Andrea had been my friend for as long as I could remember, but I’d never been to his house—until, finally, the opportunity came. His parents were out of town, and he invited me over after school. We planned to do some homework and play video games since we were still trying to be good students in middle school. Andrea went to make us some tea and grab snacks.

I’d often imagined what his room might look like, and now I was finally getting a chance to explore it. My attention was caught by a shelf full of books and various knick-knacks. Among them, I noticed an interesting little figurine. It was small, about the size of a chess piece, but instead of a pawn’s simple design, this one had a face carved where the ball would be.

Curious, I picked it up for a closer look. The figurine was smooth to the touch, made from what looked like light-colored wood. It felt warm in my hands, almost as if it had a faint pulse, though I told myself that was just my imagination. The face carved into it was oddly similar to Andrea’s, but at the same time, unsettlingly different. The longer I stared at it, the more the features seemed disturbingly unfamiliar and eerie.

While I was completely absorbed in studying this strange object, Andrea walked back into the room.

“What are you doing? Put that down immediately!” Andrea said, alarmed.

“I just wanted to take a look. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Where did you get it?” I asked, still examining the figurine with curiosity.

“Nowhere,” Andrea muttered, quickly tucking it away in his pocket.

At the time, we were just kids, and neither of us knew what was coming. I didn’t know I was destined to become a Keeper, living in a thousand different worlds.  And as for Andrea… Well, let me not get ahead of myself; I’ll tell the story in its proper order.

After that day, I never saw the figurine at Andrea’s house again, even though I visited often—at least until the event that changed everything. We had just graduated from school, and it was summer break. I hadn’t seen Andrea for a while since I was busy preparing for college, and I assumed he was doing the same.

One evening, my mom came home from work and asked me to make some tea. She said we needed to talk. I thought the conversation would be about my career choice and my plan to move to another city for college. I was ready to defend my decision, but the discussion took an unexpected turn.

“Sweetheart, you’ve grown up so fast,” my mom said with a sad smile. “There are two things I need to tell you. Please, just listen and try to understand.”

“Mom, not again!” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “I don’t want to stay in this town. All my friends are leaving, and I’ve already made up my mind. Let’s not argue about it.”

“No, that’s not what I want to talk about today. You’re turning 18 soon, and everything is going to change…” But she didn’t get to finish; I cut her off mid-sentence.

“Yeah, yeah, I know! I’ll be an adult, responsible for my actions, and blah, blah, blah.”

“And not just your own,” she added, and that made me pay attention.

“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly on edge. “Who else am I supposed to be responsible for?”

"Soon, you'll have a lot of responsibilities, and we’ll talk more about them later. You're about to become an adult—that's the first thing I wanted to tell you. And the second..." My mom hesitated. "You need to visit Andrea."

"Why? Is he okay? Did something happen?"

"He'll explain everything. Take some berries from our garden and go see him now."

I gathered some strawberries and raspberries into a small basket, put on light sandals, and headed out. My mind was racing with a hundred thoughts. Why was everything so strange? Why did my mom suddenly insist that I see Andrea?

When I arrived at his house, I knocked, and Andrea's father opened the door. As soon as I stepped inside, I could tell something was wrong. The house was eerily quiet. They led me to Andrea's room, where he lay on the bed, thin and pale. It was hard to believe that he had lost so much weight in just a couple of weeks.

“Hey,” he said quietly, barely managing a smile. “You weren’t expecting to see me like this, were you?”

I didn’t know what to say. It was shocking. Andrea had always been strong and athletic, taking good care of himself. In school, he was one of the top students, the best athlete in the sports club, and the pride of his family. And now here he was, lying in a dark room, looking like he was on the brink of death. A wave of sickness washed over me, so I quickly brought a chair to the bed and sat down.

“What happened? Why do you look like this?” I asked, bewildered.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t think I can tell it all at once. But I’ll try, and you need to listen carefully. Okay? Do you promise?”

