Was it ever supposed to be me? Was I even supposed to be here? Was I just a placeholder? What am I supposed to do now? Where do I go? But more importantly, if not me then who?

All these and a thousand more questions flood my head as I let the words of my mentor and adoptive father, Zerran, sink in to my thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Lykran, but your not the Chosen One. It was all a mistake. I am so sorry.”

How could they? How could they just lie to me my whole life? From when I was seven years old, I had heard that I was the Chosen One. They practically told me that I wasThat because of the mark on my skin, I had a grand destiny to save the world. To be the hero of legend that vanquished evil from our world. And now — now I was nothing.

Just an ordinary nineteen year old, with an odd mark on their arm in the shape of an eagle. With skills and magic that should have never been mine. That everything I was, could be, and was going to be is actually all for someone else. I punched the wall, the impact cracking the stone.

I roared into the air, let my frustration and anger be heard by all who lived at the Sky Keep, the ancient fortress of the Sky Folk. I sat upon the steps of the grand hall and looked at Zerran, his face a mixture of sorrow and dissatisfaction, as if he had just wasted the better part of his life training the wrong person.

“What now?” I seethed. “Am I just supposed to leave and never come back? Am I even welcome her any more?”

Zerran bolted forward, coming out of his own disillusionment. “Of course you are welcome here! This is your home, and we are your family! That will never change. Whether you are the Chosen One or not.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Zerran. Now that I am not the Chosen One, they’ll just toss me aside like every other washout and wannabe that has come through here. I am nothing…”

“Enough!” Zerran shouted, making me jump. He stormed towards me and grabbed me by the collar, hauling me up to my feet. “Listen and listen well, Lykran because I will not repeat myself. You are not nothing. You have value to me and the others of the Order. And you will always have a place here. Do I make myself clear?”

I stared into his ghost blue eyes and nodded. “Crystal, sir.”

He put me down and brushed me off. “You may not be the Chosen One, Lykran but you will have a part to play in their destiny.”

“Oh really,” I scoffed. “And what part is that?”

He smiled as he spoke. “I’m getting older and I can’t do some of the things I used to. By Ulla, I can barely keep up with you. So the Elders have decided that you will become the mentor to the real Chosen One and I will step down as primary trainer, with you taking my place.”

I smiled back and replied,”I am honoured but no. I don’t think so.” And with that I left the room, leaving my mentor in a state of shock. I didn’t care. I would never accept that position, never.

Because if I get anywhere near the real Chosen One, even just a foot away, I’d kill them and there wouldn’t be anyone under Ulla’s gaze that could stop me from doing it. And who could blame me? After all… who wouldn’t kill the person who had just taken everything from them?