"What?!", you couldn't believe your ears.
"You are one of the worthy souls chosen by the Gods to rule over the kingdoms of Anexártitos; the child of the prophecy."
All these years, you have been trying to find some meaning to your life, your existence but failed to come up with an answer and now, when you least expect it, it's being presented to you on a golden platter. Your existence has a far greater meaning than you could fathom.
You didn't know how people would normally react in such circumstances, but ineffable joy was coursing through your body. Your heart started rattling in its cage and a mild gust of wind tingled your skin like petals falling from a tree.
After dreading life for years, living only as a result of not dying - merely existing, you finally found a reason to feel alive and you could not ask for anything more. To know that your existence is not as worthless as you thought to be was enough for you.
Being busy with your own thoughts, you failed to notice that Iris has been silent for some time. Having been able to read your thoughts, she gave you time for yourself. She found it disheartening that a girl capable of so much greatness had been degrading herself because she couldn't fit into her society's concept of success. She thought it is pitiful how people on Earth were forced down a path according to the whims of others and ended up living a miserable life only because they weren't allowed to do what they want to do with their life because it is considered as "inferior" compared to the majority of the people. How can the value of something be decided on the number of people doing it? Aren't these the same people who say that success comes from going on a path no one has dared to go on before? Why are people forced to be like others and live a life knowing that the "others" they are trying so hard to be like are themselves flawed. They dislike being grouped together with most people but at the same time want to be a part of the majority, what kind of a paradox is this?
She thought it is sad how some people are not allowed to think for themselves and have to blindly follow a life that has been laid for them. But what she wondered the most was why so many people think that they have no choice, no voice?
But it wasn't her place to say anything about the mentality of humans, but she couldn't sit still and witness you downgrading yourself, "Look Y/N, I can understand what you are feeling, but remember this; a person's life doesn't become meaningful only when they have a purpose, their life becomes meaningful the moment they stop hating themselves."
You felt a pang in your heart, the guilt of hating yourself for years made your eyes water, but you didn't want to cry at least not in front of someone, it was something ingrained into your mind ever since you were a kid - don't cry, crying is a form of showing your weakness, so never cry in front of others.
"You are of immense value to us Y/N, all eight of you. Millions of people are awaiting your arrival, for you to take them out of their misery. So stop thinking of you as inferior and worthless and always remember this; you are not exceptional because you are the chosen ones - it is because you are exceptional, that you are the chosen ones."
Her words comforted you the same way the sunlight does on a cold winter morning, you could sense her warmth seeping into you and looked up at her with gratitude filled eyes, "I will be sure to remember it till I take my last breath."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, all thanks to you", you replied gleefully.
"That's good, and I am glad I could be of help,
Now moving on to the most important thing - You see Y/N, the reason we had to involve you, mortals, in the first place is because of a vow made by the gods. When the demigods came demanding for their kingdoms, The Olympians clouded by the love for their children, failed to see their motives and made a vow to them of never interfering in their affairs. They granted them complete freedom over their rule, hence came the name Anexártitos, meaning 'independent',"
You listened to her carefully.
"The vows made by gods are unbreakable, Y/N, so they are bound by their own words and have to witness people suffer and cannot do anything about it. It is important for you to understand things from their perspective."
"But wouldn't granting us powers and training us for the sole purpose to defeat their children be considered as breaking the vow?", you intervened.
"Like every law, this also contains loopholes due to which such a plan of action was decided. The gods granting you power wouldn't be considered as breaking the vow because the decision to defeat the demigods would be completely yours. They are gods and they can decide the way they want to use their powers, so it is not wrong for them to imbue a few mortals with powers or train them to become heroes. But how they intend to use such powers would completely be their own choice, so the gods cannot be blamed for it. Just think of it like a butterfly effect - their powers 'indirectly' being the cause of their children's defeat wouldn't be considered as breaking the vow."
You nodded in understanding. "So you mean to say that I have every right to back off from this whole plan any time I want?"
"Yes, you do and we can only hope that you don't. Millions of lives are at stake here Y/N, and I am sure you are smart enough to choose the right thing. That is the reason Eileithyia had a hard time selecting the worthy souls. We had to find people with empathy and who would put the happiness of others before their own, to say the least. You can imagine the situation the people and the planets are in, for the gods to resort to such extreme methods. It's not easy for them too,Y/N, to snatch away the lives you guys have built for twenty one years just because they were incapable of seeing their children for who they actually are, for making a decision out of emotions and not logical reasoning. They are immensely apologetic towards all eight of you and your families, they do want to meet you in person, but -"
The vow, you interjected.
"Yes, the vow is stopping them from engaging directly with you. All they can do is give you powers and proper training, but the final decision is entirely upon you. But we all sincerely hope that all eight of you make the right decision."
"I can understand, but how am I supposed to agree to something without knowing anything about it? I don't know anything about the kingdoms and the rulers, so how am I supposed to come to a decision?"
"You will know more about it while training Y/N, your master is going to explain everything to you in detail. Also, the place of your training was chosen such that every year spent there would be equal to an hour on Earth. So even if you train for three years there, you would only be gone from Earth for three hours, that way your family wouldn't be alarmed by your absence. So if after the training you decide to go back to your old life, you can do it without much problems, basically suggesting for you to complete your training first before coming to any conclusion. It was all planned so that you don't feel forced to follow the path set for you. Remember Y/N, you are the one who is in control of yourself, and your choices, always."
You could only hum in response. To be honest, you were bewildered by the revelation but thought it wise to not think too deeply about it unless you know everything about the kingdoms and what kind of effect your decision would have on the lives of others as well as yours.
"Now coming back to the topic in hand, all eight of you will be training under the guidance of Master Chiron -"
"Chiron?!", you interrupted Iris, "you mean THE Chiron, the superlative centaur, the wisest and the justest among all centaurs, the one who trained heroes like Achilles, Asclepius, Odysseus and many other great heroes?"
Iris nodded, taken aback by your sudden outburst.
"So you are saying, the person who trained such great heroes would be training me?"
"Yes Y/N, as far as I know there is only one Chiron, so yes, you would be training under him", Iris responded.
You felt more euphoric than when the fourth season of 'Haikyuu' was announced, though it ended up being a disaster, that's not important right now. 'Training under the guidance of someone like him would be a great honour', you thought.
"Like I was saying, you along with the seven others would be training together under Master Chiron till he deems you fit for your roles, so they would be your new family, at least for the time being."
You were beginning to get curious about the others, now; the kind of people they were, the countries they belonged to, the lives they've led till now and what were their reactions to this sudden load of information.
"Don't worry Y/N, you will meet them soon and you will have all the time in the world to get to know each other. But I want you to keep in mind one thing, though I know I don't have to say this to you, don't judge anyone hastily. The rest is for you to decide.
We need you to commence your training without any further delay. Do you have any further questions?"
You shook your head.
"In that case, I will be teleporting you to the 'Eye of God', which is your training ground. If you have any further questions, you can always ask your master, he will do a much better job explaining things to you."
You nodded in understanding and braced yourself for what was yet to come.
"I bid you farewell now Y/N, and Good luck for all your future endeavors. Good thoughts and sound decisions to you." she smiled at you one last time, which you returned nervously.
Though you were excited, the thought of being a part of a new world and a new life was unnerving. But you decided to go head-on like you always do, thinking how it could not be any different from your life on Earth where everyday was a battle in itself when a bright light flashed again.