“Andrea, you’re scaring me! Are you planning to die or something? What kind of talk is this?”

“I hope not right now, but someday it’s inevitable.”

“That’s not funny at all. How can you joke in a situation like this?”

“Forget it. Just listen to me now and don’t interrupt, even if it sounds like I’m talking nonsense, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Do you remember when we were kids, and you found that strange figurine in my room?”

“Of course, I remember. It was bizarre, and you yelled at me,” I said, pouting, momentarily forgetting the state Andrea was in.

The blankets covering Andrea shifted, and he pulled out a fist, holding something tightly. When he opened his hand, I saw that same figurine. But no, it wasn’t the same—it had changed somehow, though I couldn’t quite tell how.

“I made a deal.”

“What kind of deal? What are you even talking about?” I interrupted, unable to hold back because I had no idea what was going on.

"I asked you not to interrupt. I rented out my soul and body. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but that’s really what happened. I was just a kid and didn’t understand what I was doing. Once, my parents and I went on a trip. During the journey, I got lost and was very frightened. After a while, I encountered a strange-looking man, wrapped up in clothes from head to toe. I was scared, but with no other options, I followed him.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to interrupt Andrea and was trying my best to stay calm, but this was just unbelievable. We were always told not to talk to strangers, not to get into unknown cars, and so on. And now, look where it led. Though, on the other hand, what was he supposed to do, given that he was lost? Meanwhile, Andrea continued:

I remember very little of what happened next. I was given some kind of drink, and everything became hazy. Someone kept asking me what I wanted, and I cried, asking to see my mom and dad. But the man kept asking what else I wanted. At that moment, I had only one wish. He took a needle and pricked my finger until it bled. Just one tiny red drop appeared. I was so scared and stunned that I stopped crying for a while. The man took the drop and rubbed it between his fingers. Though I only saw his eyes, it seemed like he smiled. He gave me a pawn, you know, the kind used in chess, and said he would take me to my mom and dad. He told me that the pawn was our secret and that I shouldn’t tell anyone about him. He said that whenever I wanted something very badly, I should squeeze the pawn tightly and think about him. I didn’t even get a chance to ask his name before he disappeared, and I found myself in the middle of a busy street, with my mom and dad rushing towards me. My mom picked me up and said I should never run away again and that she had been very worried. I forgot all about the incident as I was so happy to see my parents, and only in the evening did I find the pawn in my pocket.

You might wonder why I never told anyone about this. I don’t know. I was scared. I thought no one would believe me and they’d say I made it all up or just found or stole a chess piece somewhere. When we got home, I threw the pawn into a drawer and forgot about the incident.

Years later, just a few days before you saw that pawn, I had a huge argument with my parents. They were yelling at me, and at that moment, I hated everything. Stomping angrily, I went to my room and slammed the door. Not knowing what to do with myself, I started going through old junk in the drawers out of boredom. When I came across the pawn, I didn’t immediately remember what it was or where it had come from. I thought it might have been a dream since so many years had passed, but out of curiosity, I decided to give it a try. I was also very, very angry and had something I really wanted at that moment. I squeezed the pawn, closed my eyes, and tried hard to remember what that man looked like. He seemed to be wearing light canvas shoes, wide light pants, and a long-sleeved shirt so loose that it was hard to tell if he was fat or thin. He had a semi-transparent scarf around his neck, the color of spring grass, and a hat. I had never seen a hat with such a wide brim before. His face was completely hidden by the brim. Thinking about all this, I squeezed the pawn so tightly that I accidentally pricked my palm with my nails, and a tiny drop of blood touched the pawn. I thought it was all nonsense and nothing would happen, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the man sitting on my bed, casually swinging his foot in the air. I was so startled that I let out a gasp.

“Well, there’s no need to be so scared. You did call me, after all,” the man said with a hint of mockery in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I thought that—” What did I actually think? Nothing, really. I just thought I must be losing my mind.

