Born Evil?

I flop back on my couch with a groan, closing my eyes as I sink into the soft leather. The last five hours of my day had been spent with Sol in the training grounds. Even after sixteen years of training with swords, maces, guns, knives, and a multitude of other weapons and techniques, it’s exhausting. Sol has been training me to fight since I was born. I can’t remember a time when at least three days out of the week wasn’t spent in the courtyard, learning numerous ways to be knocked down. He always says, “It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it's about how many times you can stand back up again.” Obviously, Sol has never spared with himself. It hurts. A lot. But, Mentor insists that I continue to study the art of battle.

I have two hours to rest before I’m scheduled to meet Mentor in the library for lessons. I want to sink deeper into the softness of the couch and let myself fall asleep, but I can’t, there’s too much work to be done and this is the only time I have to do it. I lay there for several more seconds, my brain arguing with itself that missing just one day won’t hurt anything. I squashed that thought. Of course one day will hurt, it will hurt everything.

I hauled myself off the couch and took a quick shower. I dressed in black pants, a pale blue shirt, and my favorite red leather jacket with an image of a silver snake twisted around a sword on the back. Mentor insists that I wear it as much as possible, as it is the symbol of my birthright as-

Nevermind, I have more important things to be thinking about. I locked my door, one of the few precautions that I can employ, before approaching my desk. Behind it was a painting of myself. My light, spiky brown hair and pale skin contrasted to the black throne, making me look ominous. That paired with the serious expression on my normally charismatic face and striking blue eyes, lethal. I reached up and touched the scar that went through my left eyebrow. I had gotten it recently in training and therefore was not on the painting. I was more lean than muscular but the painting took it in a different light.

I stepped behind the desk, my eyes tracing the words written on the bottom so I can always be reminded of the future I am prophesied to bring… 

There shall come a day when The One will be born.

He will set the world aflame in Hellfire.

Only He and His followers shall rise from the ashes.

The words had been burned into my mind at a young age, so young that I could not have possibly understood what it meant at the time. That’s what I’ve been training for, for the day this world will fall at my feet, cast into Hellfire. I’ve never felt quite right about the prophecy. Sometimes, it feels as if I am not The One that it speaks of. I had voiced my concerns to Mentor only once, years ago, and he had told me that he had no doubt about who I am. He said all I need is the right guidance and I will bring about the salvation of my people.

I’ve always been taught that those outside of these walls are trivial to human existence, nothing more than a nuisance to a God like myself and my disciples. Mentor said they are a plight to earth and will one day destroy it completely. I was born to save the earth so my people can live on. For a while, the information that I was doing something good, something right for them, consoled me. Nevertheless, I became curious as to what those outside the walls could have done to earn the wrath of a God such as myself, and so my research began. As far as I could find, they are only advancing their own civilizations. They have electricity, indoor plumbing, and many advanced creations, just as we do.

I took a breath and reminded myself of my small window of time before getting back to work. I carefully lift the large painting, about half the size of me, off the wall and set it on the ground. Behind the painting was a safe that I had installed there myself, not even Mentor knows of its existence. Nothing happens without him knowing about it. Almost nothing. I trust Mentor with my life but this… if he knew, this would change his trust in me. He can’t know. Ever.

I jabbed the combination into the keypad and it gave a quiet click. I opened the metal door, finding everything exactly where I had left it the previous day. I pulled out a single manilla folder with documents that I had been collecting over the years. I’m not sure when I first started, I only know that I have to figure this all out before my eighteenth birthday, the day the world will fall into Hellfire and a new world will rise from its destruction. This is what I have been training for my entire life, what Mentor has been grooming me for… but I cannot bring myself to believe in it.

Could it be possible that this isn’t what I’m meant to do? I don’t want to destroy this world, not before I see it for myself. I’ve never been outside of the castle walls, I’ve never been allowed to. Mentor says it’s too dangerous. I can roam the castle grounds freely, though there are always soldiers to watch me, I can go no farther than the gate. I’ve never once been outside the twelve-foot stone walls that surrounds my castle. I’ve only seen glimpses of the outside from between the metal bars of the gate, a similar forest to the one inside of the fence but it somehow seems… different.

