Chapter 5
No Last Name

Almost simultaneously, down the hallway all the doors opened in a resounding crash. Ehimus, Mijan, Katherine, and Heroclades seemed to have jumped out of their beds as fast as they could because, in less than a breath, they were already running through the dining room with agility and precision.

Katherine, concerned, said, "I've never heard my sister scream like that! Get ready to face the unexpected," she said as soon as she passed by the little one that no one saw and was about to run up the stairs.

With a single leap, the runners seemed to fly through the air to reach the second floor without using the stairs. Rey came out of his shock and decided to hurry, but no matter how fast he tried to run, when he was on the second step, he could hear how the door of the master bedroom was knocked down. Even so, he continued as fast as his knees, elbows, and fingers would allow him to climb the gigantic steps. Finishing his climb, Rey entered the room to find something that made him pause. None of the elders were moving, not speaking, and barely breathing. Mouths agape, their faces did not know what to say in the face of a situation so urgent that there was no room to worry about covering their bodies with clothes and not showing their intimacies to others.

Those present, those formidable fighters who were prepared to face any situation, were looking at the vampire as if they were petrified. Mijan broke the silence. "Are you all right?! How are you feeling, Maryam? I don't want to scare you, but... I understand that the pregnancy process of a vampire should last at least two thousand four hundred and seventy-eight days or go up to three thousand days."

Maryam, touching her belly with her trembling hands, replied, "Do I look fine? Of course not!" she replied upset, as if she did not accept at all what had happened to her practically overnight.

Rey could feel as if his mother was short of breath when she spoke. He did not know about numbers, but he could imagine that there were many, thanks to the stress that Mijan put on when she pronounced about the days that the pregnancy process takes. He could also understand that one night was when the lights went out and you couldn't see anything.

"Impossible!" said Katherine at the same time as Heroclades. "But how?"

"What does this mean?" asked Wulfgang. "I'm not understanding. Katherine, isn't this what your previous pregnancies were like?"

"I don't think so," said Mijan, stepping in for the muscular vampire.

"No one in the entire bloodline is capable of creating life that fast," replied the muscular vampire earnestly amidst the din of several whispers.

Ehimus, careful and indiscreet, commented, "I can't stop looking at your tits. They look to the point of..."

The pale, inverted nipples began to leak.

"Oops! Maryam, you're leaking milk, I knew it! I had a feeling they were going to burst! Woooo! Cover yourselves!"

After Ehimus' comment, Maryam took a deep breath and, expanding her collapsed lungs as much as she could, let out a scream, "Everybody shut up and let me think, dammit!!!!!"

Already with silence in the room, the vampire used her hands to raise her torso and continued speaking with a polite and courteous tone of voice. Rey also kept silent and almost stood on his tiptoes at the scolding voice of his irritated mother.

"Maryam, you can't lose the glamour. Calm down, Maryam, calm down. Think. My breasts are full, I just woke up, and it's natural for the milk supply to be at its peak. But this isn't milk, it's colostrum, and it doesn't necessarily mean I'm about to give birth. On the other hand, the size of my belly says otherwise. Compared to what I remember, it's almost twice as big, maybe because it's not just one baby... Ehimus, come to my side. You'll have to drink my milk to relieve the pressure I'm feeling. Fang, you too."

"With your permission, I have to leave," said Heroclades, a little turned on.

Pausing for a moment, Rey watched as after his master's words, he clasped his hands between his legs and hurried out of the room. Mijan, on the other hand, turned and looked at the floor, while Wulfgang and Ehimus sucked on Maryam's breasts.

"She has such a big belly that she sure can't see her feet or move like she used to. I hope she doesn't explode my poor mother," thought Rey who, despite hearing the vampire's babbling, still didn't understand anything that was happening.

"Waak. Bitter... I don't like it," Ehimus then said swallowing.

Rey, unable to sit still, paced around and tried to deduce the situation. His mother made a grimace with her face. The expression did not go unnoticed under the muscular vampire's gaze.

"Herman... and that face?" asked Katherine.

Maryam, amazed and not believing it herself, said, "Phew... He just broke water!"

With this news, Wulfgang made the sound someone made when swallowing, half choked from not swallowing completely, only to ask, "What!" loudly.

To which Maryam replied, "I'm about to give birth. Kat, get the jacuzzi filled. Whew. We're gonna need hot water... Aah."

The muscular vampire, with speed and efficiency, proceeded to do as she was told.

Mijan seemed to react and, after clapping his hands twice, caused a hovering machine to appear above him. "XWZ, scan and display results..."

The machine asked for a second. It then proceeded to carry out the user's commands and, at the word, moved to hover above the vampire. A light came from inside the flying device. The lightning gave a glimpse of images that appeared to show Maryam's interior. The wolf and the elf stopped their work to watch as a large screen showed the inside of the vampire's belly. Within an eight-cornered square, three bulges could be made out floating in something that looked just like red water.

Mijan asked him for a better resolution along with a verbal report. Preceding the voice command, the faces of the three babies were seen, as well as their sexes while listening to a detailed description:

"Scans and analysis completed. Aging body frisking approximately eighteen human years. Gender: female. Species: vampire. Age: unknown. Pregnancy development: late gestational stage. Blood pressure, respiration, pulse and other vital signs: within normal parameters. Emergency medical or physical condition not detected. Approximate course of pregnancy: seven years and fifteen human days. Size of babies: normal. Size of belly and placenta: normal. Mother's feeding and nutrition: normal. Warning: intensification of frequency and duration of contractions, four to seven contractions per ten minutes."