“And what did you think, young man?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly, feeling embarrassed.

“Hmm, well, let me help you out then. You wanted to ask me something, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes,” I said hesitantly.

“How wonderful. I love granting wishes. It seems to be my calling. So, what is it that you want to ask for?”

“I want my mom and dad to never yell at me or at each other. I want everything to always work out for me and for them to be proud of me. And I want to be loved,” I blurted out unexpectedly.

“What sweet wishes,” the stranger smiled. “They’re all quite easy to fulfill, but you know what? There’s one little detail: you’ll need to give me something in return,” he said, tapping his chin. “It’s only fair, don’t you think?”

“Well, I guess so,” I mumbled uncertainly. “But I don’t have anything.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll ask for something trivial. I just need your time.”

“My time? What does that mean?”

“Well, you see, sometimes I’ll need your help with tasks that are difficult for me to do myself. Nothing too hard. After all, helping those who are older is a good deed, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I always help my parents and the elderly neighbor.”

“See? I’m offering you a great deal. A trifle for all your wishes. So, shall we shake on it?”

“Yes, let’s.”

We shook hands. At the moment we clasped each other’s hands tightly, something sharp pricked my palm, and I pulled my hand back. There was a large drop of blood on my palm.

“Oh, what a shame. Let me have a look,” said the wrapped man, and before I could respond, he grabbed my wrist and swiftly brought my hand to his face. At that moment, his enormous hat shifted, and he opened his mouth to reveal a completely serpentine tongue that licked the blood from my palm.

I winced in pain and disgust. When I opened my eyes again, the tongue was gone, and my hand was no longer being held.

“The deal is done,” the man said with what seemed like a relief, removing his large hat. “Now, let’s get to know each other and discuss some details. My name is Yokai.”

Yokai’s face was incredibly beautiful, yet something about it made me shiver, so I started examining it closely to understand what exactly frightened me. His black, closely cropped hair sharply contrasted with his pure, marble-white skin. It seemed there was not a trace of blood in his face, except for his lips, which were slightly plump and a delicate pink. His nose was neat, small, and straight. Matching his hair, his black eyebrows arched lightly over his eyes, and that’s when I realized what was off. The eyes! They were completely inhuman. They were the color of molten gold with red flecks, and the pupils were thin and vertical. I was so startled that I opened my mouth.

“Don’t you think it’s rude to stare at someone and not respond when they introduce themselves?” Yokai remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Oh, sorry. My name is Andrea,” I stammered, trying to recover.

“Nice to meet you, Andrea. How old are you?”

“Twelve.”

“Ah, still a bit young, but that’s alright. I’m not in a hurry. From today, you can consider your wishes granted. I won’t be taking payment now, since you’re still very young and there’s no use in it yet. In a few years, we’ll meet again, and then you’ll help me. For now, you can enjoy what’s happening around you. Oh, and keep the chess piece with you, and don’t show it to anyone. I’m leaving now and won’t bother you.”

“Well, I already help my parents a lot and can do many things,” I began to protest, but Yokai was already gone as if he had melted into the air.

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I looked around the room and, seeing no one and decided to leave. In the kitchen, I saw my mom and dad drinking tea and chatting about something. As soon as they noticed me, they immediately started smiling and invited me to join them for tea, completely forgetting about our recent argument. There was no trace of the previous quarrel; my parents were very kind and affectionate towards me. From that day on, everything went so well that it felt like I was living in a fairytale. My parents doted on me, school was a breeze, and I was incredibly happy until last summer.

I remember how I searched for the perfect gift for your 17th birthday. You always wanted a book, as usual. I thought I had found the perfect one—a rare edition of fairy tales. After your birthday, I was walking down the street, enjoying the cool night air. I was so proud that my gift had pleased you. That’s when things went awry. Almost in front of my house, under a streetlamp, stood a man. Though I hadn’t seen him in many years, it was impossible not to recognize him—it was Yokai. His wide clothes fluttered gently in the breeze.

