Just beneath the surface

When the three points align

It was a rough voyage before the arrival of Campeche. The storm heavily battered the ship, so the rest of the crew were left to repair the ship and secure the provision for another voyage.

"I hope Andres hasn't encountered any threat yet, he's far too young to possibly fight back", Fernando said.

"That reminds me. He's still fifteen, so do you think it's safe to bring him along? I'm certain that this trip is not as easy as it seems", Jahmil asked.

"He's the only one who can read his book so there's nothing much we can do about that", Capt. Fernando replied. He fidgeted a shark tooth in his hand, something he bought from Santiago back at Campeche.

"Well that boy Santiago could be a skilled merchant, just by looking at how he deals with his customers back at the port assures me about that"

"What's that for? That shark tooth, you bought it for quite a high price", Jahmil asked.

"This talisman is the key to open the hatch for the lever that would raise Atlantis. My late brother had gone so far to find this, so I'm not about to let his work go to waste", the Captain's eye communicated furiously to Jahmil.

"Talk about a genius. To be able to find something as small as that, yet so important, is the ultimate skill of a treasure hunter", Jahmil thought. The shark tooth had beautiful engravings on it, with patterns that resembled some of the symbols in the book.

They looked at the gems embedded on the book's covers, and they glowed brighter than ever. Still, both stones pointed in the same direction. The afternoon air was humid, and the sun's heat continued to make the crew's mules uneasy.

"Come to think of it, we're just in time for the descent of Kukulcan", Captain Fernando said.

"What is that?" Jahmil asked.

"Well, it's a spectacle that occurs only once a year, when an equinox occurs. It symbolises the descent of the tribal people's snake god, Kukulcan. It's said that he descends from heaven to bring the souls of the dead into the underworld, to guide them", Fernando replied.

"I do have a strange feeling about this", he continued.

"And why is that?" Jahmil asked.

"Kukulcan takes the form of a serpent. Coincidentally, we both saw serpents in our dreams, and, if I'm not mistaken, we did have a glimpse of one that one night in that rough storm", Fernando replied.

"I see. Well let's just hope nothing goes wrong here", Jahmil said. As they walked, the pyramid up ahead was clearly in sight. The crowd had gathered around the pyramid already, waiting for the serpent god to descend down the stairway.

"Just the best situation. How are we supposed to find him here?" Fernando asked.

"It would be too suspicious if we just looked around, we're foreigners for goodness sake", Pedro said.

"Why don't I go and check? I'll just give you the signal if I find anything", Jahmil said. With his slightly brown complexion and relatively lean stature, he would pretty much look like a local.

"Alright, carry on", Fernando replied. Jahmil circled the entire pyramid, checking for any formally dressed boy. Fernando kept his eyes peeled too, even using a spyglass to locate his nephew. Jahmil circled the pyramid once more, and noticed a part of the wall that seemed to have a door shaped c***k. It was opposite to where the crowd waited, so he was sure no one else was looking. He nudged it forward, and it opened smoothly. Immediately he signalled Fernando and the rest of the crew about the discovery.

"Be ready with arms, we won't know what's down there until we see it", Fernando instructed. Slowly, they walked down the spiral of stairs, and entered the chamber.

"Finally, you are all here", the hooded man said.

"You!" Jahmil and Fernando exclaimed.

"Oh, he gave you your book too?" Jahmil asked.

"He didn't give it to me, he did however, help me find it", Fernando replied.

"For Him to be here, that's a feat", Jahmil remarked.

"Distance is something I can never measure", the hooded man replied.

"Uncle!" Andres exclaimed.

"Oh look at you, what a strong young man you have become. I heard a lot about you from your brother", Fernando said.

"Sorry to break the touching reunion, but timing is essential for this next step. First of all, tear the first page of your books", the hooded man instructed. They followed what the hooded man instructed, and tore the first page of the book. It was the unfinished map.

"Now give them to me and observe", the hooded man instructed. After he got the papers, the hooded man arranged them in order on a table in the middle of the chamber.

"The equinox has the power to mend objects, as in order to close the gateway after the descent, the barrier to the underworld must be mended back", the hooded man said.

"For less than ten seconds, the light will be in just the right position to illuminate this altar, and using the lost mirrors of Valhalla, we can draw the light's immeasurable power", he continued. Moments later, light shone through a hole in the ceiling, forming a ray which flowed towards the pages on the table. Slowly, the pages began to change in shape, and soon, they began to merge into one sheet.