I set the folder on my desk and shuffle through the pages in front of me, all of the information that I have on the outside world. All twenty-five pages of it. It’s not much, most are half blank, but this is what I have and I can’t lose a scrap of it. This is the proof that I don’t--won’t--destroy the world. I used to be so certain, so sure that this is what needed to be done, then I found the book. The book was fiction, it never happened, but someone had written it into reality. I had never thought about who might be outside of the gates. I know that there are humans out there, I know that they vary in age, size, and color, just like the soldiers here. I’ve been so far removed from them, they might as well be on another planet.

I have every document memorized but I go through them anyways. I don’t know what I’m hoping to find, there’s nothing on these papers that would be new to me. Still, there has to be something that will prove that I’m not The One and that I don’t have to hurt the people outside of this castle. I don’t want to take up the Scepter, the powerful relic that was found by Mentor years before I was born. It is one of the last magical items in this world. Magic has been taken over by technology, leaving most unable to wield it. Only The One can wield the Scepter and use it to raze this world in the name of His people.

That’s it.

How did I not see it before?

This is how I can prove to myself that I’m not The One. All I need is the Scepter. I’ve never seen it before, Mentor always says that I’m not yet ready to lay my eyes upon it. Maybe that’s exactly what I need to do. The thought of touching it scares me more than I’ll ever admit, so much that my hands have begun to shake, but it’s my only option. I take a long, calming breath. You cannot succumb to panic, not ever. Gods do not feel fear. Mentor’s words wormed their way out of my memory. He’s right, Gods are not afraid. And yet, I am afraid of touching the Scepter. Maybe I’m not a God after all.

I put the folder back into the safe and lock it tight before replacing the painting and making sure it’s straight. If Mentor saw it was crooked, he would meticulously straighten it and possibly find the safe. I look at my watch, I still have twenty minutes before I’m supposed to meet Mentor in the library. The Scepter rests in the highest tower in the center of my castle, it will take twenty minutes just to reach it. No matter, I’ve delayed it for long enough. This has always been the only way to know what I truly am and I can’t wait another day.

I headed out, finding the same guard outside my door as every day. He immediately stiffens and looks respectfully over my shoulder as I address him. “I'm going to the library early. I have no need for an escort.” He began to protest, as Mentor had ordered him to escort me daily. I would prefer to do anything but sit in that library for hours and read, so Mentor had made certain that I would not be late. Before he could get a word out, I trapped him in my hardest glare, forceful enough that it brought the grown man who was easily twice as muscular as me, to his knees.

“Is there a problem?” I ask, venom in my voice. I would normally talk my way out of it, which was very simple, but I don't have time. If Mentor decides to escort me himself, which he often does, then I need to be gone before he arrives. I looked away from the man when he began shaking. I softened my voice as I said, “You should go to your chambers and rest, you're not needed at the moment. Thank you for watching over me.” I left before he could recover his wits or dignity. As I turn the corner, I can’t help but look back at him. I feel bad about doing that to him. It’s too easy to slip inside of people’s heads and make them dance like marionettes on my strings.

I quickened my step, keeping my head on a swivel as I watched for anyone approaching. I passed two guards and completely ignored them, as always. Nothing must seem out of the ordinary. The guards stopped and bowed their heads as I passed then continued their patrol. I reached the tower easily but I was still on edge. It’s ridiculous, the only person I need to worry about is Mentor and he’s nowhere to be seen, yet I still can’t shake the feeling. Before I could change my mind, I pushed open the wooden door to the tower and started up the stairs. My steps echoed on the stone stairs even though I tried to keep them quiet. The only people that regularly use these stairs are the soldiers when they change guard. I checked my watch again, five minutes until my lessons began and six flights of stairs to climb. I’m going to be late. No matter. If the Scepter does nothing then the lessons are useless anyways.

I pause on the fourth flight, something new occurring to me. If nothing happens when I touch the Scepter… then what? This is my home, this castle, these people, they’re all I’ve ever known. If I’m not The One, will I still live here or will Mentor go searching for the real child of prophecy? Would he abandon me like my parents did when they learned of my fate?

No, Mentor is nothing like them. He trusts me, he cares about me. But, what if…

I shake my head violently. “No!” I shout, my voice echoing off the stone walls. I punched the wall with all my strength, leaving a considerable dent. The pain that reverberated up my arm and the sight of my own blood brought me back to my senses. I can’t think about that right now. I won’t think about that! No matter what happens I have to know! I rush up the stairs, no longer caring about being quiet. The soldier at the top will have heard me shouting anyways. I burst through the wooden door at the top, startling the soldier.

