It was 4:45 in the morning when Hammya woke up. Everyone was already fast asleep. She looked out the window, surveying the dimly lit streets in the early morning. It was very cold outside, and the asphalt seemed almost frozen. The window was fogged up. Hammya removed the blanket and calmly got out of bed, then walked to the door. As she was about to open it, she glanced down at her feet for a few seconds and realized she wasn't wearing her shoes. Something or someone had taken them off, but she didn't worry too much because she saw them under her bed, clean and shiny.
"Who cleaned them?" Hammya whispered.
She was delighted to see her shoes dazzling and noticed they had been fixed and painted. Next to them, she found a letter from Candado. Hammya took it and read the message he had written.
"To Hammya, from Candado Barret: I took the liberty of fixing your shoes. I hope you like them. Mind you, don't let these go to your head. Also, since you were sleeping, I decided not to wake you up. I'm sure you'll wake up hungry, so I've left your food in the pantry."
Hammya folded the paper and put it in her pocket before leaving the room. She walked slowly down the hallway to avoid making noise, went downstairs, and headed for the kitchen. However, she was surprised to find Tínbari holding baby Karen while sipping a cup of coffee.
"What are you doing here?" Hammya asked quietly.
"I'm drinking coffee, can't you see?" replied Tínbari, sarcastic and surprised.
"No, that's not what I mean. Why are you in this house?" said Hammya, already irritated.
"Because I live here, longer than you, you ugly, clover-haired girl."
Tínbari's insults infuriated Hammya, and she could no longer contain her anger or keep her voice down.
"YOU ARE THE MOST HORRIBLE, MEAN, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, DISASTROUS PERSON WHO HAS EVER EXISTED IN THIS WORLD!"
"Hey, don't talk like that; he's just a baby," said Tínbari while playing with Karen.
Hammya was sick and tired of being teased. Without hesitation and forgetting that people were sleeping, she clenched her fists tightly and showed her anger again.
"I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU TAILLESS LIZARD!" shouted Hammya, pointing at Tínbari.
But to both of their surprise, before they could continue arguing, a knife shot out from the living room into the kitchen, cutting off a few strands of Hammya's hair in the process.
From that dark room emerged a furious Candado, eager to paint the kitchen with the blood of Tínbari and Hammya due to the insolence of having woken him up so early.
"Well, you sewer rats, it's five in the morning, and you're out partying. May I know what all the fuss is about?" said Candado angrily, his eyes alight with a violet flame.
Both Tínbari and Hammya did not know what to say at that moment. Candado was very angry that they had woken him up, and there was a possibility that if the excuse was not credible enough for him, they would face his wrath.
Then, Tínbari approached Candado and said:
"You see, I was in the kitchen drinking coffee and feeding your little sister, but just then she came in and started making a fuss," added Tínbari, pointing to Hammya.
Candado looked at him and then closed his eyes, raising his eyebrows.
"What an explanation, you've stumped me," said Candado sarcastically. Then he looked at Hammya and pointed his index finger at her. Now it's your turn.
Hammya looked at Candado with her arms crossed.
"Nothing to declare," she said quickly and without hesitation.
These words plunged everyone into total silence for a few minutes. Candado, who had asked the question, was completely baffled by Hammya's answer.
Tínbari, for his part, felt a little frightened by these words, so he approached Hammya.
"Here, take the child," said Tínbari, handing baby Karen to Hammya.
As soon as Hammya received the baby, Tínbari quickly disappeared. Candado, who had been silent with a blank stare, became furious again and flashed his violet eyes.
"So, in other words, you woke me up for nothing," said Candado angrily.
Hammya was frightened by Candado's expression and began to tremble. His jerky movements frightened the baby he was carrying, Karen, who began to cry loudly at the sight of her angry brother in a chilling manner. Candado, upon seeing his little sister cry, immediately calmed down and took her in his arms to try to calm her down.
"Stop crying, Karen, please," said Candado in an attempt to comfort the baby.
However, the baby kept crying and crying, which made Candado, in desperation, put his thumb in her mouth, and miraculously, Karen calmed down instantly. Even though he was disgusted by what he did.
"What a disgusting thing to do as a big brother," Candado muttered as he watched his sister.
"Well, since you've calmed down, I can talk now."
Candado removed his finger from his sister's mouth and covered her eyes with his hand, then looked at Hammya.
"No, I am not calm, you wild and disrespectful girl," said Candado with his eyes lit again in a violet flame.
"Please calm down. I just want to thank you," said Hammya in fright.
Candado, hearing her, calmed down, although he was confused. What had he done to make her thank him? Not many people used to be so polite to him.
"Unnecessary," Candado muttered as he walked away from the kitchen.
He went to a room that was dark, turned on the light and approached a picture with the portrait of his grandfather Alfred, which had the same dimensions as a door. In the picture, his grandfather was standing with a purple cane, dressed in light blue formal clothes and wearing the same beret as Candado. He had a long white beard, neatly trimmed, brown eyes, and a perfectly firm nose.
