Dawn of Fate

18.Swan Lake

Luminous' eyes blinked, staring up at the bright blinding sky. The air around her felt hot and dry. Or maybe that's just because her throat was dry and itchy.

"Terra, I think she's starting to wake up."

Luminous heard a guy's voice.

"Braver back up. She needs her space."

She heard a female voice say.

"Sorry." The guy said.

Luminous' eyes opened up fully to see javelina and a bear standing over her. The bright hot sun was blinding so Luminous shielded her eyes with her arm. Only to see yellow feathers instead.

"Quack!" She screeched jolting up. "My arms! What happened to my arms!?"

She looked down at her orange webbed feet and short stick-like legs. Panicked she looked around the oasis until she found a lake. Running to it she looked at her reflection.

"Quack! I'm a duck! But how?! When!?" Luminous panicked touching her beak with her wing.

"It couldn't be helped, if the townspeople saw you and knew you were human like us they would have hunted you down." Said the Bear. "So we brought you here so the swan goddess could protect you."

"Braver!" Yelled the Javellana. "We were supposed to give her the news slowly."

Luminous looked around at all of the other animals she just now noticed staring at her with intense curiosity.

"Sorry Terra, sorry." Said the bear.

"Human?" Luminous raised an eyebrow. "But, you're all animals."

"So are you." Said, Braver.

"But, I wasn't born like this. I mean..." Luminous spread out her wings to look at her small duck body. "I wasn't uh..."

Luminous' head was spinning with this new revelation. Where was she anyway? Not only moments ago she was in the middle of the ocean drowning while Vainglorious....

"Vainglorious! Wheres Vainglorious!" Luminous yelled so suddenly it startled the others." Or Janus? The Dawn of Fate?"

The animals just looked at her confused.

"Are they other humans who were with you?" Asked Braver.

"No, well one of them is. Vainglorious, he's this ice wizard. And when I first heard about him, I thought he might be an old man like master mouse, but he's a powerful little boy."

"Wait little boy who's a wizard?" Asked the Terra.

"Ya, short white hair, dark blue trench coat."

Terra and Braver both glanced at each other.

"He kind of has this little pointed nose thing going on..." She continued.

"That might be what all the commotion in the town square was today," Terra mumbled to herself.

"The town square?" Asked Luminous.

"Your friend. They might have already found him. If he has magic, he's in huge trouble. They'll probably burn him at the stake this evening." Said, Braver.

"Braver!" Yelled Terra.

Luminous felt her stomach drop.

"Sorry." Said, Braver.

"I have to go into town and find him!" She announced before flapping her wings, lifting into the air unsteadily.

"No, wait! You can't go into the town! The sun will set soon!" Terra shouted after her. "If the sun sets you'll turn human again! That's also when the shadow monsters come out!"