Candado sat down in front of the man. He was an older figure, his face hidden beneath the shadow of his hood. Despite his disheveled and visibly worn clothing, Candado could feel an immense power emanating from him.

  "You should have left when you had the chance."

  "I came for a job, sir..."

  "You can call me Vicente."

  "Vicente, of course." Candado cleared his throat. "I came for a job. That’s the reason for my visit."

  "And what? You crossed all of this for a handful of coins?"

  "I don't know what year you think it is, but if I’m going to sell myself, it won’t be for a few coins."

  Vicente let out a deep, rumbling laugh.

  "I see you have a sense of humor."

  "Anyway... Where are my companions?"

  "In other rooms. They won’t bother us."

  "Are they okay?"

  "That depends on them."

  Candado sighed and leaned back in the chair.

  "So, what now? I don’t think you brought me here just to have dinner."

  "Very smart, Candado."

  "What do you want?"

  "Your help."

  "My help?"

  "I thought Remirus would tear you apart, but when you entered... I felt your power. It’s magnificent."

  "I’m listening."

  Vicente stood up, walked calmly over to the table, sat on it, and extended his hand.

  "Work for me."

  "Pardon?"

  "Work for me. I can give you whatever you want. Just abandon that foolish idea of the guilds."

  "Why would I do that?"

  "You said you wouldn’t sell yourself for coins. I respect that. But I can offer you much more than that, believe me."

  "Why would an old man like you need the help of a child?"

  "Maybe you look like a child physically, but your eyes... those aren’t child’s eyes. They’re the eyes of a man."

  "Oh, really?"

  "I’m not talking to a child. I’m talking to an adult."

  Candado crossed his arms.

  "What do you have in mind?"

  "The Circuits are a thing of the past. The guilds are in decline. It’s time for a new order to be born. You know what the Agents do... They hunt us, experiment on us. If we don’t die, we end up like vegetables. I want to help those children. Help me build something new."

  "And those who oppose it?"

  "They will be silenced."

  "Wow, how hypocritical."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "You’re not doing it for the children. You’re doing it for revenge."

  Vicente didn’t answer.

  "Do you think I haven’t noticed?"

  Candado looked around, then at the seat he was sitting in.

  "I have to admit, this chair is comfortable. The wood is fine, and it feels like a cushion. I don’t know how many times you’ve done this... but if you plan on weakening me by absorbing my energy, you’re wasting your time."

  "Do you really think that?"

  "You just want to be young. You absorb the energy of people like me. You say it’s for them, but how many lives were lost so you could sustain this charade? Even those lives you swear to want to save."

  Vicente smiled and clenched his fist. Immediately, the chair bound Candado with magical chains.

  "Please," he said in a calm voice, "don’t force me to do this. We can collaborate on this."

  "A person who practiced a spell... forget it."

  "You speak as though you know what I’ve been through. You have no idea what it’s like to live in despair, to have to make the hardest decision to survive."

  "Believe me, old man... I don’t know what kind of desperate situation you faced, but if you used a spell to save your life, that’s fine. I understand. But tell me: Are you in danger now? Do you still need it?"

  Vicente responded calmly.

  "Once you discover something that works, there's no reason to let it go."

  "To use a spell... human lives are required."

  "Because of that, I’m immortal. You could try it too."

  "Oh, really?"

  "Of course. That’s why I’m giving you the chance to prove your survival instinct."

  "And how do you plan on doing that, old man?"

  "Your friends... have been tricked into entering this house. They’re all hypnotized and were taken to different rooms, each with a different hallucination."

  "So?"

  "You choose," Vicente replied, with a crooked smile. "If you want to live, you must join me. That means killing your friends and absorbing their life energy. Only then will you get the spell." He leaned in toward Candado and whispered in his ear. "Or you can die with them, and they’ll just become another feast for me..."

  A guttural groan interrupted his threat. Vicente jerked back, his hand flying to his neck.

  "What... what are you doing?!"

  A grotesque amount of blood poured from Candado’s lips. His clothes were soaked in red, and between his teeth, a piece of someone else's flesh still stuck. Vicente, stumbling, grabbed at his neck, trying to stop the bleeding.

  Candado spat out the skin with disdain.

