After flying west for several hours, Rodrigo arrived at the ruins Ehécatl had indicated.
According to what Ehécatl had told Rodrigo, Cholollan had once been the most important city of a now-extinct kingdom called Ñuu Cohyo, whose empire had extended south and southeast across the region, ruled by a people known as the Ñuu Savi.
Cholollan had been the second most important city in the region, as well as a major commercial partner of the city of Puh, thanks to its pottery and luxury goods used by the nobility.
The invasion of Chichimeca peoples in the region brought about the end of that city, which had been abandoned for a century already.
And indeed, what remained was only a ghost city, with destroyed houses devoured by the region’s vast vegetation. The base of Cholollan’s great pyramid was entirely covered in vines, grass, and trees, as Mother Nature reclaimed that structure as one of her own mountains.
Behind the gigantic pyramid, a beautiful enormous volcano rose, as if proving that man could never build anything as great and magnificent as a mountain. Or perhaps the people had built that pyramid before the great mountain as a scaled representation of it. According to Ehécatl, that volcano was called Popocatépetl.
Macaws flew over the forested ruins of the great city. Deer, raccoons, and serpents ruled those lands as though they were the kings of the place, running freely throughout the region. The air felt fresh and pure, under a completely blue sky with very few clouds around it.
In that lost city, Rodrigo landed at the foot of the great mountain. Although he had tried to approach the summit of the great pyramid, a strange and mysterious force prevented him from doing so, forcing the young man to approach on foot.
Sitting on one of the structures covered in bushes and leaves was a very sensual woman with her legs crossed.
The woman wore a headdress with very colorful green feathers. On her forehead, she had a cotton diadem with two small spindles on its sides, giving her the appearance of having animal ears. She also wore a necklace that covered the nipples of her enormous breasts, and a tiny skirt that truly covered very little of her body. The woman’s face was also painted red.
Rodrigo could see that the woman’s face was very beautiful, with pink eyes and long, silky black hair that stirred in the wind.
“So you did make it after all, hon,” the woman said in a very sensual voice, looking at Rodrigo with a playful smile.
“Excuse me, I would like to climb the pyramid,” Rodrigo said, still not knowing who she was.
“I suppose you tried to fly and something repelled you, correct?” the woman asked.
Rodrigo was surprised, because he did not think the woman knew he could fly. Besides, the fact that she spoke to him in the divine tongue could only indicate that she was a goddess.
“Excuse me, ma’am…” Rodrigo began, but the woman interrupted him.
“Miss!” the goddess said. “The name is Tlazolteotl, but I prefer that you call me Teem.”
The goddess then rose from her improvised seat and stood before Rodrigo in a very sensual manner. The young man grew nervous before a woman of such beauty.
“You are identical to Quetzalcóatl, but you lack the balls he had,” the woman said, laughing as she slowly approached the young man to look at him more closely.
“Miss Teem… could you… tell me… how to climb the pyramid?” Rodrigo asked nervously, just as the goddess took the young man’s face in her hands.
“I told you I was waiting for you, and this is how you wish to abandon me?” the goddess asked with a lustful look, moving so close to Rodrigo that he preferred to push her away with his hand.
“Excuse me, Miss Teem, but I cannot accept these provocations of yours,” Rodrigo said after moving the goddess away from his gaze.
Teem then burst into laughter and sat again on the mound of bushes.
“Just as they told me, you are a very shy boy, but difficult to persuade,” the goddess said.
The goddess rested her head on her hands and stared at Rodrigo.
“May I at least know your name?” the woman asked with a smile.
“My… name is Rodrigo,” the young tannin replied.
“Rodrigo? What a strange name,” the goddess answered.
“Despite being identical to Quetzalcóatl, you truly do come from the other side of this world,” she said.
“Yes, indeed,” Rodrigo replied.
“Although I do not have time to speak with you. If you will not tell me how to climb the pyramid, I will try from here,” he added.