Giving birth, water breaking, gestation, parameter, years, nutrition, gender, jacuzzi, contractions. Many new and confusing words to the little one's ear that no one saw. The floating device, which had become the hologram of a light elf with similar characteristics to the user and used complicated terms, also did not help him much to understand the situation that was explained in detail to the others. On the other hand, the image of three small lumps floating in the air gave him an idea of the situation. Still, not wanting to rush to his own conclusions, Rey waited in silence, watching, listening, and paying utmost attention to the strange hologram that Mijan had made appear, even if it was a hard idea to believe.

XWZ continued. "Three babies positioned upside down are on their way. Fetus #1. Gender: male. Predominant genes: werewolf, physical condition and vital signs within normal parameters. Asleep. Fetus #2. Gender: male. Predominant genes: vampire. No irregularities. Sleeping. Fetus #3. Gender: male. Genes: two of equal number and nomination; hybrid. No irregularities. Awake and appears to follow scan vibrations."

After hearing the word "hybrid," Rey turned his gaze back to the screen and could recognize himself inside his mother's belly, not by his facial features, but by his eyes. Two luminous white spheres that gave the impression of piercing whatever they looked at, inspiring fear in allies and enemies alike, and even in himself. The others could also be seen impressed, but they still paid particularly more attention to the time that had passed and the impending delivery.

"It's been so long, it can't be! We couldn't have slept that long, could we?" added Ehimus almost frantically, to continue. "Seven years asleep! Seven years without eating, without going to the bathroom, without moving... How is it possible that I'm still small and flat-chested? How is it possible that Heroclades is still alive!"

"The old man mentioned something about the night," said Katherine as one who was trying to retrieve a memory. "Perhaps this was what he was referring to... By the way, where is he?"

The vampire's breaths hitched. Maryam held her sister's hand tighter there and asked her if the bathtub was full. Suddenly the charismatic voice of a lanky man getting on in years was heard through the door that was still lying down.

"Well, good, good to see you! Sorry, I'm late. Let me introduce you to Ana ‘the old woman of the forest’ and Clara ‘the old woman of the lake.’ They are going to help with the delivery of the tenant."

Katherine, as one who saw a demon that had been summoned, added worriedly on the subject, "She doesn't need help. We're more than enough... We just want to know what's going on.”

Rey turned his face and watched as Wulfgang laid his head on his beloved's forehead, then she moved a little away and looked up to meet his eyes. Ehimus opened her eyelids like saucers and turned her head from side to side. But the vampire's gaze said it all. Still, she had to speak, and those present had to listen.

"I think it best to follow the advice of the Great Wise Wizard. Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't expect there to be three of them and I don't feel like I can have the strength to regenerate the wound in case they have to cut my belly open."

He took a deep breath, as deep as he could to keep calm and disguise pain.

"On the other hand, it would be a good opportunity for you guys to have a conversation and get the explanation you deserve from this place," said the vampire in control of her behavior, to make as if the pain would intensify in measure to how much time passed.

Wulfgang, Ehimus, Mijan, and Katherine paid even more attention to the vampire. Rey could see how they were worried and didn't know what to do or what to say, as if they were considering the situation. The Great Wise Wizard turned and left the room. Then the old ladies, using the charisma and security that emanated from their presence, managed to get everyone out of the room, even the husband. Silvia discreetly entered, and as soon as everyone was expelled, she fixed and closed the door with a smile on her face, like someone who promotes calm and assures that everything would be all right.

Rey was the only one inside the room. He swallowed dryly, making sure no one could still see him. Still, for being there, where none of the elders could, he felt nervous. Even more nervous than when he saw his mother and father behaving strangely with each other. Peering curiously, he moved closer to the bed and watched as the three women helped his mother to her feet. Clumsy and tired, the vampire with the prominent belly moved around the place and, little by little, got into the tub of water smoothly thanks to the help of those present there.

Maryam looked worried about everything around her. From one moment to the next, if she wasn't moaning or gritting her teeth, she would organize what was next to her. But an abrupt change of mood came over her face and, with a backhanded flip of her hand, she threw away everything she had organized. Rey could see the fear in his mother. The anxiety in her fingers flared until she needed to bite them until they bled and tried to silence her doubts. Quietly and discreetly, the vampire looked at the two old women there and asked, "If it came to it, could you ignore the deformity of one of my children and let me, my husband, or one of the boys take care of the rest?"

"Our job is to ensure your safety and the babies' safety," Clara said.

"From then on, it will be your responsibility," Ana finished the sentence.

Calmed and almost with a smile on her face, Maryam came back to the present and screamed as if she couldn't seem to take the pain anymore. Rey still didn't understand what was troubling his mother. "Why does she allow others to be cast out?" he wondered. Moving closer and as one who wanted to make someone else's pain his own, he saw something he shouldn't have when his Maryam held her belly, laid her body down, and lifted her legs wide open.

"I guess that's an open belly, and that's the way out," thought the little boy with his eyes pinned between his mother's legs. The opening was considerable, had blood and fluids around it, and at the same time it was enlarging. The skin in the area was stretched and seemed to want to give way forward, given that what was coming was bigger than the hole. "It looks like hair, yes... someone's head seems to be sticking out from between her legs. But he's having a hard time, maybe I can also see how his belly keeps opening up... But if it's information I'm after, I think it'll be more productive to go with the other adults," the little guy said to himself to turn his back on the bizarre situation he was in and go through the door almost as fast as he could.

