Long before the break of dawn, I was already awake, perched by the window and gazing at the faint stars lingering in the early morning sky. As a bird, I was accustomed to waking at such an hour.
The ruthless wilderness has taught every creature living within its bounds to follow its rules and systems. Those that fail are inevitably weeded out, left to the mercy of natural selection.
In my old world, countless species went extinct because they couldn't adapt to new laws. Their remains turned into fossils—a somber reminder for the surviving species.
Cruel as it may sound, I preferred the wild's brutal honesty over my life as a human. Though I can't recall my human life, every attempt to remember fills me with a vague sense of dread and irritation, as though my very soul rejects the memory.
I turned my head back to glance at Fenrir, still sound asleep, her peaceful expression clashing with her messy sleeping posture. Drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, dampening her soft cheek. Thankfully, she wasn't the type to snore.
Watching her sleep peacefully stirred conflicting emotions in me. A naive girl punished by the gods simply because of a ridiculous prophecy, a future not yet written.
I shifted my gaze back to the cityscape below, shrouded in the quiet of early dawn. My thoughts wandered to the name of the region Linnie mentioned when we first arrived here.
Utgard.
That was the name of the kingdom encompassing this outskirts town. It reminded me of the tale of Thialfi, Thor, and Loki's journey to this realm at the invitation of Utgard's king.
What made the story intriguing was how the king had deceived them with illusions throughout their journey. Even in his palace, his tricks left them dispirited and sulking in a corner, unable to enjoy the feast prepared for them.
Eventually, the king revealed his deception, enraging Thor. But it was too late. Just as Thor raised Mjolnir, ready to obliterate Utgard, the entire region vanished from sight. It was said the king had hidden it to evade the wrath of the gods.
Would we face similar encounters here? The thought lingered uneasily in my mind.
I hoped not. We weren't ready for such conflicts. Even though Fenrir was powerful, she hadn't yet reached her full potential. If Thor killed her before Ragnarok, everything would crumble.
We'd sworn to explore the world together, and I wouldn't let her die. Resolutely, I clamped my beak shut, a fiery determination rising within me.
Yet, I knew how weak I still was. I had no weapon or magic on par with the gods. My attacks couldn't even scratch the deities who had wronged us.
There was no other choice, I had to grow stronger. Challenges ahead would only grow harder, and there was no hiding from Odin's gaze. The gods would keep hunting us, leaving us no option but to fight back.
The sun's light began creeping across the horizon, replacing the darkness with a warm golden hue.
Below, the city stirred as people woke from their slumber. Some opened shops, while others hurried along the streets, chasing time to begin their day.
It was time for me to change.
I transformed back into my human form, ensuring no one saw me as a raven to keep my identity hidden. Even Linnie couldn't know—not yet.
Click.
Right on cue, the door to my room creaked open. I turned to see Linnie, standing there with her bright orange hair and glowing amber eyes.
I greeted her with a warm smile. "What's up, Linnie?"
Her gaze shifted to Fenrir, still sprawled out in her strange sleeping position. Her face scrunched with mild disapproval.
"Looking for Fenrys?"
"No, not really," she stammered, waving her hands as if to dismiss any misunderstanding. "I came to invite you both for breakfast and then to hunt monsters in the forest."
"Really?"
Linnie nodded. "Actually, I was hoping to invite Fenrys to join me for a bath in the women's hot spring, but she seems to be sleeping deeply." Her voice trailed off in disappointment.
Amused, I offered, "You can wake her up. It's fine."
"Umm…" Linnie fidgeted, her face flushed as she looked away. "I'm too embarrassed…" she whispered, almost inaudibly.
With a knowing smile, I walked over to Fenrir's bed.
"Hey, wake up," I said gently, patting her arm. "Linnie's looking for you. She wants to take you to the hot spring."
"Hnmm… nghn…" Fenrir mumbled incoherently, rolling over stubbornly and refusing to wake up.
I sighed, mildly irritated by her resistance.
"You don't have to trouble yourself," Linnie murmured apologetically, sensing my frustration.
"It's no trouble. I have a trick for this," I replied confidently. Leaning close to Fenrir's ear, I whispered, "Linnie invited you to breakfast after the bath."
That did the trick. Her ears twitched, and her eyes snapped open. A radiant smile spread across her face.
"Really? When's breakfast?" she asked eagerly.
I shrugged. "Ask Linnie. She wants to bathe first."
I turned toward Linnie, only to freeze at the sight of her crumpling to the floor, hands covering her flushed face.
This girl… My brow twitched, realizing her vivid imagination had taken over. She must've misunderstood and thought I'd kissed Fenrir awake.
Fenrir sat up, stretching her stiff body.
"What's wrong with her?" she asked, glancing at Linnie, who was now curled up in the corner.
"Just ignore it," I said flatly.
Fenrir shrugged and approached Linnie, shaking her gently. "Hey, what's wrong, little girl?"
Meanwhile, Linnie's eyes swirled with confusion, still lost in her delusion. Fenrir kept trying to snap her out of it, but Linnie remained frozen in her thoughts.
"I'm heading out first. You handle this," I said, heading for the door.
"Wait, don't leave me!" Fenrir called after me. "Help me out here!"
But I ignored her plea, thinking this might be a good lesson for her. Something to make her appreciate the challenge of waking someone up.
*****
We had finished our modest meal. Well, except for Fenrir, who devoured three whole chickens on her own. While Linnie and I barely spent less than a single silver coin between us, Fenrir alone had consumed more than four silver coins' worth of food. Altogether, our breakfast cost us five silver coins.
Well… since I already knew how to earn money, I didn't make a big deal out of it. Besides, we still had enough funds to last us at least a month.