“Wait, hon,” the goddess interrupted. “Before you climb, I want to tell you why I was waiting for you.”
Rodrigo stopped and looked at the goddess. She then turned to look at the pyramid.
“Do you know the city we are standing in now, hon?” Teem asked.
“I was told it was called Cholollan, and that it was a very important city in ancient times,” Rodrigo replied.
“That is correct, darling,” the goddess answered. “And this pyramid is a temple the Ñuu Savi people built for the god Quetzalcóatl, when he still lived in Puh.”
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“Yes, I was told I must meet this Quetzalcóatl,” Rodrigo replied.
“Before that, do you know why the Feathered Serpent is such an important concept in these lands?” the goddess asked.
Rodrigo fell silent.
“Quetzalcóatl was the Feathered Serpent of this area,” Teem said, “but there are other Feathered Serpents throughout this region.”
The goddess moved away from Rodrigo and turned to look east.
“For example, in the territories of the descendants of this extinct people, he is called Coo Dzahui; and in the territories south of Mayapán, the Feathered Serpent is called Guqumatz,” she said.
“Does that mean there are several Feathered Serpents?” Rodrigo asked.
“Indeed, darling,” the goddess replied. “All of them, together with Quetzalcóatl, were disciples of the Second Feathered Serpent, the lord of Puh. The ancient Bok’ya.”
“Do I have to know the names of the feathered serpents of this land in order to enter?” Rodrigo asked, but the goddess simply ignored his question and continued her story.
“Bok’ya, lord of Puh, and Kukulkán, lord of Mayapán, were both disciples of the First Feathered Serpent: Tsajpootyp,” the goddess said.
“I do not think I will remember those names if they ask me,” the young man replied, embarrassed.
The goddess began to laugh.
“I am not telling you so you memorize them, hon, but so you understand how important the serpent gods have been to these civilizations,” the goddess said, then stood.
“Yes, I understand that,” Rodrigo replied.
“The first great civilization of these lands was created by Tsajpootyp. However, he was not alone, for beside him stood a jaguar god,” the goddess said.
“What is a jaguar?” Rodrigo asked.
“They are large carnivorous felines from this region,” the goddess said, and then summoned one that was roaming among the ruins.
Rodrigo finally recognized the creature that appeared in his dreams. Without a doubt, it was an animal similar or identical to that feline.
The jaguar, detecting that it stood before deities, lay timidly on the ground and lowered its head.
“From your expression, I know this is not the first time you have seen a jaguar,” the goddess said.
“I have seen it in dreams,” Rodrigo replied. “There, one of those animals fights against a feathered serpent dragon.”
“Indeed. Both the First and Second Feathered Serpents relied on their brother, the jaguar, to guide this civilization together,” the goddess said.
“But Quetzalcóatl and Yayauhqui broke that sacred union. That is what your dream is telling you,” she added.
“Then I dream of that because it is a conflict that should not exist?” Rodrigo asked.
“That is correct,” Teem replied. “The foreign gods introduced temptation into Yayauhqui and condemned this nation to lose the sacred union it had always possessed since its creation.”
“So, are you suggesting I must make peace with that king of Tula, Yayauhi or whatever his name is, despite the fact that he attacked us in the past?” Rodrigo asked angrily.
“I am not telling you that because of him,” the goddess said, looking toward the great pyramid.
“That man is waiting for you up there. He was able to enter despite the powerful barrier protecting this temple,” she said.
“The King of Tula is here?” Rodrigo asked angrily.
“This pyramid has a protective barrier that prevents anyone from entering. That is why the last inhabitants of this city could not renovate it,” Teem continued.
“The only person who can enter is the heir of Quetzalcóatl, the Fourth Feathered Serpent… that is, you,” the goddess concluded, touching the young man’s chest with her index finger.
“But if that is true, how was he able to enter, while I was rejected when I tried to fly?” Rodrigo asked, puzzled.
