Zetch remained silent for a moment. His eyes seemed lost somewhere in a distant memory, perhaps too painful to be articulated immediately. Then, in a lower voice than usual, he whispered,
"Nick was... my best friend and Aletha's boyfriend. A deeply loyal person, always ready to help, a fair, calm, and kind guy. Not one for grand displays, but always there when you needed him."
Caden nodded respectfully, but his mind flickered to something else.
"Wait a second... Did you say he was Aletha's boyfriend? Aletha?! The Aletha with the explosive temper? Are you sure you didn't confuse him with another girl with the same name? No, because I thought I misheard!"
Zetch smiled slightly, amused by Caden's reaction.
"I assure you, you heard correctly." And yes, Aletha. Believe it or not, she wasn't always like you see her now. In truth, she wasn't angry, just passionate. Today, she's become very protective, almost fierce... but before, she was gentler, more open. This change came after what happened with Nick.
Caden looked at him, surprised, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"And what caused such a change in her?"
Zetch looked away for a moment. He closed his eyes, as if searching for an old wound he wished never to reopen. A heavy silence fell, then he took a deep breath.
"Sorry," he said finally. "It's still... difficult. But you deserve to know. Nick wasn't just a human. He had powers too... like us."
Caden's eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" You mean he was like us? With a Zodiac mark?
"Not exactly," Zetch replied, shaking his head. "He had special gifts: telepathy, telekinesis, and supernatural speed. But he didn't have any elemental powers, nor a Zodiac mark. He didn't belong to any sign, at least not according to the criteria we know. And yet, he helped us enormously."
He straightened slightly and his tone became more serious.
"The troubling thing is... some of our enemies, the ones we're facing right now, have abilities very similar to his. And the more time passes, the more I wonder if there's a connection between them."