Chapter 1
The prophecy was supposed to be an honor.
At least, that’s what everyone kept telling Aurelia.
The Elders said it.
The priests said it.
The servants whispered it whenever they thought she couldn’t hear.
Even complete strangers bowed their heads when she passed, as though being chosen by fate was the greatest gift the gods could bestow.
Aurelia hated every second of it.
Because none of them had to live with it.
None of them woke up in the middle of the night wondering whether they were strong enough.
None of them felt the crushing pressure of thousands of expectations pressing down on their shoulders every waking moment.
And none of them were expected to become the Bearer of the Crystal of Healing and Death.
She stood on the balcony of the Moon Palace, gripping the stone railing tightly.
Below her stretched the shining city of Nythera.
Silver towers rose toward the stars.
Moonlight reflected from crystal bridges.
The sacred river flowed through the city like liquid silver.
It should have been beautiful.
It should have made her feel proud.
Instead, it felt like a cage.
Everywhere she looked, she saw reminders of what she was supposed to become.
Not Aurelia.
Not a daughter.
Not a sister.
Not a person.
A symbol.
A future.
A weapon.
The future Bearer.
The title followed her everywhere.
She hated it.
A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
“There you are.”
Aurelia didn’t turn around.
She already knew who it was.
Her sister.
Elara.
The one person who used to understand her.
The one person who no longer seemed capable of seeing anything except the prophecy.
“What do you want?” Aurelia asked.
Elara sighed.
“You missed training again.”
Aurelia rolled her eyes.
“There it is.”
“There what is?”
“The lecture.”
“I’m not giving you a lecture.”
“You always give me a lecture.”
Elara stepped onto the balcony.
Moonlight illuminated her features.
They looked almost identical.
The same silver eyes.
The same dark hair.
The same Nythera beauty that made humans stare too long.
But lately, Aurelia felt as though they had become strangers wearing familiar faces.
“The Elders are worried about you,” Elara said.
Aurelia laughed bitterly.
“The Elders are always worried about me.”
“They have a reason.”
“Because I don’t spend every second worshipping a prophecy?”
Elara’s expression tightened.
“That’s not fair.”
“No?” Aurelia snapped. “Then tell me what’s fair.”
Neither spoke for a moment.
The wind moved through the palace gardens below.
For a brief second, Aurelia considered walking away.
She should have.
If she had, everything that followed might never have happened.
But anger had been building inside her for months.
And anger, once ignored for too long, always finds a way out.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” Elara said quietly.
Aurelia laughed again.
This time there was no humor in it.
“Doing what?”
“Fighting everyone.”
“I’m not fighting everyone.”
“You argue with the Elders.”
“They deserve it.”
“You skip training.”
“It’s pointless.”
“You ignore your responsibilities.”
“There it is.”
Elara folded her arms.
“There what is?”
“My responsibilities.”
The words came out sharper than intended.
Immediately, Elara’s eyes narrowed.
“Aurelia—”
“No.”
Aurelia turned to face her fully.
“No. I’m tired of hearing that word.”
“You have responsibilities.”
“I know that.”
“Then start acting like it.”
The anger inside Aurelia twisted.
“Acting like it?”
“Yes.”
Aurelia stared at her sister.
“Do you think I asked for this?”
Elara hesitated.
“No.”
“Do you think I wanted the prophecy?”
“No.”
“Do you think I enjoy having my entire life decided for me?”
Elara remained silent.
The silence answered everything.
Aurelia felt something inside her crack.
Just a little.
But enough.
“That’s what I thought.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Aurelia’s jaw clenched.
“Dramatic?”
“Yes.”
Elara stepped closer.
“You act like you’re the only person suffering.”
Aurelia blinked.
“What?”
“The prophecy didn’t just change your life.”
The hurt in Elara’s voice caught her off guard.
“It changed everyone’s life.”
Aurelia frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means everything became about you.”
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, neither sister moved.
Then Elara continued.
“You don’t think I noticed?”
Aurelia stared.
“Noticed what?”
“The way people look at you now.”
Confusion mixed with anger.
“What are you talking about?”
“They don’t see Aurelia anymore.”
Elara’s voice trembled slightly.
“They see the future Bearer.”
Aurelia opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Elara laughed bitterly.
“They barely notice anyone else.”
Something shifted in Aurelia’s chest.
For the first time, she saw genuine pain in her sister’s eyes.
Not anger.
Pain.
But instead of softening the moment, it somehow made everything worse.
Because neither of them knew how to talk about pain anymore.
Only blame.
“You think this is easy for me?” Aurelia asked.
“No.”
“You think I wanted any of this?”
“No.”
“Then why are you acting like I’m the enemy?”
Elara looked away.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m trying to help you.”
Aurelia shook her head.
“No. You’re trying to fix me.”
“Because you’re falling apart.”
The words struck like a slap.
