Showing that same defeated expression didn''t favor him.

    As he struggled to forget his past, Aaron realized that his companions hadn''t return.

    The two of them do take my orders too seriously.

    Don and Ryder.

    The names of his two companions.

    They had been following him for three seasons.

    From the winter of last year, through spring at the end of the year to the glorious summer in the first three months of the calendar. In his opinion, the best season for those who were dedicated to stealing.

    The reason was very simple.

    Many people would take their vacations in the summer, which consequently led to an increase in the number of visitors to the city of Boggio. That is when Aaron saw an opportunity without taking too many risks. A path was becoming famous for its landscapes and ecological environment ideal for those who enjoyed walking. All this at the foot of the North Highway and with the sea just a few meters away.

    With this in mind, the three decided to settle on the trail as they saw the growing influx of visitors.

    At first, they operated covered under the anonymity of masks. But as they spent more time on the path, they learned to sense and predict the passage of the fog. After a month, they abandoned the masks and took refuge in the safety of the fog. With the weather in their favor, the dexterity, speed, and calm which they acquired as a group allowed them to continue operating in this place without any difficulty. Beyond the occasional encounter with the Forces of Order, Aaron was sure to say that after almost four months, the three of them became the lords of the path.

    Thus, at the same time arose a source of frustration impossible to silence.

    The Dark Heralds.

    The name with which the inhabitants began to mention them.

    Due to the secrecy with which they stole the belongings of their victims, a part of the population, the minority, acclaimed them as ¡°The Ghosts of the Fog¡±. Another part, and rightly so, rejected them by calling them ¡°The Damned of the Oyogue Path¡±. Needless to say that the latter group represented the majority.

    However, because they were so skilled at hiding on the trail and stealing quickly, to the point that no one had seen their faces, before the eyes of citizens it did nothing but reaffirm the mastery with which they performed these actions to the point of being public knowledge that they never used violence to commit their crimes. Therefore, the name that the citizens gave them had to do with the ¡°chivalry¡± with which they acted, serving a dark purpose such as taking away belongings.

    Obviously, neither Aaron nor his companions chose such a name to refer to their small group. The least they wanted was that unnecessary attention from the population since their life was based on the incognito.

    ¡°The Dark Heralds.¡±

    It was a powerful name.

    At first, he disliked the fact that the people of Boggio mentioned him and his comrades like that. Carrying a name implied that people recognized their existence as a group and linked them to the crimes reported on the Oyogue Path. But for a reason that he wanted to believe was unknown, he couldn''t stop repeating the name in his head.

    When he repeated it in his mind, he liked how it sounded like elegance and dexterity.

    Even so, before his eyes, his group should not bear a name and both Don and Ryder were still two people with youth blood running through their veins. A thought that didn''t change easily in spite of the fact that he recognized the experience that both of them had acquired throughout the time they had known each other.

    ¡°Old man. It seems that there is an individual who came to rescue you ... Or maybe he is an unsuspecting traveler like you. What do you think. What do you think about this?¡±

    Immobile in the face of the question, the person referred to as old man remained as immobile as before. It wasn''t due to the rope. Aaron confirmed that at this point there was no difference whether or not the old man was tied up.

    ¡°Come on, don''t leave me talking alone.¡±

    Again, there was no answer.

    Now that he noticed it, before the old man fainted, he hadn¡¯t heard him say a word. Not a single reaction came from him. Nothing. Just like a puppet whose strings were cut.

    But if he had any reaction, he wouldn¡¯t blame him for feeling afraid. Being assaulted in a desolate area usually left sequels in the victim''s mind that took longer to recover than the stolen belongings.

    With those thoughts hanging over his head, Aaron desisted from continuing his one-sided conversation.

    ¡°Just above us.¡±

    Looking up at the small but steep slope, the irritated voice with which he spoke didn''t hide his displeasure at his recent carelessness.

    Allowing a third party to get involved in the middle of an assault was an alteration to an action between two parties: perpetrator and victim. Those who steal didn''t need their victims to be rescued by some sort of vigilante hero. In the worst case, to their displeasure, the police force was the force that came forward to prevent the assaults. A feeling of discomfort invaded him every time that that happened. It happened once or twice a year, but that intervention of the third party happened.

    Today, unfortunately, was one of those days.

    For a reason he didn''t know, the forces responsible for preventing and avoiding crime acted earlier than usual. So on those unfortunate occasions (like today), they had to be more selective with their theft targets and settle for what they could get so as not to call the day a loss.

    It was then that they saw the old man wandering around. As if it were a plea heard from heaven, this person was walking alone without going in any particular direction. Among his doubts as to whether a person with death on his back had anything of value, a detail of his appearance caught his attention even in the fog that covered the place.

    Two blue orbs distinguished themselves between the twilight of the day and the density of the fog.

    That aspect of his physique was enough for Aaron to decide to intercept him, but this time with a resolution different from stealing possessions to which he was now accustomed. All he had to do was to be vigilant so that when the old man regained consciousness, he could confirm his suspicions.

    No matter what, he had to remain vigilant.

    Having to keep an eye on everyone¡­

    A job so familiar that it was difficult for him not to sigh when he remembered his experience in that field of work.

    If he hadn¡¯t been fired, he would continue to work to protect visitors in those tourist sites where he now exposed those same people to danger. Finishing from traveling the Oyogue Path, the city of Boggio and its port awaited the travelers. It was on that marine coast where he worked for a while.

    At Boggio Castle.

    A residential with hundreds of rooms and full of vestiges of old cultures that centuries ago were settled in those same territories where the city of Boggio was now built. Visitors and residents of the area described it as a palace and Aaron couldn''t agree more. Every time he walked through the grounds and towers of the castle, the majesty of the construction and the environment distracted him from his surveillance work.

    However, one particular aspect of the castle made it so visited all year round.

    The sea.

    The castle was built a few meters from the coast, on the edge of the cliff. This privileged position on the coastal strip offered a majestic view of the ocean. In his memories, no other job was compared to that. The experience of observing the horizon from one of the rooms set in another era transmitted enough peace and serenity to avoid feeling unhappy.

    And among those sensations, a very famous legend told by the inhabitants of the city of Boggio and which aroused the intrigue of visitors, was the existence of a treasure sunk in the sea.

    In the era of explorations on the discovered continents of the world, a ship full of gold extracted from the country''s mines was headed to the North Continent as a tribute. However, the ship was soon attacked by pirates. The crew at the time made the decision to sink the vessel to face this looting. Setting fire to the ship, and finally, after being on fire for ten minutes, the ship sank off the coast of Boggio. Thus, the lives of all the crew members were lost, as well as the treasure.

    The legend itself wasn''t a lie.

    The ship existed and from the highest tower of the castle it was possible to distinguish the remains of the ship using binoculars of space enlargement.

    About the treasure... was never found, but the security members of the castle say that, at dawn, and at times, one can see golden flashes from where the ship sank.

    ¡°How long ago I stopped being part of all that.¡±

    Aaron''s head was filled with happy memories of that stage of his life. The best one that he''d lived.

    He couldn''t help but smile a little.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    He had shown a shameful expression again. More importantly, he stayed too long engulfed in his thoughts.

    Immediately, he looked to the sides in an attempt to avoid the taunts that only he could hear.

    Without any surprise, the old man remained as immovable as before. Behind him, in addition to a few birds that pecked the ground looking for bugs to feed, there was nothing of importance. The same thing happened in front of him. And finally, on the right, the backpack moved.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Aaron had realized that the backpack, from which his attention had been diverted, began to shake.

    ¡°What''s going on?!¡±

    The wind blew regularly due to the proximity to the sea, but it turned out that it wasn''t strong enough to move a heavy object like a backpack and less one that he himself tried unsuccessfully to lift with all his strength. That idea was quickly dismissed by another one farther from reality.

    ¡°Don''t tell me that...¡±

    What happened next left him in absolute confusion. Not because what he thought was wrong.

    Quite the opposite.

    ¡°It''s not possible.¡±

    A boy emerged from the backpack.

    ...

    His idea away from reality was happening before his eyes.

 Chapter 3 - The Creed of the Dark Heralds

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    There was surprise in Aaron''s voice.

    In his thirty-five years of life, what had just happened was undoubtedly among the strangest events of which he was ever a participant.

    If the fall of a backpack with too unusual shape entered this list of events, the appearance of a boy of the same one occupied the first ten places without any doubt.

    Aaron, without leaving his bewilderment aside, stared at who was in front of him.

    He was a boy of average stature with dark eyes, and straight and disordered hair extended closer to the left side of his head. His jet-black hair matched the jacket he wore except for the part of the hood that was completely white inside. The rest of his attire was completed by dark blue pants and sneakers entirely in black.

    But what surprised Aaron wasn''t the physical appearance nor the clothes of the boy. What caused him to remain motionless in astonishment was to verify the excellent state of health of the young man. He couldn''t find a physical, known or reasonable explanation for the boy to be unharmed after a fall of several meters.

    ¡°Aaron, I''m sorry, we already checked the slopel and we didn''t find... Who is that?¡±

    From the surprise of hearing the voices of Don and Ryder was that Aaron finally reacted. From the stupefied expression that his back hid, he quickly changed to a more composed one to receive his comrades. Before they asked him the same question, he answered them, taking care not to reveal his surprise.

    ¡°This young man is apparently the owner of the backpack.¡±

    Aaron''s strong words caused Don and Ryder to fall silent.

    ¡°We''re-we''re sorry.¡±

    ¡°It was our fault. We should have...¡±

    He had to make a quick gesture when they began to apologize. Since these didn''t cease because they hadn''t searched more carefully, Aaron raised his voice to make himself heard.

    Don and Ryder immediately fell silent.

    Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Aaron looked calmly into the fearful eyes that watched him.

    ¡°I have already told you two that you must stop apologizing for every mistake you make. This was also my fault.¡±

    ¡°How can it be your fault? We know this place, its accesses and blind spots pretty well, and yet we failed to locate this person.¡±

    ¡°Please, don''t apologize. It''s our responsibility to be so careless in searching, while you managed to find him without much effort. ¡°

    ¡°I didn''t...¡±

    ¡°Your capabilities certainly surpass ours.¡±

    ¡°As expected from the strongest and most competent member of us. My sincerest apologies for failing you on such a simple task.¡±

    No. I''m not really that amazing.

    Aaron wanted to shout that it was pure luck that he easily found the owner of the backpack. Naturally, he didn''t because the glorified image his comrades had of him would be destroyed, which would complicate things in the future. In addition, ...

    ¡°We will work better to make up for our mistakes.¡±

    ¡°We won''t disappoint you again.¡±

    But you have not.

    Aaron swallowed his words in shame.

    To think that he was lazing while his comrades were doing all the work made him want to leave with his face covered in his hands. However, he was the leader of that group and could not leave like that.

    It was annoying to speak when he was praised, but even more so when he was praised without deserving it.

    No. Don''t continue with your compliments,

    When those two young men saw him with those bright eyes, he didn''t feel capable of destroying those expectations placed on him.

    He had to stop those undeserved compliments.

    ¡°Listen to me.¡±

    One word was enough for the two boys to shut up. It was enough that they saw his eyes to understand that they shouldn''t continue speaking.

    ¡°I didn''t think within the possibilities that the owner of the backpack was hidden in another location other than the one I indicated. I hastened to draw that conclusion. I¡¯m very sorry to have made you both feel anxious.¡±

    Yes, that''s better.

    A competent leader had to assume the mistakes of his subordinates when they had not committed any. After all, it was under his leadership and orders that they failed.

    ¡°Also, it was unthinkable that you would find him because this boy was hidden closer to where we thought ... He was inside the backpack.¡±

    The expressions of surprise came together in a shocking synchrony, accentuated by a ¡°Ha?¡±.

    It wasn''t for less this reaction.

    Aaron imagined that, if he was younger, he would have reacted in the same way.

    Finally, one of them spoke rather disconcerted.

    ¡°From the backpack?¡±

    ¡°Yes, from the backpack. I don''t know how or why, but we''ll find out.¡±

    Aaron took a few steps with a rigid smile.

    ¡°Boy... can you tell me what you''re doing here?¡±

    Of course, after seeing the boy, he didn''t expect an immediate response. His behavior was the expected behavior of an average person when faced with criminal acts.

    The fear of being assaulted made it difficult for him to talk.

    ¡°I-I fell.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don''t tell me. It seems to me that you were spying on us, waiting for the right moment to help this person, and out of carelessness, you fell.¡±

    The boy''s lack of more words proved Aaron right. Between the surprise and the fear that he must have felt when he was discovered, the second emotion was reflected more clearly on his face.

    ¡°Leaving that aside, that backpack you''re carrying isn''t a common backpack. I have witnessed how it managed to protect you from a fall of several meters without you dying or suffering serious injuries."

    Aaron crossed his arms behind and with a firm stance, he stood like a wall between the young man and the path.

    ¡°What exactly is this backpack?¡±

    The young man swallowed saliva when, at the same time, a drop of sweat escaped his forehead.

    ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    The boy''s eyes went with identical fear toward the backpack.

    ¡°It always looked like a regular backpack to me. It was when I was falling that a mechanism was activated and protected me... and from there I don''t remember anything more.¡±

    The weak and harsh voice that tried to disguise the fear that the boy felt didn¡¯t diminish the astonishment that Aaron also shared for the strange event.

    As the fog advanced toward the five people gathered, Aaron and the young man looked at each other without saying a word.

    ¡°So, you don''t know.¡±

    After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, the first of them approached to Don and Ryder, who were on guard watching the old man and on alert in case the boy tried to get away.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Well... from his expressions, he doesn''t seem to be lying. He looks like he''s really confused.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°It doesn''t matter how he feels. Don''t you see? A wonderful backpack has come into our hands that would undoubtedly complete the effort of a whole month.¡±

    ¡°You''re right,¡± Don replied to Ryder. ¡°An unusual backpack that looks very valuable. Literally fallen from the sky.¡±

    ¡°Yes, who would say it. But leaving that aside. He''s seen our faces! And he''ll most likely tell the police when he gets the chance!¡±

    ¡°It''s certain that he''ll do so. What do we do?¡±

    Two expectant faces turned to see him when they finished arguing with each other.

    The moment Aaron felt that a dangerous idea was forming in the minds of his comrades, he had to bite his tongue to avoid also becoming infected with that thought. What they both wanted to do involved a last resort action to silence their victims.

    An action that until now they hadn''t been forced to perform.

    ¡°But the two of us mustn''t decide that.¡±

    Both young men looked at Aaron with more force than before, saying nothing more.

    Aaron looked back at them knowing what they were expecting:

    It was up to him to make the final decision.

    After a few seconds of silence and reflection, Aaron spoke what he had thought.

    ¡°You both know that this isn''t our way of taking possessions. Fortunately, we haven''t been forced to use violence to acquire what we want on this path. Stealth, dexterity and mystery is what has characterized us since our first theft here on the Oyogue Path. Not the robbery.¡±

    Don and Ryder were about to nod when they noticed that Aaron hadn¡¯t finished speaking.

    ¡°But... perhaps this is our opportunity to bring about an action closer to what we know as theft. This strange succession of events and encounters may be the push we finally needed. That of the Dark Heralds.¡±

    Don and Ryder were surprised when Aaron finished speaking.

    They had never heard him refer to himself under that name. But what surprised them most was the use of the word ¡°theft¡±.

    An action different from the theft they had always done on the Oyogue Path.

    ¡°Then, we can...¡±

    ¡°However...¡±

    Aaron''s voice cut through what the young people thought they understood.

    ¡°Let us honor that name and behave like gentlemen.¡±

    His will reached the two young men. After these words, Aaron took a quick look at the old man.

    He didn''t move at all.

    With a firm ¡°Yes¡±, the will of the Dark Heralds became a reaffirmation of their creed.

    Did I really expect any reaction from a person who has remained unconscious all this time?

    Turning back to the owner of the backpack (who had stayed out of the conversation, but watched over under an attentive gaze that would stop any escape), was that Aaron disposed with a serious expression to follow his interrogation.

    However, ...

    ¡°?!¡±

    ... his eyes stopped suddenly.

    What was that? What did I just see!

    Protected by a rigid expression, within Aaron confusion dominated.

    Until a few moments ago, he was talking to his comrades. Everything was normal by then. But as he turned his gaze to the young man of the backpack, he felt a familiar sensation that momentarily erased his connection with reality.

    Aaron shook his head and quickly looked at the old man.

    ¡­

    He was still unconscious, unaware of what was going on. That was a relief in itself.

    Did I imagine it? That pressure behind me?

    Aaron let several seconds pass in which he only swallowed saliva.

    Yes, I imagined it.

    He had just confirmed the situation, but instead of feeling relief, a sting of pain in his stomach denied him the truth.

    Everything is fine.

    He could lie to himself, but in the end he knew what he saw. For a brief thousandth, the emotions were as real as that time.

    A blue, almost transparent flash looked at him with tremendous disappointment. Again, just like that time in the alley.

    Before he had finished thinking, Aaron noticed that he was a few steps away from the boy of the backpack.

    I''ll have the time to talk to the old man. For now, I must concentrate on what I am going to say.

    Feeling that he couldn''t allow that silence to continue, Aaron composed himself.

    ¡°Boy... You''re from the country, aren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I see these objects aren''t typical of the city.¡±

    Leaning down to pick up the young man''s belongings that had been scattered when he came out of the backpack, was that he took a straw hat in his hands. Seeing that piece of clothing unusual in a city environment, he felt a real interest on his part that he couldn''t overlook.

    ¡°Yes, I''m.¡±

    Aaron shook his head in affirmation, leaving the straw hat where he found it. Looking at the boy''s luggage, he began to get an idea of who he was.

    ¡°I imagined it, look, I also grew up in the country and I know that it is difficult to come to the city being a stranger. From how heavy your backpack looks, I deduce that you plan to stay in the city for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°You''re right.¡±

    Perfect. Now let''s give him more motivation to leave.

    ¡°Besides, you don''t want to be left with nothing just because you tried to defend this old man who was travelling in a dangerous place. In the surroundings, everyone knows very well that. And beyond the matters we have with him, this is between him and us. You don''t want to be that third party to intervene.¡±

    ¡°You are right in what you say.¡±

    The boy''s nervousness was notorious. It was no wonder. This situation was a blow in life where good wishes weren''t enough to recover. Deciding no longer to torture the boy, Aaron sighed reflecting on the tense atmosphere he had created.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do this,¡± Aaron said very calmly. ¡°Since you''re from the country, like me, I''ll let you go.¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    The boy was surprised by Aaron''s words, letting out a small exclamation.

    ¡°Pick up your things and go.¡±

    Amid the sea fog that approached them, one sentence of life was dictated to a young man.

    ¡°Do I have your word that you will not attack me?¡±

    The boy shrugged his shoulders and with the strength that this new hope gave him, he spoke more fluently, but without hiding his distrust.

    They were the first clear words this person was able to say.

    ¡°Yes, you have my word.¡±

    The young man nodded to Aaron''s proposal. The latter watched with a little grace how the boy''s expression relaxed after hearing that his integrity was safe. He never liked to torment individuals younger than himself, but he couldn''t help but show a slight smile at the boy''s fear.

    Among the openings that the fog didn¡¯t cover, a little malice was reflected on his face.

    ¡°What about that man?¡±

    ¡°What''s wrong with him?¡±

    Malice in the form of a smile disappeared from Aaron''s face.

    ¡°I should have asked this before, but... don''t you have everything you came to steal? If I were to give you a sermon on the sin that is stealing, it is very unlikely that you would want to listen to me, but¡­ do you really expect to get something of value from an older person who only carries a walking stick?¡±

    ¡°With his condition, he shouldn''t be walking on this bumpy path. In addition, there is something that I must clarify in peace with this person.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you want to take away from that person, maybe it''s all for him. Leave him alone.¡±

    ¡°I don''t think you want to fight because, as you can clearly see, you''re at a disadvantage. Also, if this old man has nothing of value, then we will compensate him with what you carry in your backpack. I won''t say it again. Get out.¡±

    The young man didn''t move right away.

    He was probably thinking about what to do.

    But after an oppressive silence, the young man hastened to gather his things.

    ¡°Now we can continue with our matter.¡±

    Moving to one side, the road was free of interventions that would stop the boy''s journey. A little further, Don and Ryder watched without saying anything.

    Thus, one minute passed in an uncomfortable silence.

    And then, thirty more seconds.

    And later...

    ¡°You have fifteen seconds to leave before I change my mind.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! I can''t get my backpack back to normal, so it''s hard for me to get everything ready to leave.¡±

    He was right about that.

    The backpack looked deformed and unsuitable to be carried without disturbing its owner''s back. Apparently, the boy didn''t know how to return it to normal after activating that device that protected him from falling.

    After all, the boy really seemed completely unaware of the characteristics of his backpack.

    ¡°You''ll fix that later. Get out of here!¡±

    Aaron was already losing his patience.

    No. I mustn''t let this bother me. It''s not because of his youth that he doesn''t know anything about his particular backpack. Even I, being an adult, I don''t know. I must be patient.

    Whether it was because Aaron startled the boy with his voice, the backpack staggered sideways due to its unusual shape.

    Shirts, blankets, shoes, fruits and socks.

    Some of the belongings that the boy kept were scattered on the floor. The mess of the rush to leave resulted in even more mess.

    Well... I tried.

    ¡°You have ten seconds to go.¡±

    ¡°I''m-I''m sorry. I''m leaving now!¡±

    With rushed movements of hands coming and going, the belongings returned to the backpack. In a few seconds, almost everything was back in storage.

    ¡°Hey. Here. Take away your useless trinket.¡±

    There were only two objects left to collect. Two small spherical objects that had rolled further away helped by a slight inclination of that part of the path.

    To pick up, there was an apple a few meters from Aaron''s foot; and next to this, a small ball that could easily fit in the palm of his hand.

    Indicating to the boy that he would collect the belongings that had rolled, Aaron tried to get the boy to hurry before the fog covered them. When the boy saw that the visibility diminished, he hastened to pick up the apple and the ball that had rolled. He didn''t care if the young man lost them, but seeing the luggage he was carrying reminded him a little when he himself traveled from his home in the country to the city.

    A trip of which he went to seek in the capital of the country the opportunities that didn''t exist in his village due to the oblivion of the State.

    A trip in which for a long time he was able to do what made him happy.

    PUM!

    A violent sound echoed in his ears and shook his head, stopping his memories.

    Aaron didn''t understand what had just happened.

    His vision was suddenly clouded by a strong heat wave that invaded him to the point of hurting his eyes. He was disoriented. The explosion he felt detonating near his ear deprived him of hearing momentarily. But immediately, the smell of gunpowder and the pain in his eyebrow let him know what attacked him.

    ¡°I don''t allow you to mock my creations.¡±

    What he barely managed to hear with the pain that affected his hearing, made him wonder if the person who attacked him was the same person he had been talking to only a few minutes ago.

    Words... didn''t work.

    Aaron clenched his fist tightly.

    For Don and Ryder it was clear what their leader would do next.

 Chapter 4 - Regular vs. Irregular

    Everyone at some point in their life discovers that the ear is not just a organ that allows to hear and listen. There is a more internal and hidden part to the naked eye that not only takes care of the function of hearing. The so-called inner ear is also responsible for maintaining the balance between the head and body of beings such as mammals.

    Whether it is a strong hit from a ball to the head or dizziness due to the sudden movement of a means of transport such as a boat, the loss of balance causes the sensation of being on the verge of falling.

    And this loss of balance had as one of its causes head injuries.

    My eye is intact.

    In Aaron''s case, however, it was different.

    After checking his face with his fingers, he was able to confirm that both his eyes and ears were intact and where they should be. Even his long beard hadn''t been burned.

    His relief, however, was short-lived.

    Although the explosion of the grenade wasn''t enough to make him feel dizzy, during the seconds following the attack, he had been momentarily unable to hear clearly.

    Only one time he had felt that way when he was hit with a weapon very close to his ear or because the sound of a cannon firing had occurred centimeters away from his position.

    The sense of hearing would return, but during those agonizing minutes, another sensation made the wait much worse.

    Feeling disoriented.

    It had happened before.

    In this new stage of his adulthood, nearing the middle of his adult years, his lack of knowledge of the terrain and the intense fog had caused the first days he was exploring this path with his comrades to feel disoriented.

    When they just started operating together. When their group was not yet known by a name.

    But after so many months of doing the same activity over and over again without being captured by the Forces of Order, they had become the owners of the Oyogue Path.

    "Aaron! ?Are...-?"

    "Can you...-?!"

    ... They are telling me something.

    Aaron understood it immediately when he saw the extremely worried faces of those two people who with him formed the group known as the Dark Heralds.

    This needed no further explanation.

    It was again that fear of feeling disoriented.

    It wasn''t because his ear had been damaged. Nor was it because with the noise of the explosion there was a danger that the Forces of Order would suddenly appear.

    It was because of his position as a leader.

    His disorientation was due to the fact that his vulnerability was about to be exposed in front of his comrades if he did not react soon. In no way could it be revealed that his hearing had been affected more than he had expected.

    "Enough."

    "Huh?"

    "But..."

    Aaron didn''t need to hear those words because the confusion and concern of the two young men reflected on their faces gave him an idea of what they were saying.

    He couldn''t allow himself to see that again. Not this same scene.

    The fear reflected in others, of those who lose hope. As a leader of both young people, being disoriented about what to do would cause the same behavior in their comrades.

    "Haven''t I told you that you don''t have to worry if a hit seems shocking? Such an attack won''t do me any more harm. See? It''s just a scratch. And much less will I allow myself to be injured by an object as obsolete as a hand grenade."

    To change the flow of emotions, one had to be creative and take advantage of the skills one possesses.

    For example, Aaron was aware that he couldn''t read lips, a skill that would be useful for him to hear the words of his comrades and give them the peace of mind that any group engaged in dangerous activities must maintain.

    In her late teens, however, he noticed that his voice had changed to one that required no effort to get the attention of others.

    It wasn''t the particularly deep or serious tone of voice that made it more likely that a person would want to hear it or wouldn''t be encouraged to refute it.

    It was because he was used to saying what he thought from the bottom of his soul that Aaron had become accustomed to not stuttering or hesitating in his words.

    That was his skill. His powerful voice.

    However, given the current situation with his ear, a powerful voice was not enough to put an end to the doubts. He was not accustomed to cheating or telling lies, limiting his only sin to stealing, so he felt that his voice could fail him if he spoke or answered without knowing what his comrades were saying.

    Aaron looked around for something to help him get out of his predicament. However, with the exception of the young intruder who didn''t dare to attack them either, probably due to his numerical superiority, everything was fog.

    !

    Fortunately, he quickly knew what to do when he saw the intruder.

    Transform and redirect the strongest feeling to another person. From preoccupation to anger. In this case towards the enemy.

    This tactic would allow to take attention away from him and focus it on someone else. At least until he could hear again.

    "Unforgivable. You hurt the one who gave you the opportunity to leave without being hurt."

    Don got in a position to be ready to fight. Despite being lower than the three, it was obvious that his robust physique helped him project an intimidating image.

    "Are you going to fight him? I was hoping to be the one to fight first."

    The tall young man known as Ryder addressed the other young man with a disapproving look.

    "No way. I''ll be the one to fight first,"Don replied, glancing back.

    "Then we attack both at the same time... Although it doesn''t seem fair to me."

    "Does it matter if it''s fair or not to attack both at once? By that thought there are afterwards lamentations about giving the final blow to an enemy before he does an evil... like making the Earth explode."

    The two young men, who had come dangerously close to the enemy, were stopped by a youth disagreement : "Who was going to fight first?"

    "But it is what they call the honor of a warrior... Do you want to decide it with a stone, paper or scissors? Or with fu-man-chu?"

    "It''s not necessary because you''re not going to have the chance to fight... Besides,"said Don a little embarrassed to know this information. "Fu-man-chu is for when you have to decide between more than three people."

    "If so ... this shouldn''t be decided between the two of us."

    Immediately, the two glances turned to who had the last decision.

    What? What did they say?

    Of course, this person was Aaron, who behind a serious expression hid that not a single word he had been able to hear from his comrades.

    "Aaron, what is...-?"

    "There will be no one who...-"

    What?! Speak up, please!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Naturally, those words didn''t come out of his mouth.

    But by the movements that reflected an aggressiveness against the intruding boy, Aaron understood in part what they were saying.

    Being without listening is not pleasant, but... What difference does it make? Even if I can''t hear them clearly, I''ll make sure I keep this image of a strong leader they have of me.

    Looking sternly at his two young comrades, Aaron had decided what to do to gain time.

    "I''ve told you, Don and Ryder, several times that you must come closer if you want to say anything. Having so close to the person they want to talk to, they should at least stand in front of him."

    "Did you tell us?"

    "Of course he told us... Did you tell us, Aaron?"

    Don and Ryder''s question mark glances made Aaron to try his best efforts to give as natural an answer as possible.

    "Y-Yes, of course I do. Whether you are young or old, if you want to talk to an acquaintance or friend, come closer. You may not notice it because you two are still young, but,"said Aaron clearing his throat. "It''s those little details that keep you from distancing yourself from your relatives and friends."

    "Ooohh. I hadn''t thought of it that way."

    ... I''m really not good at this acting thing.

    None of this would have happened if the boy hadn''t appeared here on this path.

    Blood no longer came from Aaron''s eyebrow, but it was evident that the air had been charged with a murderous sensation towards the person who attacked him.

    "Aaron, please. Let me face him first."

    "No. Let me release my anger. This fight won''t last long. I assure you, Aaron."

    "No."

    One word and no more words were heard.

