The pegasus unfurled it's wings, showing them off and whinnied in pride, before leaning into my hand like a child asking for a mother's love. Through the touch, I knew that it wanted me more than I wanted it. Why wouldn't it? It was a glory to all creatures of good to be able to lend a hand to the legendary Maiden otherwise known as the balance of the world.
Even when I was a child, there would always be birds chirping when I sang, fishes popping out when I swam and it was never a difficulty to ride a horse.
But, I still had to learn to distinguish between creatures of good and creatures of evil, since where it was an honor to protect/help me as a creature of good, it was a luxury to eat or rape me as a creature of evil. Luckily, in all my nine incarnations, I had never had my flesh so much as tasted by a creature of evil and I intend on keeping that trend.
"Pegasi," Ivanka corrected me. "And no, it's not just any pegasi."
"Oh, really?" I said, voice muffled since my face was pressed up against the pegasi's soft, feathery wings. "What's so special about this one?"
Ivanka walked over, and pointed at a spot between the pegasi's wing muscles. "Open your eyes and see the answer for yourself."
Curious, I reluctantly got my face off the soft, feathery wings and did as she asked. Pouring chi into my eyes, I opened them to enter a world of pure energy, with no boundaries, unrestricted by mortal laws.
"Oh my god," I whispered, looking at the massive stack of aged, chaos energy within the flying steed. If it was a human, it would easily be someone of diamond-rank, no it was even a few licks short of being classified as an immortal-ranked creature.
And, I was being gifted with such a creature.
"I can't take this," My eyes returned back to normal.
Ivanka's fingers traced the wings of the magnificent pegasi, and from the slight shiver of the pegasi, I could tell that she had done this multiple times before. I wracked my brain, scouring my knowledge of the game to wonder if this pegasi had ever appeared before but got no answer.
"He's a beauty, isn't he?" Ivanka said. "When I found him, he was nothing more than a foal, with wings and legs the smallest of his pack. But, through his own grit and my caring, he came out a King, with the biggest wings and the strongest legs."
"Don't you think that reminds you of someone?"
I knew she was talking about me. "But, I still can't just take it from you. Besides, weren't you the one who told me not to depend on anything or anyone but myself?"
"I did."
"So?"
"You are aiming for the Demon God's head, yes?" Ivanka asked, and I nodded. "Then, you're a million years too young, my headstrong little one."
My heart swooned when she used my pet name but I stayed strong. I did want the pegasi really, really bad since I would look so badass felling my enemies while riding it but then, I couldn't just take it. Maybe I am being a little too headstrong. No way was I going to admit it out loud though.
She petted the pegasi. "Take this steed, and it'll be a thousand." At that, the pegasi stomped his strong legs on the ground. "He'll be your first companion, as well as the first and last gift this foolish oaf will be able to give you."
Magically, a headstall appeared on the King Pegasi's head from which golden reins appeared from.
She presented the reins to me. "Take them, my love."
I held up a finger. "One moment." Then, I ran towards the direction of our house while yelling, "I need to go get something!"
Ivanka just stood dumbly there.
***
It took no more than five minutes for a chi-enhanced me to run to and from our house back to the garden of flowers, where Ivanka and a chilling pegasi were. The distance should have definitely made me tired and would have made me tired if I was still the old, weak Willow in the past but the way I am now, it barely made me sweat. You just love to see progress.
I came back to Ivanka, with a leather satchel in hand. Her eyes caught the satchel and I held it out. "Curious?"
"What is it?"
"Hm-m!" I smiled smugly. "You weren't the only one preparing to give me a gift. I was working on something behind the scenes to give you as well."
Opening the satchel, I rummaged through the materials inside to find what I was looking for. "While it won't be as grand as the pegasi you've given me, I did work pretty hard on it. It's a little bit of a shame I wasn't the first one to drop the surprise on you but beggars can't be choosers. Found it!"
"This is something I've made for you," I took out the gift, and presented it to her. "Pretty cool right?"
She held the gift and appraised it. "An amulet?"
"Not just any amulet. A magical amulet that allows you to revisit your favorite memories in your dream. I call it the DreamCatcher. Look," I told her, before taking out my own which was in the shape of a full moon. "I've got one too."
I held my full moon against her crescent moon. "We match."
"Where did you find it?" She asked.
I deflated. "I'm a little hurt that you think I didn't make it."
"Did you?"
"No," I said, smiling shamelessly. "But I did find it, in a place only I know." It wasn't a lie. It even took me until yesterday to remember that the DreamCatchers, a lover's item in the game, could be found in Ivanka's Domain, hidden somewhere the moon's glow doesn't reach, which was basically inside a cave south of Ivanka's home.
If you thought that all I did was train, sleep and eat, you were sorely mistaken. How would it be possible for a curious boy like me to just stay in one spot for an entire month?
"So?" I asked, with a big smile. "Do you like it?"