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...
The Doppelgänger stepped out of the magical portal carrying Verena in its arms. They appeared on the main hall at the Castle of the Absents. Klaus arrived right after him. The warlock looked at the creature and said:
"Fratello, take this young lady to one of the bedrooms upstairs. Tie her up and lock the door. Soon the boy and the mage will come after her, and I don't want to be taken by surprise. I still need Juan to teach me the most powerful spells from the book. Although I try, I can't interpret them. The wizard for the girl: That's a fair trade..." Klaus bursted into a loud laugh. "Philip will come with him for sure. I saw in his eyes the flame of boldness, and that will lead him to death, along with the sorcerer. How fool and predictable humans are!"
At that very moment, the creature of darkness interrupted his master to tell him about Philip's identity. As Klaus heard the truth, he clapped his hands and laughed joyfully. His maleficent laughter echoed all around.
"What an amazing revelation! So you're telling me that Philip is the future King of the Wizards? The Dark Gods have decided to gift me in double this time! The old bastard really got me fooled for many years, what a surprise... Now, it'll be an even greater pleasure to finish off the boy's life the same way I did to his parents."
A fog was descending from the ceiling on the first floor. It was highlighted by the moonlight reflected of the dome right above the staircase. The spiral banister, made of cast iron, had been painted in a dark grey color. The whole ambiance seemed to match the creature's dark clothes and hood, which covered its meager face.
The only thing with beauty at that dreadful scenario was the fainted girl in the monster's arms. Her lilac dress waved lightly, as if it were dancing as the Doppelgänger climbed up the stairs.
The monster chose a room at the second floor's corridor, among morbid pictures that looked like paintings of the ancient Basnets' faces. Before it laid her down on the bed, the creature stared at her, bewitched. It thought how wonderful it would be to destroy such beauty with its claws. It tied her up to the bed, his eyes glimmering of pleasure at that thought, and disappeared.
***
After Philip and Juan crossed the portal to Florence with their horses, they looked for a lodging house where they could rest and get the last arrangements done. Inside the bedroom, by the light of the fire, the mage grabbed a package he had carried attached to his horse's saddle.
"I have brought a gift to you, Philip," he said, giving the package to the prince. "This is the legendary Night's Fury, the most powerful sword ever known. It was cast at pure silver, and can annihilate any spiritual being with one certain strike. You just must aim at where the heart should be. Keep it with you forever as your faithful companion. Now that you have learned to fight like a warrior, I'm sure that you'll know how to make the best use out of it."
"Finally, I'm before the famous Viking sword! Thank you, Juan. I'll take care of it with honor and bravery."
Philip spent some seconds staring at the sword and its engravings on the handle. He tested the sword's blade by swinging it around him to feel its energy and weight, analyzing each detail with respect, totally amazed by its beauty.
"I feel ready to fight!" The young man exclaimed with excitement.
Juan smiled. He thought the words of a boy who had never faced something so threatening like Klaus and his monster were funny. The mage gave him the final instructions on how to face the warlock. Philip listened carefully.
"Son, you are a brave young man. As far as I can see, it is a gift. But you should not face every danger in life by fighting or being brave alone. Sometimes, the situation requires you to decide when to draw back in order to leave your attack for a better moment, preferably one when the enemy is weaker. I learned this lesson in the most difficult way by losing the ones that I loved the most in this life."
"Master, I'm sorry for what happened to your family, but I think that I'm prepared to confront that warlock and his creature with cleverness. I have with me the magic you have taught me, and now, a powerful sword."
"Think about what I have told you, and don't let an extremely painful loss teach you this tough lesson, the same way it happened to me. We can always fight; but sometimes strategy is more important than strength and boldness."
The prince considered attentively the wizard's teachings. However, his impetuous spirit made him thirsty to go after his enemy.
They decided to get some sleep. On the next day, amid the shadows of the night that began to fall, Juan and Philip headed to the Castle of the Absents.
Hidden by the dark, the old mage and Philip considered how huge the fortress before them was. They tied their horses in a nearby place and went straight forward. For a moment, Juan's mind was full of the hideous memories of the years he had spent at the castle. But he shook them off his mind. Now that was behind him, and the battle he waited for so long would reach its apex. They looked at each other.
"Are we really ready?" Juan asked worrying about the power they would have to face.
The young man said nothing, he was in deep thought. Then, he answered full of bravery:
"Let's go and finish this dark warlock once and for all and save Verena."
Nonetheless, Juan was aware that the supreme evil waited for them behind those walls. If they got out of there alive, they would never be the same.
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