    "I have my own anger. I''ll fight him."

    Without waiting to hear any complaint -because it was evident that there were none- Aaron advanced sure of what he would say.

    "I had not realized that this small round object was a supporting object for combat because it is handmade. It is unlike anything that was ever used in the Trench Warfare."

    Preventive support items.

    Any portable object that assists in the performance of a preventive action or task. For example, tear gas grenades used by the police to disperse protesters.

    Aaron''s anger was not against these objects. They were necessary objects to facilitate police work.

    But among the great variety of supporting objects that existed, there was a group used specifically for war. And Aaron''s anger was directed against them.

    These were the supporting objects for combat.

    Portable objects that provide utility in the battlefield as the situation requires it. For example, hand grenades or knives.

    Thus, on the one hand, both preventive support objects and supportive objects for combat were personal and portable objects that aided in the performance of an action or task.

    On the other hand, there seemed to be no major difference between the two, but the main difference between a preventive support object and a supporting object for combat was that the former was used by the police to deal with protests, riots or street fights while the latter was used by the military to deal specifically with wars.

    However, apart from wars, this last group of objects could be used in fights or in a robbery situation or in another very violent situation if it weren¡¯t for a problem.

    They were obsolete.

    The discovery of more powerful weapons, and the development of better armament technologies had undermined the use and development of supporting objects for combat. In conclusion, the time of use of these objects had passed many years ago.

    A clear example of technology replacing another was support armament. Like light mortars to that had replaced horizontal cannons, or the anti-protesters heat rays that had replaced the tear gas grenades.

    "I don''t know why you carry a grenade in your backpack, but... Did you really want to attack me with that disused object, or was it a last-minute measure?"

    "That was my initial idea. But you gave me the perfect setting to forget where I was. As you know, the best performance is the one that makes you doubt if what happens is real."

    "Did you use these supporting objects for combat as part of your act? Or do you really use them to fight."

    "I just told you. The best performance is the one that makes you doubt if what happens is real."

    "... So that''s how it is."

    So it will be like this... After all, it had to be this way. So after many years I have to deal again with a young man who does not differentiate the great risk and little utility of using a supporting object used only by members of the police, and created specifically to disperse protestants or to control riots; from a summoned weapon which is obviously the first means available to each person to fight.

    A hand grenade had wounded his eyebrow.

    A supporting object specifically created and used for the above-mentioned situations had wounded his eyebrow.

    I''ve been told not to be so condescending when dealing with young people. And now, because of this, I... I''ve being wounded by an object that is not even a real weapon! An object that is no longer useful for the fights or wars in these modern times!

    Without turning to see his companions or the old man, Aaron faced the boy with a new determination flooding his body.

    "You could have escaped, but you didn''t. You decided to stay and fight a battle that you can''t win and now I''ll have to get violent. And it''s because of this that I'' holding in my hand that the supporting objects for combat since long age have lost their purpose."

    With disdain, as if regretting that the young man hadn''t taken the opportunity he had given him, an expression of discontent appeared on Aaron''s face.

    "Do you know, young man? Just because an object can be useful for fighting doesn''t mean it should be used,"said the man with the sword, approaching Saulo. "If you use an object for what was not created, it is likely that one day you will end up hurting yourself or your loved ones. I have experienced it firsthand. But besides your safety matters to me absolutely nothing, my concern is for what you may cause."

    Without waiting for an answer, he keeps talking.

    "In this world where self-defense is very divided over whether or not to act with a summoned weapon in the face of a potential danger, the existence of these supporting objects what generates are more doubts about how I should act. Should I limit myself to defending myself until the Forces of Order arrive? Should I attack the legs to immobilize the aggressor? This dilemma that emotions and the interpretation of laws do not help to solve, would worsen if the common population normalizes the use of supporting objects is normalized."

    Observing himself, Aaron sees himself with the eyes of one who has lost everything.

    "And it''s because of this that we all possess, this that is a trinity, that we will never know with total exactitude what may happen when we make an attack or when we try to defend ourselves. Those attributes of power that each person possesses are very difficult to distinguish with the naked eye."

    The man known as Aaron Escalante can''t help but smile seriously, while the words come from the bottom of his heart.

    "Can you tell me if in a single attack of yours it would be enough to make this person lose consciousness? A young man like you."

    The coarsely built young man known as Don stuck his chest out at the mention of his person. For a few moments, he was the center of attention.

    "No. I couldn''t say for sure."

    "Because of his robust physique, you would think he is a person who has great defensive attributes. But no. Despite having shorter legs, he is faster than this other young man, from whom you probably thought of is faster because he is taller and slimmer."

    The tall, slender young man known as Ryder said nothing when he was mentioned. He seemed a little uncomfortable being for a few brief seconds the center of attention.

    "That''s the doubt that''s killed a lot of people about what to do against a danger. And in that confusion many lives of both aggressor and attacker have been lost or ended in jail. If a trinity already has that doubt, then imagine what would happen if more ordinary people used supporting objects or supporting objects for combat. If you''re going to fight, fight! If you''re not going to do anything, don''t do anything! There''s no room for intermediate positions or doubts!

    The restrained emotions of the person who is the owner of the path came to the surface, causing the young man who listened to take a few steps back."

    "I know."

    "Hm?"

    But in what appeared to be a prolonged silence in the face of his arguments, a quick response surprised him. This was a negative response to everything he had said.

    And after a few brief seconds, the young man''s voice again addressed the man.

    "I believe that taking a life should not be taken so lightly... but I have also come to understand that sometimes there is no choice but to fight with a trinity. It¡¯s precisely because we can all summon a weapon and use elemental skills that one never knows how strong the other person is until the damage is done. At first glance that''s hard to say. And it''s just as you say. I also don''t know how strong a person''s attributes are until you''ve already attacked... One''s life is more important than thinking about all that stuff."

    Giving himself some time to think, the young man answered with eyes that began to show a discernible emotion.

    "However... that does not mean that we should kill in every dangerous situation. In occasions where a fight is imminent, I prefer to restrict the opponent first before the situation gets out of control and escalates to having to use a trinity. In a fit of rage you can kill one of your best friends, as it only takes a hands movement to summon a weapon or use elemental skills. Each person is a potential weapon if they don''t have control of their strength or emotions. That''s why there must first be degrees of violence. I''m not saying it''s necessarily with this hand grenade, but if it''s possible to avoid a fight with as little damage as possible, then I''ll create the means for it to happen, even though the vast majority is against my vision."

    Feeling the threatening gaze of three people, Saulo responds with the same decisive tone which this person had spoken to him.

    "And until that day comes, I won''t let you steal from this person either."

    As the young man finished saying his intentions, a drop of blood ran down Aaron''s eyebrow until it was lost sight of the floor.

    "Boy. A theft is something that belongs to two parties... Now you''ve become that third party."

    The fate of the young man is in himself and in the actions of this adult person.

    In this new experience for a young Amish from a community with principles of nonviolence, this battle would be against the most dangerous person he could face.

    A person with no doubts about what to do in the face of a potential threat.

    A person with the decision to attack.

    "This is the color to which we entrust ourselves."

    A lead color appears in Aaron''s left hand.

    "This is the weapon with which we hit and cut the danger."

    A sword appears in Aaron''s right hand.

    "And this is the element that connects us with the past, present and future of this world."

    A set of lead waves appears covering the blade of the sword.

    "This is the trinity of a user."

    Aaron would show the young man the reason why the supporting objects for combat had remained in disuse.

    "Even if it''s by force, I''ll make you understand your mistake."

    The reason was because of what was in his hands.

    A capacity of power that every being had the capacity to use.

    A trinity.

    A battle was about to begin.

 Chapter 5 - The Summoned Weapon

    There is tension in the air.

    A tension corresponding to being pointed with a weapon with obvious hostility.

    But in front of this sword pointed toward him, Saulo''s thoughts were protected for the moment with a serious and tired expression.

    Why do these things happen to me?

    The boy knows that he can no longer run away or wait for his rival to take pity on his condition as a young villager.

    I don''t regret what I did, but... I was supposed to create a distraction! ?Not to attack him head-on!

    Logically, those words didn''t come out of his mouth. But he would certainly have shouted them out loud if it hadn''t been because it wasn''t the best time to do it. Even more so if he tried, it wouldn''t help him to get out of the problem he ended up in.

    The fact that he attacked that man named Aaron wasn''t an accident in itself. But the fact that from the beginning he was in the Oyogue Path, wasn''t due to decisions made entirely of his will.

    Until recently, he was nothing more than a traveler who wished to continue on his way to Boggio, the seaside town located at the end of the path.

    The explanation for his particular presence on this dirt and foggy road was explained an hour ago.

    ...

    ¡­

    ...

    "Saulo Delanova! Come closer!"

    A young man sitting in a chair, hastily approached the call of his name.

    This boy, Saulo Delanova, had a look of concern.

    "Now, listen to me. We are allowing you to travel even though you are a minor and as you should know, that is forbidden by law."

    Saulo nodded, holding his breath at the mention of the last word.

    "Sit next to the corridors so that the police don''t see you through the window. You crouch at the first sign of the Forces of Order. If you feel dizzy from lack of air, here you have a bag in case you need it. And we don''t stop to go to the bathroom"

    Saulo nodded again to the man''s directions. When he was ready to put the bag in his backpack, an unpleasant image crossed his mind.

    "And the most important thing. You never traveled in our company. Is that clear?"

    "Yes, I understand."

    "Good. Take seat where I told you."

    Following the instructions of the man, Saulo got on the bus that was about to depart and sat hurriedly in the column of seats behind the driver, in the third row attached to the corridor.

    Already in the security provided by the seat, he took a closer look at the interior of the motor vehicle.

    Saulo knew very little about automobiles, but even he could say that the useful life of the bus was over a long time ago.

    As in the town where he was born and in the surrounding area the presence of motor vehicles was rare; its inhabitants were unaware of the latest advances made with respect to automobiles. Trucks, tractors and light vehicles formed only the group of vehicles that would travel the roads adjacent to his community and that they had the opportunity to see occasionally. To expect the presence of a more modern means of transportation was to ask for an excess of interest toward the travelers in an area that mainly offered agricultural trade.

    In relation to Saulo, this was the second time he had boarded a motor vehicle for interprovincial transport.

    To get to this part of the Oyogue Path, he had to travel in a small motor vehicle from the heights of the mountains (region of the country where his community was located) to the small land terminal where he was now.

    In altitude, it was a descent of more than three thousand meters to the coast.

    That day, no more vehicles left for the capital, so he had no choice but to take a bus with stopovers. Out of his impression of being with so many people in an enclosed place and sitting next to a stranger for several hours, the experience of travel for someone who came from a community that mobilized by horse-drawn carts was exciting and pleasurable. Also, fortunately, he didn''t get dizzy... or he needed to use an emergency bag because of that.

    To his relief, inside this new motor vehicle that he had to take to get to the capital there was enough room to open the windows.

    Before settling into his seat, Saulo glanced the corridor of the motor vehicle. Passing inspection with his gaze, there were a total of twenty people present for an approximate of forty available seats. Of all the people, Saulo seemed to be the only one with expectation of departing. Other people talked to their companions or made attempts to sleep.

    "Excuse me, driver. Are we leaving now?"

    "Yes, in a little while."

    It was no wonder the question was asked by a man sitting very close to the driver''s seat. The time to leave had passed and there were no signs in the vicinity that more passengers were interested in boarding.

    After holding the passengers'' claims for ten minutes because of the obvious delay, the manager with whom Saulo spoke made the signal to the driver to finally start the engine.

    Once the sound of the running engines was heard and after having left the view of the other parked buses, Saulo felt happy.

    The bus was leaving to the Harek Community, but the destination that he was going to was closer than ever.

    City of Kings.

    The capital of the country.

    A megacity with more than a third of the country''s population living in this urban territory. The center where the most important political, economic, social and cultural activities took place. Where work was concentrated and technological advances were developed and installed first than the rest of the country.

    And where Saulo could do what made him happy.

    It was a situation that he thought very carefully since he was a child due to the means that the centralism of the city provided, and that the conservatism of his community rejected. A conservatism that, from a different point of view, an Amish one, was in keeping life away from the vices prone to happen in the cities.

    That''s why he was in that vehicle on his way to the capital city.

    Away from the window, not too close to the TV... but not so far away.

    Because the seats weren''t filled with more passengers, he was able to relax without worrying about taking care of his belongings or to start a conversation that at the moment he didn¡¯t want to have.

    Already in his place, Saulo thought about the options of distraction or recreation that the bus offered him to make his trip more enjoyable.

    In front of him, an old TV was broadcasting a novel that involved the disappointments of a boy and a girl from two different social classes.

    It wasn''t of his interest what was transmitted so he didn''t sit so close to that device.

    What was of interest to him was to his left.

    However, the landscapes that the window should allow him to see were beyond his reach.

    Just for another year. Just one more year would allow me to sit quietly and look out the window.

    Saulo by law wasn''t allowed to travel. The age of majority in the country was seventeen.

    He was sixteen.

    Since the police would be able to see him if he approached the window, he was content with the half-eyed view he could appreciate from his seat. The last thing he wanted to have would be problems with the authority because in particular he wasn''t allowed to travel alone, without an authorization. Although if there was no danger of being discovered, what could be distinguished through the window was the rural landscape to which he was so accustomed in his hometown. A landscape that he liked, but for this time he wanted to see a different scenario.

    To his right, a lady next to her small son occupied the two adjoining seats in the row.

    "Mom, are we close to our destination?"

    "No. We still have a long way to go. If you''re bored, why don''t you watch what''s on the TV?

    "No, I find it very boring."

    "Go to sleep then. I''ll let you know when we''re about to arrive."

    Saulo couldn''t agree more with the child''s opinion and the mother''s suggestion. Tiredness overcame him. Whether or not the two young people in the novel ended up together, he didn''t know.

    ¡­

    "Wake up. We are here."

    After a while, a voice woke him up. It seemed strange to him because he felt as if he had closed his eyes not long ago. It was the woman who woke her son, which woke him too. Carefully approaching the window, he looked through the glass and joyfully confirmed what he was saying.

    They had reached their final destination, the Harek Community.

    A community located on the side of the ocean, preceding the dirt road known as the Oyogue Path.

    From what he heard from the passengers at the terminal, as they waited to get on the bus, they were favorable opinions of how relaxing and peaceful participating in the activities and lifestyle of the inhabitants of this community benefited the body and mind.

    "Don''t forget to unload your luggage. The company won''t be held responsible for the loss of your backpacks. If you wish to go to Boggio, you will be charged three ¡®raimis¡¯ by car."

    Yes, it sounds like a fair price... but I''m on such a tight budget that there''s no way I can afford that.

    At the terminal, Saulo was informed that the approximate time between the Harek Community and the city was twenty minutes. three raimis to travel that route meant too much money that could be spent. The costs to get here had already cost him almost half of his travel budget. In addition, he still needed to pay the fare of a bus that would take him to the capital, two hours from Boggio.

    If he had the possibility of saving money no matter how small, he would take that option.

    "Well, I still have the economic option."

    Saulo packed his luggage and was ready to leave.

    He was ready.

    He''d be at his destination in no time.

    A dirt path was the only thing that separated him from the land station in the city of Boggio, and from there to the capital.

    "I almost forgot!"said a voice that made everyone listen for this last-minute warning. "Be careful if you decide to take the Oyogue Path."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Oh, that''s it. I thought it would be worse."

    "We''re not going that way anyway."

    Quickly, everyone who had been listening turned in relief, except for one person who remained standing while everyone began to advance to the Harek Community.

    "What?!"Saulo said as he felt the pit of his stomach squeeze from the surprise.

    "I recommend that you travel in large groups. Going alone or with little company can be dangerous. Take care of your belongings if you decide to go that way."

    They didn''t¡­ ?They didn''t tell me that when I asked for information!

    The lady from the agency he asked didn''t explain him about any dangers on the Oyogue Path, probably because she forgot in the rush to finish her early shift. Even if he pretended not to have heard that warning, the danger wouldn¡¯t suddenly disappear.

    "Well, having said all this. Please follow me."

    The group of people who had so far accompanied Saulo followed the call of the bus driver in a lively atmosphere.

    "Mom, what about that boy?"

    "Don''t worry. I''m sure he has his reasons. Let''s go before we get cold."

    "Yes.

    Although for the little one, Saulo could pass for a lost person, the fact was that it was true that he had remained outside the community.

    "Welcome to our home, the Harek Community. Spiritual, religious, ecological and self-sustainable place. Respect our lifestyle and we guarantee you a wonderful stay."

    A person dressed in an orange robe welcomed the group. The colors of his clothing were quite bright and immediately attracted the attention of the entire group. A warm aura was felt around those present and in very good spirits they passed through the walls of the community.

    This group of people walked through the doors like a group of children eager to start a fun ride, while Saulo was left alone between parked vehicles, and with waves of cold and wind hitting his chest.

    Is the complicity of the universe against me? It just needs to start raining.

    "Brrr."

    He had to rub his hands in an attempt to warm up. Undoubtedly, was cold being a few steps to the sea so early in the morning. But this drop in temperature was different from what he had experienced in his home. Due to the particles of water charged in the wind, he had to cover his face with his hood.

    As if a mysterious source of heat invited him to come closer, Saulo turned his gaze toward the community.

    The first thing he noticed (because it undoubtedly stood out among the cold fog) was a group of people laughing as they followed the community member who received them. Protected behind the walls of the wall, their laughter provoked the illusion of a growing warmth in the environment.

    "Come on, you must be hungry. We have prepared a breakfast for all of you."

    The mere mention of food very close to him caused involuntary movements in his stomach like those of a device without control.

    What a welcome. It would only be missing that...

    "From there, we''ll give you a little massage. Being on the bus for so many hours must have left your muscles tense."

    ... This place is paradise. They thought of everything!

    Saulo noticed that he was the only person sitting in the parking lot hoping for a change of events.

    He really wanted to get to know the Harek Community, but the ticket in his jacket indicated another destination.

    He couldn''t enter the community for the simple reason that the ticket he purchased didn''t include a stay in the community.

    Having paid only for the cost of mobilization, he couldn''t enter the community. And if he wanted to stay, it would cost him a certain amount of money that he preferred to save for any eventuality in the capital city. Searching his pockets, he confirmed that he had enough money to stay for a few hours, but that wasn¡¯t the problem.

    "If only I had my ID Card."

    To enter the Harek Community one had to identify oneself with an identification card, which was a small card in which all the necessary first-hand information about the individual was stored. Because in the Amish community where Saulo came from they hardly used the services offered by the government, on very rare occasions its members carried that card unless they had to travel to a more urban area.

    However, although the authorities recognized the autonomy of the community, upon reaching the age of majority it was mandatory that they carry that document.

    Consequently, Saulo didn''t have an identification card with which to use public services or enter establishments that required it. All because he was still a minor.

    Different case was when he used the inter-provincial transport service. The employee of the transport company in which he travelled let him board under the condition that it would be exclusively on the bus he designated. Before that, he had to ask in several companies and they all asked him the same requirement: That identification card that he wouldn''t obtain until within a year when he reached the age of majority.

    Whether it was because they felt sorry for him or because they were used to being more flexible in complying with rules, in the end he was able to travel. The bus that the manager designated for him to travel left at dawn, in a laxer schedule for surveillance, but only reaching the Harek Community and not directly to the capital.

    In addition, being those of the transport company friends of the members of the Harek Community, they were occasionally allowed to bring visits at dawn when the time of entry was still quite far from the one that said the sign that Saulo could distinguish in a wall of the community.

    Consequently, Saulo knew in advance that he had to wait outside.

    A long wait awaited him.

    ¡­

    Thirty minutes passed from the five hours he had to wait, but Saulo decided to go to the entrance of the Harek Community for information

    His bones ached from the cold.

    Before he came to ask the entrance prices, a board with colorful letters gave him the information he needed.

    Young people, young people ...

    Seeing the numbers next to the youth section, Saulo turned around with the pain in his pockets. Reading the cost part helped him decide to walk the path.

    "Young people up to the age of fourteen pay the entrance fee. Now for two years I can''t enter."

    Affirming his backpack, Saulo walked away, wiping his eyes from the water that the wind from the sea was bringing.

    For a few minutes he walked along a path of dirt, potholes and stones until he realized something.

    The path that he thought was one-way forked into a small but steep slope, as if it were a path parallel to the Oyogue Path.

    Maybe this way, I won''t be detected...

    If he continued along this parallel route composed of small slopes, he would avoid exposing himself to the dangers that the driver had warned about the Oyogue Path. He didn''t use the word to mention them, but Saulo understood perfectly what he meant.

    Holding more firmly what in the worst-case scenario would be taken away from him, he continued to advance to his destination.

    ¡­

    "How much fog. It wasn''t like that when we arrived."

    After several more minutes of walking, his visibility decreased because of this climatic phenomenon. Saulo had already taken precautions not to get lost so he was still at a midpoint between avoiding falling down the cliff and being detected by a police patrol if he got too close to the North Highway.

    "And it keeps increasing."

    What surprised him was the speed with which the fog came at times weak to suddenly cover everything.

    He had to keep walking without losing sight of his surroundings.

    "F ..."

    "Hands be..."

    Is someone talking?

    Through the noise of the ocean and passing cars, human voices were heard.

    With curiosity on the rise, Saulo cautiously approached the origin of that mystery.

    "Enough."

    The wind sounded more threatening at each step with which he approached.

    "Remember he''s an older person."

    A new voice.

    Saulo hurried.

    Through the noise of the ocean and passing cars, human voices were heard.

    Curious to know what they were saying, Saulo cautiously approached toward the origin of that mystery. The voices had been heard nearby, but because of the fog he didn''t know where exactly.

    "Enough."

    This voice was different.

    The wind was strong in the coastal environment because of the speed at which it was blowing, but that one word was enough for Saulo to notice one thing.

    It was a powerful voice.

    "Remember that he''s an older person"

    It''s that same voice. More calm, but it''s that same voice.

    Saulo hurried.

    After a few steps and after the fog had dissipated a little, he discovered what was going on.

    Near him, under the cliff and closer than he thought, three men had surrounded an old man who carried a cane. One of them was an adult and the other two were young, but notably older than Saulo.

    "This is dangerous."

    He had believed that the voices were farther away

    "There''s got to be some way to release him without a fight."

    Analyzing the situation, a direct confrontation wouldn¡¯t be the indicated. The aura that surrounded them and the numerical superiority was something that Saulo in his condition couldn''t face.

    He had to do something.

    But what can I do?

    He didn''t need to walk away to ignore what he had seen, since the fog was covering up the crime that was being committed. But among the brief spaces of visibility that the fog didn''t cover, the crime that was developing made him look for an object in the pockets of his backpack.

    However, in the midst of his thoughts, Saulo didn''t calculate his movements and fell off the slope.

    NO!

    Without doubt, at the height he was would end in fatal damage or death.

    I''m going to die!

    Falling on his head, Saulo tried to put his hand on the slope.

    However, it was a futile effort.

    The weight of the backpack made it impossible for him to even try to get close to the slope.

    PAF!

    What he feared would left him in a pool of blood, it happened.

    Saulo hit the ground in a loud noise.

    The cloud of dust that caused the impact attracted the attention of those he wanted to avoid, and that person he wanted to save.

    However, he didn''t know until much later. The next thing he remembered was finding himself in the middle of darkness.

    "What is this?"

    He had awakened in the middle of the night.

    His head began to give him a headache for trying to figure out how he had been able to sleep until the sun went down.

    "Ouch!"

    Every image he remembered, it hurt his temples.

    The bus, the community, the path, the thieves, the old man, ...

    As if the missing piece of the puzzle had just appeared, Saulo remembered the fall through a tremor in his skin. In his last memory, he had tried to level his body to reach the slope.

    However, ...

    Although he didn''t understand exactly what had happened, he was safe.

    I don''t understand what''s going on. And what is this that covers me?!

    Around him the space was limited, but enough to move the limbs a little. When his eyes got used to the darkness that surrounded him, an unusual thought rumbled through his head.

    "Don''t tell me that..."

    Saulo touched the strange surface that enveloped him.

    "It is."

    He was inside the backpack.

    Saulo didn¡¯t understand how, but the backpack had wrapped him as if he was luggage.

    "If I fell off the slope that means that in the same place they are ..."

    Feeling the fear and trembling of his arms accumulating, Saulo was frozen by the cold that now ran through his body. The air was suddenly missing.

    They are out there!

    He had just remembered who was in the place where he fell.

    Those people were there.

    Saulo knew for sure that once he got out, there would be no one watching for his safety.

    Even if it is a little more...

    He wanted to stay embracing that sense of security that falsely provided him to be hidden, but he knew he couldn''t. Desperately, his lungs asked for air.

    Air that the space in which he was enclosed didn''t provide.

    Amid the indecision about how he should resolve his critical situation, Saulo didn''t realize that his difficulty in breathing wasn''t due to the narrow space in which he found himself.

    It wasn''t due to a damage to his lungs either.

    His origin had to do with what he was hearing.

    He knew that once freed from the backpack, he''d be trapped by other people''s wills.

    Thus, the young man arrived at the present moment.

    ...

    ¡­

    ...

    Because of the weight of the backpack; I ended up falling. After that I do not remember what happened, but when I woke up in some way I ended up enveloped like a package in what I thought was a common backpack.

    Saulo was surrounded.

    Three against one and they have a hostage... A manageable scenario.

    After saying that obvious lie to calm down, Saulo mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

    But no matter how hard he tried to stand firm, fear and calm invaded him in waves of uncontrollable emotions impossible to suppress for the time being.

    "You know¡­ in truth I was going to let you go for being a young man who has a lot to learn and because we share a place of origin."

    A trembling voice fighting to contain his rage made him aware of the consequences of his explosive attack.

    "That possibility has just disappeared along with your integrity. That you attacked me with an object as insignificant as a hand grenade leaves me no choice. This bad example of how it is that one should fight cannot be left in nothing if I am in front of those two boys who consider me as their leader."

    The two people Aaron referred to were looking at Saulo ready to attack if they were ordered to do so.

    "If I attacked you, it is because I was really angry with what you said. I shouldn''t have reacted violently, but let this be clear to you. I''ve told several of them and I''m telling you, too. They are not useless trinkets. They are my precious creations. Objects of support in the combat that I have developed the last few years despite what my family, community and acquaintances thought to be like useless, defective and unusable objects."

    Bumping his hands, from Saulo''s left palm a set of circles was formed as if they were waves. With one movement of his arm, a figure came from the circles formed when his right hand took it. After a second, the completely formed object was recognizable.

    A halberd.

    Saulo had just summoned his weapon.

    "I¡¯ll prove you wrong."

    Between the wind that was blowing, it was clear what would happen.

    Sword against halberd.

    A confrontation between two summoned weapons.

 Chapter 6 - This time there are no Reincarnations, Summonings to another World nor Resurrections

    Saulo held a halberd in his hands.

    A two-handed weapon similar to a spear, but with a transverse blade like that of an axe on one side and a small half-moon blade on the other, perfect for hooking.

    Saulo didn''t like to attack people in the face of provocation, but in this situation words weren''t the right answer with which to proceed.

    He had to fight in his own way.

    "... A halberd."

    The surprise didn''t occur in any of the three threatening faces that observed him.

    Without any apparent change, their eyes just confirmed what was evident the young man carried.

    Taking a closer look at the weapon, the halberd started from a long pole of brown wood that ended in a blade of degraded white metal. The color of this blade (the blade with spearhead) was a contrast that began with white from the center of the head of the weapon to turning black at the end and the edges of the three blades that made up a halberd.

    The weapon was in what one would expect a young man his age to carry. Without a special power or an intimidating aura, both the aura and the bearer emitted an aura of normality.

    In conclusion...

    On the one hand, the weapon that Saulo held was one of the average.

    On the other hand, seeing the weapon that Aaron held; the black grip and the shine that the blade gave off demonstrated the power that the sword would be able to show and the care that its user gave it.

    The weapon that Aaron held was without hesitation one above average.

    "I am glad that you summon your weapon. At least that way I know you know how to use it, and don''t have it as an ornament."

    "It would be foolish not to summon a weapon I possess. I wouldn''t benefit from its attributes if I didn''t. But for your information, this won''t be the only way I''ll fight."

    In this world it was a completely normal and expected action to summon a weapon to fight, taking advantage of the attributes with which each one was born. Physical, magical, defensive, of agility, and utility. In other words, if a weapon was summoned, each and every one of the attributes mentioned were obtained as an incomparable power from the one an individual used to have before.

    Of course, these attributes differed between people depending on how much they trained to increase their power.

    "You mean you have more of that garbage than you threw at me? Even among those who don''t specialize in using weapons, they know how to discern between a sacred way of fighting and what a group pretends to use as an excuse for its lack of power... A power that can only be achieved with a weapon and what it entails to be its bearer."

    "Do you think I haven''t heard that before? To be told once again won''t change the fact that I believe there are certain occasions where supporting objects can open possibilities in helping those who aren¡¯t skilled in using a weapon or abilities. I''ll do things first with that goal in mind."

    "Do you really think you''re going to go that far with those supporting objects? Do you really think that those who are more skillful and expert at fighting would want to use them as a complement to a real weapon? A weapon that gives us attributes and that we can all summon! What you think or do won''t change anything that is generally thought of as a supporting object. Or am I wrong?"

    "That..."

    What was unusual and distant from the battle canons since the first humans who summoned weapons was what Saulo did.

    Fighting using supporting objects for combat.

    Objects created to provide new ways of attacking in combat and that weren''t within the group of weapons that each person could summon.

