(Pov) Mateo
Mateo always woke up before the sun was even thinking about rising. Every morning on his family's coffee plantation near Manizales was the same, or at least it used to be—quiet, routine, and soaked in the earthy smell of roasted beans and fresh dew. But that morning was different. It was like something in the air was charged with secrets, like the whole world was about to flip upside down.
Mateo rubbed his eyes as he stepped outside his little adobe house. The early light painted the hills a warm gold, and the mist was still hanging low, like a secret you can almost reach out and touch. He was used to the peace, the steady rhythm of tending to coffee plants that his abuelos had planted generations ago. But today, every sound felt louder—the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves, even the distant hum of machines in the valley below. There was an energy that couldn't be ignored.
At first, he just shrugged it off as another weird weather day. After all, the mountains around Manizales were unpredictable. But then he felt it—a pulse in his chest, like his heart was syncing with the land. It was as if every bean and branch was vibrating with life. And in that moment, he knew something had changed.
As he made his way through the rows of coffee shrubs, Mateo couldn't help but feel like he was being watched by the land itself. The coffee trees seemed to nod in acknowledgment, and the air crackled like static before a storm. "Weird…," he mumbled to himself. "What's going on?"
He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the ground trembling ever so slightly. At first, it was just a tiny shiver beneath his feet. But soon, the tremors grew stronger, making him stumble against a coffee tree. "Whoa—this ain't normal!" he yelled, heart pounding as he surveyed the trembling soil.
Suddenly, the earth groaned in protest—a deep, rumbling sound that made the birds scatter and sent shivers down his spine. He watched in a mix of awe and terror as a landslide began to form further up the hill, a slow-motion cascade of dirt and rocks that threatened to sweep down on his family's fields. His mind raced: his little world, the plantation, his family… all in danger.
Without knowing exactly how or why, Mateo felt a surge of energy rush through his veins. It was like the power of the entire mountain was pooling inside him. His fingers tingled, and before he could even register what was happening, his eyes fixed on the rushing landslide. Time—yeah, time itself—slowed to a crawl.
"Everything… stops," he thought, and in that split second, Mateo discovered his weird new power: he could freeze time. The rocks mid-fall hung frozen in the air, the roar of the landslide paused like a broken record. Mateo's heart hammered in his chest as he took a shaky breath and stepped forward.
He darted to his family's small house. Inside, his mother was busy stirring a pot of arepa dough, his little sister giggling as she played with a stray cat that had wandered in, and his father was poring over a worn-out ledger. None of them noticed that the world outside had come to a sudden, surreal standstill.
"Mom! Dad!" Mateo shouted, but his voice echoed strangely in the frozen silence. In that timeless moment, he ran back outside, desperate to do something—anything—to protect them. The landslide, now an eerie wall of suspended dirt, was inching closer. Mateo's mind raced. How could he stop it permanently? What was this power even meant for?
He closed his eyes and focused, willing the frozen moment to stretch. When he opened his eyes, his hands trembled as he extended them toward the danger. It wasn't like he had a manual or a guide for this sort of thing, but something deep inside whispered that he was meant to do this. Slowly, he reached out as if he were plucking a stray coffee bean from the air, and the moment obeyed him further. The suspended rocks and soil seemed to shimmer as if caught in a spotlight, each granule a frozen testament to his newfound control over time—even if just for a few seconds.
Mateo's mind buzzed with equal parts adrenaline and disbelief. "This is insane," he thought, heart thumping so hard he could almost hear it. But it wasn't just the thrill of the power; it was the responsibility that hit him like a truck. Here he was, just a regular coffee farmer—until now—and suddenly he was in charge of saving everything he loved.
The seconds ticked by in a slow, drawn-out eternity. He could almost hear his own heartbeat in the silence, each beat a reminder that life wasn't meant to be paused. With a deep breath, Mateo decided to push his power further. He stepped forward, almost floating over the still, suspended landslide. For a moment, he wondered if he could just walk on the frozen time like it was a bridge, his feet barely touching the earth.
But then he heard a voice—soft, almost like a whisper that wasn't really there. "Don't be afraid, Mateo… use what you've been given." The words were barely audible, like a secret meant only for him, and they sent shivers down his spine. Could this be… destiny? Or maybe it was just his imagination? Either way, he knew he had to trust his instincts.
With a determined push, he focused every ounce of his will into stretching that frozen moment into just a bit more time. Slowly, the landslide began to shudder as if waking from a deep sleep. Mateo's heart pounded so loud that he was sure it would burst through his chest. And then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, time resumed. The rushing cascade of earth began to move again—but this time, Mateo had done something extraordinary. The landslide's momentum faltered, the rocks and soil now in a less violent, more controlled flow.
Mateo sprinted back to his house, grabbing his mom's hand just as the trembling earth threatened to swallow the porch whole. "Hold on!" he screamed, his voice raw with fear and urgency. His family, wide-eyed and confused, clung to him as he ushered them into a safe spot behind a sturdy, ancient coffee tree that had witnessed more storms than anyone could count.
Outside, the landslide roared and then gradually dissipated into a more manageable drift. Mateo stood there, drenched in sweat and shaking like a leaf in a storm, trying to catch his breath. The power he'd just wielded felt both exhilarating and terrifying. It was as if the energy of the land had chosen him—a simple farmer—to be its guardian.
