Time passed slowly, and I could feel how those two entities were watching me.
One was my future boss.The other… my guardian.Or at least, that's what I assumed.
How the hell could a man come out of a keychain?What the hell was happening to my life?
The sound of the clock echoed through the room, marking every second as they waited for my answer.
"One question…" I said nervously, lifting my gaze toward him. "Will this put my life in danger?"
My heart was pounding. I didn't know if it was fear… or something else.
"You shouldn't be in my domain," replied the black-haired man, "and having this wildcat protecting you makes everything far more complicated."
He pointed toward the black jaguar that remained inside the room.
"Izel, let's go home," the jaguar growled, stepping toward the exit.
"You…" I fell silent, uncomfortable. "How do you know where I live?"
"I…" He lowered his head. "I can't tell you yet. Believe me, I can't. But soon—when we return with your grandmother—everything will become clear."
I raised my hand to stop him.
I knew this had something to do with my grandmother, but I couldn't let myself be influenced by someone I barely knew. I wasn't even one hundred percent sure he wasn't lying about knowing her.
"If you say you truly know me," I said firmly, "then you must know that I need this job."
"I know, but—"
I raised my hand again to stop him.
"I don't know who you are or whether you want what's best for me. I appreciate your concern, but my grandparents are sick, and I need this money.So decide: either you stay with me and help me… or you step aside."
The leopard growled, but finally nodded. He approached slowly and transformed back into a human.
"Then let's change some of the contract terms," he said, grabbing the paper."First: the agreement will last a maximum of two years.Second: you will have constant protection while you are in this space.Third: if at any point you don't feel ready or the situation overwhelms you, you will have the right to cancel."
"And why would I accept that?" asked the man in the suit, crossing his arms.
I interrupted by raising my hand.
"You need me, and I need you. If I leave, I doubt you'll find another person like me. I don't know what you see in me, but think carefully before rejecting my conditions."
The man adjusted his shirt and smiled, though his gaze remained firm.
"Very well," he replied. "Three years. You'll have four opportunities to withdraw from the program and complete security within this space. As long as you're nearby, you won't have any problems."
I looked him in the eyes. I saw no clear reaction, but I felt heat rush to my face as I took in such a beautiful face.I looked away, read the contract—which, curiously, already included the changes I mentioned—and signed it.
At that instant, the paper burst into green flames and vanished.
"Welcome, Izel, to the program Frequencies of the Underworld," he said, bowing elegantly."I am Mictlantecuhtli, god of the dead, of eternal rest, and king of the underworld."
For a second, his face transformed into a translucent skull, with dark eye sockets and green fire burning inside, before returning to normal.
I stood there, mouth open.
My new boss was the god of balance between life and death?Since when did a god own a radio station?
I had a thousand questions, but he spoke before I could say anything.
"Prepare yourself. We begin in one hour. You'll have your first interview, and our new segment has already been promoted. We start at midnight.I don't have time, so get ready."
"Wait! What am I going to talk about? I don't have anything prepared! I'm not even dressed!" I said, trembling, almost shouting.
"We can pause it," he replied with a calm, amused smile, "but you'd be using one of your four interventions."
I swallowed my frustration and answered:
"Then at least tell me what I'm supposed to do to prepare."
"It will be a live interview, podcast-style. Our first guest is an old friend of mine. She'll treat you well. You might know her… her name is Nyx.They'll help you with makeup in half an hour. Get ready."
He left the office without another word, leaving us alone.
"Bastard… he only does whatever he wants," muttered the guy beside me, irritated.
"And you are…?" I asked.
He didn't answer. He walked to the chair where Mictlantecuhtli had been sitting and dropped into it, placing his feet on the desk.
"I'm a protective nahual," he said, leaning back. "I was sent by your grandmother to watch over you and protect you… though someone ignored that and didn't let me do my job."
I had heard of nahuales before: people with the spiritual ability to transform into animals or share their vital essence with one. It was said they walked between worlds and dimensions; some revered them as protectors, others feared them as monsters.
"My grandmother hired you?" I asked, not moving.
He seemed annoyed. He stood and approached me. He was almost two heads taller than me. Unlike the god, his body was muscular, defined, with a wild strength in every movement.
Before I could react, he picked me up.
"Hey! Put me down!" I protested.
He sat me on the desk and positioned himself in front of me.
"I can't explain everything right now," he said while sharpening his nails with a box cutter. "When we return to your grandmother, I'll give you more details.You and I have a contract, and my job is to keep you safe and healthy."
Despite my nerves, I didn't feel resistance toward him. He was completely different from the god. Where one imposed presence, the other radiated a strangely familiar feeling, as if he had always been there.
"Can I know your name?" I asked.
"My name is Iztli, of the winged feline race," he replied, showing a pair of tattoos on his back. "Guardian of the night, hunter of shadows, specialist in rituals and lunar power."
"Like… a magical girl?" I asked curiously, imagining him in magical-girl outfits from old cartoons.