“Hello, Andrea long time no see.”

“Hi, Yokai,” I said, making a sour face, suspecting that his appearance heralded nothing good.

“Why the sour face? Aren’t you happy to see an old friend? Come on, Andrea, the time has come.”

“Wait,” I began to protest, “I need to go home; my parents are waiting.”

“Listen, boy, I gave you five years during which you received everything you wanted. Everything has a price, and that time has come. I won’t repeat myself,” he said softly and seemingly calmly, but by the end of his speech, it felt like the air around us was vibrating and becoming dense.

I had no choice but to comply.

“Take my hand and close your eyes.”

I complied. As I took Yokai’s hand, I felt how soft and smooth his skin was, like velvet covering steel. The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was Yokai extending his arm with a cane umbrella and pressing the button to open it. I heard the sound of the umbrella opening, and at that moment, it felt as if a thousand sharp needles pierced me. My breath was stolen by icy air, and it seemed like my lungs would freeze over and I would die. The sensation lasted only a moment, a single terrifying moment, after which I felt my hand being released, the needles pulling away, and the air warming up.

“You may open your eyes.”

We were standing in a dark room. At the far end, a fireplace was burning, and the crackling of logs could be heard. There were hurried footsteps somewhere, and behind us, a door opened, blinding me with a bright beam of light from the adjoining room.

“Good evening, sir,” said a man, bowing his head before Yokai.

“Good evening, Yun. This is Andrea,” Yokai said, pointing at me. “He’s new. His piece is The Pawn. You need to teach him everything and explain how things work here.”

“Yes, sir,” Yun said, not lifting his eyes, and turned towards me. “Come on, Andrea. We have a long night ahead.”

I followed my new acquaintance out of the room.

“It’s good that you didn’t resist the sir,” Yun started quickly, “as you really had no choice. Resistance will lead to nothing and may cause you harm. The sir is strict but not bloodthirsty. He’s still very young, so there aren’t many of us here, and we have to work constantly, without rest. As the sir mentioned, my name is Yun, and my piece is the Queen. You’ll see that everyone here has their own piece, indicating our rank in the house and the role we perform. I am the house manager, responsible for training the servants, assigning duties, and overseeing everything while the master is absent. You can ask me any questions, and if your rank allows you to know the answers, I will certainly provide them. Do you understand?”

“Not really,” I honestly replied. “My piece is a pawn, right?” I extended my hand with the piece towards Yun. “What are pawns supposed to do? How long do I have to work, and when can I leave?”

Yun sighed wearily.

“That’s correct, your piece is a Pawn, and I wouldn’t show it to everyone if I were you. Within this house, it will serve as a pass, but outside the estate, it might scare people because they won’t see your piece and will think you’ve lost your mind, showing a nonexistent object. Pawns perform very important tasks: they protect the house, clean it, and bring food to the master. You will now be carrying out tasks assigned to you by me or the master every night until the contract is terminated.”

“Every night?” I exclaimed in horror. “When will I sleep? And how do I terminate the contract?”

“Please, there’s no need to shout like that; you’ll disturb the Master. You will sleep when you have free time from work or when your soul is being used, but you’ll learn more about that later. As for the contract, I advise you not to break it,” Yun replied to all my questions with an indifferent expression.

“Why? Am I supposed to work for this so-called ‘Master’ for the rest of my life?” I began to get agitated.

“Unfortunately, yes. You made a deal; it’s a lifetime contract. If the contract is broken, the person dies, and their chess piece dissolves.”

I didn’t ask Yun any more questions, stunned by this fact. I never thought that by making a deal, I was wagering my life and becoming a slave to some madman. That whole evening, Yun showed me around the house, which, by the way, was enormous, and we only managed to see a small part of it. He also showed me where the food storage was, the pen for the animals, and the kitchen, which was bustling with life—people were bustling around, something was bubbling in the pots, and the air was filled with the scents of herbs.