After getting through the wood, Rey bumped into his father, who was standing in front of the entrance. Wulfgang had the look of someone who didn't know how to trust. He could understand that his father felt responsible, that he was perhaps nervous, worried, and a bit discouraged. "Adults can't know everything," he said to himself. The little boy not only looked in the direction of the lycanthrope but also looked at the others. They looked just as anxious. None of them had had time to reflect on the situation or think clearly.

Rey heard cries of pain behind him, how Heroclades demanded explanations from the Great Wise Wizard, the way Katherine paced back and forth, Ehimus' movement on the largest piece of furniture in the room, and his father's deep breaths.

Since everything on the second floor was more hectic, and that was where the Great Wise Wizard was, Rey decided to keep walking and peek over the railing to look into the center of the foyer. There, under the stairs, where the rest of the pack was also, the faces were not different from Wulfgang's. They didn't understand what had happened either, looking at each other as if they needed an explanation before exploding or perhaps attacking someone.

The Great Wise Wizard, as if suggesting something, made a chair appear on which he calmly sat down. Remaining in a neutral position, with his hands on his thighs, his back straight and his head upright, the old man kept silent and only showed a discreet smile to all present.

Rey understood the body language. The old man with his calm and neutral gestures implied that the conversation would take time, and that he had no intention of fighting or raising his voice to be heard. After descending the first step, Rey also took a seat and, after placing his elbows on his knees, leaned down and let his jaw rest on his hands. Rey looked up, and before his white eyes, almost on the verge of boredom, he saw how the others took their seats almost reluctantly.

Once everyone was comfortable and almost no sound could be heard, the Great Wise Wizard began to speak in a low, affable voice. "Don't misunderstand me. Just like Silvia, I will not interfere with your lives and decisions. Even if you decide to kill the possible reincarnation of the previous reformer of Hell. But I do want to explain about the currents of time. They are in charge of making everyone's stay more pleasant." Doubts were reflected in the faces of those who were listening.

Rey, somewhat quizzical, thought, "That would be me they're talking about. Honestly, I don't feel like 'a reincarnation,' so that must not be the case."

The Great Wise Wizard continued. "One example is that even though you are different species and need different amounts of time to satisfy the tiredness of your bodies, none of you woke up feeling tired or sleepy, did you? This is because, for some, time stood still in their rooms and for others it did not."

Opening his eyes, the old man seemed to realize that uncertainty reigned on the faces of the listeners.

"Time in this place has lost all logic as you know it. It is not linear, much less constant. That the lights become bright and later own fade does not necessarily mean that the sand in the clock falls, but neither does it mean that it is stopped. Also, the power we are talking about rejects and nullifies any event or phenomenon that is undesirable for the place, such as aging. Therefore, they do not get older. Although their bodies do develop hunger and other physiological needs while they are awake..."

Sighs and groans from Maryam were heard behind the door that led into the matrimonial room, the same one where the lycanthrope stood guard.

Mijan, ignoring what he heard and taking advantage of the pause the Great Wise Wizard had made, asked, "Then why did we all wake up at the same time?"

The Great Wise Wizard raised one of his fingers in the air, opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the energetic cries of a child could be heard. Once the cries subsided, the old man set about answering the light elf's questioning.

"The currents of time. When the lights go out and darkness comes, the individual who needs more time to replenish his strength, body and mind is placed last. Those who need less rest will be placed first. If you are the first and you already slept what you needed, your time will be stopped until the last individual is also satisfied. When everyone is ready, the time course is triggered, and the light will be made allowing you to have a synchronized awakening."

Rey turned his face away, having the feeling that behind the door the sighing and moaning became something else, so familiar that she came to wonder, "Will it feel just as painful as it does when alone with my father?"

Yes, Maryam was no longer sighing and moaning as before, but now she was sobbing and screaming as when she had been having sex with Wulfgang inside the hot tub. It was true that the vampire's sobs and screams were more intense, but what was the difference for the little one or for the older ones? Finally, a second cry was heard. To Rey, the whimpers sounded different from the first. Somewhat less energetic and longer at the same time. Undeniably, it belonged to a second baby that had just arrived at the house. Rey knew that there were three babies to come and with the second cry, as she turned her head, she could see how everyone in the room smiled. That most of the vampire's labor was ending was a target of joy. But, with the intensifying silence, the tension rose among the pack members.

Rey could swear that none of those present seemed intent on asking any more questions. They were breathing faster, they had faces that were gradually flushing, and they were fidgeting in their seats in a funny way. They were not acting as they normally did, except for the Great Wise Wizard. It was as if, instead of waiting for the third baby to burst into tears, they were imagining something else and trying to disguise it.

 Rey closed his eyes. He could imagine something. A room in which the vampire was writhing, screaming, and moaning from inside her loins. Guttural screams that, mixed with the moans and sighs, expressed pain because her belly was being opened and a belly opening must have been painful. However, the older people there did not seem to be imagining the same thing. They were imagining an erotic scene behind the door, perhaps because, for them, giving life was the same as making life. Rey was able to relate the faces of the moment, like the faces they made when they were naked alone, and finally came to a conclusion: "Maybe that's why they try to hide what they are thinking?” the little boy thought. "Because showing that you take pleasure in the suffering of others is not considerate."