That made me laugh softly.
He looked annoyed, but then smiled, pulling me toward him and seating me on his leg, leaning me against his chest.
"Tell me… does this look like a magical girl's body?"
His abdomen was hard as stone. Feeling it through his clothes made me stiffen, completely red, as if all the blood had rushed to my head.
Silence stretched… until the door burst open.
Three women entered with beauty tools and clothing.One covered her eyes.Another smiled in amusement.The third walked slowly, evaluating me.
"Wait, don't leave," I said, stepping down from the desk. "You're going to get me ready, right?"
They nodded and guided me to a chair.
While they worked, Iztli transformed back into a jaguar, leaped toward me, and before touching me, turned once again into the carved keychain. I took it carefully and gently stroked the wood.
When I finished and looked in the mirror… I barely recognized myself.
I looked beautiful.
They guided me to the recording studio. Along the way, I noticed something strange: they seemed… transparent?I wanted to ask, but we had already arrived.
The room was filled with sound equipment, floating runes, and a luminous sphere. Mictlantecuhtli was directing everything.
On the other side of the table sat an elegant figure.
And I took my seat across from them.
The red light turned on, signaling the start of the broadcast.
For a second, no one spoke.
The silence was so heavy I felt my shoulders tense.
Then, the background voice filled the space.
"Welcome to the new segment of Frequencies of the Underworld," announced a deep, seductive voice."Tonight we present Voices That Should Never Have Been Heard."
Comments began to explode across the screen in front of me.
"Our new host will be Izel," the voice continued, "and tonight's guest is someone… special.Nyx. Primordial god of the night."
I looked up.
Across the table sat a man.
Tall, of average build, skin as pale as the moon, with long dark hair falling to his waist. He wore an elegant gray suit with a silver shirt open at the collar. His eyes were black as the void between stars, and when he looked at me, a chill ran down my spine.
He didn't smile.He didn't need to.
"Thank you very much for inviting me, dear friend," Nyx said in a deep voice."Although I didn't expect a small human crumb to be the one welcoming me tonight."
He leaned slightly toward me.
Too close.
"Hello… I'm Izel," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's a pleasure to have you here."
Nyx inhaled slowly, as if smelling me.
"You smell… delicious," he whispered.
Before I could react, I felt the pressure in the room change.
"Nyx," Mictlantecuhtli intervened firmly. "Don't play with what is mine."
Behind Nyx, a presence materialized.
Iztli.
In human form, with an obsidian knife gently pressed against the guest's neck.
"Behave," he growled.
Nyx raised both hands, amused.
"Easy, easy… I was just being polite."
The comments on the tablet were on fire.
Was that real?What a brutal performanceThat guy is scary but insanely hotI LOVE THIS VIBE
I swallowed.
It was now or never.
"Nyx," I said. "According to Greek mythology, you were represented as a goddess.Have you always been… like this?"
A slow smile formed on his face.
"Ah… that question."
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs elegantly.
"I am not a man," he said."Nor a woman."
He extended a hand… and darkness began to move.
It wasn't an explosion.It was as if the night melted.
His body dissolved into a black liquid that floated in the air, enveloping everything. I felt cold crawl across my skin, and the studio dimmed for just a couple of seconds.
Then, the figure took shape again.
Now, in front of me, stood a woman.
Tall.Imposing.With skin white as nocturnal marble.
Her body was voluptuous, perfectly proportioned, with a narrow waist and generous bust. She wore a black evening dress with her shoulders and chest exposed, dark leather boots up to her knees, and a purple diadem adorned with strange stones that looked like dead stars.
When she opened her eyes, the chat exploded.
NO WAYTHAT'S NOT CGII FAINTEDHE WAS A MAN A SECOND AGOI'M SCREAMING
Nyx smiled with full lips.
"I am the night," she said in a soft, deep voice."The primordial fear. Eternal rest. The desire that is born when the light goes out."
She leaned toward me, now with a different closeness… more dangerous.
"Gods are a concept, little one.I can be whatever I want… whenever I want."
I took a deep breath.
"So… could you turn into anything?" I asked."An animal? A shadow? An insect?"
Nyx laughed, low and enveloping.
"I could," she admitted."But tell me—why would I?"
She opened her arms.
"I am in the deepest caves, in dark alleyways, in the shadow behind your wardrobe when you turn off the light.These forms… were born because of you."
"Because of us?" I asked.
"Humans needed to understand us," she continued."They couldn't comprehend absolute darkness, so they gave us faces, bodies, names.Forms similar to theirs… so they wouldn't go mad."
The studio remained silent.
"So…" I said carefully,"If humans stop believing… what happens to you?"
Nyx stared at me.
Her smile vanished.
"We don't die," she replied."But we can disappear."
A chill ran through the room.
"And there is nothing more terrifying," she added,"than being forgotten."
The broadcast was still live.
And in that moment,I knew there was no turning back.