"shhh" Ataguchu suddenly said to his apprentice, pressing a single finger to his lips. Mateo looked up from the Codex Maru that he had been studying and though he hadn't been speaking anyways, he did as he was told and didn't make a sound. He looked around the room. There was nothing around to even make any noise. Only the two of them.
"Umm... I don't hear anything" Mateo finally said, breaking the strange silence, giving his teacher an awkward side eye. In the few months that he had been with Ataguchu though, Mateo had gotten fairly used to all of his quirks. So, he said nothing else and just waited for some sort of lesson to come out of it. It wasn't rare for Ataguchu to stop what he was doing because of a whimsical feeling. He told Mateo that he could often hear the whispers of their ancestors. They were there to guide him when he was feeling lost. Mateo was a bit skeptical at the thought of speaking with dead Maruvian wizards but he humored the old man by closing his eyes and trying to shut out the sounds of the ever realm and listen for the sounds of the universe as Ataguchu had explained. "don't worry, you'll hear them when you learn to fully let go and allow yourself to become truly enlightened" he would always tell Mateo. But this time he did not follow the silence with any sort of lesson.
"I can hear them marching. I can feel them getting closer. They're coming" Ataguchu said in an ominous voice. His eyes widened as he turned and looked at Mateo. "You do not have much time young wizard. I've taught you all that I can pass on now. You have to leave. Find the artifacts. Find a way to use their magic and fight these possessed beings. You have to fight the black magic. Return them all to the spirit world"
"What?!" Mateo said, shocked and beginning to panic. He still couldn't hear anything and was confused. The man who had been his mentor since the moment he spent inside the cottage, was suddenly kicking him out. He felt like he still had so much to learn. "But where do I go first? I mean, we've barely learned anything about the artifacts! I still have no idea where they even all are never mind how to channel their magic!"
"You still have a long journey ahead Mateo" Ataguchu began quite seriously. He looked Mateo directly in eyes, needing him to understand that he was the only hope that the ever realm had. "You know what these artifacts are. You've seen half of them. The scepter of light. It belongs to your princess. It's still in Avalor. The amulet of Avalor. The young princess in Enchancia wears it. The wand. It's what brought back the dark spirits. They follow it. They are heading south towards it. Towards Avalor. She has it. That's where you will find the wand. The dagger. Made of obsidian. Most likely hidden away in a cave or temple. It was last seen before Avalor city was built but is suspected to still be there. The ruby ring. It is said that it was forged with volcano fires. Find a volcano and you may find the ring. Finally, the book. You already possess it" He smiled at Mateo as he picked up the Codex Maru and handed it over.
"What? The Codex is one of the artifacts?" Mateo said, his eyes wide with intrigue. He couldn't believe it. He knew that the book was old but he never imagined that it was actually written by Maruvian wizards. All this time he had been holding onto one of the most powerful artifacts in the world.
"Keep searching the Codex. Read between the lines if you must. You will find the answers you seek. Now, you must go." Ataguchu said, looking upon Mateo with pride. Mateo had come so far in the short amount of time he had trained. He was a naturally gifted wizard and the formal training and newly acquired wisdom not only made Mateo more powerful but it did wonders for his confidence which was one of the few things that ever held him back.
"Can't you come with me?" Mateo asked, packing up the Codex and a few other belongings. He was not yet ready to say goodbye.
"I am too old to make the journey" Ataguchu responded with little regret. He had lived a long life. He was happy to pass on the title of 'chosen one' to Mateo.
"How much time do I have before they reach Cariza? Avalor?" Mateo asked, his head a whirlwind of thoughts.
"You have time. If it takes you one month to travel to Avalor, it will take them four." Ataguchu told him in a calming voice, "Be warned though. They march slowly but they attack with speed. If anyone crosses their path they will not hesitate to take that being under their dark magic. It only takes a single touch to the heart."
" What about you?!" Mateo worried. "If they're coming now, won't they take you?"
