A fog-like haze covered the room like a dreary smoke.

Edge coughed. As she walked through the enormous library, clouds of dust trailed behind her. This wasn’t like most libraries, warm and comforting places you would want to spend rainy evenings in with a hot cup of coffee and a woollen sweater. Rather, it was freezing and dusty, almost like an abandoned warehouse. The shelves were beaten and stained, the covers of many books practically falling off. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. The lights flickered, emitting only the faintest spark of life.

It was a sad, miserable place that would make anybody feel completely and utterly alone.

Yet somehow, this was the only place that Edge wanted to be in.

She strolled aimlessly through the aisles, body loose and careless, swaying with each pitiful step. Her dragon, Echo, trailed behind her, footsteps heavy and clumsy. Edge’s eyes wandered between words, not even bothering to read them. At least here she had the opportunity to focus on her thoughts without the intrusion of others. Her mind buzzed with choices. Choices that would affect her. Always.

The more she thought about it, the more tempting Aldric’s offer seemed. All she had to do was turn down Rose, who was proposing that she risk her life for a world she didn’t know and people she could never trust or belong to. He would bring her back home. To her mother, to her house, to her life.

But it could never be that simple, because what did she actually have back home? She barely even had a family. Just a single, broken mother who bore more responsibilities than her shoulders could ever hold. She didn’t belong there. The thoughts were too loud, the stares too deep, and the shadows too light.

Maybe that was just it. Maybe Edge didn’t belong anywhere after all.

Sinking into a worn-down seat, she closed her eyes and grounded herself, focusing on the rough wooden seat and the heavy air entering her lungs. The shadows crept closer, and she let them crawl over her pale skin, grateful for the distraction they offered. She sat there for a while, weighing choices and outcomes, trying to decide which path to take. It seemed that both paths would just make her more lost and disoriented than she already was.

Taking a much-needed break from her thoughts, Edge tried to focus on the shadows crawling in her mind. As she focused on them, she noticed subtle whispers ticking through her ear. They grew louder as the seconds ticked by, until she finally heard their slithery message.

Table. It holds kit. It’s there. Read it. You will know.

Her eyes unconsciously scanned the room. There were at least ten tables scattered throughout the enormous space, each varying in size and shape. One, however, caught her eye. The shadows gathered around it, like the ring around an old coffee mug stain. Taking a deep, settling breath, Edge pushed herself into a standing position and slowly headed towards the table on the other side of the room. It was round and moderately small, at least for the castle. Like everything else, the table was old and worn down, with chips in the wood running all down the legs. The surface was rough, like someone had carved it from an old oak tree by hand. Which, to be fair, it probably was.

On top of the table, just like the shadows had promised, was a faded scroll. It was curled up and had a light brown colour to it, remnants of what was most likely crystal white. Edge’s fingers trembled as she reached out and held it delicately in her fingers. Something about it seemed to emit both a sense of dread and discovery.

Echo nudged her, reminding her of his presence. She sighed, placing a hand on his scaly head. “Okay, buddy. I’ll try.”

Her twitching fingers eventually managed to unroll the piece of paper. She never used to get scared. The idea of ‘scared’ wasn’t even something she considered to be a part of her. But that all changed the moment she came to this place, Paz. And now, more than ever, things were starting to become real. It was silly, really, to be scared of a crumbling piece of scroll. Yet, at the same time, it was one of the more reasonable things to have happened lately.

Mustering up the courage, Edge finally started to read the old parchment. The ink was curvy, almost unreadable, and you could see distinct drips where the ink had spilled. At the top was a small note written by the author.

This is the recording of the vision I, Marthania Paz, have seen. Even when I pass on, I wish for the true version of this to be recorded. People are scared. Scared that what I saw might even be a glimpse of truth. And that is why they detest me and call my words folly. I just hope that whoever lays eyes on this scroll next will believe that I speak only truth. Dark days are coming.

Edge swallowed a lump from her throat before continuing to the actual text.

The day is coming when an evil will rise. It will strive to take the world for itself, devouring everything, sector by sector, to claim it. Wars will be fought. Lives will be lost by the thousand. Unspeakable deeds will come upon those who are good. But all hope is not lost. Four souls will rise out of the mortal world and come into ours. They will learn our ways, gain our trust, and acquire a power strong enough to combat the rising evil. Still, be warned. There will be one. One who will derail the ways of the others and prove an enemy stronger than the original. If they continue on that path, the others will be defeated, and the world will be lost.

Heed this warning, people of Paz, and prepare yourselves for the coming war.

These are the words of one of the descendants of Paz’s founders. Dated 770 BC.

Edge reread the scroll. Then read it again. To her disappointment, it was the same thing each time. The same thing that confirmed the awful thought crawling around her head ever since Rose told her about this very same prophecy. And she wasn’t lying. There really were only supposed to be four of them, not five.

As much of a crushing blow as that was, there was something even worse, which Rose conveniently left out. ‘One who will derail the ways of the others and prove an enemy stronger than the original’. Who could that be?

