Prologue – How everything started

It was five in the morning on a damp Saturday in Holy week, on a lonely road that seemed to lead nowhere but the city of Albacete. A tired tall man, probably in his twenties; walks on the sidewalk approaching a motorcycle, almost broken to the point of no repair. He kneels to get a better look, letting his dark brown hair fall in front of his tired, moody, dark eyes. With his eyes smothered by the hair, he brushes it off with his right hand, hoping to see things differently. The thick, bright red coat he wears has its sleeves scraped, like it was in the process of getting torn apart. His clothes as a whole were a disaster: His shirt and pants were full of dirt, his boots; same story with the slight difference that one of them was missing. The man stands up, feeling both nervous and frightened.

“… This is just perfect. I promised dad there wouldn’t be a problem if I took his motorcycle for a ride and now…! Uuuuugh. You’ve done it, Carlos. This is it. This is the day your father kills you. What are you going to do now, you’ll have to pay for the repair… WITH WHAT MONEY!?” – he mutters to himself, as he lets negative thoughts consume him once again as time passes while covering his face. The wind shakes everything in its path, as if it was driving away positive thoughts from his head.-

“It’s just embarrassing, how could this happen to me? I must be the unluckiest man alive…” – He complains, as he walks straight back and forth, his anger and fear deepening by the second. Suddenly, he stops in his tracks, his face still covered as the heavy rain pours down on him. Out of the blue, Carlos uncovers his face revealing an ear to ear smile.-

“Okay! Don’t worry, Carlos. I’m sure someone or… Something! Will see me here in the middle of nowhere, ask me what happened to the motorcycle and maybe pick me up and take me home, there’s no need to- To be so… So negative, that’s right! Just… Smile more and think positive!”– Carlos loudly told himself, bringing his hands together as he tried to convince himself, frowning mere moments later.-

Carlos was stranded. With nowhere to go, or even do; it seemed all hope was lost. That was when his phone rang, miraculously intact by the impact. His eyes widened in surprise, beginning to search his pockets in a hurry for the phone as the ringtone kept alarming him. Finally, he answered.

“Is this Carlos García Ortiz?” – asked a deep monotone voice through the phone’s speaker, glitching at some points due to the lack of wifi.- “This is officer Villalobos. Your family has been looking for you since early morning.”

Carlos immediately answered the officer’s question, relieved that the police were able to contact him. “Y-Yeah, I’m Carlos García Ortiz!” – He loudly replied, almost screaming to the microphone hoping his voice would get through.- “I’m currently on one of the leading roads to Albacete! I was returning there from Alcázar de San Juan… The motorcycle is broken as well, I-!”

“Understood. Don’t hang up the call, we’ll pick you up really soon. The police will contact a car carrier to get the motorcycle as well.” – assured the officer, as the sound of a car engine was heard in the surroundings of Carlos’ end of the call. An officer just arrived to pick him up.-

Albacete, Spain (5:45 AM)

The police car arrived in front of Carlos’ home, where a big group of people was nervously awaiting news. Carlos looked through the glass of the back seat, looking at his parents. When the officer told him he could step out, he obliged. Exhausted and disappointed in himself, Carlos began raising his hand to wave at them if not for the immediate hug his parents gave him, almost making the three of them fall to the floor.

“YOU’RE STILL HERE, SON! I WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU!” – his mother screamed, getting some centimeters away from Carlos.- “We were searching for you all this time, I’m so happy you’re safe and sound, Carlos…” – she added, wiping away tears from her face.-

“Yeah, mother… I’m glad I’m here to be with you for another day.” – Added Carlos while joining the hug. He glanced at his father ready to confess what happened.- “Dad… About your motorcycle. I’m afraid a repair will be expensive to say the least. I will pay for it, though! I don’t want you to waste your money on this nonsense, just-”

“Carlos. I appreciate your offer, I really do. But… For now, we’ll focus on the fact you’re safe. Tomorrow you can try to find a job to pay for the repair. Maybe with your career, you can find a stable job. Now, let’s head home. We’ll talk about this whole ordeal tomorrow morning.” – Carlos’ father broke away from the hug letting a relieved but also saddened sigh, his mother following shortly.-

Half a minute passed until Carlos finally entered his home and immediately closed the door behind him, leaving his coat hanging on a perch near the dark hallway leading up to the living room, kitchen and stairs to the second floor. The dim light from the kitchen lead him to find his mother cutting a sandwich right in half before placing it on a porcelain plate right after. The two of them looked at each other just when she finished the task, and her; as sweet as ever, approached Carlos holding the plate with a calm and welcoming smile.

“Carlos, I figured you could be hungry after what happened.” – she said.- “If you need to, I can also get you some water. Do you need something else?”

“No, it’s okay. My stomach is already full. I don’t need anything else.” – Carlos replied, taking the plate from his mother’s hands and placing it right next to the sink, half-way full of dishes waiting to be washed.-

“Are you sure? What if you get hungry in the middle of the night?”

“I am sure, mother. Don’t worry so much about me, please. I will eat the sandwich you’ve already prepared if I get hungry, okay?“

“Okay… Have a good night then, son. I’m glad you’re still alive.”

After the talk, Carlos headed into his room lightly smiling, happy he was okay after all. The moon’s natural light, coming from the window; was the only source Carlos had to even see his bed and the top of a short bookshelf filled to the brim with Pokemon figurines. A few seconds passed until he ultimately went to sleep, the muted sound of heavy rain being heard in the background.

He felt calm, serene. Like he was resting on a fluffy and confortable cloud as he dreamt. With no worries to keep an eye on for as long as he was sleeping, dreaming about a better life for himself. Carlos felt tingling running through his body making him warmer than usual, as his body temperature was getting hotter as time passed. Maybe he caught a cold after letting the rain pour down on him? Sooner than later the temperature began making him uncomfortable, as if he was surrounded by an endless ring of fire. That dream began to distort, no longer showing Carlos’ dream life, but a whole new world unbeknownst to him. A figure rose from a giant tree, covering everything that could be seen in darkness and… Everything was black. Silent. Lonely. Carlos looked around in a panic, without the strenght to even talk. That’s how Carlos’ dream looked until someone could be heard.

“Hey…” – a muffled, energetic voice called, one which seemed to come from all places at once-. “Hey, are you alright? Come on, silly. Wake up already! It’s time to open your eyes…“

A few moments passed in silence. The voice was heard again.

“Okay! Since you don’t want to wake up, I’ll do that myself then! Don’t blame me for that, you brought this upon yourself!”

A loud trembling was beginning to occur making Carlos panic even more, standing up to run as far away from the epicenter as possible. However, with no way to control his balance on the black space he found himself in; fell almost inmediately in what could be described as a never ending fall. That was… Until he finally opened his eyes.