    Aaron''s anger was due to the fact that the hand grenade that Saulo threw didn''t need to exist in a confrontation.

    The invocation of a weapon was a sacred capacity granted by the Creator and with which humans had fought ever since.

    Due to the capacities and attributes that the summoned weapons granted to their bearers, in no way were they at the same level to be compared with those of a supporting object that didn''t grant any. In addition, the power and possibilities that a summoned weapon possessed and granted to an individual far exceeded that of a supporting object, which was restricted to its limited power, dangerousness when used and conditioned utility.

    That is to say:

    It was written in history and proved at present, that a summoned weapon gave to its bearer a greater power and usefulness than a supporting object for combat would ever achieve.

    A reality that had never changed in world society and a reasoning that Aaron would demonstrate to the boy.

    "Supporting objects for combat have no place in modern warfare. Objects such as hand grenades are known for how weak and dangerous they can be in comparison with powerful and reliable weapons that we can all summon From my own experience I tell you that their manipulation will one day end up hurting you."

    After saying these words, two flashes behind Aaron gave the impression of reaffirming his position.

    Don and Ryder had just summoned their weapons.

    The taller of the two young men (Ryder) carried an axe while the one with a height similar to that of Saulo summoned a mace.

    "And considering the power and opportunities offered by the ¡®sacred equipment¡¯ and the ¡®relics¡¯, that niche that you and a few pretend to create presents itself to the world as obsolete."

    Saulo remained silent.

    Feeling the powerful determination in Aaron''s voice, the words he said caused him not to have an immediate response. Friends, neighbors, acquaintances... relatives. So many times he had heard similar things from them, but this time... it was one of the few times that he really felt the weight of the words that carried the truth of reality.

    These were words from a stranger. There was no way Saulo could prove that that man wanted to discourage him before the two of them started fighting; but for the same reason this person could simply be talking about what in his experience was pure truth.

    This filled him with sadness, no matter how tough he had proposed to be.

    ¡­

    But in the face of this truth, the pieces of his wounded heart wouldn''t heal if he didn''t rise again and again.

    I must answer...

    Saulo knew he had to respond to him to defend his use of supporting objects. An appropriate response to overcome this painful reality.

    ... at the same level.

    "I see that your lackeys weren''t impressed either. Or are they a group of peers without opinions that follow you to feel themselves safe?"

    "Don''t you dare use that word if you don''t know its meaning."

    Aaron responded sharply to what Saulo took as a nuisance as a result of what his words generated in the man.

    "They are my comrades. Comrades in arms with ties formed by respect and trust on the battlefield; and strengthened on this path by a common means and end. Do you understand the meaning of that word?"

    "People with whom you create and maintain a relationship, fruit of shared work."

    Saulo didn''t calm down his desire to talk about something that he had experienced very similarly in his life.

    However, the brief exchange of words stopped under the cover of the fog that was beginning to take possession of the path.

    ¡­

    "Return your weapons from where they came from."

    "But, Aaron. We..."

    "No. I was the one who offended him. Don''t intervene."

    After a small movement, Don and Ryder disappeared their weapons in the dimensional plane from which they came.

    The boys'' expressions remained rigid with murderous instinct, but the pressure felt in the air didn''t change at all. Where it really came from was the person who approached Saulo with a threatening calm.

    I guess what I said didn''t go so badly.

    Preparing his mind and body for what was to come, Saulo clarified his thoughts during the time allowed by Aaron''s walk.

    I didn¡¯t fall for his provocation and I managed to get those two young men to withdraw their weapons. But that does not resolve my greatest concern.

    Saulo looked back a little toward the direction where Aaron and his comrades were.

    He is still in the same state as before.

    The person in question was currently seated, unaware of everything that was happening. The elderly man, whom Saulo had not forgotten, remained motionless, unconscious, tied to a tree by the side of the path.

    And if I can somehow overcome this person and his followers, I have yet to free the elderly man and help him escape.

    He had a difficult task ahead of him. At this point, he couldn''t simply run away or leave this elderly person abandoned to his fate. Saulo knew with some discomfort that the course of action to take sounded better in his head than what he had to do in reality.

    But, even so... he was willing to fight and he would do it.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Aaron, indifferent to what Saulo thought, approached at a dangerous speed.

    And in an instant, his figure seemed to disappear, lunging with his sword toward Saulo.

    With a quick movement, Aaron in a short time made four attacks just as fast as the speed with which he approached. Two on the side and two diagonally. From the exchange of blows, Saulo had to react without delay so as not to be cut. At each cut, the force of Aaron''s attacks made shake the halberd that Saulo tried to keep firm in defense.

    He''s fast. Much more than me.

    Saulo could hold his halberd in one hand and try to attack, but his rival simply wouldn''t let him. The succession of attacks didn''t give him the space to counterattack, so he had to be defensive for now.

    After a new sword attack to his left side, instead Saulo felt an explosion of pain in his right cheek.

    ??

    In that confusion, he realized that his face had been hit by Aaron''s fist.

    Truly, he didn''t expect an attack to come from the hand this man had free.

    As he concentrated on enduring the pain, Aaron attacked him head-on without waiting for him to analyze the situation.

    Numerous slashes came at him as he tried to match the speed with which he was receiving the attacks. With each blow that he blocked with his halberd, he felt that, in an oversight, he would lose his balance and would be pierced by the steel of the blade.

    And one more time, Aaron''s sword came swinging toward Saulo.

    Now!

    After being on the defensive since the start of the fight, he confirmed what he sensed.

    Aaron was a specialist in the handling of his weapon. The sequences of his attacks were strong and direct.

    However, an opening for attacking was presented after a horizontal cut in which Aaron took advantage of the impulse of his movements not to lose the flow in which his was attacking with his arms.

    With a slash that came from high above, the tip of Aaron''s sword touched the ground.

    He had just failed his attack.

    With the cut passing very close to his position, Saulo dodged with haste moving in a hurry to the side, which caused Aaron''s error. The man against whom he was fighting, seeing that the balance between his sword and him had been momentarily lost, chose to retreat hastily.

    Saulo immediately attacked with his halberd. The impetus to finally go on the offensive was reflected in his attack.

    This was because in this situation he had the advantage. The advantage of reach.

    Although both the sword and the halberd were used as weapons for close combat, they weren''t maneuvered equally. The length of a halberd was greater than that of a sword, which allowed its bearer to attack from a greater distance. On the other hand, a sword didn''t have the same range as a halberd, so it was necessary to fight quite closely.

    Even though he knew this beforehand, Aaron had to retreat. With a rushed leap, he moved away from Saulo and his halberd.

    With the possibility of going on the offensive, Saulo attacked.

    Taking small steps backwards, Aaron retreated before the avalanche of cuts that Saulo propitiated.

    The greater reach of the halberd allowed the young man to attack at a safe distance.

    CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

    But when it seemed that he could continue, Saulo was suddenly interrupted by his enemy''s sword.

    Without exception, it had occurred in every attack he had ever made.

    Saulo had been attacking with a fighting style that allowed him to attack at the maximum reach of his halberd. This meant that by holding firmly with his hands the areas near the end of the handle, he could attack with a greater sense of security.

    For a person who didn''t fight, it was an illusory sense of security that this style of fighting provided.

    A person like an Amish.

    However, in the long run, this style of fighting would tire him because of the greater weight he had to carry from the handle.

    If it went on like this, he''d get tired without having hit once with his halberd.

    If he wanted to hit a blow, he had to take a risk.

    Saulo forgot the idea of attacking at a safe distance and focused entirely on the offensive.

    Positioning his hands closer to the middle of the handle, Saulo moved his halberd quickly into the air after hearing the last sound of the metal blades colliding.

    And after firmly holding the handle of his weapon, the strike of his halberd caused an injury to his enemy. Thanks to the new balance achieved by holding his halberd in this way, he succeeded.

    Immediately, upon noticing Saulo''s change of strategy, Aaron also went on the offensive with a frontal sword attack.

    "!"

    Saulo noticed in surprise that the approaching strike against him was different from the previous ones. A thrust loaded with a force of attack that would easily pass through the flesh.

    "Gugh."

    It was too fast.

    Saulo''s jacket acquired a different color when he checked the injured area. Added to the dirt and dust that his clothes carried, a color that wasn''t before appeared.

    "My elbow."

    A red line was drawn on his elbow.

    "Opportunities hardly occur twice in a lifetime."

    The speaking voice was heard closer than it should have been, and when Saulo looked away from the wound, Aaron''s sword was inches from his face. Almost as if an alert warned him of the imminent end, the handle of his halberd interposed itself between him and the sword.

    "I couldn''t agree more."

    Saulo laughed at himself for agreeing with his enemy.

    He had missed the advantage he possessed for a moment and allowed Aaron to approach where he could comfortably use his sword.

    If I could turn my halb...

    Before Saulo could turn his strategy into reality, a powerful force deprived him of his thoughts.

    "?GOGH!"

    Aaron had just kicked him in the stomach with the same intensity that he had been attacking with his sword.

    The force of the attack threw him several feet back, falling sideways to the ground. Feeling his arm being crushed by the weight of his body, the intense pain that came immediately prevented Saulo from rising and holding his halberd.

    A powerful kick from a powerful man.

    That was the kind of attack he had to endure.

    The feeling wasn''t the same as when he was inside the backpack. Saulo really couldn''t breathe. His mind told him he had to, but his contracted body didn''t allow him to receive the air he inhaled.

    "G-g-a-ahh."

    Little by little he breathed again, but he felt that it wasn''t enough.

    His efforts didn''t provide him with the support he needed to get up.

    A-air. I need air.

    Suddenly, as if his requests were being heard, a blast of air came toward him. However, it wasn''t the air of life he needed.

    "I-I really need a break."

    The sword that once again pierced the wind wouldn''t wait for his recovery.

    -Aaron''s point of view-

    I think I kicked him too hard in the stomach.

    Aaron advanced toward Saulo.

    The confidence was visible in his face when he saw the boy''s condition. Due to the kick, the young man had difficulty getting up after having been thrown several meters.

    The vulnerability of the boy encouraged him to attack with his sword, sure that his victim wouldn''t recover his composure in time to attack him with his summoned weapon.

    He is going to attack me with one of his supporting objects.

    From his point of view, there was only one possibility that the boy could use.

    This person had made his position clear about those useless inventions known as supporting objects for combat, even using one to attack him. Now that he was in trouble and because he was weak in power, he would surely use an object to make up for his lack of combat capability.

    And with what he expected the boy to defend himself, it happened.

    A projectile flew in his direction.

    Another hand grenade?

    His initial impression diminished when he realized that it wasn''t what he thought.

    What the young man threw was a throwing knife. An object which, due to Aaron''s attributes and those of the weapon he summoned, wouldn''t harm him.

    Dodging effortlessly, he assumed the use of the knife as a strategy that didn''t materialize before due to his kick interrupted it.

    Even if I don''t defend myself, it''s a weak object thrown at a distance where it can''t gain enough momentum to hurt me.

    Feeling the despair of his enemy at the sight of him approaching, the boy planted one last defense in a rush of his actions. It was clear to both of them that the halberd wouldn''t be lifted in time, so the boy hurriedly resorted to defending himself with one of his supporting objects.

    A throwing knife.

    His last defense was the same object that he threw at him a few seconds ago. A supporting object, which, as its name suggests, was to be used for throwing itself and not as a defense.

    What is he trying to do with that little knife besides trying to throw it at me?

    A small knife would break mercilessly as it collided with the power carried by a sword. The only logical option of attack was to throw it. By the time he wondered why the boy was uselessly protecting himself with that object and was no longer throwing it, another question surprised him exceedingly.

    -...-

    Saulo threw the knife he was holding.

    Indeed, as Aaron foresaw, Saulo threw the knife he held in his left hand. Immediately, the man against whom he was fighting, wasn''t surprised to see an attack from a distance heading toward him. It seemed as if during all these last seconds he was waiting for this sharp object to be thrown at him.

    The surprise, however, came later as the nature of the attack was revealed.

    An unconventional attack.

    The head is one of the parts of the body where the most organs are visible. With organs such as eyes, nose or tongue; the damage to those parts of the body would deprive the functioning of the senses possessed by the human being.

    Thus, it is not strange to think that one would try to protect oneself involuntarily.

    However, precisely an unconventional surprise attack could cause this reaction.

    He had thrown the knife, but not completely.

    Only the blade was thrown.

    The object he held was itself called a throwing knife. What differentiated these knives from common throwing knives, was that after activating a tiny button, the blade came out shot of the handle as if it was a projectile propelled by gunpowder.

    The confusion about how the knife was thrown and the memory of an explosion very close to his eyes increased the dimensions of what this supporting object actually meant for Aaron.

    "I¡¯ll finish this!"

    Saulo charged toward his enemy.

    He created this opportunity using his best weapons.

    With cunning, he acted to appear more helpless, launching an attack that with the first knife must have seemed desperate.

    After that, he waited that the momentary confusion generated by throwing a knife again - but in a different way - would give him that opportunity to break through the sword-bearer''s solid defense.

    A defense that he would break with the halberd he was holding.

    "Gggrrraaaaawww!"

    Saulo attacked with a battle cry as banner.

    This is not resolved with good intentions or just causes.

    Without powers obtained from nothing or fallen from heaven.

    There are no resurrections in another world or reincarnations as a creature.

    Only one opportunity.

    Only one life.

    Saulo had to seize this opportunity with the right ability at the right time.

    "[Shadow¡­]!"

    The largest blade of his halberd emitted some gray lines as he shouted.

    And then...

    Saulo''s chest was pierced mercilessly.

    A direct cut

    A fatal wound that even the most optimistic of combatants would not hesitate to affirm meant the end of the fight and the life of the boy.

    Saulo didn¡¯t utter cries of pain or supplications out of fear of knowing that his time in the world had come to an end.

    The sword, to which he believed would gain in speed and reaction, had pierced his chest.

    I-It can''t be.

    The force of the impact had made him release his halberd.

    Looking at the sword in his chest, Saulo realized in horror what that wound represented.

    He had lost the battle.

    His dreams, desires, and aspirations ended there as well.

    He could no longer make his journey to the capital, nor return to his community in due course.

    Aaron had pierced him with his sword in a deadly blow.

    "Look what has happened to you. For trusting your victory too much in those useless trinkets is that you believed that a simple knife would hurt me. That unusual way of fighting is what has led you to this."

    Saulo looked at Aaron while he knew with an empty expression that his hope of survival was non-existent. With totally serious eyes, Aaron looked directly at him with the certainty of what this wound implied.

    Uttering a final breath, he stopped moving.

 Chapter 7 - Critical Condition: ? vs. ?

    Saulo saw only darkness around him.

    Within moments, the darkness of the fog was replaced by an even more threatening one.

    Immediately, his sight became dark before the face of the criminal who was leaving.

    It was all over for him.

    ...

    ¡­

    ...

    An eternal silence took hold of the Oyogue Path.

    The two young men known as Don and Ryder were speechless as they watched what had just happened. Their eyes explained their emotions as well as the silence that reigned. Of course they expected a victory from their leader. But... this person was a young man like them.

    Aaron moved away from the inert body.

    It didn''t make sense for him to fight a dead man.

    Even the old man with crystalline eyes would understand.

    However, ...

    ¡­

    ... suddenly, he hit the air.

    What appeared to be a blow to the emptiness was heard equal to a clash of metals.

    A halberd collided with his sword.

    Out of nowhere, a boy with his halberd had emerged.

    With no visible signs of blood or a cut on his chest, this person had attacked him from a side where there was nothing before.

    For a moment, there were two Saulos on either side of Aaron. One lay on the ground wounded to death and the other pressed hard on his halberd. But after what was a second, the boy with the wound on his chest faded into a gray color, leaving the ground without a trace of his existence.

    "Do you hear me? I''m speaking to you, the boy that is the real one."

    Saulo Delanova is a shadow user.

    By summoning his weapon, he is able to fight using the power of that element. Because of his halberd, Aaron instantly recognized that Saulo had that elemental power that now saved his life.

    This didn''t mean that the boy controlled his own shadow or that of others at will. Instead, he used the power of the shadow to fight. The same applied to the rest of the users.

    Every living being had the power of one of the elements.

    And Aaron knew this very well.

    "You now understand that a supporting object for combat, such as a throwing knife or hand grenade, wouldn''t have saved you from being pierced. If it weren''t for your ability used, you''d already be dead. It''s precisely a shadow ability that a user can use after summoning a weapon what has saved you from dying... and not your supporting objects."

    That ability that Aaron referred to was known as [Gray Silhouette].

    It was an ability that made the boy invisible while abandoning a shadow substitute in the same place where he disappeared. This ''copy'' took his place, attacking after a brief moment a single enemy. The copy couldn''t launch any abilities and only made a basic attack. But if received a very strong attack, it would vanish without doing anything.

    "Let me tell you something."

    Aaron''s will felt firm, but the seriousness with which he transmitted his words was distorted for a second into an expression that his face didn''t cover.

    "I''m also going to use my abilities."

    With those words, Saulo realized that both were about to enter a moment of confrontation that wasn''t just one of fighting with the summoned weapons.

    It was time to fight with the elements at war.

    Saulo Delanova is a bearer of a halberd.

    Whether out of a desire to attack or just to defend himself, he had the capacity to summon that weapon to fight. But besides that, another characteristic defined him.

    He is a user of the shadow.

    By summoning his weapon, he had the ability to use abilities based on that element.

    One of those abilities was [Gray Silhouette].

    By using [Gray Silhouette], both his body and his weapon instantly became invisible for a few seconds, leaving in his place a perfect replica of itself as if it was the real one.

    Thanks to the shadow copy he left in his place, his organism was still intact.

    However, what disturbed him was that Aaron was right in telling him that if it wasn''t for the ability he activated, he would already be dead.

    Even avoiding this deadly cut, what Saulo couldn''t escape was the fright of seeing his stomach pierced by a powerful frontal attack.

    Safe with his invisibility, he witnessed with horror as his copy succumbed to the edge of the sword that pierced his stomach. With an arcade of imaginary pain that paralyzed him, Saulo knew that death almost embraced him.

    "Did you feel it? How close you were to your last breath."

    "You could have killed me with that attack! How can you take someone''s life so lightly?!"

    "It''s because I don''t do it."

    Such an immediate response caught Saulo off guard.

    He didn''t expect such a direct response to such a controversial subject as taking a life.

    "Because of my old job, I had to face many enemies to fulfill the job assigned to me. Some lived and some died. Whether they deserved it or not, didn''t cross my mind. What I knew was that if I continued with these ramblings, my performance in my mission would eventually be affected."

    "Have you reached that point? To kill... Kill for stealing money, a watch, a phone. Is that the price of a life for you?"

    Saulo put a hand to his chest trying to calm his growing accumulated pain. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    His chest had no wounds.

    "You''re wrong."

    "How am I wrong? You yourself have admitted that for months you have been stealing with your companions!"yelled Saulo, caught in the growing indignation he felt in his body.

    "It''s true that we have been stealing possessions for some months from travelers who pass through this path. But you are wrong about what we do. We don''t steal. What my two comrades and I do is known as another crime under the penal code."

    The moment Saulo''s brain processed the information, the answer he was about to say reached his ears in a calmer tone than the discomfort with which he would have expressed it.

    "Theft."

    A simple word that carried a different reality of two worlds.

    In Saulo''s eyes, the values that any citizen in general or the members of his community possessed would guide them to reject that fault and sin. In Aaron''s eyes, the look of tranquility that appeared on his face reflected that he had no doubts about the values he believed in.

    "A fight is a clash of wills. By stealing, we prevent the affected party from becoming unnecessarily involved compared to how it would be in a robbery. Because our victims don''t realize they were stripped of their belongings, we don''t need to resort to violence. That''s what a scenario like the Oyogue Path has given us."

    Saulo looked fiercely at Aaron, no longer trying to hide his indignation. For his part, the man bearer of the sword looked calm, as if he knew that the fog would be there to hide his actions.

    "If you hadn''t tried to dodge my sword, you''d ruin the disposition you showed when you attacked me with that hand grenade."

    "But what are you saying?! A man trying to kill a young man for a disagreement shouldn''t have any discussion to justify such a crime!"

    Saulo''s anger erupted in an instant. The fact that this person could almost have killed him wouldn''t be erased by justified words. But for some strange reason...

    ... Saulo felt a little guilty about what had happened.

    Thus, under this environment, the accumulated tension of not understanding the thoughts of those in front of him was broken by the movement of a weapon.

    A display of lead power, like that of a cloud, surrounded Aaron''s sword.

    "[Sword Dance!]"

    Smoke.

    Aaron Escalante is a user of smoke.

    He can use the power of that element to fight after summoning his weapon. Therefore, his abilities were based on smoke.

    Aaron approached Saulo assuming a combat posture, carrying with him the danger of using an ability.

    A rapid succession of abilities occurred between the two.

    "[Sword Dance!]"

    "[Shadow Cutter!]"

    With the first ability mentioned, Aaron''s sword was completely covered with a cloud of smoke. Behind the elemental power that the sword''s edge contained around it, the weapon couldn''t hide the destruction that brought with it.

    Then, Aaron attacked.

    The first cut forced Saulo in a hurry to make a jump backwards.

    However, due to the closeness with which Aaron made the lateral cut, the sword grazed his stomach. Not only that was a concern. The sword''s attack range had increased thanks to the smoke that enveloped it and, although the cut was very slight, the elemental power summoned increased the damage Saulo received.

    And then...

    A thrust came directly at him, with a longer range than would normally result from a frontal sword attack. Being a head-on attack, Saulo had to roll to one side to dodge it.

    He knew what he was up against with that ability.

    [Sword Dance] was an ability that allowed a smoke user to perform a sequence of two attacks in a row enhanced with smoke power. One lateral and one in lunge. Immediately, as he dodged the last sequence, Saulo took advantage of the impulse with which he rolled and responded with a gray flash.

    He also had to respond at the same level:

    With an ability.

    At that time, Saulo''s halberd began to be covered with a shadowy edge.

    Behind the elemental power that the halberd''s edge contained around it, the weapon couldn''t hide behind itself the distortions of shadow that light and darkness brought with them as they converged.

    Thus, the ability known as [Shadow Cutter] covered his halberd with the power of the shadow on the three blades that made up his weapon

    An ability very much like Aaron''s [Sword Dance].

    Approaching with the determination that the situation warranted, his halberd struck a helpless Aaron. The fact that the man was unprotected was due to the fact that, after launching the second sequence of his ability, his guard was unprotected caused by the frontal attack he made with the last sequence of [Sword Dance].

    And by the time Aaron returned his sword at full speed to block the imminent attack, the halberd was already next to the side of his body.

    It was a direct strike to the rib area.

    However, a flash of uneasiness in Saulo''s heart let him know that not everything was fine.

    The blood that should have come out after the cut was replaced by the sound of a metallic object being impacted.

    "!"

    A shield blocked the place where Saulo had hit with his halberd.

    A look of anguish appeared on Saulo''s face as he understood what had happened.

    Aaron had just summoned his shield. A golden piece sized enough to balance the weight of his sword with the right arm and the shield with the left arm.

    But he not only summoned the shield to defend himself from the ability that Saulo used. In turn, by blocking, Aaron activated a perfect ability for the predicament in which he was found.

    [Vanguard Defense] was an ability that allowed to defend and attack at the same time.

    Aaron, in a movement that demonstrated his experience in battle, patiently waited for the right moment to summon his shield and counterattack with that ability.

    Feeling the danger of staying so close, Saulo stepped back quickly; while in turn, the shadow traces of [Shadow Cutter] disappeared from Aaron''s shield.

    All damage that his [Shadow Cutter] ability could have done was denied by the shield.

    As Saulo retreated to stay away from his opponent''s attack range, a lead color aura, like that of a sharp blade and very different from the attacks Aaron had made so far, received him in full motion.

    "Gaahh!"

    Saulo had just been impacted by a basic potentiated attack. Due to the speed with which Aaron counterattacked, this time Saulo was hit. A lunge attack had penetrated his left shoulder causing him an intense pain that spread to the rest of his arm.

    This was also due to [Vanguard Defense].

    [Vanguard Defense] was an ability that allowed the user to defend against a basic attack or a single target ability to immediately counterattack, as Aaron had just done with his sword, with a basic attack that was stronger than normal.

    A perfect ability to counteract a single target ability like [Shadow Cutter].

    From Saulo''s body, blood immediately sprouted from the wound site.

    It was a cut deep enough to ignore and try to be strong. Saulo, resisting his urge to cry out in pain, watched with dismay as some green particles appeared and disappeared around Aaron.

    And in the twinkling of an eye, the wound the man had above his eyebrow closed.

    This is bad. That healing speed was very fast.

    Saulo had to accept with regret what had happened.

    Aaron had just recovered from the damage he had caused him with the hand grenade at the start of the fight.

    This healing was directly due to Saulo''s recent carelessness of what was capable of doing a passive ability.

    The passive ability of a smoke user, [Lead Devourer], allowed him to recover life each time he effectively connected with an ability. So Aaron, by hitting Saulo directly with [Vanguard Defense], managed to regain life.

    And so it would happen every time because a passive ability was always active.

    Unlike a passive ability, a user''s other abilities needed mana to activate. An individual who wanted to use his abilities would be unable to activate them no matter how hard he tried if he didn''t have the resources to do so. That was called mana.

    Mana was a cost to activate a user''s abilities.

    However, passive abilities were different. They didn''t need mana to activate, so the cost of activating a passive ability was zero.

    I mustn''t let it hit me with more abilities. He''ll be cured every time he manages to cut me with his sword!

    Regretting for not being quicker to dodge, it was clear who had the advantage of the fight. Saulo was wounded while, on the contrary, Aaron was healed.

    Likewise, by this point in the fight, Saulo had spent almost half of his mana. Over time, his mana would recover, but he couldn''t afford to wait for that to happen.

    "Well, let''s even things out."

    Aaron, in an empty expression, seemed not to understand what Saulo meant, but immediately regained his senses. Seeing him, he knew that the boy wasn''t referring to trying to force him to waste mana with his sword.

    By the time he realized it, a wake of gray lines was coming out of the young man''s hands.

    "I, too, can apply that same desperation."

    Saulo approached Aaron with the reflection of his words equaling that of his face. The boy''s passive ability had just been activated, but Aaron recognized a behavior that he had made his own so as not to be tied to moral dilemmas after snatching belongings from travelers.

    The boy had gone into villain mode.

 Chapter 8 - Two villains: Saulo vs. Aaron: Elements at War

    Saulo prepared for his next attack.

    Unlike his other abilities, this time he didn''t utter words.

    As Aaron noticed, the boy''s passive ability had just been activated.

    [Shadow Speed] was the name of this ability that didn''t need mana to activate.

    The gray lines that accelerated each time the boy moved his upper extremities were indicative of that passive ability.

    An ability that had the effect of increasing the attack speed of the user.

    How he obtained this increase in speed was due to the fact that the conditions for activating his passive ability had just been fulfilled. From time to time, if a user of the shadow (such as Saulo) took damage, he was immediately granted an increase in attack speed for a few seconds.

    Saulo now had the opportunity to attack faster.

    Without waiting for the effect of the skill to disappear, his halberd moved toward Aaron''s chest. Due to the increase in attack speed granted by [Shadow Speed] his halberd arrived earlier than when he attacked with [Shadow Cutter].

    As a result of the clash of weapons, several metallic sounds were quickly heard until a louder sound caused an immediate silence.

    Aaron had blocked the halberd with his shield while with his two hands, Saulo pressed hard on the defensive weapon that Aaron held in his left hand.

    With his hand free to attack, Aaron raised his sword to proceed to thrust his blade in the boy. But almost immediately, he changed his mind and quickly took it to his back.

    Once again, a metallic sound was heard resonating extremely loudly due to the pressure with which the attack was exerted.

    For a second, it seemed that Aaron had struck an invisible wall with his sword. But soon, a body materialized where he continued to exert pressure with his sword.

    "So you decided to get out of your invisibility. I was right to feel that disturbance in your defensive posture. You used [Gray Silhouette] at that moment when I lifted my sword."

    His words were addressed to a boy who had appeared out of nowhere.

    What had happened was that Aaron had realized what the young man was up to.

    Keeping the pressure on the shield with the copy created by [Gray Silhouette], the real Saulo had attacked him from behind coming out of his invisibility in a wake of gray lines coming from his hands. The wound on his shoulder continued to bleed noticeably by then, so the boy tried to take advantage of the attack speed of his passive ability in a quick surprise attack.

    That was what Aaron thought the young man tried to execute by combining his two skills.

    "It''s not very polite to attack from behind. If you break a vertebra in my spine, I could be paralyzed for life... That attack... is better suited for the villains."

    But when that tactic failed, another thought was clearly reflected in a determined face.

    I must keep attacking!

    Despite the wound on his shoulder must had to bothered him as he moved his arm, Saulo remained determined to attack with his halberd.

    The reason he allowed Aaron to injure him on the shoulder was in order to activate his passive ability. Every so often, when receiving damage, it granted a user of the shadow like him, attack speed for a few seconds. That also included his copy. [Gray Silhouette] was an ability that allowed him to leave a double that performed a basic attack on a nearby target as long as he didn''t receive considerable damage.

    Upon being wounded in the shoulder by the sword, Saulo attacked taking advantage of the attack speed provided by his passive ability [Shadow Speed] and later, when his halberd collided with the shield and exerted pressure to maintain that clash of weapons, he used [Gray Silhouette] to escape to one side taking advantage of the seconds of invisibility granted.

    However, Aaron defended himself magnificently from the combo of attacks that Saulo and his copy made. The real Saulo was blocked by the sword while the copy was blocked by the shield.

