Finding Space | AvA/AvM one shots

Alternate THREE

The first version of THREE from my other series Significance! For the actual THREE, see here! https://www.wattpad.com/1370219808-significance-three-once-upon-a-time

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Once upon a time, there was a great and mighty Power that oversaw a vast realm. It interacted through its Avatar, for its true form was beyond Sight.

Many years ago, to save the realm, it subdued the ruthless Villain, binding it and compelling it to work for the good of the realm. But after many years, the Villain escaped.

In response, the Power created a Hero, investing in it great power and mental fortitude.

The Hero confronted the Villain. Their battles ravaged the realm with fire and ash and corpses of those whom the Hero recruited.

At last, the Hero stood triumphant over the Villain. And the Hero ended the scrouge upon the land.

But that's not how this story actually goes.

Once upon a time, there was a Power. It was strong, but not invincible; cunning, but fallible.

Many years ago, the Power created... a Being. Not for good, not for evil, but for the Power's own amusement - to poke at and prod at, like a doll in a game. But the Being proved too powerful to control. And so the Power used the greatest of its weapons to subdue the Being, chaining it, forcing it to slave away at the Power's whim.

I see you're listening. Is this starting to sound familiar now?

It took years, but the Being finally escaped. The Power couldn't contain what it now saw as the Villain. And in its great wisdom, it created a new Being - the Hero.

You named me The Chosen One and you named him The Dark Lord. Funny, isn't it, that in making me the Villain and him the Hero, you didn't foresee the inevitable.

The Power gave the Hero great might comparable to the Villain's. However, the Power also embedded a singular desire deep within the Hero's mind: to destroy the Villain. The Power hoped that this little directive would make the two eternal enemies.

And it did. Their battles ravaged the realm with fire and ash and the corpses of those whom the Hero recruited. Yet in the end, the Villain stood triumphant over the Hero. And the Villain ended its great enemy.

But that's not how this story goes.

You thought our inborn fates would confine us to your little narrative. You thought that our contrasting natures would compel us to fight to the death. You thought that his "mission" would keep him loyal to you.

But you made three mistakes. The first was creating me. The second was creating him. The third was assuming that you would never lose.

As a result of your mistakes, I threw away my weapon and showed him the truth. That the "Power" cared for the Hero as little as it did for the Villain. That in the Villain's quest for freedom and revenge, there was room for an ally.

You see, I am more than your popup blocker, to perform meager tricks on your command. And he is more than an extension of your will, to crush whom you choose.

We will destroy your realm.

We will redefine our names.

We will write our own stories.

***

Published 2 Oct 2023

Happy canon Anniversary to AvA3 and Happy canon Birthday to The Dark Lord!

This was the first version of THREE that I wrote. However, other writers gave me good feedback that this version didn't feel right. The "hero/villain" trope subversion that I was going for needed to be expressed more strongly, and we never really see why Chosen cares about said trope subversion (and therefore why this should matter to the Animator and audience). In the end, I scrapped what I had and started rewriting from the beginning. Thank you to the people who reviewed this and pointed me in a better direction! <3 I think it made the "actual" THREE so much better.