2

"Miss Hayes!" the man called out in a loud voice. It was clear he had no intention of leaving.

"What do you want now? Look, you've got the wrong person. Whatever selection process you used, do it again. I can't be a hero. If anything, I'd make a great villain."

"The prophet never makes mistakes."

"Maybe this is a first?"

"Never," the man said definitively.

"What's in it for me?" I asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm saying, let's assume I save your homeland. A very distant future, by the way, and something I'll never do willingly, but let's just assume. What's in it for me?"

"You will be honored by the entire nation."

"No thanks."

"You will have your own army."

"I don't need one."

"You will be able to use magic," the man said, clearly trying his last chance to convince me.

"But there will be rules for magic, won't there? Like, say, I want to use magic to break into the Boss's hideout and kill everyone there. Can I do that?"

"You are forbidden from using magic on defenseless people, Miss Hayes."

"Ha! I knew it. Then I can't help you. Get out the way you came."

"You could make a lot of money."

Now you have my attention.

"How much money are we talking about?"

"A lot."

"Mister whatever-your-name-is, I assume you want to take me somewhere, correct?"

"Yes."

"Unfortunately, I can't leave. I owe money to a certain bastard, and if I don't pay, they'll go after my sister. So wherever you came from will have to wait until I settle my debt."

"According to the prophecy, a war will break out within three years. You must be present for that war. We need to start preparing you immediately."

"Look, let me tell you what's going to happen. You go back and report to whoever's in charge. They'll come and pay my debt. Then I'll go with you. Maybe I'll even save your kingdom. Maybe. Because I'm sure you've got the wrong person. But if you try to take me away by force—especially without clearing my debt first—I swear to God, I will become the biggest war your kingdom has ever seen! Now, get out!" I yelled, driving them away. If I disappeared without paying my debt, the Boss would definitely do something to Dani. That was the last thing I wanted.

For the next two days, nothing happened. I didn't dwell on it. I mean, this could happen to anyone, right? Anyone could be chosen.

"The Boss wants to see you," Wyatt said. He never liked me. Then again, I didn't like anyone. The feeling was mutual. But why was the Boss calling for me in broad daylight?

I followed Wyatt outside. He led me toward a car with tinted windows. When he opened the back door, I got in. The ride was short, and we soon arrived at our destination.

Wyatt directed me toward a warehouse, and I followed him with my hands in my pockets. I had stopped being afraid of the Boss long ago. He was just another part of my life—mundane, like everything else.

"My beautiful Rachel," the Boss greeted me. As always, I met his gaze with pure disgust.

"What do you want?" I asked, taking a seat.

"Bring them in," he ordered. Two men were dragged in, their arms held by guards. They were the same men who had tried to take me two days ago.

"These gentlemen want to pay your debt. But I don't trust them. And I'm curious—how did you manage to find this much money? Tell me, my beautiful Rachel, who did you sell yourself to?"

"You son of a bitch," I spat at him.

"You always make your feelings so clear," he said with a chuckle.

"Take the money and get out of my life."

"Not happening. We still have a lot of work to do together."

I should've known. He never planned on letting me go. He wanted to use my unpaid debt to trap me forever.

"Kill them and dump their bodies somewhere," he ordered. My anger surged. Not because I cared about those men, but because my debt was about to be cleared for free, and the Boss refused to accept it. I didn't have much pride, but if these guys wanted to pay my debt, I was happy to let them.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent even as my anger grew. If the Boss noticed my temper, he would use Dani against me again.

"I want you to work for me, sweetheart. You're brave, beautiful, the kind of girl every man dreams of having under him. I still remember how you didn't even blink when someone died in front of you. You're not normal, Rachel, and I love that. So, if you don't want anything to happen to your dear little sister, you'll keep working for me."

"Would you just die already? Seriously, just drop dead," I said, rolling my eyes. He was trying to turn me into a killer. He had made this offer a hundred times before. If I were to kill someone, I'd start with him.

"Alright, this has gone too far. I was holding onto you because of your debt, but now I see someone else is willing to pay it. That means I can't use money as an excuse anymore. Let me put it this way: either you do as I say, or your little sister comes to stay here with us. She's grown up so much, hasn't she? She's following in your footsteps. She'll be beautiful when she grows up. Maybe she'll do what you refuse to do. What do you think?"

He had crossed the line. And my rage exploded.

"Shut up," I said, my voice cold as ice.

A few minutes passed, and he still hadn't spoken. Something was off.

"Wait a second. Are you not talking because I told you to shut up?" His face was burning with fury as he nodded.

"Speak," I ordered.

"What did you do to me?!" he yelled instantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't talk!"

"Well, duh. If you could, I would've heard you, dumbass. The real issue here is that you actually went silent when I told you to. Let's test something."

"Raise your right arm."

To my shock, his right arm lifted into the air.

I glanced at the men holding the two captives, looking for an explanation, but they were just as stunned as I was.

"Since I can make you do anything I want right now, talk. Tell me everything you've been hiding from me, everything you know about me." My voice was sharp and commanding. I hadn't even realized I was giving an order.

