The walk back was steady as Holden, Heaven, and Kayla continued their bickering with one another while Matthew was actually doing the guiding for Seth as they walked back to the neighborhood. The canine and two herbivores occasionally glanced back at the light skin, but still kept bickering.

Seth felt bad for leaving Harrison and the rest of the Enchanted Forest in the potential hands of that Jeremy character. The way Harrison made it sound, that man was a force to be reckoned with and Seth did not want to be caught in the middle of a war he just discovered. It made Seth feel even worse for when the Forest Guardian had high hopes for him, but he was a coward.

He wasn't a chosen one. Picked by destiny or fate. A prophecy engraved since the beginning of time. He was just an ordinary boy who could dance but kept it hidden and was afraid of what other people would think.

Matthew noticed the dejected expression and tried to encourage the human, "Hey, don't sweat it, Seth. Most of us understand. Maybe you need some time to think about."

Seth shrugged and looked away, "Maybe..."

"Look," Heaven said, trailing alongside the human now, "I get that we just dumped a huge fantasy war on you, but the Magic Crystal doesn't just choose anyone."

"It kinda did!" Holden hollered, which earned him a forceful shove from Kayla.

Heaven ignored the mythical creature, "Jeremy is powerful, but that gem could finally give us an edge to end his reign and start anew."

"If you want someone to defend your forest, why not Holden. He seems more dead-set to put the hurt on Jeremy," Seth suggested.

Holden, having shook off the dirt from his shove, perked up at the suggestion, "Hm, He's got a point." The unicorn made his way over to a rock before leaping out it, "Nobody here is braver than me. You know, if I had the Magic Crystal, I'd nail Jeremy." The unicorn began to make fencing moves with his horn.

"En garde, bird-brain! Épée, ha-ha! Coupé, aha! Coulé!" Holden got carried away and ended up jumping which got his horn stuck in a branch.

"Wow, impressive," Heaven quipped, "What technique is that called?"

"Uhhh, Oopsé?" the unicorn sheepishly responded.

"Well, I for one think it suits you," Kayla said.

"Ditto," the canine said as Seth and Matthew snickered to themselves.

Holden freed himself after a tug, "Just keeping my horn sharp. But seriously though..." the unicorn's tone took to one of elaboration, "If the Magic Crystal chose you, it had to have a good reason. All of us have tried to pull it out, yet here you are not even wanting to take up the mantle. Why it choose a human, no offense, is beyond me."

Seth shrugged, "I don't know... maybe the gem's just wrong."

"I, for one, doubt that," Matthew said, "The gem has been there for ages. Waiting. It choose you."

Seth smiled at the idea of helping but again the attention would be on him. That wasn't something for him. Maybe someone else was more likely to wield the power of the Magic Crystal. "I'm pretty sure an ordinary human such as myself has a destiny. And if it does, no way it involves courage and heroism."

Heaven stopped in her tracks before sniffing the air. She picked a smell. A familiar smell. The canine began to barred her fangs, confusing the other four.

"What's up with Heaven?" Seth asked before the three other animals began showing aggression. Kayla had her tail held high while Matthew and Holden showed their natural weapons of tusks and horn respectively.

Seth began to hear the flapping of wings. Giant wings. Seth turned to the noise and nearly faltered at the sight. Two humanoid harpy-like birds from the looks of it with maroon feathers landed before magic swirled around them. The larger one let out a caw before a cold laugh was heard. The magic died down and revealed a messy blonde man in a maroon robe. The smaller one takes the form of a younger brunette teenager from the looks of it, dressed in a maroon suit.

"My, my," the messy blonde one started, "I thought my crows were joking when I was informed of a human entering the Enchanted Forest and freed the Magic Crystal. Imagine my surprise." He began to observe Seth but the four woodland animals stood their ground, defending him. "I must say, you look pathetic."

"Agreed. So pathetic," the brunette said.

"Well, perhaps I should introduce myself," the messy blonde said before bowing, "I am Jeremy, future ruler of the Enchanted Forest. And this is my son, Ian."

Ian gave a sly smile before winking. Seth became a bit unnerved with that notion.

"Got your feathers ruffled?" Holden snarked.

"Far from it," Jeremy shot back before becoming sarcastic, "My days are numbered. I'm shaking in my boots!" before chuckling, "Honestly, you don't even look like hero material."

Seth become even more doubtful in his abilities. Even the warlock thought he wasn't cut out to be a hero.

"Go ahead and laugh it up, featherbrain," Holden stated before gesturing to Seth, "But my friend Seth here is gonna show you two what's what!"

"Holden, shhh..." Seth muttered, in fear of the warlock, before Kayla gave her two cents.

"Yeah, just you wait! Seth's going to send you two packing!"

"Really? Well then, prove it." Jeremy challenged, beckoning the so-called Chosen One to attack him.

Seth stiffened at the idea of this man, let alone what he had done with both the forest and the animals, so how was he, of all people, going to show what he was made of?

"Wow...," Ian mocked before holding his hand to his hand in a dramatic manner, "I think he's doing something! It's... It's... pathetic," spat, not impressed.