  "How foolish," he muttered with a bloodstained grin. "Did you really think you could hurt me? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Look at the bright side, you’re immortal. A wound like this would have killed anyone else."

  Vicente struggled to stand, covering the wound.

  "You’ll pay for this..."

  "Like this? How?" Candado asked with mocking curiosity.

  "You’ll watch as your friends die... and you won’t be able to do a thing about it."

  Candado let out a maniacal laugh. Then, as suddenly as the laughter had begun, his face became serious, as if nothing had happened.

  "You don’t know those idiots. Nothing stops them."

  Lucas

  A child clung to an elderly man tightly.

  "Grandpa... I thought you were dead."

  "No, I'm fine..."

  "Then I’ll kill you."

  "What...?"

  The old man erupted into flames.

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

  Lucas didn’t stop hugging him. He smiled sweetly as the fire consumed him.

  "Lucas... Why?"

  The old man turned to ashes. Lucas, still with tears in his eyes, pulled a small notebook from his pocket and read aloud:

  "Note: Buy red wine and visit the cemetery."

  He put the notebook away, wiped his tears with a handkerchief, and murmured:

  "What a shitty hallucination."

  A second later, he appeared in a white room.

  "Well... I think I’m the only one."

  Héctor

  A family was slowly drowning, gasping for air in the room. Meanwhile, a young man with white hair remained calmly seated at the kitchen table.

  "Héctor! How dare you do this to your parents?"

  "Brother... please, it hurts..."

  Héctor continued exhaling the poisonous gas through his mouth. He didn’t stop even when his parents and sister fell unconscious.

  "Nice try, neophyte," he said while adjusting his tie with elegance.

  Declan

  Declan’s sword pierced the chest of the person he loved most.

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  "Declan? Didn’t you swear loyalty to me?"

  "My loyalty is to Candado, not to a crude illusion with his face. Using his image is an insult."

  He withdrew the sword and, without hesitation, decapitated the imposter. The body vanished into the air.

  "I’ll kill anyone who dares to mess with him."

  Pak

  Surprisingly, a young girl played the piano delicately, performing a beautiful and melancholic melody.

  "Secretly, you're quite arrogant," mocked a man dressed in black, watching her with disdain.

  Pak didn’t answer. She continued playing.

  "I've never seen such arrogance in a child trying to make music."

  Pak kept on with her notes, unperturbed.

  "Enough. You’ll never be good. You disappoint your parents, your friends... and your country."

  The piano exploded into pieces. Without missing a beat, Pak picked up a nearby guitar and began playing another melody.

  "Enough! You have no talent! You’ll never improve!"

  But she smiled. Every note that she played reminded her of the days when she practiced various instruments at her old school.

  "Give up! Give up!"

  The guitar exploded. Pak, unbothered, raised a trumpet to her lips, remembering the parades she admired so much as a child.

  The man in black dropped to his knees, desperately covering his ears.

  "WHY WON’T YOU SUFFER?!"

  And then, Pak played her nation’s anthem. The melody was so powerful that everything around her vanished, including the man in black.

  "?? (Awesome)," Pak whispered with a smile.

  Anzor

  A woman was pierced by a sword.

  "I’m sorry. But my mother would never say such things, she's too clumsy to express her emotions," Anzor said, pulling his blade from the woman's chest.

  He walked through what seemed to be his home, and seeing what appeared to be his family— a perfect, complete family— he swung his sword with a crooked smile.

  "I’m going to traumatize the trauma."

  German

  The scarred boy reveled in the flesh of seemingly human beings, in a place that resembled a school. Transformed into a werewolf, he devoured the remains of what seemed to be a child.

  "If Candado saw me now, he’d probably get really mad," he murmured.

  He returned to his human form, licking his lips.

  "Anyway... looks like there’s still something for the snack," German said, eyeing the trembling survivors.

  Walsh

  "SHUT UP ALREADY!!" screamed the creature.

  It had bound a horrifying demon to a school chair.

  "What a lack of manners," said Walsh as he adjusted his glasses. "Now pay attention: a decimal is a positional numbering system where quantities are represented using ten as the base."

  The demon squirmed.

  "LET ME GO! NOW!"

  Walsh hit him with a math book.