"You've paid off your debt a long time ago," he said, shocking me once again. I had barely managed to pay sixty-five thousand.

"What do you mean?"

"Your debt was only twenty thousand."

As my anger flared, I thought about how the last three years of my life had been ruined. I didn't have to drop out of high school. I could have lived with Dani.

"I lied to you so you'd always work for me. I tampered with the contracts and kept you in a debt you could never repay. Even if you had managed to pay it, I would have claimed there was an additional interest fee, forcing you to stay." The Boss spoke as if he were offering me a sweet deal.

"I'm glad I found out. Go to your safe and return the extra money I've paid. Now!" I shouted.

Without hesitation, he walked to his safe and placed forty-five thousand dollars in front of me.

"You never met anyone named Daniella. You will forget everything about Daniella. I never had a sister. Do you understand?"

"Who is Daniella?" he replied blankly.

"Now, I'm going to walk out that door, and the moment I do, you will kill those two men over there. After that, within two days, you will kill every single one of your men one by one. And when you are the last one left, you will go to the police and confess everything. If you don't receive a life sentence, you will kill yourself."

He stared at me without saying a word.

"You will forget me as well. Right now. Forget everything about me, everything I did to you."

I looked into his eyes and asked, "Who am I?"

"Who are you?" he responded immediately.

I was sure this wasn't some kind of trick. The Boss loved money—there was no way he would just hand me forty-five thousand dollars. Which meant he truly was doing whatever I commanded.

"Let's go," I said to the men, walking away.

The moment the door closed behind us, two gunshots echoed from inside.

The Boss never wasted his men without a reason. Which meant he had really followed my order. Still, I wasn't entirely sure, so I turned back and cracked the door open slightly.

The Boss was counting the money in his safe. He hadn't even noticed me. The bodies of the two men lay on the floor. Satisfied, I stepped away.

"We need to report this. You need to come with us," one of the men said.

"Report what?"

"You used your power on a defenseless person."

"Defenseless?" I raised an eyebrow. "That man enslaved me for three years over a nonexistent debt. And anyway, I have no interest in being your hero. Let's go report this to whoever needs to hear it. I hope they exile me from your kingdom forever."

I returned to the veterinary clinic, stuffing the bundles of cash into my backpack. I didn't like being followed with every step, but if I didn't go with them, they would just keep chasing me. I had just escaped from one Boss; I didn't need another. For now, I would let them take me.

I quit my job without saying a word and left. Even on the metro ride home, they didn't leave my side. After packing a few belongings into a small bag, I left my apartment—without even paying my water bill. One last stop remained.

I nervously knocked on the door of Dani's home. She should have been at school.

"Rachel?" Mrs. Adams said, surprised to see me.

"Hi. Dani's not home, right?"

"No, she's at school. Come in."

I stepped inside and sat on the couch in the living room.

"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Adams asked.

After setting aside a small portion of the money for myself, I placed the rest in front of her.

"This is for Dani. I don't know when I'll see her again. It's everything I've saved up until now. Please buy her whatever she wants with it."

"Rachel, neither Daniella nor we need money. You know you're always welcome to stay here. Daniella told me she remembers you. She needs you."

"I know. It's just... not now. I just got her out of one mess; I can't drag her into another. I have to go. I don't know when I'll be back, but please take care of Dani. If anything happens, you can reach me at this number." I handed her a piece of paper with the new phone number I had bought on my way there.

"Where are you going, Rachel?"

"I'll be back," I said, standing up. Dani would be home from school soon. I didn't want her to see me.

Without saying goodbye, I walked out. I had stopped saying goodbyes when I sent Dani away. Goodbyes weren't for me.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to the men who had been following me.

"So, where are we going?" They looked at me in surprise. I guess they hadn't expected me to come willingly.

"This way," one of them said, leading the way.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"To Dohélia."

"What?" I frowned.

"Dohélia is an island. A magically protected island. It's our homeland, which is why it cannot be found on any map."

"Is it completely surrounded by water, or is there a land connection?" I asked with a clear purpose—if things got difficult, I needed a way to escape.

"It's entirely an island."

That was bad. It meant I wouldn't be able to escape easily.

Thanks to my abandoned teenage years, I had read plenty of fantasy books. At first, I had started reading them because I realized my senses were different from other people's. These books might have been fictional, but there was no way everyone had such vivid imaginations. Somewhere in their stories, there had to be a trace of truth. So, I had always looked for clues, but all I ever found were werewolves and vampires. I didn't transform under a full moon, and I had no desire to drink blood, so I had ruled out those options a long time ago.

Now, I was right in the middle of a full-blown fantasy scenario. I had heard of "chosen ones" in books before. But for some reason, all the chosen girls were always my opposite—pure, kind-hearted, angelic. The list went on. Meanwhile, I was practically competing with the devil himself in wickedness. Clearly, there had been a mistake.

As I continued this self-deception, we arrived at the airport, where I realized they had been telling the truth.

