Two children ran across the training yard, wooden swords in hand. Smiles covered their faces as they exchanged playful taunts.
Suddenly, one of the boys took the initiative and charged forward.
The swords clashed.
Luis stepped back, blocking another strike. He was breathing heavily, struggling to keep up with his opponent's pace.
"You're too slow!" the other boy teased.
Luis gritted his teeth and launched an attack.
He unleashed a rapid series of strikes, but every single one was blocked.
Taking advantage of an opening, his opponent spun around, dodged Luis's sword, and disarmed him with a single movement.
The wooden sword fell to the ground.
The next instant, the tip of the boy's sword stopped right in front of Luis's throat.
"Yeah, Luis... try training harder next time."
Luis smiled despite his defeat.
"I'll beat you next time. Just you wait."
The two laughed and hugged each other.
At the back of the room, an old man with graying hair silently watched everything.
...
Time passed.
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
The clock on the wall announced the end of training.
Tick... Tock...
Someone knocked on the door.
"Luis! Come here, your mother has arrived," the old man called.
"I'm coming!"
The trainer opened the door.
Standing outside was Mariana, Luis's mother.
"Good evening, sir."
"Good evening, Mrs. Mariana."
She smiled politely before asking anxiously,
"So... did my son make any progress today?"
The old man lowered his head for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry... but I don't believe your son will be able to become a warrior."
Mariana's smile disappeared.
"What do you mean? Are you sure? You're the best trainer in the city... there must be some way."
The old man sighed.
"I tried everything. I changed the methods, exercises, and training routines... but the result was always the same."
He paused briefly.
"Luis simply has no aura. Without it, he can't follow the path of a warrior. Perhaps it would be better for him to find another dream."
At that exact moment, Luis appeared behind the trainer.
Unaware of the conversation, he ran toward his mother and hugged her tightly.
"Mommy! I love you!"
Mariana smiled, hiding her sadness.
"I love you too, my son. Let's go home. You must be tired."
She said goodbye to the trainer, took Luis's hand, and the two of them left.
Then, an adult voice interrupted the scene.
"Back then... I was only six years old. I heard every word of that conversation. That day, I decided I wasn't going to cry... I would simply accept it."
...
One week later.
Luis was playing alone in a park.
He slowly climbed the stairs of a tall slide.
When he reached the top, he sat down, preparing to slide down.
But before he could...
His foot slipped.
His body lost its balance.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
"Ah...!"
He fell.
His head struck the ground violently.
The impact was so powerful that his legs bent unnaturally.
The silence lasted only a second.
Then Luis's cries echoed throughout the park.
Blood began running down his forehead.
The other children stopped playing.
Some began screaming.
Others cried in fear.
The adults immediately ran toward the boy.
"Call a doctor!"
"Quick!"
Without wasting any time, they picked Luis up and rushed toward the hospital as his consciousness slowly faded away.
Amidst the darkness, a white light appeared, gently illuminating everything.
A voice emerged.
Soft.
Calm.
Loving.
"Come, my son. Come."
"You still cannot give up."
Luis reached toward the white light with his hand.
As he touched it, he saw several creatures.
They were covered in eyes.
They had wings of various shapes and sizes.
They looked terrifying.
What are these creatures?
They're ugly, but...
I'm not afraid of them.
On the contrary...
I'm happy.
Calm.
I feel protected.
The creatures began looking at him.
Those that had mouths smiled.
Those that were made only of eyes and wings blinked.
The voice returned.
"My son, you must be tired."
"Every day, you try your best."
"You want everyone to notice your worth."
"But nobody cares about you."
"Nobody believes in you."
The words pierced Luis's heart.
Immediately, he fell to his knees, staring at the white floor.
"I... I just want someone to look at me and say..."
"Congratulations."
"You're where so many people want to be."
"You're very strong..."
He lowered his head.
"I never imagined this would be so difficult."
The voice asked,
"Do you know why you're here?"
Luis shook his head.
"No."
"The last thing I remember is falling from the slide..."
"Then everything went dark."
The voice answered,
"You died, my son."
"You died before completing your goal."
"Your purpose in life."
"The purpose I placed within you."
Luis's eyes widened.
"I'm dead?"
The voice replied,
"But thanks to your humble heart and your remorse..."