Closer to morning, completely exhausted, I went with Yun to bring tea to the Master.

“Be quiet, don’t look the Master in the eyes, and it’s best not to stare around too much right now. The Master is playing a game, and if we’re lucky, new helpers might appear in the house.”

We entered the same room I had been in with Yokai. Two luxurious armchairs stood before the fireplace, seeming empty. Next to them were two tables—one higher, with a chessboard on it, and the other lower, with various books and a couple of glasses. The room was illuminated solely by the warm glow of the fireplace.

“Tea for you and your guest, Master,” Yun said, bowing, and indicated the low table where I was to place the tray.

“Thank you, Yun,” Yokai said. “You can send Andrea home; I won’t need him anymore today.”

“Understood, Master,” Yun replied, bowing once more, then turned and discreetly nudged me, signaling that it was time to leave.

Once outside that gloomy room, Yun continued in his emotionless voice. “I will send you home now; that’s all for today. But after sunset, your piece will bring you back here. Rest and regain your strength.”

Before I could object, I found myself lying in bed in my room. The sun was already shining brightly outside, and someone was knocking on my door.

“Sweetheart, wake up, sleepyhead; the sun is high. Breakfast is on the table, and Dad is making tea. Come down!”

It was my mom. We always have breakfast together on Saturdays, since Dad leaves for work very early on weekdays. I lifted my head off the pillow but immediately dropped it back down. It was probably just a dream—what a silly dream! I hadn’t slept well because of it. I wanted to sleep a little longer but couldn’t miss our Saturday breakfast; it was our little tradition. Gathering all my strength, I threw off the blanket and was about to put my feet on the floor when I noticed a chess piece—a pawn—next to my pillow.

Saturday passed quite normally, just like many others over the past five years. After breakfast, everyone went about their business, and I headed to my room. Once inside, I closed the door and pondered what had happened the night before. Apparently, during these thoughts, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, it was already dark outside.

After a while, I heard someone calling my name from what felt like a distance, but I couldn’t recognize the voice.

"Andrea, it's time for you to start your duties," a voice from nowhere called me several times.

I pulled out the chess piece I had hidden under my pillow that morning, and as soon as I touched it, I heard the sound of an umbrella opening again. This time, the pricks were not as painful as before, and my lungs didn’t feel as cold. I found myself in the hallway of the house I had seen the night before, and Yun was standing beside me.

"You’re late, Andrea," he said. "Please be punctual; come to the mansion as soon as the sun sets. There’s no need to attract the Master’s attention."

"I'm sorry, I didn’t know how to do that."

"It’s very simple. When you need to enter the mansion, take your piece in your hands and think about that place. When you're told that your work is complete, touching the piece will bring you back home."

The rest of the evening, Yun told me about more and more tasks around the house. It seemed there was much more work here than there were hands to do it. That night, I also witnessed Yokai’s ritual of dressing for the guests. His body was as flawless as his face—perfectly sculpted, marble white, with no tan; every muscle was as clearly defined as in sculptures of Greek gods. I couldn’t understand at that moment why such a body was hidden under shapeless robes.

After we helped Yokai put on his formal attire and left the room, Yun explained to me that those like the Master needed our help to care for their bodies. We help them bathe, dress, monitor their nutrition, and serve them in various ways, as their body is merely a shell for the spirit contained within. An incredibly beautiful shell, but practically useless.

"But be careful Andrea; don’t anger the Master. Though his body is just a vessel, the spirit within that vessel is overwhelming. He can quickly make it clear to you that resistance is futile," Yun warned me.

The following months turned into hell for me. At night, I helped Yun around the mansion, and during the day, I tried to steal any free moments to sleep. After a month, I rebelled and decided not to show up for my nightly ordeal, naively thinking nothing terrible would happen. But the unfolding events showed me why Yun was so submissive and obedient in the mansion.

