With the sunset painting the streets gold, he walked home, each step heavier than the last. 

The city seemed quieter that afternoon, as if it too had heard the elder's warning. His mind kept fixating on the sorrow and urgency in the elder's voice, as if she herself feared the ‘evil’ she spoke of.

His grip tightened on his coat in his hand as he glanced at the rooftops he passed, half - expecting to see shadows lurking where they shouldn't.

As he stopped by the entrance to the Assembly Chamber, he took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air as he calmed his nerves.

This was no moment for distractions. He needed every ounce of focus and every drop of will he had, to be able to face the Ministers.

With a breath of determination, he stepped confidently into the chamber and made his way to the assembly room.

The loud voices could be heard as he walked towards the room. The shouts of each minister echoing through the walls, however, he tuned it out, letting only the sound of his shoes on the freshly polished floor fill his mind.

As he opened the door, the room fell silent immediately. Everyone's heads snapped to observe him. They all gave a gentle nod of greeting as he walked to his seat at the head of the table.

The scrape of his chair was louder than all the voices in the room combined.

He glanced at his parents who were each seated on either side of him as he took his seat.

His mother eyed him with a glare as he ignored her expression and his father impatiently tapping his finger on the table.

And then they waited. They waited for him to speak. He held the most power as the heir to the throne and everyone knew it. And they all knew that the power he held was greater than any ruler before.

They feared the power within him and this brought respect upon himself. As he set his coat on the table before him, he spoke. 

“Let the meeting begin.”

The room erupted with the voices of the ministers. Every person with either a question of concern or a request.

Mystic Minister “The Magic department requests more funds!”

Weaponry Minister “OH Please! The weaponry department needs the funds more!”

Media Minister “We need to set a date for your coronation!”

Citizenry Minister “When will you take the throne already?! The citizens need their ruler!”

Many more voices filled the room as he sat with an expressionless demeanour. 

His parents glanced at him and scoffed. They rolled their eyes at what they deemed to be unprofessional behaviour on his part. 

If only the ministers still saw them as the rulers, they would have handled the meeting differently.

Unfortunately for them, their time on the throne was up. Now, it was his time to rule.

And he spoke, all the booming voices dying down as he caught their attention.

“Today's meeting was held to discuss my coronation and nothing else. For now, the issue of importance is choosing a date.”

The ministers exchanged wary glances, all wondering who would take initiative to speak first. 

Some cleared their throats at the awkward atmosphere and others fought each other with their eyes as if trying to get the other to speak up.

In that moment, a voice broke through the silence.

“Let's have it next month…”

The Citizenry Minister spoke in a calm and clear voice, refusing to let his fear show.

One by one the ministers chimed in with agreement. They all wanted to have him seated on the throne as soon as possible and that is what troubled him the most.

Running his hand through his hair, annoyance built up inside him. He began tapping his foot on the floor as they all badgered him to set the date to next month.

He couldn't take it anymore. He snapped.

A surge of frustration overtook him as he slammed his hands on the table, the vibration echoing through the chamber as he rose to his feet.

“That's too soon! I still have so much to prepare for before rising to the throne!” His voice finally escaped with all the pent up anger and frustration.

His father abruptly rose to his feet following his statement, “You have been preparing for your entire twenty-six years of life! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW!”

Ministers began agreeing with the voice of his father, building onto the pressure of the argument. His mother ran to grab his father's hand, attempting to calm him down.

The anger boiled inside him as his breath became heavy. He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the voices. Clenching his fists, he tried and tried to calm down, afraid of his power being unleashed. 

He could feel it; his anger took over as his power emanated from his fists. The voices were finally drowned out as he made his move.

He didn't even know what he was about to do, as if his thoughts were silenced.

His body moved on his own as the eyes of surrounding onlookers widened. They rushed to him.

That's when he was snapped out of his daze by a woman's scream.

The entire room froze as everyone's heads turned to the window where the scream came from. 

Letting go of his father's shirt and unclenching his raised fist, everyone who had been rushing to hold him back froze, as their movements were halted mid-step.

Noise could be heard coming from the window. Each step heavier than the last, as if time had slowed as he walked up to the window.

He was afraid. Afraid that the time Granny spoke of was near. Afraid of what was waiting for him outside the window. 

Afraid of reality.

Behind him, his parents and the ministers watched his movements, as if they too felt the same emotions he felt; the fear and anticipation. Frozen in their spots, as if waiting for a reaction, no one dared to breathe.

The candle flames flickered as a chill swept through the room. The wind coming through the window was…. Unnatural.

Resting his hands on the window sill, a gasp tore from his chest as he stammered backwards placing his hand over his heart. 

He slowly turned to look at the assembly, the fear and disbelief plain on his face. He tried but couldn't muster a word, resorting to pointing urgently out the window, as if the wind had been knocked out of his chest.

All the assembly members pushed past him, walking up to the large window overlooking the city. 

They didn't need words. His terror was enough to drag them up to the window. And just like him, they were speechless…

Beyond the window, beyond the city, a hollow gap was spreading.

“The barrier… its-its disappearing…”

The shimmering blue wall which surrounded the city, was now fading away as history.

All the young ministers watched in confusion, wondering how this was possible, however, the older heads were pale, knowing that this foreshadowed a terrible future.

Whilst the Ministers and his parents stood in shock, he stammered back. His eyes unfocused as he whispered words of denial.

“No… no. This can't be happening.”

His expression dropped. Life drained from his face as his eyes focused.

Standing with widened eyes of realization, he managed to utter one word. 

“Granny.”