Time went on and on. No one spoke. He tried not to move until from behind the door no more moaning from the vampire could be heard. At that moment, several opinions were thrown into the living room of the house and, among them all, there was one that caught the attention of the little one that no one could see.

 Ehimus said in a rather low tone of voice, "Maybe the third baby... was born dead. Tell us Wise Wizard, does death exist in Paradise?"

Rey raised his head. The green elf could not be right if the third baby was him, and he was there, alive, watching what was happening. On all sides, the elders thought about the possibility. They put their hands to their faces at such a nasty comment, especially Katherine, to hide her smile, and though they looked like they wanted to give their opinions, no one spoke again. They acted as if it only remained for them to wait for an answer from the old man.

The Great Wise Wizard replied, "Yes, she wears black wherever life goes..."

Ehimus, with the characteristic weariness of someone looking for another answer, had to formulate her question in a better way. "I asked if dying is possible...".

Rey, resisting believing the words he had heard, ignored the other comments and said to himself, "Why not check what is happening on the other side of the door if no one sees me?" With a solution in mind, the little boy with no last name got up and taking short steps returned to the front of the room he had left. His father was still standing with his eyes closed, as one who could visualize the other side of the door just by concentrating. Wulfgang was worried.

Remaining leaning forward, Rey merely poked his head through the door. "Oh... that's right. Now I can remember what I felt and saw the moment I came into this world, just before Silvia carried me in her arms." Rey saw her once more, the one whom the Great Wise Wizard had described. It was only an instant, and no one seemed to notice her, but death was there to see her coming. "He indeed wears black... small, violet-eyed..."

Despite leaving his body on the other side, with his eyes curious and wide open, Rey could see how Silvia proceeded to carry back and forth a bundle rolled up in sheets pressed against her lap. Also that her mother did not have her belly open as he had imagined, but was laughing, a little agitated as she held two pink-fleshed babies at breast level. Something else caught his attention.

Silvia, trying not to get in the way of the old ladies cleaning the place, said, "No sign of malformation or mental retardation in their little body or head. Except for his white eyes, he doesn't seem defective. He has an active gaze. He also reacts to sound and sucks my finger. He does not look bad colored and breathes well. Healing aids have no effect. He is as healthy as his siblings..."

"Yes, but he is not crying. Could the baby be mute?"

Rey could hear Clara's comment somewhat worried. And the one that Ana said already when she finished emptying the bathtub. "I've never had a newborn baby that doesn't cry after coming into the world, unless he is in very delicate health. Keep checking him carefully, it is better to be cautious. On the other hand..."

The old woman looked in the direction of the vampire who was already on the bed half lying down.

"Since we didn't have to make any cuts, there was no tearing, and the placenta is already out. You will have to continue breastfeeding the babies until the bleeding stops. Mom, I recommend you rest as much as you can."

After hearing the comments of so many people, Rey was already wondering if it was normal that he had not cried like her siblings did when they were born. He also noticed that, as soon as his mother finished holding his siblings, she turned her gaze to Silvia as if asking permission to see the baby.

The maid, with a smile on her face, gave the bundle she was carrying to Maryam and so Maryam put his mouth on one of her breasts for him to suck on as the first ones had done. Rey made the same expression that the elf had made at the sight of her past self sucking on her mother's tit.

Once the other two babies were detached from the warmth of the vampire's body, they began to cry again. Crying was their way of asking to return to the comfortable place they were in, but they were taken to a small bed that had appeared out of nowhere, just in the opposite corner of the room. With this, the little one that no one could see poked his head out of the room and returned to where his father was.

As soon as Rey stepped back and returned to his upright position, he glanced at Wulfgang, who now had his eyes open. Silvia opened the door causing the most awaited moment to arrive for everyone still outside, amidst the muffled babbling and cries of two babies.

"Congratulations to the new father!" the maid said in Wulfgang's direction, as if she were inviting him in with her outstretched palm.

The lycanthrope barely reacted to the news and merely frowned. On the contrary, those below the stairs feasted in exultation, so much so that Rey could hear them jumping so loudly that they knocked their chairs to the floor.

"You may come in, Lord Wulfgang," she suggested this time, with words and a gesture of her open hand.

"Our modest efforts are required elsewhere,” said Clara. "The work is finished."

"Time to go," said Ana.

"Do we owe you anything?" asked the lycanthrope.

One of the little old ladies raised her hand and made a gesture in an attempt to get him not to worry. As the two old ladies left, Ehimus, Mijan, and Katherine seemed to have misheard and, almost running down the stairs, pointed their gazes at the door with the intention of entering behind the newly proclaimed father to see the babies. Rey turned quickly away. If he could be touched, at that moment he would have been run over by the three energetic runners, but Silvia stopped them by raising her hand in the air in a "stop" sign.

Pausing and clearing her throat, the maid snapped to attention and corrected herself.

"Lady Maryam only allowed entry to the father of the creatures. Please, would you be so kind as to wait a little longer?"

The little one no one could see noticed that, despite the door being open and all the commotion the others were making to see the babies, Wulfgang was reluctant to go any further. The wolf's eyes were wide open, and his brow was even more furrowed, mistaking his happiness for sadness. Rey noticed him nervous, hesitant to enter. Before his eyes he saw him as someone who wanted to run away, which made him feel for his father. From his point of view, someone so strong, who stood up to everything, didn't seem to know how to be a father.