"This holds the path you must take", the hooded man said, holding out the map. Fernando took a closer look, and noticed that the map itself was rather unclear.

"But it's still quite incomplete. All I see are markings", he said.

"Yes, but here", the hooded man replied, pointing at the symbols and markings laid across the map.

"These are the locations of the ingredients necessary in order to complete the map. Terracetacean sap, Chorus flower poison, and Lava, are the ingredients required in order to fully encrypt the map", the hooded man said.

"Why can't you do all this yourself? I mean you sure have it easy heading from one place to the other", Fernando asked.

"First of all, I can't see the text in your books, so it will be impossible for me to decode the barriers that hide these materials from the rest of the world. Second, the third book, eiverngoule, rejects me, so I can't hold it. And lastly, once the map is uncovered, I won't be able to see what it holds", the hooded man replied.

"I see", Fernando replied.

"Well then, it's time I take my leave. I have some business to attend to, and I suppose further research on the matter will increase the chances of your success by a fairly good rate. The path is yours and yours to tread, goodluck, and may fate be with you", the hooded man said.

"We didn't even get to ask him why he was doing all this", Jahmil said.

Andres, Fernando, and Jahmil walked back to the rest of the crew waiting outside.

"I'm Jahmil, it's a pleasure to meet you", he said.

" Likewise, I'm Andres", he replied.

"Well as fellow bearers of the great Atlantean trinity I think it's best that we get along with each other", Fernando remarked.

"So, he's the third one?" Pedro asked.

"Yes, this is my nephew, Andres, treat him with respect, he is now in our care. I entrust his welfare to all of you", Fernando instructed.

"He sure looks like His father when he was fifteen, tall, for his age, and that complexion of his", Pedro said. The descent of Kukulcan had begun moments ago, yet it was still going on. With each passing minute, the shadow casted upon the side of the stairway revealed a serpentine figure, slowly rising up.

"We better start moving, we have no idea when time is going to be one of our obstacles", Fernando instructed. From the top of the pyramid, the hooded man stood as he looked on to the crew slowly moving back towards the coast.

"Now then, all that remains is to wait", he said to himself.

"Are all the preparations set? It seems that your brother had been a bit busy while I was away", A voice asked.

"Yes, the preparations are underway. Just sit tight and enjoy the event as they slowly unveil", the hooded man replied.

"Oh, look at you. Where did you get that attitude? It's not befitting for you", the voice mocked.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you. You know you are under my control", the hooded man replied.

"Oh yes, I was just messing around", the voice said.

"You have my thanks for summoning me back here", it continued.

"Exactly why your life right now is mine to hold", the hooded man replied. Back at Campeche, the damages were repaired, and the ship was ready to head out.

"So where do we head first captain?" Pedro asked.

"The one nearest to us right now are the Terracetaceans, because they are marked in the Atlantic Ocean", Fernando replied.

"Do we even know what those are? I mean, how are we going to find something if we don't even know what it looks?" Jahmil asked.

"Judging by the name, it does have the cetacea in it. In other words it could be a whale, and because it also has tera, it could mean a massive whale with land on its back, probably the reason why sap is what we need to take from it", Andres replied.

"Good point but, I have been travelling the ocean for quite some time now, never have I seen something like what you're talking of", Fernando said.

"We won't know until we get there. What if the creator is actually an island that is still, but if we enchant it or decode a barrier like the hooded man said, we might just be able to find it", Jahmil replied.

"Very well then. So it is decided, we head for the Atlantic first", Fernando said.

"But sir, the Atlantic is treacherous. If we get caught in another powerful storm like the one we just recently faced, there's no telling when our supplied would run out", Victor, one of the Ship's commanding officers said.

"I agree, however, it's not like we're not going to face this obstacle anytime sooner. Even if we went to Brazil first to obtain the Chorus Flower poison, we would still have to face the risk of entering the Atlantic. So we might as well just risk it", Pedro replied.

"As I said, the Atlantic shall be our first enemy. Whatever happens, we must be prepared for it", Fernando said.

"In an hour's mark we should be able to set sail sir!" Randall, the ship's commanding marine, shouted from the deck of the mighty ship

"Excellent work!" Fernando shouted.

"Now then, shall we begin", he said.