  "Silence. If you want to scare me, you’ll have to learn to count the exact timing of a heartbeat."

  "HELP!!"

  Lucia and Erika

  "You know, sister...?" Erika asked while her eyes were covered with a blindfold.

  A violent strike stopped abruptly.

  "W-What?" Lucia asked, halting her attack.

  "I was thinking... Candado looked weird when he asked us to come in, even before meeting with the others. Who would’ve thought he was an impostor?"

  As her sister spoke, sounds like punches, bones cracking, and blows echoed in the air.

  "Really? I suspected too," Lucia said, smashing a shovel against something. "But you know... I already knew."

  "Really? You’re amazing."

  "Ha, of course I am."

  "By the way, Lucia..."

  "What?"

  "When can I take off this blindfold?"

  "Don’t take it off yet, okay?"

  "Alright..."

  Erika didn’t know, but the room was covered in blood. Blood from their biological father, the one who had once run away.

  "Do you want to be silver... or gold?" Lucia asked as her ring gleamed.

  Matlotsky

  Unknown...

  He refused to speak. He declined multiple times to reveal what had happened in his illusion. The only thing he disclosed was a silence that was difficult to interpret.

  Pucheta

  The young woman walked through the streets of Tanacia, waving the flag of the Circuits. A parade in her honor slowly followed behind her.

  In a cage, an individual who was supposed to make her endure hell watched her with hatred.

  "HAHAHAHA!"

  "Release me now, you bitch..."

  "HAHAHAHA!"

  "Little..."

  "LONG LIVE ANA MARíA PUCHETA DE LA CRUZ!"

  "Yes! Long live me!"

  Liv

  The delicate maiden Liv simply decided to sleep. She was in her bed, comfortable, and too lazy to fight against herself.

  She had done it before. So, she simply... let it pass.

  The individual who was supposed to face her grew tired of her passivity and let her go.

  Pio

  "Fear? Ha... Fear is an inspiration, little demon," Pio said.

  The demon, who had tried to corrupt her mind, was amazed to see how the young woman didn’t give up.

  With determination, she moved her brush over the canvas of her mind, painting with courage even in front of the abyss.

  "It’s my body, therefore, I have the power. Fear is an art... an art that deserves to be painted by me. I can turn the repulsive into something beautiful to the eye. My eye."

  Natalia began laughing out of nowhere.

  "I don’t know why I’m here, but I’m having fun."

  Andersson

  The young man watched from the balcony, with an enviable peace drawn on his face.

  "It’s so beautiful."

  "You can stay then," whispered the hooded figure beside him.

  "No. I know it’s not real. They aren’t real. They’re just projections of what I would have wanted."

  "It hurts me to do this... My brothers torture minds in conflict, but I don’t want that."

  "Still, I want to leave."

  "Why? Here you can be happy. You don’t have to suffer anymore."

  Andersson gently placed a hand on the hooded demon’s shoulder.

  "I can’t be happy, because I know they’re dead. But my brothers aren’t... I still have to care for them."

  "But..."

  "I’m sorry. Thank you for trying to give me such a beautiful death, but I must refuse it."

  The demon loosened his shoulders and brought his right arm to Andersson’s chest.

  "I just hope you don’t regret it."

  The young man’s chest glowed.

  "Never."

  And then, Andersson disappeared.

  Viki

  The demon didn’t even have time to introduce himself.

  She was a true demon.

  The roles reversed instantly — she was the one who traumatized him so deeply, so viciously, that he fainted from the sheer agony.

  Candado

  “This… this can’t be… My children… no… How is this possible?” the old man whispered, stunned.

  “It’s simple, Vicente. Because they’re special. My special ones.”

  Candado broke free from his restraints and lunged at Vicente.

  “Foolish…”

  “Too late.”

  A punch straight to the neck left Vicente breathless. Candado grabbed him by the shoulders—only for the man to dissolve into shadows as the world around him dimmed.

  “…Brother…”

  A light flickered. The face of a young woman emerged: Gabriela.

  “Stop… don’t fight anymore,” she whispered.

  Candado drew his facón and hurled it with force.

  The blade struck the illusion square in the forehead.

  “She would never give me conformist advice.”

  Gabriela fell and vanished.

  “Papa… why?”