“You must climb the pyramid from the bottom, hon,” the goddess replied.
“As for Yayauhqui, he simply possesses abyssal power and was able to enter,” she explained.
“Then I will climb, but I cannot guarantee that I will make peace with that man,” Rodrigo said angrily.
“My mission was only to tell you this story, hon,” the goddess replied. “The decisions you make as the heir of the Feathered Serpent concern only you.”
At that moment, the goddess looked at Rodrigo with disappointment.
“Besides, I am certain that all these cultures mean absolutely nothing to you because you are a foreigner,” she said, turning her back on him.
“I do not know why Quetzalcóatl named you his heir, someone who feels nothing for these civilizations,” she said sadly.
Rodrigo said nothing and lowered his head as he watched the sensual goddess disappear among the forested ruins of that region.
“Why would Quetzalcóatl name me his successor? It makes no sense,” Rodrigo said to himself, feeling bad for being unable to meet the possible expectations that god had of him.
Rodrigo snapped out of it and tried to push those thoughts from his mind.
“No. I must see Quetzalcóatl first,” he told himself, then ran toward the pyramid.
The small stairs at the lower part of Quetzalcóatl’s temple were completely covered in roots and vines, making them difficult to climb. Rodrigo realized that flying was impossible on the pyramid, so he decided to run up the stairway as best he could.
The upper part of the pyramid had completely lost the reddish color that most structures on that continent possessed. It looked only like a great stone structure. Rodrigo could see dragon heads distributed throughout the building, though several of them were broken and destroyed.
When he finally reached the top, he found Yayauhqui sitting before a large chamber built upon the enormous pyramid. The young man understood that this chamber was Quetzalcóatl’s temple, the place Ehécatl wanted him to reach. But with the former king of Tula blocking the way, he would undoubtedly only be able to pass if he defeated him.
“I knew you would come, Rodrigo. I was waiting for you,” Yayauhqui said, without lifting his gaze to look at him or moving a single muscle.
“Did you come all the way here to defeat me?” Rodrigo asked, confused and angry.
“I have come to seek my brother’s teotonli and assimilate with it, so that I may defeat the foreign god who seized Tollan,” Yayauhqui said, this time raising his head to look at Rodrigo.
“Then Quetzalcóatl’s totema is inside?” Rodrigo asked.
“Indeed. And I knew Ehécatl would bring you here for it,” the Toltec god said as he stood again.
“I suppose you will not let me take it that easily, then,” the young tannin replied angrily.
“Indeed, Rodrigo,” Yayauhqui replied. “You are only a foreign child who wishes to use my brother’s teotonli for selfish reasons.”
“But it is the will of the totemas to assimilate with someone,” Rodrigo replied.
“How do you know your brother will want to assimilate with you?” he asked.
“I do not care if it is a forced assimilation and it costs me my life,” the former Toltec king replied.
Yayauhqui then stood and pointed at Rodrigo with his curved sword.
“Now go and retrieve my brother’s teotonli, or I will personally force you to do so right here,” the Toltec god said furiously.
“I do not intend to follow your orders. So if you stand in my way, I will remove you from it,” Rodrigo replied furiously.
“Do you think you are worthy of my brother’s power merely because of Ehécatl’s whims?” Yayauhqui asked.
“He may have recognized you as my brother’s heir, but I have not. When I requested your aid to confront the foreign threat, you refused me outright, showing how little these lands mattered to you. You are nothing but another selfish foreigner, like that bitch Anat!” the Toltec god shouted furiously.
You must make peace with the jaguar, Rodrigo remembered Teem’s words.
“That will be impossible,” the young man answered himself, continuing to stare defiantly at the former Toltec king.
The sky then began to darken over the ruins of Cholollan. Thunder and lightning appeared in the heavens.
The battle between the Feathered Serpent and the Jaguar had begun.