Aurelia took a step forward.
“I’m right here.”
“Exactly.”
Elara’s voice rose.
“You’re right here, but it’s like you’ve stopped caring.”
The wind around them intensified.
Neither sister noticed.
Far below, the sacred river shimmered unnaturally.
Magic stirred beneath the palace.
“You don’t understand,” Aurelia whispered.
“Then explain it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because nobody listens!”
The words exploded from her before she could stop them.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Dangerous.
Elara stared at her.
Aurelia’s breathing quickened.
The pressure she’d been carrying for months felt too large to contain anymore.
“I am trying,” she said quietly.
Something in Elara’s expression softened.
For a second.
Just a second.
Then it vanished.
“If you’re trying,” Elara said, “you’re doing a terrible job.”
The softness disappeared from Aurelia instantly.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
Aurelia couldn’t believe it.
Of all the things Elara could have said—
That was what she chose.
Months of fear.
Months of pressure.
Months of loneliness.
And that was what she got in return.
A terrible job.
Something dark flashed across her thoughts.
“Maybe I wouldn’t be struggling so much if people stopped treating me like a weapon.”
Elara threw her hands into the air.
“There it is again.”
“There what is?”
“Everything is always someone else’s fault.”
Aurelia stared at her.
The balcony suddenly felt too small.
The air felt too hot.
The moonlight too bright.
“You know what?” Elara said.
“No.”
“I do.”
“Do what?”
“I know exactly what’s wrong with you.”
Aurelia laughed coldly.
“Oh, please enlighten me.”
Elara’s eyes flashed.
“You’ve become selfish.”
The word hit like a knife.
Aurelia froze.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“No.”
Aurelia stepped forward.
“Say something else.”
Elara didn’t back down.
“You’ve become selfish.”
The crack inside Aurelia widened.
Months of frustration poured through it.
Months of fear.
Months of resentment.
Months of pretending everything was fine.
“You have no idea what I’m carrying.”
“And you have no idea what everyone else is carrying.”
The argument had stopped being a conversation.
Now it was simply two wounded people throwing pain at each other.
Neither willing to stop.
Neither willing to lose.
“Maybe the prophecy was a mistake,” Elara said suddenly.
Everything stopped.
The wind.
The noise.
Even Aurelia’s breathing.
“What did you say?”
Elara looked shocked by her own words.
But it was too late.
The damage was done.
“Maybe the prophecy was wrong.”
Aurelia stared at her.
The sentence echoed through her mind.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Maybe the prophecy was wrong.
The chosen one.
The future Bearer.
The girl carrying the expectations of an entire civilization.
Wrong.
For a second, Aurelia looked younger than she had in months.
Hurt.
Broken.
Small.
Then Elara spoke again.
And destroyed whatever remained.
“Maybe you’re not worthy of it.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Aurelia felt her heart stop.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The person she loved most had just spoken the one fear she never dared say aloud.
The fear that haunted every sleepless night.
Every failed training session.
Every moment of doubt.
Not worthy.
The words echoed through her.
Elara realized what she’d said.
Regret appeared immediately.
“Aurelia, I didn’t mean—”
But Aurelia wasn’t listening anymore.
Months of pain had finally reached their limit.
Then Elara made one final mistake.
A fatal one.
Frustration overtook her.
“Honestly?” she snapped.
Aurelia looked up.
Elara shook her head.
“You’ve been acting like a complete bitch ever since the prophecy chose you.”
The world went still.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
Aurelia moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Even for a Nythera.
Her fist connected with Elara’s jaw in one swift motion.
The impact echoed across the balcony.
Elara stumbled backward, crashing into a crystal pillar.
A gasp escaped both of them.
Aurelia froze.
She hadn’t planned it.
Hadn’t thought about it.
The punch had simply happened.
Driven by months of buried anger.
For a second, neither sister moved.
Then the impossible happened.
Silver light exploded from Aurelia’s hand.
The glow illuminated the entire balcony.
Ancient symbols appeared beneath her feet.
Burning.
Alive.
The palace trembled.
Elara’s eyes widened.
“Aurelia...”
The sacred markings spread across the floor like liquid moonlight.
The river below surged violently.
The air crackled with power.
Aurelia looked down at her glowing hands.
Fear replaced anger instantly.
“No.”
The symbols continued spreading.
“No.”
The light intensified.
Brighter.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
The prophecy.
The Crystal.
The magic.
It was reacting to her.
Not to courage.
Not to wisdom.
Not to destiny.
To rage.
Aurelia stared at her hands in horror.
And for the first time since the prophecy had been spoken—
she understood why everyone was afraid of the Crystal of Healing and Death.
Because if her anger alone could do this...
What would happen when she finally touched the Crystal itself?
The answer terrified her.
And judging by the fear in Elara’s eyes—
it terrified her sister too. 🌙💎✨
