The afternoon arrived, and Candado was getting ready for Nelson to pick him up. Since he had accepted the contract proposed by the old man, he told him to get ready because he would come to pick him up. Of course, Clementina and Hammya were unaware of this encounter. Their curiosity was so great that they spied on his every move. However, as Candado was very observant and perceptive, he knew they were spying on him, so he gave them false clues, like staring at the ceiling for more than ten minutes, walking in circles, looking at his watch for almost two minutes, or speaking nonsense. Even Tínbari, who was watching him, couldn't understand what he was doing.

"Hey, it seems like you're alone on the field," said Tínbari. Candado was annoyed by this comment, so much that he decided to clarify it. But for the two meddlers to hear him, he began to speak mentally with Tínbari.

"Don't bother, you piece of garbage. Can't you see I'm trying to mislead those two?"

Tínbari turned around and saw the two hidden behind the door.

"Ah, now I understand. Humans are indeed gossipers."

"That would be great if they were humans."

"True, one is a robot, and the other is of an unknown race. How silly."

"Shut up, Demonto. You were once a human too."

"Yes, I was once a disgusting and weak human, but that's in the past," clarified Tínbari.

"Don't insult the human race, idiot."

"Ah well, whatever you say."

"You and I will have a lot to talk about once the meeting with Nelson is over," said Candado as he adjusted his tie.

"Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say, Candado," said Tínbari casually. Candado was annoyed that Tínbari spoke to him in that way, as if he were mocking him. But when Candado was about to reproach him, he saw a light blue Justicialist car from the time of Juan Domingo Perón through his window.

"It must be a joke; they don't make those cars in this country anymore," Candado muttered.

"Haha, I had one when I was human," argued Tínbari.

"Wait, those two aren't at my door anymore, are they?" Candado asked.

Tínbari peeked to see if the girls were still spying on him, but it turned out they had grown tired of watching him do meaningless things and had left.

"No, they're gone," Tínbari said, raising his right hand.

"Good, it's time," Candado said as he opened the window.

"What are you doing?" Tínbari asked.

"I'll go down this way," Candado replied.

"Are you crazy? If I do that, it will look like you're floating since you're the only one who can see me, except for your friends, of course."

"I don't care. Can't you transport me or something?"

"Ah, you're right, I can do that. But why did you open the window?"

"To show you, you piece of idiot, where I want you to take me," Candado said, pointing at the car.

"Well, your wish is my command," Tínbari said. The demon approached Candado and took his hand with a smile.

"Close your eyes because this might blind you."

Candado didn't ask any questions but closed his eyes as Tínbari had requested, and in the blink of an eye (metaphorically), he appeared inside the car. When he was inside, he slowly opened his eyes and saw Nelson looking at him in surprise. Then, he looked at the back seat, where Tínbari was lying down and waving at him.

"I'll be here if you need me, okay?"

Then Candado looked at Nelson for the second time.

"Kid, normal people leave through the front gate of their houses and get into the car by opening the door on your side," said Nelson.

"Well, but it was the most feasible way to leave without being noticed."

Nelson didn't say anything else and started the car. Candado looked around in amazement. A justicialista car—hardly anyone has one of those, and if they do, it's in museums. So Candado gathered his courage and asked.

"Where did you get the car?"

Nelson smiled and said.

"I've had this car for over fifty years, son," said Nelson.

"How's that? The justicialista stopped being manufactured in 1955 with Perón's overthrow; they even changed its name, color, and structure."

Nelson started laughing out loud and replied.

"It seems you know your history."

He then explained that apparently, his father bought the car in 1952 and gave it to him when he turned seventeen. Since then, he has used it. His father worked as a teacher in a school in Buenos Aires when the general was overthrown, got fired for being a Peronist, and went from having a good job to working as a cashier in the supermarkets of that time, earning a pittance. Nelson never met his mother, and he always blamed himself for not preventing her death. For that reason, Nelson was always attentive, buying him everything he asked for, even the car. When he was ten, he told him that when he grew up, he would buy a car, but his father said no and promised him that he would buy it when he turned seventeen. And so he did, he kept his promise, gave him his car, which made it difficult for him since his job was far away, and he needed the car to go to work. Several years later, he kept it because his father gave him this when he had nothing. He will never forget his smile when he gave it to him.

