Empty. On the outside and inside. Emptiness arises when nothing remains; it's the state when everything is gone. A shell thrown into the void, there is nothing outside, and inside, there used to be something. And it's sad. How does the shell feel? It once belonged to a tree and protected something within itself, but now it has been torn from its branch and its body shattered until its reason for existing was stripped away.

Such was Pedro, long before the universe ended, long before his group cast him out... again. How many times had it been? How many people had he seen die? How many had abandoned him? The story repeated itself over and over, and a tape that is rewound too many times eventually breaks.

Pedro had no value; he was the same as nothing after that girl. How many times had he thought about disappearing? About surrendering to the emptiness that consumed him from within? Now would be the perfect time for that, after all, he was in the middle of nothing, alone as always, with the void. On the outside and inside.

The lonely and isolated man wanted to turn 1 into 0 and end that darkness. He moved as far away from everyone as he could, literally, the further away he was from them, the better. However:

"How are you?" Helena came from nowhere, in both senses, and simply sat beside him calmly.

"Helena..." His eyes widened, he no longer understood anything. She had already cast him out; what was she doing here now? "... I swear I don't want to be a burden to you, I'm truly sorry from the bottom of my—"

The girl placed her hand over his mouth, making him silent. He then noticed that she had tears in her eyes as well.

"You talk too much, I know it wasn't your fault..." Sitting there, the warrior told the priest how the angel had used her, red and green sitting amidst the darkness. Two broken hearts struggling to beat without their pieces falling apart. The woman whose heart burned with anger and the man whose heart burned with loneliness.

"So... that's what happened?"

"Do you think you know someone until you no longer do. It's painful, you know? ALL I WANT IS TO STRANGLE THAT IDIOT!" She expressed anger, but her heart hid sadness... perhaps these feelings are not so different; we get irritated by situations we find unhappy, and anger ends up being just a defense mechanism for what we refuse to accept as real.

"I know. And the closer you think you are, the more life force you lose when reality hits. I wish I could say you get used to it or that you become stronger... but that's not true. Every time it happens, you become weaker. You lose a bit of your faith in humanity, your faith in yourself... everything loses a bit of its value."

"What's your story?" The woman asked curiously. Just as he felt the emotions emanating from her, she perceived the perseverance he had. In the midst of such a sad and fallen discourse, Helena couldn't help but notice that Pedro still seemed to have more emotional strength than he believed.

"I don't want to talk about it. It won't change anything."

"Well, it's up to you... I just wanted to know why you wander alone. You're a funny guy sometimes."

"You think?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"...." The priest continued to stare into the void. An enormous silence began between them; did it say everything? But there was so much to say, maybe it was better to start with the basics. "I was cursed."

"Hum?"

"Long before the world fell apart, someone put a curse on me. I don't know who, how, or why. I just know that it's attached to my body and my curse never leaves me in peace."

"And what curse is that?"

"Everyone who is close to me, sooner or later, something happens; they die or leave. Every human around me is affected and destroyed. But I... I want to keep believing that I can have people around me. I want to believe that there is no curse. I dream of being happy someday."

Helena said nothing. What could she say? The girl didn't understand curses, she wasn't close to Pedro, and she wasn't good at that sort of thing. But she saw strength in him; she saw this perseverance to fight until the day. It might be weakening little by little, it might not be that strong, but it was a feeling that was still there.

"It's complicated..."

"Yes... But what about you? What's the reason for your anger?"

The girl thought for a moment and then began rummaging through her pockets. She then took out something resembling a very small cup; it was empty but had a label describing it as Tranquilizers.

"It's biological, I think. My dad was like this, as was my grandmother. Everyone pisses me off one way or another, and I can't control myself. The explosion comes, and I end up cursing everything in front of me. I'm a sea of strong emotions."

"Funny, I'm a sea of weak emotions. Yin Yang, right?" Helena then started to laugh. Pedro was confused; it was a joke, but not the kind that made someone laugh that loudly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm almost sure that's not how Yin Yang works."

"Oh, how dare you?" The priest joked in a dramatic tone, placing his hand over his chest in an offended manner. "For your information, I know everything about Korean culture."

"So that's why you got Yin Yang wrong. It's Chinese." Pedro felt embarrassed realizing he had no idea what it was besides the drawing. But seeing Helena smile wasn't exactly a bad thing.

"And about you being scared facing that woman, was that true?"

"Yes... she showed no sign of weakness. Her body and movements were very light, and her sword was too thin for me to defend against every attack. She said my power could have killed her if it had hit, but I didn't get that impression. The whole fight felt like a joke. Now without my sword, I feel even more insecure about whether I can face them or not."

"Helena..." Pedro couldn't finish what he was about to say because the duo heard a noise, similar to a step, behind them. They looked, thinking it was another one of their friends coming, but the one presenting themselves was not a friend, but an enemy. A bipedal wolf was standing there, its gray fur camouflaging it a bit against the darkness of the void.