    I should''ve used my invisibility immediately once he attacked me with his [Vanguard Defense]. But the pain... The pain.

    Saulo was nowhere near matching Aaron''s level of power. For example, a deep cut was enough to deconcentrate him on using his abilities while against whom he faced didn''t have that problem

    In addition, Aaron''s strength simply managed without much effort to keep two versions of him at bay at the same time.

    This won''t be enough.

    Putting more force into his arms, Aaron pushed both Saulos from the direction in which each attacked.

    The two were thrown in synchrony and the copy vanished immediately. The time for him to stay in this world reached his limit.

    The remaining Saulo, the real one, noticed the end of his double while he was in the air by the force of the push.

    I must fall safely!

    He was falling, holding his halberd in his hands. Nothing would prevent his back from hitting the ground. The force of the shove was too much for him to fall with his feet on the ground. It wasn¡¯t as if he could in his state somerSaulot in the air and fall on his feet. The speed and strength with which his back would touch the ground would shake him violently and prevent him from breathing.

    Saulo didn''t know it, but Aaron had planned a tactic for when not very powerful individuals were thrown into the air. The moment the young man''s back would touch the ground, he would capitalize on that fall with an ability he had reserved for occasions when he needed to surprise enemies who needed to catch their breath.

    "[Smoke...!]"

    Aaron''s ability stopped in the middle of being activated.

    Normally, while using an ability, concentration had to be maintained in order to prevent the mind from being distracted by any action other than activating the desired ability.

    Aaron didn¡¯t have that problem, but what appeared before his eyes was difficult for him to ignore.

    Isn''t that...?

    With a bit of doubt, Aaron couldn''t avoid blinking several times to distinguish what was approaching him.

    Approaching him, a small circular object flew with the speed of a strong throw... It looked like a small ball made entirely of cloth. Without being wounded again, an imaginary pain popped into his eyebrow.

    A hand grenade was approaching in his direction.

    In front of this attack, for Aaron Escalante the time seemed to stop.

    Block or dodge.

    A decision he had to make in thousandths of a second.

    As a sword bearer, the attributes granted by his weapon allowed him to block and dodge at an average level. Not like a ''tank'' that stood out for its great defensive attributes or a ''marksman¡ä that was characterized by its high evasion.

    He was a ''fighter''.

    A class in which offensive and defensive attributes were balanced, as was agility.

    Therefore, his options in the face of an attack were divided between those two actions.

    If he decided to block, his sword was on the nearest side of the direction from which the grenade came. However, his left hand, the one holding his shield, was the most logical option for blocking the approaching projectile.

    If the power of the explosion was the same as the one that wounded his eyebrow, then he had nothing to worry about. The gunpowder those little grenades were supposed to contain wasn''t powerful enough to seriously injure him. Even if the grenade contained greater amounts of gunpowder, at most it would cause very slight damage due to the natural resistance that his body possessed at his level. That is without mentioning the high power of his sword and shield, and the attributes that these two weapons gave him. And since this grenade didn''t have the dimensions to damage him, he had nothing to worry about. In addition, ...

    ... is just one of those supporting objects for combat.

    Aaron''s thoughts were in favor of blocking what he considered a useless trinket. Since it was more comfortable for smoke users to block because of the shield they had the capability to summon, their first action would be to block.

    In contrast, if he decided to avoid the attack, he had to make more effort than if he blocked. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    For example, crouching suddenly could cause him the risk of injuring a muscle in his arm or neck due to the abruptness of the movement.

    However, whether to block or dodge, he had to balance both his body and limbs to move properly with the weight of his weapons.

    With his right hand holding his sword; and his left, his shield at chest height, Aaron was in a more than adequate position to block Saulo''s attack.

    But this projectile is different.

    The twinge he felt when identifying the object confirmed to Aaron what he thought he could distinguish.

    It was the memory of one of those projectiles that the boy threw him for insulting his creations.

    This grenade, unlike the first one, had a lead color. Had it not been for the color, he would have hardly differentiated them from each other. That, however, didn''t change the fact that this grenade was different.

    The first hand grenade the boy threw hit him because he didn''t expect the boy to refuse his offer to leave and instead attack him. An explosive projectile that, by the surprise of the attack, caught him unprepared and wounded his eyebrow. The second hand grenade thrown, thanks to the last remnants of the passive ability [Shadow Speed], came in his direction much faster than the first.

    On this occasion, however, Aaron was aware of the attack and focused on his next action.

    It''s just a hand grenade. It''s just a simple supporting object.

    But in the middle of his concentration, a sudden twinge that invaded his eyebrow caused him to hurry his actions.

    Feeling uncomfortable, Aaron pronounced an ability with the speed with which doubt and security fought to dominate his senses. And with these strong words, Aaron dodged the hand grenade at full speed in an elemental wake of lead lines that came from his back and all the back parts of his body.

    "Doubting your resolve to block?"

    His eye, which had darkened with the memory of recent images and distant memories of confrontations in which his sight was affected, began to visualize again the person who he knew was in front of him.

    What the young man had just told him wasn''t heard as mockery. And when he saw how he tried to remain calm by holding his halberd too close to his body, it was that Aaron recognized an emotion he had seen in many others involved in confrontations.

    It was the fear of holding a weapon.

    But regardless of whether the boy wanted to make fun of him, the truth in his words made him feel a little uneasy.

    A small *boom let him know what the hand grenade contained.

    Because of his indecision, he had to resort to the ability he usually kept in reserve to attack defenseless opponents.

    The name of this ability was [Sword Impulse].

    An ability that had the faculty to move the user at close range, causing physical damage to all impacted individuals, but because of his moment of doubt, he hadn¡¯t managed to capitalize in time to defeat the one who was unprotected.

    "You are certainly the worst individual to talk about blocking an attack."

    There was calm in Aaron''s voice. Of that, there was no doubt. His posture, voice, face and how calmly he walked showed that.

    "However, ..."

    A threatening figure began to walk the path savoring every word he expressed.

    "... I think for a moment I''m going to let out my anger."

    Saulo, unable to move, saw in astonishment what he had caused with his attack.

    A burning resolution in the figure of a man was approaching along the path.

    With this last hand grenade that I threw, he didn''t react like that

    With the consequences that his attacks provoked, Saulo came to the realization of his adverse reality. He had used his best cards with those grenades.

    Time was running out for him to think of a new tactic. He had to react now.

    Saulo Delanova was facing a decision he had to make in seconds.

    Attack with his halberd or with a supporting object.

    To attack with my halberd, I must inevitably approach.

    If he opted for this, Saulo would have to approach as both were bearers of short-range weapons. Even he, with his low level of fighting experience, knew that approaching was asking to be killed.

    And if I throw a hand grenade, he won''t hesitate a second time to dodge.

    This course of action implied having to throw one of the few supporting objects that he still kept in the pockets of his jacket. Unfortunately, the others were stored in his backpack because there was a limit to how much he could store of objects in his pockets.

    In an eternal silence, the calmness of an angry person transmitted to him the danger that he would live. Upon feeling this, the doubt of his survival was resolved in a moment of indecision.

    Saulo hastily took an object from his hands and threw it.

    Immediately, a false sense of security made him worry. This lead-colored grenade that he just threw was an attack he made when he instinctively felt the danger approaching.

    A reaction to defend himself, but not a planned attack.

    No! What did I do?!

    The bomb approached Aaron, who was calm, holding with the same calm his sword and shield.

    The bomb hit him fully in the face, at the height of the forehead. Almost in succession, the object fell to the ground, emitting an element known to Aaron.

    Smoke.

    Little by little, the smoke covered his body.

    Despite this¡­

    ... Aaron didn''t bother to move. The smoke continued to cover him until his figure was out of sight. Saulo had caught him with his object that emitted a smoke screen, but also the young man felt the opposite for an attitude called indifference.

    For Aaron, that object was nothing but rubbish and as such, he didn''t need his weapon to prove his point.

    A kick returned to Saulo the object that was his reason for traveling.

    The bomb, in a cloud of smoke accompanying it, reached Saulo, who leaned over to dodge it.

    Saulo couldn''t help but listen with regret as his creation was lost rolling down the path. In the distance, he saw that the smoke was still visible through the grass that grew freely on the path.

    "You are an interesting boy."

    A calm voice returned him to the bitter reality...

    "You have attacked me with an object that tries to emulate the power of smoke."

    ... That voice shouldn''t be heard so close.

    "A tactic that taints the honor of a warrior and the element with which that person was born."

    Aaron didn''t stop as he advanced.

    Although Aaron showed a slight stoic smile, the eyes that looked toward Saulo had no joy at all.

    What Saulo had done with his hand grenade to a user of smoke as Aaron would be considered as an affront, a humiliation, an insult to the means to fight with which an individual had since was born. That which partly defined you was being used against you by someone who didn''t possess that element. An offense that those who were accustomed to fighting wouldn''t overlook as a simple desperate attack.

    It was an attack on how one identified as a person.

    "But soon there will be another third party more particular than you. Someone who is more interesting than you".

    Aaron stopped at the same time that the smoke from the thrown grenade was lost in the environment.

    "A third party?"

    The mystery of not knowing to whom Aaron was referring made him divert an eye looking in the surroundings. The fact that Aaron wasn''t upset confused him more than he understood what he was talking about.

    "That''s right, he''ll be here very soon."

    "Do you think that ruse will work against me? I won''t distract my attention from you."

    "Like when you thought I would be distracted by your smoke grenade that artificially emulates my element? ?Or that for the third time I would hesitate if you attacked me with your hand grenade to a vital point such as the eyes? Think what you want. What I am telling you isn''t a lie. This attack, whether you want it or not, will take you by surprise."

    So he knew what I was trying to do with that attack... It doesn''t matter now. It''s not unreasonable to think that they have a partner on guard in case the situation requires it... But he has said a third party.

    Saulo couldn''t carelessly distract his attention from Aaron with assumptions. Could it be that he was deceiving him with false information?

    It is someone external to us. But who?

    Saulo''s head worked a thousand times to discover the identity of the one who, according to Aaron, would soon be present. Although he had to concentrate on who had a sword and shield in view, and to free the elderly man from the rope that surrounded him; in his mind other worries invaded his concentration. From a list of possibilities ranging from members of the Forces of Order such as the army or the police to outlaw individuals such as outlaws or another group of thieves; the possibilities formed and vanished in his head under the pressure of the unknown.

    Saulo began to sweat with the emptiness of answers in which he was.

    Even with the sweat that ran through his body as a result of fighting, his body wasn''t hot. Feeling his fingertips numb, the approaching fog let him know that the weather wouldn¡¯t soon change on the Oyogue Path.

    "But while you wait, this is your reality."

    Seeing how Saulo shivered, Aaron decided to attack.

    Saulo and Aaron exchanged blows with their weapons several more times.

    While looking for an opportunity to connect a direct hit, Saulo found himself unable to attack due to a sword slash directed at his head or chest every time he tried. It was imperative to protect his vital points at all costs.

    Receiving cuts throughout his body due to the quick attacks of Aaron, a continuous pain remained in his hands intensified by the cold of the environment.

    I mustn''t give in to pain.

    Even with his best efforts, the force of Aaron''s attacks reached him in small waves of pain each time he was forced to block with his halberd. It was a pain that numbed his fingers due to the powerful impacts received.

    And after several clashes of weapons, both ended up at a distance from each other by the strong clash of forces with which their weapons collided. A prudent distance to rest, but not to relax.

    Panting, Saulo leaned on his halberd, as if the weapon were a crutch. The pain of the wounds hurt him like a boiling torrent that couldn''t stop burning.

    His attacks don''t let me to think about who is this third party.

    So far he had received six cuts in the body and two blows with the shield. Nor serious nor fatal injuries for the moment, but Saulo was concerned about what Aaron seemed to be up to.

    "Taking a little rest?"

    Aaron asked with a slight smile on his face.

    "No. I was just getting used to thinking better. I''ve always wondered why I was born with a trinity consisting of such a heavy weapon like a halberd... But at least I''m grateful it wasn''t a weapon like a wand. Can you imagine having to order your ideas by resting your head on a wand?"

    Saulo showed a grimace of pain that quickly distorted into a smile. In comparison, the muscles near his mouth extended beyond the smile Aaron had just expressed.

    Because of the irony with which he responded, Aaron laughed. The contained laughter of his reaction was short and not at all mocking. Perhaps it could be called overconfidence, but showing that expression didn''t take away the seriousness with which he then addressed Saulo.

    "You''d better do that. The third party has just arrived."

    Without understanding what he was referring to, Saulo searched with his eyes for the presence of the newcomer. While trying to make an effort to search in the hidden points of the environment, he noticed that everything around him became blurred.

    Aaron, the two young men in his group, the captive elder.

    All of them had disappeared into the mist.

    "!"

    By the time Saulo realized, it was too late.

    He was trapped in that field of white clouds laden with darkness.

    This was the fog of the Oyogue Path.

 Chapter 9 - Saulo vs. Aaron: In the Eye of Danger

    As Aaron foretold, the third party showed up with an attack impossible to avoid.

    "The fog. It was the fog."

    With a bitter expression on his face, Saulo understood what Aaron meant. It wasn''t a hidden member of his group or a person external to the events the one that was trying to intervene.

    He had made a serious mistake in assuming that they were people when all this time was in sight what was going to attack him.

    He didn''t know...

    ¡­ but Aaron, did.

    The fact that the fog passed through that section of the path at that specific moment wasn''t a coincidence of fate.

    How did I not notice?

    Without him being able to avoid it, the atmosphere was charged even more with darkness. The fog first covered the elderly man. With the last remnants of clarity that allowed him to see, he perceived that the elderly man remained as motionless as he had been before. Tied to the tree and without opening his eyes, his non-existent vitality augured that he wouldn''t regain consciousness soon.

    Afterwards, Aaron''s two companions disappeared almost instantly. Without being surprised at all by being surrounded in the darkness, Don and Ryder remained indifferent to the abrupt change in the environment, as if the fog was another partner they shouldn''t be afraid to approach. For them the fog was clearly not an enemy.

    Where is Aaron?

    That detail worried him.

    While Saulo waited on guard attentive to any interruption in the silence of the path, this didn''t reach his ears.

    "¡­"

    After a few seconds, all was silence and in his vision there was nothing but darkness.

    Within the dominion of the fog, the sensation of being the only being alive and at the same time not, spread in small chills that climbed up his back.

    ¡­

    Even Saulo''s thoughts had stopped before the imminent danger.

    He was trapped.

    Soon, the cold in his body was accentuated and the steam coming from his agitated breathing was the only change he could distinguish in the surroundings.

    The fog itself was an obstacle to him.

    But behind the curtain of small water drops formed, Saulo perceived that danger was approaching by a threatening presence.

    "Hehehehe."

    A small laugh was heard.

    "Scared?"

    Aaron''s voice was the one that spoke with a tonality that established the differences of positions in which the two found themselves. It was clear that the fog belonged to him.

    "How long do you think I have spent on this path? If I don''t analyze the surroundings first, it wouldn''t be possible for me to steal."

    Saulo didn''t know. The time that Aaron spent with his companions stealing on the path was unknown to him.

    With the sudden desire to attack from all sides, Saulo held back, reflecting on what he should do in the silence that once again tormented him.

    ¡­

    However, no useful idea came to his head.

    In addition to remaining in a defensive position, his mind was blank on how to reverse the situation and move to the offensive. If he approached the fog that surrounded him, he would be cut without contemplation. If he shook his weapon in a cone, he could occupy a larger attack area, at the risk of neglecting his back.

    No. Both are actions destined to fail. I must think better!

    As his heart pumped blood faster to prepare for what was to come, Saulo felt that the tension in his hands would explode at any moment. Moving on his own axis, he tried to make the rotation he was performing covered the unprotected spaces of his defense like his back.

    However, this defensive action was only a vicious circle that would end when the man with the sword wanted to attack him.

    Aaron had that power of decision to torment him.

    "Do you know that that straw hat will stand too much in the capital, if you are not walking near the coast?

    I mustn¡¯t answer

    Suddenly...

    The sound of approaching footsteps broke his concentration and transformed it into disturbance.

    "?G..!"

    The metal cut him.

    Enduring the desire to complain about the pain that invaded him, Saulo prepared to counterattack the presence that had passed by his side.

    However, when he raised his halberd, he discovered what had happened.

    He had nothing to attack.

    "So you hide again."

    Saulo muttered to himself as his gaze wandered across an area where no presence could be seen.

    A perfect emptiness.

    Suddenly, an attack from where he least expected precipitated him to evade: A frontal attack. Faced with a frontal assault, Saulo threw himself to the side with the force obtained from a last-minute impulse. An unusual attack that, if he were in the position of his attacker, that is exactly what he would do to surprise whom he was facing.

    Sometimes, a predictable attack such as a frontal attack was the best course of action to confuse those who expected a more elaborate attack. That is the tactic that Aaron chose to attack him. A simple but effective tactic.

    But since Saulo used enough energy to throw himself to one side, the next cut that came immediately went through his defense and hurt him.

    In the act, his face was distorted by the pain, and blood began to come out noticeably in the section of his left shoulder.

    If he hit my dominant arm, it''ll be my end!

    After that, a new cut pressured him to protect himself with all his might.

    Where is he!?

    Small pools of blood began to form on the ground around Saulo.

    Locked in a dead end of the punishment he was receiving, there was no end he could decide to stop the torment.

    Saulo wasn''t one of those formidable warriors who had trained their senses to stop an attack even when they were blind. And the best proof was all the blood he had lost.

    "You did an acceptable job by not distracting your attention from the surroundings and the enemy that was me. But your special care on two war fronts caused you to neglect the presence of a phenomenon that, because of the location of the path, was expected to come... Now it''s too late for you."

    Saulo, who had kept silent until now to clearly hear his surroundings, listened quietly to the voice that highlighted his error. It was a voice that was heard everywhere protected by the fog.

    "Hey, over here."

    Again, a voice was heard right behind him, but when he turned there was nothing to face.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The fog, unstoppable in the surroundings, didn''t allow him from locating Aaron.

    And those two young men are also out of sight.

    Almost imperceptible sounds were the only things that surrounded him.

    Saulo quickly looked around trying to adapt to the situation, but the lack of illumination prevented him from finding a way to salvation. Predicting the direction in which he would be attacked was close to being impossible under these conditions.

    He couldn''t continue like this.

    I cannot see any of them. How is it that he can see me then?

    Aaron''s presence was being protected by the fog, but even so, in the slight moments he managed to see him, it was useless and risky to attack him. Under those conditions, launching an attack was as dangerous as facing a lion in the darkness of the night. However, Aaron kept attacking him with total freedom even when they were both in the same conditions. How was that possible?

    The fog should cause him not to see me either. But how does he do it?... I''m moving as quietly as possible so as not to be detected, but he always seems to be able to locate me. I don''t feel that it is due to any relic or equipment. So what is it that allows him to locate me while I can''t do t... !

    When the thought of why that was happening crossed his mind, a sword appeared in his range of vision.

    The sudden appearance of his enemy brought with it a brief, but sudden pain that forced him to cover his eyes.

    How did he make that flash!?

    Somehow, Aaron had attacked his eyes without needing to direct his sword directly at him.

    That shouldn''t be possible. A smoke user didn''t have any long-range ability to cause damage to the eyes and neither did have the capacity to summon a weapon that would allow them to launch projectiles.

    My eyes cannot see him in such a fog, so why can his eyes... his eyes! They are the eyes of someone who is accustomed to the darkness of the fog!

    The reason that his opponent attacked him so easily being both covered by the same fog had no other explanation than that.

    Running with a force that would easily tear any head off, Aaron moved at a speed incredibly difficult to follow. Lead color lines, as if they were fine threads, came out of his clothes in a shining row that quickly cleared the fog it was passing through.

    [Sword Impulse]

    A mobility ability that a smoke user like Aaron used to move quickly to a location, obtaining for a few seconds an increase in attack.

    That was what blinded Saulo for a moment, and not because of an ability effect.

    Thus, what blinded him only seconds ago was the intense color of the [Sword Impulse] ability shining through the dense fog. This intensity in the color of the abilities was typical of those who had trained arduously with their summoned weapon.

    With adrenaline on the rise, Saulo responded to such a display of speed in the short time he had to react.

    Of silent knowledge were the differences between the two users.

    Aaron''s movements were agile, despite the density of the fog.

    Saulo''s movements attempted to be fast, carrying with him the pain of his wounds.

    This ability, however, would try to equalize the levels of agility that separated them both.

    "[Shadow Approximation!]"

    Gray lines, as if they were thick strands, came from the backs of Saulo''s body. In an opaque row, the lines cleared the fog they were rapidly crossing.

    Thus, a mobility skill granted by the power of the smoke collided with a mobility skill granted by the power of the shadow.

    "Gaaaaaah!"

    Saulo instantly shouted in pain impossible to contain.

    Immediately, the fog that surrounded them dispersed with the brutal impact of colliding weapons and abilities, which increased the clarity and range of vision of the surroundings.

    But the attention of neither of them went to the cleared terrain.

    With his face distorted by pain, Saulo watched with stupefaction in the silence of his thoughts how a drop of blood converged with one of water. One, two, three ... Sliding and erasing the presence of moisture in Aaron''s clothes, soon, the red covered his white t-shirt.

    Clenching his teeth because of the force with which they clashed weapons, Saulo felt that holding the handle of his halberd was a difficult task because of the intense pain that afflicted him. Simply, his wound wouldn''t stop bleeding no matter how much he saw it.

    "Fight like a warrior would. Trusting in your power and abilities. Why do you fight denying your capacities?!"

    "This is how I fight,"replied Saulo with a breathless voice. Blood was falling from his body at a rate comparable to the agitation of his body.

    "I see. But you could easily get out of this situation if you were more skilled with your abilities and powerful with your halberd. In conclusion ... the gray does not deserve to flow in you. "

    Hearing that he didn''t deserve what for a person was part of himself since he was born, made him feel displeased.

    "You have no right to decide that. I know I''m not the best fighter. But at least for a few hours I''ll make sure you can''t rob anyone else!"

    "You!... !"

    However, the voice that wanted to be heard was drowned when noticing that he didn''t have time to listen to his doubts.

    A few small drops of blood, like the scratch of a fall; but enough for the blood to show through the skin, indicated to him the next thing that would happen.

    Aaron''s feet had been invaded by a gray aura.

    At the slightest movement of his feet, several curved lines in regression came from each of his footsteps.

    These lines that seemed to reduce the speed of his movements belonged to what were known as control effects; or in definition, any effect that reduced an individual''s ability to fight.

    And this particular control effect that affected Aaron was known as slowing.

    [Shadow Approximation] not only allow me to move quickly at a short distance. When cutting an enemy with this ability, a control effect known as slowing is also applied. With this he''ll move much slower!

    So for a few seconds, the man against whom Saulo was facing would have his movement speed reduced.

    Faced with this, Aaron instantly noticed that he would have trouble moving at a speed adequate for dodging. During those brief seconds, the advantage belonged to Saulo.

    Nevertheless.

    "[Sword Impulse]"

    No! Because of my lack of battle experience, I forgot that mobility skills like [Sword Impulse] or [Shadow Approach] aren''t affected by slowdowns!

    Saulo wanted to immediately follow Aaron''s quick retreat with his mobility ability known as [Shadow Approximation], but at the same time he was facing another limitation. The problem was that his ability wasn''t ready yet.

    A same ability couldn''t be used continuously because there was a time for it to be available again. This was known as reuse time (cooldown). An attribute that varied from individual to individual depending on how useful the ability was and how powerful the person was.

    But with abilities like [Sword Impulse] there were details to consider: If [Sword Impulse] hit a target, the ability could be reused immediately.

    Under that scenario, Aaron could use his mobility ability at that time without any problem, but instead he decided to retreat, mingling again with the fog in a strategic retreat thanks to [Sword Impulse]. Soon, when the slowing effect of [Shadow Approximation] ended, he would attack again with much greater freedom.

    I mustn''t let him fight the way he wants!

    Saulo didn''t have the speed or vision to follow Aaron and it would take some more seconds before [Shadow Approximation] could be used again.... With the fog surrounding him, it was obvious that he was trapped where there was no room to retreat or seek forgiveness.

    But in itself, waiting in the fog for the enemy to attack him was a torture that felt endless.

    He didn''t want to repeat that same sense of despair.

    The feeling of been losing his first real battle.

    With this. Perhaps with this...

    Saulo took a deep breath.

    If his skills didn''t work, then he had to fight in a different way.

    Searching inside the inner pockets of his jacket, he hastily took the hand grenade and threw it with all his might.

    His last hope was placed in that little object... Failing was not an option.

    ¡­

    The explosion didn¡¯t take long to occur, but there was no sound of pain or sensation that had hit.

    The power of a hand grenade wasn''t enough to hurt the enemy more than slightly and with the increasing fog in between, it was difficult for Saulo to throw directly.

    But when used under these density conditions, another was the use of a hand grenade.

    Besides ensuring that Aaron''s figure was visible under the light of an explosive flash, Saulo attacked with a hand grenade because, as was natural to any human being, a sudden change in the amount of light controlled by the pupils would definitely hurt the eyes.

    "Tch?!"

    The eyes of who was so accustomed to the darkness of the fog were suddenly dazzled by the flash that Saulo created with his hand grenade.

    However, Saulo didn¡¯t attack.

    This was his golden opportunity to make a decisive strike, but Saulo didn''t move.

    Instead, a wave of terror ran through his body.

    Aaron was in sight, rubbing his eyes with the arm holding the shield and not paying the slightest attention to him. His concentration wasn''t on his sword either.

    Clearly, he was in no position to attack with any of his weapons.

    However, in those moments, the terror that until now concealed the fog was exposed.

    "¡­ Have you realized?"

    Aaron, when discovered, didn''t use or rush to use another ability. This was because his words were his best defense.

    "Within the animal species, the best predators wouldn''t call themselves like that if they only trusted one sense... Do you understand? I mean your footsteps. They are heard everywhere."

    Aaron spoke as he exposed his thoughts, which Saulo also warned, only that at the last moment.

    "You know? This was supposed to be a little different from the theft we usually make until circumstances changed when you decided to attack. Up to that point it was a manageable situation. But the fog that covers us doesn''t assure me that more curious people like you remain out of here..."

    His gaze directed to Saulo, like a blade.

    "... or that distracted travelers walk paths that they should not."

    He said it turning his head clearly in reference to the old man.

    "But we can both agree on what is best to do next to settle this disagreement."

    The calmness impregnated in his voice suggested something neither of them could abandon to do against the other.

    "Whether you like it or not, you''ll resort to this for being crucial to support your position."

    His gaze returned to Saulo, narrowing his eyes in a look of condemnation.

    "And ... I too will do the same."

    After pausing for a moment in silence, the words that Aaron wanted to utter were said with complete familiarity.

    "Let''s use our most powerful skills. Our ''ultimate abilities.''"

    Saulo didn''t say anything because it was clear what he had to do too.

    To save the elderly man and himself, he would resort to his strongest ability.

 Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Ability

    I must do something.

    Saulo clung to hope in the face of a desperate situation.

    The touch of death would approach if he didn''t resort to the ability he was guarding.

    His most powerful action.

    He had no choice in the face of his circumstances. He had used the supporting objects in every way he could think and what the environment allowed him. In addition, with the means available to him, he could think of no other way to surprise Aaron.

    He had to do it.

    In order to protect this person and the future he wanted to follow, this was his most powerful action.

    And then...

    "... You''re from the army, aren''t you?"

    "Huh?"

    The unexpected question destabilized the combat position that Aaron adopted to face the most powerful ability that he thought the young man would use against him.

    "I see your manner of speaking is that of a soldier."

    Though confused at first, the man turned his attention to the young man.

    "Why do you say that?"

    "Something caught my attention,"Saulo replied as he shook off the dust accumulated on his clothes. "When you speak, you use a soldier''s own words. Enemy, war. A language proper to the one who served in the army. Besides, your high level and that of your weapons proves it to me."

    "That proves nothing."

    "That is true. I''m not so sure about that part because maybe that''s just the way you talk. But... of those two I have confirmed something."

    Saulo stopped to wipe the dust off his shoulders. Slowly raising his eyes, he observed that Aaron didn''t shake his head in denial.

    "Those two young men are your comrades. People with whom you formed ties through continuous joint work... And you are their leader, but they respect you to the point of assuming your mistakes as their own. They are not your lackeys. Since I was trapped in the backpack, I heard all your conversation and you corrected me when I mentioned if they were your lackeys. Remember? Mutual help over personal interests has turned you three into comrades. And those bonds of trust come from a job like that of a military man... That''s what I think."

    Aaron seemed to want to say something, but at the last moment he held back. During those moments, the only reflection of a change in his behavior was a slight tremor on his shoulders.

    Finally, after a few seconds in which he hesitated with growing uneasiness, Aaron spoke after turning to the two people who were silently watching him.

    "I was a commander of the army until a superior of mine considered me to be a danger to his ascent."

    Aaron held his words with his consciousness moving away to distant times.

    "Thanks to certain political contacts with which he contacted, he managed to get me expelled from the institution to which I dedicated six years of my life."

    "!"

    "Nobody helped me. All those who were my comrades ... they turned their backs on me."

    "..."

    "Do you understand what it is like when your comrades forget you and reject you just to save their own skin? Never in my fifteen years of service did my enemies hurt me in the back, but my brothers in arms were able to do it in a few seconds."

    Aaron took with force a hand to his chest and his expressiveness immediately altered with fury when addressing Saulo.

