WarDooKem - Ghost of Kivotos

Prologue

The cold hand of burden touched the chosen one, like a ghost reminding him of the responsibility that weighed a ton.

He remembered her words again, carefully and precisely... "Do not fail them, as I have," she said softly.

Who the girl was remained unnamed, alas. Yet her voice spreads the essence of sparkling stars.

A man, even a woman, would fall so easily. But for her chosen one, it was sympathy.

His vision expanded; thoughts were now fully drawn. He remembered a silhouette of a girl by the breaking dawn.

Vagueness had befallen the chosen one, telling the tale of someone who had lost everything. Odd.

A phrase that pierced sharply like a pin, remembering the fires' embrace that still crawl into his skin.

Betrayal had burned his soul thoroughly, yet here he stands. Eyes to the horizon dawn, and nose to the coffee scent.

"I bet you have experienced quite a journey. An unexpected folded page by the back of your storybook." The memories of the unknown girl continued...

"But now, you linger in the darkness, for the last chapter has come to pass..."  

"Forgive me for being so rude to disturb your slumber, but I must ask for your help." 

"Although you are different, you'll probably make the same decision in the same situation..."

"Therefore, I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experience we have."

"There are choices only you can make..."

The chosen one stared down from the windows, witnessing the sheer panic of latecomers.

Students come and go. Their firearms dangled on their backs and waists. A bizarre allowance he began to embrace, yet it felt strange.

Perhaps the council's jurisdiction supported it absolutely? Quite a hogwash for his mind fixed on logical reality.

As the tongue enjoys another gentle warmth of his drink, He returned to the view in pink morning ecstasy.

Kivotos. A city of knowledge and opportunities. A nest of a thousand academies.

Home to uncountable young aspirants. Those who bowed before him, but not as a tyrant.

This was the responsibility bestowed upon him. The former did not realize until too late to learn it.

"I didn't truly understand it then, but now I do."

"Adulthood, responsibility, obligation... and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals."

"I even understand their implications..."

"Therefore... you're the only one I can trust. Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted face..."

"...and find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."

"The road may still be perilous, but I know you've faced worse. She let me see it..."

"All the adventures. All the challenges you and your friends have overcome. A vision I hope to replicate... once." 

"So, please... Do not fail them, as I have."

Her gentle words faded. The tale of an unseen life has ended... while his own has started. What to make of it boiled down to two words.

"Bloody hell..." The chosen one took his final sip and thumped the empty mug on the table. 

Those words may be from a stranger; but after feeling the gravity of many situations today, he, too, began to see. 

There was a solution to the distress. But the question was, will it help suppress?

Only time will tell, in that case. For now, he needed something that valued importance.

Back from the table, there was a tablet. It began to beep in a rhythm until the screen flashed open.

A holographic image manifested. A small girl with a halo atop her short sky-blue hair. She gracefully spun her entrance, waving her short white skirt.

"Sensei, the letters have been sent!" the virtual imagery said, her blue halo spiked in excitement. 

"Hope to God it works." The chosen one grabbed something from the table. A detachable mouth cap for his dark balaclava.

A mouth cap with a skull painted in death white.

For some, it was but random military apparel. But for him, an irreplaceable relic. A gift from his forgotten brother.

It was something that defines himself very well: A man out of place, burned to the ground... until a bitter soul was left. 

Nothing more than a Ghost.