Chapter 3

That night, Isabella and the others had stayed overnight to give me company. I was still reeling from the shock of my grandfather's death. Moreover, the pendent hung heavily around my neck, making it harder to accept the fact that my grandfather was no more.

It reminded me of all the happy memories we made together, his chocolate chip cookies, and all those teasing yet encouraging words he would say to me when I was feeling down.

Unable to sleep, I wandered around the house, aimlessly, until I came to a stop in front of Grandpa Max's room. Without thinking, I opened the door and went inside, and instantly regretted my decision. All around me, I was surrounded by Grandpa's belongings. This made my heart ache evermore, his favorite desk, his hand made glass painting, every little detail of the room brought tears to my eyes. Unable to hold it any longer, I broke down into a dam of tears. Time passed and my tears kept flowing down my cheeks till I fell asleep on the floor, then and there.

Next morning, when I woke up, light was streaming through the transparent window. The lapis lazuli stuck in the middle the pendent, shone brightly in the sunlight. The clock read seven in the morning. I went to check up on others and found that all of them was still sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, I quietly slipped out of the room.

I could feel the pendant locked around my neck like deadweight. I reached out and touched it unconsciously only to find a sudden jolt go throughout my whole body on contact. I gasp, stumbling backward.

I stare at the pendant dumbfounded. What...was that?

Then I remember the dairy and letter I had found with the pendant. I had kept them in my drawer, locked away so I could read it later. I went down the hall and unlocked the drawer and took the dairy out with the letter stuck inside it. I went to my room, locked the door and sat at the edge of my bed.

It read as follows...

"Dear Lu,

If you are reading this, it means that my time has finally come and I must leave you. This letter shall be my final message to you. You are a brave man and you know I love you. I know you feel lost and confused at the moment, but remember I will always be there to guide you when you need me, heart and soul. Now let's get to the main point;

This will come as a shock, but I believe it is time you started believing in magic, Lucious Drake Salmon. Because you are, yourself a wizard. A wizard with powers. Powers that have been stirring inside you, sleeping and silent, waiting to be discovered.

On 4th of April this year, you will turn eighteen. The powers will then be set loose with you coming of age. The blue pendant I left you is a vessel and a key. It will help you manage your powers and will be useful in the time of need. Nearly after a week of your birthday, you will be approached by a tall man, named Blacim Reigh. He shall be your guide from that day forth.

P.S. - Remember, do not trust anyone easily. Magic is there for the greater good and we as magicians, must protect it"

Love,

Grandpa Max

I had been reading the letter again and again I the hopes of understanding the true meaning behind this message, grandpa left me. Yet, it remained a mystery to me.

We were to have the funeral tomorrow morning and a few relatives, our neighbors, and my friends and their families were the only ones going to be present.

This letter was the only form of remmberence my grandfather had left behind for me, besides the blank diary and the pendent. There was a sticky note left on the cover of the diary which said,

"Why don't you use this to keep a track of things huh?"

Although I was happy to have solid proof of memory, the last part of his letter was a mystery to me and was very weird. But since it was a letter from Grandpa Max, it ought to have been weird. He was known for being one hell of a mysterious man after all. Always talking about magic, and wands, and staffs, and ruins and whatnot. In all, he had a creative imagination, on filled with curiosity and the will to know.

Everything around me felt different now, the kitchen to quiet, the now cold cookies on the table, stale homemade sandwiches in the fridge, the silent creaking of the house under my weight as I walked around.

I went back to the room in which everyone was sleeping and saw Isabelle was up and had already changed back into the clothes she was wearing yesterday.

"Good morning, Elle." , I greeted her as I entered the room.

"Where were you this morning?", was Isabelle's response.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was just...uh, wandering around. The house. I was just looking around at things in the house. I got up early and everyone was asleep, so I took a quick tour of the house to analyze the atmosphere." I replied a little flustered, not expecting Isabelle to have noticed my absence.

She just gave me a worried look and went on to wake up the others. Glad to be off the hook, I took it as a signal and woke up Chang and Karl, who were sleeping on the right side of the room in sleeping bags. A few quick taps on the shoulder and they were up and walking. Twenty minutes later, everyone was up and ready to go downstairs for breakfast. I had decided on a simple one since we all were not in a very good mood. We all went downstairs into the living room and I went to the kitchen and prepared a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and orange juice for everyone and put it on plates.