Well, actually, Edge had a pretty strong suspicion that she knew exactly who it was. And that thought felt like her whole body had fallen from a five-story building. Her stomach churned with the crushing weight.

“Edge! There you are!” A voice cut through the desolation of the library, making Edge jump and immediately drop the scroll underneath the table.

“She’s in here, guys!” Kilah shouted again, beckoning the rest of the group in. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but we were looking all over the castle for you after you stormed out this morning.”

Kalmar and Elias immediately appeared behind Kilah, though Liora remained noticeably absent.

“Are you okay?” Kalmar asked, then chewed his lip. “I know I’m asking that a lot, but…you really don’t seem okay, you know?”

“We don’t care if something’s wrong, Edge. Just tell us. Please?” Elias said, eyes desperate.

“I was just thinking. By myself. Aren’t I allowed to be? Or is there a rule against that somewhere?” Edge retorted, not even bothering to keep the sharp tone out of her voice. She just didn’t have the energy to pretend anymore.

Kilah flinched at the sharp tone. “We were trying to make sure you were okay. Don’t do that to us, Edge.”

Edge’s fists clenched. “Drop it, Kilah.”

“That’s not fair!” Kilah stepped closer, breath trembling in controlled rage. Echo stepped beside Edge, growing uncomfortable with the tension in the room. “You’re not the only one who’s freaked out by this. l I have a life too; we all do! I don’t want to do this either. If it were up to me, I’d be back home by now, where everything is normal. So, no, Edge. I do understand. It’s you who needs to stop shutting us out and realize that we’re hurting too.”

A tense silence filled the space.

“Get out. All of you.” Edge fought to keep the shadows at bay. She didn’t want to hurt her friends. But the shadows did.

“Come on, Edge. You can’t keep—” Kalmar tried to mediate, but was quickly interrupted by Edge.

Edge pushed past them and headed for the door, giving Echo a subtle nod. He growled, guarding the doorway as she passed. “Don’t tell me what I can’t keep doing.”

“Edge!”

Kalmar tried to push past Echo, but he snapped his teeth and unfolded his wings. Edge didn’t even regret setting her dragon on her supposed ‘teammates’. Not that he would ever actually hurt them; she knew that.

Wandering through the halls, Edge’s mind was a chaotic storm. That one line, ‘one who will derail the others…’ kept echoing in her head like an annoying phone ringer. How could it be possible that she was the villain in this story? That would mean everyone’s suspicions of her would be true. She really was just a freak. No, more than that.

She was the monster.

Before she realized it, her feat had carried her back to the hidden room on the top floor. Walking into the magical room, it felt much darker than before. The morning sun had dimmed, the quiet aspect had turned into a feeling of dread instead, and, oddly, having it void of people made everything feel so lifeless.

Collapsing onto a mattress in the corner, Edge stared up at the wall. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to escape the rising panic, but there was no escape from it. Because how could she escape destiny written in 770 BC?

The door creaked open twenty minutes later.

“I come in peace,” Kalmar said, holding his hands up in the sign of surrender. Edge rolled over onto her side so she didn’t have to look at him. But he walked closer anyway. His next words lacked their usual quirkiness, and instead were soft and warm. “We weren’t trying to push you. It’s just…we’re scared too. And we don’t have magic or dragons to protect us. So, when the strongest of our team goes down like this, what does that mean for us?”

Edge didn’t respond, just kept her gaze fixed on the wall.

“I know nobody wants to admit this, especially not Kilah, but we need you. It’s just hard for her because she wants to be the strongest, you know? And Liora…well, she’s just Liora. She’s out in the courtyard trying to make a decision. We all want to help Rose, but to be honest? It’s terrifying.”

Edge sighed, forcing her mouth to move before she lost her nerve. “Is Echo okay?”

Somehow, Kalmar knew exactly what she meant.

“They’re all fine. Once you left, Echo stayed for a few more minutes, then left too. I don’t know where. Kilah and Elias are back in the dining room.”

She nodded.

“Well, anyway, that’s it. I just hope you know that you don’t have to do this alone, okay?”

No response. Edge didn’t have the guts to tell him that no, they couldn’t do this together. That, no matter what, she would always be isolated. She had to be. To protect others. To protect herself.

“Okay, so…I’ll leave you alone now. I hope you decide to accept Rose’s offer. I don’t think we can do it without you. And that’s not me being cheesy or anything…it’s just the truth.”

Edge heard his footsteps wandering away, and then she was alone. As the room slowly dimmed into twilight, she felt the darkness hug her like a familiar friend. Echo eventually wandered into the room, curling down on the floor beside Edge’s mattress. His wing covered Edge’s body, reminding her of his presence. She curled up against the scars, feeling the subtle movements as he breathed.

As her eyelids grew heavy, Aldric’s voice floated through her mind like smoke.

Accept my offer. Go back home, where you belong.

Closing her eyes, Edge let the darkness swallow her whole.