Far Horizons. Wolf's Grin

Betrayal… It hurts terribly. It burns the soul. When the soul is consumed, only ash remains. And don’t believe those who say ash is good fertilizer—supposedly, new crops will grow better on land fertilized with ash. Nonsense! On fertile ground… Yes. On scorched ground—nothing will ever grow. That’s what young Arkady understood, the one who was first used and then betrayed by the people he trusted. Betrayed again and again. What could possibly grow in the boy’s scorched soul—when only an outer shell remains? Only the Universe knows the answer…