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."

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.