18 months ago

All her life, Serca never thought she'd be the Chosen One.

But here she was, right before the presence of it. She never would've guessed that it would be her standing in front of the box. Growing up, she'd expected this day, but only thought of it as her brother's celebration, not hers.

In front of her, Dad held out the chest. His arms were stretched out towards her, as if ready to hand it over to her at any moment. When Serca glanced at him, he smiled back warmly.

Being the Chosen One wasn't easy. From first hand, she'd seen her dad work as one. The days he'd stayed up at night. The amount of patience he had when talking with people. So much work would need to be done on her side, to make sure the Kingdom would be happy and peaceful. But she was ready for it.

Her eyes moved from right to left, taking in the scene, watching the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, on the rightmost side of the crowd, she spotted her elder brother: Gos.

Technically, the position of being the Chosen One, was hereditary. Which meant that by birth, the Chest of Knowledge was supposed to be passed down to Gos. If things had gone like they had been planned, the way she and her brother were taught, the scene would've been much different.

Gos would've been standing in her place. And she, Serca, would've been standing next to him, on his right, cheering him on. It would be her brother, who would've been the next Chosen One.

But things hadn't gone as planned.

The change happened at the last minute. Right when everything and everyone was ready, the plan had suddenly switched. It happened all of a sudden. Just like that.

Five minutes before Gos would be on stage, the siblings were informed.

"Serca, Gos, we need to talk," Mom had come right when Gos finished getting ready. Dad followed behind her, pulling and straightening out the collar of his suit.

"Mom! You're here!" Gos's eyes had been lit up like ornaments when he saw her. "Is this outfit fine for the ceremony?"

Their parents had exchanged glances. While big brother hadn't, Serca noticed their concern. Letting out a small frown, she bit her cheek.

She had been wondering but their expressions might've meant. Was something wrong? Did we miss something? Concern had filled her face, her eyebrows knit.

"About that...'' Dad had trailed off. His eyes darted toward Gos, making eye-contact. "We have some last minute changes going on, kids."

Serca snapped back to the present. By now, almost every seat in the auditorium was filled. The room was filled with chattering. She turned to her Dad, who was still smiling at the people of the Kingdom.

"Dad," she asked in a low voice, getting his attention. "When are we going to start?"

Dad glanced at the clock, then back to her. "Just a few more minutes sweetie."

For reasons she'd never understood, her parents decided to make her the Chosen One, which was five minutes ago. What they had said was that Gos would have a hard time managing, since being Chosen One had a lot of responsibilities. So the most logical choice was to give it to Serca.

Still, it wasn't fair for Gos or her.

But, Mom and Dad always knew best, right?

I hope he's not too angry with me, she glanced at her brother, her eyebrows arched.

Gos met her eyes for a second, then looked away. He inched back into the corner of the room, almost as if he was dissolving into the shadows. Even though he may or may not have seen it, Serca gave a quick light-hearted smile in his direction.

After their parents had broken the news, Gos's expression changed. It morphed from light-hearted and happy to hard and stiff in a matter of seconds. Serca was talking with him, trying to smooth it out. The only reaction she got was his blank expression. Understanding that he needed some time to himself, she had left his room.

Hopefully, he is feeling better now.

"We're ready," Serca's Dad whispered to her. She realized the chattering had died down. The ruler, King Rhon, had just arrived. He smiled and waved at the crowd, making his way towards the stage.

"But the question is, are you?" Dad brought her attention back. "Are you, Serca, ready to become the next Trust Keeper? Are you ready to be the next Keeper?"

Serca's face lightened up at those words. "Yes Dad, I'm ready."

By now, King Rhon had come up on stage. He stood in-between Serca and her Dad. Dad had stretched out his arms, as if displaying the Chest of Knowledge to the audience.

The room turned pin-drop silent. All eyes focused on Serca, her dad, and King Rhon. Everyone watching her, all eyes on her, gave her a feeling of discomfort. But she came this far, she couldn't back out now. Mustering up some courage, she gave them all a sweet smile.

"As you know," King Rhon started, his voice echoing through the silent chamber. "Our current Trust Keeper, Arol, has helped our entire Kingdom store our private information. Thanks to him, we all can better trust each other." In that pause, the crowd murmured in agreement. "However, Arol's time as the Chosen One has come to an end. Instead of that being a time of sadness, let it be a time of happiness. Let us celebrate the beginning of a new Keeper."

Butterflies flew around in her stomach as the crowd's gaze shifted from the King to her Dad, then to herself. The audience started to whisper amongst themselves:

"Why is Serca here?"

"Why isn't Gos present? Isn't he the Chosen One?"

"What is Serca doing here? I thought this was Gos's ceremony."

Those three questions were the most common questions amongst the people in the room. Naturally, they were the ones that stood out to her the most.

King Rhon held out his hand, palms facing the audience. Everyone started to quiet down. "Everyone, please welcome our newest Trust Keeper... Serca!"

Shock filled the room. With a start, Serca realized that only her family and King Rhon knew about the switch. In everyone else's head, they were thinking Gos would've been the Chosen One.

Serca turned, and so did Dad. The crystal, Chest of Knowledge, in his hands were held out to her, just like before. A proud smile was shown on his face, as his hands extended toward her.

She hesitated. Her hands went to take the box, but she stopped mid-way. Is it really right for me to take the Secrecy Chest? It belongs to Gos. He was supposed to be the next Chosen One, not me.

But there was another, unfamiliar voice.That voice was more alluring, more tempting. But Dad's giving it to you, not Gos. Go on, you should take it. Besides, you were given the task of being Chosen One for a reason. All eyes are now on you. You can't let everyone down now, can you?

Without thinking much about it, she resumed, and took in the Chest. In amazement, she looked down at the chest she was now holding. The chest. In her hands. Serca knew it was currently happening, just as she was blinking, but all of this felt unreal.

All of this, it felt like a dream.

Throughout her life, she'd always wanted to be the Chosen One. But she'd already known it wouldn't be possible. She'd grown up believing Gos would've been the next person in the family to wield everyone's private information. He was the eldest. Unless he gave up his job for her, she couldn't have become the Trust Keeper.

Now here she was, her fantasy turning to reality.

Maybe the voice was right. This was her moment, her time to shine. She wasn't going to let anything ruin it. The Chest of Knowledge should be hers. It was hers.

Feeling more confident, she spoke up, her hands underneath the chest, displaying it to the audience. "Thank you all. I promise, I will do my best to help you all, to store all your private information."

Everyone in the crowd then stood up, and started to give an applause. The sound of clapping filled the room. Serca's eyes teared up from all the love and support she was getting from the Kingdom. Her eyes scanned the room again, but this time, she couldn't spot her elder brother anywhere.

But it didn't matter as much to her currently.

That day was the best day of Serca's life. It was perfect in all ways possible. Still, if she could ever go back and change it, she would.

Why?

Because that day, she wished she'd paid attention to her brother.