Kiral Vyalia yawned and stretched.
Induction ceremonies are so boring, she thought. Even when your favorite brother is becoming an adult of the Vendhorian community.
She jumped as one of her little sisters, Raye, poked her in the side.
"Pay 'tention, Kiral!" she bossed. "It's important."
"It's boring, that's what it is," Kiral said, yawning.
Raye's twin, Jacy, chimed in, "You'll be going through this in a couple years, Kiral. Pay attention...there's probably something important that you'll miss."
Jabez, who was six years older than Kiral at 21, leaned over. "From the mouth of an infant comes wisdom, Kira." He winked.
Kiral rolled her eyes and leaned forward, chin in hand.

As she stepped outside the Council Hall of Erendyl after the ceremony, her friend, Jennings, came up to her.
"Hey Kiral," he asked,  "Can you come over to my house for a bit? I got a new snake and I want to show it to you."
"Sorry, Jennings," Kiral said, smiling ruefully, "We're having a private family celebration of Aladaren's move from the young adults to the adults tomorrow and there's things I need to do to help get ready. I hafta go."
Jennings looked disappointed. "OK," he said. "The day after tomorrow, then?"
Kiral thought for a moment. "That won't work either, Jennings, sorry. My aunt and uncle from Jethol are visiting then, and Auntie might have her baby soon. Mom wants me there. You know how badly she wants me to be a midwife when she isn't around anymore."
Jennings's shoulders drooped. "Alright," he said. "See ya later."
He ran off.
Kiral sighed as she started off toward home.

"What's that?"
"What's what?" Kiral looked up from the dull book of herbs that her mother had told her to read after she had finished baking the celebratory cake.
"That." Raye pointed out the window. "There's a jar on the front porch."
"A jar? What does it have in it?"
"Nothing. It's empty."
Kiral put her book down and got up. "I'll go see what this is about," she told her sister. "Stay here."
She opened the door and peeked out to see if anyone could have put the jar there and still be around.
There was no one in sight.
Kiral stepped out on the porch and picked up the jar carefully. She turned it around in her hands and looked at it. It looked like any ordinary jar that would be found in Vendhoria.
Kiral sat on the steps and unscrewed the lid.
Then a flash of light blinded her eyes, and she turned her face away.
When she dared to look back, she half-expected to see the jar melting in her hand.
But it was perfectly intact.
Kiral stared at it. What is this thing? she wondered.
"What is it?" came Raye's voice.
Kiral turned quickly. "Raye! I told you to stay inside! I don't know what this thing is. It could be dangerous!"
"Then why are you holding it?" Raye asked defiantly.
"Because I have better discernment and judgment than you," Kiral returned. "Now please go inside."
Raye opened her mouth to protest, but Kiral gave her a look that compelled her to turn and go back inside.
She stared at the jar again, turning it around in her hand and shaking her head.
"Kiral?"
Kiral looked up, and saw Jennings standing before her.
"What is that?" he asked. "Where did you get that?"
"It was on the front-" Kiral began before Jennings reached forward and snatched it from her hand. "Jennings?!"
Her friend turned and ran off.
Kiral just stared after him in shock.

Kiral tossed and turned in bed that night. She couldn't go to sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about what Jennings had done.
Finally, she decided to go take a natural sleeping pill to help her get to sleep.
She was filling a cup with water when she heard a soft knock on the front door, and then a creak as it was opened.
Kiral stepped cautiously into the living room. "Who's there?" she asked in a whisper.
"Come out onto the porch," came Jennings' soft voice. "We need to talk."
"Why couldn't it have waited 'til tomorrow?"
"Because lives are at stake. Trust me. Come out."
Jennings shut the door the instant Kiral stepped onto the porch.
"Kiral," he said, seriously, "I want you to be perfectly honest with me right now. Did you open that jar?"
Kiral nodded. "Yes. But why-"
"Shh!" Jennings interrupted.
Kiral fell silent, and he continued.
"That jar contains an evil that, over two thousand years ago, went on rampage in this land for nearly half a century before it was contained. Thousands of lives were lost." He paused. "When you opened the jar-that evil was released." 
 