"You have been given a second chance."
Luis looked up.
"And who are you?"
"How do you possess this power?"
The voice became slightly amused.
"Seriously?"
"You haven't realized it until now?"
"I am the beginning and the end."
"No one becomes truly strong before knowing me."
"Now go."
"Return to Earth and fulfill your duty."
A blue and red light began surrounding Luis.
Within seconds...
He disappeared.
The voice spoke once more.
"Go with him, soldier."
"When he feels alone, remind him that I..."
"That we..."
"...are always watching over him."
"Always helping him."
"And protecting him."
The one-eyed creature with four wings disappeared.
Luis opened his eyes.
He was lying in a hospital bed.
His small body was almost completely surrounded by medical equipment.
An IV line was inserted into his arm, delivering fluids directly into his bloodstream.
Electrodes were attached to his chest, connected to a heart monitor that continuously displayed his heartbeat.
A pulse oximeter was clipped to one of his fingers.
A thin oxygen tube ran beneath his nose, helping him breathe.
Bandages covered several parts of his body, especially around his head.
His legs were immobilized to prevent further injury.
He was surrounded by the quiet beeping of machines.
A cold wind entered the room, despite the windows and door being completely closed.
Luis murmured,
"What I just saw..."
"Were they angels?"
"Was I in Heaven?"
Sleep quickly took hold of his body.
The next morning, a nurse entered the room.
She checked the machines connected to Luis.
She examined his vital signs.
She checked his IV line and made sure the medication was flowing properly.
She looked at the monitor displaying his heart rate.
She adjusted his oxygen tube.
She checked his temperature.
Then she carefully examined his pupils and gently moved his eyelids, as she had done every day while he remained unconscious.
Everything appeared normal.
Luis still hadn't awakened.
The nurse was about to continue with her routine when...
Luis suddenly opened his eyes.
"How long have I been here, miss?"
The nurse froze.
She stared at him.
Then jumped in surprise.
"What a shock!"
"You finally woke up?"
"You woke up!"
Luis looked at her.
"I woke up, but..."
"Where are my parents?"
The nurse immediately turned toward the door.
"I'm going to call them right now."
"Excuse me."
She hurried toward the exit.
Luis called after her.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but..."
"Could you tell me how long I've been here?"
The nurse stopped.
She looked back at him.
"You've been here for five months, kid."
"We thought you'd never wake up."
"But a miracle happened."
She left the room with a happy expression.
The door closed behind her.
Immediately...
Doctors rushed into the room.
They began talking to Luis and performing a series of tests.
They checked his reflexes.
His pupils.
His breathing.
His heart rate.
His blood pressure.
They asked him questions.
They examined his movements.
They checked his memory.
One doctor looked at the monitor in disbelief.
Another examined the results.
None of them could explain how Luis had suddenly awakened after five months in a coma.
Something had changed.
Something they couldn't understand.
And Luis...
Had no idea what was waiting for him.
Luis's adult voice emerged once again from within the darkness.
"Could it have been that day when everything changed?"
Silence.
"I remember that my parents, Richard and Mariana, arrived shortly after."
A pause.
"And, of course..."
A small smile appeared in his voice.
"Ruby was with them."
Everything went dark.
Then...
A soccer ball appeared high in the air.
It quickly descended.
A dark-haired boy controlled the ball with ease.
He spun around.
"Pass it to Luis."
Luis took off across the field.
"Go, Luis!"
He ran faster and faster.
His breathing began to grow heavy.
"Damn..."
A player appeared in front of him.
Luis tapped the ball to the side.
The opponent tried to keep up.
He couldn't.
Another player came toward him.
Luis flicked the ball over his head.
The ball flew over the player's head.
"Whoa!"
Luis recovered the ball on the other side and continued running.
Another opponent.
This time...
A nutmeg.
The ball passed between the player's legs.
The crowd began cheering.
Luis pushed forward.
Now there was only one obstacle.
The goalkeeper.
He quickly rushed out of the goal, trying to close the angle.
Luis didn't slow down.
He waited until the very last moment.
And...
Another nutmeg.
The ball went straight between the goalkeeper's legs.
Luis ran after it.
He kicked.
Goal!
"GOOOOOAL!"
His teammates rushed toward him.
"LUIS!"
"WHAT A PLAY!"