Candado pushed the painting aside, revealing it to be a door leading to a room where Clementina was sleeping on her feet. He approached her and touched her forehead with his thumb. As he did so, her forehead began to glow, and Clementina slowly began to open her eyes. Candado removed his hand from her forehead, and Clementina yawned.
"Good morning, young master," said Clementina, half asleep.
"Don't call me that. I need you now, so wake up," said Candado as he headed for the door leading out of the house.
Clementina left the room and approached Candado. The two left the house, and as they did so, they noticed that the sun was about to rise. It was a cool and calm morning, like any other. They walked through the empty streets of the town, seeing no one else. Only the sounds of trees and birds could be heard. Due to the early hour, the streets were deserted, and the two young people walked along the asphalt as if they were the last inhabitants of the world, at least figuratively speaking for that occasion.
Clementina looked at her watch, and it was 5:05 in the morning. In a plaintive and tired voice, she asked:
"Excuse me for asking, but is there a specific reason why we are up so early?"
Candado continued walking ahead of her without stopping or turning around, and replied:
"Yes, there is a specific reason."
There was silence for about two minutes as they continued walking. Then Clementina asked again:
"And what is that reason?"
"Do you want to know?" asked Candado as he continued walking.
"Yes, I definitely want to know."
"Are you sure, sure?"
"Yes, I told you."
Well, that's too bad because I don't want to tell you.
"Oh, Candado," Clementina complained.
"You'll find out why I called you here. In the meantime, don't worry about it."
"It's okay; I'll calm down even though I got cybernetically upset," said Clementina as she closed her eyes and massaged her forehead.
"Well said," added Candado.
"You could at least tell me where we're going."
"Of course, at the moment, we are on something called 'asphalt,' which is the street where the cars drive..."
"I didn't mean 'where' but 'where' we're going," Clementina raised her voice passively.
"Ah, now I understand what you meant by 'where,'" said Candado as he looked at the sky while walking.
"I'm glad you understood. So, can you tell me where we are going?"
"What do you care?"
"Stop it, lord. Spit it out."
Saying this, Candado looked at a garbage can and spit in it. Clementina was petrified to see him do it, which made Candado move a few meters away from her.
"Happy?" Candado asked.
"FZZ!" Clementina scraped her lips loudly, emitting a characteristic sound.
Hearing her scream, Candado stopped and looked back to where Clementina had her hands in her pockets.
"If you keep doing that, you'll wake someone up," said Candado with a calm voice and a cold expression.
"FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" Clementina intensified her furious attitude and accelerated her pace with the intention of catching up with Candado.
But as she approached him, the window of a house on the second floor opened, and a chubby, almost bald man with a thick yellow beard and a black T-shirt with a symbol of a flute broken by a clarinet threw a bucket of water at Clementina. It drenched her completely and made her stop instantly.
"Quiet, there are people who want to sleep, demon brat," then the chubby man looked at Candado, "Hello, gaucho," said the man, and Candado greeted him with his right hand while the other remained in his pocket with a cold smile. Then the chubby man closed his window.
Candado looked at Clementina, who was completely soaked but no longer showed anger towards him as a few seconds ago.
"I told you so," said Candado with a cold expression on his face.
Then, Candado and Clementina continued walking a few more meters until they reached their destination: a French chalet-style house made of fluorescent orange wood, with a single window and a door.
"Hector's house?" said Clementina in a weak and exhausted voice.
"I never saw a truth better expressed."
"Then why am I here?"
"Nothing special, just a little revenge for hurting my nose yesterday."
"I should have known," said Clementina, looking at the floor.
Candado knocked on the door three times, but since it was early and he didn't want to disturb Hector's parents, the knocking was soft. A few seconds after knocking, the door opened, and Hector appeared, dressed in gray pajamas, dark espadrilles, and almost tousled hair.
"Hi guys, Candado, I got your message."
"Well, I was beginning to worry that you hadn't read it."
Hector looked at Clementina with surprise, especially since she was completely soaked.
"May I know what happened to you, Clemen?" Hector asked.
"Nothing in particular, just bad luck, that's all," said Candado, answering for her.
"May we come in?" asked Clementina.
"Yes, please come in," said Hector as he stepped aside.
When Candado and Clementina entered, they noticed a strange and striking painting almost at the entrance, which connected to the living room. The painting showed a man dressed in white with a galley and a staff, literally eating another person dressed in red, holding a sickle in one hand and a blacksmith's hammer in the other. Behind them, there was a line of people watching the scene, but no one intervened, except for a black-haired girl who tried to help, although the crowd held her down and pulled her back hard. The landscape was covered with black clouds, a dirty river with dead fish, and a desert floor with withered and dead trees.
Candado furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of the painting, while to Clementina, it was something that went unnoticed due to her robotic nature; she didn't understand art very well. Hector closed the door behind them and then approached, placing his hand on Padlock's shoulder.
"I see the painting caught your eye. It arrived last night; Pio sent it to me from La Pampa."
"A dark and profound metaphor that Pío painted. I must admit it had a bit of an impact on me," Candado commented.
