3.3

"When the "bounty hunters" noticed that they lost the advantage of the surprise factor, they had no choice but to change their plan and try to avoid our strategic retreat. In such a silent place, an avalanche of war cries ensued. Leaping as high as they could, in an improvised movement, the hunters threw themselves against us. Well sure I am that the poor fellows employed the best attacks they knew. And there, as night turned to day, the cutting edge of countless blades caught fire, the pointed antlers hurled vibrated with speed, the nimble daggers hurled rolled like whirlwinds, the bullets fired boomed like cannons, the arrows fired traced in the wind, the incantations recited twisted and shattered the surroundings, the controlled elements doubled in size and much more in our direction; but Maryam had just enough time to place her hand on the scroll, which was activated in a flash, and the barrier formed by the writings surrounded us all.

"Inside the barrier we were safe. No attack could touch us unless it was of a higher degree. Even so, the "bounty hunters" did not give up hope. They continued the assault they had begun. It was time, they would not have a second chance to make another such organized attack against us. Not that I could blame them for trying. Well, all except one. Who was it? His name is Árjos, and he is a 'false-god'" said Heroclades with a bitter smile on his face, for he knew many of them and none of them knew him.

"A god among humans will never be a true god among those who are. In the world where everything is more delicate, any mediocre existence that has basic knowledge of energy can cause effects on a planetary scale."

Scratching his head, Heroclades recognized that he was not setting a good example, plus he was also bound to digress, so he continued.

"If the world of humans is developed, the world of gods is more so. A god without the need for any tools can build a house with the same structure and complexity that perhaps a thousand humans cannot, even if they used tools and blueprints. Therefore, following this logic, if ten gods build a house, it will be much more wonderful and resistant than the one built by ten thousand humans."

"Back to the subject, this false god is still alive. I know because I saw him. Unlike the other fools, he, with the palm of his hand, created a barrier of air to support his arm and jump backwards while dodging my attack. The collision of all the techniques launched against the barrier that his mother created ended in a magnificent explosion capable of pulverizing... Well, pulverizing is not the best term, although it looked that way, but one thing is certain: everyone in the vicinity also ended up being teleported along with us and we found out because the Great Wise Wizard said so when he welcomed us to the place."

"It seems that both our pursuers and we appeared on the outskirts of the forest that protects this place. Beyond those gigantic trees you see in the distance, under another sky and facing the unknown, we witnessed the real hell. Horrors and frightening visions loomed on the horizons of the whole place where darkness did not exist. An endless and permanent scream replaced the silence. A mist of blood floated in the air along with smoke and ashes of burnt flesh. The floor, of dust... and the dust, of bones. From one side to the other, the footsteps of the occasional giant could be heard, as well as the flying of strange birds or the rolling of hideous creatures. But they were far away, even so, the light caused by the teleportation seal aroused the curiosity of those who dwelled around us called guardians of Paradise.

Heroclades, decided to imitate what was a thin and squeaky voice to speak imitating someone.

"It is not yet time to let our guard down! Hostile beings, full of murderous intentions want to welcome us."

The three little ones could identify who he had imitated, it was the little green elf of the group. Heroclades continued:

"That was said by the immature Ehimus, almost screaming in despair. And her being in the pack, she made us all sound as if we were scared or in danger."

Heroclades covered his face with his right hand as he remembered the embarrassing moment that had been caused by someone who did not know how to control the intensity of his emotions.

"In my opinion," continued the tan-skinned narrator, "it was not a good first impression for those felines studying us. Remember this I am about to tell you: "When a 'predator' identifies a weak and defenseless prey, it will not hesitate to attack." Returning to the subject, preventing this, his father hastened his movements and intensified the red of his eyes, while transforming his right hand into a gigantic paw. Wulfgang wanted to intimidate all the sharp eyes and shadows of beasts that peered out to look in our direction, getting them not to dare to attack and to look where first.

