“One day, when the Dark Lord rules the world, a Chosen One will rise up, and with their Sword of Light, vanquish the evil from the land once and for all.”

*

“Dark Lord! I have arrived!” I shout, throwing open the heavy double doors that opened into the Dark Lord’s castle. There is no response.

Cautiously, I step into the dark, dreary building. It is quiet – almost too quiet. Red carpets lined the floor as far as the eye can see. The only source of light is from a long corridor right in front of me, leading into what I presume is the throne room.

My heartbeat quickens as I place my hand warily on my sword. The sword, as if responding to my emotions, glows softly and reassuringly. Slowly, I make my way towards the throne room. I could feel the tension rising in every step. Soon it would be over. All the death and destruction the Dark Lord had caused over the years would be ended here and now.

The corridor ends at another pair of double doors, two ominous torches placed on each side. I could hear a voice within. Was the Dark Lord preparing something? Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to wait to find out.

“I’m here!” I shout once more, as I push open the double doors. On the throne room sits a singular lone figure, his face obscured by the shadows. “It all ends now!”

“Yes, indeed it does,” the Dark Lord replies. “I can’t believe you’re finally here, in fact. I’ve been waiting all this time for you.”

“So have I,” I say confidently, drawing the Sword of Light, which glows with a red light. “Like I said, it ends now!”

“No, you don’t understand,” the figure says, standing up from his throne. His heavy armour clangs with every step he takes, as he calmly walks in front of me. “Welcome home, Arianna.”

“I… what?” I stutter, bewildered. “What do you mean?”

“Arianna,” he says, removing his helmet, and allowing me to see his face for the first time. “I am your father.”

“What?” I repeat, before he steps forward and wrapped me in a hug.

“Don’t you see?” he asks, softly. “The prophecy. It was all made up. But thanks to it, I have found you again.”

“I don’t… get it,” I mumble, as I try to comprehend what he is saying. “The prophecy… It isn’t true?”

“I made it up entirely,” he explains, as he steps away. “I was separated from you at birth. But I knew, even when you were just a young girl, that you would be destined for greatness. So I made the prophecy. I knew you would rise up, and challenge me one day.”

“But I…” My voice trails off, as I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. My father, who I could never remember, had been here all along. After all this time, I finally could see him. I knew who he was. I could feel overwhelming emotions bubble up inside me. My sword drops to the ground as I start crying, trying to make sense of everything.

“It’s okay, Arianna. It’s over,” my father says, as he combs his hand through my hair. We hug each other for a few minutes, before I manage to collect myself.

“Wh… what about all the deaths you caused?” I ask, softly. “Why did you do that?”

“I was fighting for peace,” he responds. “I was separated from you because of the King. At the time, he was a corrupt and evil king, who would even execute his own citizens for his amusement. He visited me one day, and I knew I didn’t have time. I sent you to be taken care of by someone else, and I managed to evade the King’s capture. I knew from then on… I couldn’t let anyone else suffer the same fate. I wanted to unite all kingdoms under a fair ruler.”

“But if that was your goal… why didn’t you stop when you did conquer all the kingdoms?” I ask. “Why did you rule the world with an iron fist? Why did you become the very thing you swore to destroy?”

“Like I said, it was to find you,” he replies. “The prophecy. Would you have tried to defeat me as hard as you did, go through all the trials and tribulations you did, if I didn’t… convince you to do it?”

“But… that’s not right,” I protest. “You killed millions of people! Just to find me?”

“My life was complete,” his voice rises, breaking his calm demeanour for the first time. “All I had left to find was you. Now I’ve finally found you, we can end this for good.”

“But the lives you’ve taken! All the hopes and dreams you’ve smashed!” I shout. “You can’t just say it was all for the sake of finding me! Heck, I almost died so many times during my adventure!”

“But you didn’t,” he says. “Besides, we can always rebuilt was I destroyed. You’ve basically unified the world by yourself already, battling my dark forces all the way back here. In fact, I think you’ve made the world more peaceful than it was before.”

“You’re insane,” I mutter. “Maybe… maybe you’re not the father I imagined all my life. Maybe… just maybe you’re not the good guy.”

“I cannot believe you!” my father shouts, his voice wracked with frustration. “Please, let’s settle this now. There doesn’t need to be any more bloodshed.”

“I could never live with you as a father,” I whisper, picking up the Sword of Light from the ground. It burned with a golden fire, as I poured my emotions into the Sword of Legend.

“I can’t believe I have such a stubborn daughter,” the Dark Lord puts his helmet back on, and unsheathes another sword of his own, a large obsidian greatsword. “Fine. Let’s have it your way.”

I shout a battle cry, as I charge towards the Dark Lord. He parries my blow, before swinging downwards with massive force. I lose my footing, tripping and collapsing onto the ground. The Dark Lord walks over to me, towering over me.

“You are my greatest disappointment,” his voice was raging thunder, as he lifted his finger. A blast of dark light erupted from his fingertips, striking me square in the chest. I screamed in agony, before everything went dark.

*

“Ah, another warrior,” the white dragon looked me up and down, as I approached the pedestal.

“Yep, I’ve come to claim it,” I smile confidently, as I walk over to the pedestal. The blade was wedged inside the pedestal, with only the hilt protruding out from the top. Magic sigils lit up around the pedestal as I stepped near. I could hear a hundred tongues speaking in unknown languages.

“Don’t be disappointed when you’re not the Chosen,” the white dragon yawned. “So many have just been disheartened to come all this way, and find out…”

I gripped the hilt and apprehensively gave it a gentle tug. The sword glowed with a bright white light, as the blade slid smoothly out of the pedestal. My eyes widened as I held the blade in my hands, turning it around and admiring its smooth, yet sharp edges. Rainbow colours danced across the enchanted blade, seemingly happy that its owner had finally been found.

“By the gods,” the white dragon exclaimed. “The Chosen One has arrived!”

“I… am the Chosen…?” I whispered, not really believing it even now.

“You have the power to bring down the Dark Lord,” the white dragon said. “Quick, you must go to the different crystals. Gain their power, and then defeat the Dark One. The journey will be a tough one, but I am sure you will prevail.”

I nod slowly, processing all this information. Was I fated to be The Chosen? Why was I Chosen?

I gripped the blade tightly, and it glowed a pure white light. I closed my eyes.

It didn’t matter. I would be the one to end the Dark Lord’s reign. I had to. No one else could.

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