"Yes, it's really disturbing. She titled it 'El Real Cumplido Capitalista' (The Real Capitalist Fulfillment). Don't you think it's original?" asked Hector.
"Can I use the bathroom?" Clementina asked.
"Yes, of course."
While Clementina went to the bathroom to dry herself and check if she had damaged any circuit or board due to the water that had been thrown at her, Candado and Hector sat down in a comfortable yellow armchair and began to talk about the guild.
"Well, Candado, before we talk, I would like to know why you admitted her to the guild. Honestly, I don't think it was just a 'hunch.' I think there's more behind it," said Hector, with his arms crossed.
"Well, she's very special."
"Special? In what way?" Hector asked, surprised.
"I think she has greater potential than mine. I can say she's even stronger than me."
"Why do you say that? We know you are strong, stronger than any of Esteban's henchmen and himself," said Hector.
"That's your perspective, but I don't think I'm the strongest in the country or the world. I am sure that at some point, someone stronger than me will appear and defeat me."
"That's impossible, Candado. You will never be defeated. We are here to protect you, me, Germán, Declan, Lucas, Clementina, and all of us, your friends, will always be here to help you against anyone who wants to hurt you. That is the essence of friendship."
"Thank you, Hector, for reminding me of my place. But I still believe that someone stronger will come along at some point. That's why I'm here to tell you that if that happens, I want you to burn this house to the ground, along with all the research we've done and, of course, the secret. I want everything to disappear in the flames, not a trace to be left, everything to be consumed when something happens to me," said Candado with determination.
"I don't understand; just a few days ago, you weren't thinking this way. You were still investigating book by book, note by note. Candado, I think I'm wrong; that girl is not to be trusted. Something has happened; it seems she is playing with your mind," said Hector, annoyed and firm.
"What are you saying?"
"The Candado I know would never come to my house to ask me to do something like this. What happened to the Candado who never gave up? What happened to the determined boy with the beret? Where is that boy?"
In the midst of this discussion, a figure emerging through the black smoke appeared in the conversation, and behind the smoke, Tínbari revealed himself, with a smile on his face. But that was not all; Clementina came out of the bathroom while adjusting her tie, interrupting the conversation.
"What's going on?" Clementina asked.
"Well, it seems you only told him part of the truth. It seems you forgot to mention the other side of the story," said Tínbari.
"What other truth?" asked Clementina and Hector.
"Oh, come on, Candadito, tell him what you told me. He has to know too."
"No, I have nothing to tell," said Candado with a furious look at Tínbari.
"What? What do you have to say?" asked Hector.
"Nothing, it's my business," answered Candado.
"What? What are you talking about?" insisted Hector.
"I told you, it's a personal problem and it doesn't concern anyone else," replied Candado.
"What happened?" Clementina asked.
"It's something personal; don't worry about it," replied Candado with frustration.
"Oh, please, your intuition is garbage, just like your hair," said Tínbari mockingly.
"Don't mess with me! I'm talking to Candado, not you, you idiot," said Hector.
"Obligate me! You're nothing but a raggedy, chatty human," replied Tínbari defiantly.
"Enough of this; I don't want fights in my house," said Hector angrily as he took out his box of poker cards from his pocket.
The two were on the verge of a fight, and it looked like the situation could escalate quickly. Clementina, however, stayed out of it; she didn't want to get involved in a senseless fight and had no intention of stopping them. At that moment, when the two were about to unleash chaos in the house, Candado stood up and interposed himself between Hector and Tínbari.
"While you argue, our enemy out there is getting stronger."
Hector put his cards away again, realizing that this was not the right time or place for a fight. Tínbari lowered his hands and relaxed his shoulders; apparently, he had reconsidered his desire to fight with Hector, since he had been one of the few, besides Candado and Declan, with whom he had not had previous conflicts.
"Maybe you're right; this is no time to fight with the weak," said Tínbari.
"What did you say, plum brain?" said Hector angrily.
At that moment, Hector took out his cards again. He controlled ten thousand cards that floated around him, forming a sort of orbit around his chest constantly.
Candado, already irritated by the lack of cooperation from his subordinates, began to release negative and powerful waves in the house. Clementina, seeing what was happening, covered her ears in anticipation of what was coming next.
"SILENCE!" shouted Candado, his voice resounding like thunder.
At that moment, the house began to shake, as if it were experiencing an earthquake. Dishes rattled, pictures shook, and some books fell to the floor. Even Hector and Tínbari's ears hurt, especially Tínbari, who was closest to Candado when he shouted.
"There was no need for you to shout so loudly, child. This boy's parents are sleeping," Tínbari complained as he knelt on the ground.
"We shouldn't worry about that; something like this wouldn't wake them up," said Hector in the same situation.
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Candado was still full of fury. The simple act of shouting had not calmed him down at all; instead, he felt like beating them both until they lost the will to breathe. However, Clementina approached him and whispered something in his ear, and in the blink of an eye, Candado calmed down. What exactly she said to him that day was never known.