"Wow, it's incredible that you've kept your father's gift for over fifty years."

"Yes, a son never forgets his father, no matter how old he is."

"Well, enough chit-chat. Where are we supposed to go?"

"We're going to a house that you might know."

"Where?"

"To the Peñalosa mansion."

"What? That house has been abandoned for almost forty years; no one lives there."

"That's true, no one does, but that property belongs to the company C.I.C.E.T.A. In 1989, around the end of Raúl Alfonsín's government."

"What is C.I.C.E.T.A.?"

"Centro de Investigación Científica Especialista en Tecnología Avanzada, or to make it shorter, Laboratorio Ciencia Blanca, L.C.B."

"Ah, and what is that?"

"That's where your grandfather worked, or rather, the founder of C.I.C.E.T.A. Laboratories."

"But what is that place?"

"Heh, you'll see."

He didn't say anything more; Nelson remained silent throughout the journey with a smile on his face. This turned out to be somewhat uncomfortable for Candado, but for Tínbari, it was amusing. In fact, he didn't care about the consequences, as long as Candado's life wasn't at risk, everything would be fine.

It took approximately forty-five minutes to reach the Peñalosa mansion. Interestingly, this enormous house was on the outskirts of the town. The car parked in front of the iron gates of the house. Nelson got out of the car and entered a booth that was near the gate. Once inside, the gate opened; it almost gave the impression that it had opened on its own. Nelson came out of that place smiling and returned to the car without saying anything.

The car drove through what could be called a garden, as it was overrun by nature. Vines covered almost the majority of the wall, including the house. They parked in front of the huge doors. It was as if it were the Casa Rosada, but this one was red, well, or so it seemed, as no one had painted it for a long time.

Candado and Nelson got out of the car and headed towards the entrance of the house. Nelson stopped and knocked on the door. Candado looked at him as if he were crazy. The house was battered, dirty, and full of cobwebs. It seemed like no one had lived there. Who would answer? However, the door opened slowly, and from inside emerged the face of an old man. He looked at Candado and said:

"You're just in time, Torres."

"Great, you see, I'm not unpunctual," Nelson said.

The old man looked at Candado.

"Is this young man Alfred's grandson?"

—Yes, he is," Nelson replied.

The gentleman opened the door and invited them in. Candado continued to follow Nelson with his guard up, as he didn't trust the potential residents of the house. With his hand behind his back, he held onto his facón. Nelson, aware that Candado was uneasy, said:

"Don't worry, they won't harm you."

Those words calmed Candado a bit, and the old man managed to get him to lower his hand from his facón.

They walked for a few more seconds down the dimly lit hallway until they reached a room with ample lighting. In it, there was a group of six people, all of them elderly.

Candado stood in the center of these people, looking at each of them, with Tínbari watching him from the air, ready in case any of them intended to attack Candado.

"All right, folks, this person is Alfred's son," Nelson said.

"Grandson, Nelson, grandson," Candado clarified.

"It's a figure of speech."

The people looked at each other and began to draw their conclusions. Nelson put his hand on Candado's shoulder and pointed to a seat. Candado went to that spot and sat down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's time to introduce ourselves," Nelson suggested.

One of the individuals stood up and introduced himself.

"Hello, my name is Bruno Gómez. I'm 76 years old, representing El Gallo."

Bruno has black hair with white streaks from his forehead backward, light green eyes, a perfectly trimmed dark horseshoe mustache, and he wears military general green clothing with medals on his chest.

Power: Can lift someone with his mind and create diamonds as a shield.

Ability: None, but he excels in everything.

—Hello, I'm Miguel de Casas, 54 years old, representing El Ñandú.

Miguel: Despite his age, he still has blond hair. His eyes are brown, and he wears an eye patch with a scar protruding from the injury. He dresses in white formal pants with dark boots, a black trench coat that reaches his knees, and a gray shirt with a red tie.