  Candado lowered his gaze. Yara stood before him, wounded, missing an eye.

  “Because you hurt me.”

  He kicked her like a ball, and the image shattered into mud suspended midair.

  “I know Yara is asleep in her bed.”

  Another light flared up in the empty space. Candado stepped back, but bumped into someone behind him.

  “My gaucho…”

  He didn’t think twice.

  He struck— a special strike.

  Candado had hit his grandfather Alfred in the groin.

  The man turned to crystal and shattered.

  Calmly, Candado picked up his facón from the ground and tucked it into his pocket.

  “It’ll take more than this to break me with a psychological attack.”

  Then his mother and father appeared.

  Candado sighed, cracking his knuckles.

  “What a twisted and morbid situation.”

  “Would you hit your mother? Is that what I taught you?”

  “Yes.”

  A hundred relatives later…

  Candado brushed off his hands and snapped his fingers.

  That’s when his favorite demon appeared.

  “Tínbari.”

  “I see you have things under control.”

  “I’m getting tired. End this. Please.”

  “Oh? I thought you didn’t want my help.”

  “I do now.”

  Tínbari blew — and the mist vanished.

  But as a figure began to take form, Candado lunged at it without hesitation.

  “No more games, old man.”

  “You…”

  “Set us free.”

  Vicente smiled — and stabbed Candado in the ribs.

  “CANDADO!” Tínbari shouted, alarmed.

  But the boy didn’t even flinch.

  “So…” Candado grinned. “I guess this is a punishment.”

  Without warning, he bit into Vicente’s neck. The man thrashed, but Tínbari stomped on his hands, pinning him down.

  “You’re taking a life,” Tínbari said quietly.

  “He’s immortal,” Candado replied, tearing off a chunk of Vicente’s neck with a single pull. “This will just knock him out.”

  Vicente gurgled, drowning in his own blood — until he stopped moving.

  “There. He’s unconscious.”

  “And you? Are you alright?”

  Candado pulled the knife from his ribs, wrapped his hand in flame, and pressed it against the wound.

  “Nothing to worry about.”

  The flesh hissed and sealed shut.

  “Damn… I still can’t get used to that,” Tínbari muttered.

  “Tell me about it.”

  Suddenly, the entire room vanished.

  They now stood in a dark basement filled with cages and chained people.

  “…Shit,” Candado murmured, slightly surprised.

  “You’re right.”

  “Go check if the others are alright.”

  “Okay.”

  Candado walked toward the cages.

  “Well… looks like you’re all trapped and tormented.”

  “We’ve never known evil like your companions,” said one of the figures inside.

  Candado let out a small laugh as he unlocked the cages.

  “Go. Get out of here.”

  The spirits smiled, then vanished like smoke.

  “Joaquín’s going to be mad.”

  “Nah, he won’t,” Candado said, glancing around. “This place really is spacious.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  Candado grabbed Vicente by the arm and began dragging him across the floor and up the stairs.

  “Oyik,” he said with a half-smile as they left the basement.

  When he opened the door, he found his friends mid-conversation, wondering where he was.

  “Ladies and gentlemen…”

  “Candado! You’re okay!” they cried in unison.

  “No hugs or kisses, please.”

  Then he smiled.

  “Just kidding.”

  They all rushed him, a tangle of laughter and relief.

  “Too bad Kevin and Martina aren’t here,” Lucas added with a grin.

  “Yeah, losers,” Anzor scoffed.

  “Alright, alright… let me breathe.”

  Candado tossed Vicente’s unconscious body in front of them.

  “There’s your culprit.”

  The smiles vanished. Rage filled the room.

  “Relax. He’s immortal. Whatever you're thinking won’t do any good.”

  “…But we could make him suffer,” Matlotsky muttered.

  “Shut up. The rest of you — restrain him and alert the traffic lights.”

  “At once.”

  Candado sighed and pulled out his phone.

  “Clementina… Hey, Clementina…”

  “She probably has her phone off,” Tínbari said out loud.

  “I told her not to do that again…”

  “Sir,” Declan interjected, “Joaquín is out of the province, along with his close associates.”

  “And Krauser?”

  “Well…”

  “Looks like the fun’s over,” interrupted a male voice.

