Cap⁸ The Myth of the Beast.
Dawn breaks, and Glegory emerges from bed, burdened with sorrow and despair. Saturday presents itself to him as an empty, directionless day. With slow steps, he heads to the kitchen, where his grandmother silently prepares breakfast for him. Glegory's soul is somber, lacking the spirit to undertake anything. Since that fateful first day of school, an immense amount of time has passed, and everything has turned out to be a disheartening disaster.
While Glegory eats in silence, a disquieting knock resonates on the door of his abode. Who could it be? His uncle Beltrán is in the woods, his aunt Aina is in the city, and his cousins are fast asleep. -"You can open it,"- murmurs Glegory's grandmother. The young man, a mixture of fear and curiosity, complies with the request.
Upon opening the door, a stranger reveals himself before Glegory. Dressed elegantly in a dark suit and tie, with an enigmatic appearance and around 29 years of age, the unknown man breaks the silence with his words: -"Good morning, I am looking for Beltrán."- Glegory's grandmother, with surprise in her voice, responds: –"Oh, what a surprise to see you here, Yacel. If you're looking for Beltrán, he's out hunting in the woods."- But Yacel, in an enigmatic tone, comments: -"It seems that Beltrán is not home today. Perhaps he'll return later."-
Glegory's heart beats confusedly, as no one had mentioned Yacel to him before. -"Hello, Yacel, I'm Glegory. Nice to meet you,"- the young man introduces himself. However, upon fixing his gaze on Glegory, Yacel takes a step back, his countenance reflecting momentary fear. However, he quickly regains composure. –"Hello, Glegory. The pleasure is mine. So, you are the beast?"- Yacel whispers, adopting an enigmatic attitude. Confused, Glegory asks, -"The beast? What does that mean?"- Yacel responds enigmatically, -"You don't know yet, don't worry. I will only tell you that the final judgment of this world is closer than ever,"- he whispers as he slowly walks away from Glegory's house.
Glegory's grandmother remains petrified upon hearing Yacel's words. Although she feels fear within herself, she decides not to reveal anything to her grandson. But Glegory, not paying much attention to Yacel's words, retreats to his room and lies down on the bed. Hours later, Beltrán returns with a deer on his shoulders. Glegory's grandmother can't contain herself and tells him, -"Your friend Yacel came to see you today, but you weren't here."- Surprised, Beltrán asks, -"Oh, really? What a shame. What did he want?"- The grandmother replies, -"He didn't mention anything about you, but he did talk about Glegory."- Restless, Beltrán interrogates, -"What did Yacel say about Glegory?"- Trembling, the grandmother answers, -"He said that Glegory was the beast and that the end of the world is closer than ever."- Stunned, Beltrán wonders, -"Does Yacel imply that Glegory will be the destroyer of the world? But why?"- Unfortunately, Yacel doesn't appear to clarify the doubts.
Glegory lies in his bed, reflecting on Yacel's words. Suddenly, he gets up and determinedly sets out in search of Beltran. Upon finding him, he poses the question that torments him: –"Uncle Beltran, what does it mean to be the beast?"- Faced with the unavoidable truth, Beltran can no longer hide it: –"Glegory, there is a legend that everyone knows. It speaks of a young man from another world destined to be the destroyer of our planet. And nothing can stop it, which is why he is called the beast."-
Perplexed, Glegory inquires, –"Why did Yacel claim that I am the beast?"- With a hushed voice, Beltran replies, -"Listen, Glegory, I have known Yacel for a few years, and from what I have noticed, Yacel possesses a unique ability. He can glimpse a person's future just by looking at their face."-
Despite the explanation, Glegory, in his naivety, doesn't pay much attention and considers it all just an absurd legend. He returns to his room, lies down, and quickly sinks into a deep sleep. Upon awakening at dawn, he abruptly realizes that he fell asleep and couldn't go to the forest the day before.
Hastily, he heads to the kitchen, grabs some apples for breakfast, and makes his way to the forest, the sanctuary where he finds solace and serenity. Upon arrival, he lies down on a rock, savoring an apple, and watches as the animals approach cautiously. He throws them an apple, and they quickly devour it. Glegory approaches, and the animals, trusting, play around him.
Glegory spends the entire day in the forest, immersed in the company of the animals. As night falls, exhausted, he returns home, lies down, and plunges into a deep sleep. The next day, he wakes up, prepares for school, repeating the same routine as always.
Two years have passed since Glegory started school. He is now eight years old, while his cousins are only six. His cousins are about to begin their first day of school, brimming with excitement and ignorant of what awaits them. Glegory hopes they will fare better in school than he did and doesn't attach much importance to it.
It is the first day of school for Eiden and Sacha, inseparable friends. Glegory keeps himself apart from them and embarks on his solitary journey to school. Upon entering, Sacha and Eiden seem to integrate smoothly, and nobody says anything to them. Glegory observes them from a distance, looking for signs that they are going through the same thing he did, but everything seems normal for them. So Glegory stops paying them much attention and continues with his day. At school, he distances himself from his cousins to protect them from the difficulties he faces daily.
Glegory believes that every day goes smoothly for his cousins and that they won't have to worry as much as he did. He continues to endure punches, insults, and mockery without giving them much importance, considering them part of the routine. What Glegory fears the most is that his cousins will suffer the same fate as him.
Five years have passed since his cousins started school, and everything seems to be going well for them, or at least that's what Glegory thinks. It's Friday, the last day of the school week, and he heads towards the school's exit. As always, he expects to encounter the five boys who bully him, but when he steps outside, he realizes that the door is empty, which is unusual because they are always there. He walks calmly until he hears laughter to his left. When he turns around, he sees those five boys beating up two other boys. He can't clearly distinguish who they are, so he continues on his way. He senses the anguished cries of the boys being mistreated, but he ignores them and moves forward. Suddenly, one of the beaten boys whispers a plea, -"Glegory, please, help us,"- gasps the boy, a victim of the attackers, barely able to catch his breath.
Glegory instantly recognizes Sacha's voice and realizes that the battered children are his cousins. He turns slowly and sees them on the brink of death, victims of those five bullies. At that moment, his mind and spirit become inert, but his body is consumed by immense rage, plunging him into a trance of fury. Shouting, –"Damn you!"– the five boys gaze at him in terror as they see him in a trance, with a sinister smile, eyes filled with anger, and a scorching breath. In that instant, Glegory snaps his fingers and immediately teleports his two cousins home, healing them at the same time.
Still in a trance, Glegory approaches the stunned aggressors, who, paralyzed by fear, cannot move. Glegory imprisons them with his three additional hands that emerge from his back, squeezing their necks until he crushes their throats one by one. Unaware of his own actions, his fury controls his body. He enters the school and kills everyone who crosses his path, murdering teachers and beheading anyone who stands in his way.
As he annihilates every being present in the school, his frenzy knows no bounds. Slowly, he extends his hand towards the ground, uttering with a cavernous voice the words, –"Disaster."– With the palm of his hand touching the ground, a colossal impact is unleashed, as if a nuclear bomb had detonated, obliterating the school completely along with everything within a ten-kilometer radius. A gigantic crater emerges, scorching and filled with fire and molten lava.
Immersed in a trance of anger, Glegory ventures into the forest. However, he directs his steps towards that place where he finds peace and serenity. As he approaches that sanctuary, his fury gradually diminishes until he reaches a profound calm. He lies down on the forest's grass and, exhausted, sinks into a restful sleep.