Power: Control over white fire, shape-shifting ability, flight, superhuman speed (even surpassing the speed of light), and invisibility.

Ability: Unknown abilities.

The third person introduced herself.

"I'm Elsa Buttón, 70 years old, representing El Lince."

Elsa: She has white hair, and her age is not evident in her appearance. Her eyes are of strange colors, one is green, and the other is blue. She wears a pink pearl necklace and is dressed in dark brown pants, stiletto heels, and a short-sleeved sky-blue shirt.

Power: Has the unique ability to mimic or copy the powers and abilities of her enemies and friends.

Ability: Ability to mimic others.

The fourth person presented himself.

"Hello, everyone knows me, but I wouldn't mind introducing myself again as when I was young. I'm Simón Garmendia, 65 years old, representing El León Rojo."

Simón: Originally from Canada, his hair is red without any graying. His eyes are dark, and he wears reading glasses. He dresses in a stylish gray suit from head to toe with a blue tie and has a large red beard that makes him resemble the philosopher Karl Marx. He is always happy, which is due to a traumatic event from his childhood when his parents were brutally murdered in front of his eyes. This unleashed an uncontrollable internal power related to his emotions, such as sadness, anger, fear, and others.

Power: Triggers an uncontrollable bloodlust when experiencing intense emotions such as sadness, anger, or fear. No one knows exactly what his power is based on, except Nelson.

Ability: Ability to repair any technological object.

The fifth person introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Aldana Serpiente, 70 years old, representing La Tortuga."

Aldana: Despite her age, she appears to be in her twenties or thirties. Her hair is long and black, her eyes are dark, her skin is tan, and she wears a red crystal in the shape of a diamond on her forehead. She wears black glasses and dresses formally in light green-toned men's clothing, accompanied by a pink tie.

Power: Her ability is related to life and death. She is long-lived and can extract a human's soul with her hands. She can also create branches and roots from her hands.

Ability: She is an expert in surprise attacks, traps, and other strategic skills.

The sixth and last person introduced herself.

"Well, it's my turn. My name is Rosa Pasturúti, 50 years old, representing La Paloma."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Rosa: She wears a dark suit from head to toe, with a cloak that looks more like gas. She is surrounded by black smoke, and her face remains hidden, appearing young.

Powers: Unknown.

Ability: Unknown.

When everyone had introduced themselves, Nelson took a step forward and said.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, today Candado is joining us in the capture of Greg."

"Wait, the armadillo is missing here," said Candado.

"That's because the armadillo was your grandfather, and as you can see, he is dead," Bruno replied.

"Thanks, changing the subject, who are you, and what relationship did you have with my grandfather?"

"We are, or rather, were friends of Alfred," Miguel replied.

"I was his clandestine lover," Aldana added.

"Shut up," Bruno ordered.

"You see, we also used to work here; we were and still are scientists," said Nelson.

"Except for us, we were just security guards," added Bruno and Simón.

"Well, as you can see, some didn't have the aptitude for science," Nelson said mockingly.

"Why am I here?" asked Candado.

"So that you know the history of Cotorium and why humans have powers," Miguel explained.

"Well, now this got very interesting, and I'd like to know about this topic."

"Alright, you can manifest yourself now, Slonbari, the god of life," said Nelson, hitting the ground with his staff.

At that moment, the windows and doors closed on their own, and in the middle of the assembly, white vapor emerged from the ground, slowly growing until an inhuman but beautiful figure appeared in front of Candado.

"Good afternoon, I am Slonbari, the Bari of life."

Slonbari: He had very pale skin and lacked eyes; instead, he wore dark sunglasses. He had a perfect nose, and his hair changed color continuously, apparently according to his mood, but it could be said that his original hair color was white. He had no legs; a constant gray vapor emanated from his waist down. He wore a black cassock with a white ribbon around his neck and had wooden hands. Two beautiful white wings sprouted from his back.

"Well, what were you supposed to be before?" asked Candado.

"I was a priest in the church of Spain, more than eight hundred and thirty years ago. For trying to help others by preparing medicines, I was condemned to the stake by my own brothers, but a divine light transformed my body, and I fled from that place."

