"Why do you need a champion? Why make me into a dog? If you were helping yourself to a new soul that could serve you then there's no reason for me to be like this."
"Cessabit...Cessabit." She said in a different language.
"My reason for needing a champion is a topic that shall come again later in time as for being a dog? Simple, I made you one because you shall serve me better as one rather than an owl." The bird sighed before she suddenly flew up to a branch, leaving me even more suspicious and question-filled than before.
God...I've met a lot of untrustworthy people in my old life but this giant chicken was something else! Though I was eternally grateful to her for saving me from an eternity of floating around in empty darkness, I wasn't too happy about being rebirthed into a life of servitude! Not to mention being a bird as well.
"You must have a lot of questions." She spoke suddenly.
"Darn right I do." I huffed as I sat down and sighed.
"What is this world?���
"This world is known as Balerion my champion however...the continent you are on is known as the Forest Continent." Ibis explained, my head tilting at the mention of the world.
"Forest Continent...? What's that?"
"Simply put, it is where Ursa, Anguis and me, Ibis rule. You shall find out more when you eventually leave this cave." She said before she suddenly launched herself from her branch and flew off, most likely expecting me to follow her immediately.
'Jeez...she could at least carry me. It's tiring running around darn it.' I thought.
As I trotted after her, I couldn't help myself but begin to wonder about whether or not this was it? Is this all I was going to do for the rest of my life? After my entire former life spent wishing, dreaming and praying that I would be able to experience a fantasy world with my own two eyes and gain my own fame and fortune, was this it?! Simply running after a darn bird who had an ego bigger than an elephant's gut that expected me to obey her every command like a dog and to be her 'champion'?!
This wasn't the life I wanted nor thought I would have when entering this new world...I need to get out of this cave.
"When will I be able to leave this cave? You can't expect me to live inside here forever, now don't you?" I said.
"...You shall be able to leave soon enough young spirit, but one cannot run without learning to walk first." She sighed before she suddenly landed in front of me, her wings washing over my head as it felt me with a sudden feeling of energy coursing throughout my body.
"What the-"
"To leave my cave, you must learn what you are, why you are here and how to control your natural abilities...after all, I didn't save you just to allow you to roam free around this world. You are here with a purpose, a purpose that'll benefit this world, you and me all at once." Ibis said before she leaped onto a nearby rock and looked down at me.
"Then tell me, why am I here? What's my purpose?" I said, the words leaving a weird taste in my mouth.
"Your purpose, as well as the reason you are here, is to help me defeat my rivals and eventually the great evil that plagues this world," Ibis said, my mouth opening slightly as all I could register from that sentence was a giant hassle.
'Mercy...I didn't ask to be born as a darn hero and be thrown into their quest; I just want to live my new life in peace.' I thought to myself with a groan.
"My rivals, Anguis and Ursa. Both of them already have champions. Though Rhinoceros has yet to obtain one." She explained as she waved her wings around for a moment before her rivals soon appeared around me.
And holy smokes were they were huge...from a Rhino that seemed to have a horn made out of iron as well and a hide that was the color of steel and looked as hard as it as well, to a Lion that was as black as the night with pearly white claws and a set of four, eerie glowing red eyes, a Bear that was covered in moss and seemed to have mushrooms growing on its back and finally, a giant blood-red snake with a pair of dirty yellow fangs and black triangles along with bone symbols along its back. They all looked like animals I didn't want to get angry nor wanted to ever meet in my entire life.
"You are my champion young one, you shall defeat their champions and bring glory to me. Only then will you be allowed to vanquish the evil that plagues this land." She spoke again.
It was too much...I won't lie, I was happy to be in a fantasy world despite dying seemingly only hours ago! But this...? I didn't want this; I didn't want to be the champion to some-some bird! After losing my old life, I deserved, more than anyone alive on this world, to be left alone to do what I wanted to do.
"I'm not doing it," I said before I soon felt a fiery gaze burning a hole into my head.
"...What?"
