---Indigo---
Let me get something straight. I never wanted any part to do with a prophecy, but I do believe in fate. Fate made it so that it was the seven of us who faced off an Evil on campus, and that it was the seven of us who had to see the Elders. That meant something.
Elder Thomas paced the room; as he walked, he spoke in a serious tone. "You have heard of the Rosewood Prophecy, yes? You think you know what it means? There's more to that than what meets the eye.
"Over three hundred years ago, the Rosewood Academy was created by the first fifteen Elders in hopes of preparing the children for war and battle. They just wanted to protect the people. It was never in their wildest dreams that someone would vanquish the Evils once and for all. But one stormy night, a peculiar visitor turned up at the doors of the Academy. Headmistress Diane Lewinski found him, huddled under the doorway, shivering in the cold. She welcomed him into the Academy and gave him food and shelter.
"The stranger's name was Faramond Galvin, and he was a prophet. He said he had a prophecy for the Elders. What he told them became the Rosewood Prophecy. It has been passed down for generations. For once in their lives, they had hope. But what they didn't know was that the prophecy had other parts to it."
"Other parts?" asked Jason, puzzled. "No one said anything about that."
"Exactly. Because aside from the Elders, no one knew. Not even the teachers at the academy knew," replied Annabelle. She continued the story.
"Faramond told the Elders of the chosen seven, but he also told them that the seven were not just any students. They were born with magic in their blood and power in their veins. Trained right, they would benefit the people. If they were to turn against them and work with the Evils, the world was doomed. They would be the first in many many generations to have the abilities their ancestors only dreamed of. The seven would have elemental powers, and powers to activate and use ancient spells. Each child has a role in the quest, Faramond said. There would be warriors and strategists, elemental and spell masters. And I saw that in you. There is no doubt that you seven are the chosen ones," said Annabelle.
"Did Faramond say anything about the quest?" I asked cautiously.
"Yes, he did," replied Hamlet. "Faramond foresaw a dangerous path that you children must now take. You will have to face monsters and dangers, but those aren't to be feared as much as treachery and battles within." He looked at each of us, his eyes sharp. "Whatever happens, remember that you are a team. You all must work together in order for this to be successful. Trust no one else. If there is a problem, work it out together. And remember, don't betray the hopes that have been placed on you. Please. Whatever the Evils are offering you, remember that not only your lives, but the lives of your families, your friends, and the people of Crystallea are at stake. You can either save or destroy this world. And we believe that you will all be loyal to each other."
I looked around at my fellow students. This was a lot of information. Suddenly I felt the heavy weight on my shoulders. How am I, a sixteen-year-old student, supposed to save the world with six of my friends? How are we going to defeat entire armies of transforming, dangerous monsters? I would consider us lucky if we even managed to go three days in the wild without dying. But we were the only ones who even had a chance. The adventurous part of me was a teeny bit excited. Powers, Annabelle had said. I was a mastermind. I wanted to see what I could do.
"So, now what do we do?" asked Katherine. "You're not going to send us off immediately, right?"
"No," reassured Thomas. "There will be a sign, or omen, that the time is right. The events that happened so far only proved that you seven are the ones we have been waiting for."
"What kind of sign? I thought the Evil attacking us was a sign," said Lucian.
"We don't know what the omen would be," answered Thomas. "The Evil attack showed the abilities of Katherine and Ashley. It also showed that you were willing to help each other no matter how dangerous it was. Loyalty is an important trait, and we want to be sure that our seven chosen ones each possess it."
"For now, we're going to send you all back to the academy to continue your studies. We will assign special classes to train you for your journey, since it could any time, and we want you to be as prepared as possible," said Gideon. "Be ready, my children. I know we are asking a lot of you, but frankly, you are our only hope."
As we filed out the door and greeted our impatient teachers, Reyna grabbed my arm and held me back for a second. "Child of Clay, you are a smart one," she whispered in my ear. "There's a reason why we sealed the door with an anti-eavesdropping spell. Be careful of what you share with others. Trust no one." With that warning, she let go and watched me with her piercing green eyes as I left with the others.