The duo jumped up in fright. They had never seen such a being before, but there weren't many possibilities of what it was. Pedro, nervous, backed away a bit, and Helena, noticing the man's fear, interposed herself between him and the monster as if to protect him. Pedro looked at her in shock; again, she stayed, and he wanted to run, but Helena had learned from her past actions. Her current thought wasn't about how to stay and fight but how to escape... There were no depressions, mountains, or anything like that; it was just a flat area with weak lighting. Being a wolf, the woman assumed it had an excellent sense of smell.

Now, reversing the situation, Leo watched them curiously. He had doubted that humans were still alive, but it turned out to be true. He saw only two, not eight, which made him assume they had separated. It was a dirty man and a woman with a red streak in her hair. He thought about their powers and honestly appreciated them a bit; they were the first real humans he had seen since he died. Considering his human life, they were the youngest people he had ever seen, besides himself.

He didn't want to fight, but at the same time, he knew that sooner or later they would come after him and also go after the others. A group of people starting to get along. Leo had never been part of any group, but he felt that the least he could do was protect them.

"Who are you?" Helena asked. If there was no chance to escape, she should try to find an opening or attack him. Maybe if she could distract him, she could think of something. Leo just looked at her, not changing his expression. Should he tell her his name? Was it really important? Why would she want to know his name anyway? Another stressful, boring, and tiring action. The wolf said nothing; no words carried in his mouth. He just advanced, suddenly, a canine in attack.

Helena was caught off guard by the animal's sudden advance. It came with its claws. A few steps back taken by the girl reduced the damage, but she still had her arm cut. It wasn't deep but enough; she couldn't move away further because her wounds burned and prevented her from moving too abruptly. Pedro had shouted the girl's name in desperation, but she knew there was no time to worry about small things. She needed to get rid of the immediate danger in front of her. She tried to kick the opponent, but the animal dodged, retreating back into the darkness. The sound of its growl could be heard; it was not a common being, like the moon claiming the darkness and returning to its corner.

"Helena, your arm..."

"We don't have time for that now, Pedro. We need to think of a way to escape quickly. Listen, if I distract him, do you think you can run to the others and call for help?"

"What? But you're unarmed and still haven't recovered from your previous injuries... if you stay here alone against him... Helena, it's too dangerous."

"So what do you suggest we do?" The priest thought for a moment, his legs trembling, his hands trembling, his heart trembling. But he lived trembling; it had become normal for him to live with that fear, with that insecurity, and every time he tried to fight against it, it seemed harder than before. But it wasn't the time to think or to fear; it was time to act, it was time for him to be useful.

"I'll distract him, you get out of here and go find the others."

"What? No, that's completely out of the question. You have nothing here to use against this guy; his claws are real, he is real. Pedro, you won't be able to fight him." The growling increased, Helena deduced that Leo was a beast, incapable of understanding human language, an animal acting on instinct. But Leo listened and thought; even if the eight of them joined to defeat him, nothing would change, for the moon shines in the sky beyond human touch. However, he preferred that there be only one person against him; too many people make too much noise, and after nature fell, there was no reason for humanity to unite.

 "Helena... I can do it, I'm not completely incompetent. At least for a while, I know I can win. Go, Helena, let me hold this werewolf here."

"But..."

"No buts... just go, I'll be fine, I swear. Now run." Helena was still against it, not wanting to leave him alone, but the truth was he was right. One movement from the deceived was enough for her to see how fast he was. Speed was not Helena's specialty; she wouldn't last long against him, still not knowing how to use her power, and pure hand-to-hand combat was not her strength.

"Promise me you'll hold on until we get back. Please, Pedro."

"I promise, go quickly." Helena then ran; she wasn't sure which way the others were, it was all identical and dark. Pedro stayed there, listening to the monster's growls. "Hey werewolf, I'll hold you here for a bit, okay?"

Leo, already tired of waiting, lunged at the man, but unlike Helena, Pedro dodged. Even with the darkness hindering his vision, he managed to track the enemy's movements; he was faster than a normal wolf but still within his understanding. Unlike Helena, Pedro did not counterattack; he preferred to evade, escape, hide. Fighting was not the aspect of his powers he had chosen. Pedro wanted to be one with the plants, not the animals.

Another lunge from the wolf, and another dodge from the young man, a sequence of attacks, one after the other, and none were fast enough to touch Pedro. The priest felt relieved; this enemy did not seem as strong as the last one. If he maintained a constant dodge with his quick pace, he could buy the necessary time. It was just an animal, attacking indiscriminately, randomly. And so, he relaxed; Leo immediately noticed, and in a matter of seconds, he had slashed a part of Pedro's abdomen with his claws.

