CHAPTER V:
Children of Tormenta

Mako put the letter down and tucked it back into the basket. He knew of Mantos Island, he'd been there before on two different occasions, once when he was very young and the second time was a couple of decades later when Mako found himself participating in a quest of the utmost importance. That was a long time ago now, lost in the past, but it was Mako's last ever journey he had undergone, the last quest he engaged in before reaching his adventure's gripping, climaxing end. At the end of that quest, he returned to Iris and he never left since.
"This child's arrival can mean only one thing." Izal states knowingly.
"Yes, training begins again." Mako turns to the raven and eyes him up.
"True..."
"I sense a but coming." Mako replies wisely.
"...but it also means that one of the prophecies has now come to pass."
"Prophecy?" Mako questions as he glances back down to little the baby Zach in his basket.
"Think back." Izal subtly communicates.
Upon this instruction, Mako allows his mind to wander backwards, first it reached the code mentioned in the letter.
The code, which is widely known as the "Chosen Law" that came into being two centuries ago and is enforced in seven of the eleven Realms of Oceania, Algean & Mares being two of the seven realms. The Chosen Law was decided upon by earlier on Wacthers, as a means of discovering stronger and more highly skilled warriors, instead of just training every child they took in, only to have many quit on them, giving up because it was too arduous. As for the ones that didn't quit, a number of them had died, through training or participating in a series of deadly trials.
So the Watchers of that time, made a law for a new training and selection process, a process that only first born children are allowed to participate in. First born children would be given up by their families and taken under the wing of the appointed Guardian of the Realm. To a Realm there can be a vast number of Islands and the general of thumb is that each Island is given an appointed Watcher, although there were more Islands that had a trainee Watcher than a full fledged Watcher, but in the modern world today, only a handful of Islands had a Guardian now.
Also to every Realm there is one Island that is designated a Watcher Island, an Island home to Watcher's like Mako, Guardians charged with the duty of training the future Watcher's and were responsible for the entire Realm. Back when the Watchers brought forth their new law, the Guardian of the Realm would sail from Island to Island, taking the first born children from their families and bringing them back to their chosen Island to participate in the training. The problem with this was that once training would start, a few months later the Guardian would have to set off once again, sailing for children to train.
The Watchers then decided that to solve this problem that the Guardian of the Realm, is to remain on their Island for the Sea was a very dangerous place, many would meet their end on the water, it was declared an unnecessary risk so the Guardians would stay on shore, charged with the task of being forever present on their Island, so they could train their students.
As for potential disciples, parents would send their children off however they saw fit, floating them out to sea in baskets, on rafts or in boats, in the hopes that the Seas would carry them to the Lands of the Guardians.
Many children after being sent off were never seen again, but the ones that did, the ones that survived the trials and hardships of the tide, they eventually grew up to become accomplished Watchers. Mako had seen a fair number of children who had made their way to the Isle of Iris and taught them, but it has been quite some time since he had a pupil to educate.
With a quick shake of the head, Mako returned his thoughts back to the present, only to then allow his mind to dart back, scanning his vast memory bank for the memory regarding the prophecy Izal was referring too. Upon reaching its discovery, Mako wasted no time at all in going over it.
The prophecy as mentioned by Izal dates back to a hundred years after the Chosen Law came into being. The teaching Watcher's learned that students hailing from further away, from a different Realm, were different to students who came from neighbouring Islands. For some reason, children who came to the tutors from different Realms, they all seemed to be stronger, smarter, quicker and easier to train.
The Watchers believed that a child who had travelled from Realm to Realm via being carried by the currents of the Seas, would face more perilous danger and be at more risk than an infant who would voyage from Island to Island. Therefore they believed that these "Chosen" children were under the protection of the Goddess Tormenta, the Watchers one and only Goddess and they did not believe in any Gods either. The youngsters kept safe came to be known as the Children of Tormenta and each one of them grew up to become some of the greatest Watchers to ever live, they were also the true vanquishers of the Dark Ones.
Mako himself knows a lot about the Children of Tormenta, he himself is one, he was born in the Abaran Realm and journeyed across the Oceans until at long last, he washed up on the Isle of Iris, where he was then shown the ways of the mighty Guardians and became one of the greatest Watchers to date. Mako was the last Child of Tormenta, out of twenty six special protected infants, he was the last of them that was until the recent arrival of Zach.
It was in times of peace that the Watcher's learned that upon the arrival of a Tormenta's Child, within the years that follow, Darkness would rise up once again, attempting to plunge the world into a new age of shadows and they also learned that the Tormenta's Child, would play a huge role in the Dark One's downfall. It is in that lesson of knowledge that the prophecy was made:

"Come the Arrival of the Chosen, comes the Arrival of the Impending Darkness."

Mako looks to young Zach, who is still sleeping soundly before he moved his concentration and his eyes, to his faithful flapping companion.
"Darkness is coming." Mako's eyes hardened as he spoke.
"Yes, it seems the Shanzi will be making their return."
"Mako winced when he heard his friend say the word Shanzi, it was a word all Watchers knew. Shanzi is a word, a language and a race. Shanzi are the Dark Ones, it's their true name and the name of their language. In every language spoken in all of Oceania, Shanzi has the same translation in all of them, and when translated it means Shadow.
"I just hope this young lad can live up to the prophecy, a lot depends on it." As he spoke, Mako could feel the rain hitting him faster and faster, the downpour or rain was coming quicker.
"Teach him everything you know, that's all you can do. The rest will be up to him." Izal replies knowingly.
"You're right as always my friend."
"The rain is getting worse, as is the storm. We should head inside." Izal tells Mako, imploring him to head for home.
"You're quite right, any chance of a lift?" Mako asks as he scoops up the basket and holds it between the left part of his body and the inside of his left arm, leaving his left hand free to support the bottom of the basket and allowing his right hand to be free to grab hold of one of Izal's legs, if he is willing to give both Mako and Zach a ride.
Instead of answering Mako's question, Izal choose to leave it unanswered as he begun to flap his wings and rise up off the ground before sticking a leg out.
"Grab tightly."
"Thank you my friend." Mako smiles with joy and reaches out with his hand to grab the raven's leg. He made sure his grip was tight before Izal flapped his wings powerfully and powered his way high up into the sky, soaring above the beach before ascending above the volcano. As Mako's south facing home came into sight, baby Zach continued to sleep.