"I'm glad they've kept quiet. Hector, will you accept my request?" asked Candado.
"Can we consult with the other guild members?" Hector replied.
Candado stared at him with a cold and gloomy attitude. It was as if he had signed his death warrant, since Hector had realized that Candado had visited him to talk about this subject, precisely so that the other members would not find out.
"Do what you want, Hector," said Candado in a somber tone.
"Thank you. I would like you to be present.
"I'll go home to rest," Candado answered, looking at Clementina, who nodded.
"Wait, I..."
"Look, everything will become clear in due time."
After that conversation, Candado and Clementina left the house, leaving a confused and worried Hector on his own. I wasn't there, but sure enough, after they left, Hector hurried to change his clothes and get ready to head to the cabin.
Candado and Clementina, on the other hand, returned home by the quickest and most peaceful way through the forest, wondering why they hadn't taken that path in the first place. Thanks to him, they arrived almost instantly at their home. As Candado was about to open the door, Clementina asked a question.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"It depends on what you ask," Candado replied.
"Well, why did you decide to have her join us? Having her in the house is one thing, but this?"
Candado turned and looked at her with a serious and vacant look, as if the question had upset him a little.
"I'm surprised you want to know my decision. If you really want to know, I will tell you at the meeting."
Clementina felt a little puzzled, thinking that perhaps she had upset Candado. Then he opened the door and motioned for her to go in first, as he usually did.
"I'm sorry if I bothered you with my question."
"If you apologized to me every time I got angry, I would be twice as rich as I am now," Candado commented as he placed his beret on a nearby table.
"Well, then I apologize for those times too," replied Clementina mockingly.
Both were alerted by a noise coming from the kitchen. They approached slowly, Candado lit his left hand with his violet flame, and Clementina transformed her right hand into a machine gun as she kept her head against the wall, waiting for orders. Candado peeked out and saw Hammya washing the dishes. Clementina moved even closer and looked at Candado.
"What do you see there?"
Candado extinguished his flame and breathed calmly again.
"Nothing, just the girl washing the dishes."
Once the mysterious noise from the kitchen cleared up, Clementina put away her "machine gun," and the two of them showed themselves to Hammya, who didn't seem to have noticed their presence.
"What are you doing?" asked Clementina.
Hammya turned and smiled at the two people behind her.
"I'm cleaning up a bit."
"Well, I don't doubt that, since everything is spotless around here," said Candado.
"Thanks to the circuits, we thought there was an intruder," added Clementina.
"What a play on words."
"Intruder? Don't you feel safe in your own home?" asked Hammya.
"Maybe I didn't mention it before, but my life has been in danger since I was born," commented Candado.
At that moment, Grandma Andrea appeared carrying baby Karen with her blue pacifier.
"Well, well, well, well, it seems that they have gone ahead of me."
"Heh, something like that," said Candado looking at Hammya suspiciously.
"Oh, I see, so, Hammya woke you up with his screams, did he?"
"Would you mind to stop reading my mind? Supposedly, it's mine and no one else's, okay?"
"Oops, sorry, I just can't help it," said Grandma with a smile.
"Well, if you've had your 'fun,' I'm going to bed."
After making quotation marks in the air with his fingers, Candado left the kitchen for his room, leaving Hammya, Clementina, and his grandmother (and Karen) alone in the kitchen.
"Well, what's wrong with this one?"
"I'M NOT 'THIS ONE'!" shouted Candado from his room.
Then the loud slamming of his bedroom door was heard.
"Well, since Candado went to sleep, do you want to help me prepare breakfast for your parents?"
"Parents?" Hammya asked.
"He means the owners of the house," Clementina clarified.
"Yes, you will start living here," then Grandma Andrea approached Hammya, bent down, and put her hand on his shoulder, "so they will be your parents too, and I will be your grandmother. Is that okay with you?
Hammya looked into Grandma's eyes, with immense joy that almost brought tears to her eyes.
"Well, it's nothing to cry about. Come on, help me prepare breakfast."
"Let's get to work," said Clementina with a military salute.
"Right away," replied Hammya enthusiastically.
While Hammya and his "new family" started cooking, Candado and Tínbari had a conversation in their room.
"Do you think it was a good idea to tell all your friends?" asked Tínbari.
"Yes, it was good. Besides, I would never have told anyone, and it would still be my problem if you hadn't opened your damn chattering mouth."
"Oops, it slipped out."
"You're a busybody, meddling devil. That's why the military sewed your mouth shut when you were human."
"Actually, it was for a very different reason, but whatever, don't change the subject."
"When did you change the subject?"
"Don't pretend. You know very well what I mean, Candado. Nobody fools me."
"Look, either you express yourself better or I'll kick you out of my room. That's twelve minutes a drain I'll never get back."
"Seriously, I find it a little strange that you take it for granted that someone might beat you someday."
Candado looked at Tínbari, very angry, with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows.
"I can't believe you don't get it too. And to think that you had said so. You know what? You'll get your answer at that meeting," said Candado, angrily.
