Iván didn't even think twice. He yanked the necklace off and hurled it across the room. It hit the wall with a dull thud and slid behind his dresser.
"Nope. Not dealing with magic bullshit," he muttered, slowly getting up.
Still shaken by the strange memories flooding his mind, Iván sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. He pulled up Google and started typing whatever came to mind. "Lunulae…" That name popped into his head without warning—felt right, somehow.
His fingers flew across the keys, clicking through pages until something finally caught his eye: Lunulae—moon pendants worn by women in Ancient Rome. But one entry stood out from the rest:
Custos Lunaris.
This particular pendant was said to have been discovered in a tomb eight years ago. It was later reported stolen, but scattered references to it had been found in ancient texts from all over the world. The more he read, the stranger it got.
No one knew its exact origin. Some theories suggested it came from a forgotten dynasty—one so old it predated all known civilizations. Others believed it might be a relic from Atlantis itself.
Iván slowly closed the laptop. "Well… it seems dear old Dad stole a relic," he muttered, shaking his head. "Why am I even surprised?"
The weight of it all started to sink in. If someone caught him with the pendant, he might get arrested. The thought crossed his mind—Should I call the police?
No.
He remembered that pale look on his father's face, the fear in his eyes. And how the pendant had glowed… Maybe his dad wasn't scared of it, but of what came with it. Maybe he stole it for a good reason.
Iván sat back on his bed, crossing his legs. "So, old man… you told me to take care of it. Yeah? Well, lucky for you, I'm actually going to honor that request—especially now that I know this thing's magical."
He let out a dry laugh. "Which, honestly, still blows my mind. Magic? Really?"
That brought him to his next question. "If magic exists… then why hasn't anyone proven it?"
He sighed, got up, and moved his dresser. Reaching behind it, he grabbed the necklace.
"You know what? I'm just gonna call you Lune," he said, lifting it into the air. "You don't happen to know where my dad went, do you?"
He tilted his head, waiting… but nothing.
Iván exhaled deeply, his silver eyes narrowing.
"Of course not."
With a sigh, Iván slid open his closet door. Inside sat a small safe. He quickly spun the combination, the lock clicking open.
"Sorry, Lune," he muttered, lifting the necklace, "but if I'm caught with you—highly unlikely, but still—it's better you stay safe and sound."
He placed Lune on top of a stack of neatly arranged cash inside the safe.
"What can I say? I know how to save," he added with a smirk.
Iván shut the safe, locked it, and clapped his hands. "There. Perfect. Now… time for some sweet spaghetti."
He headed for the stairs—only to stop cold when he heard something from his room behind him.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He turned, slid back into the room, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
The safe's lock was rotating on its own, clicking through the correct numbers like something out of a Harry Potter movie.
The door creaked open, and a soft glow filled the closet.
"It's floating?!" Iván gasped.
Lune, bathed in a gentle blue light, hovered out of the safe and into the air, drifting until it stopped right in front of him.
Iván narrowed his eyes. "Fine. I get it. You want me to hold you. But don't even think about glowing like that in front of my mom or sister—or anyone, really. I'm not trying to get arrested for cosmic jewelry."
He snatched Lune out of the air and shoved it into his pocket with a sigh.
Clicking his tongue, he muttered,
"Yep. Magic is real. And that's all the proof I need."
As Iván headed downstairs, the front door swung open. His mom and sister walked in, arms full of shopping bags.
"Oh, Iván, can you grab the rest of the groceries from the car? Thanks, sweetheart," his mom said, already flopping down onto the couch with a tired sigh.
"Yep, no problem," Iván replied, slipping on his shoes.
He stepped outside to find the car parked with the trunk still open. Inside were a few bags of goodies—and then he saw them: a bright package of frosted sugar cookies peeking out from one of the bags.
"Oh yes," he grinned, rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain.
From inside the house, his sister's voice rang out, sharp and clear:
"Iván! Don't even think about touching my cookies—they're for school!"
He froze mid-reach.
"Damn," he muttered. "She knows."
With a defeated sigh, he grabbed the bags.
"No cookies for me…"
Iván closed the trunk and walked back inside with the remaining grocery bags.
"Hey, Mom, I got invited to a party tomorrow. Can I go?"
His mom, still lounging on the sofa with shopping bags at her feet, gave him a long, skeptical look.
"Are there going to be drugs at this party?"
"I don't know," Iván said with a shrug. "But you know me—I don't do drugs or drink. Honestly, I'm mostly going because… well, there'll be cute girls there."
His mom let out a dramatic sigh. "I guess it's that time…"
Iván's eyes widened. "Hey, hey—don't even finish that sentence. I don't want to hear it."
"What are you two talking about?" Sofia cut in, walking into the room with a juice box.
"Oh, nothing," their mom sniffled, dabbing at her eye with fake tears. "Just that my sweet baby boy is growing up… becoming a man… and one day he's going to leave his poor mother all alone!"
Iván groaned. "You're so dramatic."
Sofia grinned. "You are growing up. Maybe you'll finally start using deodorant."
"My bad, sis," Iván said, sniffing himself. "I was running a lot at school, trying to make the lacrosse team and all."
"Well, take a shower," she teased, wrinkling her nose. "You're not getting a girlfriend smelling like that." She grabbed a bag from his hands and started heading upstairs.
"That liar…" Iván muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Those cookies weren't for school, were they?"
His sister turned, flashing him a smug grin.
"You—!" Iván shouted and took off after her.
She screamed, laughing, as they chased each other around the house. Finally, he caught her and started tickling her.
"Stop it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, laughing. "You can have a cookie!"
"Thank you very much," Iván said, grinning as he opened the plastic container and grabbed one. Then he headed back into the living room, cookie in hand.
"So, Mom," he said, taking a bite, "what do you think? Can I go to the party?"
His mom folded her arms. "Do you know how to use protection?"
"Mom!" Iván shouted, his face turning red. "Can we not talk about this? It's too embarrassing!"
"I'm serious, Iván. I was young once too. And I'm way too young to be a grandma."
He groaned. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not stupid."
"Good," she said with a nod. "Then you're allowed to go. But no later than 10:00. I want you back by 10:20, got it?"
"Yes, Mom," he muttered.
After dinner, Iván headed upstairs. He pulled off his shirt and collapsed onto his bed, fishing Lune out of his pocket. He stared at the pendant, turning it slowly in his hand.
"What secrets are you hiding?" he whispered.
Then, uninvited, his thoughts drifted back to what his mom had said earlier—and he shuddered. That was a conversation no one ever wants to have with their parents.
Now, speaking of his mom… did she know about Dad? Well, yeah—clearly she did. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious, but for now, it was safer to assume the worst.
Whatever Lune was, it probably got his dad killed… or maybe he'd been running from something.
Iván clenched the pendant tightly. Someone out there probably wanted this. And after what he'd seen, that actually made sense.
"Don't worry, Mom," he muttered. "I'll keep quiet. Even if I'm curious… I can put two and two together."