    "I gave them years of my life and that''s how they repay me! Without the right to a pension, with a tainted honor and an early retirement! And because of my fault, these two young people also suffered the same fate!"

    Recalling his past with resignation, Aaron little by little regained his composure in the silence and fog that remained present.

    "Ah, I seem to have touched a sensitive point. I''m sorry I put you and your comrades in this situation of remembering bitter times."

    Aaron refrained from redirecting his gaze back when he heard these words. As a bitter indication, he didn''t need to turn around to know what Don and Ryder were feeling. From the distance that separated them, the weight of the air that fell on his back conveyed the concern of his comrades.

    "We aren''t allowed to join the army because we condemn the war, so I don''t know how is the administration inside this institution... But I can say that you and I are similar because..."

    "We are similar? You said that you come from the countryside, and I am from the army. There is nothing similar in that."

    Aaron interrupted Saulo pointing his sword at him. However, Saulo didn''t stop.

    "We are a community where we help each other, whether it''s hard times or not, because that''s what building community life is all about. You should also know about this. War is where those bonds of camaraderie necessary for the survival of the members of a group are best built."

    Saulo''s words continued toward Aaron with the strength not to be interrupted again.

    "Whether with a shovel or a sword. It is in collective work where mutual help is built above personal interests... and when the time came, those same people with whom you shared experiences will forgive you."

    However, in that last part of his words... he lowered his voice so that only the man named Aaron and himself would hear them. The two people he had just referred to.

    None interference or reaction broke the silence that occurred. The truth in the words carried a pressure that enclosed in the body the intentions to add something more.

    ... I''ve made a lot of mistakes this last hour and the fact that I''m fighting, that an Amish is fighting!... But the time to convince with words has passed. I have no choice. The blood I''m losing doesn''t let me think clearly about another solution.

    "Something happened to you, didn''t it?"

    While Saulo waits for the movement of a weapon, what he gets instead are words that leave him momentarily in confusion.

    "Hm? What do you mean?"

    Aaron relaxes his position, but his eyes do not falter.

    "You still have a lot to learn about how to fight... I say that because you''re shaking."

    If this was a conversation to distract him, then it was well thought out.

    Saulo''s hands were shaking slightly because of what he felt was going to happen. If he himself had to act to remain calm at this point in the fight, the conclusion was the final act that the two of them would carry out with their weapons and abilities.

    There was no truth or lie to deny that.

    "The same thing happened to me many years ago,"Aaron said without hesitation, after thinking for a moment. "On my first day on the battlefield as a member of the army, I couldn''t hold firmly my summoned weapon, so I clung to this bracelet that is tied to the hilt of my sword."

    The bracelet - which Saulo thought was just decoration - was clearly worn, with loose straw threads.

    "In those moments of fear, and upon seeing this bracelet, the memory of those days in the field calmed my life. Days where life was simpler. Where I could live without worries. I don''t know how or when, but when I realized, it was all gone. The happiest moments of my life. All was gone.

    Aaron looks at the sky and suddenly realizes that he let himself be carried away by his memories. He does this just in time to look again at the young man, who in turn is following his movements.

    "After several deaths of my comrades at that time and a wake-up call with a language specific to the army, I managed to understand that a summoned weapon is your best friend. It happens to you too, so you cling to those supporting objects. I also needed something familiar to get that sense of false security in the difficult moments when I faced danger. And I still carry this with me because it''s the memory of all those times that I lived through. I had to survive to see my precious home again."

    A severe expression interrupted for a brief second the tranquility that conveyed his life experience.

    "Then, answer me this young man... Why do you cling to those supporting objects for combat like that something that can give you peace of mind in the face of danger? For what we have fought so far my conclusion is that you have too little experience in combat to cling to... an object that you think is a weapon."

    This time there was no anger in Aaron''s words.

    On the contrary, there was a sense of tranquility in the air, as if two old friends were talking.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    But just as there was no need for Saulo to continue to respond, there was a strange atmosphere of familiarity between two people who until recently were fighting.

    With a moment of quietness, it was enough for both of them to understand the reason why they did not dare to sentence the fight... It was the similarity of circumstances as an unspoken truth among those who had to fight on the battlefield.

    Finally, Saulo''s lips move.

    "In this world where there are too many colors with which a user can identify, where everyone can summon a weapon and use the power of the elements, the danger is everywhere. Whether against humans or creatures that I''ll face, there is a real danger that these two species will go back to war..."

    An attentive expression remains on Aaron''s face, so Saulo continues to think for a few moments.

    "... But above all, and in addition to my trinity, I need these supporting objects to face this outside world of which I am completely ignorant. And it is precisely because I am an Amish, that if I have to fight, I will fight in a different way. An intermediate way between the principles of non-violence with which I grew up and my own convictions obtained from my life experience."

    None of the people holding weapons add anything else.

    The moment of silence lengthens.

    Finally, after taking scratching his long and careless beard, Aaron responds in a tone of a person that has found the solution to a problem.

    "I see. So you are an Amish. That explains it in part, but I ask you again. Why do you need these supporting objects to fight? From what I know of the Amish, their members would never fight. Am I right? All of you are against all forms of violence, and have interpreted that commandment not to harm anyone to the point of not attacking another person even if that person is hurting your loved ones. How is it that being from a non-violent community against me you have decided to resort to violence, and why specifically with objects of support? Even if they are attempted weapons; hand grenades and throwing knives can be dangerous if they hit the eyes, for example. Answer me."

    Saulo verifies that the man with the sword does not try to advance while he thinks what to say. Both his hands and his feet didn''t move in what was a reasonable time to wait for an answer.

    Then, so for what Aaron waited, is heard without any hesitation.

    "You are right that in the Amish we would never apply violence against our enemies.  We avoid destroying a life because that goes against our beliefs. Even if it means our death, in every aspect of our life forgiveness and refusal to use force is our response to anyone who wants to harm us. We do not apply this belief just because we expect the attacker to understand our response, but because that is how God taught. With forgiveness and without resorting to violence. Always.

    "You may not understand, but that''s our way of living our faith."

    A hand on Saulo''s chest directed Aaron''s eyes to the part of the body where the young man hit himself. It was one of the parts of his body where the blood was notorious for how red he was.

    While Aaron thinks about this, the young man wipes the blood from the halberd.

    "But that I use these objects is because they saved me from a tragedy...  Only I was saved. From that moment on, many questions about violence made me wonder about what I had been taught. If I had not doubted so much about whether or not to use my trinity, I would have acted in time to save a life. Perhaps... perhaps having been born in an average village no belief or my own fears would have prevented me from reacting in time. So this is my reminder of that day and how I should act in the face of danger."

    Aaron observes Saulo and then the halberd. Compared to his sword, there is not much blood that the young man must wipe from his weapon. But despite the obvious damage he caused, the wounds are not noticeable on a part of the body.

    The area of the pockets of his jacket, from which the young man was removing his objects, was without traces of blood. Coincidences of life, it was the area closest to the heart.

    Releasing a bitter laugh from the bottom of his heart, the voice he was listening to once again reaches his ears.

    "Between my Amish principles of non-violence and this outside world with dangers that are known and unknown to me, I have found in the supporting objects my own position between not resisting or killing danger. That we can all summon a weapon or use skills does not imply that we all have the confidence to fight. Not everyone has trained with discipline and we understand the responsibility of possessing a trinity as it is with you who were a soldier."

    "So you''re one of those. Of those who prefer not to use their right by nature to protect themselves with a trinity."

    "You''re wrong about that. If so, I wouldn''t do this."

    After a simple movement, Saulo''s halberd hit the ground.

    With the end of the handle touching the ground and his two hands holding the halberd tightly, Saulo was silent with his weapon in firm position.

    Immediately, through the fog, nothing seemed to be happening. But without anyone saying it, something had definitely started to change in the atmosphere.

    "We must all protect ourselves against danger with a trinity, but only if all the resources of preventive defense have not been exhausted before. Each person is a potential danger if they believe they have that right only because the trinity was a divine miracle given to humanity millions of years ago to defend themselves from creatures. Many things can go wrong among beings who are identified by different colors, weapons and abilities in spaces as crowded as cities.

    Aaron''s eyebrows immediately contract because of what the young man of the halberd said.

    It was nonsense.

    What the young man proposed was to avoid using as a first measure a natural and divine right that all people possessed and that was known as trinity. If someone attacked you with a trinity, you had to respond in the same way by attacking with a trinity. From a very young age he had been taught about this, and in the army he had internalized this teaching of common sense even more.

    The moment his mouth curves, new words make him listen to the young man.

    "Because we have that capacity for power known as the trinity, many people are carried away by their desires and emotions as they grow up by the power they discover they are capable of doing. And because of this, and without proper teaching and control of emotions; kids, young people and adults fail to realize the harm they can cause with their trinities... Given this situation, with the supporting objects I believe it is possible to decrease the number of people who think they can solve everything with a trinity. Different situations require different countermeasures. For example, using a trinity to confront a robbery is the most logical thing to do. But... What happens when words are not enough to calm a dispute between acquaintances and a fight is inevitable?"

    Saulo raised his eyebrow a little.

    In what they had been talking about, the halberd had begun to tremble.

    "Could you with your sword stop someone without hurting him? Or with your abilities based in smoke power? And not just in a dispute. In a quarrel, in a street fight. All those involved would definitely use their trinities first. And do you know why Because it''s logical that one wants to fight with a weapon that can be summoned between his hands in a single second... I''m not against the use of a trinity if the situation escalates to worse, but this is my position. Restrict before you think about seriously hurting or killing."

    Aaron frowned slightly and placed his shield on his chest and his sword toward Saulo''s direction.

    "Then I will have to destroy that illusion of yours and bring you back to reality... You believe that an object that succeeds in paralyzing or restraining the enemy will suffice, but it will not. It has been tried before with non-lethal support objects such as portable net-shooters or electric shock shooters, but because the attributes of an summoned weapon are so different and vary significantly from person to person, the results have been very unsatisfactory compared to what a trinity has achieved. Either its power is insufficient, or it ends up being very annoying to carry a heavy object with sufficient capacity to stop an aggressor; and which furthermore cannot be returned to its dimensional plane as a summoned weapon."

    Feeling the end of the tranquility of words, Aaron prepares his weapon. After all, he still had not used "that".

    After all, he hadn''t used "that"yet.

    "Simply, the power and usefulness of a trinity far surpass that of the supporting objects that experts such as scientists, adventurers, and the Forces of Order have developed over the years. If you are afraid to use your trinity, then you should never have left your community in the first place. In this world full of internal and external threats, in people''s hearts and territories, you must be prepared to cause harm to the being who causes it. Kill before you think about restricting."

    "If you want to call that my weakness, then do it. But if I remain afraid to face this new stage of my life, then I will never be able to discover new experiences that I may like in this outer world that awaits me. If I remain afraid, I will never be able to do what makes me happy! Those objects that were my refuge are now my strength!

    By saying this, Saulo finally turns his attention away from his halberd.

    The reason was simple.

    The objective of his recent efforts was in front of him.

    This time a cut would be and should be the last respectively.

    Between two opposing positions, the trinities of these users will collide, each with their own convictions.

    Attack with a trinity, at the risk of causing a very serious damage or death to whom is the attacker.

    Restrict with supporting objects, at the risk that the force used or damage caused is insufficient to stop the attacker.

    Different methods and different possible outcomes.

    Opposing positions of a soldier and an Amish.

    "If something happens to me, my two comrades will not stand idly by."

    Aaron''s eyesight, like Saulo''s, is directed at the two young men who in the middle of the fog had not moved at all. As their leader had told them, they had remained on the sidelines, but with a notorious spirit of intervening ready to fight.

    "But as for you, with those doubts you''ll never gain anything. If your Amish principles make you first restrict with your supporting objects rather than attack fully with your summoned weapon, I''ll have to teach you the reality of the world you don''t know. Whoever attacks you, it has to be motivated by self-defense, justice or evil,"

    Saulo returns his attention to Aaron after seeing the disposition of the two young men, and confirming also the safety of the old man. For the time being, this person was still tied up and not knowing everything that was happening.

    "Maybe I''ll have my doubts, but I do know what I have to do next."

    For anyone who was an Amish it was forbidden to use a trinity even in self-defense or to defend someone.

    There were no exceptions.

    But here, far from his home community, there was no one who could find out about this.

    "Giagh... GGGiiiiiiaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"

    Marks appeared.

    Gray marks of a reality that had been alien to him until today.

    Only once had he used this skill.

    And with this skill, a surprising change happened in his body.

    Guggj... Giiiiaaaaahhhh!!!"

    Holding his halberd tightly, a power that he felt was about to manifest appeared visibly on his skin.

    Marks.

    As if they were now part of his organism, many lines began to form on the covered and uncovered parts of his clothes.

    Gaining space to be noticed even in the distance, the marks appeared and disappeared in smaller intervals from Saulo''s body.

    And suddenly...

    The gray flowed through the young man''s body to stay impregnated in his skin.

    More specifically in his veins.

    Not only his physical appearance had changed.

    An increase of power flooded his body.

    "For your bad luck, you are no longer dealing with an average Amish,"Saulo said as a gray mark rose up the right side of his face to the section of his eyes, and then continued above his eyelid. "Between self-defense, justice or evil... Do you want to know with what intention I will attack you?"

    Aaron finished observing the young man''s ultimate ability.

    Of course, he could have attacked the boy before he had finished activating his ability.

    But something stopped him.

    It wasn''t a rule, but attacking while someone was transforming was impolite.

    He also couldn''t affirm whether or not it was an improvised acting by his opponent that made him listen to each of his words.

    But a slight shudder confirmed what he just felt.

    An expression perfectly close to an intention between justice and revenge was reflected on the young man''s face.

    A brief sinister smile that seemed to be real.

    For Aaron it was clear with what the young man would attack him.

 Chapter 11 - The Truth that the Fog Hides

    Having shaken his thoughts from his head, Saulo resorted to the most powerful skill that only worked with a summoned weapon.

    He should waste no more time.

    This was not the scenario in which one could win with the will of words.

    Simply put, the occasion for that to happen was long over.

    And Saulo was prepared for that.

    It feels strange to use this ability after so many years.

    It had been many years since he had used that ability, so it took him long for the gray to flow through his body. More specifically nine years ago.

    When he could still live with ignorance of the concerns of an increasingly adult life and tragedies outside the boundaries of his community.

    The happiest times of his life.

    "[Shadow Conqueror.]"

    That was the name of the ultimate ability Saulo had used.

    At his words, Saulo''s body began to turn gray.

    Arms, legs, torso, face.

    Every part of his body where there were veins turned gray.

    Faced with such a change of appearance in the young man''s body, it was as if a different person was holding the halberd toward his enemy.

    In the surroundings, this ability felt different from the others because it was at the peak of what one could use with the power of an element. And Aaron knew it well...

    "[Smoke Empire.]"

    ... because he also possessed a similar ability. The most powerful ability that any user possesses.

    An ''ultimate ability''.

    At Aaron''s words, a cloud of smoke was expelled from his sword. The dark soon covered him and Saulo as if the cloak of night had suddenly descended on the Oyogue Path in the form of a circular zone blocking the surroundings of both.

    Suddenly, the density of the fog had been mercilessly replaced by an even darker one.

    However, Saulo wasn''t attentive to the prison of smoke that surrounded them and from which, as long as the ultimate ability of Aaron lasted, he couldn''t escape.

    Aaron''s sword was turning lead color.

    Tip, blade, handle, pommel.

    Every part of his weapon where there were vital ducts was now of color lead. These were the "veins"of a weapon.

    The ultimate abilities of Saulo and Aaron are similar, but at the same time different.

    On the one hand, both are strengthening abilities. Saulo is given with this ability an increase in physical damage and gains bonus health; while Aaron, after summoning the smoke circle, obtains the ability to cause magic damage with his basic attacks as long as he stays within the smoke zone created with his ultimate ability.

    On the other hand, their differences are notorious at sight. That of a shadow user like Saulo empowers his body. That of a smoke user like Aaron, his weapon.

    With their eyes set on the other and the power of the ultimate abilities in their weapons, the two advanced to deliver the decisive strike that would sentence the fight.

    I''ve to stay calm. If I doubt, I die.

    Saulo looked at Aaron with seriousness in his eyes.

    In turn, the seriousness that Aaron transmitted was also reflected in his face. Nevertheless, from what Saulo recognized with concern, this was only part of his attitude. Trust, determination, and security. Years of battle experience were reflected with all these characteristics in the man''s countenance.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Without a doubt, he could say that the man served proudly in the army.

    "Don''t attack your country, commander."

    Saulo ran with all his might and held his halberd tightly while shouting.

    "[Lead Exterminator!]"

    "[Gray Destroyer!]"

    But even with the momentary increase in power given by his ultimate ability, Saulo knew he wasn''t at the level of Aaron. After all, Aaron''s power was still superior, although both had used their most powerful abilities. Because of his higher level of power resulting from training, along with his experience as a lieutenant in the army, the chances of winning favored Aar¨®n widely.

    Saulo knew this from the beginning.

    Beforehand, even if they didn''t tell him, the trusting glances of the other two young men showed the tranquility that experience bestowed. Both knew who would remain standing after the shock of the ultimate abilities.

    As for Saulo, the mana needed to use his abilities had run out and waiting for it to regenerate a bit would take a minute. By the time he could use one more ability, the fight would be over.

    But still...

    He charged toward Aaron with the power of the shadow running through his body.

    In turn, Aaron charged toward him with the power of smoke running through his sword.

    On the Oyogue Path, a boy''s veins and a man''s weapon shone through the darkness of smoke and fog.

    For a young man like Saulo, who came from an Amish village known in society for being a peaceful community, it was unthinkable that he was fighting and had reached the point of having to resort to using his most powerful ability.

    "This is my will."

    But the urge to slow down the speed with which he charged, disappeared from his mind.

    Whatever obstacle stood in his way, Saulo would endeavor to defeat it whether or not in a conventional manner.

    For everything that had happened so far, it made no sense to retreat.

    The clash of wills would have its final coalition.

    "Yiiiaaaaahhh!"

    With a cry that came from his soul, Saulo closed the distance that separated them, preparing to use the force he would need for the next cut.

    However, something strange happened.

    Aaron, who had shortened the distance between the two much faster, stopped abruptly.

    Huh?

    Saulo lowered the intensity with which he was running at the sight of such strange behavior.

    Without knowing the reason, Aaron''s consciousness was far from his sword and shield; and from the halberd that he held.

    What''s going on?

    As opposed to the calm he had maintained and the determination required by the imminent collision, Aaron''s expressions were tinged with despair.

    With his weapons shaking and his head turned to the side, his eyes seemed to contemplate an event that was difficult for him to accept. Murmuring to himself, as if something could see through his heart, the strong will that until now dwelt in his eyes wandered away in the abyss of growing despair.

    His attention was no longer focused on Saulo.

    That same strange force that stopped Aaron made Saulo react.

    He couldn''t see nothing between the circular zone of smoke and the fog around them, but the surprise at his opponent''s lost concentration made him realize the only thing going on inside the mysterious atmosphere.

    He was wasting a valuable time.

    Saulo directed his halberd to Aaron''s chest, after advancing a few steps.

    With the strength of his determination and the power of the ''ultimate ability'', he connected the long-awaited cut.

    Saulo didn''t know how much time had passed while he kept pushing his halberd.

    The lines of his face began to fade as he felt his strength diminish. By the time the last line disappeared from his body, any trace of the increase in power he gained through his ability had vanished.

    Soon, the metallic sound of two objects touching the ground wasn''t long in coming.

    Dropping his sword and shield from his hands, Aaron was indifferent to having released the means he had to attack and defend.

    With a long cut on his chest, Aaron didn''t move nor react. His gaze, oblivious to the fact that his enemy was there, was totally directed in astonishment toward one side of the path. Saulo, aware that he had almost no mana after using his most powerful ability, couldn''t stand still against someone who was still standing after using his ultimate ability.

    Even if he was unarmed, Aaron had not fallen and could retake his weapons quickly.

    As a soldier, his pride would lead him to refuse to surrender.

    Saulo had his doubts.

    He knew he had to attack, but between the ramblings of attacking an unarmed person or being attacked if he approached, made him stop.

    Instead, he watched cautiously as the wound inflicted was deep enough to provoke a reaction: A shout, lament or complaint.

    However, none of that happened.

    For three and then five seconds, Saulo stood on guard against any change in the actions of Aaron, who remained attentive to what only he could see behind the mantle of darkness that surrounded them.

    And suddenly...

    Without paying attention to the wound on his chest, a different expression appeared on the man''s face.

    After seeing the conviction in Aaron''s eyes, the young man''s doubts became clear.

    It was only for a second, but it was enough to get the clarity he needed to decide.

    He had lost it.

    All conviction had been lost in Aaron''s eyes.

    Seven seconds later, Aaron had his last reaction on the ground.

    The fog, from then on, was the only thing that moved.

 Chapter 12 - The Last Surprise is for you, My Dear Guest.

    Somehow he''d made it.

    What just happened?

    Saulo had defeated Aaron.

    He had no idea what happened, but he was grateful that he wasn''t the unconscious person on the ground. Inexplicably, he managed to hurt him enough with his halberd to make him faint, but the wound he caused him, even with the power of his ultimate ability, shouldn''t have defeated him, much less knocked him unconscious.

    This last event confused him because of how the fight happened.

    In a simulation in his head, the attack he made should have caused an average damage if Aaron did not block it. Trapped within the smoke zone, Saulo couldn''t retreat to rethink his strategy or seek to use his supporting objects while, unlike him, Aaron was prepared both to attack with a powerful blow and to defend himself without any delay. Between the two ultimate abilities that collided head-on, Saulo should have ended up defeated for the simple reason that his enemy was more powerful and experienced on the battlefield.

    But then... why?

    Without abandoning the doubts of his head, Saulo hastened to take the sword and shield of his unconscious owner. Even if his bearer was defeated, the sense of danger didn''t disappear.

    Really, what happened?

    "¡­"

    The prisoner man!

    Saulo momentarily panicked.

    He had forgotten the elderly man, the person for whom he ended up confronting the thieves. Preparing his halberd, he turned decided to face the remaining comrades of Aaron.

    "Huh?"

    Or that was he thought...

    "Young man. Thank you so much for helping me."

    "What happened here?"

    Saulo shouted in surprise.

    As he turned around, reality hit him head-on.

    The elderly man had not only freed himself, but he was preparing to tie the other two thieves to the tree where he had been held captive minutes before.

    W-w-what?!

    "I was very fortunate that you showed up. Without your help, I would still be trapped."

    "How...?!"

    Saulo couldn''t exclaim for a prompt response. He considered himself a quiet person who didn''t shout unless it was necessary. He firmly believed that If you could avoid raising your voice in a conversation, you should do it.

    It was the case that now he didn''t care about that thought he had as a rule.

    The fact that, from one moment to the next, an elderly man with advanced age was able to free himself from the ties of a rope and had the strength to defeat his captors, left him completely astonished.

    "The rope wasn''t tight enough around my arms. So it was easy to free myself. And in a moment of carelessness, I untied myself and knocked these two out."

    An image of the reconstruction of the facts floated in Saulo''s mind as he listened to the feat of man.

    "I¡¯m sorry that I put you in danger. If only I had been stronger, they wouldn''t have hurt you."

    The elderly man, who held a wooden staff for support, slowly made a movement in which his gaze turned to the ground.

    "L-lift your head please,"Saulo said in an obvious rush to stop him. "You are the victim here. Under no circumstances the guilt is yours. Besides, I was wounded because of my own lack of power."

    "I understand. Then let''s leave it as a personal defense achieved by a joint effort."

    Saulo nodded to the man who stood leaning on his cane.

    It was suddenly, when surprise gave way to curiosity.

    Two blue orbs of incessant color watched him closely. Almost transparent and out of this world; what puzzled him wasn''t the particular color of those eyes. As if he could see through him, the old man''s gaze pierced his body straight to his soul.

    "By the way, are you all right with that last wound you received?"

    "Last wound? Wah!"

    Saulo reacted in what was clearly a surprise. In what he had been talking about, he hadn''t noticed the wound on his shoulder. But when the elder pointed it out to him, it was as if by magic the pain had suddenly appeared.

    Then... he did cut me.

    But for Saulo, this wasn''t the only wound he had received.

    As the adrenaline left his body, the aftermath of the fight began to feel in accelerated synchrony. A slight cut on the thigh, two medium cuts on the right forearm and one on the left, in addition to the one on his shoulder and finally, the deepest wound he received: the cut on the chest from when their weapons collided. Likewise, his entire body was wounded from abilities based on smoke power, leaving his chest noticeably red and scarred.

    To his relief, the cold fog refreshed the affected areas, making his wounds a little less painful.

    "It''s surprising that even when he was distracted, he managed to impact you with his ultimate ability"

    Holding his affected shoulder, Saulo was grateful that the cut he received hadn''t been deeper. Without a doubt, the outcome should have been different.

    "Here."

    A thin skeletal hand crossed Saulo''s eye.

    It was the elder''s, who extended an object he had taken out of his clothes.

    A shining green sphere.

    A healing orb.

    An object that for Saulo was on his "there''s no way I can pay for this"list. The times that in his community had been extremely necessary, it had cost them an important sum of money to acquire a single orb.

    "This costs too much money to spend on me,"Saulo said in conflict when he noticed what it was.

    "I know, but I insist,"replied the elderly man in a tired, but calm voice.

    "I know that I''m bleeding a lot, but my wounds aren''t fatal. To heal me, here in my backpack I carry alcohol and bandages."

    He said it as he looked with concern at the little green sphere that this person intended to give him.

    "I have observed the state of your wounds and that is precisely why I am giving you this orb. You must know that as miraculous as its power may seem, even the most powerful orbs cannot heal fatal wounds. I insist. Think of it as a sign of my gratitude for saving me. Besides..."

    The elderly man coughed to clear his throat before speaking again.

    "... the passing of years is something that cannot be stopped. There is no cure for what is naturally inevitable."

    Saulo didn''t want to continue wasting the elderly man''s will, so he took the orb and crushed it with his hand.

    The relief was instantaneous.

    In a pleasant sensation, a torrent of warm power flowed through his body. After a few seconds in which the green glow spread through his body with small particles appearing here and there in his most affected areas, the healing effect ended up closing his wounds. The blood remained on his clothes, but beyond that and his tiredness, there was no indication that he had recently participated in a fight.

    "How do you feel? Better?"

    "Yes, really better. Thank you... How do you feel, sir? Do you need water or help to walk?"

    Asking back, Saulo hoped to repay the use of a healing orb in him.

    "No, don''t worry. You''ve helped me enough already. More than you can imagine and what an old man like me deserves. But I thank you for your concern."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "N-no. I''m the one who should be grateful."

    That weak response came from Saulo, who with a weak gesture hid the conflict that was forming in his mind. The fact that an older person who should be resting would have fought instead, made him feel fortunate to be alive and guilty for forcing this person to make an effort out of proportion to his age and health.

    I just had some luck.

    "With what I do want you to help me is to help me tie this guy. He looks like a strong person; but without his sword or shield, his attributes are reduced to zero. But still, let''s not take any risk."

    "Yes,"Saulo said confirming the situation of which he was aware.

    Apparently, Aaron''s two comrades wanted to intervene and the elderly man knocked them out before they could attack. Thus, the three members known in the vicinity of the city of Boggio as ''The Dark Heralds'' were defeated, and their weapons had been taken from them. If a user lost his summoned weapon, he was therefore unable to use his abilities or to fight with the attributes his weapon gave.

    "Then allow me."

    Taking the ropes with which Aaron tied up the elderly man, the task of immobilizing him became a shared effort.

    "Like with the two young men, you have to tie them firmly, but leaving enough space for them to breathe without escaping."

    "I just remembered,"Saulo said, holding the rope. "This man mentioned having served in the army up to the rank of commander. It''s clear that he has knowledge in making knots of ropes and sure that he also has training in escaping from this type of adverse situations. We have to be careful."

    Although the elderly man had freed himself, the image of this person unconsciously tied to a tree was kept as a reminder of the extension of capacities that Aaron possessed.

    "That sounds dangerous. Should we call the police?"

    "No!"

    Saulo hastened to answer, pulling the rope with enough force to break a rib. In response, Aaron didn''t complain about the sudden pressure applied to tie him, but Saulo couldn''t help but apologize in his mind.

    "I meant. Don¡¯t call the police yet, please."

    His shock was due to the fact that there was a powerful reason why he didn''t want the presence of the police.

    "Hm... I assume it has something to do with you traveling alone."

    "Yes."

    Saulo preferred to respond before the silence made it evident. By some strange force beyond the values he held, he dared not lie to him. Whether it was for getting out of the pinch or for the gratitude he felt toward this person, lying would be like spitting in his benefactor''s face.

    The elderly man looked straight at Saulo without changing his expressions, but, at the eye contact, the younger of the two felt a slight chill. What this person was about to say to him would bring with it the suspicions that for age no longer represented a novelty.

    "Well,"the elderly man said, averting his gaze a little. "I''m not who to meddle in the affairs of others."

    "Fuh."

    A faint sound was heard.

    Although he was trying to hide it, Saulo was now breathing calmer.

    "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

    "!"

    Suddenly, an accelerated breath, which was not his, brought him back to the worry of moments ago. That was not the sound of a simple cough.

    "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

    It was the sound of death approaching.

    "Are you all right?"

    Coughing very hard, the man couldn''t help but kneel. Covering his mouth with one hand, he finally spoke with a broad smile.

    "Of course. I feel wonderful."

    Of course not!

    The man''s words didn''t match his condition. He didn''t look wonderful and wasn''t likely to feel wonderful either.

