10.3

The seriousness and gentleness disguised well the guilt, regret and depression that the little one without a surname had inside him and chose not to let overcome. Despite his characteristic immaturity, Ehimus could see something that the other two could not. The skins of a dead animal, the motives and a persevering look from Rey reminded him of the tragedy suffered by necromancers. The history of necromancers was sad because the best ones were those who never had the chance to bring back to life the one they needed and time always made such work more difficult. Ehimus remembered, from the stories her brother gave her to read when she was unable to move, that there is a kind of residual life force that survives after death. That vitality remains in the corpse in a dormant state and can be used to revive it, but time increasingly gobbles up more and more of this bit of vitality.

On the other hand, Dante felt that his brother was hiding something by not addressing him. It wasn't as if he could believe that was all the "troublemaker" in the family had to tell either, and more so to Ehimus. "That he didn't try to escape? That there is no pride in defeating a guardian of Paradise? That he is still alive?" thought the wolf cub, who needed to know more. Therefore, he put himself first and pushing Ehimus, who was trying to say something, faced his brother without a surname to try to make him recognize that there were things to tell.

Rey's eyes did not behave like Jhades'; they seemed to confront the wolf that stood in his way. Ehimus and Jhades made an intimidating impression when they saw the sharp gaze that Rey had used to almost freeze the environment. As if fire and the edge of a sword had collided against each other, the wolf understood that his own brother was confronting him for being the leader, while the young hybrid was given the task of observing the inside of the red eyes until he literally saw a fiery flame burning inside that dark well that was the pupil. A flame that was not at all similar to that of his father, but it did awaken memories.

Rey remembered Wulfgang's words at a similar moment: "You have noticed the decadent flame that radiates will through my gaze, haven't you?" at dawn on the fourth day, when Wulfgang routinely came to visit him. The red-eyed, sad-looking father would sit talking to his son. "Every time you look into my eyes, you seem to be wondering why. I welcome your curiosity and I know you're not doing it for evil, although I want you to be aware that if you stare into someone's eyes, it could be interpreted as confrontation rather than curiosity. I will tell you that each individual carries his own world, one that he exposes to the outside through the eyes."

At the same moment Dante was talking, claiming and questioning, but Rey was still immersed in the past. "Seeing it is not difficult. Although they say the flame is the entrance guarded by darkness, it is also the perfect reflection of the will and the heart. If you pay attention, you can see how feelings can come to affect the brightness of something pure. In my case it is sadness...I am aware." Rey remembered asking his father a question, "Good question, the flame in my eyes is the result of living to meet the expectations of others. They all called me God. Ironic, isn't it? If I were one...the reflection of my will, and the feelings in my heart wouldn't be in such a pathetic state as this would they?" Another question fired Rey at his father: "Where is happiness? ... I'm afraid the answer won't give you the best direction to find it. It's better if you ask yourself what's keeping you from it? On the other hand, to become an adult is also to learn that happiness is to smile. We look for happiness when we are sad and, for that reason, we overcomplicate something so simple. I tell you this so you don't make my mistake or follow in my footsteps. Lift your spirits in the face of failure, my son. Even if you are wrong, don't stop trying. Do not fear to lose when you act for good, and do good deeds trusting in the outcome, without letting doubts hold you back."

Dante, exalted with the veins in his throat popping out from shouting so much:

"I tried to escape several times, but I couldn't get very far!!!! I was still weak, but I'm not like I used to be!!!" said the wolf cub, puffing out his chest, applying his gesticulations, trying to impress the one who only seemed to be looking at him seriously. "I learned many ways to survive! I became the fear of everything that pretended to scare me. To change the constitution of my body and move on in whatever way was necessary. You can't be better than me... I refuse to believe that you are stronger because you have put in so much more effort. Arggg... What? Is there nothing inside that head, you bastard? Answer when I speak to you."

From one moment to the next, Dante, after turning off his tone, stopped and kept silent, as well as frowned and ducked his chin, ready to fight. Both Jhades and Ehimus took precautions against the direct confrontation of the wolfling, who dared to insult his brother for the second time, as if he believed that such an insult would guarantee him attention.

Rey remained silent, but he had also returned to the present and could see how the fire in the wolf cub's gaze was frightened, extinguished and resurfaced like all hell. As he gave a smile and put the situation that saddened him aside, he also noticed that in the atmosphere there was a thirst for acceptance, he realized that his brother demanded to be noticed. That he had not acted as he should. He was not trying to fit into that social circle, even though he was the one who had said goodbye with "I hope to see you again...". Having to behave more naturally, Rey decided to ask a question with the intention of humoring his brother:

"What do you want to know?"

