"Hopefully just 'great importance'," Finn said trying to sound more reassuring than he actually felt. "But with the Council you never really know. Come on, let's not keep them waiting."

We left the dining hall, having been nothing other than a source of curiosity for some of the other occupants. Through winding corridors, the air grew heavier, it was damp with the earthy scent of ancient stone. It seemed the torches burned lower, casting long shadows on stone walls as our footsteps echoed softly, each step adding weight to the moment.

"So, this Council," I began, my voice acoustically booming in the quiet hallway. "What do they do exactly? Besides summoning confused teenagers from other worlds, I mean."

Finn chuckled, but it was forced. "They're the Order leaders. They interpret prophecies, make decisions on how to protect the realm, that sort of thing. They are also the ones who identify the potential Chosen Ones."

"Lucky me," I muttered.

We stopped in front of a huge set of doors, really intricately engraved with symbols that I couldn't even begin to decipher. Finn turned toward me, his face somber.

"Listen, Sam. Whatever happens in there, just remember, you're here for a reason. Even if you don't understand it yet."

Before I could utter a word, the doors opened noiselessly. A cold feeling washed over me as I peered into the dark chamber beyond.

"Well," I said in an attempt to steady my voice, "here goes nothing."

We entered the Chamber of Echoes, and I immediately knew why it was named like that. Every step we took seemed to echo around and about us, though the room was quite large. Shadows fluttered at the edges of my perceptions, and I had to fight the urge to think about the possibility that someone is peeking at us.

At the far end of the room, a semicircle of ornate chairs is on a raised dais. As we neared, figures coalesced in each seat – some flesh and blood, others flickering like holograms.

Magister Lyra stood at the center, her piercing gaze locked on me. "Samuel Turner," she said, the clear voice carried easily across the room. "You stand before the Council of the Veil. Do you know why you are here?"

I swallowed hard, acutely aware of how out of place I felt. "Honestly? Not really. I was kind of hoping you could tell me."

A murmur rippled through the members of the Council. One of them, a wizened old man with a long white beard, leaned forward. "The boy speaks truth. He knows not the weight he carries."

"Weight?" I repeated, wrenching around to stare at myself , "What weight are we talking about, precisely?"

"Quiet," Lyra cut me off without allowing another word, but I could have sworn I saw the ghost of an amused smile on her lips. "Samuel, you have been brought to our world because a great evil is stirring. The barriers between worlds are weakening, and ancient evils seek to break through."

The other woman on the Council spoke, her arms a riot of colorful tattoos. "The prophecies speak of a Chosen One from another world who will tip the balance. We believe you are that person, Samuel Turner."

I blinked, trying to process this information. "Me? But I'm nobody special. I can barely use magic without embarrassing myself."

Lyra's eyes softened somewhat. "The power in you is raw and untamed, but it is there. If you can get the proper training, you may be able to turn into a force against the darkness."

I glanced across to Finn, who nodded encouragement toward me. He acted like he actually believed in me.

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"And what if I refuse?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What if I don't want this kind of responsibility?"

The chamber was silent, heavy with tense silence. Finn shifted uncomfortably beside me.

Finally, the bearded Councillor spoke again. "The choice, young Samuel, is yours. But know this – if you refuse your destiny, both your world and ours may fall to ruin." His voice dropped, graver. "Realms have fallen to the Void before. Whole kingdoms consumed. We have seen it, and its terrors are not something one easily forgets."

Great. No pressure or anything.

I took a deep breath, looking to the expectant faces of the Council. "Can I at least know what I'm up against? What is this 'great darkness' you keep mentioning?"

Lyra exchanged glances with the other members of the Council before nodding. "Very well. Behold, Samuel Turner, the threat that looms over us all."

What I didn't expected an explanation!!

She waved her hand, and the middle of the hall began to shimmer in the air. A boiling vortex appeared, shot through with veins of sickly purple light. Through it I could make out writhing shapes - monstrous creatures beyond my wildest imagination. My heart thudded in my chest, and for a moment my knees went weak.

How am I supposed to fight that? I can barely handle keeping my pants on.

"The Void," Lyra explained, her voice grim. "A place of chaos and destruction which tries to engulf all others within itself. Already, its darkness has claimed many a kingdom, lands once full and thriving, now naught but desolate waste regions, filled with unspeakable horrors. I have seen the remnants for myself, Samuel. The screams, the despair, it isn't something one easily forgets. Its minions grow in strength daily, and soon they shall have the power to break through into our world and yours. Whole kingdoms, Samuel. The terrors of the Void have consumed far more than you could fathom."

I stared on in horrified awe, my heart racing. It was so much larger than what I had ever envisioned. How could I, an average teenager, ever hope to stand against something that?

As if reading my mind, Finn laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You won't be alone, Sam. I remember standing where you are now, facing the Council for the first time. It's terrifying, but trust me, you're not in this alone. The Order will train you, guide you. And I'll be right there with you, every step of the way." He looked at me, and for a moment, I could see something else, maybe he had remembered himself standing where I stood now.

I looked up at him, grateful for the backing. Then I turned back to the Council, squaring my shoulders. "Alright. I don't know if I'm this Chosen One you're looking for, but. I'll do my best. Where do we start?"

A collective sigh of relief seemed to pass through the Council. Lyra nodded, a hint of approval in her eyes. "Your training begins immediately. Finnegan will show you to your quarters and brief you on the schedule. Rest well tonight, Samuel Turner. Tomorrow, your true journey begins."

As Finn led me out of the Chamber of Echoes, my mind reeled with everything that I had learned: Chosen One, The Void, A vortex of nightmares. it was hard to digest and now I'm at a point of no return.

No sooner had the doors swung shut behind him and Finn that the mood in the Chamber of Echoes changed dramatically. The tension was eased and the Council allowed themselves a moment to decompress after the serious encounter.

"Did you see his face?" chuckled the tattooed Council member. "The boy looked like he was about to wet himself!"

Raucous laughter exploded from more than a few of the Council members. Even Lyra's stern expression cracked into a smirk.

"I thought he might faint when we showed him the Void. Priceless," Lyra said, the smirk dancing at her lips.

The bearded elder chuckled, stroking his facial hair. "Ah, to be young and clueless again. Remember when we did this to you, Lyra?"

"How could I forget?" Lyra rolled her eyes. "I thought for certain I was going to have to fight off a hoard of shadow demons armed with nothing but a rusty spoon."

"To be fair," another Council member inserted wryly, "you ultimately did. Eventually."

Laughter filled the chamber as the Council members began reminiscing about their initiations.

"Still," said Lyra, settling herself, "the boy shows promise. You did see him trying to keep his composure? Despite everything?"

The tattooed woman nodded. "Oh, yes. And that pants-vanishing spell gone wrong. I haven't laughed that hard in centuries."

"Well," the bearded elder said, sniffling off a tear, "let's hope young Samuel is up to the task. If only for the fact that training him will be endlessly amusing."

"If he lives through training, that is," the bearded man grumbled. "I give him a week before he accidentally turns himself into a toad, I bet ten gold pieces."

"I accept your bet," Lyra said, catching all of them off their guard. "There is more to young Samuel than meets the eye. We only have to draw it out."

As the debate raged on amongst the members of the Council, not one saw the little shadow that detached itself from a dark corner of the chamber and slipped silently through a crack in the wall. The fate of their worlds might have hung in the balance, but for the moment, the Council did indeed seem satisfied to take it for the greatest cosmic joke ever played.

Little did they know the real test for the Chosen One was just about to kick off.