The Twenty Virtues Book 1- The Twenty Generals

10- The Hybrid

This story you will read came out of nowhere, more specifically, I could say it was as if it took place in nothingness-ironic, isn't it? Given the current situation of Earth. The story begins in the middle of a forest, in a cabin where a man lived alone with his son. The boy's mother had died during childbirth, and he was destined to live with his father.

The child's father had brought him to this cabin when he was just a baby, and the child grew up there, just him and his father, and nature. It was a common routine: they ate, drank, played, slept, and that was it.

The two didn't talk much, as after a while, it was as if the topics they had had run out, only the usual dry comments. His father had completely cut off communication with society, so the boy had never seen another human being. He had a desire to meet them, but he didn't know where they were or how far they were. One day, when he was around 15 years old, on a sunny day, the boy asked him:

"Father, why do we live alone?"

The man seemed to freeze for a moment after hearing his son's question, but he quickly recovered and continued to prepare dinner.

"Do you consider that we live alone?"

"Well, it's just the two of us here."

"Son, open your eyes." His father said, setting his things aside and turning to look directly at Leo. "what do you see when you look out the window?"

"Trees. Animals. Earth. Sky."

"Exactly, see how we are in a perfect Earth? Huge balance. Everything for a reason, and it doesn't stop there. I'm talking about the universe itself, all the natural elements. How can we be alone when we are part of something so vast? Others simply break that, wanting to take over everything and show themselves as superior, but we are equal to nature, even inferior; we cannot try to dominate it."

"Are people that arrogant?"

"You have no idea, my son. Listen, you are much better off not living among those idiots. That's why I brought you here. Believe me, you are much freer than many of them."

"I am free?"

"Of course, son. That's why I brought you here, because I know this is a better life for you." This was enough to calm the boy's heart, for now. They returned to their routine. Leo became an excellent hunter; he was stronger than a lion and faster than a wolf. He and his father lived closely, eating together, sleeping together, but for the most part, they didn't talk. They learned to communicate only with their movements; words were unnecessary.

But, months after their last conversation, Leo's curiosity returned doubled. He still wanted to know more about other people, still wanted to see someone else at some point in his life. So on a cloudy day:

"Father, why do we live alone?"

"I've already told you why."

"But we're human. If we're good, that means not everyone is bad."

"But you will become someone bad if you stay among the bad ones, Leo. Listen to your father; I know what I'm talking about. I saw it happening."

"Father? What do you mean? What happened to whom?"

"It doesn't matter, boy. Go get some firewood in the forest."

Seeing that talking to his father in that state wouldn't help anymore, Leo obeyed. With an axe, he ventured into the woods, cutting wood, going deeper. Venturing further, young Leo followed a part of the forest he didn't know. The forest grew denser, and darkness took over; it was so difficult to walk through those branches that it became stressful.