Destiny

CHAPTER 3

　　He released a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Destiny, I added your name to the list of teen supernatural academy candidates, and you were selected," he said, and my eyes widened.

　　"If you are chosen among the best seven, you will get to fight demons outside the kingdoms. When I was your age, I was picked. I wasn't alone. I am sure you will do great," he added.

　　I just stood there, lost in my own thoughts.

　　It took about three seconds before everything clicked together.

　　"You did what!" I whisper-yelled, and a few heads turned our way. I took a few breaths, trying to calm my nerves. "Dad, did I ever tell you I would like to join the academy? I mean, yeah, I want to, but not now! And why would you do that without asking me first?" I asked, tears of frustration gathering at the corner of my eyes.

　　"And we don't even know what my gift is. Why would you do that to me..." Most people wouldn't understand why this is frustrating to me. Knowing that I was going to an academy filled with gifted people, I would be left out. I'd always felt left out in almost everything.

　　Before Dad could utter a word, I stomped out of the hall with a single tear rolling down my face. I couldn't deal with this s**t, so I left the castle to clear my head.

　　I walked down the dirty road with large trees for minutes, and my yellow gown trailed along the ground. I kicked a harmless pebble, and it hit a tree. That was when I finally looked up.

　　"s**t," I cussed under my breath, turning around to see where I was. It was quiet and dark, and the branches looked like they were monsters trying to grab me.

　　I regretted leaving the castle.

　　"What do I do?" I said to myself.

　　"Are you a lost princess?" a husky male voice said, and I held my breath in fear. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but couldn't.

　　"Is anyone there?" I said shakily. I was so scared that he might be a demon out to get me.

　　Dumbass me just had to leave the castle.

　　"Hi," the voice said again, but this time, I knew where it was coming from. A young boy came out from the back of a tree with his hands in his pockets.

　　"Oh my god," I gasped, my left hand flying to my mouth to conceal the choking sound.

　　Is he a demigod?

　　I stared at him, his perfection and beauty were indescribable. Gods, he looked like an angel, I thought, still staring at him.

　　"What were you doing here wandering around in this creepy place?" he said in the most charming way.

　　His voice was so charming and alluring, and he had these beautiful green cat eyes that made me gaze deep into them. On his head was long red hair, lazily packed at the back of his neck, and he was wearing a black hoodie, black sneakers, and black jeans.

　　He looked like the Devil, a sexy devil, that is.

　　"Hmm, I-I'm lost," I said, stumbling on my words before blinking and cursing myself for the mistake.

　　"Can you show me the way back to Cloud Castle or... take me there?" I asked, holding onto my gown. He stared at me for a minute, then nodded.

　　For about fifteen minutes, we said nothing to each other as we walked along the dirt road until I finally decided to break the silence.

　　"You live around here, right?" I asked, turning my head with a slight frown to the side to study his features.

　　"No," he replied curtly, not even sparing me a glance, which deepened my frown to a scowl. I decided to remain silent because I could feel that he wasn't the type of person who liked to engage in long conversations.

　　"Oh, I can see my castle from here." We stopped, and I turned around to face him, my gown pooling at my feet. "Would you like to follow me so my father will reward you for bringing me back here safely?" I suggested, but he turned down my offer.

　　"No thanks. I'll be heading back home now," he replied coldly, and before I could protest, he was gone.

　　Days passed, and I accepted the fact that I would be going for training if I really wanted to save my people within and outside the Cloud Kingdom.

　　The next day, I would be leaving my kingdom in the sky. Dad had told me that in the academy, we would be trained for one to three months. I shivered from the fear of failing but brushed it off. I hoped to be among the best since I knew there would be a lot of teens, so I would train my ass off.

　　I dressed in a red short gown with my white hair tied in a ponytail. I glanced at myself in the mirror and released a sigh. This was it; I was really leaving the Kingdom I had known for eighteen years and going to the academy.

　　"Oh, my princess, you look beautiful. Are you ready?" Dad said from the door with a smile on his face.

　　"Yes, I guess," I replied with a sigh.

　　"I'm sorry, Destiny, if you don't want to be a demon fighter, it's fine by me," Dad said with a slight frown on his face.

　　"It's okay, Dad. I'm doing this because Mom would want me to. And I want to be chosen, Dad... I won't let you down," I told him with my chin slightly raised up.

　　"I will always be proud of you, my princess," he mumbled, and I smiled at that. "I love you," he added, and I replied with an "I love you too."

　　I sat in the chariot with two bodyguards while the four-winged horses flew through the sky towards land. I released a sigh as I admired the beautiful, colorful clouds.

　　I felt free... For the first time, I felt what freedom tasted like.