"What was your name?" Candado inquired.

"Name? I forgot it a long time ago."

"Well, how did you lose your eyes, sir?" Candado asked again.

"I lost them at the hands of my stepfather before they burned me, accusing me of raping women."

"Sorry if I offended you."

"Offend me? Hahaha, you didn't. In fact, you are the first person to ask me these things, besides Alfred. But enough about me; I sense the presence of a friend behind you."

Candado looked behind him defensively, even pulling out his facón.

"Hahaha, no, son, it's not an enemy," Slonbari laughed.

At that moment, Tínbari manifested, releasing black smoke in the front of the room, making himself visible to everyone present.

"Are you talking about my crow?" Tínbari asked.

"In fact, I was. How have you been all this time, father of death?" Slonbari inquired.

"You flatter me. It's incredible that someone like you would ask about my well-being."

"I don't know, but it seems like you're exchanging indirect jabs," Nelson commented.

"Shut up, old man," Tínbari continued. "There's still something pending between us, Slonbari," he said, showing his claws.

"Hold on, Tínbari, I order you to stop. We're not here to fight."

"Heh, whatever you say, Candado."

The demon ceased his dispute and returned behind Candado.

"Well, I think you have something to tell me, so go ahead," said Candado.

Slonbari cleared his throat and began to narrate.

Cotorium, the origin of all life in the universe, was a planet where a unique entity called Keplant once existed. It was the only living being in the Úzergluk (Void, in the language of the Bari), as the universe was called before. Keplant described it as a place without color, silent, eerie, and lifeless. He always wondered, "Why do I exist? What is my purpose?" and many other things. However, once, while playing with his medallion, he accidentally created a structure resembling a stone. This caught his attention so much that throughout his life, he tried to control it, creating things. Eventually, he created a planet that, at that moment, had no name. Keplant stood on it, explored it entirely, but it was empty, devoid of life. He continued searching for answers to his curiosity, biting it, kicking it, and hitting it. Until he created a sun, gave it another hit, and created water, three hits for vegetation, four hits for a river. When he was about to give a fifth hit, his medallion shattered and turned into a kind of violet dust, which he accidentally inhaled. The dust entered his body, and after he did that, a violet flame emerged from his hand, with which he created the sky and clouds. Keplant was so excited that he started to traverse the planet he had created, flying through the air using his power and creating mountains, rivers, and seas. Until he focused on the center of the planet, where he concentrated all his energy and created a massive tree, the first time he created life. The tree grew to touch the clouds, and when its branches reached the sky, it began to rain. Keplant was delighted and cried at the sight of this moving scene.

When he was an adult, he noticed that nine strange fruits fell from the tree. Babies emerged from their insides—five females and four males. Keplant raised them and named them: Sedbil, Pander, Roobóleo, Benst, Arús, Lícata, Venezy, Hammya, and Sagarina.

"Wait, Hammya? Are you sure?" Candado asked.

"Yes, Hammya is the goddess of the planet Coleriam. Why?"

—Nothing special. Could you fast forward a few years, please? I don't have all day," Candado said.

"Alright, I will. It turns out that Cotorium, at this moment, is at war. The Roobóleo resistance is against the Zodian alliance," Slonbari said.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Candado asked.

"My child, it has a lot to do because you have the powers of the god Keplant, or in other words, the blood of Keplant, and Pullbarey, the leader of the Zodian, is on this planet seeking the power you possess. If Pullbarey were to kill you and take Keplant's powers, he would use them to win the war and become unstoppable. The world... no, the entire universe will be under the rule of one person, him."

"He is here, right? Tell me where he is, and let's end this," Candado said, showing his flaming fist.

"Your bravery is commendable, but it won't be easy. Pullbarey is very dangerous for any human," Slonbari said.

"I am not just anyone; I have a name and a last name, you know? And it's Candado Ernést Barret."

"He is looking for you. Try not to die; for now, you are weak against Pullbarey," Slonbari said.

"I trained in Tínbari's death box and survived. I fear nothing, not even death," Candado said with a cold expression.