Later, as the adrenaline ebbed and the reality of what had happened set in, Mateo found himself sitting on the steps of the house, staring blankly at the darkened hills. The danger had passed, but a new feeling had taken root in his heart—a mix of excitement, fear, and a weighty sense of responsibility. He wasn't just Mateo the coffee farmer anymore. He was something more, something that the universe had carved out of him in that bizarre moment.
That night, while the rest of his family slept soundly after the day's near disaster, Mateo couldn't sleep a wink. He lay awake on a creaky cot in the small room, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers. The quiet of the night was heavy with unanswered questions. How did he do it? Why did this power choose him? And what was that mysterious voice that had whispered in his ear?
Before he could really dive into these thoughts, a vision slithered into his mind. It was hazy at first, like a half-remembered dream. In the vision, dark clouds swirled over a jagged mountain peak. A figure emerged—a man with eyes that burned like embers and a cloak that billowed in a wind only he could feel. His face was contorted in a twisted mix of rage and sorrow, and his presence radiated an aura of ancient, raw power. The figure pointed a gnarled hand toward Mateo, as if to say, "This is only the beginning."
Mateo's heart raced as the vision faded, leaving him with more questions than answers. Who was that dark figure? The only name he'd ever heard associated with ancient curses and dark legends was El Brujo—the warlock of old, whispered about in hushed tones by the elders. But that was just a legend, right? Still, the vision was too vivid to ignore.
In the early hours of the morning, as the first hints of dawn began to chase away the shadows of the night, Mateo finally got up. The air was cool and still, and the plantation was bathed in a soft light that made every leaf and bean glisten like tiny jewels. He wandered outside, his mind replaying the events of the night. The rush of power, the frozen moment, the near-disaster of the landslide, and that creepy vision of a cursed warlock. It all felt like a scene out of a crazy dream, but it was too real to be a dream.
Mateo walked slowly along the familiar paths between the coffee rows, each step echoing with new significance. The once-comforting routine of checking the irrigation lines and trimming the coffee bushes now carried an undercurrent of destiny. The land seemed to whisper around him—every rustle of the leaves, every sigh of the wind felt like a secret language meant only for him.
He paused near a weathered stone marker where his grandfather's name was carved. "You always said the land had stories to tell," Mateo murmured, running his fingers over the rough carvings. "Guess it's time I listen." In that quiet moment, the realization hit him hard: his life was no longer just about the simple rhythms of planting and harvesting. It was about something bigger—a connection to Colombia's very soul.
Back at the house, his family was already starting the day. His mom was busy preparing breakfast, and his dad, though still a bit shaken from the morning's chaos, wore a look of determination as he stepped outside to inspect the plantation. Mateo couldn't help but glance at them with a mixture of awe and worry. They deserved a normal life, free of supernatural crises. Yet here he was, carrying a secret that felt heavier than any bundle of coffee he'd ever lifted.
As the day wore on, Mateo tried to act like everything was normal. He helped with the daily chores, talked with his younger sister about silly things, and even cracked jokes with his neighbors as they passed by the field. But inside, his mind was buzzing with possibilities and doubts. How would he explain what happened? How could he keep this power hidden from everyone while also learning to control it? The questions piled up like the mountains of coffee beans waiting to be processed.
Later that afternoon, while resting under the shade of an old coffee tree, Mateo pulled out a small notebook—the one his grandfather had given him. The pages were yellowed, filled with scribbles and sketches of the plantation and notes on the rhythms of nature. Now, he began scribbling down everything: the landslide, the strange feeling in his veins, the moment time stood still, and that vision of El Brujo. His handwriting, messy and raw, carried the urgency of someone who was trying to make sense of a reality that had just expanded in unimaginable ways.
"I'm not just a farmer anymore," he wrote, the words almost trembling on the page. "I'm a guardian… or maybe something else entirely." He paused, tapping the pen against his notebook as if waiting for an answer from the silent page. The power, he realized, was both a gift and a burden. And the night's vision wasn't just a warning—it was a call to something bigger.
As twilight approached and the plantation settled into a gentle hum of evening life, Mateo sat by the small window of his room. Outside, the sky shifted from vibrant orange to deep indigo, and the stars began to prick the darkness like tiny pins. He stared out at the vast expanse of his homeland, feeling both small and unbelievably important. There was an undeniable magic in the way the night embraced the land, and in that moment, he made a silent promise to himself: he would learn to harness this power, no matter how crazy or scary it seemed. For his family, for the land, and for every story whispered by the wind.
The next morning, as the plantation stirred back to life, Mateo's thoughts still lingered on the vision of the dark warlock and the strange new abilities pulsing within him. He didn't know what the future held or how deep this mystery would go, but he was ready to face it head-on—even if he was just a regular guy with muddy boots and calloused hands. In his heart, he knew that this was only the beginning of an adventure that would change everything.
And so, as the sun finally claimed its throne in the sky, Mateo stepped back into the day with a mix of determination and wonder. Somewhere deep inside, he was already preparing for the unknown challenges ahead challenges that would test not only his newfound powers but also his courage, his loyalty, and the very spirit of the land he called home.