"Of course, I understand, but I don't think something like that would happen with someone like her."
"Damn it."
"It's nothing to get angry about either."
"How the hell am I not going to get mad, you horned-up piece of ass? Now, instead of it being my problem, it's going to be the whole team's problem."
"In that case, I apologize for speaking without your authorization."
"The last thing I want to hear is your apology; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"Well, then what do you want me to do?"
"For now, I want you to leave my room before I take you out."
After telling him this, Tínbari vanished from the place, laughing quietly and saying, "I wish you luck." Of course, he was making fun of him. This gesture made Candado boil with anger, not only because of the gesture itself but also because Tínbari had been the cause of Candado having to give explanations to his companions as to why he had entrusted Héctor with the mission of burning the investigations in case Candado lost. Originally, Candado would never have shared this concern with the other team members if Tínbari had not opened his mouth. It was clear that Candado wanted to hide something, but he realized that it would not be easy to keep his motives hidden from his friends.
Candado lay back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling as he pondered what to do. He had three hours before he had to explain himself to the guild. However, his thoughts faded as fatigue overcame him, and he fell asleep.
While Candado slept, Clementina, Hammya, and Grandma were cooking for Candado's parents, who would surely arrive tired and hungry after the trip they had made.
Curiously, they would arrive that very morning, but Candado did not know at what time exactly since his parents spent little time at home. Since Gabriela's death, the family atmosphere had become sad and somber. Candado's parents rarely spent the night at home, as everything in the house reminded them of their daughter and caused them immense pain. Despite the sadness that overwhelmed them, they kept hoping that one day their daughter would return home, as if they were trapped in the past, in the hope that one day they would see their daughter again, smiling and playful.
"Candado, despite his cold appearance and tough attitude, had smiled in the past. The loss of a loved one had robbed her of that smile, but she moved on. For this reason, Candado's parents spent less and less time at home with him and Karen.
When they finished cooking breakfast, Clementina, Hammya, and Grandma took a break in the living room and turned on the television. They sat down on the white sofa, which was near the kitchen.
Not even five minutes had passed when someone knocked at the door.
"Who can it be now?" asked Grandma, getting ready to open the door.
Clementina quickly got up from her seat and stood in Grandma's way.
"Let me, I will open the door."
Grandma sat back down on the couch, allowing Clementina to approach the door. Before she knew it, an elderly man with a grocery bag was in Clementina's way.
"How did he get in?" she asked in surprise.
"The door was open," said the man calmly.
"What is he doing here so early in the morning?" asked the grandmother, recognizing him.
"Who?" asked Hammya, who was a bit confused.
Hipólito was a robot made by Candado's grandfather when he was twelve years old. He had white hair from old age, often wore a black galley, a 1920s-era beard and mustache, and wore formal clothes of the same era in black. He wore a white handkerchief as a tie and had brown eyes. His elegant gloves were red with a yellow seven-pointed star on the counterpart of the glove.
"Grandma and the gentleman exchanged kisses on the cheeks.
"I came to visit Candado, he is here, isn't he?" asked Hipólito as he strolled around the living room, as if he were in his own house.
"Yes, but he is sleeping," informed the grandmother.
Hipólito halted when he spotted the green-haired girl on the white armchair, staring at her. Clementina also observed him with curiosity.
'Andrea? I think I'm looking at a mamboretá on the couch.'
'How rude you are!'
'Oh, and he's talking too.'
'Are you making fun of me?'
Clementina entered the room along with the grandmother to intervene.
"Grandfather, don't bother the resident of the house."
"She, resident? What did you do to make Miss Europe accept?"
"The lady doesn't know yet, but we'll ask her today."
"Well, anyway, I want to see Candado."
"He can't, he's asleep," said Clementina.
"Well, I think I'm going to wake him up"'
"Don, you may be a robot like me, but that doesn't mean you're bothering everyone for no reason."
"Robot?"
"Yes, Hipólito is another robot made by Mr. Alfred,' Clementina explained.
"That man must have been a genius in technology."
"Indeed," said Clementina.
"Enough, I have to talk to him now."
"I repeat that Candado is sleeping."
"It doesn't matter if he's sleeping, I need to talk to him."
Clementina didn't appreciate Hipólito's sudden appearance at the house without prior notice, and, to make matters worse, she believed he came to disturb Candado, who was still peacefully asleep. Unfortunately, she had failed to notice the tone of voice she used when speaking to Hipólito.
While Clementina engaged in a heated discussion with Hipólito, Candado, who was in his room pretending to sleep, felt the annoyance building up.
"I'm going to quarter them," said Candado angrily.
After uttering this threat, he rose from his bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. A splash of cold water on his face and a brisk teeth-brushing later, he returned to his room. With a snap of his fingers, his nightclothes vanished, leaving him only in his underwear. Simultaneously, his chosen outfit materialized from the closet: dark dress pants secured by a self-buttoning belt, a white long-sleeved shirt with self-buttoning buttons, a red tie that knotted itself, a gray vest with self-buttoning buttons, black shoes, and white gloves as the finishing touch.