Despite not being able to interfere in that world, Rey felt the desire to extend his hand and support that person who needed to be supported. The little boy raised his hand slowly, but Wulfgang, right at the level of his son's face that he could not see, made his right claw appear. A claw composed of five nails as long and sharp as daggers. Rey stopped his movements. He was shocked and even surprised. He interpreted that his father had transformed his hand into a form whose specific purpose was to inflict damage.

Wulfgang said to himself quietly, but not so quietly that he could not be heard by the little boy, "Maryam is weak. She is weak and you have to take responsibility. As a leader and as a father you must bear the result of your decisions, take responsibility for your beliefs. It is better to die knowing nothing than to live a life of misery and need for fear of dying knowing you did nothing. All the work it took to keep me breathing, the sacrifices, the actions, and the effort it took to almost achieve what I never could. All that I have left behind are reason enough not to be like that man who didn't ask me if I wanted to come into life and threw me into abandonment. If I take responsibility and move forward without looking back... everything will be better.”

Rey could hear his father's words, but he couldn't understand what they meant. Wulfgang entered the room like a predator. With his eyes he met the vampire, then turned to look at the babies and, from among the pups, raised his hand in front of one. For the wolf it did not matter whether he was right or wrong, for he had already made up his mind.

Rey dropped his arm and arched his mouth downward. Inside him urged the need to do something, to scream, to run, perhaps to smash the door. From outside the room, he watched as his father prepared to bring down his claw and bring death upon the silent, unweeping newborn. At the same time, he angrily remembered something very fundamental. "The reason why I always saw that man as a stranger and not as a father," he said to himself. From another angle, Rey was looking at the moment in the past when Wulfgang became someone he did not recognize as a father for raising his hand with intentions of killing him. The idea of a male entity protecting the family had been shattered into pieces from that moment for the baby who understood that someone wanted to hurt him.

Rage, disappointment, and anger passed over the little face. But one thing was certain: Rey was no longer so happy for the gift of knowledge, nor did he look with such curiosity or seek to learn everything. At that moment, he realized that being able to see into the past was meant to teach him the true nature of the elders, that which would allow him to distinguish between allies and enemies. But that kind of knowledge carried a lot of weight, and rather than making the path easier, it would hinder him as he walked.

Before the wolf lowered his hand, Maryam rose from the bed, leaving a line of blood on the floor beneath his feet and said, "My beloved!?”

Along with the vampire's words, her thin and delicate hand also stretched out as one who wanted to reach her beloved in every possible way.

"Easy, my love, easy. Listen to my voice, it's me..."

With caresses, she calmed her husband's violent behavior. The two of them stood in front of the baby who did not cry. Wulfgang breathed. He returned his transformed hand to normal and grasping the very familiar hand that caressed him, he turned his gaze to silence and then said in a hesitant tone, "Regardless of who my father was, how I was treated in the past, and all my failures, I feel that the present ‘me’ should take responsibility and cause harm to avoid a greater evil."

Maryam, tightening her embrace, said, "Ending the life you gave ‘as an act of kindness’ will not make you a better parent. Just as when you ended the life of the one who gave you life ‘out of revenge’ it did not make you a better son."

"The more time passes, the harder it will be," said Wulfgang. "Living eventually ties up dying, even if you are immortal and death itself is a sad event that is going to happen. If I don't kill him, I will simply be delaying something inevitable."

"Killing is not the solution. Least of all if you are judging a creature as if its only crime is to have been born."

"As a father, knowing what I know, there is no greater gesture of kindness than to spare him a lifetime of suffering."

"Fang, you know that in such a short time I know you like no one else," said Maryam. "Listen to my words. If you murder or witness the death of another family member, that event will end up becoming a painful burden to bear for the rest of your life. That will be the beginning of the process in which you will go insane and die, or you will meet your death before you end up insane."

"Look at his eyes, Maryam! He will never be able to live normally. If it gets out of hand, it can be detrimental to everyone. At worst, he'll end up killing his brothers, you, the boys, and me... Kat knows better than anyone."

Rey shook his head. He wanted to speak, to defend himself against those accusations, but no one would listen. He took a deep breath and stepped back as he looked down at his hands. Gritting his teeth, he knew he would never be able to kill one of the pack, not as he was accused. Lifting his gaze, he opened his mouth only to close it again and bite his tongue until he made himself bleed. "To die without having lived would be a real shame," he said to himself.

Maryam, using a serious tone, seemed to speak her mind. "My sister I'll take care of." Changing her tone of voice to a softer one, the vampire continued. "Neither the pain of your past, nor the words of others should make this decision. Let him grow up, and when he commits a fault that should be punishable by death..." She sighed and bowed her head. "You will be able to sentence him without feeling so guilty, my beloved. Also, who's to say that someone else won't be the one to end his life?"

Rey looked sideways, still with his head turned. He wanted to see his mother's face, but not his father’s. The words she used to convince the wolf not to do what he was thinking of doing ran down his back like a breath of cold air. "Maybe she's not saying what she's thinking?" he said to himself—Rey, whose legs were almost shaking.