We were now making our way toward the forest where lower- to mid-tier monsters were known to roam, with Linnie leading the way. However, as we passed through the center of town, a crowd caught our attention, slightly breaking our focus.
"What's that?" I squinted, trying to see from a distance.
"Which one? That over there?" Fenrir's curiosity was piqued as well.
"Just ignore them," Linnie interjected before I could grasp what was happening. "Let's move quickly." Her voice was soft but hurried, as if she was trying to avoid the commotion, knowing full well what was going on there.
But Fenrir seemed more intrigued. Before she could approach the crowd, I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her toward where Linnie was headed, steering us away from any potential trouble.
"W–what are you doing? Why did you suddenly…?" Fenrir protested, her face flushing with embarrassment. Yet, since she didn't push me away, it meant what I did wasn't entirely out of line.
We continued walking down the neatly paved brick path, reminiscent of ancient Roman roads. Fenrir, who was usually talkative, stayed unusually quiet, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
I let her battle her inner musings. I wasn't sure what was on her mind, but if it quelled her relentless curiosity, it was for the best, we didn't need any more trouble.
After leaving the city, we continued northward toward the monster-infested wilderness. Linnie maintained her position at the front, her confidence making me raise an eyebrow.
"Hey, Linnie, why do you seem to know this place so well?"
Linnie abruptly stopped, causing us to halt as well. She took a deep breath before answering, "I prepared everything before running away from home. Information like this isn't hard to come by."
I remained silent, rubbing the back of my neck. I didn't know much about her family, but it was better to stay out of her personal affairs. I had also warned Fenrir not to interfere since it wasn't our place.
Linnie suddenly turned to us with a sweet yet slightly forced smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Linnie," Fenrir called softly.
"Yes?"
Fenrir stepped forward and pulled Linnie into a tight embrace, leaving both of us stunned by her unexpected action.
"Fenrys, what are you—"
"It's okay," Fenrir interrupted. "You must feel anxious since you're so young, but don't worry. As long as we're together, we'll do our best to protect you." Her voice was gentle and full of affection.
"Thank you, Fenrys." Linnie returned the embrace, her tense expression softening as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I feel much better now."
Fenrir released her gently, her gaze tender as she looked at Linnie, almost as if she were gazing at her own younger sibling or perhaps even a child. Though, judging by appearances, their ages didn't seem far apart.
Then, Fenrir turned her attention to me, still gawking at her uncharacteristic behavior. Her soft expression quickly morphed into a sharp, piercing glare.
"What's with that face?" she snapped. "Haven't you ever seen me act kindly before?"
I scratched the back of my head, pursing my lips as I struggled to respond.
"This time, I'll admit defeat."
Fenrir smirked triumphantly, puffing out her chest. "Good! Now you better stop thinking of me as some rough, unrefined girl!"
I snorted. "Sorry, but I don't think I can do that."
"What did you just say?! Do you want me to hit you, huh?" Fenrir grabbed my collar, feigning a fight.
I turned my face away, refusing to take her actions seriously. After all, I'd be dead in an instant if she really tried.
Meanwhile, Linnie giggled softly at our antics. "You two are really funny, hehe."
We turned to her and then joined in her laughter. Her warm, cheerful chuckle was infectious, stirring a comforting warmth in my chest, reminiscent of how I felt with my siblings. Perhaps Fenrir felt the same toward Linnie.
We continued our journey until we reached the heart of a quiet forest. Towering trees stood closely together, their winter-stripped branches allowing plenty of light to seep through. If it weren't winter, the canopy would have been dark and foreboding.
As we pressed on, I felt numerous eyes watching us. Glancing at Fenrir, I could tell she sensed the same.
"You feel them too, don't you?" Linnie asked.
"Don't worry, they're just worthless low-level monsters," Fenrir said nonchalantly.
I nodded in agreement. Though not as perceptive as Fenrir, I was certain that those observing us were just a pack of weaklings.
"They're probably just small goblin packs," Linnie added. "They aren't worth much unless captured alive to sell to monster researchers or alchemists."
Goblins were small, green creatures that lived in groups of 50 to 100. Their appearance was similar to those in fictional stories from my previous world, except their bodies were covered in reddish fur. They neither carried weapons nor wore any clothing.
"O flamme, tenn på hendene mine for å brenne fiendene mine. Flammehansker!" Linnie chanted her spell, engulfing her hands in blazing fire.
A creature, just as Linnie described, lunged at her, but she had been ready from the start. She hurled her flaming magic at the goblin, reducing it to ash in an instant.
Meanwhile, several more goblins leapt at us from behind. Having already noticed them, I turned swiftly and hurled daggers made from my own feathers.
Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.
Each dagger struck their heads with precision, killing them instantly. Their bodies collapsed, blood pooling from the holes in their foreheads.
"These creatures are a nuisance," Linnie muttered as she dispatched a few more goblins attacking her. "They attack anything in sight, thinking their numbers give them an advantage."
"We need to eliminate most of them to establish dominance. Otherwise, they won't recognize us as a threat," she explained.
While Linnie continued her assessment, I transformed the dagger Loki had gifted me into a spear, preparing for the approaching swarm.
"So, essentially, they're mindless creatures oblivious to danger," I concluded.
"Exactly," Linnie replied, impressed by my observation. "That's precisely what they are, Yata."
"In that case," Fenrir stomped her foot, causing the ground to quake slightly, "we just need to show these weaklings a fraction of our power, right?"
The three of us stood back-to-back before spreading out, grins of confidence lighting up our faces.
Fenrir raised her fist in the air, her voice brimming with excitement. "Bring it on, all of you!"