Internal Conflict
Perspective: Henrique
Henrique woke before the sun rose. His head felt heavy, as if he'd been carrying the sky for days.
His body no longer felt pain like before — the golden crystal seemed to dull wounds — but the fatigue… that only grew.
He descended the supermarket stairs in silence.
Downstairs, the faces of the survivors had changed.
It was no longer just fear.
There was distrust.
Division.
Silas stood in the center, surrounded by half a dozen adults around a makeshift map drawn in charcoal on a tarp.
Henrique heard one of the lines:
— "…it's not wise to leave so much power in the hands of a single man."
Another voice replied:
— "But he saved us."
Silas countered:
— "And tomorrow, what if he decides we're not worth saving?"
Henrique entered the room. Everyone went silent.
— "Please, continue," he said in a neutral tone. "I'd love to hear more ideas on what to do with me."
Silas smiled gently, as always.
— "Henrique, my friend. We're just discussing safety. After all, we all depend on one another."
Henrique stepped closer. Looked into each of their eyes.
— "Your safety is based on my strength. If that scares you… it's because you know you wouldn't survive alone."
Silas tried to interject:
— "What the people need is a voice. Will. A vote…"
— "This world has no more democracy," Henrique cut him off. "It has monsters. It has chaos. It has a mad empress trying to kill my children."
— "Vote for whoever you want. But at the hour of death… you'll scream my name."
Silence.
He walked out, leaving behind a thick cloud of tension like smoke.
Perspective: Leandro
Leandro stood outside, near the improvised training area, watching Samuel with suspicion.
The blond man still didn't speak. But that morning, he gestured for Leandro to come over.
He showed him a notebook: pages filled with drawings of symbols, magical circles, and what looked like… dimensional maps.
Even without fully understanding, Leandro realized one thing: Samuel was trying to teach him something.
— "What is this?"
Samuel wrote a word on the ground with charcoal:
"Totem."
Then:
"Chaos."
"Your blood is compatible."
Leandro stepped back.
— "What are you saying? I'm not… not like my father."
Samuel looked at him.
Then at Miro — who still slept nearby.
And then he drew a symbol:
An eye inside a cracked mirror, and below it, a single word:
"Vos."
Leandro furrowed his brow.
— "Is that a name?"
Samuel nodded.
And for the first time, Leandro felt cold.
Not from the air… but from the universe.
Perspective: Sónia
Sónia was preparing food for the new and old shelter members. She tried to keep things organized — the only thing she still had control over.
But then she heard something that chilled her soul.
Two women whispered in a corner:
— "He killed that man yesterday with a single word…"
— "Does he think he can do that to anyone? Even his own children?"
— "No one should have that much power. No one."
Sónia dropped the plate. Her eyes welled up.
She ran, pushing past people, and locked herself inside the small storage room where she slept with her brothers.
— "Everyone… is afraid of him."
Miro still lay there, eyes closed.
But she felt it.
Something moved inside him.
Perspective: Henrique
Henrique stood on the rooftop, staring at the gray sky.
Kiala sat beside him on a metal crate, legs crossed.
— "You're losing the people."
— "I don't want people," he muttered.
— "But you have children. And you're losing their trust too."
Henrique closed his eyes.
— "I just wanted a chance to live without being crushed."
Kiala touched his arm.
— "Then stop pretending you're just human."
Henrique looked at her.
For the first time, her eyes weren't just mysterious. There was… tenderness.
— "Did you come to protect me, or to judge me?" he asked.
She smiled.
— "I came to see how far you can go."
— "Because if you fail… I'll have to kill you myself."
Henrique said nothing.
But inside his chest… the crystal pulsed with fury.
Perspective: Silas
In a locked back room, Silas knelt.
At the center of a circle made of iron dust, black stones, and dry bones… a candle lit itself.
And a voice echoed:
— "You've been accepted, Orator."
— "I want power. Enough to remove Henrique without causing a revolt."
— "Then we grant you a blessing from the Hollow Flame."
On the floor, the candle exploded in black fire.
Silas laughed.
— "Chaos will burn from within."
Perspective: Miro
At night, everyone slept.
But Miro slowly sat up.
Sónia still slept beside him. Leandro lay with Samuel's book on his chest.
Miro stood, alone, and walked to the door.
Outside, the darkness seemed to breathe.
He reached out his hand…
And the darkness bowed.
A liquid shadow formed in front of him, taking humanoid shape.
And the shadow whispered:
— "My lord… the seal begins to fail. The empress remembers you."
Miro smiled.
At five years old, with the eyes of an ancient being.
— "Then it's time to remind her… who I was."