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Thwack.

A long blade slashed crudely at the lush vegetation.

Thwack. Thwack! THWACK!

The Fa’e enthusiastically slashed his machete through the jungle’s overly thick foliage as he followed their native guide, a man in his mid-thirties who apparently knew the way to village that Nao sought. The ‘path’ had not been traveled in centuries, but somehow Raul keenly knew just which direction to steer the two Fa’e.

When the pair had arrived in the Mexico City airport, Raul had been waiting for them while holding a sign scrawled with Naolin’s name on it. At the time, the Mexican had been overwhelmed by awe at not only the Aztec, who he recognized subconsciously almost immediately, but his traveling companion as well. After Naolin spoke with him briefly in what sounded like Spanish, the trio was on their way.

Now, the hummingbird pleasantly chopped through the jungle. He had felt at home the moment the plane landed, or as close to home as a metropolized version of his kingdom could muster inside him. What the buildings lacked in, the familiarity and power of the land and the nature practically caused him to vibrate with excitement.

An old bandanna kept his hair out of his face and clear from the invasion of things unwanted. Spiders didn’t usually bother him, but he did not want to find a grumpy one nesting in his hair. Unlike his guide, the teen had opted against wearing any sort of shirt between his skin and the thrift store worn backpack.

Conversation, for some time now, had been kept to a minimum. Not that the dense plants and constant slicing of the machetes offered a conversational environment anyways.

They continued to trudge onward. Hours passed easily. Nao did not even bother to check his watch, despite the lack of direct sunshine available in the jungle.

Near what Nao could only fathom as a general ‘lunch time’, Raul finally stopped next to a small brook of sorts. “Comemos,” he said simply, pulling out what appeared to be a tortilla wrapped something for each of them, passing them to both Nao and Guelmy.

After a moment of silent scarfing and drinking, their guide explained to Naolin the rest of the journey, to which he listened to intently. When Raul finished, the teen finally turned to Guelmy and smiled, “We will arrive to the village just before sunset.”

They were almost there.

The hummingbird only partially shared the other Fa'e's sentiments of the jungle. These jungles were comforting and familiar during the day, and utterly terrifying and deadly at night. The jaguars roamed at night, and try as Nao might, the idea of running into a beast that had never really taking a liking to him, in past or present.

Not to mention the moon. Nantli's warnings of his sister had kept him constantly wary of the nighttime ever since. The trio needed to arrive at the village before moonrise.

"From what I understand, the village is small and surrounded thickly by heavy jungle, but yes... We will be leaving the jungle." Nao finally answered after taking a gulp from his Nalgiene.

"Maybe," Naolin agreed pleasantly. However, he knew that that decision depended heavily on what happened after they reached the village and opened the door. Not to mention what came after their passage through said door.

The necklace with the golden sun disc felt heavier the closer they came to the village, and it weighed on both his body and conscience, or what remained of it. He felt like that hairy footed fellow from the movies Morty used to watch forever ago. If he remembered correctly, that guy was also short of stature.

For now, he took note of the weight of the necklace and blamed the strain from the humidity and stickiness of the jungle.

Guelmy's next question roused him from both his thoughts, and his lunch. Scarlet eyes met his excited ones, and he couldn't help but smile. "It should be, and if I can unlock it, then we're in for an even larger adventure." Wary, as always, of unwanted ears hearing his business. When they were settled into the village, then he'd have a chance to explain things in more detail to his friend.

A broad, friendly smile was offered to the flaming one, and Nao reached over to pat him on the shoulder as hunting buddies would do. His look indicated that they would indeed have an interesting adventure. He just, didn't know all the details, yet.

Luckily for him, Raul had returned from a piss break and motioned for the pair to finish up so that they could continue on their way. Naolin finished his lunch in record time, ignoring that he probably appeared rather obscene. After washing it down with some water, he stood and stretched.

"Enjoy the remaining hours of jungle, my friend," he said simply, hoisting his backpack carefully navigating his wings in the process.

Raul peered at the pair to make sure that they were aware of his motions before he turned and began hiking straight up through the brook. It quickly became wet, bothersome work, which irritated him slightly. However, he did notice that the path, unlike before, kept rather straight.

