The Faes (3)

Shawn POV

That elder then turned to me and flew close to me.

"My brother isn't some sort of secret half-angel or half-fairy child, is he?" Perseus asked, "Because if he is, I'm about to sell his organs. If he's the son of royalty, even better, I'm about to use his inheritance."

Dude, what the hell?! Why are you so weird?!

"No, but I do sense traces of our magic on him." the elder replied, "What's your name, son?"

"Uh, Shawn. Shawn Silver."

"I see, Shawn, have you ever talked with your current parents of your own origin?"

"Current parents?"

"You were given to a fairy somewhere, I can still sense the traces on you."

"What do you mean? If it's about my current parent, he is completely human, if he was a fairy or something special, I'm sure that I'll know."

"Some of our ancestors and some of our relatives far away...well, we would refer to you as a changeling."

"A changeling?" Perseus repeated and got this look that only I recognize, "I remember watching a video about it once..."

"Uh, bro, you know what that means?"

"Well, some parents throughout time...they will have their children stolen by our kind." the elder explained, "And the child that took their place...that's what we called a changeling. Usually, they would have a distinct physical feature to differentiate them from the original.

"You don't seem to have any of the distinguishable features, and this is your real look, but that's because we faes are more clever and fluent in creating changelings, you would resemble the original, but I am more than sure that your 'parents' didn't feel any bond with you before leaving you in the forest in exchange for their real child back.

"And the fates of the changelings are dependent on the region they're from, their fates can range from the fairies giving the child back and leaving you abandoned in the forest to die or taking you back, but for you...you were abandoned, so how you survived is a mystery.

"There's a reason why the changeling usually dies when they're younger, either you would be killed by the fairies themselves or by local predators as their scent is very attractive to predators, and rarely would you survive."

"You're saying that I'm not human?" I asked while he was flying around my body to closely observe it.

"Well, you were made to replicate humans, and since our magic has evolved, I can see that you are no different from an average human, you can easily identify yourself as one." he answered, "You don't have to worry too much, but if I were you, I would try to find the original, you wouldn't want to meet him unexpectedly because it would be harder to control your malice if you feel threatened.

"It can also be the other way round, meet the original and talk with him, seek peace, and once you're sure that none of you are threatened by the other's existence, only then can you live in peace. You've probably lived normally until now, but even you would sometimes feel some feeling of unease and unrest dwelling within your body."

I've always felt a bit out of place, but being a changeling? That's something out of fairy tales. But what if it's true? What if I've been living a lie all this time?

I've always had this nagging feeling of unease, like I never quite belonged. But I attributed it to my own insecurities, my own doubts. I never considered that it could be something deeper, something tied to my very identity. And now, faced with the possibility, it's hard to ignore.

But still...I'm normal, aren't I? Is that why I'm more talented that a lot of people around my own age?

But if I am a changeling, where are my powers? Where are the signs that I'm not human? I don't believe in perfect copies...I don't possess any unusual strength or magical abilities. I can't shapeshift or cast fancy enchantments. I'm just... me. A regular person.

Maybe that's the most unsettling part of it all. To think that I could be a perfect human copy, so flawlessly disguised as one of them. The thought sends shivers down my spine. How could I have fooled everyone, including myself, for so long? What about dad?

Does he know? Mom? Was I the only one...? No, My brother doesn't know, so how...

If I'm not a changeling, then what is this feeling? This constant sense of not quite fitting in, of being on the outside looking in, I've always attributed it to the fact that I'm an adopted child.

Is it simply a part of who I am? A product of my own insecurities? Or is there something deeper at play, something I've yet to uncover?\Maybe I'm having all these feelings only because it's being told to me.

One thing's for sure, If I really am this fake clone thing, I can't let this revelation consume me.

I need to find the truth, to uncover the secrets of my own identity. Whether I'm a changeling or not, I owe it to myself to explore this path, to embrace who I truly am, even if it means facing uncomfortable truths along the way.

With that conclusion, I took several deep breaths and calmed myself down.

"You okay?" Perseus asked

"Yeah, just a bit shocked...that's all."

"Alright, know that I'll be there with you when you go to confront the copy who's going to be not as smart and handsome as you. Elder, may we go to your village now so that we can let my friends have some rest, my brother may also need some time for it to fully set in as well."

"Of course, blessed one, as you wish." the elder then bowed to all of us before leaving with Perseus.

"I'm just getting more and more bombshells after the other." the prof said, "But let's not focus on that too much kid, you're you, you're not a replacement, and your smarts and skills are not created by anyone, you've achieved all of it on your own, don't worry too much, your family loves you just the way you are."

"You're much nicer to me than my brother."