Observing his reflection in the closet's mirror, Candado realized his hair was in disarray without his cherished blue beret. Strands of hair stuck out in every direction, as if he had been electrocuted. After a quick combing attempt, he deemed himself presentable and proceeded downstairs.
Candado descended to the living room, rubbing his forehead as if nursing a headache—likely from the lack of sleep caused by the noise from the ongoing commotion. A hush fell over the room as everyone's attention turned to him.
"Are they making fun of me or what?" Candado questioned irritably. "When I'm awake and in the living room, everyone is silent. Yet, when I'm in my room trying to sleep, you all talk so loudly. You guys are like mosquitoes that buzz in the dark and fall silent when the light is on."
"We're sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you," Candado grandmother apologized.
"Mosquito?" Hammya asked curiously.
Candado shifted his gaze to Hippolyte, raising an eyebrow.
"What's the matter, old man? Did you lose something?"
"Your sense of humor leaves much to be desired, Candado, lord of the outcasts."
"Did you come all this way just to deliver a letter to me?" Candado inquired, accepting the letter.
"It sounds... kind of stupid if you put it that way."
"How should it sound, then?"
"Sometimes I wish you were a little more polite," said Hippolyte.
Candado offered no response, focusing instead on the seal of the letter with suspicion and a brewing fury. Its emblem depicted a medusa crossed with two Mongol swords, suggesting either a warning or an insult. He felt indignant, though the reason remained unclear. After reading the letter, he promptly set it ablaze in his hand.
"Apparently, Viki has 'earned' a new hatred in La Pampa," Candado remarked as the letter slowly burned.
"My God, he seems to be having a harder and harder time, son," commented Grandmother Andrea.
"God? If you are nothing more than a man-made robot," replied Candado sarcastically.
"Well, there was no need to remind me like that... Anyway, what are you going to do now? Anyway, what will you do now, Mr. Padlock, will you send her to another province?" asked Hippolyte.
"No, I won't. This is the last time I transfer her. She will stay there, in the Pampa, until she learns to control herself," said Candado with evident anger.
"Miss Tonrrial won't like it; I'm sure there will be a mess," added Hipólito.
"I don't give a damn if she likes it or not. This is the tenth time I'm transferring her, and the fact that she's there is her fault, not mine. If by any chance she makes a fool of the guild, she will be punished by Harambee's fist," said Candado with determination.
"Well, changing the subject, you might as well go to sleep, since the meeting is still a few days away," advised Clementina.
"Don't patronize me, Clementina, because it doesn't suit you," replied Candado as he put on his beret.
Grandmother Andrea, surprised to see her grandson putting on his beret, asked him:
"Where are you going?"
"To the courtyard, grandmother, to the courtyard," he answered as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Clementina decided to follow Candado into the garden, and Hammya also joined in, following them both stealthily as she stuck to the wall to "spy" on what they were doing. Peeking through the window, Hammya could appreciate the beautiful garden, with well-trimmed lawns, flowers such as beautiful roses, and an imposing large ficus tree that provided pleasant shade.
However, the peace of the garden was interrupted by the argument between Candado and Clementina, in which she criticized Candado for his past decisions. The discussion was continuing when Hammya decided to come out of hiding and approach them. Clementina looked at her suspiciously, while Candado, apparently tired, remained lying on the floor.
"Hello," greeted Hammya, "What are you doing?
"We are waiting for a satellite to fall on me," replied Candado sarcastically.
Clementina stepped in to explain:
"Actually, we were just chatting, that's all."
"What were you chatting about?" Hammya asked curiously.
But when Hammya was about to ask another question, Candado quickly stood up and took out a watch from his vest.
"Hell, they're one hell of a bunch of charges."
"What happened, young master?"
"Don't start now," he continued. "They changed the time of the meeting; we have to leave now," he said as he started up.
"How did you know that?"
"The Candado watch is very special; it is used to communicate with others."
When he said that, Hammya and Clementina followed after him. Candado entered the house and went to the living room to tell his grandmother that he was going out. When he found her, he said goodbye by raising his beret, without looking at her and without even stopping; he continued walking until he left the house.
As he left, he could already see movements in the street, people going to work, and some cars. Without wasting any more time, Candado, Hammya, and Clementina ran at full speed, taking shortcuts to get to the guild faster, passing through the woods. Finally, they arrived at the house; Candado stopped for a moment, fixed his clothes before knocking on the door, and when he finished, he approached the entrance and knocked three times on the door.
"Who is it?" asked a voice from behind the door.
"Manuel Belgrano, asshole."
The door opened, and behind it was Matlotsky with a smile.
"Well, how are you?"
"Let me through, clown," said Candado hurriedly.
"You come in," said Matlotsky, lying on the floor.
Candado went to the meeting room and opened the doors with his hands and an angry expression on his face.
"Well, what does this mean? I gave an exact time to talk about this particular subject," said Candado.
"I'm sorry, Candado. I tried to tell them, I really did, but they wanted to rush this issue," said Hector with a tone of concern.