"Where are we going?" Kiral asked, gasping for breath as Jennings pulled her by the arm through the dark, quiet streets of Erendyl.
"You'll see," he replied. "Just trust me right now. You'll be thankful you came."
Near the edge of the town, Jennings stopped in front of an abandoned building. Pale light glowed under the door, which creaked as he pushed it open.
As Kiral stepped into the room behind him, she noticed, as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, several other people in the room. They consisted of males and females ages fifteen through twenty.
"Everyone, meet my friend Kiral," he said.
They all murmured polite hellos as they settled into a circle on the floor.
Jennings beckoned for Kiral to sit, then he went around the circle to fill in a spot that had been left for him.
"Welcome, all," he said quietly, "to the third annual meeting of Jaxtona Valae."
Everyone nodded but remained silent.
"Now, as you know," Jennings continued, "the meaning of our secret group is to make sure that the Jar of Vedara remains intact and in safe hands. However-our guard has been let down, somehow. The jar was stolen, left in plain sight in this town, and opened."
Everyone gasped and looked at each other as they speculated on what could have happened.
"For privacy's sake, I will not reveal the name of the one who opened it," Jennings said once the room had quieted once more.
Everyone nodded and waited for him to speak expectantly.
"We also know that the fatal opening of the jar was prophesied by Elder Bishnai several hundred years ago," he said. "We, however, were not prepared for it to happen to in our time."
A young man in the back raised his hand, and Jennings took immediate notice.
"What is it, Athal?" he asked.
"Wasn't it also prophesied that there would be three Chosen Ones to lead us when this happened?" Athal inquired.
"Yes, I was just getting to that," Jennings said as he turned to face Kiral. "That is why I brought my friend."
Kiral opened her mouth to speak, but all she could do was stare at her friend.
"She is a Chosen One," Jennings finished.

"You're crazy!" Kiral exclaimed for the twelfth time as they made their way to the Council Hall the next morning. "How can I, of all people, be someone to help destroy this evil? It's impossible? And how do you, of all people, even know that I am?"
Jennings lifted his eyes to the sky briefly before replying, "Because I'm not who you think I am."
Kiral pulled away from him. "Then who are you?"
"You'll see," Jennings replied mysteriously as he pushed open the double doors leading into the Council Hall.
Kiral went to sit with her family. She watched as Jennings went to the front platform and stood at its back.
Her mother, who sat on the other side of Raye, looked over and said, "When this is over, Kiral, you are going to have a talk with me and your father. You're in big trouble."
Kiral gulped and nodded before turning to face the front of the room.
She thought she saw the figure of Jennings standing the shadows at the back of the platform. Only, he was now wearing a cloak with a hood that shadowed his face.
The leader of Erendyl stepped forward to the platform.
"It has come to the attention of the Elders of a new danger that was made aware to us by this young man." He gestured to Jennings.
Jennings stepped forward and threw off the hood.
Everyone gathered let out one shocked, simultaneous gasp.
Erendyl's leader stepped back. "Jace Tyrone!"
Kiral stared at him. She wondered what had happened to her friend. He wasn't Jennings!
The familiar face of sixteen year old Jennings was replaced with the face of a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. Gone was the short, curly blonde hair; instead there was wavy black hair that reached just past the shoulders of the man who was at least six feet tall instead of five foot seven.
"Jace Tyrone?" she whispered to herself in awe. "I actually met him?"
"Thank you for gathering together today," Jace said, his deep voice resonating throughout the building. "The lives of every Vendhorian in this country-every life on this great planet of Nathiru, in fact-is in grave danger." He paused. "The Jar of Vedara has been opened."
Horrified gasps rolled through the room, each person wondering who could have ever done such a thing.
Kiral felt sick to her stomach, knowing that she had brought this danger on her people. She turned her mind to what Jace was saying as he began speaking again.
"Elder Bishnai, many years ago, prophesied that the opening of the jar would occur. No one knew when, however, and therefore no one was prepared for this. However," he continued, holding up one hand as everyone started asking questions at once, "there were also three Chosen Ones prophesied to lead Nathirians against this evil. There is one in your presence even now." He beckoned to Kiral. "Kiral Vyalia, please rise, and Vendhorians, please greet the One from your country to help save your planet."
Kiral slowly stood, a red blush creeping up her neck in embarrasment as everyone slowly turned to look at her, shock clearly outlined on their faces.
A Council member stood and faced Jace. "And how do we know you're right?" he asked skeptically.
Jace smoothly drew a scroll from his tunic. "This scroll, written by Bishnai so long ago, clearly states in the last part that this is so." He unrolled it and read aloud, 'There will be three Chosen Ones to lead the Nathirians against this evil. The first will hail from Vendhoria. She will not be well known until this comes about. Her name will mean chosen to lead.'"
The Erendylian leader stepped forward and examined the scroll. "It's true," he said quietly. "This is the real scroll."
"Come up here please, Kiral." Jace motioned for her to come forward.
Kiral, without glancing at any of her family members, made her way to the front.
Jace placed a hand on her shoulder. "Prepare yourself," he said quietly. "We'll be leaving soon.
"Why-?" Kiral began. 
"Don't say anything," Jace interrupted. "Let me finish speaking." He turned to the rest of the Erendylian community. "I am going to leave you with this advice: Prepare yourselves for war. Only your best weapons are going to be used to help destroy the enemy." He did a half-turn away from them, then turned back. "Oh, one more thing: Do NOT underestimate your foes."
"How are we going to know who the enemy is?" asked the leader of Erendyl.
Jace was silent for one moment, but only one. Then he said:

