A view from the sky showed a huge a battle that was taking place on the ground.
Thousands of horses, upon them sat, men, humans, elves, beasts, and wolves - many races were present, all united and facing against a single person. A woman was standing in the sky, looking at the thousands of soldiers marching towards her.
"My little Nyx, it's time. Yes, finally, the time has come. Stay strong, my cute little daughter," The woman's voice whispered, tinged with both pride and sorrow.
Then, the dream shattered, and Medusa's eyes flew open.
"Haaaa!" She sat up with a gasp, her chest heaving.
"What was that about? It's like the fourth time I've seen that same dream." Medusa muttered, shaking her head. "Forget about it. The alarming thing now is, didn't I die? There's no way I survived the flames. Those holy flames would have easily burned my body to ashes. But why...?"
Looking around, she took in her surroundings. She saw darkness and long trees that surrounded her. The only light in this darkness was the full moon, and she also heard the sound of flowing water as she realized she was sitting beside some kind of river.
"It's nighttime, and I'm in some kind of forest. Did I really survive?" Medusa questioned, utterly bewildered.
Feeling something was off, she raised her hands to touch her face. Her head seemed smaller, her hands more petite. Glancing down, she saw tiny feet clad in soiled clothing.
"Huh? Why is my head so small? My hands and feet, they're all small too! This isn't my body!" She exclaimed, alarm flooding through her.
Medusa knew with certainty that she had died - she was burned by the holy flames of the human named Saintess Sabrina. Yet here she was, in someone else's body. Had her soul been transferred? Or was this her reincarnation, with her memories awakening after many years?
Making her way to the river, Medusa peered into the rippling water, desperate to see her own reflection. The moonlight glimmered on the surface, and Medusa's eyes widened in shock at what she saw.
Staring back at her was the face of a young girl, no more than nine years old. Bright red hair framed a sharp countenance, with large eyes, a small nose, and a delicate mouth. Her skin was dirty, marred by rashes and dirt.
"I'm... in another body. A human child's body," Medusa breathed, tracing the unfamiliar features with her fingers. "But how? I didn't transfer my soul before I died. Could it have been the Saintess? She was stronger than me - if she had the right skills, she may have been able to do this. But why would she?"
Medusa's brow furrowed as she pondered the implications.
She had been the demon queen of a demon world, standing against the united forces of the other races when they attacked. Though she had defeated many, in the end, she was overcome by a human called Saintess Sabrina. Medusa had not been killed outright, but rather captured and subjected to horrendous torture by the races that had lost so much because of her.
Yet, Medusa had never felt anything - After all she had been born a royal demon, her emotions were stripped away at her birth. She was turned into a mindless killing machine whose sole purpose was to protect the demon world. Perhaps, in the end, the Saintess had taken pity on her, ending her suffering with the holy flames.
"When I died, I felt some pain," Medusa murmured. "It's all because of that Saintess - she was the only one who saw me as another life, rather than just an object made to endure torture. And now I've been reborn... perhaps I can truly live this time."
As Medusa stood contemplating her predicament, a sudden shift in the air made her stiffen. Her senses, honed by centuries of facing different enemies, detected the presence of danger. Whirling around, she scanned the forest, eyes narrowed.
'I may have lost all my power, and even some of my previous life's memories are fuzzy, but my intuition seems to be working at least. I'll have a bad feeling in my head if there's danger nearby.'
"I feel it... The danger is close," Medusa murmured, taking a breath. "In a forest like this, danger at this time can only mean one thing - a beast."
Knowing she would be no match for a wild animal in this new, vulnerable body, Medusa's instincts screamed at her to flee, to escape the impending threat.
"Wait, first of all, I died and accepted my death. Why do I still want to live?" she questioned, but her feet began to move, swiftly carrying her back into the forest.
It didn't take long for her to understand - this was her second chance, an opportunity to experience life beyond the ruthless, emotionless existence she had known as the Demon Queen. The pain, the sorrow, the fear she now felt were all foreign sensations, yet strangely refreshing.
"I'm not going to die this time. I don't want to be the Demon Queen anymore. I don't want power - feeling emotions, even pain and sorrow or joy and pleasure, is far more important," Medusa muttered, her pace quickening as the sounds of something chasing her reached her ears.
Bursting through the trees, Medusa emerged into a small clearing, only to be confronted by the sight of a towering wolf, its yellow eyes gleaming with feral hunger. Though her new body felt fear, Medusa had seen beasts that could devour worlds - this wolf was a mere puppy in comparison.