Dante, like one who had gained control of a dangerous weapon, asked:

"Why didn't you try to escape?"

Calmer, he smiled as he turned away.

"You defeated your master on the second day of training. That makes you strong, if it's true, why didn't you escape if you're so strong? You don't really think that Katherine is weaker than Heroclades, do you?"

Ehimus, more relieved by Rey's attitude to the insult, said:

"Why would he do that, why would they assume Katherine would go and kill him?" she asked intrigued.

The small wolf was silent at the elf's question. Rey replied:

"Regarding Katherine, I have no reason to be afraid. On the other hand, just because I could pass the test Heroclades put me through doesn't mean I'm capable of beating him in actual combat. I did not escape simply because I have no reason to and mother forbade me to. Father made me understand that escape does not guarantee freedom... In this immense and fascinating world, I am still nobody. If I learned anything, it is that things are not what they appear to be, emotions take control of your thoughts, override them and make you act irrationally... Take it as a warning."

With the last sentence, he ran his hand through the clothes he was wearing. Dante, uneasily, continued:

"Lies! An embellished way of admitting that you are weak... weaker than I. What do you think, that I don't realize it?" As one who proposed to himself to be a leader.

"Embellished way of admitting I'm weaker than you?" he replied with another question, softening the expressions on his face as one who wanted to understand what the point of the conversation would be.

Dante clenched his fists, not because he was about to attack, but because he felt in danger. Every cell in his body was screaming at him not to keep facing that sharp-eyed beast he had for a brother. Jhades simply took a discreet distance, just enough so that no one would blame him in case something happened. Ehimus understood that there could be fights and quarrels between siblings, more so if they were young, but for some reason the elf felt the atmosphere very tense between them. As one trying to defuse the situation, she spoke:

"Please. This is the first time they have met after such a long time. This is no time for them to fight..." Raising her hands in the air.

Dante, reluctantly, completely ignoring the presence of someone he regarded as inferior, said:

"I beat my master's test before the thirtieth day of training! It took me so long because I'm sure it was because Mijan is much stronger and stricter than Heroclades! Therefore, I am stronger than you and you must serve me to escape...."

"Why are you so clinging to escape?" asked Jhades, intending to help his brother, to give him a chance to hear how stupid he sounded.

Dante answered without thinking, as if he was a dog biting painfully at the hand of the one who was trying to help him:

"Someone like you, mommy's favorite son, would never understand!!!!! Bastard, you follow me or I'll make you....".

Before Rey could give an answer, Heroclades appeared on the road accompanied by White:

"Oh, you frightened little sheep. Mijan told you of the fate faced by unwanted children and those who are not accepted into the clan."

He set out to ask almost with the same disinterest that his disciple had:

"By chance, do you want to escape because do you want to make a pack? To look for an accomplice and try your luck elsewhere?"

Both Dante and Jhades turned their faces and felt intimidated, not by Heroclades, but by the guardian of Paradise walking beside him. A majestic feline almost twice the size of the other two, with short fur and defined musculature, he walked almost as intimidating as his owner. Ehimus opened her eyes in amazement. As one who finally realized why Dante was acting so desperately and stopping them all before, they reached the house. Jhades and Rey took as deep a breath as they could, Dante with his insistence had screwed up and put himself in a bad position. The wolf cub was at a loss for words, someone knew his secret.

"Basty's teacher is a menace," thought Dante as he wiped the sweat from his hands on his clothes at his sides. For him, Heroclades could communicate his knowledge to Wulfgang and Maryam, and with this have three points less in the initiation. Jhades was impressed; little by little and unnoticed, he changed his behavior and became more awake. The fact that he did not sense the presence of his brother's master upon arrival, nor that of the medium-sized liger, reaffirmed Rey's abilities.

"Did you manage to reunite with father and mother yet?" asked Rey to his master to, immediately after, pet White and look sideways at the explosive wolf cub's behavior. Dante, he was a bomb waiting to explode and he didn't know the best way to defuse it. Ignited within himself, the young red-eyed wearer was experiencing the loss of control. Aware of what he did not understand, fear began to invade his system. How would a wolfling act in this situation? The same way he was taught to act. By facing his fears head on. Resembling a fit of rage, Dante screamed as he took a great leap off the ground and uncovered five intimidating claws whose intentions were to pierce the tan-skinned subject.