The sky was a heavy gray, the clouds hanging low as if mourning alongside the living.
Mateo stood beside his mother at the edge of the open grave, clutching the sleeve of her black coat tightly in his trembling hand.She held him close, her arm wrapped protectively around his small shoulders, shielding him from the bitter wind and the ache that threatened to break them both.
Her name was Helena Schwarz — a woman of quiet strength, with soft blonde hair tied neatly at the back of her head, and piercing blue eyes that, even in sorrow, shone with unshakable love.She was taller than most women, with the delicate yet resilient features of her German heritage.Her heart had been broken that day, yet she stood firm — not for herself, but for the boy who needed her more than ever.
Mateo barely registered the priest's words as they floated over the mourners.Ashes to ashes.Dust to dust.A life remembered, a love eternal.
When the first shovelful of earth fell onto the simple wooden coffin, a sound like thunder roared in Mateo's chest.He squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face against his mother's side as the world around them blurred into a sea of black coats and bowed heads.
Far above, unseen by the living, the heavens shimmered.
In the endless expanse of light, Alejandro González stood once more — whole, strong, and smiling.Beside him hovered a figure clad in white, an angel whose wings glowed softly, like moonlight reflected on water.
"You lived a good life, Alejandro," the angel said, his voice warm, almost human. "A heart full of love, a soul without regret. When a man like you enters the eternal fields, he is granted a wish."
Alejandro blinked, surprise flickering across his face."A wish?" he asked. His voice no longer rasped; it was clear and strong, like it once had been.
The angel nodded. "Rebirth is one path. You could be reborn into a new life. Or you may remain here, in paradise, waiting for your loved ones to join you. But your wish… it may be used for those you left behind. If your heart desires."
Alejandro didn't hesitate."My son," he said immediately. "Mateo. I want him to fulfill his dreams. I want him to have a chance to be everything he can be. That's my only wish."
The angel smiled, a radiant, knowing smile."Then so it shall be. A gift shall awaken in him — a guide, a companion, born from your love."
Alejandro closed his eyes for a moment, a wave of peace washing over him.When he opened them again, the angel was leading him down a path of flowers and golden light, toward a breathtaking garden that stretched endlessly beneath an eternal blue sky.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the last handfuls of earth fell onto the grave.
The mourners began to drift away, murmuring their condolences, but Mateo and his mother remained.They stood alone before the simple headstone, hands intertwined, saying their final silent goodbyes.
Mateo no longer cried.Instead, he pressed himself close to his mother, feeling the fierce beat of her heart, the strength she poured into him without saying a word.His gaze remained fixed on the mound of fresh earth.
"I'll make you proud, Dad," he whispered inside himself. "I'll take care of Mom. I'll chase our dream."
The wind shifted, carrying a faint warmth, as if someone unseen had brushed his hair gently.
And then — a sound.Not from the world around him, but from somewhere deep inside his mind.
[System initializing…]
Mateo blinked in confusion, instinctively glancing around.There was no one there — only the grave, his mother, and the heavy silence of the cemetery.
He frowned slightly, his heart beating faster, sensing without understanding that something was changing inside him.