6.3

Although no one seemed to be expressing anything in particular, it was a long time they had been alive and thus anticipated the fall of the little one who had just stood up. Using subdued faces, they focused their gazes without comment, as if they wanted to see what the reaction of the little adventurer would be as he fell from the pride of wanting to overstrengthen himself. A clumsy step. A second small step without any balance, and then, "punm". The little one fell to the ground.

The one who was curious was now feeling another intense, annoying and unpleasant sensation. Pain. The little white-eyed boy stood there for a moment, as if assessing the situation. Touching the ground with his hands, he proceeded to touch his aching knees, to finally raise his puerile face and look around. None of those present had sufficient reason to pretend to help him, nor had they received parental approval.

Rey remembered asking himself, "How can they stand up and I can't?" When he noticed that the elders were paying attention to something else, he turned his neck and watched as Dante was even able to stand and, despite the effort, also fell to the ground, but he acted differently in the same scenario. His lycanthrope brother opened his mouth, closed his red eyes and cried out in a pained cry.

The past self of Rey realized that it was the loud crying of his brother Dante that caused him to be helped by the concerned mother. Maryam, with regret on her face, did not hesitate to pick up her son from the floor to pamper him as one who intended to ease another's pain. He also saw how the third little one, the one with blue eyes, acted cautiously. Jhades, as one who learned from other people's mistakes, decided to continue clinging to his father who was helping him with the intention of trying to keep him from falling.

"Bumm, Crack." A resounding sound preceded something breaking in two. The elders returned their gazes to the first little one. Rey, however, could do no more than avert her face. He didn't have to see to know what had happened. Despite not even being able to walk properly, in one blow his past self had shattered part of the floor. He could understand that, at that moment, in his mind, the floor had been responsible for his fall, so with his hands he hit it to try to fix the problem. Then, as if with clumsy and unbalanced movements, he stood up once more to walk again without realizing something. The new expressions on the faces of the ten adults present.

"Who would have imagined that so many different expressions could be the result of just one decision?" wondered the little boy no one could see. "The past cannot be changed, but I can learn and reflect. This is also the time when I can know who is with me and who is not."

As soon as he took a deep breath, Rey was ready to turn and accept reality. At first he saw neutrality in the older man's face. The Great Wise Wizard, the one with black skin and a shaved head, with his eyes narrowed, showed expressions between lively and cold, as if he did not pretend to react, but did not refuse either. Further back, Rey focused his gaze on Silvia's interested face, she leaned her body forward to see better. To the right was Mijan, he looked offended, with his eyebrows narrowed his eyes, he also narrowed his lips and pushed his jaw forward. He looked as if he wanted to antagonize the aggressive behavior of his former self and could not, as he was not the father. With a full turn, looking across the room, Rey could see the corners of a thin, stretched mouth on the happy, carefree face of the vampire she was to call mother. Following the turning of her body, by the doorway stood Heroclades, marveling, raising his eyebrows high and letting his eyes resemble large saucers. The tan-skinned fellow did not avert the gaze he had locked on his disciple's son. Further inward, with lowered eyebrows and her upper lip curved, while wrinkling her nose, the muscular vampire denoted an expression of disgust. Katherine intensely disapproved of the destructive behavior of her past self. Returning to go another full circle, beside Maryam stood Wulfgang, with drooping eyelids, full of sadness, as was typical. Behind the lycanthrope was Ehimus, trembling with fear, trying to stay hidden. Rey could imagine that the elf, with her childish personality, previously told by the adults, was imagining a Of-Bastador in the future. On the other hand, ignoring the adults, Rey also inspected the look of the one who had stopped crying on his mother's arms, Dante seemed to be in search of more emotions, to have the intention to compete and make himself look better. While Jhades looked disinterested and seemed to avoid as many emotions as possible.

Rey watched his brothers with great attention. These two little ones had to enter the equation as well. He understood that not only did he have to watch out for his parents, but he had to keep an eye on Katherine and Mijan, who were none other than his siblings' current mentors. Such an event meant an infinite amount of detrimental situations for him. The sneering faces that made themselves felt more intensely made the moment become suffocating. But the situation did not stop there. Someone had to speak and someone else had to say something about it.

