CHAPTER 3
The War No One Remembers
The whisper faded, but the feeling didn't. Leo remained still, holding his breath, as if any movement might trigger whatever was inside him to speak again. His grandmother didn't look away; it was as if she were seeing two things at once—her grandson… and something else living within him.
Nando broke the silence, crossing his arms.
"Okay, I'm done. Someone's going to explain what's going on, or I'm just going to assume you've both gone insane."
His grandmother let out a soft sigh, and for the first time, her posture showed exhaustion.
"Close the door, Nando."
The tone left no room for jokes. He hesitated, but obeyed. The sound of the door shutting seemed to isolate the house from the rest of the world.
She walked slowly to the table and sat down. Her hands, usually steady, now looked heavier… as if they carried something ancient.
"What you saw…" she said, looking at Leo, "was not a simple spirit."
Leo frowned.
"Then what was it?"
She lifted her gaze.
"It was a manifestation of hatred. Of fear. Of guilt. Things people leave behind… but that never truly disappear."
Nando let out a short laugh.
"Right. So, emotionally unstable ghosts. Makes sense."
She didn't react.
"Many years ago, before you were born… before this house was even what it is… there was a war."
Leo felt something inside him react to those words.
"A war?"
She nodded slowly.
"A silent one. Between people who could see what you just saw… and things that should not exist."
She paused briefly, as if deciding how much to reveal.
"I was there."
Silence fell instantly.
Nando stopped moving.
"…You?"
Leo stared at her.
"You fought those things?"
She didn't answer right away. Her eyes drifted, as if she were looking at something that no longer existed.
"I wasn't alone," she continued. "There was someone else… someone who understood that this wasn't a curse, but a responsibility."
Her voice grew firmer.
"Fray Godofredo."
The name landed heavily in the room.
Nando blinked.
"Wait… a priest? Like, from a church?"
She nodded.
"But not like the ones you know. He protected… sealed… contained."
A chill ran down Leo's spine.
"And you?"
She looked at him directly.
"I was the one who destroyed them."
The tension thickened.
Nando raised his hands.
"Okay, yeah, did not see that coming."
She ignored him.
"We worked together. For years, we kept those things away from people. We sealed them, weakened them… made them disappear."
Leo clenched his fists slightly.
"What happened?"
His grandmother's expression changed.
Not fear.
Guilt.
"Something different appeared."
The air seemed to grow colder.
"It wasn't like the others. It wasn't just hatred or fear… it was intelligent. Patient."
Leo felt the pressure in his chest respond.
"The Nahuala…" he whispered, not knowing how he knew the name.
His grandmother closed her eyes for a moment.
"Yes."
Nando looked between them.
"Okay, now I'm officially lost."
No one answered him.
She continued.
"We tried to stop it. Together. We thought it would be like the others… that we could seal it."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"We were wrong."
Leo stepped closer.
"What happened that night?"
She took her time before answering.
"We lost."
The silence hit like a blow.
"Not completely," she added, "but enough."
Her hands tightened slightly.
"Fray Godofredo managed to seal part of its power… but it wasn't enough to destroy it. And I…"
She stopped.
Leo felt a knot form in his stomach.
"What about you?"
She looked at him.
"I lost almost all my power."
Nando exhaled slowly.
"So… that thing is still out there."
"No," she corrected firmly. "It's contained."
A pause.
"But not destroyed."
Leo felt the whisper inside him stir slightly.
"What does that have to do with me?"
She watched him in silence for a few seconds, as if deciding whether to say it.
Then she spoke.
"Because what you did tonight…" her voice lowered, "is something even I was never able to do."
Leo went still.
"Absorb it?"
She nodded.
"That's not normal."
Nando jumped in.
"Yeah, we figured that out already."
She ignored him.
"Things like that… aren't absorbed. They're destroyed or sealed. But you…"
She looked straight at Leo.
"You made it part of you."
Silence filled the room again.
Leo felt his breathing grow heavier.
"So… is that bad?"
She didn't answer immediately.
And that was worse than any answer.
"It's dangerous," she finally said.
Leo lowered his gaze.
"For me?"
She slowly shook her head.
"For everyone."
From the back, Nando let out a long sigh.
"Perfect. My brother's a spiritual bomb now. Just what we needed."
But Leo wasn't listening anymore.
Because inside him…
something moved.
Something that was no longer asleep.
And little by little…
it was starting to understand him.