The pain was extremely strong, making Pedro tear up with pain, but he couldn't let the pain distract him from his situation, as the wolf relentlessly aimed another blow. Pedro planted his foot on the ground to propel himself backward as strongly as he could. However, Leo's tail wrapped around his leg, causing him to stagger. The claw was coming toward his face, and when the young man leaned back reflexively, gravity caused him to fall, helping him to dodge.

But he couldn't stay on the ground, not even for a second. He used his hands to give something akin to a leap and catapult himself away from the monster, trying to kick him mid-action, but it was in vain. Leo dodged.

"You're not just an animal, are you?" Pedro asked, holding his wound with one hand. It had been a direct hit, made exactly because, from one moment to the next, the wolf's movements had become more cunning. "You waited for me to drop my guard to kill me unawares. I've seen many animals in my life; even the most cunning ones don't lie. They fake, but never hide their intentions. You're more human than animal."

Leo didn't want to speak. The boy understood quickly, but it seemed more like experience than intelligence. Yet, hearing that bothered him somewhat; being called human left a terrible taste in his mouth.

"I didn't hide anything." The wolf spoke for the first time, to another person. Pedro looked at him intrigued, and the animal continued. "From the beginning, I made it clear that I came to kill you."

"True, but normally animals don't create strategies or change their behavior."

"You seem to know quite a bit about animals."

"I kind of lived with them for a long time. And you? Do you have any relationship with them?"

"I've never had relationships with anyone except for... forget it. That girl, what is she to you? Your girlfriend?"

"What? Are you crazy? Don't even mention that idea to her or she'll kill me. I just met her now, all of them actually. I'm kind of new to the group."

"And before them?"

"I was alone, not literally alone, because I had nature by my side." The animal's ears perked up upon hearing that word, and his expression grew even more closed.

"Nature? So you're one of those guys..."

"What guys?"

"Crazy about nature, idolizing trees, worshiping rivers, followers and protectors of flora."

"I wouldn't say I go that far, but I agree that it's important to protect nature; it's here to help us."

"No, it's not. Your name is Pedro, isn't it? Listen to me, you're free now, you can finally be yourself without worrying about dying. No more stupid fights about who should have what. You're one of the few with this chance; you should take advantage of it."

"What's your name?"

"Leo."

"So Leo, I'm not afraid of dying... I've never had anyone to fight about what should belong to whom. I've been, in a way, free my entire life. And I never found peace."

"You don't understand; your heart is trapped and locked in a false life propagated by others."

"And you're freer than I am? All that hatred inside you, which you chose to take out on the world."

"IT'S NOT HATRED." The beast roared for the first time, Pedro was not scared. He could see that the animal was showing discomfort; Leo placed his paws on his head as if losing control, saying: "It's hope. We all did what we did for the hope of peace. You don't understand. A hybrid trapped between two worlds, two different realities amidst war, I shouldn't have been born. I belonged to one side, and they dragged me to the center of everything, they imprisoned me. I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, to run recklessly. Faster than the wolf, so the wolf would never catch me, so that man would leave me alone. So I could escape my prison. Nature had to fall; I had to save everyone."

"What are you talking about?" But no answer came; the wolf attacked once more, charging at Pedro. The man still tracked the opponent's movement and only observed how he was attacking in anger, feeling the other's desperation. There was nothing hopeful about it; the wolf had let his guard down. "Leo, I told you..." Pedro took something from his pocket and threw it on the ground. It was extremely small, and Leo didn't bother to be careful. And when the wolf came close enough, a tree began to grow from the spot where Pedro had thrown the object. It expanded fully and pierced Leo. The beautiful araucaria grew magnificently while impaling the animal. "... nature is on my side."

Leo remained suspended as the tree trunk pierced through his entire torso. Pedro looked at him sadly, thinking how that being in front of him was nothing but a human who had gone through something. He turned his back, his hand still pressing the not-so-deep wound on his abdomen. He just needed to go home; after all, he had finally been useful and defeated one of the enemies.

"How dare you..." Now, the fury was present in the wolf's tone of voice. Pedro's heart stopped for a moment. How was he speaking? The young man turned to see Leo, impaled, bleeding, staring at him with pure fury.

"A TREE?" He shouted with pure indignation. The general felt scared; he was in pain, that sight haunted him, he was alone again, as always, alone, alone, isolated, lost, empty; no one would come to save him from that damned tree.

Then, right before Pedro's eyes, something began to happen to the animal's body. Its head started to split in half, opening as if someone were running a knife over it. No, its whole body was splitting in half, each piece falling on a different side of the tree.

And from both carcasses of the animal, the body began to reconstruct. What was one now rose as two. Two bipedal wolves, rising, growling, and staring with fury at the young man. And the two began to speak at the same time:

- "You have the audacity to bring a tree? I freed you... so why? Why do you continue seeking your confinement? No, YOU'RE NOT GONNA TRAP ME AGAIN. I'M GOING TO BE FREE, NEVER TRAPPED AGAIN!