Carved In Stone

My breathing is rapid and my throat tightens. I want nothing more than to scream or cry until my voice goes out and my body flails to the ground; reducing my very being into worthless dirt. My head is pounding, my thoughts scramble, and my brain is in utter chaos. This feeling is deeply unfamiliar to me.

Maybe I could get them to revoke the order. No. I had to get them to revoke the order. I've worked tirelessly and far greater than any of my competitors to hone my skills to perfection and expand my knowledge to exceptional lengths. I've studied our laws, international customs, literature, and wrote countless dissertations during my studies. I always did more than what was expected of me from mentors and instructors and more. All so I could take my rightful place as ruler of these realms.

And it was taken away from me in an instant. All because of one person. The one who taught and inspired me the most to train until I became the one who stands on top of everyone else. I've sacrificed too much to that person ruin it.

"I know you're in there."

The person's voice on the other end of the room fills me with rage. I turn around abruptly and feel the tears forming in my eyes. "Oh well isn't that perfect?" I say and kick the desk in front of me causing it to tumble forward. "Since you know me so well right?"

"Well I've known you since the day you were born."

"I don't want to hear whatever it is you have to say to me know or whatever consoling you've come here to do to ease your conscious. You made your claims already and now I have to beg the royal court to reconsider you testimonial so that I can remain a candidate for the throne."

"What's done is done. You cannot convince them to change the order now.”

I get right up in this person's face not caring what state my own face is in. "Watch me."

"My testimonial was backed up with evidence. Evidence of harassment. Evidence of sabotage. Every misconduct you inflicted on the other candidates during your adolescence. It was all thoroughly reviewed by the royal court."

"Evidence?" I laugh. "Your evidence was nothing more than the words of an insignificant few."

"Many of them spoke out against your character."

"They have always been jealous of me."

"You can't bully your fellow candidates. It's unbecoming of a royal candidate."

"I didn't realize that a few people's feelings getting hurt would constitute to me no longer being in the running for the throne."

"You also made life-altering changes to the other candidates lives in more ways than one."

I push over the lamp closest to me. "Ugh stop it! You say it like I'm some kind of monster."

"You would be reprimanded for what you’ve done. Surely you knew that would happen."

This is the moment I feel something swelling up inside me; some kind of energy. It feels hot and powerful and with that last thing that person says to me, it finally explodes. The next thing I know a large ball of energy is erupting from my person. I couldn't control it and I couldn't stop it. I hear that person scream out but couldn't understand what they said to me. The person collapses to the ground and their body goes completely limp.

After those agonizing seconds go by the energy disappears. The person's gone and I'm left standing in the middle of a forest. But I'm not alone.