"Will you give us an explanation?" asked everyone (except Hector).
"Why do I have to give an explanation, eh? If when I admitted Anzor nobody questioned me, now that I admit Hammya, I am questioned. WHY?!"
"The difference is that Anzor was the last one, two years ago when Gabriela died, and that made you change. For two years, you didn't go out for recess at school, and even today you gave a mission to our colleague Hector to burn all the research, not only yours, but also the research of your great-grandfather Jack Barret. Is he weakening you or manipulating you? One of two," said Lucas.
Candado put his right hand to his forehead, covering his eyes and touching his eyebrow with his thumb and forefinger.
"Ah, you weren't supposed to talk about this, Hector," said Candado indignantly.
"No, it's not Hector's fault, I followed you this morning."
"I've told you a thousand times, Lucia, don't use that power, especially not on me."
"Will you give us an explanation?" asked Matlotsky from behind.
"Well, I will, on the condition that Hammya is present here to free you from this stupid and absurd paranoia about my leadership, you stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid."
After saying this, Candado went to his seat at the end of the table, located under a painting of a large yellow cross. In the center of the cross, two black lines crossed it from top to bottom in red and from left to right in white. Additionally, there were three blue circles at the three points (left, right, and top), without being attached to them.
When Candado sat down, everyone else followed suit, keeping silent, including Hammya, who took Viki's place as the latter was absent. Candado inhaled and exhaled, then began.
"I thought it would be up to me and no one else, but now I'll have to tell. Turns out she's not human," said Candado with a cold expression.
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and started shouting for an answer. Even those who did not understand the message began shouting and refuting. Candado, who had not even finished speaking, became angry at the audacity of his companions for raising their voices while he was speaking. He lifted his right foot and slammed it down on the table.
"SILENCE!" he shouted, and from that shout, the room began to burn with violet fire, including his eyes. This was enough to silence his friends. When everyone was quiet, Candado looked at each of them and continued, "When I speak, everyone is silent; when I give an order, everyone follows it. That is one of the most important rules." Then he calmed down, and the flames in the room gradually died out, including those in Candado eyes.
"Yes, as you heard, Hammya Saillim is not human," said Candado, standing up.
Luke raised his hand with an expression of astonishment and terror and asked:
"If she is not human, what is she then?"
"That's why I accepted her into the guild. It's not every day you see someone who is not from this planet. And if she is, then she's not the only one; there must be others around here," explained Candado.
"That's what Tynbari told me. Am I really from another world?" Hammya whispered.
Lucas lowered his hand, and Hector raised his instead.
"What about that order this morning to burn all the guild's files?" Hector asked.
"That order, my dear friend, was because if my assumption is correct, then it could be that they are stronger than me, and then the information we have would fall into the wrong hands," Candado explained.
Tínbari was alarmed to hear that.
"Pullbarey."
"Did you say something, Demonto?"
"I just remembered an old commercial."
"Pay attention to what Candado says, stupid."
"I'm sorry, Irishman," Tínbari apologized, then looked at Candado. "Go on."
Hector lowered his hand, and Declan raised his instead.
"But... How do you know they could be strong?"
Candado took a CD out of his pocket and slid it across the table into Clementina's hands.
"Show them the chart."
"Right away," said Clementina as she put the CD to the back of her neck.
As she did so, her eyes projected a hologram-shaped graph—a bar chart measuring the power of Candado and Hammya. The results were positive for Hammya; her powers exceeded Candado's by 8.5 points.
"IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" They all exclaimed, including Hammya and Clementina.
"There must be a mathematical or scientific error," said Lucas and Germán.
"There is no error," said Candado with his eyes closed.
"Maybe it's a fraud," said Anzor and Clementina.
"There is no fraud," said Candado, still with his eyes closed.
"It's impossible, you have always been unbeatable," said Ana Maria and the twins were surprised.
"That's how it was," said Candado, still with his eyes closed.
"If she has such power, I can't imagine the future rivals of the circuits," said Hector.
"Exactly," said Candado, without opening his eyes.
"Will I make a fortune if I sell this information?" asked Matlotsky.
"Shut up, asshole," said Candado, opening his left eye.
Before they could continue talking, Clementina pulled the CD from the back of his neck and instantly destroyed it in his hand.
"Why did you do that?" asked Candado disinterestedly.
"If this information reaches the ears or eyes of the Circuits, we will be in serious trouble," said Clementina.
"Let them come, the more the better, so I won't be bored," said Candado nonchalantly.
"This is not a game, boss, this is serious, very, very serious," said Germán with concern but showing his smile.
"Don't call me that. Besides, it would be interesting to have all the U.F.E.T.C. chasing me and killing each one of them."
"What are the U.F.E.T.C.?" Hammya asked.
"Universal Formation of the Eye of Tanatos Circuits, our greatest enemies for almost a hundred years," answered Ana Maria.
"I don't understand."