"Oh yeah? Well, he's just warming up. That's it!" Holden said enthusiastically.

"And here I thought unicorns were," Jeremy started before his eyes glowed a menacing red, "shy." He then generated a small burst of red magic before it consumed the four woodland animals.

Seth heard them begin to cry out in pain. The human didn't like this man one bit and hurting his friends was just low.

"Stop!" Seth shouted at the warlock and assistant. The human continued, "I may not have any magic, but you have no right to pick on animals all because you think you are all that."

"Well, well," the blonde mused and ceased his torturing, "seems the human does have a backbone. I'll have to... 'remove' such an annoyance." He ended with a sickle smile on his face. Jeremy turned to his son, "Ian, how would you like a new feather pillow?"

"Of course, dad," his son smirked.

The response made the warlock smirk before beginning to recite a spell and casting it upon Seth.

"No!" the four animals shouted and struggled to rise, the effects of dark magic slowly wearing off.

Seth began to see a vortex surround him at his feet. The vortex began to create a blinding light that he closed his eyes from. His body began to feel... different. The sequence eventually ended though... but not before Seth realized something new.

For starters, he felt shorter. He opened his eyes and checked himself to see what had happened.

Needless to say, when he saw what he had become and gasp escaped his mouth.

Or, beak now.

His mouth had become a bright orange beak. His neck had grown slender and long, curving into an arch. His entire body was covered in clean white feathers, oppose to his natural light skin complexion. His arms were gone, now replaced as wings and his feet had become webbed.

The newly transformed human let out the proper response: startled. "Ahh!"

A swan?! Jeremy had turned him into a swan! A mute swan, from what he could identify.

"Seth!" the four animals cried out.

Jeremy cackled haughtily, proud of his newest transformed victim, "Look at the great hero of the forest now!" Ian cackled similarly to his dad.

Seth, on the other hand, was more intent on getting out of there. He began to flap his wings but he didn't ascend. After a few seconds of trying, he failed at achieving lift-off which ended with him falling over.

"What a pretty bird," Jeremy mocked as he strutted over to Seth. The warlock trailed his hand through the feathers along Seth's neck and then to his wing, giving his new victim an unnerving feeling. Adding insult to injury, Jeremy plucked a feather right off of him. He took a moment to observe it before handing it to his son, who was overjoyed.

"Ohhhh! A pretty feather!" Ian gushed over the feather as if it had told him he's the handsomest there is.

"Back off featherbrain!" Holden demanded as Heaven attempted to pounce the two. The warlock and his son avoided the pounced before Kayla and Matthew charged forward.

"Book it, Seth!" Holden said, "We'll try to hold them off!" the unicorn shined his horn and fired a multicolored beam of light missed the warlock who retaliated with a blast of his own.

Seth, still getting used to his newfound appearance, decided to trust his instincts and fly once more. This time he was able to achieve liftoff and fly this time. He flew away from the skirmish, which led him to the lake of the Enchanted Forest.

"Over here!" Harrison called out as the rest of the fairies joined him. Seth immediately dove down towards the Guardian and landed at his feet. Harrison pulled out the Magic Crystal, crafted now as a miniature crown.

"We came as quickly as we could. This shall protect you," Harrison said as he placed the crown onto Seth's head.

After placing the accessory, Jeremy appeared with Holden, Heaven, Matthew, and Kayla in dark magic constructs as Ian strolled along. The

"Ah, the King of Nothing," the warlock sneered at his brother.

Harrison informed Seth, "He can do nothing to you now. As long as you wear the crystal." The newly transformed swan nodded, but still feared what will happen if Jeremy got his way.

Jeremy couldn't help but scoff at the claim, "You still believe in that folly tale. Thinking it could interfere with my destiny? Ha! This," he gestures to the entire forest, "Is my forest. Mine. Just as it should have been. I have big plans for my reign. Why don't you save us all the trouble and hand over the crown?"

"And leave you to destroy the rest of the Enchanted Forest before moving onto the human world?" the Guardian retorted before hovering close to the warlock's face, hissing "Never."

Jeremy merely grinned before a sphere of dark magic swirled in his hand, "Then enjoy the show." He directed the sphere towards Seth, who gaped in shock at the incoming magic, "This boy's days are over!" And with that claim, Jeremy hurled the sphere...

Only for the Magic Crystal conjured a shield that protected Seth from the attack. The shield redirects the sphere, changing it to a pink sphere that Jeremy avoided. The blast struck the ground before erupting and healing a decayed part of the forest. All the fairies watched in awe at the power of the gem. Ian's cheek puffed up in jealously, wanting that power to himself.

This made Jeremy snarl before Harrison made him leave, "Go, Jeremy. You can do nothing here!"

The warlock replied, "So you think..." He released the four fairies before he morphed into his avian form, taking off. "Come, Ian."

Ian gaped at his father's command, "What's going on?! What about my pillow?! Daddy, wait!" The son of the warlock morphed into his avian form, following his father's flight while sulking about his 'feather pillow.'