"There is no need to worry about me." Ataguchu told Mateo assuredly "my time has come. I have fulfilled my fate. I will fight them to the best of my abilities but I will not let them take me"
"I can't leave you here!" Mateo finally shouted in protest.
"Mateo! Listen to me!" Ataguchu was strong and authoritative in his tone. "You can not defeat the entire army without all the artifacts. You do not yet possess the full strength of the Maruvian wizards! You are the only hope. The ONLY one who can stop this! You must go NOW!"
With that Mateo suddenly heard it. A rumble off in the distance. He peered out the window towards the North and that's when he saw them. Thousands of them, still a couple of miles away at least. They were marching towards Ataguchu's cottage. The sight of them was terrifying. Mateo took a deep breath trying to calm his growing nerves. He turned to look at his mentor, his friend, the only man left who shared his blood. The two Maruvian wizards took a moment, letting their eyes meet and through that stare they both knew that the torch had officially been passed on. Mateo, accepting his new responsibility, gave Ataguchu a confident nod. He could do it, he had to do it. It was the lone reason he had been conceived.
"I suggest you head east, towards the water. Move south along the shore until you find someone willing to offer you a ship to Enchancia. That's where I would start." Ataguchu advised.
"OK" Mateo said, throwing his satchel over his shoulder. He then headed to the door, stopping and turning towards Ataguchu one last time before he turned the handle. "Good luck!"
"No no... Good luck to you... chosen one!" Ataguchu laughed. Then he became serious again, "promise me something Mateo..." He started.
"Anything!" Mateo responded eagerly.
"Promise me, when you find out what I have done... Promise me you will consider forgiveness. I didn't know. She was Maruvian.. But I didn't know then that she was not the chosen one" Ataguchu told Mateo apologetically.
Mateo wasn't sure what to make of the confession. He had grown used to cryptic messages and puzzles and such throughout his teachings though so he simply nodded in response. "I will. Of course I will." Mateo answered with the abundance of kindness that he always held in his heart.
"We made the right choice. You are good Mateo. Free from evil of any kind. Your soul is the purest I've ever seen. You will be able to control the power you have been given. I believe in you... And I can feel it... your ancestors believe in you too. Thank you Mateo, for saving the world"
"But I .." Mateo started.
"You will Mateo. You will" Ataguchu said with the sincerest of smiles. "Now Go! Quickly!"
With that last command, Mateo painted a look of determination across his face. He opened the door and began to run. As quickly East as his legs would take him.
He finally reached a small hill a bit more than a mile away. It overlooked the valley where Ataguchu's cottage sat. Mateo stopped at its peak to catch his breath. He hunched over, resting his hands upon his knees. He watched as the dark army came closer to approaching the cottage. He then reached into his satchel and pulled out a small telescope. He raised it to one eye and watched as Ataguchu exited his home for the last time. Ataguchu walked towards and faced the army. As they spotted him, they began to charge just as Ataguchu said they would. Ataguchu pounded on his tamborita and a flash of magic shot out and pushed the front line back. It wasn't enough though. He then cast another spell, this one clearly different. Every member within 50 feet of Ataguchu Rose from the ground, shriveled up and then disappeared within a cloud of smoke. He did it! Mateo thought, knowing that those dark magic beings had been sent back to the spirit world. The spell took time though and within that time, Ataguchu had found himself flanked by the remaining thousands of undead. He beat his drum wand one final time and Mateo watched as he vanished and his wizarding robes fell to the ground. The possessed swiftly jumped upon his garments but found nothing. He was gone. Mateo had known exactly what happened. He took his own life. It was necessary. He couldn't let himself become one of them. A Maruvian wizard possessed by dark magic. It would have changed the outcome of the war and the entire fate of the world. The army then regrouped and marched on. Mateo quickly fled down the opposite side of the hill, making sure they didn't spot him. He took another deep inhale, let it out slowly and then picked up his pace again. He was already exhausted but he had to push through!