​​​​​​Act III - The Departure

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​​Diablo Kingdom, at first light.

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The morning sun was just beginning to rise above the hills as the father and son prepared to leave Diablo.

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Their belongings were packed, and the road toward the eastern mountains stretched before them.

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“One more thing,” called a familiar voice.

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The father turned.

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The Oracle was approaching along the road, his weathered cloak moving gently in the morning breeze.

“I thought we'd said our farewells last night,” the father said.

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“We did. But I forgot something rather important.”

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From beneath his cloak, the Oracle withdrew a small pendant suspended from a finely worked chain.

At its center was a dark, translucent disc, almost perfectly clear when held toward the morning sun.

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“A necklace?” the boy asked.

“An amulet,” replied the Oracle. “And a rather unusual one.”

He handed it to the father.

“Turn it toward the light.”

The father lifted the little disc and looked through it.

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The distant hills appeared much as they always had, but when he slowly rotated the amulet, something changed.

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The pale reflection upon a nearby pool vanished, revealing the stones beneath its surface with extraordinary clarity.

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The father lowered it.

“Remarkable.”

“Isn't it?” said the Oracle.

“What does it do?”

“That is something I've been trying to understand for years.”

The boy laughed.

“You don't know what your own amulet does?”

“I know a little,” the Oracle replied. “But knowing a little can be a dangerous thing when one begins to believe it is everything.”

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The father smiled at the familiar lesson.

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The Oracle grew serious.

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“Your father believed this might someday be useful to you. I think he was right.”

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The father looked down at the amulet.

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“Then I'll take good care of it.”

“Do more than that,” said the Oracle. “Learn when to use it.”

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He glanced toward the boy.

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“And remember, not every obstacle is meant to be broken. Sometimes you need only change the way you look at it.”

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The father placed the chain around his neck.

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The small disc rested against his chest, catching a faint glimmer of the rising sun.

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“There is something else,” said the Oracle. “Before you travel east, I believe you should visit Marin.”

“Marin?” the father asked.

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“Word has reached me of a great creature that has taken hold of the surrounding forest. The people are frightened, and the land itself seems imprisoned. Paths that once led freely through the woods have become impassable.”

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The father looked toward the western hills.

“What manner of creature?”

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“That I cannot say. But deep within those woods lies an ancient temple, dedicated to the forests and the earth from which they grow. I fear something terrible has happened there.”

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The boy looked excitedly at his father.

“A temple?”

The Oracle smiled.

“An old one. And perhaps a dangerous one.”

The father considered the news.

“And you believe it is connected to the disturbances you showed me?”

“I believe you may find the answer there.”

For a moment, the father looked east toward the distant mountains, where the fair maiden lay awaiting a cure.

Then he turned toward Marin.

“Very well. We'll go west first.”

The Oracle nodded.

“Travel carefully. And remember what I have told you.”

The father thanked his old friend, took his son's hand, and turned toward the road leading out of Diablo.

Behind them, the town slowly awakened beneath the ancient oaks.

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Ahead lay the forests of Marin, an ancient temple, and a creature whose suffering they did not yet understand.

Together, they followed the morning light toward their first adventure.