"Maryam had been left too weak to stand on her own feet any longer. The shaking of Ehimus' bones could be heard all over the place. Mijan was even raising his guard and Katherine was acting as if nothing mattered to her. None of these behaviors went unnoticed by the animals, who clustered around and just as Mijan, the "know-it-all" of the group, with his usual passive aggressive attitude said, "At least they are much smarter than the last fools. They recognize their place," a large feline beast, covered in black, shot out with its huge, ravenous mouth open.

Making the motions with his hands, Heroclades continued to narrate.

"As if in desperation, it lunged its whole body in the direction of the rear. But Fang played the role of shield before the green elf attacked and put us all in danger, as it always does... Chass! The teeth, designed to shred flesh and make the difference in any situation, ended up embedded in the arm of the lycanthrope, who did not give in or move, despite that huge being will use all his weight between jerks, and try to tear off his limb."

Along with the words of Heroclades, we could also hear the astonishment of two little ones involved in the plot of a violent tale. So much so that the narrator paused for a moment to stand up on his legs and imitate the pose that Wulfgang had struck.

….

The Great Wise Wizard took the opportunity to observe and make eye contact with the third boy who seemed to be more interested in the instructional aspects than the heroic exploits of the past. "Hmn? My analysis of him says that everything is in order. But he doesn't behave like his brothers or the other two that have passed through here before. He's a totally different monster who even pretends to be normal. His eyes give him away. They've changed... Now they're alive and burning. They reflect a hungry and insatiable flame. Something that should not exist in a tool pulled by strings. It's a pity...". The indifference and coldness of someone who had no heart came out through the long-lived gaze.

"In my judgment, hopelessly broken these. Even if my analysis says otherwise, I'll have to add a few extra factors to the formula. I will bring forward Edith's arrival. You will experience life and loss, but not death. I will increase the humans' knowledge of you and your whereabouts. I will give you access to knowledge, but not to time or space. Perhaps those factors together will make you someone who cares about survival so you can serve your purpose. I must be cautious, even if you manage to break the threads that bind you, you will still be aware of the chains...."

After making his conclusion, the black-skinned old man in orange robes closed his eyelids, breaking eye contact with Rey, turning around and leaving silently.

...

"Master, may I ask the old man something?" Rey cut off the words Heroclades intended to use to continue the story he was telling.

"I'm almost done" replied that tanned-skinned one to the determined look of his disciple. "Will you miss the best?"

After giving his clarification, Rey's formal teacher understood that Rey would not change his mind or was even interested in the ending. With some regret in his words, he continued:

"All right, go and ask the Wise Wizard anything you want. Don't go far, I'm almost done."

Rey nodded, stood up, dusted himself off and marched to where the Wise Wizard was walking.

"Great Wizard. why is it that you and my master carry that wherever you go?" asked Rey.

"Oh, you speak of this?" the Great Wise Wizard extended his book to the front. "This is a book and books harbor power, so it is good to carry it with you wherever you go."

"Power and strength are not the same thing?" asked the little boy intrigued.

"In a way, no" The Wise Wizard let the little boy hold his book. "Knowledge is power, but not the kind that makes you physically stronger. Still, knowing is a weapon and, like all weapons, it comes with responsibilities and is useless if you don't know how to understand or use it."

"So, I want to learn to understand" demanded Rey, who was seeing blank pages.

"With what so? Let me tell you, understanding is not something that can be taught. But I sense that, somewhere, inside a corner of your mind, you have the thought that, if you become stronger in this world, you will give relief to others, don't you?"

"I'm not sure. You carry a book, even though you are a wizard and not a sorcerer. Still, you are much wiser than Heroclades and everyone here, hence, stronger."

Rey held out his hand with the book to return what he had borrowed, as he looked the old man in the eye and realized that the old man would not deny the comment. He continued:

"But no one looks at you the way they look at me."

"Mm-hmn! You are correct and there has also been a slight irregularity," the Great Wise Wizard said to himself to continue aloud:

"You seem to be catching on, but what makes you think that?" he asked as he also opened his metallic gray eyes and looked at the little boy. He had a real incongruity in front of him. He was improvising with a situation that for the first time escaped his calculations and in truth fascinated him.

Rey replied:

"You managed to make the letters float from your book, while my teacher even bothered to use his".