    "You''re bleeding a lot!"

    The elderly man''s mouth, full of blood, gave him a more deteriorated appearance than he already had.

    "Excuse me. I''m not as young as I used to be, and as you can see, age wreaks havoc on my body."

    The grass turned each time more red. This did nothing but increase Saulo''s concern. He had to act fast. He had no medical knowledge, but even so he would try to relieve some of his pain.

    "I think I have a handkerchief in my pocket."

    "No. You don''t have to bother about an old man. You''ll waste a fine piece of cloth on me."

    Saulo gave him the handkerchief, ignoring the hand that was rejecting it. A simple piece of white cloth embroidered with blue lines that the young man was extending with his hand.

    "Thank you."

    Stained completely in red, the small piece of cloth wiped after a few moments in its entirety the blood from his mouth.

    "I''ll feel better soon. It''s a pain that comes and goes."

    Saulo hoped so. In his first aid kit that he carried in his backpack, it was barely equipped with alcohol, bandages, gauzes, tweezers and scissors.

    And I don''t think a cat band-aid will do much here.

    "Boy..."

    "Yes, give me a moment while I look for where I put my bottle of water."

    I''m sure the alcohol was around here... I can''t believe it. This backpack comes equipped with a strange mechanism to protect its bearer and instead, I can''t find a simple bottle of water.

    "... I would like to invest in you."

    "I think it''s here... Huh?"

    With his hand still inside his backpack, the task of searching the bottle of water was forgotten by what he thought he had just heard.

    "Can you repeat that, please?"

    "I said I wanted to invest in you. For having helped me, I have made a decision. A reward that I bring with me."

    Saulo didn''t immediately return to his senses when he heard what that meant.

    This person wanted to offer him a reward.

    Did I hear wrong? He said something about investing in me, but how he said it... it was heard as if...

    Still with his doubts, he stood up, leaving the inside of his backpack in a mess. But that didn''t matter to him now.

    "What do you mean by investing in me? Something like a monetary aid? You don''t have to give me anything in return. I helped you because it''s the normal thing to do."

    Saulo couldn''t stop thinking about that last thing he said. Perhaps in another context, he would accept a reward. Both a thanks and a little money would have the same value to him after doing an action to help someone.

    However, he, who had trouble paying for direct transport to the capital, was tempted to receive any reward that the elderly man brought with him. After all, he had helped against one of the thieves of this path. On this occasion, however, he refused. If he accepted the money, he was taking away a hope of quality of life from this sick person.

    But since what the elderly man said wasn''t clear, he''d have to confirm exactly what this reward was all about. Especially, that part of investing in him.

    "It''s not a monetary aid. It''s just like I said it. I''m going to give you a reward, investing in you."

    ... This needs further explanation.

    "Since you are in doubt, I''ll show you."

    Being taken unawares by movements with a speed not proper to his age, a "W-what?"was Saulo''s best reaction to what was happening.

    From among his clothes, the elderly man took a small object. Whatever that was in his right pocket was now hidden behind the five fingers of his right hand.

    "Come closer... Don''t be afraid."

    The order was given.

    Or so Saulo felt it. The elderly man wasn''t forcibly demanding that he approach. But the seriousness and calm with which he spoke, transmitted a power of speech that made him obey immediately.

    While walking, Saulo''s gaze focused on the elderly man''s clenched fist. The intrigue of the revelation made him anxious and fearful.

    What is this person holding?

    By the time Saulo approached, a few meters separated him from a rejuvenated man. Not in the physical, but in the expectation of what he wanted to reveal.

    "This is what I want you to see."

    It was too late to put aside his doubts.

    The elderly man moved his fingers without delay, revealing what he was hiding.

    ¡­

    An ordinary bottle. So small that it would be difficult to fit more than a sip of water into the plastic recipient.

    That was his first impression.

    The next second, Saulo blinked several times so that the illusion of what he was seeing would fade away.

    A multicolored substance danced within what the bottle allowed it. There would be nothing strange about this if he overlooked two details.

    The first detail had to do with what the substance was doing. The reality, the one he knew, dictated that water couldn''t move unless a force was exerted first. However, dancing within what the bottle allowed, this substance moved slowly by itself without touching the edges of the bottle.

    The other detail, which provoked his most absolute surprise, was that the substance itself was made up of a mixture of different colors. This was by no means the same as mixing oil with water, where the former floated and the latter sank because of its lower density. The reality, the one he thought he knew until today, indicated to him that there was no substance so heterogeneous in its constitution of colors as to exist.

    With those two details in mind that defied reality; in consequence, his notion of normality was crushed without logical argument with which to counterattack.

    Being immersed in the lethargy of surprise, one more detail caused Saulo''s emotions to be eaten inwardly.

    "... Those colors are..."

    "Yes, they are all the colors that make up the trinity. Each and every one of them."

    Ocher, orange, blue, silver, turquoise, light blue, lead, green, linen, gray, red, cyan, brown, lavender, gold.

    The boy named them in his mind as he recognized them with his gaze.

    The fifteen colors with which an individual was able to be born.

    "This is the beginning, the end and the truth of all creation. What originated the ''Principle of Three''."

    "What?"

    His body temperature decreased, as if it had just been stolen by the surprise itself.

    Saulo, being a bearer of halberd, had been born of the color gray. It was the color that identified him and other users who fought with a halberd and used shadow abilities.

    Born of the gray, and with the capacity to summon a halberd and use the shadow.

    These three characteristics made up his ''trinity'' or what was also more formally called the ''Principle of Three''.

    Like him, all possessed a trinity, inseparable in its nature.

    It was general knowledge that each living being had three characteristics that made up a ''trinity'': a color-a weapon-an element.

    For example, the former commander named Aaron possessed the lead-sword-smoke trinity, while Saulo possessed the gray-halberd-shadow trinity. The elderly man''s trinity remained a mystery because by the time Saulo realized, his weapon was gone.

    But Saulo''s surprise was in respect with a particular word that the elderly man had said.

    I didn''t understand that first thing he said about the creation. But did I really hear that? He has said that the Principle of Three was originated by this multicolored substance.

    "I''ll tell you more when we get away. These group of thieves who are tied may not escape, but they may hear us."

    Saulo nodded silently.

    "Let us walk, while I tell you our history as a species. A war story that could repeat itself."

    "W-wait a moment, please. Does this story you are going to tell me have to do with this multicolored substance? You mentioned that this is the beginning, the end and the truth of all creation. The origin of the Principle of Three."

    "That''s right."

    Absorbed in confirmation, Saulo entered into confusion for what that revelation meant.

    "This is the Trivalence."

 Chapter 13 - Trivalence

    Under the cold fog, two people were walking at a rather slow pace. A young man carried a backpack and an elderly man, a cane. It could be said that both walked like this to avoid stumbling over a bump in the dirt path which they were moving.

    "Let me get some air. To understand this story, you can''t tell its events lightly."

    Very slowly, pausing his steps to lean on the cane, the elderly man walked with the ravages of his illness directly on his back.

    "And don''t worry about my health. I still have the faculty to walk. At a slow pace, but I can."

    However, the lack of visibility caused by the fog that covered the Oyogue Path prevented them from advancing at a constant pace. Still facing these conditions, apparently both had walked long enough to lose sight of Aaron and his group, who were unconsciously tied to a tree. The fog on the path, however, didn''t allow them to confirm that.

    Everything will be fine. No one else is hiding in the fog ...

    Leaving behind his concern in the confidence of the strong rope knots that they made, the curiosity of what was to come overcame Saulo''s concerns.

    ¡­

    The elderly man cleared his throat with a cough...

    ... and after a silent for a little more than half a minute, the story that he wanted to told began.

    "Since the first man and woman existed, we were created in the image and likeness of our creator. But it wasn''t always like this. This earth was inhabited long before by the beings we know as creatures."

    Creatures.

    The species opposed to humanity.

    Individuals of a power superior to humans and formed by beings of many races. Both in physical, magical, defensive, and agility attributes; in general, creatures were superior to humans in the power they possessed. Moreover, unlike humans, who possessed different races (ethnicities), but with a similar biological and morphological constitution; the creatures were the opposite. They possessed an immense quantity of different races, types, variants and subgroups; but of biological and morphological constitution quite different from each other.

    With wings, claws, scales, tail, gills, hair, fur, feathers, vertebrates, invertebrates. Such was the variety of animal species that each year the number of beings discovered never seemed to end.

    "The space was large enough for the two species to coexist without disturbing each other too much, beyond ensuring their survival. With the passing of the years, the growth in their numbers forced both to seek new and greater resources for their subsistence. The confrontations between the two species became more common until they normalized day by day. Destruction, wounds and deaths were the reality of that time. And so, it didn''t take long for resentment, fear and hatred to accumulate strongly in the hearts of both species."

    With the wind blowing strong, Saulo brought his ear closer to hear more clearly above the noise that the air current caused.

    "The war didn''t take long to happen."

    The war between humans and creatures.

    A war between species that Saulo learned in the history classes of his community''s school.

    "However, humanity was not capable of fighting creatures. These beings (known by humans as animal species) were born with the capacity to symbolize a color in their abilities, fight with summoned weapons, and use the power of the elements. They were users of powers alien to men and women. This was called the ''Principle of Three'' or ''trinity'' as it''s now popularly called. Added to the morphological constitution in general superior and their different groups with particular racial capacities that this species possessed, the massacre exploded in detriment of the humanity; that only possessed a capacity of intelligence greater than the creatures to face them."

    The elderly man stopped a few steps to recharge his strength and, after confirming that he was without problems to continue advancing, he continued again with the breath that the brief rest gave him.

    "Nevertheless, this intelligence wasn''t enough to stop the creatures. On the brink of extinction, and after years of shedding blood and tears, and pleading for salvation; a miracle of life occurred. The humans suddenly acquired biologically the same power capacities that the creatures had to fight."

    "Sir, when you say that humans suddenly acquired biologically the same power capacities that creatures had to fight, you mean this: born of a color, summon a weapon and use an element. In other words, what we know as the Principle of Three or trinity: a color-a weapon-an element."

    The elderly man nodded to what Saulo had just added.

    The young man was living proof of a trinity: gray- halberd-shadow; while Aaron was living proof of another: lead-sword-smoke.

    "Yes, it was so. A color-a weapon-an element. Those characteristics which humans and creatures have possessed since then were called as the Principle of Three or trinity. Thanks to this divine intervention, the first human users were born... People who from then on obtained that capacity of power that we needed so much to survive.  Little by little, humanity fought in better conditions against the creatures, recovering their territories and finally, after centuries of war, they managed to make them go back to their original domains. Humanity, after much suffering, was finally safe."

    The wind on the Oyogue Path stopped for a few moments, as if it were a living entity that also wanted to hear the story. After that, it blew again with greater force.

    "Thus concluded, after an enormous bloodshed and destruction of the earth, the war between two species. Humans and creatures, beyond certain conflicts and minor wars, remained settled in their territories. Precisely because of this, humans had to adapt to live in the ecosystems created after such a bloody war."

    "They formed what we know as triads."

    Who said this piece of information wasn¡¯t the elderly man.

    "Yes,"replied the man to Saulo''s intervention. "The association of individuals according to the continent where their Principle of Three originated is known as a triad. That is to say, humanity, once safe from the threat of creatures, formed five triads according to the continent where their trinities originated.  As there have been five continents in the world, five triads were formed as a result. Each one of these triads was named according to the elements so as not to make the names too long."

    With this in mind, the five triads that made up the world were the following:

    The shadow-blood-aura triad located in the North Continent.

    The smoke-poison-sound triad in the Central Continent.

    The rock-fire-water triad in the Northeast Continent.

    The sand-crystal-plasma triad in the Southeast Continent.

    And finally, the triad to which Saulo belonged, located in the West Continent: the metal-air-ice triad.

    Of general culture was the knowledge that the five triads were divided according to the continent from which their trinities arose. As around the world, after the divine miracle, three trinities (one color-one weapon-one element) were granted to humans on each of the five continents, in total, humanity possessed fifteen Principles of Three or trinities. The same amount as those counted in creatures.

    With globalization, the presence of different races became common in other continents. Thus, the biological and cultural encounter of the races took place. As a result, miscegenation brought with it the normalization of the existence of users with trinities not originating from the continent they inhabited.

    So, even though I have ancestors of the shadow-blood-aura triad located in the North Continent, I belong to the metal-air-ice triad because this is where I was born, in the West Continent.

    As a reference, in order not to make the names too long, it was decided worldwide to name the triads according to the place in the world where they originated, although they were popularly named for their elements. In the end, both ways of naming were correct. With what Saulo could say that all his life he had lived on the Western Continent or the triad metal-air-ice.

    "The creatures, on the other hand, occupied territories that humanity wasn''t in a position to inhabit because of their nature. Depth of forests, mountain peaks, depths of the oceans."

    Saulo imagined all those inhospitable ecosystems that the person next to him referred to. Places that a human couldn''t easily survive.

    "With the passage of time, the next generations of both species adapted to live in a more peaceful environment than that which preceded them. Both species evolved to live in society. This peace with regard to previous generations led to the Principle of Three given to the two species also to change... An evolution in pursuit of the tranquility of the world."

    "The Principle of Three evolved then."

    "Yes, but in different ways,"said the elderly man, refusing to cough. "With humans it adapted to a more peaceful life in society which implied a decrease in power, but at the same time an increase in intelligence. The creatures also evolved by acquiring greater intelligence to be less aggressive among their groups and those of other subgroups, but at the cost of also seeing their power reduced."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "So,"Saulo said, recapitulating the information, "in the beginning humans had the capacity of intelligence while creatures had the capacity of power. Thanks to the divine miracle, humanity acquired the power capacity of the animal species known as Principle of Three or trinity to defeat those creatures that had cornered them until the danger of extinction. After the war and in order to adapt to peaceful times, humans and creatures saw their capacity of power diminished as their capacity of intelligence increased. In different ways, but all this happened so that the world wouldn''t repeat a war between species."

    "That is correct... The same mistake couldn''t be repeated twice."

    As if he''d been a part of that time, grief accumulated in his words. The elderly man murmured with disdain a phrase that Saulo didn''t understand; but quickly, seeing his confusion, he explained what he meant. "And so we continue to change to this day. With the Principle of Three adapted to a more peaceful era in which the devastation of the world is limited by the evolution of the capacities of two species. In similar values these capacities evolved, but favoring more notably intelligence to the humans and more power to the creatures."

    "I-incredible."

    Saulo knew this story from what he was taught in school. But when told by another person, one that gave the appearance of having the truth of reality, a feeling of being stripped of what he believed to be the truth took possession of him.

    "Which brings us to that substance I showed you."

    He almost forgot. Because he was focused on listening to the words of the elderly man and taking care that he didn''t stumble, it was logical that he overlooked the existence of what he kept in the bottle. The man, after all, had put it back in his pocket.

    "From this multicolored substance originated the Principle of Three or trinity: a color-weapon-element. The fact that you, that man you say is a former commander of the army, those two young men who accompany him and I each have a trinity is due to this substance. This is the Trivalence, the origin of that Principle of Three or trinity that we all know."

    "You mean that my gray-halberd-shadow trinity came from this."

    "That''s right, and that of all the world''s users. It didn''t come only from this Trivalence that I possess in this bottle, but from the Trivalence itself."

    Unexpectedly, confirming the conclusion he reached after hearing the story, made Saulo feel a cramp on the top of his head. It was a familiar sensation, but it hadn''t trapped him in that spiral of pain since a long time. In the midst of these small pains, he was very aware of one thing.

    This is how he usually reacted to a constant state of impressions.

    "But wait, please... You also mentioned that what you call Trivalence is the beginning, the end and the truth of all creation. What about that?"

    He hadn''t forgotten.

    Between the cramps that increased in his head and the confusion in which he entered after the revelation, there was no way he could forget what this unknown substance called Trivalence meant. The elderly man had said two things: That Trivalence was the beginning, the end, and the truth of all creation; and that, moreover, it was the origin of the Principle of Three.

    "That''s what I wanted to get to. We have talked about Trivalence being the origin of the Principle of Three or trinity... What I''m going to tell you has to do with the second part of what Trivalence is. One that the world also doesn''t know."

    After listening to the elderly man''s words, Saulo let his gaze wander in the visible stretches of the path that the fog had not yet covered. Confirming that he didn''t feel danger in the surroundings, he returned his attention to the one who had been talking.

    "I really want to understand more what this is. I''m intrigued to keep hearing about the Trivalence, but at the same time, I want the one who tells this story to be in a stable condition. Sir, do you want us to stop and rest?"

    "It''s not necessary. As long as I have my cane by my side, I''ll be able to keep walking."

    Saulo could only see one side of the elderly man''s face, who was on his right side walking. But when a decided expression appeared in the form of a slight smile, he understood that he shouldn''t worry about it now.

    Instead, he had to pay attention to the obstacles ahead. After a quick review that the faint visibility of the fog allowed, he confirmed that the path didn''t change in the environment of stones and dirt that they had ahead. There were certain bumps to avoid, but the ground was flat. Seeing that the path to follow was favorable to continue the conversation, the elderly man indicated that he agreed to continue talking.

    "I want you to understand this."

    Suddenly, leaning harder on his wooden staff, the elderly man breathed hard and continued.

    "The truth of the Trivalence is that of a substance as ancient as the creation of the humans and creatures. To a time beyond what science can study, and religion interpret. A beginning in which nothing existed and an end in which nothing will exist. That is the truth of this world."

    ¡­

    "W-what do you mean?!"

    Saulo resisted the urge to babble again out of astonishment and tried to understand in words what he had just heard.

    "You mean that this precedes the creation of humans and creatures."

    "Hm,"said the elderly man, closing his eyes a little. "I''m not sure if this precedes or arose at the same time as humans and creatures. However, I''m pretty sure it belongs to a fairly close time to that."

    "How can you be sure of that?"

    "There are some secrets that the governments of the world don''t know and the few individuals who possess that knowledge keep it in reserve... or are silenced in the worst case."

    It wasn''t illogical to think that. At school and in the stories told of the past, he had never had in mind that the name of Trivalence was mentioned. But even so, this lack of knowledge wasn''t due to the fact that his community was located in an area far within the national territory. Simply put, such an important substance should have been part of general culture or one of the first knowledge taught at school.

    But no matter how hard he tried, Saulo didn''t remember any mention at all.

    "The reason why I believe Trivalence is of a time close to the creation of the humans and creatures is because of the records left by the first human beings in certain rocks and caverns. In some of their drawings there is a set of colors that cannot be overlooked."

    "The Trivalence... in a cave painting?"

    The answer and question escaped his lips.

    "But drawn in quantities that make us believe that the passage of time diminished its existence... What I mean is that, apparently, the Trivalence is one of the first elements that appeared in our world. Do you realize what that means? In a time before the divine miracle that saved humanity from being exterminated by another species, before the first humans, before the first creatures. The Trivalence is close to all those times in our history!".

    The sudden exclamations perplexed Saulo as much as the content of what he heard. First, when the elderly man raised his voice, he conveyed the characteristic emotion of a young person. That was an unexpected surprise coming from someone who recently coughed up blood. Second, and what made his eyes widen, was to hear the conviction with which he affirmed the importance of the Trivalence.

    The beginning, end and truth of all creation.

    "This would rewrite what we know as history. So many books, so many creeds, so much that scientists and believers have discovered and believed what has happened in our world... so much of all that would be created, modified or ended by knowing this truth."

    The elderly man''s back straightened as his staff trembled. Saulo, on the other hand, reacted differently to the emotion that the person at his side carefully conveyed with his words.

    Saulo felt that, if it weren''t for the effort to support the disproportionate weight of his backpack, the weight of the revelations would have already overcome him. After all, his backpack had remained like an accordion after mysteriously activating itself to save him.

    "But as they say... there are truths that are best hidden."

    "What do you mean? Saulo said, encouraging himself to endure another revelation. If it weren''t for the genuine trembling in his skin that hearing about the Trivalence was transmitting to the depths of his soul, he would take the elderly man''s explanation as a well-told story.

    "In due course you¡¯ll understand. But the impact of discoveries like these can have a different influence on how people react. After all, what they believed to be reality would become an illusion."

    "How do you know all this?"

    There was no immediate answer. Saulo looked at the elderly man with some unease. It seemed that the man wanted to catch his breath, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    "I''m not a scientist who has made a discovery through study or a believer who was given a divine revelation by faith... But I have come across clues which agree with the history of this world... and some more truthful than the information I need to stop my torment."

    The energy of uttering every word was held in the elderly man''s chest in a constant sensation of effort that his face reflected. The personal defeat of being voiceless would not yield this time to his illness.

    "And those clues wouldn''t have strength if there were no physical evidence."

    The man took a hand inside his clothes.

    And suddenly...

    This is the truth that the world didn''t know.

    The greatness of the revelation contained in a small bottle.

    A liquid that follows its own flow.

    A multicolored substance formed by colors that don''t get in the way of each other.

    This is the Trivalence.

    "Now..."

    Pausing a bit to catch his breath, the elderly man stopped with a last blow of his cane on the floor. That one word addressed to Saulo was enough for his vision to set aside the Trivalence and focus on who was speaking to him.

    "Maybe I didn''t use the right words, but I want to make an exchange with you about this multicolored substance. May you be the one to discover what my health and my time in this world doesn''t allow me... I want you to carry the Trivalence."

    "I with?! But ... what could a young man discover what scientists and believers could not?"

    Saulo was startled by this intention. Whatever the explanations were, it was absurd for him to discover what more specialized people didn''t achieve.

    However, an opposite reaction to his shock caused him to want to continue listening.

    "The knowledge and faith of those to whom I entrusted this secret remained in mere illusions of a truth that they couldn''t discover. These people... didn''t manage to turn the unknown into the known... And neither did I."

    The elderly man couldn¡¯t help but look away, as if he were reflecting on the last thing he had said.

    "It took time and resources... power temptations and broken friendships... But in the end, a path of discovery was investigated and revealed."

    "Did you discover anything then, sir?"

    "Yes..."

    The man was paralyzed in reflection. In those moments of silence, he could be heard as if he was struggling to let out those words which were written in his mind and which for some reason were difficult for him to say.

    "The path to discover more about the Trivalence... is by drinking it."

    The weight of that last word swallowed Saulo''s will to keep asking.

    In a blink of an eye, a mixture of confusion and surprise invaded him, without any resistance ahead.

    Saulo looked away, remembering the moment when the elderly man and he were tying Aaron to the tree. That was the beginning of what really began to surprise him.

    Now that he realized it, the elderly man''s words were never out of context.

    "That''s what he meant when he said he wanted to invest in me... Literally using my body as a vessel."

    "Yes, just the way it sounds."

    What the young man thought he heard became a terrifying confirmation.

    At that moment, Saulo wondered if a hidden danger didn''t come with the person he released.

    His intentions were clear.

 Chapter 14 - The weakest and the strongest of this world

    Fifteen minutes had passed since Saulo and the elderly man were walking along the Oyogue Path. Even with that considerable time advancing, they couldn''t affirm whether or not they were actually approaching the middle of the path. Due to the care of the footsteps on the terrain and the fatigue of age, nothing assured them that they were very far from where they started. In addition, the fog prevented them from seeing that progress.

    But at the time, the distance travelled was an ephemeral thought for Saulo.

    The path to discover more about the Trivalence... is to drink it.

    Through the air, one could feel a boy''s surprise at remembering those words.

    Using my body as a vessel.

    Upon confirming his initial suspicions, Saulo almost choked on his breath.

    It was a drifting decision if I decided to accept.

    Of course, it was completely unreasonable for him to ingest a liquid that he had practically just discovered.

    The doubts and speculations that he felt piled up in his head let him know that the unease that ran through his body wouldn''t leave him soon.

    However, at that moment, a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.

    He, being destroyed in an incredible agony.

    Either on the spot or after a few days.

    While sleeping or walking.

    A substance of a time and truth that challenged the same reality wouldn''t have problems un destroying an average individual like him.

    Is the sea air affecting me? Or has that healing orb healed me so much that I''m hearing what it''s not?

    Just as a healing orb could heal serious wounds, it was perfectly possible that the excess healing effect would cause dizziness and hallucinations. Or even leave a person in a state close to being drunk.

    But for Saulo, this was too much even for the calmest person to keep his composure.

    There was a lot he didn''t know about the Trivalence.

    If, for example, he had the means and skills, he would apply the knowledge to explain events, in addition to seeking answers and conclusions that were logical in the field of research. But in this reality, Saulo didn''t possess that. It wasn''t as if he possessed between his hands an ancient tablet with an archaic language, in which after a few years, he would meet with his colleagues eager to listen to his discoveries.

    This was totally different.

    A good comparison occurred to him in the midst of the restlessness of every fiber of his being.

    An infectious disease characterized by the appearance of warts near valleys and mountain areas took numerous lives. Faced with such events, a medical student voluntarily inoculated himself with contaminated blood to investigate the disease with his own body. Sick, he continued to take notes about the symptoms he developed, writing about his medical history until the disease took his life. Thanks to his own experimented research, it was discovered that the rash of warts was the chronic phase of the same infectious agent that caused fever and anemia in its acute phase; and that it was long believed to be another disease.

    Due to his actions, in a time when medicine wasn''t so advanced, was possible to have a better knowledge about this disease.

    How did he know that?

    Because it was a real story. One day of the spring season was commemorated the day of medicine in the country in honor of the date on which died that man who gave his life for the study of diseases.

    A martyr of the country''s medicine.

    A person who gave his life knowing what would come after injecting himself with that disease.

    "There is nothing to discuss... This sounds dangerous from where you hear it. I''ll not be your subject of experiment."

    "Calm down. Once you''ve listened to me completely, you''ll have every right to react however you want. But now... Listen to me."

    The calm that that intention conveyed was felt in a real concern to explain himself. It wasn''t a powerful voice, but Saulo felt that this something that doesn''t match between the state of health of the elderly man and his expressions capable of transmitting such expressiveness, is what keeps him intrigued of wanting to continue discovering what was unknown to him, even though they have only met less than an hour ago.

    On the contrary, this person wasn''t like Aaron, of whom had been notorious possessed a powerful voice to give orders. This person looked back at Saulo with a strong but genuine feeling for speaking.

    And with this in mind, Saulo wanted to listen.

    "Thank you,"said the elderly man, wiping the accumulated sweat from his nose with his forearm. "The existence of Trivalence would have no force if there was no physical evidence. Do you remember what I told you? ... The same thing happens here. A path of discovery was investigated and revealed to understand the Trivalence."

    Although Saulo was still perplexed by the elderly man''s calm attitude, his gaze softened. For now, he had to listen and then judge.

    "Well, here are the results. A living proof that Trivalence is not dangerous. That''s me."

    "... Do you... carry another Trivalence in your body?"

    Saulo had understood from the man''s explanation that the Trivalence was an extremely unusual substance.

    "It was a long time ago. And it''s not another Trivalence. It''s this same Trivalence that is here in this bottle. It was for several months until I decided it was time for the Trivalence to leave my body."

    "What! Does the body not assimilate the Trivalence as if it were a liquid?"

    "It''s not like that. The Trivalence isn''t a liquid in itself because the body doesn''t absorb it. It would be more appropriate to say that the body acts as a vessel. Just like this plastic vessel in my hand."

    Saulo wanted to add something, but he chose not to interrupt.

    "I''ve been the only test subject I know who dared to drink this multicolored substance, but the Trivalence is not a danger in itself because it can destroy the body, soul, or mind. The carelessness of actions and the temptation to carry power and knowledge is what causes the danger of death. I know... I know because I carried that responsibility."

    "And you can give that responsibility to a young man you have just met? A responsibility that involves carrying within the body as a living farm a substance that has only had you as a bearer."

    Faced with day-to-day experiences, one reacted according to one''s personality. From time to time, however, this wasn''t the case.

    "Did you so easily expect that someone listening to your proposal would be willing to become a martyr? Many are afraid of the unknown... and more to the uncertainty that implies carrying the Trivalence. I fear the unknown... and that certainty that comes after life."

    "This responsibility cannot be assumed by an old man with so many sins as to be forgiven. No. It must be you. You are the one who can help another even in his poverty of power."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    "I also have my...!"

    Saulo was about to make a clarification, but the man interrupted him, anticipating what the boy was going to reply.

    "I know that you must have your doubts about whether you are the one indicated with your virtues and sins, with your qualities and defects. It''s true that we just met and there is no trust between us. But of the suitable candidates I know, you are the most suitable to receive the Trivalence."

    "How can you say that? You said it yourself, sir. We just met! And don''t tell me that I''m the only one who''s ever helped you. I know this society isn''t so rotten as not to help an older adult."

    That Saulo was so sure of that wasn''t supported by empty words.

    In his community and in the surrounding villages, the longest lived members were treated with respect. They were an active part of the collective life and they still were, even with the complications of age.

    Likewise, in the last decade, the cultural patterns of the population also changed due to the characteristics of demographic growth. In the country, over the years, more local, regional and national policies were promulgated to provide quality of life for an increasingly long-lived population.

    "I''ve found all kinds of people. Those who turn their backs, those who expect a reward for their help, those who are forced to do it or those who selflessly help. These are the realities of the country with which I have lived."

    "And what makes me different?!"

    Although Saulo had raised his voice, he wasn''t addressing anyone in particular. Who was the only one listening to what the boy had to say judged that it wasn¡¯t the right time to intervene.

    "I want to help others by creating supporting objects for combat."

    That exclamation made the elderly man raise his eyebrow a little.

