I still remember the precise moment our paths diverged.

It was the summer of our sixteenth year, and the Empire's procession had arrived without warning—twelve white horses bearing soldiers in gleaming armor, followed by robed figures whose very presence made the air heavy with power.

"They're looking for people with potential," whispered Old Nan, the village herbalist. "The Empire prepares for war."

War. It seemed so distant from our little corner of the world, like stories from books we'd read. Demons pushing at the borders, magical creatures once bound by ancient pacts now breaking free, darkness rising—they were tales to scare children, not realities to face.

The entire village gathered in the square as an Imperial Magister unrolled a scroll.

"By decree of Emperor Tiberius IV, all young men and women between the ages of sixteen and twenty shall be tested for aptitude to serve the realm."

The tests were simple enough. Puzzles to solve, physical trials to overcome, and finally, a crystal each person had to hold. Most crystals remained dull. A few flickered briefly.

When Elio's turn came, the crystal didn't just light up—it blazed so bright that people shielded their eyes. The Magister dropped to one knee immediately, and the other Imperial officials followed suit.

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"We have found one," the Magister announced, his voice trembling with emotion.

I stood in the crowd, watching my best friend's face as he realized what was happening—confusion, fear, and then, slowly, a dawning pride. When my turn came shortly after, the crystal glowed faintly, enough to mark me as having potential, but nothing compared to Elio's radiance.

That night, as we sat on the orphanage roof under a sky filled with stars, Elio couldn't stop talking.

"They say I have the strongest affinity they've seen in a generation, Neri! They believe I could be the Hero—the one from the prophecies."

I forced a smile. "I always knew you were special."

"We'll still be together," he promised, grabbing my shoulders. "You have potential too. Maybe you'll be in my squad or something."

But I saw the truth in his eyes—a new light that was already pulling him away from me, toward a destiny I couldn't share.

"Of course," I lied, "We promised, right? Always together."

The next morning, they took him away. I stood at the village gates, watching the procession disappear down the road. Elio kept turning back, waving until he was just a speck in the distance.

For the first time in eleven years, I was alone.

I walked back to our room in the orphanage, sat on his empty bed, and finally let the tears come. The Empire hadn't wanted me—not really. I was an afterthought, a maybe-someday, while Elio had become their shining hope overnight.

I didn't know then that the universe has a strange way of balancing scales, or that my own path to power was about to unfold in ways I could never have imagined.

I also didn't know that the next time I saw my best friend, he would be wearing a crown of responsibility too heavy for any single person to bear.

And that I would be wearing shadows.