Mijan, looking in Wulfgang's direction, was the first to throw out a comment:

"He's a real monster with an indecipherable heart."

Katherine, while stepping forward, also communicated what she thought:

"Not only that, in me there is no doubt that he will become a danger, a devastator capable of eliminating everything around him. do you still want to keep him alive?"

Maryam said nothing in response. Her silence meant yes. The muscular vampire continued:

"One thing the Of-Bastators have in common is that they need to break something to understand it or simply to relieve their emotions. What, isn't this the most obvious example? He's here, tomorrow maybe he'll be a little closer, and so on until he's right next to us. At that moment, and without anyone knowing it, he will crawl inside our heads to steal our sanity and eliminate each member of the group one by one."

She was saying something she had experienced firsthand in the past, even showing the scars on her shoulders to confirm the events that traumatized her. The group members were silent, not daring to contradict the muscular vampire's beliefs. The look in Wulfgang's eyes said he was disappointed and only hoped that time would prove otherwise, for whatever he said, he had no solid evidence that could support the attitude of his surname-less son.

The voice of the Great Wise Wizard made itself heard.

"My dear tenants. You must not be hasty. The different situations and emotions that the little ones will experience in their childhood will undoubtedly be the common thread that will connect the great decisions they will make in adulthood" said the old man as he slowly opened his eyes.

His figure seemed to double and although one remained static, the other moved and looked at Rey.

"Your eyes were already suspicious from the start, now you got the confirmation you needed and no one could tell. Such a situation meant a lot to you, didn't it... Because no one helped you when you fell at this time, is that you won't expect to get help from anyone, even if you need it. Even if you can't understand me, let me tell you something small. Pain may come in unequal proportions to the happiness you are willing to experience. But if you choose the better path, you won't have to deal with so much pain and you may not have to witness what death is...."

Rey realized that all the time had frizzled and that the Great Wise Wizard was there, speaking to him. Still, silence reigned supreme. He was not going to break it, he would no longer talk for the sake of talking. He intended to be more consistent and take his time.

The old man with black skin was there. He needed to confirm for himself the assumptions he had created about that child. Nor was there anyone else the little white-eyed boy trusted.

"The past I showed you has not skipped any fundamental point regarding the truth," the old man thought. "You were able to see with your own eyes and hear with your ears the key secrets that are undoubtedly crucial to your survival. With all that you observed, you will have to take a submissive attitude to those who can help you or whose alliance is beneficial to you."

Time continued to pass and the silence remained.

The old man opened his eyes and flashed a calculated smile to continue his internal dialogue. "Say your word. Even if it's just one, child. Based on your instinct-driven behavioral behavior, you do not lack the fundamental means to reflect and act sensibly. You may be reserved, cautious, confident, arrogant, proud, haughty, haughty, presumptuous, dashing, but, above all, you are someone rational..."

Rey maintained his silence. Nor did he move from the spot. With his eyes held high, he was distrustful, or seemed to be hesitating.

For the old man, the passing time supported his theory that "someone so proud and self-sufficient cannot admit that he is wrong and that he needed others to survive. But that's precisely why you have to do it. Whether it is coherent or not, you know that you must try to integrate into the herd to prolong your existence, it is part of the common sense of all existential logic... or am I wrong? No, I am never wrong... How can I be wrong? Impossible... and, why am I hesitating?".

...

The smile on the old man's face remained firm and convincing, although a bead of sweat was running down his black complexion.

"Are you still full of doubts and continue to study the situation or is your pride too much? You know that I am the strongest, a supreme being who transcends the present, the past and the future. You know that, if you bow your head to me, you will have my protection. What will you decide to be in response to this situation? What will your identity be? With that last variable I will finally have what I need to be able to calculate the equation... Come on, little one, let me hear what you will be. What will you base your actions on... pride? instability? nervousness? insecurity? cowardice? curiosity? aggressiveness?! Come on!!! lower your eyes and let me hear who you will be in this life, damn it!!!!", thought the Great Magician.