They blinked at each other.
The creature tilted its head, then padded forward on two legs, holding something in its tiny hands. A guava—perfectly ripe, glowing faintly as if it had been bathed in morning light.
Bianca blinked again, sure she was dreaming. "What… are you?"
The creature squeaked, then, in the smallest, clearest voice, said, "Guardian."
Bianca staggered back, bumping into a shelf. "You can talk?"
It puffed up its little chest. "Of course. I've been waiting for you."
The absurdity of the moment made her laugh, though it came out shaky. "Okay, either I didn't get enough sleep, or Lydia's coffee was too strong…"
The guardian stepped closer, holding out the guava. "For you. It will help."
She hesitated, then took it. The moment her fingers brushed the fruit's skin, warmth spread through her hand, traveling up her arm like sunlight through her veins.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
"Not me," the guardian said. "You. This land answers to you now. It has been sleeping. You woke it."
---
They ended up sitting on the cool basement floor, Bianca cross-legged, the guardian perched on a crate. He introduced himself as "Kaloy," though he admitted the name was more a sound Lolo Berto had once given him than his real one.
"Your lolo was my friend," Kaloy said. "But he was not… the chosen one. He could not awaken the full gift. Only you can."
Bianca shook her head. "I'm not… magical. I barely know how to keep a plant alive."
Kaloy grinned, revealing tiny white teeth. "That will change. Already, the land feels you. Look outside tomorrow—the trees will answer."
---
True enough, the next morning she stepped onto the balcony and nearly dropped her mug.
The orchards were different. The mango trees had sprouted small green buds overnight. The grass was greener, softer, almost humming. Even the bamboo forest seemed to bow slightly, as if in greeting.
She touched the railing, heart thudding. Could Kaloy be telling the truth?
---
Later that day, she messaged Lara.
Bianca: So… hypothetical question. If my farm suddenly started growing stuff really fast, should I be worried?
Lara: Lol depends. Are we talking fertilizer, or witchcraft?
Bianca: …not sure.
Lara: Girl. I'm coming over this weekend.
Bianca smiled. Maybe it would be nice to have someone else see this place, even if Lara would probably scream when she met Kaloy.
---
But someone else had already seen her.
From the shade of the orchard, half-hidden behind a mango tree, a tall man watched her walk the land. His eyes followed her steps—not with malice, but with an intensity that never wavered.
He had been there the day she arrived, unseen. He had been there this morning, too, when the wind shifted unnaturally and the first buds appeared.
And he knew something she didn't: if the land was waking, so were the forces that had tried to claim it before.
He would make sure they never reached her.
Even if she never knew his name.
---
End of Chapter 4