The first thing Mateo felt when he woke up was a splitting headache. It wasn’t unusual—he’d had a few too many drinks at the fiesta the night before. But when he opened his eyes, the morning sunlight streaming through his bedroom window felt sharper, as if it had been filtered through a lens of clarity. The world seemed different, crisper, like everything around him had been polished overnight.
Then came the voice.
"Juan Carlos didn’t forget your money; he lied about needing it in the first place."
Mateo froze, staring at his reflection in the cracked mirror by the bedside. He hadn’t said anything. The thought hadn’t come from him—or had it?
"Who—what—?" he muttered, his voice trembling.
The voice didn’t answer, but the words lingered, a whisper that seemed to originate somewhere deep within him, resonating in his chest. Mateo shook his head, trying to shake it off.
Later that morning, he wandered into the market square of La Paz, the hum of vendors and the buzz of the crowd swirling around him. As he greeted familiar faces, the whispers began again.
"The meat is two days old."
"Her husband is still alive in Cochabamba."
"He’s not really blind."
Mateo’s heart raced as he realized the whispers weren’t random. They were truths—ugly, hidden truths. He could hear them, see them, like threads woven into the fabric of every person he passed.
The worst came when he met Alejandro.
Alejandro had been Mateo’s best friend for over 20 years, practically a brother. They’d grown up together, shared secrets, and been through more scrapes than Mateo cared to count. Alejandro was leaning against a lamppost, his easy grin stretching wide as Mateo approached.
"Mateo! You look terrible," Alejandro teased.
Mateo opened his mouth to respond, but the voice beat him to it.
"His name isn’t Alejandro. He’s been lying to you since the day you met."
Mateo’s breath hitched. "What?"
Alejandro frowned. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Mateo stared at his friend, his mind reeling. His name isn’t Alejandro? What else has he lied about?
"You don’t have a sister in Santa Cruz," Mateo blurted out before he could stop himself.
Alejandro’s face turned to stone. "What are you talking about?"
"You lied," Mateo said, his voice rising. "About everything, didn’t you?"
Alejandro’s silence was answer enough. His eyes darted around the square, as if searching for an escape route. Then, he grabbed Mateo’s arm and yanked him into a nearby alley.
"Keep your voice down," Alejandro hissed.
"Why should I?" Mateo shot back. "You’ve been lying to me for twenty years! Who even are you?"
Alejandro—or whoever he was—sighed, rubbing his temples. "It’s complicated."
"Start uncomplicating it!"
For a moment, Alejandro said nothing. Then he leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper. "My name isn’t Alejandro. It’s Emilio."
Mateo felt like the ground had shifted beneath him. "Why would you lie about something like that?"
"Because I had to," Emilio said. "Because if I hadn’t, you’d be dead."
Emilio’s confession unraveled a story more bizarre than Mateo could have imagined. Emilio wasn’t from La Paz. He wasn’t even from Bolivia. He was a former operative for an international organization called La Sombra, tasked with dismantling powerful criminal networks across South America.
Two decades ago, he had infiltrated a cartel in La Paz that had ties to Mateo’s family. Mateo’s father, a local shopkeeper, had unknowingly stumbled into the cartel’s operations. When the cartel marked Mateo’s family for elimination, Emilio stepped in, posing as a friend to protect them from the shadows.
"But the cartel fell apart years ago," Mateo said, his voice shaking. "Why are you still here?"
Emilio hesitated. "Because someone survived. Someone who knows who you are. And now, they know who I am."
Mateo’s newfound ability made him more aware than ever of the danger around him. As Emilio spoke, he realized the man wasn’t lying—not about the cartel, not about the threats. But it didn’t make the betrayal hurt any less.
"You should have told me," Mateo said quietly.
"You wouldn’t have believed me," Emilio replied. "And even if you had, it would have made you a target."
Before Mateo could respond, a sharp whistle echoed through the alley. Emilio’s eyes darkened. "We have to go. Now."
The chase began before Mateo even understood what was happening. Emilio pulled him through winding alleys and hidden passageways, their breath clouding in the cold mountain air.
"Who’s after us?" Mateo shouted.
"Someone who wants you dead!" Emilio shot back.
The answer came in the form of a gunshot that shattered the quiet hum of the market. Mateo ducked instinctively, his heart pounding.
They burst into a dilapidated building on the edge of the city, slamming the door behind them. Emilio pulled out a small device that looked like a radio and began frantically tuning it.
"What is that?" Mateo asked.
"A locator. If we’re lucky, it’ll call in reinforcements."
"And if we’re not?"
Emilio didn’t answer.
The voice in Mateo’s head whispered again.
"Your friend has been lying about this too."
Mateo grabbed Emilio’s arm. "What are you hiding now?"
Emilio’s eyes darted away. "I didn’t call for reinforcements. I called someone who owes me a favor."
"Who?"
Before Emilio could respond, the door burst open, and a woman stepped inside. She was tall, with sharp features and eyes like steel. She carried herself with the confidence of someone who had seen death and laughed in its face.
"Emilio," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "You’re as reckless as ever."
"Good to see you too, Valeria," Emilio replied.
Valeria was a former member of La Sombra, now operating as a mercenary. She agreed to help them—for a price.
"You’re lucky I don’t shoot you both and take the bounty," she said, smirking.
Mateo’s stomach churned. "Bounty?"
Emilio nodded grimly. "The cartel isn’t just after us for revenge. They’ve put a price on your head, Mateo. They think you know something valuable."
"But I don’t!"
Valeria raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not. But with that ability of yours, you’re worth a fortune to the right buyer."
The group set off into the wilderness, heading toward a safe house in the mountains. Along the way, Mateo’s ability began to evolve. He didn’t just hear lies—he could sense them, feel their weight in the air.
When Valeria claimed she was only in it for the money, Mateo felt a flicker of something else: loyalty. When Emilio said he would protect Mateo at all costs, the truth rang clear, but so did the guilt behind his words.
"You’re not telling me everything," Mateo said to Emilio as they climbed a rocky trail.
Emilio sighed. "There’s one more thing. The cartel isn’t just after you because of your family. They’re after you because of what you are."
"What I am?"
"You think your ability came out of nowhere?" Emilio said. "It’s part of a legacy—something your ancestors were part of. The cartel has been hunting people like you for years."
As they reached the safe house, Mateo’s mind swirled with questions. Who were his ancestors? Why had his ability manifested now? And what was the cartel’s ultimate goal?
The answers came in the form of a final confrontation. The cartel had tracked them to the safe house, surrounding it with armed men.
"We can’t fight them all," Valeria said, loading her gun.
"No," Mateo said, stepping forward. "But I can."
For the first time, Mateo embraced his ability. He walked out of the safe house, unarmed, and faced the cartel leader—a man with cold eyes and a cruel smile.
"You think you can scare me?" the leader sneered.
"No," Mateo replied calmly. "But I can end this."
With a wave of his hand, the lies surrounding the cartel unraveled. Secrets spilled into the open—betrayals within their ranks, hidden fears, even the leader’s own doubts. The men began turning on each other, their fragile alliances crumbling under the weight of the truth.
By the time the sun set, the cartel was no more.
Emilio and Valeria stood in awe as Mateo returned to the safe house.
"You’ve barely scratched the surface of your power," Emilio said.
Mateo nodded. "I want to learn more. But first, I need to rebuild my life—and figure out who I really am."
Valeria smirked. "Well, Truthkeeper, you know where to find me if you need help."
For the first time in weeks, Mateo felt a sense of clarity, not just about the world around him, but about himself.
The truth had set him free.
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