  “Mannequin.”

  “Hello, Candado.”

  Krauser walked into the house like he owned the place and approached the group.

  “Where’s the other one?” Candado asked, referring to Joaquín.

  “First of all, you’re an absolute bastard.”

  “I assume there’s a reason for what you just said.”

  “There is. You knew Julekha was coming.”

  “I set up a meeting behind his back, yes. Being angry at your superior won’t help him — so I did it for his own good.”

  “You’re a bastard cubed in shit.”

  “Got it.”

  “But I didn’t come to fight. We’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s see if there’s anything useful in this house.”

  “Be my guest.”

  Candado walked up to an older man.

  “You.”

  “Job’s done. Payment, please.”

  The man growled but pulled out a thick wad of bills from his wallet.

  “Thanks. If trouble finds you again, you know who to call.”

  Candado smiled and walked away with his companions.

  "Can I go now?" asked Tínbari.

  "Yes, Tínbari. You can go."

  "Great."

  The demon vanished.

  "Alright. Where to, sir?"

  "This is Chaco. It's winter, but it's hot. We're going for ice cream."

  "YAAAAAAAAAAAY!" they all shouted in unison.

  Candado stepped out of the house, and they headed off for ice cream—a reward for completing the mission. He walked toward the guild with a cup of ice cream in hand.

  "Wow, that’s really kind of you," Pucheta commented, enjoying his own scoop.

  "It’s a gift. She’s done so much for me, and I’ve done nothing in return. So, this is for her."

  "Don’t you think it’s a bit much?"

  "Nah, she’s gonna love it."

  "Let’s hope so."

  As Candado approached the door, he noticed it was ajar. That struck him as odd—Clementina never left the door unlocked.

  "You know," he said, breaking the silence, "those kids really liked the costumes, didn’t they?"

  The group’s smiles disappeared instantly. Their faces turned grave. They understood the message hidden in those words.

  "Yeah… you’re right," Declan said, drawing his sword.

  "You should’ve seen the teacher’s face," added Héctor, forcing a laugh as he circled around to the window.

  "Did you like the mission?" Candado asked.

  "Of course," they replied in unison.

  With determination, Candado flung the door open and burst inside, ready for battle.

  But the place was silent. Empty.

  "Hammya? Clementina?" Candado called, frowning.

  Then came the scream.

  "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

  The group rushed to the office.

  There, they found Erika collapsed on the floor, sobbing, while Lucia bit her lower lip, holding back furious tears.

  "Clementina?" Héctor murmured, barely audible, before his legs gave way and he dropped to his knees in shock.

  "This can’t be…" Lucas muttered, unable to look away.

  Candado said nothing. His face bore an expression no one could read. It was as if his emotions had shattered within him—hate, grief, fear, and disbelief all tangled together.

  And then they saw it.

  Clementina’s severed head. Completely ruined, crushed as if someone had stomped on it with vicious intent. Her body was in pieces, torn apart mercilessly. And Hammya… Hammya was gone.

  "She’s dead…" Walsh choked out.

  Candado slowly stepped forward. He gently picked up the fragments of what had once been her head, one by one, cradling them in his arms. Then, he laid them carefully on the table. He softly stroked what looked like a cheek.

  "Search the area," he ordered, his voice eerily calm.

  "Sir…"

  "SEARCH THE AREA!"

  Everyone rushed out at once—everyone but the twins and Héctor.

  "Candado…" Héctor whispered.

  "I need to be alone."

  "Okay… but please, don’t fall apart again."

  "It won’t happen. Not anymore."

  Héctor left without another word.

  Candado turned to the sisters.

  "How… how could this happen?" Erika sobbed.

  "I don’t know," Lucia replied, holding back her tears. Then she looked directly at Candado.

  He said nothing. He just pulled them both into an embrace.

  "Please… go."

  Erika held him tightly.

  "Tell me this is just a nightmare."

  "No…" he answered, his voice hollow. "This is reality. A cruel one."

  Lucia was the first to break away. With effort, she helped her sister up and led her out, fighting not to cry.

  Candado watched them leave. And then he saw it—behind them, tucked between the books on the shelf… a hand. Clementina’s hand. Hidden carefully, invisible to everyone else.

  But not to him.