After giving it some thought, Mateo decided that staying home for a month instead of the initial 2 nights wasn't a bad choice, this was of course after he run it by Amber to see her opinion on it.
Unlike some people, he knew that communication was a very important aspect in keeping a relationship alive and peaceful, hence he told her, which also made her mind feel at ease.
Jamila and Aliyah, his aunt and little sister respectively were one of the primary reasons he decided to extend his visit.
He wanted to be present on their birthdays in order to note any changes and also wish them and induct them into the CODE.
To say he was disappointed by their performances would be an understatement.
His sister, Aliyah, apparently decided to walk straight into the miasma after being summoned, an action she regretted barely a second later as she felt the pain of having her DNA being rewritten in real time.
When Mateo asked the reason for this questionable choice, the diva answered,
"I thought it was a special effect fog machine you guys were using to throw me a surprise birthday party."
A dumb thought in Mateo's opinion since no one in the family except maybe their dad would be willing to throw her a surprise party after considering her attitude, especially not at midnight.
Fortunately for her, she was always their dad's favourite child and so she was driven to the mall to go on a shopping spree with her friends as a way to help deal with the trauma and afterwards taken to a high-class restaurant as her birthday gift.
Talk about living the life.
Jamila, Leone's stepmother's trial was a little better, although it paled greatly when compared to Maria's not to even mention Mateo's.
Like Maria, Jamila also chose the spear since to her it was 'just a metal stick'.
Unlike Maria though, she decided to choose the zombie goblins since for her, a pile of walking bones looked creepier and harder to kill than a fleshy body, even though both were equal before death.
She cleared the first room with much struggle and even more screaming, only moving to the second room after waiting a while and noticing no changes.
There, she met her demise at the relentless assault of the undead duo she met, though she managed to take one down with her.
Her death, though slow and painful still ranked last among the four who had taken the trial, simply because the top two spots belonged to Maria and Aliyah irrespectively, and Mateo took the third spot on account of him being bitten, burned alive then having his face chewed off.
An unsettling conclusion that they reached was that one needed to kill an undead before having access to the CODE, Aliyah being the sole basis for this belief since she was the only one who wasn't able to access the CODE despite being summoned as well.
By this time the others had began to get suspicious about the weird meetings and discussions the three of them (Aliyah excluded) were having but it seemed as if some supernatural entity was hindering their ability to understand whatever was being talked about, no matter how many times it was explained to them.
For the others who weren't used to such terminologies, their confusion was warranted, but for Sara(Jamila's daughter, Leone's stepsister) not to understand despite being a connoisseur of the magical and the mystical like Mateo himself was, did not add up.
As for Leone he had gone ghost mode again after travelling overseas doing only God knew what, but everyone was used to it by now.
As long as he came home at least twice a year, they wouldn't send out a search party for him.
Smiling as he thought of his idiot bestfriend who decided that college was too stressful, Mateo couldn't help but wish that July would arrive faster so that he would hear Leone's kill count, and if possible brag about his own score if Leone didn't match up.
"Boss Jacob, we're here", his personal chauffeur, the same one that drove him about earlier in the month called out as they entered the parking lot of Croode's Mighty Dojo, one of the entrances to tonight's underground fights.
"Thank you Tony", Mateo said as he stepped out of the luxury vehicle to the embrace of the cool night air. "Wish me luck."
"I don't believe you need it sir, if anything I'm praying your unlucky opponent won't be too broken after the fight." Tony jested, his light blue eyes having a sparkle that even age couldn't diminish while his fairly wrinkled face lit up with a bright smile.
Smiling at being teased, Mateo excused himself and walked inside the dojo, his trademark sneakers absorbing the sound of his footsteps.
Once inside, the sight of rows upon rows of tired children imitating an instructor welcomed him, and for a brief moment nostalgia flooded his brain.
At one point in his life he was like this, one of the many children who sought to learn karate as a means of self defence although he was present on his own accord and not dragged there like the vast majority whose parents worried about their safety.
In the beginning he struggled since learning something new, especially a martial art was never easy, but with hardwork, dedication, perseverance and time, he transformed from novice to slightly above average.
After a bit more training and time, he was easily able to dominate his peers and go toe to toe with his seniors in the dojo.
After getting his black belt and managing to match his instructor to the point of being equals, he was introduced into the world of underground fights but only after signing an NDA.
To this day, his participation in illegal gambling and fighting rings was something no one, not even Leone nor his family knew as he wanted to keep them from worrying as much as possible.
Shaking off the nostalgia, he continued upon the path until he eventually reached the secret entrance where security was stationed.
Bypassing them to reach his dressing room, he couldn't help but smile when he saw a visitor waiting for him.