Toxicity is a thing that’s recently talked about these days. People are taken over with the urge to take what they deem theirs even though reality says otherwise. No one is born into this world with less than what they need. There are things that people tend to develop over time as they grow older and have tasted life for themselves, things like evil and toxicity. Rooting out toxicity such as these will need a strict sense of self and a strong belief in doing what must be done for the betterment of the community.

Book 2 of the Cuauhtémoc Series features a slew of characters who exhibit toxic traits. The following are some of the more notable ones:

Greenbeard, the Pirate Captain: “His people had told this man of a land far away from where gold was so plentiful the buildings were made up of the metal and the streets paved with gold ingots, and the gutters were littered with emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and other gems which glittered in the sunlight like pretty pebbles. The name of this far-away land was Maya, and even though he sat upon enough wealth to last him a thousand years, it was not enough; he wanted it all – such is the way of greed.”

A blind follower of the Sun Priests: “He (Hezaraht) bribed the Healer with the offer of all the gold that five strong men can carry and even showed him the gold in our vaults.”

No amount of material things will allow a person to be satisfied under the influence of greed. No matter if it is all the possible materials on earth, a greedy one will turn to outer space for more.

Hezaraht, the High Priest of the Sun God: “His lust for fear in the eyes and faces of others was a true vice for him, and he knew one deep basic level, leaving so meekly was doing vast damage to his ability to create panic in the minds and hearts of his victims.”

Lust is a danger to anyone who possesses it. The amount of tragedy it wreaks in its wake is immense, and all involved are always affected, collateral or not. Greed and lust have been in tandem for quite some time now. The dreadful pair that longs to satisfy themselves by sucking out the life and possessions of those who befall them.

The bribed Royal Healer of the Emperor’s Palace: “Crawl into bed with a serpent, and you shall surely get bitten.”

Trusting someone you know is against the good is like welcoming a wild and poisonous snake into your bedroom. The moment it has the chance, you’re dead.

Rooting out toxicity has never been this obvious, but when you try to do it, do it with the intention of doing the right thing. No other person deserves to be affected by any form of a red flag; it is our duty to be the repellant of these evils.