Maryam, naked and still bleeding, rested her forehead against the lycanthrope's back. She waited in silence, knowing the room was empty. Silvia was still outside preventing the others from entering, and the two old women had left. It was her, her husband, and the children. No one else. Maybe that's why, little by little, the corners of her mouth widened, and her fangs showed. There, where she could not be seen, she was giving a wide, whimsical smile, one that, according to Rey, people who are no good give when they get what they want.

Almost petrified by the revelation, the little boy realized the unconditional love his mother had for his father. That she was not defending him because he was her son, but because he was one more tool to bind and give purpose in the relationship to the lycanthrope who so cherished freedom and longed to return to the world he had left.

Wulfgang turned to embrace the vampire, who immediately wiped the smile she wore and showed a stricken face. In the embrace, the gigantic body let out as much air as it could from inside its lungs.

Rey noticed that the immense subject was staring at the ceiling. But gazing with other eyes, deep red eyes that seemed to look into his fears once again, those that in the future would perhaps become reality.

"Oh, yes!" Wulfgang said in a low voice. "This mind of mine carries many conflicts, but I don't think it's so weak. At least not enough to end up driving me mad. But..."

Lighting his eyes, with the haunted look of one who looked up and down, full of defiant intent. A pause in his words, a change in his expression...

"I don't want to make the same mistakes in life that my father made."

Sadness eventually showed on the wolf's face, even if nothing was resolved by his presence.

"I consider that my father didn't have the courage to kill me and for that reason he locked me up. I am being no different if I let him live. Maybe it won't be under a cellar, behind bars, but he will be locked up under my control until he can escape," he said in a broken voice, a voice of someone crying, the husband who buried his face in his beloved's lap just so she wouldn't see him cry.

Rey took a few steps into the room. Barely leaning his back against the wall, he dropped into a sitting position on the floor with one hand over his open mouth. The idea that he was truly alone tore him up inside. He wanted to scream, to cry, to roar because he understood that the answer was to escape. Love was not an option. He had no daddy and no mommy. "Who would treat his son with love if deep down inside he knew he shouldn't get attached because he might have to kill him?" wondered Rey. "No one," he answered himself. But he refused to stop believing in one possibility: that no matter how slim the chance, if he loved them and gave his all, maybe he would receive love like the "guardians of Paradise" did on the shore of the shining lake. "Maybe I can make them change. At least my mother, who needs me. But, if she wants to kill me, how could I love her? Why would she love me if I am different from my brothers?" These were questions Rey felt the need to answer. "Because I can make her happy. If I made her feel happy by not being killed by my father, I have a chance."

But Maryam kept talking. “Love, listen to my voice...you must not drown yourself on problems that are not yet clear. We are both in this situation, together. Let me be the pillar that supports you at all times so that you do not collapse."

Rey put his hands to his ears, closed his eyes, and let the darkness of the corner he was in engulf him.

"That means that, if the time comes and you can't, I will take responsibility and kill him," said the vampire as she stroked her hands up and down her beloved's hair.

Rey denied it as many times as he could. Still, it wasn't enough. "They spoke of humans, of the dangerous world that resides out there, but it isn't so." Breaking the fractions of his thoughts, he continued. "But look at this world. Because the potential of mine is so great and in my past incarnation, I made it all chaotic. They are frightened by what may come to pass. Even though they are so powerful, they feel helpless and fearful. Of course, they have interests to preserve. The darkness could violently swallow them up, the ground could split in two, the wind could turn into a storm, but of all the things that could happen... they choose to fear me. It's not fair."

Maryam said to the wolf with a cheerful tone, "Putting aside the future, let's better focus on the present. Before the rest of the pack comes in, why don't we give them the names I have decided on!" As if the previous discussion never happened.

"Impressive, the ability to be able to change his attitude," thought the little guy no one could see. "If only I could do the same... If only it were as easy for me as it was for her...".

Wulfgang added, "Names?" It didn't look like he had changed his attitude, but at least he seemed to have something to occupy his mind.

"Keeping busy." Rey clicked his tongue, still cowering on his hands and feet. "Maybe that's the answer to putting emotions aside," the little guy said to himself.

Maryam, almost prancing as Ehimus did when she was happy, came over and with her hand pointed, said, "The vampire will be named Jhades and I will let him carry the surname of my lineage. The lycanthrope will be named David..."

Rey noticed how the second creature that was being pointed out, as soon as he heard the name they were going to give him, reflected sadness in her face and burst into tears. Maryam corrected herself after that reaction, apparently unhappy on the part of the red-eyed baby.

"He doesn't seem to like it..."

"Well, crying does bring its conveniences. At least I know who mommy's favorite son is now," Rey said to himself in a depressed tone.

Wulfgang made up his mind to speak:

"He'd better be named Dante and I'll let him carry the family name of my lineage." And so, the child stopped crying.

For the two parents, there remained one last unnamed child, the one in the middle. The one that did not react and only breathed while looking at everyone with active eyes.

Rey, crestfallen, gave room for a sigh. He knew that his name had no last name, and he was seeing firsthand what his siblings had been given, but not him. He could very well feel envious, doubt, and complain about being slighted. But he also knew that, in a way, it made him unique.

Wulfgang continued, "Maryam... Katherine will not be at all happy with us letting him live, let alone naming him."

"I am certain that, if we take care of him, he might well be different."

"Even so, he is still an 'unwanted,'" Maryam added, putting her happiness aside, almost bursting into tears.

"Even if he is different, we are the only ones who know about this because we were the ones responsible. I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... but I want to name him."

