Angry, scared, confused, Alzar never expected a whole world to be counting on a kid to save it. He was looking at the fallen mask of Hemlock, wishing he was still on Earth helping his dad in the attic. The face of Hemlock, the immortal being that only causes destruction, met his eyes. Confusion. Fury. Sadness. Hemlock said the words that would change Alzar’s life forever.

Earlier that day. Ever since Alzar’s family saw the rats crawling about in the attic his dad wanted nothing but to exterminate them. Alzar made a disgusted face, gripping the net. Suddenly, the tiny pupils of the rat’s eyes caught Alzar’s and he pounced. OOF! He missed, face planting into the hard, wooden floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a rusty, silver key laying on the ground. Alzar examined the peculiar looking key. Next to the key laid an envelope. He opened the mysterious envelope, it read, “Only those who seek with magical eyes can see the key, which allows entry into the mythical world of Endris.” Through his confusion, he couldn’t help but embrace the joy of him possibly being magical!

He glanced into a nearby mirror but rather than seeing his reflection, he saw terror. He wondered what did this, or who, until he saw a scarred black shroud. The face of the being was unidentifiable, a complete shadow. After a few long moments, the figure’s eyes met his and everything went black.

The familiar smell of mint tea filled his nostrils. Was he smelling heaven? Alzar awoke realizing he was holding the rusty key. He was no longer in his attic; he began to panic. “Hello?”, he whispered. He heard quick footsteps and his heart skipped a beat as he saw the man rushing toward him. “Grandpa?”, he asked in disbelief. Grandpa nodded with tears running down his wrinkled face. Each tear that dropped on the ground was another second Alzar was with someone who was supposed to be dead! He searched expectantly for his dear grandmother, he longed to hear her call him by the nickname she lovingly gave him, “Little Al”.

Alzar was about to ask where his grandma was when grandpa offered, “I know you must be thinking about grandma, I will now tell you the full story.” He continued, “This world that you are in right now is called Endris. It is our home. It all started when I was about your age, the day your great grandmother died. I began hearing this strange voice in my head telling me to find Endris. When I returned home, I found an envelope in her room.” Grandfather handed me the envelope, it matched the one I had found in my attic.

The letter read, “My son, if you’re reading this letter, something bad has happened to me. You are the chosen one, the new caretaker of Endris. Endris is a magical world full of mythical beings and creatures. For generations, our bloodline has been the caretakers of this world. Yes, you are a wizard. But I must warn you, in this world of Endris, there is a destructive being who is wreaking havoc as we speak. It is capturing the souls of innocent people. I trust you to be the key to saving our world. Fate lies with you, my son.”

Grandpa explained, “The next thing I know, I was in this very same cottage. I had married your grandmother and was the happiest I’ve ever been. But then, I saw the shroud, the black cloak that has always haunted me. The evil known as Hemlock.” Grandpa continued warily, “I told your grandmother to run, but before she took her first step, she and Hemlock were gone. I could only see the ashes of her body left behind. I realized I could not come home to you or Hemlock would find you and kill you too.”

Alzar struggled not to cry. He told grandpa about the mirror and how he’d seen the unidentified being. Now, Alzar knew it was Hemlock. How could one being be so horrible? As he was about to tell grandpa more, a familiar furry friend appeared. His jaw dropped to the wooden floor as he saw his old pet rabbit, Dake, hopping towards him. Dake and Alzar looked at each other for quite a long moment when Dake spoke, “Hey chump, nice to see you here. Thanks to Hemlock, living in Endris is like hanging off the edge of a cliff, you never know when you’ll fall to your doom.” The rabbit continued, “Ol grandpa is more like a shriveled up grape than the mighty wizard he used to be. Sorry to say this kid, but you’re the only hope we’ve got.”

Alzar was beside himself with a mixture of emotions. His best friend was here! Grandpa was here! But where did grandma go? Grandpa soon explained the magical power surging through Alzar’s veins, he was a true wizard. With the weight of his emotions, Alzar’s eyes soon became heavy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he was startled with a loud cacophony of sounds, BANG, SHATTER, BOOM! He jumped and heard Dake shouting, “RUN!” Alzar rushed and found Dake lifeless on the ground. Next to him grandpa looked horrified, except grandpa wasn’t looking at Dake, he was looking at Hemlock creeping just a few feet away from them.

“Oh Dake, so hopeless”, Hemlock sneered. Its inhuman voice caused the floor beneath them to vibrate. Then, the most dreadful realization happened, Hemlock took its mask off and Alzar shuddered at the words it spoke, “Well hello, Little Al”. Hemlock, the most destructive being on Endris, was his grandmother!

Alzar saw his reflection in the mirror, but this time he didn’t see fear. He saw fire, water, wind circling him, his eyes aflame. With a flash of lightning, Alzar was gone. He will free his grandmother’s soul and end Hemlock forever, saving Endris as the most powerful wizard to ever exist!