    "But since I was a child, I have realized that my body isn''t fit to fight. And it''s because I have no talent. Some like me weren''t born with the talent to use a trinity. And no matter how much I train and try, I don''t have the talent to fight. That''s why my future is to be the one who helps the fighter capable of protecting himself and others. For me to be that person who fights is an unreality."

    Saulo let the tension flow between his shoulders, but before continuing, the person who spoke to him intervened.

    "Do you want to help others by creating potentially dangerous objects? It may sound a little harsh what I''m going to say, but.... Isn''t that helping indirectly with more violence in this world where every being can be a danger if they irresponsibly use their trinities? A world with tensions between humans against humans and humans against creatures."

    "I believe that violence can''t solve everything. But what I have experienced today reaffirms to me that it''s impossible to solve everything with dissuasive words. Sometimes, the only option left is only to apply force to solve problems, even if it''s with objects devalued by the majority such as supporting objects."

    Saulo took a moment to think about his words and continued immediately.

    "I fought because it was for self-defense, so I justify the use of these objects, my summoned weapon and my shadow abilities. But for other acts I''ll not be able to do the same. I''m an Amish and violence isn''t the way I have been taught to solve problems."

    "Wait... Have you said that you are an Amish?"

    "That''s what I said."

    The momentary surprise and confusion of this person reminded him when some tourists started taking photographs from afar of the members of his community. It was understandable, but it was still a little uncomfortable when people asked too much about a lifestyle that seemed to have stopped in time.

    Fortunately, from the way the elderly man inspected it, it seemed that the he had some notion of what an Amish was.

    "You mean those people who can''t do anything even if they''re bothered... similar to those royal guards in one of those monarchic countries of the North Continent."

    "I think they can respond if disturbed."

    "I''ve never traveled to that triad, so I don''t know. But leaving that aside, I can tell from your backpack that you plan to stay for quite some time at your destination."

    "Ah, this? I really do plan on staying long enough where I''m going, but my backpack doesn''t look that bulky because I''m carrying a lot of stuff. It''s like this because after I fell from one of these slopes, my backpack somehow completely wrapped me up like a gift and saved me. And now I don''t know how to get it back to its original form."

    The backpack the man was referring to was with many lines of folds and twice its original size. After explaining the details, the elderly man seemed quite intrigued.

    "So that''s what happened. And you were walking along this path to the city of Boggio."

    "Yes, I''m an Amish from the region of the Central Mountains who goes to the capital for, among other things, develop with better means these and other objects that you''ve seen me use. Why the question?"

    With a brief "I understand,"the elderly man turned his gaze back to the backpack.

    "You seem to have no idea what this backpack is, but be assured that it is not an average. This backpack belongs to what we know as ''Future Technologie''."

    "Future Technologie?"

    "They are artifacts and articles that, thanks to the latest advances in technology, allow us to perform tasks that would be difficult for humans. And they are called precisely this way because by their capabilities are twenty years ahead of the current technology... Hmm...I see. So they are already starting to apply this technology for the use of the common population."

    "I''ve never heard of them."

    "That''s normal. It''s only a few years ago that this Future Technologie began to become more common. But the most amazing thing is that they come from what we know as relics or sacred equipment."

    Once I heard in the villages surrounding my community that there are objects and equipment that allow us to do all that which for a human being would be impossible to achieve.

    Saulo''s expression is to have a very general idea of what they are talking about, so he immediately seeks to confirm if they were referring to the same subject.

    "Relics. Those God-given artifacts that bestow unique abilities. Like special powers."

    "Those very ones."

    "And with sacred equipment refers to those weapons and armor that allow the limits of the body to be broken."

    "Exactly. And the incredible thing is that after numerous research studies and field tests, it has been possible to replicate to some extent that power in the artifacts and articles of Future Technology. Of course they are still far inferior to relics and sacred equipment, but better prototypes have achieved very good utility."

    "So... my backpack comes from having experimented with a relic or sacred equipment."

    Saulo asks with an expression of disbelief. This Future Technologie thing was new to him.

    "Or the combination of both. But it''s as you say. However, until you find out who gave it to you, you won''t know much. Seeking very specific information about its origin can be dangerous. Although it is not a relic or sacred equipment, it is still an object not so common that it can awaken the desire to steal it."

    The fact that he was told that a backpack that was given to him nine years ago was in fact a technology that seemed almost futuristic, made him realize that nobody in his community or in the surrounding villages had noticed it. He would have to get to the capital as soon as possible to ask about such a mysterious object.

    "Now do you understand how backward you are about what you want to develop. On a utility rung, your supporting objects for combat are at the bottom..."

    The elderly man points his cane at Saulo''s backpack, where in one of the side pockets he kept his supporting objects for combat.

    "... however, I possesses what is at the top step."

    The sensation of an incredible power about to emerge deconcentrated Saulo from all thought. His attention had turned to who had caused him to inadvertently stand on his guard with his arms.

    "If you want to see it from a current point of view, they are opposites. The supporting objects for combat as the weakest and the Trivalence as the strongest in this world."

    Closing his eyes for a moment, the elderly man looks Saulo straight into the eyes sure of what he was going to say.

    "And since you said you''re an Amish, you''re far behind when it comes to technological development. You are a creator of more artisanal technologies. I see it because of your creations. But you don''t have the means or the sufficient knowledge to develop your supporting objects for combat as the scientists who do have them in quantity, besides being supported by the government to dispose of the sacred relics and equipments that require their researches of Future Technology. That''s why I''m giving you the Trivalence. To develop that which is lowest in power with that which has the highest... and the best way for someone like you is with your body as the recipient of this substance."

    The elderly man lets the silence be present so that Saulo can assume what he has just said. However, an enthusiasm more in keeping with being young makes him speak again after a short time.

    "Just imagine. This extraordinary backpack that saved its owner from death is the result of having researched these relics and sacred equipment... What might be possible if you investigate what is above all this. What you might be able to apply to your supporting objects for combat or other creations if you experience and explore what the Trivalence is capable of. So much knowledge and power would be very well used by you, someone kind of heart."

    Without waiting for Saulo to say something, the elderly man hits the ground with the end of his cane.

    "And that is because of this principle and truth...  This is the original union of all colors, weapons and elements."

    Before his voice finishes resounding, the intensity of the words doesn''t diminish.

    "What is above supporting objects for combat, relics and sacred equipment."

    The elderly man''s eyes gleamed until the iris became a transparent color.

    "This is the essence of the world."

    Looking carefully, Saulo can see that the elderly man''s words had brought a change with them. The blue of his eyes had disappeared noticeably until there were only enough remains to say that both iris had not disappeared.

    "This is Trivalence. The pinnacle of all existence."

    "So this is what left the commander immobile."

    Now he understood what exactly allowed him to win when their ultimate abilities were about to collide between the smoke and the fog.

    That which Aaron saw between the smoke and the fog now had him immobilized.

    A presence that saw straight into the soul.

 Chapter 15 - Decision

    "This is what that commander witnessed. This paralyzed him."

    Realizing that the boy''s voice and balance had given way to surprise, the elderly man spoke immediately, pointing to his multicolored eyes.

    "Yes. The commander was surprised because he witnessed this change in my eyes between the darkness of his ultimate ability and the fog itself... Though,"said the thoughtful elderly man, looking away. "I think his astonishment came from recognizing a familiar look."

    "But how did you...-"

    "And if you are wondering why I can do this if the Trivalence is contained in this bottle I carry..."he said, looking back at Saulo. "This is because these are the last scattered remnants of that substance in my body that manifest. Similar to inadvertently leaving a few drops of water after drinking from a glass or leaving the leaves of some lettuces on the ground when they are harvested. You must be familiar with that last example because of what you have told me about yourself."

    That''s right. Always by the force of the wind or because it''s pulled with too much force some leaves remain in the soil of an agricultural field.

    Putting together the gears of knowledge in his brain, Saulo understood better the comparison with the body being a vessel of this substance. Just like a vessel, even if its contents were emptied, there were always a few drops on the edges.

    "And this that I show you... are the last remnants in my body of what you have known today is Trivalence. Record in your heart that sensation and make an effort so that someday you too will do it."

    The strange state of immobilization in Saulo''s body ended when the elderly man''s multicolored eyes returned to their crystalline blue color.

    "What was that all about? Your eyes..."

    "Oh, that. It''s what I would call a resonance between a user and the Trivalence. When the body, mind and Trivalence enter a state of synchrony you will be able to see the world through the eyes of the truth and origin of this world... But barely and I have managed to explore that territory so I can''t tell you more about what you should do in addition to training body and mind..."

    And as he nodded in response, the elderly man rests both hands on his staff.

    "Don''t worry if I look tired. On the contrary, I want to ask you something."

    The elderly man remained silent for a while, but finally took a deep breath and spoke.

    "Get me out of this doubt. As far as I know, the Amish are a community that has a strong belief in not using any violent means to deal with or solve problems, either with summoned weapons, or supporting objects. Why then, being someone from a community that believes in pacifism, you want to create more weapons like supporting objects for combat?"

    That was a very reasonable question given that someone who knew even a little about Amish beliefs, with the last thing he would associate them with would be weapons.

    "Sounds like a contradiction, doesn''t it? Although you have said pacifism, our belief regarding use of force is what would be called as non-resistance. In the face of an attack, we don''t use any form of violence either as a defense or as a retaliation because since the time of our ancestors we follow the teaching of heaven: to the one who hurts your right cheek, present him the other as well. It''s something difficult for others to understand, but that is our point of view that we have as a foundational belief. We are even against holding public service positions because we interpret it as a power used against others. But due to a past event, I realized that in this second opportunity, things couldn''t go on the same way if the moment to act arose."

    Saulo was between motivated and serious; and the elderly man, according to what the young man explained to him, could get an idea of why.

    "In the face of this dilemma in which violence brings more violence, but at certain times its use is inevitable and necessary, I adopted a less violent and intermediate alternative."

    "Alternative that you found in the supporting objects for combat?"

    "Yes, I want to offer an alternative with my supporting objects to those who cannot act with the power of their trinity. To those who, because they are weak in power, do not have the confidence or attributes to do what is right at the right time... People like me."

    Saulo, who had kept his gaze high, lowered it a bit by referring to himself.

    "But you helped me when you perceived that it was the right thing to do. There are adults who would hesitate to help because it could be dangerous or simply because they are afraid, but you helped me even though it goes against the beliefs of your community. Once again I am grateful to you."

    Saulo''s gaze turned even more to the ground.

    "Y-you''re welcome,"Saulo said a little embarrassed. "But like me, non-Amish people also reject any form of violence, so at least I want to give them an alternative in case they find themselves in the critical situation of needing to intervene with more than words. Likewise, to those who are weak with their trinities and have no alternative but to stay on the sidelines, I also want to give them this same opportunity. The confidence to act."

    Saulo smiled wearily.

    "That''s why I want to create supporting objects for combat. I won''t fight directly, but I''ll indirectly support those who have to. It''s a different way of fighting, but that is what I believe in. That''s my way of helping and fighting... And that''s why I can''t be the best candidate to receive the Trivalence. I still haven''t achieved anything with this goal I''ve set myself."

    Slowly, the atmosphere was changed by the subsequent silence of these words.

    ¡­

    A true loneliness appeared in the persona who was now speechless.

    "You''re wrong."

    And after this silence, the words of the elderly man who waited patiently for the moment to speak were heard.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "A person who has achieved nothing wouldn''t defeat a man who was part of the high ranks of the army."

    "But it was pure luck. I don''t know why my opponent looked the other way, but it was the fear he felt at that moment that allowed me to win. If he hadn''t been distracted, I would now be dangerously wounded... or dead."

    "And it didn''t happen that way. You were able to attack at the necessary moment to defeat him. Also, from what I could see while I was semi-conscious, it was a young man trying to match the tactics of his opponent several times."

    "..."

    "Using the psychology of fear of being wounded in the face, emulating his element with your smoke grenade, inquiring him about being a soldier with the same words he used to intimidate you about your origin in coming from the countryside. That man didn''t expect you to do the same by intuiting about his military past. And when you couldn''t fight at his level, you tried to diminish those advantages that man had as you did when you blinded him, to someone with eyes so accustomed to the darkness of the fog... Young man, you fought in an irregular way and I also agree that you should have been defeated, but in the end you fought and came out alive."

    "I..."

    "Don''t you realize? The gifts and talents kept in you, like cleverness and knowledge, the Trivalence will guide them."

    "I..."

    "But none of that will matter... because the strongest rival is within you."

    Saulo''s will broke down immediately. The force of the words directed towards him carried a truth difficult to escape. No more arguments were needed to make him feel that he had been exposed."

    He firmly believed that such an important decision couldn''t be answered in the blink of an eye. Too real to be true and little credible even to be a lie.

    But... didn''t everything fit together?

    If he started thinking about it, everything was connected perfectly.

    The history of the human and animal species, the first time he heard the term Trivalence, the colors of all the trinities present in the multicoloured substance that the elderly man held in his left hand.

    Everything was born of the Trivalence.

    Once again, there was silence.

    It wasn''t one of those situations in which one felt pressured to speak. Neither of them considered it that way. The fact that both of them remained silent was due to a space necessary for the flow of the conversation to continue...

    "You don''t understand."

    ... It was the space for reflection.

    "I come from a village where we don''t use electricity, feed on what we sow, and travel by horse and carriage. The best way to describe our lifestyle is a rural one, like in ancient times. One would say that by being far from the important centers of civilization and technology we would be in a precarious situation. But that is the form of growth in cities."

    Biting his lower lip, Saulo stopped his words to turn his back on the elderly man, but when his shoulders moved, he stopped.

    The wind was blowing strong between the two.

    "In rural villages it''s different. How we subsist is with the collective work where we all help each other to forge those bonds that will selflessly help in favorable and difficult times."

    Saulo gulped for a moment and continued.

    "But I''m not going to have their support for this. You say that the strongest rival is within me. But what about my circumstances. We are a peaceful community that rejects violence so no member has ever served in the military. I don''t regret helping you, but even in this situation violence shouldn''t be used. It''s not the way we solve problems. If within my community they never accepted that I develop supporting objects for combat, then much less will they do it with the Trivalence."

    "And did that stop you?"

    The elderly man raised his voice.

    "Why should I use supporting objects for combat if I already have a trinity? You must have heard that very often, and I also agree with them. It''s a reality that hurts, but it''s like that."

    The young man''s expression indicated that he didn''t expect the man''s words. The cruel, hopeless truth that he knew existed in the countryside and surely in the city was repeated to him again by practically a stranger.

    "However, it''s not gratitude because you have saved me or a feeling of sympathy that you use supporting objects for combat, the reason I consider you to be the best candidate to receive the Trivalence."

    "Why then would he give me such a great capacity as the Trivalence?"

    "Because you, being the one who possesses the least power and knowledge of all the candidates, was the one who most defended what he considers his power and knowledge."

    Saulo''s vision became clouded again. Only this time, however, wasn''t due to the fog.

    "And also because when the time comes... those same people with whom you shared experiences will forgive you."

    ... That''s exactly what I told the commander.

    He couldn''t contain himself any longer. Little by little, the limits of what he could bear to hear while maintaining a single expression gave way to what Saulo initially tried to hide.

    The repressed crying reached the elderly man''s ears.

    Just surrender

    Even we, who don''t fight, know that the supporting objects for combat are too weak to use in a confrontation.

    Even if you create something, you won''t be able to change what''s already established. There''s already a more powerful and natural means that we all possess and it''s called a trinity, so stop believing that you will be able to change that with your invented garbage.

    You make the whole community anxious with your dangerous inventions.

    Take away your useless trinket.

    Saulo didn''t have the strength to speak.

    The memories that came related to the development of his supporting objects were covered by his forearm.

    All were words that others expressed about his creations and that, to varying degrees, he ignored or... finally they wounded him.

    I just wanted to hear those words about my supporting creations. And they come from who can develop such power, such knowledge... From who possesses the strongest... From who possesses the Trivalence.

    "Well, what do you say about my proposal regarding the Trivalence? We have a lot to talk about the details, but only if you''re interested."

    Saulo wiped his tears, directing his glassy eyes towards the elderly man.

    The man''s expression was one of absolute calm. But that same man person that had been accompanying him along the path now was with a concern that overshadowed the serenity of his face.

    It was time for the young man to make a clear decision, either by accepting or rejecting. A decision by his will and not by obligation.

    Saulo stood where he was.

    He no longer cried, but didn''t nod or shake his head.

    "How could I..."

    Like this, a few moments passed until the internal conflict that only Saulo knew about was transformed to words.

    "How could I, a simple country boy who knows nothing of the world even think of taking possession of a divine substance? Something so exceptional shouldn''t even be carried by me."

    "That''s not what you..."

    As if feeling his worries, the elderly man was ready to intervene. But when he realized how the young man''s expressions didn''t match with what he had just said, he held back.

    "But... that''s what I''d say before we both started walking."

    A hopeful hunch grew in his weakened body as he listened to what he wanted the young man to say.

    "But now, I have my clearest decision."

    "That means..."

    "Yes, yes, please. I''ll take the Trivalence."

    Saulo smiled as the man nodded joyfully.

 Chapter 16 - The Night of the Red and Black Knives

    Two people were standing on the Oyogue Path. Whoever saw them would say that they were taking a break on a path in which the fog was treacherous. In itself, the lack of vision would cause a stumble, and with an elderly person one had to be much more careful when walking.

    However, that was the situation until recently.

    The motivation of a person with a cane was evident in the distance.

    "Listen to me, young man. It''s not easy for me to talk about the Trivalence, let alone explain its importance in such a short time. That''s not to mention the impact of hearing its revelation. I don''t blame you if you think there are too many emotions given the recent circumstances. I''m sure given this, it''s hard for you to make a deal."

    "No, no. I''ve calmed down. Seriously, I''m calmer now."

    Although this was supposed to be a trip with some risk involved, Saulo didn''t expect the scale of what he had recently faced.

    He saw a threat against an elderly man, he got involved with a theft group, and fought against a former army commander.

    All those crimes most likely to occur in the cities, and which in his sixteen years of life he had almost never experienced due in part to how far away his community was from the big settlements, had happened here in about half an hour.

    "That''s good for both of us."

    However, all of these incidents were forgotten for a greater cause. One that they both shared in thought about what they wanted to talk about next.

    "As you can see, my health is too deteriorated for me to use the Trivalence. I am too old to move great distances. You have already noticed from my appearance that my state of health is delicate. But I cannot accept that I am dying. I take walks to lie to myself that my health will improve and I''ll be able to be a carrier of Trivalence once again. That''s how I''ve lived with that false hope for the past three years."

    The elderly man walking by his side pointed to his hand as proof of his words. To Saulo''s surprise, there was almost no presence of flesh that could observe more than the mandatory layer of skin that in itself covered the bones of the hand very thinly.

    Three years with that suffering.

    The elderly man''s suffering honestly moved him.

    "In this state of health, my body wouldn''t withstand the Trivalence. And if I did it by some miracle, it would be insignificant the advances that I could achieve. I hate to admit it, but age weights."

    The cough he heard coming from the elderly man just minutes ago came back in an uncontrollable reaction. There was no blood this time, but Saulo couldn''t help but worry.

    "You must have thought of it before, but wouldn''t it be better if you sold it? Certainly, with care to find a suitable buyer."

    "Yes, I already thought of that possibility and immediately discarded it. This responsibility can''t be bought with money. If Trivalence falls into the wrong hands, it would wreak havoc on our future as a species and also that of creatures."

    However, among the wrinkles of the elderly man''s face, the motivation reflected in his features didn''t match with the ravages of age. The reactions that the pain of his illness did not allow him to manifest in parts of his body such as his legs or in a normal breathing rate; were reflected, instead, in the satisfaction of being liberated from the emotions that he had been holding for so many years.

    "Before we move on to the agreement, I want you to answer me one question if you allow me."Saulo said, to which he immediately received a forceful gesture that there was no problem with talking. "How do you have something like this? I mean, it''s not like you can find something like this in a store."

    Saulo expressed the question that most intrigued him. Something so peculiar and of divine origin shouldn''t be in the hands of a mortal.

    "Let''s say it was something unexpected. Circumstances made it happen. Similar to you appearing here and helping me."

    He didn''t go into more detail, so Saulo avoided asking more about "those circumstances". His question for now wouldn''t have a clear answer.

    "This is my proposal,"said the elderly man, stopping suddenly. "I''ll lend you the Trivalence and after five years, you return it to me."

    Saulo thought for a few moments and nodded in accordance with the expectations placed on him. However, the gesture wasn''t reciprocated. This was because Saulo''s expression had been deformed with concern.

    "I have one last question to ask you."

    "It''s the least I can do. Yes, ask what you want to know."

    Saulo was grateful for the man''s disposition. His delay in asking the question let the elderly person know that it was an important question.

    "... why did those thieves want to talk to you so insistently?"

    There was a sudden silence.

    "I mean. I don''t know if they wanted to take away the Trivalence, but I got the impression that it wasn''t so. Apparently, they didn''t even know what you possessed. But I think that man who was a commander really wanted to talk to you."

    The elderly man looked straight at Saulo, with no change in his expressions, but the young man, before the eye contact, stood firm.

    Silence became uncertainty.

    This question had nothing to do with Trivalence, so the elderly man couldn''t help but feel that he was taken unawares.

    "Well,"Saulo said after a few seconds. "I''m not who to get into other people''s business. I''m sorry if my question was inappropriate."

    The warmth that the atmosphere retained returned to the way it was.

    "Then..."

    "Yes, we have a deal."

    With arms outstretched, a strong handshake sealed the deal.

    His hand is as cold as winter.

    That was the first thing Saulo thought when he touched the elderly man''s skin.

    It certainly wasn''t hot, but it wasn''t the season for the body temperature to drop so much. Feeling the flaccidity of his phalanges, almost as if he was directly touching bones where there should be fingers, saddened him somewhat.

    However, apart from the burning sensation at his fingertips, between both an expression of decision appeared with respectful eyes.

    The time had come.

    With the hand that held the bottle, the elderly man extended forward what the young man had agreed to drink.

    Extending his arm, Saulo slowly moved his fingers to carefully take what the elderly man was holding.

    It was a bottle made of plastic, so if it fell, there would be no danger of it breaking. Saulo''s concern about what would happen if the bottle broke was interrupted by a dull sound.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    It wasn''t due to the bottle breaking as it fell.

    This sensation that reached his ears was simply due to the person who tried to give the small bottle to him dropped his cane in an oversight.

    "I''ll pick it up."

    Before Saulo bent down to pick up the cane, he was stopped by the unthinkable.

    The Trivalence had disappeared from sight.

    As such.

    What he had said he would do remained in words when he verified that the substance he had to take was no longer there.

    "So that''s how it feels to drink the Trivalence again. Hmm... Just like that time, almost nothing happened just by drinking it. I must write this down."

    More murmurs stopped Saulo from asking for explanations.

    In that atmosphere of surprise, no explanation for the time being would get him out of this confusion.

    The elderly man had drunk the Trivalence.

    "Why did you...?!"

    "Oh, excuse me. I got lost in my thoughts."

    Saulo felt that he was lost with nothing more to say.

    "With this I have confirmed and demonstrated to you that the Trivalence isn''t dangerous even for an elderly body like mine."

    What initially Saulo didn''t understand at all, it became a relief by knowing that nothing happened to the elderly man and, therefore, nothing unpleasant should happen to him either after drinking the Trivalence, like the explosion of his body.

    But the reality was that everything remained absolutely the same as before, with no change in the elderly man.

    There was no coughing nor loss of blood from the one who now had the Trivalence. His physical appearance didn''t change either. Saulo couldn''t say that this person possessed any strange ability that made him stand out more than by his almost transparent blue eyes.

    The truth that he witnessed made the Trivalence seem like a simple thing to drink; but the attitude with which the elderly man looked at him, made him also to get serious.

    "However, the danger comes when the Trivalence is used."

    Because that information exceeded his expectations, Saulo was slightly bewildered.

    With a youthful face reflecting the thought "it does no harm to possess it, but it does harm to use it,"the elderly man nodded deeply with a determined expression.

    "And the best way you can understand what this ability is all about is by the example."

    Saulo nodded at the honest explanation. He had no idea what he was about to witness, but the only answer he could give was in the affirmative.

    "Please, don''t push yourself too hard."

    "I know. But it''s a pain I''m willing to feel if it can help you make it clearer how you can develop the capacities of the Trivalence."

    There were no more reasons to reject that statement. He had to accept the elderly man''s will and carefully observe his resolve.

    "Can you go to that place, please? You''d better step back a little."

    Feeling expectant of what would happen, Saulo walked to where he was instructed.

    Between the fog and the occasional sound of birds flying, only the two of them were on the path.

    "Since we don''t have time, I''ll train you here quickly."

    "Yes, I''m ready."

    "I don''t want you to be afraid, but you must engrave in your mind every sensation you experience from now on."

    "I''ll."

    "Very well. So, get ready."

    Saulo left his backpack on the side of the path and assumed a firm position, with a straight back and clenched fists.

    And the second that followed...

    The fog around the elderly man swirled from the center of power that he was.

    Saulo felt it as a squeaking sound that passed over his chest and back.

    And immediately, that wave of power that gave him a slight shiver caused a change in the atmosphere.

    "How is this possible!?"

    Not only had an irregular power wave originated from the elderly man.

    The fog had been dispersed because of it.

    That same fog with which Saulo had trouble guiding himself and fighting, was now being driven away by a man who from his position stood calmly.

    To begin with, it was abnormal for fog to act this way just because someone proposed to move it. No matter how much effort someone put in, that shouldn''t be possible. Of course, with a very strong blow or an ability it would be possible to move some of the fog away, but not on this scale.

    "All this and without his weapon."

    Nevertheless, this event had been accomplished without the need for a weapon. That, in other words, meant that the elderly man from the beginning didn''t have all the means at his disposal to accomplish that feat.

    However, the reality that Saulo observed astonished was different from that assumption.

    And the next moment, that wave of power that Saulo felt advanced behind him, stopped.

    If he hadn''t had the urge to look over his shoulder, he wouldn''t have believed it.

    "H-how is this possible?"

    The fog that had been dispersed wasn''t returning to its natural position. As if an invisible force were pushing it out of the reach of the elderly man, the fog was kept out of a circle around both of them.

    Saulo''s heartbeats became stronger.

    This was beyond all reasonable that a man could do even with the power of his trinity. Even with ''sacred equipment'' or ''relics'' it was unreasonable.

    Unable to move due to astonishment, he tries to collect as much information as he can.

    It was clear that the movement of the fog was unnatural. However nearby his community the fog didn''t tend to form too much.

    Just because I''ve never seen this kind of power, doesn''t mean it cannot be achieved. Perhaps even with a trinity it will be possible to keep the fog at bay. The surprises that await me in this world that I don''t know are probably going to continue... As well as the decisions I''ll have to make from now on.

    But even as he witnessed this improbable change in the environment, his attention wasn''t directed towards the surroundings.

    Within the circle of visibility cleared by the contained fog, a man''s atmosphere remained serene as the cause of this separation of the light and darkness.

    Confidence was in his eyes.

    Keeping his hands on his back above his waist, there was nothing to distract him from his task. Neither the need to hold his staff nor the perplexed expression of the young man. The urgencies and curiosities that stopped or diminished concentration were annulled by a firm consciousness.

    This is how Saulo felt this unstoppable conviction.

    "Look up."

    "Ah?"

    Suddenly hearing the elderly man''s voice caused Saulo to let out a strange noise. But as he lifted his head, he was taken by the surprise of what was moving away through the sky. The Oyogue Path was a dirt road located a few meters from the sea, so it was natural the presence of seagulls flying near the coast.

    What was illogical, on the other hand, was that those same birds that flew over their heads returned from where they came.

    Whether they came from or headed for the sea, the seagulls avoided approaching with erratic flights the clear space in the fog. It was too sudden a change in behavior and extremely unusual to see.

    I''m so weak that I can''t feel what such helpless animals can

    However, what worried him was that these birds were fleeing from a sensation he couldn''t feel.

    Bloodlust.

    It was common for peaceful animals to possess a more developed sense of danger than the average creature. Because these creatures didn''t have the means to defend themselves, intuition was their best weapon to avoid danger. In Saulo''s case, he didn''t notice any significant change. The fear of the birds was as a result of the danger that man transmitted, but he couldn''t feel that bloodlust that should also make him fear.

    The only thing I can feel is his great conviction.

    And suddenly, a loud cough distracted Saulo from all attention and thought.

    "Are you all right!?"

    Saulo didn¡¯t manage to take more than a step toward the elderly man who was spitting blood.

    ??

    He had to stop.

    "Why I can''t...?

    His attempts to come to the aid of the older person without further explanation had been cut off because his body refused to move forward.

    Suddenly, Saulo felt bad.

    Very bad.

    From whom kept wiping the blood from his lips with a handkerchief that Saulo had previously reached him, now emitted a vortex of death that didn''t coincide with the fragile state of health that his bones and posture showed.

    But why now?! A few seconds ago I couldn''t¡­!

    Saulo yelled inside him again and again.

    The presence of the man who was on his knees moved further and further away from the domain of what ordinary people like him could comprehend.

    His vision felt weak.

    His consciousness was abandoning him.

    Faced with a pressure so strong that it oppressed him, that same density that stopped him from speaking had spread until it had devoured the very darkness of the fog.

    For Saulo, the cold of the air was colder than ever.

    Materialized in a black and red vortex, the young man understood that this was what he felt directed towards him.

    This was bloodlust.

    One directed specifically at him.

    Before he knew it, the day turned into a night of red and black knives.

 Chapter 17 - The Promise of the Separate Ways

    There was no way to interrupt that sense of death other than to try to endure it.