"I'm not doing it! I lost my entire life only an hour ago! And now? Now all of a sudden, I'm thrown into a destiny I've never wanted!?! Go find someone else to do your bidding ya darn bird." I snarled before I tried to storm off, a sudden screech ringing through the air before I was suddenly pinned down, Ibis' talons threatening to slice my neck open.
"Who rescued you from eternal darkness?! Who gave you a body so that you may walk, breath and talk once more?! If not I then who?!" She screeched; the screeching so loud that it almost made my ears bleed.
With my eyes shut tightly and my body shivering so much I thought I was out in the cold; I then heard a small sigh before I was released.
"...Forgive me...I have overstepped with you young one." Ibis said with a sigh, shaking her body as her ruffled feathers smoothened.
"You are destined to bring glory to me my champion. I have heard and seen what your father has said and those words have given me hope...I didn't use my powers to bring back a lowly soul but someone who is worthy." Ibis said as I looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes, the memory of my Dad's words making me tear up a little.
"Now do not start to shed water young one, you must be clear-sighted in order for me to show you some skills that shall benefit you." She said before she suddenly rose her wings over her head as they began to let out a vibrating sensation throughout the ground, a few ghostly figures appearing around us.
"What are they?" I asked as I cautiously moved towards one, taking a small sniff at it.
"They are your practice, for you shall begin learning some skills now, once you learn that...you will know what you are," Ibis spoke before she walked closer to me.
"Think of heat."
"What?"
"You heard me correctly, think of heat young one, think of something hot," Luna ordered as I shook my head in disbelief but nonetheless did it.
As I began to think of a hot situation, my brain immediately thinking back to the time when I had seen a live volcano with my parents, my ears had suddenly picked up on sounds of...crackling as I soon opened my eyes to the sight of flames dancing around me.
"Very good...now, these flames shall not harm you or I but to others? They are so deadly to the touch that they shall burn down an entire kingdom if you so wished." She explained before she stepped back a little.
"To complete this skill, you must destroy every one of these targets. Shall one manage to pin you down, we will only restart." Ibis said, letting out a hoot as the targets began to growl and circle me.
"Wait! How do I control-"
"You will learn in less than a second young one do not fret much."
As she said, I really did learn in a second, the moment I had felt one of the targets bite my tail. I had let out a sharp yelp before I suddenly turned on the target and swiped at the air, a fireball hitting the target spot on.
"Good...again!" She ordered before another target suddenly lunged at me causing me to swipe my paw again as a fireball hit it.
With my confidence growing each time I had hit a target and my ability to shoot fireballs making me feel more and more like a wizard, the remaining targets had soon disappeared as heard Luna's claws click against the stone ground. With my confidence growing each time I had managed to successful time my block or successfully hit another target, all of the things combined making me feel more and more like a wizard! The remaining targets had suddenly disappeared as Ibis' claws began to click against the ground.
"Very good my champion! After this next lesson, you shall know who you are." She hooted as she flew back up to her branch.
"Wait! Only two? You expect me to go out into the world with only two skills?! Fireballs and blocking?! That's ridiculous, at least teach me how to be human!" I complained, Ibis blatantly ignoring my complaints as she flew up to her branch.
'What the...' I thought as I looked over to Ibis, the sight of her body seeming to pulsate making me widen my eyes.
"What are you doing?!-"
Suddenly the vibration had stopped and, in a blinding flash of light, Ibis had summoned a creature that was as big as the tree itself, the sight of it making my tail immediately tuck underneath me as I backed away.
'Can't she go a little easier on me...?' I thought to myself, the sight of the bear-like creature suddenly turning its empty eyes on me and letting out a beastly howl making me immediately start running in the opposite direction. "What to do? What to do?!" I panted, the pebbles beneath my paws starting to hop as the monster roared, desperate to try and get me.
'C' mon think Eos...think! What did I learn from my old life?' I thought to myself as I racked my brain for any sort of idea or memory that could help me, a sudden light bulb bursting in my mind as I thought about what my Mom had said to me once...when I was nothing but a small child.