André was lying down, but he wasn't sleeping. He was accustomed to sleeping an average of 5 hours a day; besides, there was much to be done and he was against the clock, despite not even knowing where he was. He had been lucky to be found by Felipe; perhaps if it were someone else, there wouldn't have been time to talk, or he might not even be alive.
These kinds of thoughts plagued the young man's mind when a tall, strong man opened the door, asked for permission, and entered. It was one of the guards who had helped Felipe release him hours ago. André just looked at the man as if waiting for him to explain the reason for coming to him.
"My name is Valmir," the guard began. "I've worked for Mr. Felipe for 4 years. He personally asked me to help you get accustomed to this world. There is a lot that you might not know, so you can ask me whatever you want..."
"Mr. Felipe?" André interrupted. "Did he ask you to call him that?"
"No, we all call him that because he is the boss here," Valmir replied firmly.
"And what exactly is 'here'?" asked André while staring fixedly at the ceiling.
"It's the headquarters of the World Intelligence and Security Division, one of the safest places in this world," Valmir replied, maintaining the same tone as the previous answer.
"And where are my things?" André turned and stared the guard in the eyes as if trying to see his soul. "I remember arriving here with 3 crystals, 5 books, a wooden box, and a piece of crumpled metal."
"I cannot inform you," Valmir replied, always in the same tone.
"Then it seems I'll have to find out alone," André commented, returning his gaze to the ceiling again.
"Why are you so worried about those things?" Valmir tried to use the opening to obtain some information too. "Mr. Felipe said they were just junk without much importance."
"Someone is lying," André replied. "You or him?"
"What?" Valmir was astonished.
"Felipe is capable of knowing the value of those things just by looking," André explained. "So either he said they were unimportant and lied, or he didn't say it and you lied."
"Sorry, I was the one who lied," Valmir changed his tone and lowered his head. "We weren't the ones who found you, but rather the Research and Development Division team. They sent you to us but kept everything that was in your custody."
"And where do I find these people to get my things back?" André inquired, sitting on the bed facing Valmir.
"The main Laboratory, where they must have taken your things, is about 1,500 km from here..." Valmir explained.
"So besides being very far, I bet it has impeccable security. Not even one of the others would be capable of breaching the place, am I right? There is always a place like that..."
"Exactly!" Valmir replied. "Not even one of the heroes from the other world would be capable of entering the place alone."
"Heroes from the other world?" André spoke with a mocking tone, arching an eyebrow. "You call them that?"
"Not only them, you too..." the guard replied, serious again.
André maintained a cold expression while staring at Valmir; he didn't like being called a hero. But he thought it wasn't worth arguing.
"And this place we are in?" André continued interrogating the guard. "You said it is one of the safest places in this world. What guarantees do we have?"
"It was designed and built based on Mr. Felipe's knowledge, using the best security systems from both worlds, and only he knows the entire architecture and functioning of the place. There are several levels of work, and each person works exclusively on their level, not having access to the upper and lower levels. Only the leaders of each level can interact with each other, but everything under the supervision of an internal security team that answers directly to Mr. Felipe, of which I am proud to be the leader."
"So you are second in command?" asked André, walking slowly toward Valmir.
"No..." the guard replied with a low voice. "There is someone else between Mr. Felipe and me in terms of hierarchy: his personal secretary, Lídia. She is kind of weird and clumsy, but she is very intelligent."
André remained silent for a few minutes. Valmir was still standing next to the door, maintaining his posture; it must be difficult being such an obedient guard. Meanwhile, André just paced from one side to the other inside the room.
The place wasn't that big, but at least it was bigger than a prison cell, besides being much more comfortable. Suddenly a thought crossed André's mind:
"Why doesn't this place have windows?"
"Because we are underground," Valmir replied.
"So it's a type of dungeon? An underground prison? Or what?"
André's question drew a laugh from Valmir; the guard now seemed a bit more relaxed than a few minutes ago when he entered that room.
"And why would this place be a dungeon?" the guard mocked. "Have you ever been in one by any chance?"
"Yes," André replied seriously. "More than once..."
The smile on Valmir's face vanished; only a look of anguish remained. He could see in André's eyes that everything he was saying was true. Meanwhile, the young man continued to speak:
"You said a moment ago that we are heroes from another world, but that isn't quite true. We all have blood on our hands; we even tried to kill each other a few times. We destroyed kingdoms, lives, dreams, childhoods, and our own lives in the name of a bunch of hypocrites. I've been called many things, except a hero. 5 years ago, shortly before the other 32 returned leaving me behind, Felipe called me a demon, and I bet he hasn't forgotten that, because even if he tried, his power prevents him... But I am not the only demon that was in that world."
The two remained silent for a few more moments, maybe 5 minutes, but they seemed like torturous hours. André went back to the bed and lay down, contemplating the ceiling, until Valmir couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore and asked:
"You also have powers, don't you?"
"Had..." André corrected. "I lost them upon returning."
"And what was the sensation? How did you feel using a magical power?" Valmir seemed not to fear André's dark past; his curiosity was greater.
"Did Felipe tell you something about my old power?" asked André, turning his face toward the door.
Valmir shook his head negatively.
"They said your power was a dark mist that could turn into any weapon, or envelop your body to protect it, but Mr. Felipe always said it was more than the others could see, but never explained what that meant."
André went back to contemplating the ceiling for a few more moments; it was as if he was searching for the right words.
"The name of my power is 'Grudge,'" André explained. "Or at least it was. I could mold my negative feelings, giving them a physical form that could be manipulated depending on what I felt, but I had to give up that power and my arms to be able to cross over."
Valmir looked at André's bandaged arms. He had already noticed that at no moment did he open his hands; to move his elbow joint, the young man made an expression of pain, and even his underarm movements were limited.
"Don't you miss your power?" asked Valmir.
"That wasn't a power, it was a curse!" André replied with an expression of relief. "I am happy to be rid of that torturous thing, which only attracts misfortune to me and to those around me."
Valmir thought it better to let André rest. He had been back for a short time; it hadn't even been 24 hours since he had woken up. Felipe would certainly complain if he strained the 33rd returnee's psychological state too much.
The guard then made a move toward the door. Upon touching the handle, he said:
"One last thing. Mr. Felipe asked me to let you know that seven people accepted your invitation..."
"Which ones?" André seemed curious and at the same time worried.
"Kawã, Leonardo, Elizabeth, Jonas, Eduardo, Anne, and Lucas..." replied the guard, opening the door.
"Thank you..." was André's only reply, but from his sigh, one could note that he feared the reunion with his old adventure companions.