Candado's gaze was starting to unsettle Slonbari. Even though he couldn't see, he could feel the shiver from the boy's gaze running through his entire body. It was the first time a Bari was scared of a human.

"Frightening, isn't it, Slonbari?" Tínbari asked arrogantly.

"Well, where is he?" Candado demanded.

"I... don't know for sure, but I know he is already in this country," Slonbari said.

"Fine, once I find him, I'll kill him," Candado said.

"Listen well to what I'm going to tell you, Candado. You won't be able to kill Pullbarey yet because he has possessed a mortal. You can't kill him, but you can weaken him since his original body is in Cotorium, and with human technology, it would take you seven hundred million years to reach that planet."

"Alright, so how do I do it?" Candado asked, extinguishing his flame.

"Teleportation," said Miguel.

"Eh? That's impossible. There is no device that can do that," Candado said.

"Of course, there is," Nelson said, placing his hand on Candado's shoulder.

At that moment, Aldana pulled a large emerald from her pocket and said:

"This is the key for us to take you to that planet, but it will take some time to glow."

"How much time?" Candado asked.

"Well, today is March 10, 2013, right? So, about 3650 days," Aldana said.

"Ten damn years?" exclaimed Candado.

"Yes, it could be," said Aldana.

"You still have time. While you wait for those ten years, you can prepare yourself," Slonbari said as he faded away.

"Ha, looks like the meeting is over," Tínbari said.

"I thought someone would be a bit 'sympathetic' with me, but it seems not," Candado said.

"Why do you say that?" Nelson asked.

"It's simple, my life is somewhat challenging. As if being in the eye of the storm with two major superpowers, both the guilds and the circuits, weren't enough. Now, I not only have to deal with the U.F.E.T.C., but I also have to fight someone on the other end of the galaxy. Come on! I know how you think: 'Oh, look, I have an almost suicidal mission. What are we going to do? I know, let's give it to Candado; he'll surely accomplish it. After all, he's just a kid without a social life. Let's ruin him because, in the end, he won't care.'"

"Well, Candado, you won't do it all alone; you'll have our help," Bruno said.

"Sure, not because I'm arrogant or anything like that. But aren't you guys a bit 'old' to be doing these things?" Candado asked.

"We may be old, but not useless, kid," Bruno continued. "Well, comrades, it's time for all of us to leave; after all, the meeting is over."

When everyone heard that, they got up and headed to the exit. Not without saying goodbye to Candado with a handshake and praising his grandfather. When Nelson was the last to leave, he looked at Candado and asked:

"Is everything okay, Candado? Everyone has already left."

"You go ahead; I'll stay for a while, alright? After all, I'd like to admire the house a bit," Candado said.

"Alright," Nelson affirmed.

Nelson did as he had said, left, but left the door open for Candado to leave. Meanwhile, he began to speak to the air.

"I see you haven't completely left, Slonbari," Candado said.

At that moment, the Bari of life emerged from the ground with a white vapor enveloping him.

"What gave me away?" Slonbari asked.

"Nothing, I just spoke for the sake of it. I had no idea you were here," Candado said.

"Well, it worked. What do you want from me then?" Slonbari asked.

"I want you to finish telling me the story of that planet, please," Candado said.

"Well, it seems you were intrigued to know more about my world. Alright, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Slonbari," Candado expressed his gratitude.

Then he continued.

After Keplant raised those children as his own, a small spaceship fell from the sky. People emerged from it. Keplant hid the children and approached the people who were coming out of that small ship. The people began to talk among themselves, and this helped Keplant learn their language perfectly. He approached the people, disguising himself as one of them, and this strategy led him to meet the leaders of that crowd. Their names were Cot, Orux, and Orium; these three individuals were the leaders of those people. He saw how the leaders helped their people, providing them with food, water, and protection. He understood that if they helped their own, why not help them as well. So he decided to approach the leaders, not as an infiltrator, but as himself. At first, they thought he was a threat, but when he spoke to the leaders, they stopped believing that. Keplant told them that the best place where they could stock up was under the largest tree on the planet. The leaders listened and accepted, giving him a white gem as a symbol of friendship. Keplant guided them through the forests with his violet flame, and the journey was long, but they had finally arrived at the place promised by Keplant. They were delighted with him for giving them a home in his home, and he said he felt happy to meet others besides his children. Of course, they also played with the other children of those people.

