Dreu opened his eyes. As he tried to get up, the abdominal pain made him cry in pain and he fell back onto the ground. Sweat dripped down his forehead, discouraging the young man to attempt a second time. The memories of his encounter with Rowan flooded back, making him question how he was still alive. He knew Rowan swung his sword for the beheading and he was powerless to stop it. The young man started looking around by turning his head only.

You should rest! It wasn’t easy saving you and healing that nasty wound the Right Arm of Xemir inflicted on you.

Dreu turned his head to find himself staring at a large duck. By large, he meant the bird was three times the size of ducks he was familiar with on farms. With it simply roosting there, the young man wasn’t sure if the duck was communicating with him. It didn't help that the duck wasn't even staring at him.

Yes, I, the hurricane duck, am speaking to you, a mere mortal. Bow before the almighty duck! Be grateful I have saved you from death!

Dreu turned his head so he was looking at the ceiling again. He closed his eyes and muttered about waking up from the weird dream. When he opened his eyes again, the large duck stared down at him with its beak mere inches from his face. Dreu never thought he would see the day a duck could make him this uncomfortable.

You are real and I’m not imagining it, am I?

I am most certainly real! How rude!

Dreu chuckled at the sight of a pouting duck, at least he interpreted the facial expression as pouting. The duck, clearly not as amused, glared at the young man, making him laugh even harder.

Damn that Right Arm of Xemir! Why didn’t he finish this defective human before I saved him?

Dreu eventually regained his composure. He hastily apologized to the duck and said that he never thought he would see the day he would talk to a duck face to face. When he asked, the duck stated that it accepted his apology. Upon inquiring about where he was, the young man was told he was in a small hut at the base of a mountain. The secluded location should keep him safe from Rowan who, despite being a demi-god, lacked the abilities to track down a person anywhere on the continent.

Get some rest! You’ll need it tomorrow when you scale the mountain.

Mountain?

Dreu was very confused at the mention of a mountain because there were no mountains near Lullin. The farming community was located in the plains where no mountain can be seen. Either he was very far from Lullin or some powerful being made a new mountain where it never existed before. The latter would suggest Xemir could be involved, though he couldn't understand why Lullin would matter so much to a god. A few more questions later, the young man had enough clues to know he wasn’t close to home. Wherever he was at, he had never been there before and he lacked any friends or allies. For the time being, Dreu was unsure if the duck had good or bad intentions towards him.

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Returning to the topic of the Right Arm of Xemir, Dreu tried to figure out how he got to Lullin in the first place. He recalled being in excruciating pain after his demon guide supposedly granted him two abilities. With no recollection of exiting the portal, he couldn’t help but wonder if Rowan somehow hijacked the portal and changed the exit location. He wouldn’t be surprised if the demi-god was given powers beyond his imagination. Yet, he felt so confused with his family. The experience he had leading up to the encounter with Rowan felt far too accurate to be simple illusions created by those who knew nothing about him. Thinking back, he recalled a conversation with an old spellcaster who spoke of forbidden spells capable of altering a person’s memories. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Rowan might be altering his memories right this moment and he was helpless to stop the demi-god. If that were the case, then he had to figure out what role the duck played in all this.

Do you serve the goddess Xyheia?

The duck had a dumbfounded look before it regained its composure.

I didn’t expect you to catch on so quickly. I can see now the goddess has granted you the blessing. She must have high expectations for you!

I’m surprised she anticipated Rowan would hijack the portal and kidnap me. How did we escape?

The duck tilted its head as the silence dragged on.

Rowan is messing with my memories, right? That’s why I see things from my past that are too real to be illusions.

Yes…the goddess has high hopes and you have understood the problem correctly. Xyheia wishes you to reach the top of the mountain tomorrow because there’s a powerful crystal up there. The crystal was crafted by the goddess herself and can resurrect all those killed by Rowan, including your family members.

Resurrect…my family members?

Dreu knew these were merely his memories but he longed for the touch of his mother, the voice of his father and a chance to play with his brother again. If he could resurrect them and defeat Rowan, then he might get a chance to spend time with them one last time. He would give anything to experience it all again.

Tell me the details! I want to be prepared for whatever awaits me when I scale the mountain.

The duck explained the various monsters that inhabited the mountain along with the dragon that guarded the peak. It stated that the dragon was very hostile towards outsiders while also being protective of the crystal. Dreu had to find a way to acquire the crystal without dying to the monsters, the dragon and the difficult elements one experienced during the climb. Given how precious the crystal was, the trial one must overcome didn’t seem so absurd. Dreu thanked the duck before reviewing all that he learned. As he was about to close his eyes to sleep, he turned to the duck once more.

This was rude of me but I never asked for your name.

It’s Axichis. And I am a male hurricane duck.