Marcos was very restless and anxious. He was still taking in the events of that night. Have all their efforts over the past thirteen years been in vain? Perhaps that was not the case since none of the intruders seemed to have any knowledge of Diana's existence.

The wood crackled in the fireplace in front of him, filling the room with soothing heat. Around him, he could hear the sounds made by unwanted visitors. They slept heavily, probably grateful that they did not have to sleep on the cold floor one more night. They were spread out on the sofas and armchairs, and to Marcos, at that moment, they looked nothing more than tired young people.

Should I kill them? Such a thought was extremely tempting, but his and Diana's location was already compromised. There was no guarantee that they would be safe only with the death of these boys. Perhaps the best strategy was to accompany them, complete the job (which Marcos had no idea what it would be), and then disappear again.

They were found and the fault was undoubtedly his. Marcos let out a heavy sigh and sank some more into his chair. He was old and knew he didn't have that long to live. It would be not surprising if his magic has been affected as well. “How degrading it is to grow old,” he smiled bitterly. He would have to teach Diana some things before it was too late.

He thought it would be best to take her with him. He was not comfortable leaving her alone after such strangers had managed to find their house. If some boys made it this far, it was undoubtedly possible that others could do it too. He wouldn't risk her safety at all, it was better to have an old wizard by your side than to be completely alone.

Well, he could say that Diana was his protégé and so would assist in this mysterious task. It was not exactly a lie, right?      

Not to mention that the young woman was already responsible for several patients in the village, using both medicinal herbs and a little magic.

For many years, Diana tried to convince Marcos to teach her more deeply about magic, a request that was firmly refused numerous times. Marcos really settled with the feeling of stability and security that this end of the world gave him, he thought with embarrassment, he had no doubt that, if his former student could see him, he would be laughing and saying: "I warned you", he could almost see his infectious smile and his eyes narrowed due to his good mood, but Marcos remembered darkly, the dead don't laugh.

Marcos got up heavily from his chair, the weight of old age was surely already falling on him without mercy. He looked at those young people again and, tempting as it was, he couldn't afford to be angry with them, because, as far as he can see, they were just following orders.

Marcos never thought that this moment would really come, it was time to move on and for that he would need his grimoire. Pulling a book on gardening from the bookcase, a crackling noise echoed, immediately revealing the opening of a discreet compartment over the fireplace. Marcos turned to the fireplace and took the contents of the compartment: his library. Such an object looked just like another simple notebook with a thick leather cover, worn by time, no one could tell just by looking that there was magic interwoven in its yellowed pages.

For a moment, the old magician missed him, the memories of his youth filled his mind: sleepless nights devouring scrolls and magic books, the friendly censures of his dear tutor, the laughter of his colleagues. Traditionally, the novice magician received a grimoire from his master, completely blank, and the student should fill it in as his magical knowledge increased during his life and experiences. In essence, the grimoire was a transcript of the magician's journey and it was common to burn it next to its owner's body during funeral ceremonies. However, due to his blind desire to protect his protégé's daughter, exceptions were made.