"Fake tears from a face that hadn't long been laughing," Rey thought without even having to lift his head to confirm.

"Maryam, my beloved..." said Wulfgang, "to me it is sad, but also real," he said, as one who yields to entreaties. "We cannot give him our surnames, but I am not opposed to giving him a name."

The lycanthrope stood upright in front of the white-eyed baby.

"Little one, names mark the path to greatness and yours will be Rey. Unwanted must be your surname, whether you are good or whether you are bad... but I cannot dare to put such words on you because whenever society knows your roots, you will be shunned. Rey De-Heaven is the name by which everyone will recognize you. I hope someday you will understand that. As a father, I can do no more for you.”

The werewolf spoke like someone who was broken inside, someone who with every word he let out of his mouth was accompanied by a tear falling to the ground. The sound of the lycanthrope's tears made Rey pull his head out from between his legs. He didn't like the scene; it all sounded fictitious and meaningless to him. The lycanthrope kneeling on the ground reflected sadness on his face, as if he was going to die. On the other hand, the vampire was looking at the ceiling and laughing loudly, also as if she was going to die.

"Fang, even though I always laugh behind your back and wear this fake smile on my face, far from being fine, I'm torn up inside... Owning your heart brought me to the point of even having to curse one of my descendants for the rest of his life and if you have to kill him, would I forgive you, or would I forgive myself? I don’t have the answer. But, on the other hand, I am happy. Looking at life from another perspective, you would have gone the same way. You would have suffered the same at the hands of the one before me... of your first love. Just understand that the years don't change the heart. Neither does the need to want to have control," she said as she watched her husband slowly collapse and she was by his side to help him.

Rey was still not lifting his head. Words and actions were like pathetic excuses to the little boy's ears that no one could see. After catching his breath and unable to tolerate that play, he stood up, turned his back and moved closer to the exit of the room. Nothing those two could do would change his perception that they were out to kill him and the question with which the little boy would keep his head occupied for the time being was, "Who else would set out to kill me?"

In the parlor they were worried and, as usual, they always made a confused noise of shouts and voices to ask for explanations from the maid who only smiled as she blocked the stairs.

Rey could hear three words uttered by the Great Wise Wizard. "Silvia, let them in."

And he saw the maid turning away as if the comment was an unquestionable order. For him it was somewhat strange, for it was the first time the old man had spoken to Silvia directly. Rey also saw how those present ignored the maid's very strict behavior at the skinny man's words and, anxiously, went up the stairs and invaded the matrimonial room to meet three lively and energetic little ones. There, too, was the vampire returning to bed and nursing two of them, while the father took care to properly hold the one he was carrying in his arms, as one who did not want to break something delicate in his rough arms.

Those who had just arrived in the room inspected with their gazes and then looked the lycanthrope or the vampire in the face and then look at the babies again, as if they wanted to distinguish which one looked more like the father or which one looked more like the mother. Katherine and Mijan disapproved with their faces. The happiness of the rest lasted until Ehimus threw a question into the air.

"What are their names?"

Katherine, who had her eyes fixed on the little one Wulfgang was carrying, turned her face in the direction of the elf as if she was committing a crime for speaking. The little one that no one could see understood that names were a delicate subject and should not be touched on so trivially. Not long ago, his parents were almost on the verge of regret over such a questioning. In the crowded room, they could hear the delicate words Maryam used to answer the elf's question. Proudly, the mother pointed to each of her children present there.

"He is Rey, Dante Lobato and Jhades Priovam."

Katherine asked when she heard that the creature Wulfgang carried had a name, "Herma?"

"I don't know if I heard correctly, but one is missing a last name," interrupted Ehimus who, as a child, didn't hesitate to ask whenever she was curious, even if he had the lit gaze of the muscular vampire on her shoulders.

At the comment, most of those present ducked their heads. They averted their gazes as if they didn't know how to begin a proper explanation. The atmosphere was tense. Rey skirted the room, like a watchful hunter. Putting aside his feelings, he knew that this was the moment when he could distinguish between enemies and those who were not. He wanted to see in detail the expressions on the faces of the elders.

Mijan was the first to break the silence and began, "There is something you should know..."

Rey saw on his face the intention to explain as well as his abilities would allow. Two slaps of his hands made the floating machine appear and show changing images.

"The dark past of many species. When a child is not given a surname, it is an illegitimate child, a bastard, as when they are born as a result of incest between relatives or other relationships outside the matrimonial lineage..."

Ehimus, unable to bear to remain silent, interrupted the explanation with a shrill cry as she waved her arms from side to side. "But they are neither siblings nor do they share the same lineage and yes they are married!"

Katherine, putting her hand on the light elf's shoulder to calm him down, continued for this one, "It is the same in case of breeding between different lineages. A hybrid is not recognized as a legitimate child because he is more likely to become a De-Bastard and a stain on history. He must be eliminated without remorse at birth and not named, much less surnamed. De-Bastadors, in one way or another, always end up bringing death to the caretakers and those around him."

Ehimus, confused, asked again, "De-Bastador?"

Heroclades, in a neutral tone, said, "De-Bastador, an aberration devoid of reason. Creatures deformed, mentally or physically. Retarded monstrosities who do not discriminate in the use of their destructive powers. Many have been born and live protected under the mantle of the lineage that does not accept them as legitimate members, since they serve as vicious weapons that sink their teeth into those they do not recognize as owners. For centuries these creatures are abused, then discarded or simply offered as merchandise from one side to the other.”