There was peace and prosperity on the planet for several years. I don't know exactly how many, but I estimate about three or four thousand years based on the data he tells. But that peace began to fade slowly. The younger brother, Orux, had realized that the tree where he was was powerful and emanated immense magic from its interior. One day he met with his brothers and proposed cutting down the tree, but they refused. They said that this tree belonged to Keplant and that it was he who gave them a place to create their city and also gave them permission to cut down the forests if they needed them, but under no circumstances could they cut down that tree. Orux felt offended, so much so that he abandoned his people to roam the planet, and that was the last time they saw him.

Things had improved. Keplant's children had grown up and become adults. However, Keplant had not changed at all; he had only let his beard grow. Moreover, he continued to create planets throughout the galaxy. In addition, he had created three more planets, whose names today are: Elerk, Coleriam, and Naturian. While Keplant was busy creating planets, his children spread their knowledge throughout the city.

One night, after a hundred years, Orux returned, but not alone. He was accompanied by an army of stone-bodied monsters, with the intention of taking the tree by force, regardless of innocent people dying in the process. Orux attacked the city, killing his own people and destroying everything in his path. It was a massacre until, at the top of the tree, Orux and his brothers fought for who would acquire the tree.

At that precise moment, Keplant had returned from his journey and saw something he had never seen before: war. Driven by his instincts to protect the people, he destroyed all the monsters with his powers and saved the citizens. But while he was doing that, at the top of the tree, Orux destroyed an important part of the tree, causing severe damage to Keplant. Already injured, he told all the citizens to evacuate, to take their belongings and leave, without criticism and without choice. They packed up all their things and moved away from the city.

Meanwhile, at the top, the brothers fought bravely against Orux. Until the latter delivered a mortal blow to the tree, causing it to release all its energy brutally and rapidly. Orux, who was very close to the tree, was expelled by this energy into the sky and ended up dying from the fall. The two brothers, pained by this loss, knew that the tree would kill all their people if they didn't do something. So they used what little magic they had left to compress the great power, which they succeeded in doing. Keplant saw how the brothers held hands, looking at him, thanking him for saving their people. Just at that moment, they were absorbed by the energy, causing a huge explosion that destroyed the entire city and killed them. The tree had disappeared, and as a consequence of this, it had harmed Keplant and his children. But not everything was pain; the tree spread its magic throughout the planet, creating and empowering all the citizens and even Keplant's children.

Keplant, raising his staff, baptized the planet with the names of the fallen, "Cotorium," in honor of Cot and Orium. Hence comes the name of that planet.

"Interesting. What happened to Keplant, the citizens, and his children?" asked Candado.

After all that happened, Keplant wrote down the entire story in a book. Later, he transferred his powers to the gem that the three brothers had given him and concealed it in the core of the planet. Shortly after, he disappeared and was never seen again. For us, he is considered a god. His children dispersed in nine directions, explained Slonbari.

Slonbari continued with the story:

Roobóleo took some of the people and decided to travel north, creating a city now known as ""The Roobóleo Language.""

Hammya took some people to the planet Coleriam with the intention that they could live in peace and free from wars.

Lícata took a large part of the population westward, establishing themselves and creating three nations: The Acretios, The Zarrtes, and The Ayokiz.

Sedbil and Pander traveled together, taking a group of people with them, establishing a border and creating two nations: "The tribe Sedbil" and "The tribe Panders."

Arús led his people to live underwater, creating "The Lodge of the Three Moons."

Venezi took her people to the mountains, creating "The Tech" and "The Telf."

Sagarina decided to stay and rebuild the city, creating "The Sacred City" which is now "The New Zodian Land"

Benst took the remaining people to the planet's plains, establishing a great school named "Benst" after its great commander and right hand, Mit'rell.

Slonbari had finished his tale about Keplant's children and the history of Cotorium.

—Thank you for the report.

