The morning came too quickly.
Izel opened her eyes heavily, as if the rest hadn't been enough… as if her body had slept, but her mind hadn't. For a few seconds, she didn't move. She just stared at the ceiling in silence.
And then she remembered.
It wasn't a blow. It was worse. It was clear, ordered, precise.
The interview. Zeus. The fear returning. Mictlantecuhtli. The words. The point of no return.
She exhaled slowly.
Everything was still there.
She turned her head toward the window. The morning light filtered in softly, calmly, as if the world had no idea what had happened the night before. And that… felt strange. Too normal.
She slowly sat up. Her body was still sensitive, but it no longer trembled like before. Now it was different. More contained. More aware.
She brought a hand to her abdomen. And even though the fabric of her clothes covered her skin, she knew it was there.
The mark.
The flower.
She didn't look at it.
Not yet.
She stood up, got ready, moved around her room with a calmness that didn't feel entirely natural. As if every action were a decision. As if now… everything was.
Her phone vibrated.
Mike.
"Are you free today?"
Izel stared at it for a few seconds.
Today.
Not yesterday. Not before everything.
Today.
After everything.
"Yes."
She replied. And before she could overthink it… they had already made plans to meet.
Maybe she needed that.
To go out.
To breathe.
To remember that world still existed… even if she no longer fully belonged to it.
The afternoon arrived with a soft, almost gentle air. The kind of afternoon that felt made for walking without hurry. For forgetting, even if only for a while.
Izel saw him from a distance.
Mike.
Waiting. As if nothing had changed. As if the world was still the same as always.
And that… hurt a little.
—"You're late," he said when he saw her, with a light smile.
Izel returned the smile, small, controlled.
—"Sorry."
—"It's fine," he replied. "I just got here."
They walked together.
No tension. No pressure. None of that constant weight that had followed her these past days.
The contrast was so strong… it was almost dizzying.
They entered a café. The smell of coffee wrapped around them instantly. Voices, laughter, small everyday sounds… everything continued as usual.
Life went on.
And for a moment… Izel wanted to hold onto that.
They sat down. Mike started talking. Simple things. Work. People. Plans.
And she listened.
She really listened.
And something in her chest… softened.
—"And you?" he asked. "How have you been?"
Izel hesitated.
Because there was no answer.
Not one that belonged in that place.
—"Good…" she said at last. "It's been… an intense week."
Mike laughed.
—"The bad kind or the interesting kind?"
Izel looked at her cup.
—"The kind that changes you a little."
He didn't ask more.
And that… was a relief.
They ordered coffee. They talked. They laughed. Small moments. Small things.
And then…
Izel imagined.
A life where this was everything. Classes. Work. Normal exhaustion. Going out with someone. Maybe… with him.
No fear. No gods. No marks on her skin.
A life where her decisions didn't define her existence… only her day.
A simple life.
—"Hey," Mike said. "Do you want to go to the movies after?"
Izel looked at him.
And for a second… she wanted to say yes without thinking. Like before.
But now… everything had weight.
Even so, she smiled.
—"Yes."
They left.
The city was already beginning to light up. Lights, movement, life.
And then she felt it.
A slight warmth on her skin.
She looked down.
She didn't see it.
But she felt it.
The flower.
As if it responded. As if… it reminded her.
Izel closed her eyes for a second. She breathed.
No. Not now.
When she opened them, Mike was still talking. Normal. Human. Real.
And she nodded.
But this time… she knew.
This wasn't her world.
It was a reflection. A "what if…"
And even so… she didn't pull away.
Because even if she couldn't go back… she could still live a piece of it.
Even if it was borrowed.
She stopped for a moment.
Mike looked at her.
—"Everything okay?"
Izel looked at him.
Calmly.
With a hint of sadness.
—"Yeah…" she said. "Everything's fine."
But inside… she knew it wasn't true.
Because as she walked beside him… a part of her had already gone too far.
And even so… she didn't let go of that moment.
Because she still wanted to believe that at the end of everything… maybe there would be something left to return to.
🌑 Closing
They walked together, like any pair of people on any ordinary night.
But it wasn't ordinary.
Because one of them no longer fully belonged to that world.
And even so… she kept walking in it.
As if she could still choose. As if she could still dream.
And a few steps behind…
Iztli followed them.
In silence.
Without interrupting.
Without getting closer.
Just watching.
Because he understood something Izel still didn't want to fully accept:
That life… was no longer her destination.
But even so…
he let her live it.
Even if it was…
just for one day.