Outside, a gentle summer rain began to fall. I opened the window and lay down in bed, thinking that tonight I would sleep through the night. But suddenly, strong gusts of wind came from nowhere, making it seem like the windows would fly off their hinges; the air filled with the sound of shattering glass and loud footsteps, like the hammer striking an anvil in an empty room. I jumped out of bed as if scalded and found myself face-to-face with Yokai. Today, he was dressed in a magnificent dark blue three-piece suit with a black shirt that accentuated the whiteness of his skin, and he held an elegant cane.

“Didn’t we make a deal, Andrea?” he asked. “Aren’t you still the beloved son, thriving in everything you start? So why am I not receiving my payment? Or do you naively think you can take everything you want for free?”

“Yes, I work for you every night! I’ve completely forgotten what it means to sleep normally in my own bed!” I suddenly shouted right in Yokai’s face, surprising myself.

“Oh, you think the price is too high?” Yokai said, raising his beautiful eyebrows. “Didn’t you think about the price when you signed the contract?”

“I was just a child then! I didn’t think it would turn out like this; you tricked me!”

“I tricked you?” Yokai laughed with a predatory smile. “But why didn’t you listen to your parents and go with a stranger to who knows where? Didn’t they tell you that strangers can be dangerous? Or have you never read fairy tales? You could have chosen not to make any wishes that day I first appeared in your room; you had plenty of time to think. If you hadn’t wished, there wouldn’t be any contract.”

“I read fairy tales! But fairy tales are one thing, and real life is completely different.”

“No, Andrea. In both fairy tales and real life, everything has a price, and you will learn this lesson, whether you like it or not.”

“And I won’t! Get away from me, or I’ll scream even louder, and my parents will come and call the police.”

“Go ahead and try,” the sly demon smirked, tapping his cane.

I wanted to open my mouth and call for help, but at that moment, I felt my tongue being pulled out of my mouth by an invisible hand. Blood stained my lips and flowed down my chin, dripping onto the carpet in front of my bed. I thought I wouldn’t survive the pain, but that was just the beginning. Yokai struck the soft carpet with his cane again, and I felt an invisible hammer shatter my kneecaps. I collapsed to the floor in convulsions, forgetting how to breathe, silently screaming, “Stop! Please, stop, it hurts so much!”

“What, already? We’ve only just begun to have fun. Is this really pain? Right now, I’ll truly make you feel pain,” he said, barely touching my left hand with his cane.

A flash of pain blinded me for a moment, every bone in my hand cracking with a disgusting crunch. I begged to not hear that sound and to lose consciousness, but suddenly, everything stopped. Yokai was standing slightly bent over me, his polished shoes right in front of my face.

“Remember this pain, boy,” my tormentor said quietly and calmly. “Now get up; you have a lot of work to do.”

At that moment, I thought that if I moved, all that pain would crash over me again, but nothing like that happened. All the bones in my body were in place, my tongue too. I even poked it out a little to make sure this wasn’t a trick.

From that point on, I no longer tried to shirk my duties in the mansion—it was many times preferable to endure the consequences of what Yokai had shown me for my resistance. The more I worked in the mansion, the more I understood how everything was arranged. There was a lot of work, but everyone in the mansion was friendly, and Yokai never showed even a hint that he might resort to physical punishment again. One could even say he became kinder after that fateful night.

So I learned that each Master (including our Yokai) has their own game board with a set of chess pieces. I think you've already guessed that the chess pieces are people like me, Yun, and the other mansion workers. By playing chess, the masters win and lose their servants. The more servants a Master has, the greater their power and the more magnificent the mansion becomes. Yokai was very young and didn't play chess very often. There were only 30 of us. I can’t even imagine what he could do to me for disobedience if he had more pieces. I asked Yun why there were 30 of us when each player had 16 pieces on the board. Yun noted that the Master has achieved victory in only one game so far.

