The rain had started as a soft drizzle by the time Mateo and his mother left the cemetery, their footsteps muffled on the wet grass.They walked in silence, side by side, sheltered under a black umbrella that felt far too small for the storm that raged inside Mateo's heart.
Back at home, the apartment felt emptier than ever.The furniture remained the same, the worn photographs still smiled from their frames, but the life — the energy Alejandro had brought to every room — was gone.
Mateo sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor.His mother moved quietly through the house, removing the black coat, preparing something warm to drink. She moved with mechanical precision, her sadness tucked carefully behind small acts of care.
Mateo leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.
[System initializing… Loading complete.]
The voice echoed again — clear, mechanical, and strangely gentle.Mateo's eyes snapped open.His heart raced.
"What...?" he muttered under his breath, looking around wildly.There was no one there.Only the familiar clutter of his room — his football posters, his worn-out ball, his schoolbooks stacked on the desk.
"I'm losing it," he whispered, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes."It's just... grief. That's all. I'm hearing things."
[Welcome, Mateo González Schwarz.][System activated: Dream Realization Program.]
He froze.
Slowly, he lowered his hands.
"Dream... Realization Program?" Mateo whispered aloud.
[Your path to greatness begins now.][Would you like to accept your first mission?]
The voice was calm, almost soothing, as if speaking directly into his thoughts.
Mateo shook his head, half in disbelief. "This isn't real. I'm just tired. I'm just... sad."
But deep inside, past the sorrow and confusion, a flicker of something else stirred — curiosity.
He hesitated.Then, hesitantly, he whispered back, "What mission?"
There was a brief pause.
[Mission 001: Foundation of a Champion.][Objective: Perform 100 perfect ball juggles without dropping the ball.][Reward: System Activation Bonus — Starter Skill Selection.]
Mateo blinked, stunned.
Juggling a football?That... that was something he did almost every day at practice. Not perfectly — not 100 times without a mistake — but it was something he could understand.Something real.
A small, trembling smile pulled at the corner of his lips for the first time in days.
Was it grief playing tricks on him?Maybe.Was it madness?Possibly.
But a part of him — the part that loved the game more than anything — wanted to believe.
He stood up slowly and reached for his ball, the familiar weight of it grounding him.He glanced at the framed photo on his nightstand — his father, laughing with an arm slung around him after a school match.
Mateo took a deep breath.
"Okay," he said quietly, gripping the ball. "I'll try."
After all, what did he have to lose?