—This is the story I shared with everyone at the time, and now I share it with you.

—Why?

Slonbari smiled.

—Why not? I'm sure it will be of use to you.

—...

Slonbari smiled and vanished without saying more. When he finished telling the story of the planet Cotorium, the sunset had already settled, and Candado began to run out of the mansion. Upon reaching the house's exit, he saw Nelson leaning on his car, signaling him to approach. Candado smiled and went over, getting ready to return home.

When Candado entered, he found his grandmother, Hipólito, and Clementina, all waiting for him at the door. They reproached him for his unannounced absence, and Candado apologized for the scare he had given them.

Finally, he headed to the kitchen, where he found his parents, his mother Europa, and his father Arturo, along with Hammya, who was sitting in front of them. His parents wanted to talk to him.

Europa and Arturo expressed their concern about Hammya's decision to stay in the city and asked Candado to explain why all of this had happened in a single day. They were eager to get answers.

—Oh, no.

He sighed with disappointment.

Candado's mother, Europa Barret, is a beautiful woman with long, black hair with violet tones at the tips. Her skin is white, and she has clear and intimidating eyes. She wears a long, white smock with a salmon-colored bow, black pants, and stiletto heels. In the past, she had the same powers as her son.

"Take a seat, son; we need to talk," Mr. Barret said in a serious tone.

Candado's father is named Arturo. Unlike his wife, he has blonde hair with some graying on the sideburns, dark eyes, and medium-toned skin. He has a scar on his forehead in the shape of a vertical 'I'. He wears a short-sleeved light blue shirt, gray jeans, and doesn't possess any powers, but he is skilled in punches and kicks.

Candado sat next to Hammya as his parents asked him about the situation.

"Well, I'd like to know, how is it possible that all this happened in one day?" Mrs. Barret asked.

"I don't understand; what happened in one day?" Candado asked.

"Your mother refers to her; both of us are wondering, 'why is she going to stay here?' I'd like you to answer us," Mr. Barret said.

"Well, you see, I made a promise to a friend of mine and yours, Ricardo, or better known as 'el Rueda,' some time ago. I just didn't think he'd take it seriously," Candado explained.

"Ricardo? And what does he have to do with all this?" Mr. Barret asked.

"She's his daughter; I couldn't refuse. You know what 'el Rueda' did for our family," Candado said.

Candado's father looked at Hammya and, with his hands on the table, said, "I see you're a fan of the color green, but I'd like to talk to your dad, dear," Mr. Barret said in a gentle tone.

"No, I'm sorry, you won't be able to," Hammya said, still looking down.

"Why?" Mrs. Barret asked.

"'El Rueda' died; he had advanced cancer," Candado answered for Hammya.

"Cancer? He was supposed to have cured himself a long time ago," Mr. Barret said, surprised.

"Well, I read in his letter that..."

"Letter? Show me, please," Mr. Barret said.

Candado took the crumpled letter from his pocket and handed it to his father. He took it and read it. After a few seconds of silence, Candado's father put the letter on the table and began to feel saddened after a few moments.

"It's his handwriting; yes, it's his handwriting," Mr. Barret said, tears in his eyes.

His wife held his hands to soothe his pain. Candado, on the other hand, just looked at his parents, while Hammya continued staring at the floor, now beginning to cry.

Meanwhile, Hipólito and Clementina were spying from the kitchen.

"Looks like they're watching Titanic," said Hipólito.

"Shut up, insensitive old man," said Clementina.

After Candado's father calmed down, he stood up, walked over to Hammya, and when he was close to her, he bent down, stroked the girl's head, and said:

"You can stay for as long as you want."

"Well, that takes a huge weight off my shoulders," Candado said.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Barret asked.

"Oh, nothing interesting; just talking to myself," Candado replied.

After Candado's father calmed down, he stood up and walked toward Hammya. When he was close to her, he bent down, stroked the girl's head, and said:

"You can stay for as long as you want."

Hammya looked up, surprised, and then nodded shyly.

"Well, that takes a huge weight off my shoulders," Candado said.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Barret asked.

"Oh, nothing interesting; just talking to myself," Candado replied.