                                          'Come they will like a thief in the night,
                                           But not in the day, and not in the light.
                                                   Eyes of red, claws like steel,
                                        Awesome strength, unexplainable might.
                                               Be seen you will from miles away.
                                              Be heard you will from miles away.'

Then they were gone.   

"What did you do?" Kiral yelled over the noise that they had so suddenly encountered in their departure.
"We have work to do!" Jace yelled back. "Before we rid the land of the Great Evil!"
"What could be more important than getting rid of the evil?" Kiral answered.
"You cannot do it alone! Only the three Chosen Ones together can defeat it for all eternity!"
"Me? Where do you come in in all this?" Kiral shot back.
"I am only here to do what my Master sent me to do," Jace replied. "I will return to him when I am finished."
"How could anyone not know about you? You lived among us as Jennings for six years!"
"You would not believe how easy it is to do! Especially when you have a Master like mine!"
"If he's so powerful, then how come he won't defeat the evil?"
"Because he wants to show his power through you and the other Chosen Ones!"
"Where are we going?" Kiral asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Charreni!"
"Are you kidding?" Kiral yelled in shock. "Do you know how friendly they are?"
"They'll seem friendly enough when you hear where the last Chosen One comes from!"
"Where?"
"Arrall!"
"Are you out of your mind?!?!" Kiral asked as the wind whipping around them began to slow down and the noise quieted.
Jace put a calming hand on her shoulder as the air around them cleared and they found themselves in the middle of a peaceful green forest and turned her to face him. "Look, Kiral," he said quietly, "my Master knows what he is doing. I know what he wants me to do and I am willing to obey him and listen to him. You need to be willing to do the same for me. You need to trust that my Master knows what he is doing and telling me to do. That's all I ask. Will you trust me?"
Kiral almost protested that she didn't want to work with her country's enemies, but then she realized that Jace was right. She nodded. "Yes," she said quietly. "I'll try to do as you ask."
"Thank you," Jace said.
"So, where is this Charrenian that we're supposed to meet?" Kiral asked, looking around at the still forest, not hearing one sound from out of the trees.
Jace leaned back against a tree. "He'll be here soon."
An arrow suddenly zipped by Kiral and struck Jace in the center of his chest.
"Jace!" screamed Kiral as Jace slumped to the ground.