Good and evil are poisons in a society.

A nation that believes in serving “good” or believes in fighting “evil” is nothing but an imbecile mass, destined to be mediocre. It is just a nation that will eventually be defeated by politicians that know how to manipulate narratives, authoritarian regimes powerful enough to silence voices of protest or any other type of government capable of manipulating history.

Good and evil are powerful poisons, capable of manipulating the masses and, consequently, their armies. They are able to silence the most intelligent minds and subdue the most powerful warriors.

The perfect nation, which will rule over this world, will be the one capable of understanding that there is no good or evil. There are only points of view.

Canary

*

After the door opens, some things happen very fast: Galaaz immediately jumps on Akemi; she casts magical energy on the wolf’s body; Galaaz, after being hit, falls on the wooden floor.

Then, the wolf contorts its body and throws himself at her (again), determined to strike back. His large body, however, is a huge disadvantage in the small room. Because of it, when he tries to jump at her, the back of his body founds no point of support, limited by the bed on one side and the wall on the other.

Akemi, on the other hand, as an incorporeal, easily passes between the furniture and squeezes herself against the wall, standing behind the wolf and touching his body. Immediately, she absorbs the wolf’s vital energy, making him falter.

In one last attempt, Galaaz turns, desperately, throwing his snout back and trying to bite her. Although he misses, it is enough to make her hesitate let go of him.

Akemi does not give him an opportunity to regain his composure and disappears like smoke, throwing herself over the shadow of the wolf, instantly reappearing on the other side, throwing herself over him and taking his energy at the same time that her smoky light covers him, weakening the lupine like poison.

Arthur had no time to intervene before the fight was over.

Galaaz, with his big body, went to the ground. Although his eyes were open, he looked like he was about to pass out. Akemi, without a single second of hesitation, submitted him to her will and was determined to end the dispute there.

-Akemi, he is passing out. You can let go of him.

The incorporeal does not obey.

-Akemi, let him go.

The wolf pass out. She remains as she is.

-Akemi!

She turns her face to him. A mixture of sadness and anger is displayed in her eyes.

-Some lives matter more than others, isn’t it?

-Akemi, stop it. You will kill him!

-Why does his life matter? Just because he have a body? Because he can talk and you can touch him? Well, incorporeals can do that to! You just have to help us! But here you are, choosing to turn you back like a coward! You choose to save “them”.

-Akemi, stop it! AKEMI!

Arthur kneels next to Galaaz and puts his hand on the incorporeal’s “arm”. She immediately retracts, abandoning the wolf’s body. The boy realizes that his hand, in contact with her body, for an instant, took her energy. Without even thinking about it, he was able to do with her exactly the same thing he had done on the lake.

-He is not dead. - She announces, moving towards the window. - I would not do that. But he won’t be able to help you kill one of my kind.

Arthur cannot ask what she is referring to before Akemi retreats further and disappears through the room’s window, launching herself through the streets of Fiandel and bringing him to his knee beside Galaaz’s fainted body.

*

Ohana is in one of the worst establishments she has ever had the displeasure to visit: The Cicada’s Song. This inn is a little more than a heap of wood arranged in the shape of a hut with a cafeteria and a few rooms available to guests. With the amount she spent to get there, the dryad did not want to risk wasting money on unnecessary expenses and ended up staying in the cheapest place she could find.

The meal provided was a soup that could pass as dirty water Only the cheap beer dulling her palate could make the task something remotely pleasant.

She is trying to eat her soup when she notices a small, friendly-looking boy approaching her table. He has round, shiny eyes and his skin is dark. His curly hair has not been cut in a while.

She recognizes him immediately. After all, she had traveled with him recently.

-The dishwasher.

The boy’s expression twitches into a lively smile.

-It was a temporary position. It was the way to get here for free.

His expression is known by the dryad. It is the adventurous expression of those who are anxious for the future.

-And now you need someone to guide you to the next point of your trip.

-How do you…?

-Humans are predictable. - She grumbles, taking what’s left of her drink and gesturing for more. - Don’t waste your saliva, boy. I travel alone.

-Humans can be predictable, yes. - He replies, taking the seat in front of her. - But we also know how to surprise. You could give me a chance to convince you.

-It’s not necessary. You know I’m a dryad and you want my protection. This means that any relationship you propose will ask me to escort you, which would slow my pace.

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He seems a little resentful.

-What if I said I don’t want your protection?

-And what would you want from me?

-Your company. - Despite his smile, the dryad noticed something hidden in the boy’s playful tone. - The road can be dangerous and the paths get… Complicated from here.

The strange combination of the somber tone and the animated smile aroused the dryad’s curiosity. She was unable to interrupt the question that came to her mind.

-Where are you going?

-I need to talk to the Unbelievers.

The dryad, in the middle of her drink, need to make an effort not to spit everything.

-What could you possibly want to do in that place?

The boy does not answer. Instead, he looks around until his eyes lock on the figure of a human almost two meters tall, who laughs loudly with some fellow travelers and beats mugs on his own table. His chest is bare and he has a lot of scars. Next to him rests a hammer almost as tall as the boy.

-I will prove that I can defend myself. That way, we can travel together, right?