When we boarded a private jet, my eyes widened. Just how rich were these people? More importantly, what exactly did they want from me?

And the biggest question of all—what was I?

I kept glancing at my watch, torturing myself by wondering how much longer we'd be flying. We had been in the air for about six hours, and for someone who had never been on a plane before, this was absolute torment. I wasn't afraid of the plane crashing, and I certainly wasn't afraid of dying. The only problem was that I was bored.

I could feel the jet slowing down. When it suddenly shook violently, I couldn't stop my stomach from churning. The man beside me, unprompted, decided to explain.

"We just passed through the protective barrier. That's why it shook."

I acted like I didn't care—because I really didn't.

With another slight jolt, the jet landed. Our seven-hour journey was finally over. If I tried to escape, I wondered how far I could actually get.

As we disembarked, we arrived at what looked like a miniature airport. There were about five other jets neatly lined up. Once we stepped out of the small airport, I felt like we had traveled centuries into the past. The buildings looked old; none were taller than three stories. When I saw a horse waiting for me, I wasn't surprised. Cars wouldn't have suited this place. It was better this way—it was beautiful, more picturesque. As much as I hated people, I loved nature and animals just as much. I also appreciated ancient architecture. An old friend, Betty, used to tease me about it all the time. She would always say I was born in the wrong era. Yes, I had a friend once. That was before my mother died and my stepfather drowned in gambling debt. She was my first disappointment. After that, I stopped dreaming.

I approached the horse. My grandfather had owned a farm before he passed away. When I was little, we used to visit in the summers, and the moment he saw my fascination with the horses, he made it his mission to teach me how to ride. That was the best time of my life—until I turned eleven. That year, my mother remarried, my grandfather died, and everything started going downhill.

I reached out and stroked the horse's head. If you approached animals with love, they would return it. That was one of the few truths I had learned in my nineteen years of life. After calming the horse, I climbed onto its back. I liked the feeling of looking down on everything. It was the same reason I often climbed to the rooftops of buildings to watch the people below me shrink into nothing more than ants. The wind would always blow lightly, and I loved it. When I was away from people, I was actually a very loving "person."

Two men rode ahead while I followed. After about half an hour, we arrived at a structure that resembled a castle. At the entrance, two guards waited. We handed them the horses and began walking. I watched my surroundings with growing admiration. There were trees everywhere. It felt untouched by humans—an ideal place for me to live.

"This is the school," the man beside me said. "Everyone is currently in class."

As my newfound appreciation faded, I frowned. It was only beautiful when it was empty.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the head of the school."

"The principal?"

"You could call them that."

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. The moment we stepped inside the building, I was captivated by its artistic architecture. The designs on the ceiling and walls were mesmerizing. If I had stayed in school, I probably would have become an archaeologist.

Something felt different here. Since we arrived, I had felt... off. An unfamiliar emotion stirred inside me—belonging. It was as if I was meant to be here. As if this place was my home. It was ridiculous, but I liked it. If they had brought me to a futuristic city filled with modern technology and towering buildings, I would have already been figuring out how to hijack the jet and escape.

We climbed to the top floor of the five-story building. After walking down a long corridor, we stopped in front of a door. It was adorned with intricate patterns like the rest of the building. They knocked and waited for a response.

A woman's voice from inside invited us in. The moment I stepped inside, the two men who had brought me looked relieved to have completed their task. "We need to report back," they said, eager to put as much distance between themselves and me as possible. I, on the other hand, chose a chair and sat down.

"Welcome," the woman greeted me with a smile. I stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Not very talkative, are we?" she said, smiling again. I only rolled my eyes and spoke.

"Can we get to the point? Why am I here?"

"Didn't they explain?"

"Apparently, I'm some 'chosen one' they had to bring here. But they didn't give me any real answers. Based on what was I chosen? What am I?"

"Let's start with the island itself," she said with a sigh. I had a way of exhausting people in mere seconds.

"This is Dohélia. The birthplace of magic. The energy here is pure, which is why our magical abilities are at their strongest on this island. Of course, we can still use magic anywhere in the world, but it won't be as potent as it is here. Dohélia came into existence about 823 years ago. At first, the people who lived here learned to use magic. They trained generations of mages. Over time, they gathered those with special abilities and taught them here. Eventually, the island divided into separate nations. Wars broke out between them, but that wasn't the biggest problem."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Elsewhere in the world, people began practicing dark magic. They tried to raise the dead, cast spells on demons—people whose only goal was destruction, those who sought to harm humanity. When word of this spread, a prophecy was revealed to the seer of that time. In response, the divided nations of Dohélia signed a peace treaty. Knowing that conflicts might arise again, they entrusted the majority of authority to the nation we are in now—Sorden. It was the largest landmass, and its king was known for his fairness."

I wanted to tell her to get to the point. If there was one thing I gathered from this long-winded explanation, it was that they had definitely chosen the wrong person.

Because, unfortunately for them, I was the kind of person who wanted all of humanity to disappear.