By the time the sun began to wan beyond the horizon, the trio had long since been off of the 'path' of the brook, and were predictably slashing their way through an even thicker part of the jungle. In a path that would have made the children in that Family Circus comic dizzy.

Naolin had finally understood why they took that path, despite it being indirect and redundant at times. Magic buzzed around them, an old magic. The air began to smell different and it crackled through the air around them in warning. To wander off the path without the proper spells would most definitely result in pain, and probably even death.

So that was why Raul had told them not to wander from where he stepped. A tip would definitely be in order.

Finally, after a slow going and narrow straightaway, the jungle opened up into what appeared to be a primitive village. The buildings consisted of small, well built huts thatched with large fronds and other sorts of long, wider leaves that the jungle could provide.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent rocked his soul to the very core. This place reeked of the old ways and old magic. Instantly, he knew the significance of the relatively small village. It was all that remained, a survivor of the faith crisis that had swept the Aztecs like a plague hundreds of years ago.

When he opened his eyes he forced himself to remain standing and show as little surprise as possible. Instead, Naolin held himself as regally as he could while surveying the villagers while silently trying to evaluate the situation. They were surrounded, and their intentions were unreadable.

One thing was for sure, they didn't look to pleased that they had visitors.

Before Naolin could think about the complexities of the situation, he felt the additional heat coming from the other Fa'e. The heat and the anger towards these people, or rather, the women of the village if he understood his friend well enough.

These, however, were -his- people.

"Amo." He said sharply, throwing the other teen an intense gaze to disarm him as he felt his own power swell and churn within him. "Iniquein notlecohuaya." The magic around him crackled in response to his mood, and a low murmur sprang up among the villagers. Naolin didn't seem to notice either. He did realized he had reverted to Nahuatl instead of English, despite the knowledge that the other Fa'e barely had his own grasp on the latter.

After he was sure that Guelmy would not burn his people to a crisp, he offered him a very brief, apologetic glance.

Suddenly, a deep male voice reverberated over everyone, effectively silencing the entire village. "Huitzilopochtli!"

As Naolin turned his attention to the source of the voice, his eyes widened and his jaw threatened to dangle open. Everyone in the village were on their knees and bowing to him. Even Raul held a position of reverence. An elderly man so old that his skin appeared like ancient leather remained standing among the humans. His body hunched under the weight of some invisible thing, and he leaned on a beautiful walking stick for support. Naolin eyed this staff cautiously, sensing something more from the wood.

The teen inclined his head slightly to the man.

"Nihuallacic ca calacoayan," the Fa'e explained, mentally apologizing to his travel companion with an acknowledging glance. He'd translate later.

The elderly man appeared knowing and solemn at this declaration, but nodded slowly while offering the pair a sad sort of smile. "Xihualhuian," the man suggested. He had given Guelmy an odd sort of look for a moment, but soon turned and melted through a path in the crowd of villagers.

"We are to follow," he whispered to Guelmy in as low of a voice as possible and with as little lip movement too. "Trust me." He added these words after a thought before turning and following behind the old man through the people.

During the walk, Naolin remained silent and alert. His left hand gripped the handle of the machete as his crimson eyes intently followed the old man. Something was oddly familiar about him, but he knew for a fact that he had never met this man before five minutes ago.

Aylana’s words echoed suddenly in the back of his mind. ”Don’t trust anyone…”

His eyes narrowed and his mouth opened to ask the old man who he was, but when he moved to do so, they stopped walking and the elderly man shook his head. “Nihuehue,” the man said simply as if that explained everything.

It didn’t, but the hummingbird accepted the minute explanation of identity.

Suddenly, the sun disk around his neck throbbed painfully, and he immediately threw his right hand up to grab at the offensive feeling. It didn’t burn, per say, but it hung heavily and radiated something that caused a gnawing in his heart. To say it was unpleasant stood as an understatement.

“Tleh,” he croaked, knees wobbling as he gave an alarmed glare to the old man, but he simply motioned toward the gateway in front of them.