The dryad, slightly intoxicated by the beer, felt curious and couldn't resist:

-If you convince me, we can talk about it.

The boy did not give her another chance to think. Immediately, he gets up and throws his mug across the room, right at the big guy’s head.

-By the way, my name is Dan.

She wanted to ask more questions, but her attention was shifted to a table that flew across the room, thrown by the man with the hammer.

*

Arthur is walking in circles near his bedroom door, looking at the body of Galaaz. In the silence of the night, each breath announces the passage of seconds that increase the fear of a tragedy.

-Come on… - The boy approaches the big wolf, kneeling besides him and placing his hand on its belly, looking for any sign of life.

A wave of relief floods his mind as he feels the faint signs of a heart beat.

Slowly, the wolf regain consciousness.

-Water… Please… - The wolf babbles.

Arthur immediately went to get as much water as he could. After drinking it, the lupine raises its body and tests its own ability to move.

The silence in the room is deafening. It represents much more than the lack of words in Arthur’s mind or the fear in the boy’s heart.

The silence, however, would not last long. Galaaz, sitting with his back to the door, is the first one to talk.

-Why didn’t you tell me about the incorporeal? - His voice is weak.

At first, Arthur does not even understand the question. And, when he does, it is to smile, taking the phrase as sarcasm or a joke.

-How could I do something like that? Look at what happened minutes after you found out.

-I have a debt with you. I thought she was going to attack you and I came in because of that. If we had been presented in a calm situation, my reaction would have been different.

The wolf grimaces and turns its muzzle towards its own leg.

-What does that mean? - Arthur hesitates. - Are you… Aren’t you going to tell the others about her?

-If that is what you want, then yes. I trust you to make the best decision about what to do. Besides… - He turns to Arthur. - Who knows, maybe you will trust me now.

-But… I thought you would have a stronger reaction to her existence. From what I’ve been told, any incorporeal is seen as a deadly threat.

Galaaz seems to be in conflict for a few moments, however, something in his eyes gives away that his decision was made a long time ago.

-I need to pay my debt. And I can only do that with you alive, healthy and knowing the direction you want to go. But it looks like you don’t know what you want to do.

-Of course not. You are talking about-

-Not about me. I am saying that I overheard your conversation, Arthur. I know the reason you were arguing. - He gets up and walks slowly. - I want to follow you, but it seems that you have no idea where you want to go. Who you are. What you want.

-I don’t understand what you are talking about.

-Of course not. You are a human. To you, my decision to follow you must seem sudden, right? - Arthur does not want to admit it out loud, but the answer is obvious. - The resignation of a lupine who knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to do it must seem unnatural to a human. And the reason for that is because you cannot understand. You don’t know the feeling.

-And that is bad?

-You will only know when you feel. When you achieve clarity.

-And how will that happen?

The wolf walks towards the door.

-Come with me.

Arthur follows the wolf to the outside area of the house. As someone who holds a high rank in the army, Rinlia’s residence is more than a few cramped rooms in the capital’s large stone buildings. She received something like a small cottage in a suburban area of the city.

Therefore, Arthur and Galaaz had a place to continue in a small garden, at the back of the residence.

The lupine approaches Arthur and sits down, facing him.

-Come. Sit here.

The boy complies before asking:

-What now?

-You will perform a ritual of my people. It is a ritual that marks the passage to adulthood. - The wolf says, in a ceremonial tone. It will help you to understand what is important and which path you want to follow. It was how I found out that I didn’t want to be the leader of my pack.

-Ritual? Galaaz…. - Disbelief overflows in the boy’s voice.

-Arthur, right now, you are lost. If you do not find you way soon, you will let yourself be guided by the tide, as you have been doing until now. Thus, you will be swallowed by the waves. Is that what you want?

Accidentally, Galaaz had just chosen the ideal metaphor. The idea of waves and a bleak sea awakens unpleasant memories in Arthur.

-If I do this ritual – He hesitates – will you keep a secret about… Her?

-If you do the ritual, I won’t have to worry about it. - Arthur facial expression asks for a more explicit answer. - I promise to keep any secret you want.

Even without being able to fully believe the wolf’s words, Arthur decides that this is the best option at the moment.

-I want you to close your eyes and focus your body’s energy on your chest. - The wolf announces. - I know that your magic is different than the one I have seen up until now, but, in the end, is still energy. And you should still be able to concentrate some energy in your chest, right?

The boy waves and the wolf keeps talking. Through slow words, spoken with his deep voice, the lupine throw the human into a state of deep concentration and, little by little, makes him direct the energy towards the brain. Arthur, trapped in a sleepy state, does not even notice the smell of the herbs that Galaaz spreads round him. The wolf, who had thought of this ritual days in advance, waiting for the best moment to convince Arthur, performs the task perfectly. He had often watched the same ritual in his pack and even helped his father to perform it with some of his brothers.

Little by little, the wolf’s voice disappears. The darkness induced by the inside of the eyelids disappears and Arthur forgets even his own body. Only abstract thoughts and questions induced by the lupine’s speech remain: Where to go? What to do? What is important?

Arthur falls asleep, sitting on the grass.

The magic in his mind works and throws him on a new journey.

*

*