Unchosen Champion

Charlie had been sheltered. There was no denying it, but an acknowledgment did nothing to protect her from the fear buried deep in her heart. It leapt from her chest and choked her breath away once she was left with no one else to rely upon.

Her trembling fingers squeezed her gnarled storm staff in an effort to stay still. She held the unique weapon tight against her chest in a feeble attempt to draw strength from the inanimate object while partially shielding her face from the approaching crowd. She barely remembered how to breathe, lungs frozen to the point that she felt light-headed as she became the center of attention, like she had been shoved into the center of a stage and forgotten her most important lines.

Given the audience, it wasn’t unreasonable to feel apprehensive, but Charlie was tired of it. She was slowly backing away from the millions of dragons that stretched across the sandy domain, all watching her like wolves observing an abandoned lamb. The way their eyes locked on her, gazes filled with careful discernment, wide mouths exposing teeth in mockeries of grins, made her feel intensely judged. The conclusion was that she was inadequate.

It had happened suddenly, where she put on a brave face for her friend, recognizing when her most confident partner was shaken by the visit of her family member, and telling her to go. Charlie promised to be steadfast and then she was by herself, all the reliable support from all of her friends and family finally gone.

Hundreds of the monsters emerged from the sands once she was left alone, collectively pressing further beyond the limits of their sandstorm as if they could sense the end was nigh. Charlie suspected they could sense her fear and they wanted to try and take advantage of her inability to manage her anxiety. She squeezed the staff even tighter.

Somehow, throughout everything that had happened, she had never been left alone. Camila was always by her side, and if not, it was Coop, her parents, Jones, or countless other phantoms and residents. They all looked after her without being asked, knowing that their support was welcomed even if she never vocalized how much she relied on them. It was too obvious anyway.

She finally forced a deep breath, digging deep and willing herself to finally summon the mental fortitude to match her talents, recognizing there was no one else to depend on at the brink of armageddon. It was just her and countless monsters. A flicker of defiance ignited within her, angry at her uncontrolled anxiety, angrier even than the terror she was constantly repressing.

“Why should I be scared?!” She cried out as the dragons pressed toward her, none of them responding with anything other than sneers and hungry glares.

It wasn’t like she had been deserted. Leaving her alone was an expression of trust, not abandonment. Everyone else recognized her potential, but for some reason that she couldn’t control, her internal doubts made it hard to act on her own. Even their trust was a double-edged sword applying pressure. It wasn’t fair, but that was how it was for some people. She might grow out of it with time, but time wasn’t a luxury humans could still depend on, and even then, she might not.

While mana had boosted self-image across the board, causing humans to naturally draw closer to their individual ideal appearances, it hadn’t done as much for their mental states. Charlie was basically the same as she had been even before mana activated on Earth, only making it as far as she had through the support of understanding companions. She had to step up regardless of her unease.