Suddenly, the black-furred wolf lunged forward, its massive claws striking out with tremendous force.
Medusa tried to run, but the speed of the attack was too great, and the wolf's claws sent her small frame crashing into a tree.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" she cried out, pain lancing through her as she slumped to the ground, leaning against the tree. A small stream of blood trickled down her forehead.
"It hurts, dammit," Medusa growled, her voice tinged with a demonic edge. "I really don't want to die! I am not going to die. And I'm not giving up my life for anything or anyone."
Her eyes suddenly turned crimson, and two canines elongated on the edges of her mouth. Veins erupted from her hands and head, and her nails grew into deadly claws. Medusa stood, seemingly not in control of her body, a feral grin spreading across her face.
The wolf suddenly jumped on her as it saw Medusa transform. Medusa, who was confused, looked down at her hands which had become sharp claws.
"What is this? I'm human, aren't I? Then what is happening?" Medusa said to herself, her mind racing. "No time to think, maybe I can actually defeat this wolf."
She moved a few steps to the left, and to her surprise, her small body reacted with blinding speed, allowing her to easily evade the wolf's pounce. The massive creature landed on the ground, looking around bewildered, unable to track Medusa's movements.
'Huh, what the hell? I just wanted to move a few steps, but that little jump sent me flying meters away . So, it's not just the claws, I've also got enhanced strength. It's so much weaker than my normal physical power that I barely even notice it coursing through my body. What an interesting body to be reborn into.' Medusa thought, observing the wolf warily as it turned and began running towards her again.
'I can't outrun this wolf, even with my new strength, and I can't hide since it can probably smell me. Fighting is the only choice,' Medusa decided, bracing herself.
"However, I could get wounded easily since I only have strength, and it's not something that's particularly useful in long-range combat." Just as she was pondering this, the wolf was almost upon her, its jaws gaping wide.
'Semi-conscious beasts always aim for the neck, as it's the quickest way to kill their prey,' Medusa thought as she was experienced with this kind of kights, and true to her worlds, the wolf lunged for her throat.
Anticipating the attack, Medusa leaned back slightly, causing the wolf's jaws to snap shut on empty air. Without hesitation, she clenched her fist tightly and punched the beast right in the neck.
The result shocked Medusa - the wolf was sent flying, crashing through several small trees before slamming into a larger trunk. It struggled to stand, whimpering in pain.
"Whoa," Medusa exclaimed, staring at her small hand. "My punches are more powerful than I thought. However..."
Despite landing a devastating blow, Medusa hadn't escaped unscathed. One of the wolf's teeth had grazed her left shoulder, opening a shallow gash that was now bleeding.
"I better finish this before it can stand up again," She said, dashing towards the downed wolf.
But just as She neared the injured creature, it suddenly rose, shaking off the effects of her powerful punch. To her surprise, the wolf seemed to have regained its composure, its gaze sharpening as it locked eyes with her. A trickle of blood ran down the corner of its mouth, and it slowly licked it away with its tongue.
Medusa paused, watching the wolf warily. "You stood up, huh? But it's too late," she declared, clenching her fists.
Yet as she took those final steps towards the beast, a sudden, agonizing jolt shot through Medusa's body. She stumbled, falling to her knees and clutching her head as a searing pain lanced through her mind.
"Aaagh!" She cried, tears streaming down her face as a torrent of images and memories assaulted her consciousness. The woman's voice from her dream echoed in her head again.
"My little Nyx, it's time. Yes, finally, the time has come. Stay strong, my cute little daughter."
"This voice again... What's happening to me?" Medusa gasped, the agony becoming almost unbearable. Her demonic features - the claws, fangs, and vines - abruptly receded, leaving her feeling weak.
As She collapsed, the wolf watched her, its gaze unwavering. For some reason it didn't attack and looking at her collapsing, it started growling, seemingly in anger.
Whish Whish
Out of nowhere, two arrows rushed towards the wolf crossing Medusa's unconscious body.
The wolf however, just flung its tail and stopped the arrows. Then, without warning, the beast turned and fled into the deep forest.
Medusa barely registered the wolf's departure, her world narrowing to the agony in her head.
Then, everything went dark.
After she passed out, a figure landed infront of her body as it faced towards the wolf that ranway.
"How Strange. A night wolf would never show its back or flee, even if injured."