COMPLETE DUOLOGY - According to the prophecy, Phillip is an impetuous young wizard who is born to save the world from destruction. He is saved from death by the wizard Juan who cares for him. Warlock Klaus who helps the inquisitors to pursue the wit...
Juan arrived at his cave with the baby on his arms, bawling unceasingly. He noticed that the child's blanket was wet and he needed a change. He picked up one of his tunics and tore it so that it could cover the little one. The mage was not used to having children around him anymore... He had lost his family a long time ago. As a result, he had had no interaction with any human being since then. Thus, that weep was really getting on his nerves.
"Goddamn child! I don't deserve this. I was at peace, counting down the days to finally embrace death, and now I must look after you. What do the Gods want with me? Is it possible that not even at the end of my journey they'll stop punishing me?" He complained while cleaning up the baby.
When the child noticed he was finally dry and clean, he smiled at him. And even though Juan looked like a heartless grumpy old man, he relaxed his white bearded face and smiled back. The interaction was only cut off when the eagle arrived with Agathor's staff, placing it on the cave's floor. It was the bird, with a low sweeping flight, who took it while everyone else was distracted by the heat of the battle. Afterwards, it went to the cave's entrance to keep watch. The owl stayed on a nearby tree branch together with another owl that had also been in the conclave.
The surviving wolves had dispersed, and Dark Moon returned carrying the silver sword in its mouth. He put the blade on the mage's feet. The great wolf howled in the cave's entrance, expressing its sadness for the death of its pack companions. It still had some dark blood on its nose.
"My condolences for your loss, dear Dark Moon. Battles may lead us to victory, but there are always losses and scars that mark us for the rest of our lives. I thank you for your courage, and I thank your pack for their unbreakable spirit. You fought bravely against the enemy."
Dark Moon felt better because of Juan's acknowledgement, but bent down its head. The wolf was deeply sad for the death of its mates. As if sharing the animal's pain, the mage put his hand on the its head and caressed its fur. He looked at it, and pursed his lips. He went back to the boy, caught him in his arms, and then placed the child in an improvised cozy nest made of old clothes. The little Philip then fell asleep.
Juan stared at the boy for a few moments, feeling the desire to protect and look after him.
"A wizard's staff and a silver sword. You both have brought me quite interesting objects..." Juan said, breaking the silence. "I just don't get the reason why. You know me better; I don't use weapons of men. I wish that a weapon had put an end to my miserable life after my family was taken away from me!"
The Moon shone its light on the sword, and it became bright. The crystal on the tip of the staff twinkled. He grabbed the sword and saw it reflecting the lunar paleness.
"This is a sword made of the purest silver! The symbols engraved on it seem to be Nordic. And the staff could only belong to the King of the Wizards. I've heard that he had an object of great power that resembled a stick, capable of concentrating high levels of energy. And if the staff is here, it can only mean one thing..." Juan finally understood what had happened. "How could someone dare to kill him? There must have been an ambush planned in details. That's the only explanation for the conclave members' slaughter. I'll have to watch out this child with extra attention to protect him. The evil that killed his father will surely come after him."
The mage took up the sword, which was still covered in blood and, looking at the wolf, he understood that the weapon belonged to a wizard of the northern region of Europe, due to the quality of its craftwork. He cleaned it up with a piece of cloth moistened in a potion prepared to consecrate the object. When he had finished the cleaning, Juan put both the blade and the staff in a safe place.
"I understand that if you have brought those objects, they'll be useful at the right time. But for now, I need to think about this child. The first thing I must do tomorrow is to go out to get some milk to... Damn it, I don't even know the little one's name!"
The biggest owl, which was observing everything from afar, approached the wizard and, hooting, told him all about the things that it had heard during the conclave, including the child's name. It described what happened inside the circle of fire, told him about Klaus' treason and the hideous creature that murdered not only the wizards, but also many wolves from Dark Moon's pack. It mentioned that Philip's father was the Mage Kin Agathor, and that not even the child's mother had been spared.
"Hm, so there is a Doppelgänger assisting the warlock... I must double my attention then. In the world of magic, I have never confronted a creature like that before. This means that the wizard has summoned the dark side of magic. However, what really intrigues me is that a conclave with so many powerful sorcerers lost this battle. Why didn't they notice their enemies approaching?"
The the mage Juan couldn't imagine was that the villain to be confronted had been absorbing the wizards' powers through the years. Gradually, he became almost invincible. Defeating him was becoming a harder and harder task. Juan bent down on his knees, opened an old chest made of wood remains, and took out the book that he had stored there. The manuscript voluntarily opened itself again, and the wind blew the pages up to the one that he should read.
"The world will go through an era of darkness. There will be plagues, wars, and famine. The prince will protect Humankind from the magic of evil. He will have the ability to see the supernatural world, and will fight against creatures that cross the spirits' portal. He will learn to fight like a warrior, and his silver sword will not spare any cruel being that inhabits the dark."
He gave the words some thought, and then looked at the sleeping child.
"Now I have a reason to live! Someone must teach this child how to become both a warrior and a great wizard; a protector of the world against the forces of darkness. Now I understand the reason for being chosen for this mission. Although I have longed to die so many times, now I embrace life due to this noble reason. I was unable to save my children, but now I am presented with the opportunity and the obligation to protect this boy." The wizard vowed solemnly before the sleeping baby.
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