"Yes. There is a man I've heard of who lives alone much further north." Mateo was told again once he had reached yet another desolate village. Mateo had been traveling for nearly a month now and it had been the same every time he came across somewhere new. No one actually knew anyone named Ataguchu but had heard stories of a man. Each would send Mateo further north and he wondered just how much further north he could actually go. As it was now, the territory he was in was unclaimed by any of the surrounding kingdoms. It was made up of sparsely placed villages that had no rules or government and very outdated living. Most were skeptical of Mateo as he was a stranger to them but they were mostly kind enough to point him in the direction that he sought. A few offered him food and hospitality but for the most part, Mateo was left to himself to set up camp or find food. The journey was grueling on Mateo, who was not used to such hardship, but it was his mother's dying wish for him to find out about his past. He felt he had no other choice but to continue. So when he was told to keep going further north, he did it.

When he finally reached a small cottage, miles from any civilization, he prayed it was where his journey would end. He wasn't sure he could go on and knew that he'd never be able to make it back if he kept going much further. Not with the resources he had remaining. He knocked on the door. There was no answer. He reached for the knob and cautiously opened the door, pulling out his tamborita for protection as he stepped inside.

"Mateo De Alva. I've been waiting a long time for you" said a very elderly man sitting at a desk, his back to Mateo.

"Wait... you know who I am? How..." Mateo started, very confused. The man hadn't even looked at him. "Are you..."

"Ataguchu" The man said, facing the royal wizard at last. He was short and thin in stature, very old and frail looking but his body language showed that he hadn't lost his vigor just yet. Mateo let out a huge sigh of relief. Finding Ataguchu confirmed that his journey was not for nothing. "I knew your Grandfather Mateo. He was a great wizard. We made the right choice in choosing his family"

"I'm sorry... I don't understand. Choosing his family for what?" Mateo said.

"Do you know nothing about where you come from young man?" Ataguchu asked.

"No... not much I guess... I never actually knew my grandfather and I was raised only by my mother. She was all that I ever had" Mateo explained.

"You have a tamborita? You are a wizard too? That was supposed to be your destiny" The man told Mateo.

"Well... yeah... I am... kind of" Mateo stuttered, suddenly feeling self conscious about his magical skills at the mention of the word destiny by a man who knew exactly who he was. "I am the royal wizard of Avalor. Just like my grandfather was before me. Well I guess I was.. Avalor was just invaded by Shuriki, an evil sorceress. She completely took over. I fled the city. So I guess I'm not really a royal wizard anymore... I'm just... a wizard... but... everything I know about magic I learned from my grandfather's old books and notebooks. No one has actually taught me anything" Mateo said, scratching his head a bit embarrassed. The man looked at him with high expectations. Mateo couldn't help but feel like he would be a bit of a disappointment.

"hmm" Ataguchu said, stroking his long white beard and contemplating the situation. "Well come in boy. Sit down. Let me tell you a bit about myself and then I will tell you a bit more about who you are"

Ataguchu rose from his chair and led Mateo to a dining table where they sat down together.

"I am Maruvian. A Maruvian wizard to be exact" He announced proudly. Mateo stared at the man, again confused. He wasn't sure if he should even be believing this man. For all he knew, Ataguchu was just a crazy old man living in a deserted cottage. "You thought we were all gone didn't you?" Ataguchu asked, reading Mateo's expression. "Well you're almost right. First off, no, I am not a crazy old man" Mateo blushed at Ataguchu's ability to read his thoughts and assumptions. Ataguchu just chuckled before continuing. "and second, I am not as old as the Maruvian civilization. But let me explain what happened to the Maruvians. The Maruvians were wiped out hundreds of years ago by a dark wizard. He used his dark magic to completely destroy the civilization nearly over night. There were six wizards though that survived. Together they combined their powers and were able to defeat the dark magic and destroy the dark wizard. They could do nothing to save their people though. It had been too late. There was no way that the civilization would ever rise again. They were six males, they could never reproduce. So together they created a potion, each giving their own blood, so that the Maruvian bloodline could carry on. The potion would allow a woman to conceive and carry a child and that child would become the chosen one."

"The chosen one? Chosen for what?" Mateo inquired, growing more and more intrigued.

"Chosen to defeat the dark magic again. The Maruvian wizards were given a prophecy that there would be an evil being that would come along who would be able to use this dark magic and only a true Maruvian wizard could ever be powerful enough to defeat it. Every generation, a new Maruvian has been born. I was the last generation's and this generation's was you Mateo."

"Whoa!" Mateo said as he tried to wrap his head around this new revelation. "So... I'm Maruvian?!"

"That's right. Your grandfather, being a great wizard himself, was chosen. He gave his daughter, your mother, the potion and he was supposed to be the one to train you as a wizard. You are not just a wizard Mateo, you are a Maruvian wizard! And you've come to me just in time" Ataguchu announced. "Because the prophecy is finally coming true. You are needed Mateo. Only you will be able to destroy the dark magic once and for all"

"Me?! But... I ... I barely know what I'm doing! I mean... I've come a long way with my training but... the chosen one? Are you sure? Me?!" Mateo stuttered nervously.

"You have much to learn Mateo I'm sure." Ataguchu told him. "But if you stay here with me, I will pass on all that I have learned and... there is more"

"more?!" Mateo squealed, wondering if his head could take any more new information!

"Yes. The dark magic is building an army. Dark spirits were summoned and now they are making their way south, towards Cariza, Cordoba and Avalor. I believe that's where their leader has gone. These spirits can not be defeated by anything except Maruvian magic. Only Maruvian magic can banish them back to the spirit world. Any human they come in contact with becomes a dark spirit as well and joins in their march. There is a larger battle approaching than that of the one you saw in Avalor. If this dark magic isn't stopped, it could take over the world."

"Annnnd I'm the only one who can stop them?" Mateo asked again, needing further confirmation and reassurance.

"Yes" Ataguchu stated very matter of fact.

"O...k..." Mateo said, his head still spinning. He then reached into his satchel, "so...Can I ask you what all of this means?" He asked, pulling out the paper that had been in the box under his desk. He pointed to the glyphs that were drawn on it.

"Ahhh yes!" Ataguchu said excited. "These are the artifacts left behind by the six wizards. Each chose an item to preserve their magic in. Only the chosen one.. you!" He winked at Mateo "will be able to release the magic and use it to win the battle against the dark forces. Individually they are powerful but in order to defeat the entire army, you will need to channel the magic from all six artifacts. You will need to find them all."

"What?! Find them?! Does anyone even know where they are?!" Mateo asked, wondering if his "destiny" could possibly become any more complicated.

"Well... we know where a few are ... kind of..." Ataguchu admitted. Mateo scrunched up his face, greatly doubting his ability to learn all he needed to learn of Maruvian magic, find all the artifacts, figure out how to channel their magic and then single handedly defeat an entire army of spirits summoned to the ever realm by a dark magic.

"SO! Are you ready to start your training?!" Ataguchu asked Mateo with great enthusiasm and no real concern of the impossible task that was just set upon his young apprentice.

"Suuuure..." Was all that a skeptical Mateo could get out.