A familiar sensation, but it never feels comfortable.
This… spell, is intrusive and forcible, but is also the truest form of communication, pure thoughts transmitting through our minds.
So… what are you here for, Reginn?
…I just wanted to ask you something, but before that, I wish to tell you more about myself.
…Go on.
When I was young… just born. I was forced to kill thousands of my ‘brothers’, fellow World Beasts created by the Goddess. It was to create the most powerful guardian, and I know that most World Beasts are mere animals, but I still remember their blood and gore, the screams to this day. It… changed me. I can’t see blood and flesh the same way as others anymore. I only see the tissues and cells and functions. I can only taste the salt and iron. I can only smell the disgusting filth. I’m… truly terrible.
…I’m sorry. I’m sorry when I said you weren’t the hero I expected. I… didn’t know.
No, don’t be sorry. I was simply… I just didn’t want to admit it. I’m worse than incomplete, I’m broken. So please… tell me what I should do next.
…Reginn. You don’t have to follow any orders from anyone anymore. Not from the Goddess, not from me. You’re not broken, it’s just that all of us have too much to learn, and it’s impossible to encompass all perspectives. It’s when we stir these unique understandings, that we can invent new ideas and solutions. So tell me Reginn, what do you really want to do?
…I… I want to be the hero everyone thinks I am. I want to be a real protector. I want to make everyone happy, even if I can’t be. I… I’ll save Attila.
…Thank you, Reginn… But before you go, I want to show you something.
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…What is it?
It’s… like a movie. I suppose you’d understand the word story better. It’s a fairy tale I heard many times, often recited by my father before bed time. It’s an important part of my childhood, and… I just wanted to show you.
…Fine, then.
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Once upon a time, there lived a bear and a tiger, living together in a cave.
In front of their cave was a village, and while the villagers feared them, the pair could see the lights and hear the music. The bear and the tiger’s only wish was to join them, but in their form, they were unable to.
Then the Goddess heard their prayer and descended from the sky to answer them.
However, she first wanted them to demonstrate their restraint and obediency, saying that:
“You must eat ten cloves of garlic, ten heads of onions and ten pawfuls of mushroom for a hundred days. If and only if you succeed in this devotion, will I grant you human forms?”
And so, the pair began their task, the food granted to them by the Goddess. At first, it was not too difficult — they were still wild animals after all. However, as the days turned to weeks, turned to months, the repetitive diet began to challenge the animals mentally and physically.
At the end of the hundred days, the two stood proudly in front of their cave, ready to receive the prize. However, as the Goddess descended once again, she could see the forest strangely fertile. As she looked around the forest, she could see that one or either of them had planted the food instead of consuming it.
However, the Goddess needn’t question the beast. She could tell from the sickness of the bear’s face to know who had completed their devotion, and who had cheated.
In the end, the bear was turned into a beautiful woman and entered the village as a welcomed member while the tiger continued to roam the especially fertile forest full of garlic, onions and mushrooms today around Cadra. It is said that he has developed an intense hatred for humans, which has been reflected in his descendants.
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I’m still not sure what the moral of the story is. What do you think?
…Heh, I wonder if I’m the wolf or the bear.
…You’re already a human, Reginn. I can tell from your eyes.
Well then, I suppose it’s time to prove my humanity through action.