I wake up in my room, only in my black boxers, so I head to the bathroom, a bit tired from everything that happened yesterday, hoping that the whole day was just a nightmare.

Once I enter the bathroom, I start washing my face and look in the mirror only to be shocked by what I see. Not only do I have the necklace around my neck, meaning it wasn't a dream, but also a strand of my hair is violet.

— What the hell? Am I seeing things? Didn't I wash my face well enough? I wonder as I wash my face again, only to notice that the colored strand hasn't disappeared. What the hell is happening? Anyway... where did I put my toothbrush? Oh, here it is! I grab it from the small shelf next to the mirror.

After leaving the bathroom and getting dressed, I go to the kitchen to have breakfast with my mom and aunt.

— Good morning! I greet the two women.

— Good morning, Jhon! You came right on time! my mom says, placing her famous honey pancakes on the table. My aunt, clearly enjoying them, nods.

— Clara, can I make a few more pancakes if you don't mind? Oh, and good morning, nephew!

— How did you sleep last night? I ask my aunt.

— Well... you don't want to know. By the way, if it seems like I'm behaving differently than when we last met, it's because I act differently with enemies. I have one way of dealing with enemies and another way of being myself. Trust me, I'm much funnier than I seem, just like your father said.

— And how was my father? I ask the woman in the robe on my right.

— Well, your father was different from other demons: he didn't torture souls, didn't do bad things, didn't play gambling games, didn't indulge in excesses, didn't lie. He was like a saint among demons... my only virtue was that I never lied because I didn't want to be like your father. Oh yes, return the crystals to your friends as soon as you finish eating!

— Why the rush? I ask.

— Dear, you are elements. You are beings who derive power from these crystals. If you lose the crystals, you start getting sick, become pale, your hair and irises turn white, and in three days, you become dust.

— I realize we're dust with all the symptoms you listed.

— No, you don't understand, you turn into dust!

— Dead tired or what?

— Dead, completely! Definitively! Dust dust dust... that's what I mean! If you lose the crystals, in three days, you turn into dust, the witch tells me, totally relaxed. I read that in the book last night...

— So, if we didn't have the crystals anymore... and you took them.

— You would be dead in... how many hours has it been? She looks at her wrist even though she doesn't have a watch. Well, you would be dead in exactly seventy-two hours.

— I'll pretend I didn't hear that you were about to unintentionally kill my son! I want to stay positive in this moment! My mom responds to Xanilia.

— That means you're in denial, not positive, Xanilia responded with a calm tone.

— And what would happen if, by some absurdity, the crystals were to break? I ask again.

— Dear, those crystals are your source of vital energy and even more than that! The moment you make contact with such a crystal, it becomes your soul! If that crystal breaks, you'll turn into dust!

— In three days?

— In three seconds, she responds while eating pancakes along with a cup of coffee that appears instantly in her hand.

— Well, now I think I should leave! We'll hear from each other!

— Goodbye, dear! My mom replies.

— Good luck with the girls! Xanilia raises her coffee cup in my honor.

I go up to my room, grab my shoulder bag, get dressed, and then rush to the park where my friends and I meet every day. Luckily, every Sunday, I meet my friends in the park to discuss certain things and spend time together.

Fortunately, I arrive at our meeting place where the others were already waiting for me. It seems they came much earlier than I anticipated.

— Jhon! Lia hugs me.

— Good to see you... and you all, I want to tell you something.

— Me first! the girl with amber eyes sitting on the bench says, crossing her legs and holding her head with her hand. So since last night, my head has been killing me, I couldn't close one eye! One eye! I stayed awake all night because of how bad my head hurt, and it still hurts!

— I understand perfectly! My stomach hurt all night, and I felt weak! Emma says, did you take anything?

— I took paracetamol, ibuprofen! I took Theraflu because I thought it might be a cold or something! Nothing! Maybe it's an allergy or something, I have no idea!

— I had an immense muscle pain, Nick says.

— You always have muscle pain! If you keep pulling those weights continuously? What can I say, being a fragile girl is hard on me? Lia plays the victim.

— I know why you feel this way; you need crystals.

— Wasn't it a dream? Lyna asks. That thing was real?! I thought it was a dream.

— Same here... the others agree.

— Well, it wasn't! I say, taking out the prisms that levitate towards my friends, settling around their necks, making them feel like us.

— And why did you say we felt bad because of the crystals? You rushed and didn't explain anything! Lyna gets a bit annoyed, looking into my eyes with a hint of anger.

— Well... if you don't have the crystals, you die in three days.

— I'll remember that version, Lia says calmly.

— Excuse me? They all ask, shocked.

— I meant that we're all going to die, and the end of the world is coming! She panics suddenly, albeit belatedly.

— Jhon, can I ask you some questions? More privately? Lyna asks me curiously.

— Of course... I say, moving with her to a more secluded spot. So?

— Have you noticed that Lia is acting strange?

— I thought I was crazy, I explain to the girl with amber eyes.

— No, it's not that! She goes from one state to another, and not only that! Every moment, I feel like this girl is lying, but every moment!

— How can she lie? But Lia doesn't lie... she just exaggerates the issue.

— Exactly, but you know the part where she said to "remember that version"?

— What about it? I ask.

— That's the thing, she wasn't lying...

— Excuse me? Say that again, I don't understand...

— I said she wasn't lying, but you know what's even weirder?

— What?

— When she said that the end of the world is coming, and we'll all die, she seemed like she was lying, but she wasn't lying. I thought she was just dramatizing, as usual, but when I felt that every word she said was true
, I knew there was something about it. Or maybe I'm just being dramatic and started splitting hairs.

— Okay, let's get back! I tell her. I want to avoid this subject!

— Yes, let's get back! I don't like this subject either.