"It's not your fault, most people don't know about the U.F.E.T.C. and us, the W.O.G.A.B., World Organization of Affiliated Guilds Bernstein , or Bernstein Organization, abbreviated B.O.," said German.
"Hey, could someone explain all this to me?" Hammya asked.
"Sure, Canda, please," said Matlotsky.
"Okay, I'll do it," said Candado reluctantly, and began to tell the story.
"As I said before, in 1912, a meteorite fell to earth, giving powers to 97% of humanity in our bodies, creating a second spirit or soul, as you like. So far so good, the problem came two years later. It turned out that the first to experience this magic were children, and these, not distinguishing between good and evil, began to be corrupted by that magic. It led them to think that by having powers they could do whatever they wanted. There were cases of children who killed their parents for capricious matters, leading the world into resounding chaos, looting, killings, and disappearances. So it was that a child of unknown nationality with the pseudonym of Thanatos took advantage of the situation and created a kind of organization called the Circuits. Basically, they gathered the strongest children capable of dominating their powers to rule all nations. These, not having the necessary means to defend themselves, were subdued by Thanatos and his Circuit. Thus it was for almost three years, the world dominated by children, until in Africa, in a place that today is called Kenya, a girl with white hair and mounted on a lion of the same color, called Ndereba Harambee, gathered and mobilized all the other children who were not in favor of the Circuits, against their conquerors, in a war in which she won and which was called 'The Battle of Hope.'
Harambee's cunning and intelligence against Thanatos' strength and agility, the girl's golden spear against the boy's scythe. This war, which lasted twenty-five hours, marked the beginning of the end of the Circuits, for it inspired all other children in other countries to fight for their freedom and their family. And so began a worldwide war to free their countries. The Circuits fled to Antarctica with their leader Thanatos when all that was over. All the children of the world created guilds to protect their families and their homelands. That's how all the guilds we know today were born.
But there was a problem. The Circuits were going to come back someday, and we needed an organization to teach us how to use our powers. That's when a boy from France named Ivan Crusoe sent letters to every country in the world with his idea of how to stop the Circuits from returning to power. Unfortunately, only six countries accepted his proposal: Germany, Kenya, Japan, Argentina, China, and Paraguay. The names of the children who listened to him were Alexander Bernstein from Germany, Ndereba Harambee from Kenya, Rosa Velazquez Rojas from Paraguay, Li Wang Sheng from China, Chizuru Aikawa from Japan, and Jack Barret from Argentina, my great-grandfather. These four people listened to Ivan Crusoe, approved of his idea and considered it an ingenious way to confront the Circuits. A flag was created, taking the colors of the seven countries that agreed with Ivan's request: a light blue background of Argentina, with a red stripe in the middle of the Japanese flag. In the center, there was the face of a white lion facing forward, inspired by Harambee's mascot. Below the lion was a round shield with the colors of Germany, inspired by Alexander's shield, which had the same colors. On the sides of the shield, there were green laurels, the same as those on the flag of Paraguay, inspired by the brooch of Rosa's hair, and on the four points of the shield, there was a rose petal on each point in yellow, inspired by the powers of Shen. When the flag was finished, it had to be decided where the central agency was to be placed. The only country available was Japan, so that was where it was built, on a deserted island created with Harambee's powers, which he named Kanghar Island, in memory of his father. The agency was called the World Organization of Attached Guilds, abbreviated as W.O.G.A., to fight and defend all people threatened by the Circuits, the second society in the world."
"And the 'B'?" Hammya asked.
"The 'B' would be added later because, in the final battle with Thanatos, he was going to kill everyone in the organization with his powers of electricity in his body. It was at that precise moment that Alexander Bernstein decided to sacrifice his life for the others, locking Thanatos inside a silver chest, dying from exhaustion and as a hero. Ivan, who was wounded in the hospital, handed over the command to Jack Barret, and he accepted on the condition that a consonant could be added to the guild. That was why it was called the Bernstein Organization."
When Candado finished speaking, the phone began to ring. Clementina picked it up and handed it to him.
"Hello?"
"Good novel boy, you seem to know the story very well," said the male voice on the phone.
Candado hung up.
"Anyway, that's the story."
The phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"It wasn't nice of you to hang up on me, now why don't we go back to...".
Candado hung up the phone again.
"Is anybody hungry?" Candado asked.
(What's wrong?) - they all thought.
The phone rang again, and he picked it up for the third time.
"Hello?"
"Don't hang up, kid, I'm not finished yet."
"Wrong number, until then...."
"You're uncontrollable. Well, as Alfred said."
"Who are you?" asked Candado.
"My name is Nelson Torres, and I assure you I am not your enemy."
"Oh yes, very interesting but I don't know you, have a nice day," said Candado with the intention of hanging up again, until Nelson said:
"I know who murdered your grandfather Alfred."
"Who was it then?" said Candado.
"You'll find out when we meet at the restaurant you always go to for lunch." Candado started to shout at the man on the phone, but he had already hung up.
"Who was it?" asked Erika.
"Someone very interesting. Today looks like it's going to be a hectic day," said Candado, sighing.