"You're crazy!"
Luis began laughing as his teammates hugged him.
For a few seconds...
He simply had fun.
He didn't think about aura.
He didn't think about warriors.
He didn't think about the past.
Just soccer.
At the end of the match, as the players were leaving the field, a girl approached him.
"You played really well."
Luis looked at her.
"Really?"
"Really."
She smiled.
"What's your name?"
"Luis."
"I'm Julia."
He smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
...
The days passed.
Luis and Julia began spending more and more time together.
They talked.
They played.
They ate together.
They walked through the streets.
Sometimes, they simply sat somewhere and talked for hours.
Luis began smiling more.
Little by little, that girl occupied a larger and larger place in his life.
Until...
He realized it.
Luis's adult voice returned.
"Really..."
A pause.
"I fell in love with you, Julia."
...
It was nighttime.
Luis walked alone down a busy street.
The lights from the shops illuminated the sidewalks.
He put his hands in his pockets and continued walking.
Then...
He stopped.
Across the street was a restaurant.
Through the glass window...
He recognized someone.
Julia.
Luis smiled.
"Julia?"
He crossed the street.
He thought about going inside.
But before he could...
He looked through the window again.
His smile disappeared.
Julia was kissing another man.
Luis stood completely still.
The noise of the street seemed to disappear.
People continued walking around him.
Cars continued driving by.
But he heard nothing.
He simply watched.
Then...
He took a step backward.
Then another.
He didn't go inside.
He didn't shout.
He didn't ask anything.
He simply turned around.
And walked away.
Luis's adult voice emerged once again.
"At that moment..."
A pause.
"I was devastated."
He continued walking alone down the street.
"I decided to distance myself."
His footsteps became faster.
"I decided to change my life."
...
That same night...
Luis entered the forest.
The moon faintly illuminated the trees.
The wind shook the leaves.
He walked alone.
Until he heard a sound.
A growl.
Luis stopped.
He looked behind him.
Two creatures emerged from between the trees.
Then...
Three more.
And several others.
Monsters of different shapes advanced toward him.
Luis clenched his fists.
A blue and red aura began surrounding his body.
His eyes glowed.
"Then come."
The first creature charged.
Luis dodged.
A punch.
The creature was sent crashing into a tree.
Another came from the side.
Luis spun around.
He kicked.
The creature fell to the ground.
Two more charged at him simultaneously.
Luis jumped.
He passed between them.
Spun in midair.
Then descended with a powerful strike.
The ground trembled.
The battle continued.
Minutes.
Then hours.
Luis never stopped.
Every strike became faster.
Every movement more precise.
The blue and red aura remained wrapped around his body.
Like a second skin.
Luis's adult voice returned one final time.
"Thanks to her, I started training for real."
A larger creature emerged from between the trees.
Luis raised his head.
It roared.
Luis smiled.
"I didn't know exactly what I was looking for."
His aura intensified.
"But I knew I didn't want to become that boy everyone considered weak again."
The creature charged.
Luis charged as well.
The two disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
Luis remained seated inside the crystal.
The space around him was completely silent.
No sound.
No battle.
No enemies.
Only that peaceful darkness.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Sorry, everyone..."
His voice echoed inside the crystal.
"But I don't want to leave this place."
He looked around.
Everything felt strangely peaceful.
"It's so..."
He paused.
"Peaceful."
Luis rested his head against the crystal wall.
"Relaxing."
He took a deep breath.
"No one has died here."
A melancholic smile appeared on his face.
"I know you guys can handle things without me."
He closed his eyes again.
"Kevin..."
For a few seconds, he remained silent.
"I hope you're doing okay, just like I am."
Outside...
The crystal remained motionless.
Then...
A small light appeared inside it.
Blue.
It grew brighter and brighter.
The crystal began to vibrate.
Luis opened his eyes.
"Hm?"
The light intensified.
Light blue.
Then...
Dark blue.
Glowing veins began spreading across the entire surface of the crystal.
The ground around it began to tremble.
None of them approached.
The crystal continued glowing.
Stronger.
Deeper.
As if something...
inside Luis...
was awakening.
And for the first time since he had been sealed...
Luis lost his smile.
"What..."
The dark blue light completely engulfed the crystal...
And exploded.
Smoke filled the entire area.