The moment Naolin laid eyes on the elaborately carved, but small, doorway, the Fa’e understood. The doorway was made of an old stone, but it appeared unaffected and untouched by the usual chemical weathering. That and the power that radiated from the doorway tickled the hair on his arms. He remained awestruck for a moment until the necklace’s nagging became more intense.

Muttering something under his breath in Nahuatl, Naolin pulled the sun disk off of his neck carefully and stepped towards the door. After a few seconds of careful studying of the ornate carvings, he finally set the disk into a indentation. It fit perfectly. Cocking his head to the side, he contemplated which direction to turn it by reading and interpreting the carvings on the wall, fully aware of the old man’s eyes boring into him.

Finally, he decided left to a certain degree, then right to another, and finally around to the left one last time. A rumbling noise followed suite, and the door cracked open dutifully. Air tumbled forcefully into the crack, equalizing the pressures and startling the Fa’e.

He felt lightheaded all of a sudden, and he realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time. With a deep breath, he collected himself and turned to look at the old man expectantly, who looked sad but resolute. This surprised the teen, but not as much as the old man’s next words.

“Xihuian tlatic axcanpa.” He suggested strongly, but cautiously, in a way of someone who knew the danger of talking to a god with such force. Despite the rank difference, Naolin found that he could not argue with this man, and he frowned.

“Guelmy,” he said in a strained voice after a moment of loaded silence, “We must go in, now.” It remained obvious that he hadn’t planned on this particular course of events, but that the had no choice in the matter.

Their adventure had to start now, whether they liked it or not.

Guelmy’s words shook him from his thoughts, and he glanced at his friend momentarily before looking back at the doorway. Even though Naolin knew that this so titled adventure would not be simple or easy, he found himself amazed at just how heavy his limbs felt and how nervous he actually felt about the matter at hand. These nerves raised an anger from the bowels of his stomach and out to each one of his limbs. His fingers tingled with a rage induced self-confidence as he took one last look at the old man and stepped rigidly through the doorway.

If he had thought the magic surrounding the village had been strong, the magic that he felt beyond the door was positively intoxicating. He closed his eyes and took in the smell, the comforting metallic scent of the old ways and the old powers. The electricity pumped through his veins and the intensity of it enveloped him like a warm, familiar blanket on a chilly night. His anger instantly left him, replaced by a new found energy and excitement.

When he opened his eyes, his elation dropped somewhat. The room he stood in did not even remotely meet the expectations of the Fa’e, especially after drinking in such power around him. It was dark, dank and reminded him dangerously of the condition of the spirit plane.

The feeling that things weren’t quite right.

Pursing his lips together, he shrugged off his backpack and began fishing for a flashlight. He knew better than to waste energy and magic on the simple things.

Naolin understood the annoyance entirely, as he himself also could serve as a light source should the need arise. However, Nao knew that they would need to conserve their magic reserves in case of trouble. "This will not use our energy," he stated calmly as he shone it around the entrance.

The finality of the slamming door behind them startled the teen, and he took a deep breath. There was no turning back.

The artificial light illuminated a large staircase leading up into the darkness. Elaborate granite sculptures stood on either sides of the stairs, which appeared worn with foot traffic, but were just like the carvings of the door in their lack of degradation. Their variety was also astounding, in that there seemed to be every sort of animal represented in stone form. Writing and reliefs depicting the stories of gods and goddesses covered every inch of the walls.

One, in particular, caught his attention, and he couldn't help but walk over to examine it. Suddenly, the air became thick and almost suffocating, and Naolin made a sort of choking noise as he found himself leaning on the relief for support.

With the nauseating effect of a roller coaster, the scenery around them changed abruptly. Naolin, after collecting his balance and trying to move, realized exactly what they were both now standing in, and his eyes widened.

“Tahtll?” A timid voice called out softly as it entered the passage. It crept along into the main chamber quietly, alert black eyes scanning the dimly lit room for the familiar man. He was nowhere to be seen, yet she did not relax.