“L-Lord Drake?” he stutters.

“Get out!” I roar, casting my most fearsome look in his direction. He yelped and threw himself back against the wall, dropping the sword that he had drawn in preparation. I raced around the side of the dome and his fear carried him out the door faster than his feet. I’m certain that I heard him shout and trip, rolling down the stairs as a series of groans rose up. I slammed the doors shut to keep out the sound.

Stay calm, I tell myself, trying to calm my panting breaths. You’re here. You're in the tower.

Above all else, you must never show fear and anger. Both are weaknesses, both are cracks in your armor. Patch the cracks. Do it now. Mentor’s strong words were actually calming. Suddenly, I can’t remember why I was so angry or what I had been angry at. I take in my surroundings. The dome was made of soaring stone arches that met at a point far above my head, large glass windows on all four sides let in the light. The sight was breathtaking, a view of my castle that I had never before seen. There’s nothing in the room. I’m… alone.

No, that can't be right. It has to be here, it's never to be moved. The moonlight is what replenishes it’s magic each night. I tripped on something as I started to prowl about the room but quickly found my footing. Looking down, I found a deep groove carved into the cement. Many of them span across the ground. I stepped back, pressing my back to the glass to obtain a better view. A massive symbol was carved into the cement. This symbol… its mine. The serpent curling around a sword. Except for the snake’s eye. A star was carved in its place. I crouched down beside it. Reaching out, I touched the star and-

Click.

I jerked back as the star sank into the stone. The star slid to the side, making room for what rose out of the deep pit in the ground. The Scepter. I stared up at it, marveling at the craftsmanship. It’s as tall as me, made from a single branch of the finest mahogany… it is a branch. It wasn’t carved at all, simply taken from a tree. Three small branches wrap around a smooth, pale white stone, glowing with moonlight. This is the Scepter. It feels… familiar to me, though I’ve never seen it before.

I slowly rise to my feet, taking in every aspect of the majestic object. I feel a pull in my chest that hadn’t been there only moments ago. It’s the Scepter, there’s no doubt in my mind. It’s calling to me. It wants me--needs me--to take it, to wield it. I will. I understand everything now, it all came to in a flash on the back of my eyelids.

I am The One and I will bring salvation to my people through this magical artifact. I will wield it and then I’ll-

A hand locked onto my wrist, jerking me out of the trance. My head snapped up and I was startled to see Mentor standing over me. When did he get here? He had stopped me from touching the Scepter. I hadn’t even realized that I was reaching for it. I try to speak, to ask him why, but my voice won’t work. I’m shaking. I can’t feel my legs. I started to fall and Mentor caught me against his chest. What’s happening to me? I feel as if all of my strength has left my body. Only seconds ago, I felt powerful--all-powerful.

“You're not quite ready for that yet, Drake,” Mentor says softly, drawing me farther away from the Scepter. There was a grinding sound before it sank back into the ground. The star replaced itself as the stone sealed the Scepter away once more. Mentor gently sat me down on the stone floor, sitting beside me to keep me from falling over. I slumped against his side. Why can’t I stop shaking?

“Are you afraid?”

Everything stops. The only sound is my fast-beating heart.

Finally, I stop shaking and find my voice. “No.” I pull away from him, managing to sit up on my own but he still keeps his arm around my shoulders. I look over at the star, so close that I could reach out and touch it. “Is that why you’ve kept it locked up in this tower? You knew what would happen?”

“I did.” After a pause, he asks, “Are you still worried about not being The One?”

I tense. “Y-You knew?”

He smiled. “Of course I knew. Nothing goes on in this castle that I do not know of, including that safe.” I wince. “Are you still doubtful?”

I thought it over, letting the question seep into my mind. “No.” I had never been more sure of anything in my life. “Mentor, why did you pull me away?”

His expression became downturned. “Because it would have killed you. You're not strong enough to control its immense power.”

“But, I will be. Right?” I ask hopefully.

He smiles broadly now. “Yes, you will. On your eighteenth birthday, the world will fall into Hellfire. We will rise, my young lord, with you as our God.”