"But then there should be 32 of us, not 30," I insisted.

"You know how to count, Andrea," Yun said with a friendly smile. "Yes, there should indeed be 32, but Masters can refuse servants they don't like for various reasons."

"And what happens to them? Do they become free?"

"In a way," Yun replied with a sad smile. "Their contract is broken. And I've already told you what happens when a contract is severed. Please, Andrea, you're so curious, and we still have a lot of work today."

"What happens to a Master who loses all their pieces?" I pressed on.

"That's enough questions for today," Yun said, paling.

But I didn’t have to wait long to learn what the pieces feel when their master loses control of the situation and loses. A couple of days ago, Yokai sat down for a game with his guest, and it seemed he picked an unfortunate opponent. With each piece he lost, I could see Yokai's gaze dimming and Yun growing more anxious.

“Yun, I’m scared. Please explain what’s happening and what will happen to us?” I asked.

“As I mentioned, Master Yokai is very young and doesn’t even have two full sets of pieces,” Yun began. “Though I’ve been here for a long time, we’ve never been in this situation before. The Master often ended games in a draw, and during one of those times, I spoke with the servant of the visiting guest. He told me that one of his acquaintances heard from another that if a master loses and has no full set of pieces left, their shell cracks, and the spirit inside dies, taking the remaining incomplete set of servants to places we can’t even imagine. But before dying,” Yun swallowed hard, “the master will begin to drain our life energy, and then our souls.”

A shiver ran through me. I glanced at Yokai, then at Yun, and began to think that it wasn’t so bad to just help around the mansion at night and live a good life during the day. After Yokai lost his fifth piece on the board, I noticed that the skin on his face was turning from marble white to gray. With the sixth lost piece, we all felt what it meant to share energy with the master.

Andrea lay with his eyes closed on the bed, breathing faintly. I sat beside him, unable to believe everything I had just heard. I didn’t understand how this could happen to my friend, and what scared me even more was his condition. Everything else faded into the background, and I could only think about whether that jerk Yokai would win the game or if I would lose Andrea forever. I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do; I had lost track of time and had no idea what hour it was. I glanced at Andrea again; it seemed he was completely exhausted from telling me everything and had fallen asleep. The door opened quietly, and Andrea’s tearful mother walked in.

“Hello, dear,” she greeted me. “I’m glad you came. Ever since he got sick, he’s been asking us to call you. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you right away; we thought it might be contagious. But the doctor ran all the tests and found nothing, so we were sent home. That’s why I decided it was safe to invite you here. What did he tell you? Did he mention anything about why this might have happened to his health?”

So, the parents were completely unaware of what had happened to their son.

“No, he didn’t say anything like that,” I lied, not understanding why.

“Oh, dear…” she said, beginning to cry.

I left Andrea's house with even more thoughts than when I arrived. Why did my mother speak so strangely about the situation? Did she know what had happened to him? Then why didn’t he tell his parents? With all these thoughts swirling in my mind, I reached home, where my mom was waiting for me at the door. She silently hugged me and led me to the kitchen.

“Did he tell you everything?” my mom asked.

“I think he shared everything he knew at that moment. But how do you know about Andrea’s situation?”

“I don’t know. But a long time ago, when your dad and I were very young, we met an old man who became attached to us and started telling all sorts of tall tales. He said I would have a special child, one that wouldn’t belong to me but would help others. He said this child would be a Keeper, whatever that means.”

“Mom, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Dear, you’ve been special since childhood. You could see in people and objects what others couldn’t, right?”

“But you always said it was just my imagination! Mom, what’s happening?”

“That man, the old man,” Mom sighed, “he reappeared last year and started encountering me on the street and near our house, asking to talk. At first, I was as scared as you were, but then I decided to listen to him. Sweetheart, he wants to talk to you. Don’t be afraid; it’s safe. Will you listen to him?”