    I must continue to stand.

    However, despite his thoughts, Saulo couldn¡¯t help but be dragged down by his own fear.

    I must resist. I must...

    The urge to vomit and be soon to faint invaded him strongly. With a power that was on a level completely out of this world, his desires and physical efforts grouped to break the limits of his body. However, even so, Saulo''s attempts to stand were largely overcome by the pressure of the bloodlust that was pushing him to the ground.

    The inability to free himself paralyzed him even more, bringing with it the bad memory of being in a lucid dream, but from which he couldn''t awaken.

    But unlike that experience, it was real here.

    As real as recognizing that all his thoughts had been directed to the fact that he was trapped with no way out.

    "What are you waiting for to free yourself? I understand that you have never felt anything similar because your community is far from all violence, but... That you strive to get out of this bloodlust is natural. But for how long can you make your body and mind continue with this resistance? It''s time to stand up to the pressure of death or yield to it."

    It''s too much this pressure!

    The oxygen needed to breathe was getting smaller and smaller. Telling the elderly man to stop was impossible because his lungs wouldn''t allow it without causing him tremendous pain.

    If he did, the pain would go away.

    If he gave in, the pain would disappear as well.

    It would be so difficult to overcome this pressure.

    And so easy to surrender.

    There was no other option.

    "Remember."

    Even without being able to speak, Saulo is able to hear the voice addressed only to him.

    "Remember why you are here. The reason why you have embarked on this journey. Where is that motivation you showed to that commander? That is the first step to get out of this bloodlust."

    Saulo also began to ask himself that question.

    Little by little, he feels with resignation that thar force that drove him to fight will fade away at any moment even though it happened only a few hours ago.

    At what point did I lose my concentration and set aside my ultimate goal?

    It wasn''t because of the power of the trinity or his anger at hearing the insults to his supporting objects for combat that it was he was motivated to do everything that had happened today.

    He was going to a much more distant time.

    When he decided to go to the capital for a very simple reason.

    To do what made him happy. Just that.

    To develop supporting objects for combat. And to discover new experiences of a place outside the countryside to which he had always lived.

    "T-that sensation of d-discovery is my motivation for a y-young Amish like me."

    That sensation that he could die if he allowed himself to be defeated by the vortex of knives didn''t disappear, but at least now he was able to speak.

    "However, the motivation is only the beginning to get out of this bloodlust. Only those who are the protagonists of their own history can overcome this bloodlust by themselves. With motivating memories or memories that say you can do it, is not enough to achieve your goal. Think about what else you can do."

    What else can I do?

    There was powerful truth in what the elderly man said. Just by saying something like "I won''t give up,"a person couldn''t automatically break his limits and overcome any obstacle.

    At least not for Saulo.

    "Ke-aahh!"

    It was imperative that he look for a solution.

    "Gahhh!"

    And soon.

    The vortex of red and black blades wouldn''t wait for him.

    But what should I do!

    That question again came to his head.

    There was nothing around to help him. Everything depended on him.

    He had to put in his best effort. But both his body and his mind didn¡¯t respond as he wished.

    Saulo squinted as he thought carefully about his last possibilities. It was the ground or the sky.

    Struggling to keep his body from falling, he moderated his breathing slightly.

    And immediately, from the corner of his right lip, the blood is coming out.

    One more sign that his end was about to come.

    My body won''t last much longer. Telling myself that I can do it or summoning my halberd is not what will help me stand. And with this pain in my mouth it is more difficult for me to counteract... ?!

    Saulo takes the blood out of his mouth, and looks straight ahead.

    "For those of us who weren''t born with gifts or skills,looking for a-alternatives is what we can do. And if there is none... then I''ll create them."

    From his mouth, a lot of blood came out.

    As much as it was possible for that part of the face to have.

    The elderly man was surprised by this action, but he immediately returned to his serious expression. Pity was something that didn''t work with him.

    Saulo''s body contracted. Despite the pain in his tongue, and the obvious pressure caused by the bloodlust, an idea had occurred to him.

    Counteract pain with pain. Something similar to fighting poison with poison. An absurd theory was that if you ate poisoned food you should eat more poisoned food to counteract it. For obvious reasons he had never tested this assumption, but it was a principle he could work with.

    If he couldn''t control his body and mind, he would make them react involuntarily.

    And biting his tongue hard was that pain he needed.

    For a brief moment, a reflex act prevented him from thinking of the bloodlust that continued to torment him.

    And the stronger the pressure applied, the more likely that this new pain would help him forget the other.

    A pressure of sixty-five kilos was exerted by Saulo''s tongue, which consequently gave him valuable seconds to move his body in a reflex act... and of course a lot of pain.

    The elderly man understood it immediately when he saw the large amount of blood coming out of his mouth.

    And then...

    "I think that was enough."

    Only Saulo''s arm and chin didn''t fall to the ground.

    The relief was immediately. Not because Saulo had conquered that bloodlust that almost knocked him out. The pressure on his body from one moment to another had been released by the same person who had created that murderous pressure whirlwind.

    Saulo was barely breathing. But the next seconds were the best breaths of air he ever felt in his life.

    And amidst the agitation of his breathing, he heard footsteps approaching.

    "Never let your guard down."

    A wooden cane was visible in his limited line of sight. In complete disbelief, Saulo got up.

    Being such a simple action, it was on the contrary complicated for him.

    "Are you all right?"

    "Yes, I think-... I''m fine."

    The difficulty to speak disappeared immediately. Without Saulo to say anything, a healing orb had been used again on him. Faster than he could say "I''ll be fine soon", his tongue had been cured completely.

    "So now we can go on with what was agreed."

    Faced with the suppression of bloodlust, the atmosphere returned to the way it was from the beginning. Saulo was embraced by the sweet sensation of the cold fog. That in itself was a relief.

    It had become clear that the fog was a much less terrible cold than the bloodlust that he felt just moments ago.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t warn you earlier. But you must be prepared to face the darkness of who you least imagine and in the quietest moments. You mustn''t be careless. If you haven''t thought about other possibilities before, you have no right to show the security of the strongest people."

    "H-how is it possible that you, sir, emit that bloodlust?"

    Starting with his eyes, the composure returned giving life to his face. Saulo''s expressions, however, remained tense between the corners of his lips.

    "You must keep this in mind."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Faced with the rigid expression looking at him, the elderly man felt that the young man needed to know the reason for his lack of composure.

    "That bloodlust that you felt is the result of the mastery of an individual''s capacities for power and knowledge, and that the Trivalence helps in their development."

    A brief pause allowed Saulo to process the information he received while remembering the story about the evolution of the human and animal species, the capacities of intelligence and power, and of course about the Trivalence itself.

    "As I''ve told you before, regarding how to achieve this bloodlust is with the mastery of power. And the mean to develop that capacity of power is through the balance of a user''s body and trinity. A balance achieved with training and that the Trivalence will eventually enhance."

    The elderly man closed his right fist tightly. After a brief moment in which his thin fingers touched the palm of his hand, he took his middle and index fingers to his temple.

    "However, to manifest this bloodlust wouldn''t be possible only with the capacity of power. It''s true that bloodlust is a way in which powerful wills can alter the environment. But that won''t work if you don''t have first the comprehension that can become fully visible to whom you want to direct it... This is a comprehension obtained by the experience and progressive acquisition of the consciousness that it''ll even manage to keep the fog at bay."

    Saulo hid in a rigid expression his astonishment, but nevertheless, let old thoughts escape from between the corners of his lips... He was hearing too many things he never thought possible in his village.

    "Did you notice how the birds moved away when I directed my bloodlust toward them? Neither the height at which they were nor the fog that surrounded us prevented them from feeling the bloodlust that I gave off. Whether it¡¯s knowledge such as discoveries, revelations or simple daily learning, the Trivalence allows you to better understand all this, whether acting as a means or as an end. That is the knowledge capacity."

    The Trivalence helps to develop two capacities. The power capacity as the balance of your body and trinity; and the knowledge capacity as the comprehension of what you are conscious of achieving through experience.

    Saulo repeated what he understood in his head when the elderly person paused for a few moments to rest, after which he proceeded without delay to continue his explanation.

    "What matters is how you use the knowledge and power you acquire. Take for example, how that sword bearer used the fog in his favor because he knew the times when it would cover the path. A knowledge which he used as his power to fight in the conditions in his favor."

    The healed wounds on Saulo''s skin burned for a moment as he remembered the cuts he received. Being trapped in the fog, however, was what affected him the most.

    "And now it''s your turn."

    A moment later, several flashes of light came out of the person who spoke very calmly about what was happening. Blinking several times to avoid becoming blind, the lights that disturbed Saulo''s sight grouped into a multicolored aura around the elderly man.

    Once he blinked again to examine the elderly man more closely, the aura began to move. Leaving the surrounding organism, little flows of waves intertwined with each other glided smoothly until deposited in harmony in the bottle that the elderly man held in his hand.

    The Trivalence was again in that small bottle.

    "When you are ready, come closer. There is no pain either in taking the Trivalence after the first time or in expelling it. However, those are conjectures because I''m the only one I know who has tried that. This time you may feel a slight pain, so stay calm at all times."

    The only thing left to do was to carry on with what had been agreed.

    Saulo now had to drink the Trivalence to fulfill the deal.

    Would it hurt him?

    He wouldn''t know until he took the substance. He had to cling to the expectations created by his mind to distract himself from the unknown effects that awaited him.

    "Here I go."

    There was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

    Saulo took the little bottle very carefully from the elderly man''s hand.

    In his hand, now a multicolored liquid moved without touching the edges of the bottle.

    "But before you drink the Trivalence, young man... would you please invite me some water? The fog that surrounds this path hasn''t refreshed my throat enough. Young man?"

    Saulo put himself on guard unnecessarily. It''d happened so much today that his heart seemed to react unwittingly.

    "I think we should make a toast, don''t you? This is an occasion that deserves it. Water is enough for me."

    The bottle of water that Saulo gave the elderly man was lifted high.

    "For a future built on a path of peace and equality in which each one values himself and others."

    Saulo looked at the elderly man in what seemed to be astonishment.

    ... Those were words that were familiar to him. Very similar words from a close person who had lost nine years ago.

    ... What should I say?

    He didn''t want to leave the arm of the elderly man trembling any longer on high, but he didn''t want to rush into speaking either.

    Saulo had doubts and fears about whether he should be here and be the one to receive such responsibility.

    Then, slowly, other thoughts pierced those that had caused him to bend his head in reflection.

    ...

    ... Just like nine years ago, they hadn''t changed at all.

    He had it in mind.

    He had something to say.

    The reason he was traveling to the capital.

    His impulse to keep moving forward even after the shock and strong impression of having fought a real battle.

    The reason behind which he was following his dream of developing supporting objects for combat.

    "For a dignified life in which everyone seeks and defends what makes them happy."

    "Cheers!"

    Saulo drank the contents of the bottle from a sip.

    Almost immediately, his vision was clouded. An overwhelming force pushed his muscles out and his bones in. And in a sudden fuss that his head cried out to cease, his consciousness shook for the reason he was trying to keep awake.

    "Ga-gaaagh!!"

    What''s happening to me?!

    Saulo felt that his body was going to implode in a multicolored explosion.

    As if the capacity of his veins weren''t enough to carry the blood, a sensation under his skin seemed to run all over his body beyond the limits of his organism.

    This was too much.

    "?Guaaaah!"

    This was the limit he could bear.

    "It seems that everything went well."

    Two blue orbs watched him from above.

    Saulo was slow to understand, but by the time he realized it, he was lying on the ground.

    "Wh-what happened to me?

    It was clear that he had fainted.

    The experience I just went through is more than a simple loss of consciousness.

    "You fainted. But when it seemed like you wouldn''t get up, you recovered. In general, it was just a faint."

    "So that''s what happened. But I''m surprised that it was just that."

    His head hurt.

    Saulo had awakened, but he was still in a state of confusion. Exactly the same as the confusion of the first few seconds after waking from a night''s sleep.

    "How do you feel?"

    Saulo squeezed half of his face to try to alleviate the pain that was suffering. His right eye was covered behind his hand.

    "My head hurts. As if there were an imaginary nail through the middle of my head from which needles grow around it¡­ Or as if an insect with many feet had suddenly entered my ear."

    "If you need another healing orb, let me know."

    "No, it''s not necessary. I don''t want to use your resources indiscriminately."

    "I don''t think so."

    Instantly, Saulo felt that the pain in his body and especially in his head was gone. The elderly man had just used a healing orb on him.

    "Thank you for your help. I feel better."

    Without inquiring further into the subject of healing orbs, Aaron looked at the elderly man, asking for an explanation of the recent events.

    "How many minutes have passed since I was unconscious?"

    "Minutes? It was only a few seconds."

    "Seconds! I felt it like an eternity."

    There was no way that was true. For Saulo it was an eternity.

    "I recommend that you rest for the rest of the day in case you still feel strange. But beyond that, I don''t think there''s any risk of disease or any other complication."

    "I wish it would be like that too."

    Because of his economic stability, he hoped that the opposite wouldn''t happen. After his trip, his health needs couldn''t afford a hospital stay.

    "Here."

    Fingers as skeletal as if he were dealing with the same phalanges received him in aid.

    "Thank you."

    "You''re welcome."

    "We have spent too much time talking without moving. Let''s walk... My bones are freezing."

    "Yes."

    Motivated by what had been agreed, the atmosphere for resolving doubts felt lighter at the same time.

    "I hope you won''t give up soon, but making Trivalence leave your body is simpler than it seems. All you have to do is voluntarily agree to it leaving your body, and it''ll return to its natural state, just as you saw it in the bottle. Strive to make sure that doesn''t happen."

    So, it''s that simple. I don''t want to be pessimistic, but if after researching its use it has very negative effects on my body, then I can put it in a safe place.

    "Yes, I''ll try hard not to let that happen!"Saulo said exclaiming.

    "And if you die, the Trivalence will be expelled from your body and free to be taken. Strive to make sure that doesn''t happen."

    "... Y-yes."

    "One last consideration that you must always keep in mind. You musn''t carelessly reveal the existence of the Trivalence. Absolutely no one but you should know. For this information to be made public would change the thoughts and actions of people, even those who fight the darkness of this society."

    The elderly man slowed down and stepped aside. Saulo hadn''t realized it because he was focused on listening, when he noticed that a thin dirt road separated from the path they were walking on.

    "In a few years, I''ll come to observe the progress you have made. But in order that I may witness those advances hat you have achieved, first I mustn''t be forced to be bedridden by that time. I hate this number, but in three years we¡¯ll see each other. On this same date, at noon, we''ll meet at the beginning of the Oyogue Path near the Harek Community."

    "Until that date it''ll be then."

    The fact that this man hated that number was a question for Saulo.

    "And one last warning: let the Trivalence follow its natural growth cycle and don''t force it beyond what your body can resist. In your present state you''ll achieve nothing, so first train your body and mind for many months. Otherwise, if you use a power that you cannot control, you will bleed out and explode. And even after that, it¡¯ll take a long time for you to get used to using the capacities of power and knowledge without suffering collateral damage. So technically, you''re still as weak as before."

    "I''ll strive to keep my organs intact."

    That question of the number three was left in a simple curiosity when listening to the warning that had to be remembered as law. If he was forced to use the Trivalence beyond what as his bearer he could endure, it would be counterproductive  for his body and even deadly.

    Saulo took mental note of that important date and warning.

    "This is my path to follow."

    The path that the elderly man was pointing to was one that was separeted from the Oyogue Path to the east.

    "But we still haven''t reached the city of Boggio, which is finishing the path."

    "It''s that the road I''m going to follow isn''t in that direction."

    The elderly man took a few steps and pointed with his cane to the horizon of the road he had planned to follow.

    "That way is the North Highway."

    Where both were currently was close to the middle of the Oyogue Path, a path located between the sea on the left and the North Highway on the right. However, from this detour, Saulo would continue to advance straight on the Oyogue Path, while the elderly person would go toward the North Highway.

    "I have to inform the police about everything that happened with these men who attacked you."

    "It''s just..."

    "Don''t worry. I won''t mention your identity. After all, I don''t trust the police very much either, but they''re not all like that. You have to have faith in their work."

    Saulo remained silent and then nodded. He had never dealt directly with the police, so he couldn''t say that his work was efficient. At least what he had seen in a town close to his community was that they were diligently doing their jobs.

    "If you continue on this path, you¡¯ll eventually meet residents after crossing the bridge that is near here. If you continue on the road I''m going on, I don''t guarantee that the police won''t be curious to ask or help a young man who was walking with a quite particular backpack along the highway or its surroundings."

    He had forgotten.

    Because of a stronger impression caused by the Trivalence, he had forgotten the unusual backpack he was carrying. If he were a policeman, it would definitely seem suspicious to him that a boy would walk alone with a backpack that seemed to be badly folded as if it was a defective accordion.

    I¡¯ll try to fix my backpack once I am out of this path.

    Behind those indications there was nothing more to say, except a few more words.

    "Take care of yourself."

    "Yes, I''ll take care of the Trivalence."

    The elderly man frowned slightly.

    "No... take care of yourself."

    "Yes, thank you for everything."

    "All right, see you, boy. Your name is by the way ... "

    "Saulo Delanova. Yours..."

    "Everyone knows me as Yanawi. Then, I¡¯ll see you until that date... Saulo."

    Turning their backs, young man and elderly man continued on opposite paths to the reality of each one.

    In the distance, sirens could be heard.

    The figure that was the elderly man gradually became small until it was lost in the horizon of what was that other road separated from the Oyogue Path.

    "I hope with all my heart that you get better!"

    Saulo didn''t know if the elderly man heard him because he didn''t stop.

    Thus, each one went his own way. The youngest with a determined expression on his face. And the oldest with a white row peeking out behind his lips.

    "Interesting... I think I can say that with my supporting objects and the Trivalence I possess the weakest and the strongest capacity in this world."

    The smile remained intact even after the young man finished speaking.

    But I''m still weak. I mustn''t give up on developing my supporting objects for combat, even if they aren''t summoned weapons... And I must also train my mind and body to carry this responsibility that has been given to me.

    The capital awaited him.

    And the desires of both people walking separate paths meant that the other had to live.

    ¡­

    "... He took my handkerchief."

    A handkerchief.

    That''s the price the boy paid for the world''s greatest treasure.

 Chapter 18 - Wings of Liberty

    Saulo, after saying goodbye, walked in the direction of the city of Boggio.

    Having traveled half of the Oyogue Path and crossed the part with the densest fog, and therefore the one of greatest danger, it was motivating for him to be so close to his destination. His senses were still alert in case thieves appeared again, but that unlikely possibility reassured him.

    What are the chances that I¡¯ll encounter more thieves on the same day? I can''t have such bad luck ... right?

    After a while, the fog gave its first signs of disappearing when certain fields of crops were glimpsed in the distance. And just as at the beginning of the path, the fog vanished in less than few minutes. Saulo hastened to take a large breath of air and exhale.

    A small cloud was expelled from his mouth.

    The steam he caused soon dispersed until it mixed with the fog.

    A feeling of pleasure took hold of his body.

    If he didn''t count the diminished range of vision and the dangers of a robbery, the sea fog was pleasant. With this in mind, breathing and feeling the climatic conditions of an environment alien to his hometown put a small smile on his face.

    How wonderful.

    It were those small events that could turn a dangerous experience like the one that he lived in a real enjoyment of the travel experience

    Saulo shook his head closing his eyes.

    He should hurry.

    The fog had proved to be treacherous in its passage, so it was quite likely that it would suddenly return even with the ground clear. For this reason, he didn''t plan to fall into any more distractions, however minimal, until he had crossed the area of the bridge over the river.

    !

    Suddenly, Saulo felt the need to turn around.

    "Nobody follows me."

    As he expected, the path had no unusual elements after being freed from the fog that hid it. It was a relief to see the same landscape of soil, stones and small plant buds that he imagined would be common on a path little traveled.

    Of course, the person he was walking with was no longer in sight.

    By now, the police would be taking notes about the assault and preparing a contingent to arrest the former commander and the other two young men.

    "Hm?"

    Saulo''s attention returned to a familiar sound.

    Along with the sound of sea waves hitting the coast, another force of water was heard nearby. Remembering what was in the middle of the Oyogue Path, the vision of that landmark was the best indication that he was halfway there to the city of Boggio.

    He had managed to reach the bridge over the river.

    Saulo slowed the pace.

    As he approached the bridge, he felt that suddenly the surroundings became more pleasant. The air felt less humid than at the beginning of the road. Cold and refresing, but not enough to force him to cover himself with his hood.

    It was a familiar and recognizable sensation for him to breathe such refreshing air, but due to the proximity of the sea, it acquired a new degree of enjoyment.

    Likewise, it wasn''t the only thing that gave him a growing sense of happiness when he stepped on the first wooden planks of the bridge.

    I''m still halfway to the city. I''ve seen some crops recently, so it''s certain that eventually I''ll see villagers.

    The rest of his journey would be without altercations.

    It was a thought that he hoped to believe would remain reality.

    Without waiting for a new unforeseen event to assault him, Saulo decided to run.

    He ran as fast as his legs allowed.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprising speed given his average physical condition, the weight of the backpack and the accumulated tiredness of the previous fight. However, as much as he wanted to push his body to the limits, he couldn''t run faster. His legs were in perfect condition with no trace of lacerations, bruises or blood because of the two healing orbs the elderly man used on him, but despite receiving these two healings, the pace with which he tried to make an effort was difficult for him to maintain. Saulo was well aware that healing orbs only healed wounds, but not exhaustion.

    This bridge was no guarantee of safety.

    He had felt as if he were being observed through the fog, but that sensation disappeared when he reached a clearer area like this bridge that connected with the final section of the Oyogue Path.

    Saulo thought that maybe he was being too cautious after what happened a little less than an hour ago.

    After several seconds in which his attempts to breathe were heard over the noise of the river and the sea, he decided not to tempt anymore his luck and continued running.

    With this objective to be fulfilled, he continued on his way between agitated and calm. Crossing the bridge meant that he had just covered half of the dirt path leading to the city. However, he didn''t have permission to rest if he considered the distance travelled.

    The Oyogue Path had shown him that a moment of calm was maintained or vanished according to those dictated by the laws of nature... or by unforeseen and revealing encounters.

    This half from now on separates me from the city.

    After the bridge, the human intervention in the environment became noticeable.

    It was still the landscape of earth and vegetation of a few moments ago, but it didn''t have the same natural growth that he had seen before the bridge.

    These were areas prepared for crops.

    Saulo, a few minutes after walking and still a bit on guard, was advancing surrounded on both sides of the road by fields ready to be harvested. Seeing the intense green of the plants infected him with the effort that the owners had evidently put into achieving that state of crop growth. Likewise, because the fog constantly provided a flow of water, the excellent state in which the fields had germinated was to be expected.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Walking suddenly became less tiring.

    ...

    A few minutes later, Saulo exhaled in silence.

    He wanted to ask for some indications, but at the same time, he didn''t want to interrupt the diligence with which these men worked in the distance with their shovels and plows in the land which they prepared to sow. He knew very well from his own experience that tilling the land was an activity that had to follow strict care and schedule.

    For example, care had to be taken to keep crops free of pests. Normally, when talking about pests, the first thing one person would think about would be insects or small vertebrates. Worms or rats being one of the main invaders. However, the presence of the vegetation constituted a pest in itself. These unwanted plants were known as weeds. Of spontaneous growth, were known for suffocating the plants and in the worst of cases, they damaged the soil making it unproductive for future sowings.

    Saulo approached the nearest crop within his reach and from one of the furrows he randomly inspected a lettuce without caring too much that his hands were filled with soil.

    Seeing this vegetable waiting patiently to be harvested, brought back to him the memory of his days working in the numerous vegetable gardens present in his community.

    Days under the sun and rain with the straw hat on, the plow in one hand and a perforated container to irrigate in the other.

    But these vegetables are ready to be harvested.

    The care in working the soil had to be done even when the vegetables were about to be harvested.

    For example, pulling weeds too hard required precision. Failure to do so would damage the plant itself, which would result in a significant percentage of crop losses.

    "There are no fungi in spite of the constant humidity of the ocean... And they have kept the proper distance from the other lettuces so that they all receive a constant flow of air. This is an excellent job."

    Saulo checked several leaves of the lettuce he was examining without finding holes eaten by white or brown fungi.

    It was a healthy lettuce.

    A quick glance at the other furrows confirmed that the vegetables wouldn''t be affected by the lack of air circulation. The separation was adequate for them to breathe.

    A concentrated look could be seen on Saulo''s face as he recalled what to consider in the agricultural process:

    Moisture, soil type, solar rays.

    Factors involved in the growth of a plant. Besides this, the hourly cycle of a seed as well as that of a child had to be continuous, giving the necessary care in the necessary times and acting opportunely in front of the dangers.

    As a simple headache could be an initial symptom of an intense fever caused by the flu, in the same way with plants one had to be careful with small manifestations that managed to heal themselves. The fungi, at first sight harmless, can weakened a plant inhibiting its growth and spreading quickly to the rest of the leaves, killing the plant from not treating it in time.

    Saulo smiled and forced his memories back into the void.

    I must continue.

    Once again, he adjusted his backpack and continued his walk along the path. In this second part of the stretch he noticed that, unlike the beginning, the flat terrain dominated the entire landscape. The elevations or small slopes didn''t exceed three meters, so it was unlikely that he would be caught off guard by someone attacking from there.

    "!"

    Then he saw something that caught his attention.

    A lot of vegetation floating in the middle of a great formation of water.

    At the end of the path and his journey through it, a surprise awaited him.

    Saulo didn''t expect the existence of a specific ecosystem for this area, but if he considered the proximity of water sources, its presence made sense.

    Some areas, with green and yellow vegetation, and flooded in waters received him as an antechamber to civilization and the city.

    A wetland ecosystem.

    A large zone of water and vegetation that existed a few meters from the ocean was the perfect end for what was an ecological path.

    Of course, there were warning signs indicating the limit allowed to approach, and local guards with their whistles alerted visitors who were getting too close; but in general, people were enjoying the view without disturbing the creatures.

    "... I didn''t know this existed."

    Saulo''s recklessness in walking on a path he knew practically nothing about led him to take part in a fight against a person who was part of the army. That fear wouldn''t be erased for the time being no matter how much he said that what was done is done.

    "... this is wonderful."

    But at the same time an unexpected reward was to find a landscape he didn''t expect to exist.

    If the ocean-side location was an incentive to walk the Oyogue Path, then the wetlands were the perfect complement to rest, and see the landscape after a long walk.

    And the latter was especially due to the presence of birds.

    Even though it was a working day, there were many people who had come to appreciate the beings who, unconcerned by the human eyes that observed them, lived their lives among their kind, either resting or feeding.

    Gulls, herons and guano birds. Among many birds of all sizes and colors, the attention of the visitors present was focused on a flock of white birds that could be seen taking flight in "V"formation, from where moments before they were resting.

    "There are also ducks."

    Coming from the Central Mountains region, he didn''t know many of these coastal birds or those that had come flying in migration from the north of the continent or possibly from other triads. The birds he recognized were the common ones such as seagulls or others that caught his attention when he read books about creature species, like the cormorant he was seeing that tried to attract the attention of a female, distinguishable for having a less developed ridge.

    "Pass me the binoculars."

    "Here."

    "Not those. Pass me the ''spatial enlargement'' binoculars. I want to see these birds in all their splendor. Especially those blue herons."

    A group of friends who seemed to walk frequently talked to each other to see who took turns seeing with a chrome binoculars that looked pretty modern. The binoculars would look as one would expect from the classic design except for the lenses that seemed to have many small microfibers on the external ocular surface.

    Saulo didn''t understand exactly how this optical instrument worked, but what he could be sure of was that due to the term spatial enlargement used by the young people, the range of this object must be very sharp... perhaps as if it were a Future Technology.

    But apart from binoculars, he could also agree to want to see birds in all their natural splendor.

    There was no way to resist the charm of stopping to observe so many creatures in an ecosystem that belonged to them, and of which it was a privilege to see them up close, but at a prudent distance.

    "These... these Boggio wetlands are magnificent!"

    Saulo had finally reached the end of the Oyogue Path, realizing that a few steps to his right was the city of Boggio. Being the outskirts of the city, the totality of the houses was of rural aspect and of maximum two floors.

    However, it was what was on his left that opened his eyes.

    It was a magnificent view.

    Like those summer days when the sun shined brighter than ever, the afternoon nap was done with serene placidity in the shade of nearby trees, and a glorious sensation of exaltation barely contained imbued the body.

    In addition, the landscape was fully visible because there was no trace of fog in sight

    It was a view and landscape to feel totally free.

    With the sea in the background, the wetlands were the main source of life for this landscape, which the villagers had apparently made an effort to keep clean. He didn''t know exactly how many species of birds were gathered, but they were counted by the hundreds.

    Or maybe thousands.

    "I''d like to be a bird to fly where I feel free to go."

    "Perhaps with the power of a relic something similar to flying can be achieved."

    "Impossible that ordinary people like us can get something like that... But if we were researchers or adventurers, perhaps it would be possible."

    "Ju,ju. We have plenty of time to decide that."

    The words that Saulo felt, but was embarrassed to say out loud, were spoken naturally by a young couple holding hands.

    Go where you want with your own wings.

    ...

    A flock of birds of brown plumage, sharp yellow beak and white plumage around the eye took flight towards the horizon, possibly to feed a little deeper into the ocean or possibly to en route to the northern part of the continent, where the following months would be the warmest seasons.

    In these last days of summer not much was needed to be happy.