The young woman, possibly in her late teens or early twenties, stood in the shadows in elegant and colorful clothes that draped around her in a conservative manner. Rare feathers and jade jewelry decorated her neck and hair, which was pulled up and off of her skin in the heat. Royalty and power exuded from the small being.

Her footsteps were nearly silent as she padded barefoot across the freshly swept stones, continuing to make her way through the vast maze of the Templo Mayor. Death would be the course of action should anyone but her father find her here, and even that look would not save her from more beatings.

The rooms and passageways grew cooler and mustier the further inside she navigated. So far, she hadn’t run into many of the temple’s priests or humble servants, and they were easy to avoid by either sticking to the shadows or ducking into a side room. A wide smile played upon her features when she began to hear the trickle and pattering of rain on the top of the temple’s stones.

Swallowing, she licked her lips in barely contained excitement. Her movements now were purposeful and steady as the woman maneuvered along the increasingly wet stairways. Not slowing as she reached the exit she had been searching for, the rain hit her with little mercy and soon her beautiful clothes were soaked and clung to her body.

A gasp of astonishment left her as she gazed upon Tenochitlan, or the extent of what she could see through the thunderstorm. The streets were turned into temporary streams and ponds, vacant of the usual street bustle because of the storm. Every so often, she could see someone sprinting along to their home or some other shelter, but no one looked skyward.

Even if they did, only the gods could see her in this torrent. And that’s exactly what she wanted.

Crawling along the stones just in case, the soaked woman finally reached the sacrificial stone. Her hand shook as she reached for it, and she made a sort of choked gleeful noise when she finally made contact. Her dark fingers ran along the well worn surface in a loving caress, and her eyes fluttered closed in what seemed to be pure bliss.

“You better have a good explanation for such blasphemy,” a deep male voice drawled in a dangerously calm tone, “Though it probably won’t spare your life.” An unseen smile passed over his lips.

Her hand gripped desperately into the stone as she frantically whipped her body around to face the voice’s owner, and it wasn’t long before her eyes locked onto a male form several meters ahead of her. His features and thus his identity were hard to make out, but his stance exuded confidence and it sent a shiver down her spine.

She didn’t know whether to feel giddy or terrified.

“I… Well…” The woman stuttered, fingers attempting to dig further into the blood stained stone for support.

“Explain.” He repeated, taking a step towards her. Even through the rainy haze, he could tell that not only was the trespasser a woman, but one of royal blood. A priest’s daughter, maybe. It didn’t hurt that she had a beauty about her. Though, it might just be terror, he had a tendency to blur the two together.

Her body shook at his command, and she was compelled to answer. “I wanted to touch the stone… The very place where our great Lord obtains his strength. I needed to feel close to his Greatness.” Her voice hitched and she leaned into the stone as if she were trying to fall into the arms of a comforting lover.

This response excited him, and he licked his lips. “Women are not allowed here, I’m sure you know that.” He stated simply, taking a few steps towards the young beauty. “Besides, Huitzilopochtli is not our only Lord. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are—“

“-Not- equal,” she interrupted angrily, throwing consequences to the wind to defend their god. “They are only shadows of Huitzilopochtli’s greatness.”

He seemed not only taken aback, but pleased with such an interruption. “You still trespassed on holy ground.”

Pushing herself to her full height, she grinned manically. Her hair stuck to her face and her clothes did little to hide her figure. Still she appeared to be the happiest person in the world, albeit in drowned rat form. “I can die with vast happiness now that I have been as near to Huitzilopochtli as a mortal such as myself could ever dream of.”

He chuckled low as he walked towards her, stopping once he stood in front of her. “Oh I guarantee you could be closer…” Placing the fingertips of his left hand on her stomach through the wet cloth, he felt her shiver and grinned. “Nochtli.”

And with one more violent spinning of the room, they had returned to the catacombs, or at least, that's what he assumed, since he now once again move freely. However, they were no longer in the entrance, but in a completely new room.

The memory, though not his, had given him a startling shock, and he found it hard to focus on their new surroundings. Fear inundated him and he found himself breathing heavily. Had Guelmy seen all this too? His face blanched, and he turned abruptly to search out his friend.