Mijan continued, "As I was saying... If they do not share the same blood or lineage and have children, the elders repudiate being given the family name, unless they share the characteristics of the lineage, which are eye color, body features, or hair. In case they are allowed to live, parents and guardians are advised to pay special attention to the development process.”

Ehimus asked again, "Developmental process?"

"Yes," answered Mijan. "While growing up they have violent outbursts, an abnormal amount of power or strength, dissociation from reality, different perception of sounds, difficulty in learning, and a sense of superiority. These are major indicators that will determine if the offspring can become a De-Bastador."

Rey saw Ehimus put her hands on her head. She had a face like she was looking across the room as one who listened without hearing. "I can't understand anything you're telling me,” said the elf.

The light elf looked straight at the images projected by his machine. He seemed to mentally go over everything that had been said. Then he put his hand on the little green girl's head and said, "All this time it took me to realize. Mhmm! You're a hopeless case. The strict vegetable diet atrophied your brain."

Mijan's last words didn't sound like offensive words to the young, white-eyed boy, but something inside her told her that the light elf was using a polite way to offend. Rey turned his face, and the expression on Ehimus' face told him everything. It was offensive, even if it didn't sound offensive.

Just before the little green girl threw a tantrum, Heroclades intervened. Someone's temper was showing, so he decided to try to explain the situation in his own way.

"If a human had green eyes or green hair without carrying an elf's last name with them, wouldn't that be strange?"

The elf, dissociating herself from the fury that Mijan's words provoked in her, nodded her head and said, "Any of the Elven races would execute him. As queen, I had to give my consent to execution in those ceremonies. They were the product of rapes against my kind and as they had almost the same abilities as us, they were used against us on the battlefield."

Heroclades continued, "Now, don't you think that the same thing would happen in the case of someone who was not a bearer of blue or red eyes and would carry the surname of either species?”

Rey nodded his head. Although the explanation had not been directed at him, it was clear to him that, at the very least, not carrying a surname would save him some enemies in the future.

"Hm-hm-hu-hu-hu-hu-ha-ha! Now I get it... I knew it couldn't be that complicated. On the other hand, all great news is what you just gave me. After all, it wasn't a mistake not to surname the creature. Heroclades, you can have my praise... Mijan, you are not smart enough to explain difficult concepts in an easy way," said the elf using a haughty tone and totally opposite to the one she used to use.

Mijan could not stand the accusation and, in a fit of anger, threw the first thing that was next to him. Ehimus, returning to her cheerful demeanor, dodged the blow thrown at her by the light elf and then continued.

"So, the little one in the middle, if he doesn't become a De-Bastador will he become a 'hunter' like the hybrid humans that hunted my people?"

Wulfgang, after giving a sigh because the elf ended up hiding behind him, continued. "That's another reason why there were vampires and lycanthropes attacking us along with ‘bounty hunters.'”

After the wolf's words, Rey remembered that the Great Wise Wizard in his story had mentioned vampires and lycanthropes attacking the couple on their wedding day. The little boy also noticed that, even though everyone knew the truth, none of the people present looked at him with fear.

Ehimus, still thoughtful, threw out as many questions as she could think of, "What about the incarnation of this Leonel guy?"

"Incarnations lose the memories of their past experiences," said Maryam, "thus having to follow the natural course of their existence, even after dying again and again. This course makes them more dangerous and unpredictable. Remember that Leonel was a legitimate son. But, in this case, a hybrid of two lineages. He is more likely to be born defective when faced with a task he cannot solve or a power he cannot control. He remains a shell full of anger, without rationality, tactics, or strategy. A creature in which only the pleasure of satiation will keep him alive. A true De-Bastador capable of eliminating everything around him."

Once the murmurs and curiosities settled, Rey watched as Wulfgang still carried him like a father seeking to guard his son's life in case someone wanted to harm him after seeing him differently. The wolf turned his face towards Heroclades. He also looked into the eyes of the others who were present.

The tan-furred trainer raised his big toe and gave a nonchalant smile of relief as if to encourage Wulfgang. In response, the lycanthrope also tried to show the relieved face of one who did not want to worry any of those present. The same ones who, for the moment, according to the little one's observation that no one could see, did not seem to be worried about bad omens or the future of a non-legitimate child.

Rey turned his face at the voice of Katherine, who spoke with a tone of discomfort that reminded him that she was the only one of the group who had kept her eyes riveted on the baby the lycanthrope carried.

"I can't understand the pain you two are feeling right now." After pausing, the muscular vampire glanced in her sister's direction. "I don't blame Fang for getting attached to the creature after giving it a name either. But I do blame you, Maryam. You know that, by rule of life, it is the mother's duty to extinguish the light of the flame she brought into the world... Yet you didn't. Why?"

"I have my reasons... I plan to wait until the initiation. That will be the best time to decide whether to kill him or let him live."

"Then let me be the one to do what they may not be able to do," said Katherine. "They don't necessarily have to wait; the moment their bastard son might pose a threat, one order will be enough to cut off his head..."

Rey raised his gaze, swallowed dryly, and ran his hand across his neck. The sharpness of the muscular vampire's words brought back the memory of the immense sword she carried and, therefore, he imagined that instrument cutting him with a single blow. The little boy understood that, in spite of his father and mother, there was someone else to take care of.