Angel and Yabal were barely conscious of the discreet glances spying on them from behind the bushes. The light breeze rustled the leaves, creating a whisper almost complicit with the murmuring of their hidden friends.
Angel felt both nervous and strangely light. Eight years of a masked life seemed about to vanish, like mist dispersed by the morning light.
"First, we're going to set you free, like you were before," said Yabal, a mischievous smile on his lips. He quickly glanced toward the hiding spots. "Your friends... it looks like they're spying on us."
Behind them, a chorus of muffled voices rose, followed by an excited collective whisper: "Ahhhhhhh, he's so cute when he smiles!"
Yabal ignored the growing crowd and approached Angel. He gently took his friend's head. The wig seemed to have fused with his skull, stretched like a new skin. A slow, dry cracking sound, like old tape being peeled off, accompanied the separation.
When the fake hair was removed, Angel's natural hair instantly snapped back to its original length, shining under the sun like a stream of liquid silver. Angel's appearance returned to its former state: dazzling, perfect, almost unreal.
A breath swept through the ranks of the onlookers. Girls fainted, and even the boys seemed to struggle against a forbidden fascination with this pristine masculine beauty.
Angel ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Wow, Yabal... I can't believe I forgot that this is how I looked."
"Well, that was the whole point," Yabal replied, amused. "I only recognized you because of the voice recognition I put in that wig."
Angel smiled, but the melancholy glint in his eyes betrayed the astonishment and the vertigo of forgetfulness. "You were truly ahead of me on that one."
Yabal returned his smile, deeper, almost solemn. "Finally, we're reunited. Are you ready for the adventure that awaits us?"
"Yeah. You said we had work to do. We can start."
They bumped their fists, sealing their alliance with a silent gesture full of promise. Two young adventurers, handsome and carefree, ready to approach a domain that mere humans were not supposed to know about.
Arriving at Angel's family home, where his family members were busy with their tasks, Yabal led his friend to a quiet corner. The shadows from the curtains bathed the room in a soft, diffused light, and the air was charged with a silent tension.
"I never told you this," Yabal began, his voice low and trembling with a secret too heavy to bear. "My father is the grand owner of Saturn Enterprise." — He briefly explained the extent and rarity of the technology produced: floating phones, virtual reality headsets, space rockets... Angel listened, fascinated. — "When I left you last time, I went to the family house, where only my father and a few workers live. The reason... you'll find out later."
The narrative took a darker turn, as if Yabal were reliving forbidden corridors of the past.
"One day, while my father was away, I went into his office. A statue sat on his desk. When I touched it... a secret door opened." Yabal paused, his eyes staring into the void. "It was a staircase leading to a cold, silent basement. The air down there was heavy, almost alive."
He continued, his voice softening. "In the center, a massive room. A strange symbol was engraved in the floor, and seats were arranged in a circle. On one of them, far from the center, lay an ancient book, covered in dust and cracked by time."
Angel felt a shiver run down his neck. Curiosity mixed with fear.
"When I opened the book... I saw photos of different places. Some strangely resembled the places we visited in the other world. People wore hoods, their faces invisible, and everything seemed to date back to a very ancient time."
Yabal leaned forward, his face serious. "Then a face disturbed me. It scared me. Yours. Exactly as you look now. When you should have been much younger... It chilled me to the bone."
"I searched the old documents," he continued, his voice barely a whisper. "In a safe, above my father's desk, I found several photos of you... in a floating castle in the sky. The most disturbing one: you were sitting on a grand throne, surrounded by powerful people."
Yabal lowered his voice, solemn: "After huge research, I discovered the truth. That person... with your face... is still alive. And they currently live in the place we used to go to as children. That place... is called The END."
Angel remained silent, digesting the information. Then a nervous, light laugh erupted. "The END? Wow... that's the word my little sister loves to say! She shouts: 'EENNNDDD!'"
Yabal frowned, impatient. "Stop joking. I'm serious. Since that day, I've tried every way to go there, and nothing worked. How did you do it when we were kids?"
"It's the brochure I picked up. When I rub it, it creates a portal. But since I started wearing the wig... I never went back."
Yabal nodded. "We'll go, Angel. I have to show you something. The place we used to be... The Plane of Time and Space. No inhabitant of the END can enter it. We were the only ones to do so. That's why it seemed empty."
Angel felt a shiver. The idea of a powerful, unknown double sitting on a throne terrified him. "I... I'm not sure. I have to go to school..."
"We'll go this weekend," Yabal promised. "I want to know more about you. I mean... the boy with your appearance."
"It really scares me," Angel admitted. "Fine... we'll go Friday night, at 11 PM, while everyone is sleeping. Come pick me up."
Yabal smiled. "It's a deal. How's your little sister?"
Angel relaxed slightly. "She's fine. She loves taking pictures. The funniest part is when she says 'Chiiichi' before clicking. And Rhéa?"
"I think she lives somewhere else. Her house is empty."
"Okay, let's not bother her then. When will I see you again?"
"Every day," Yabal replied, a mischievous smile on his lips. "I need to enjoy spending time with you... and charming the girls at your school at the same time."
Angel burst out laughing. "You're absolutely crazy."
SOMEWHERE ON EARTH
"Mr. Aldebaran... are you alright?" Rhéa asked.
"Yes, Miss. We must find your friends. With them, you will be safe."
The night sky stretched above them, indigo and silent. Every step, every decision brought Rhéa, Angel, and Yabal closer to the growing mystery of the END... and the danger they were destined to face together.