‘Luna Ibis...?’ I thought to myself with a quiet hum. 

That was Ibis’ name...that wasn’t mine, I wasn’t her! 

“It’s Eos.” I corrected with an awkward chuckle, one of the spirits suddenly walking up to me with a box in their hand. 

Although all of Ibis’ spirits had something in common, milky white skin with barely any blemishes while their eyes were covered with grey cloth, they all still retained some form of themselves from when they were alive! 

This spirit? 

His hair was a caramel-brown color, shiny and sleek-looking while it had the slightest hints of blonde at the ends. Looking young, however? It wasn’t anything new, after all, nearly all the spirits shared the same young-looking features. But, to think these guys were referring to me as the head of the cave now? It was ridiculous! For all these years...I did nothing more than look at the spirits as obedient empty shells and ignored them as they ignored me! For the longest time, I thought they were incapable of speaking for themselves, I mean...they only spoke when either Ibis was involved in ordering them around or when they had a task pertaining to me!

Hearing them speak? Much less call me Guardian Ibis like they once did with the owl...? 

It just left me feeling strange. 

“Informal.” The spirit said all of a sudden as soon as he stopped right in front of me. 

“It is rude to call a Guardian by her former champion name. You are the new Luna Ibis and the Canis Auream, a symbol of intelligence and unwavering loyalty.” The spirit continued, the voice equally enchanting as it was a dull buzz-kill before he opened up the box in his hands. 

As the box opened to reveal nothing more than being full of paint that looked akin to melted gold, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes! I may have been in this world for more than a while by now but that didn’t change the fact that I liked my name! I had no reason to suddenly switch to something more formal just because I was some type of deity, not to mention...it kept me in check in a way. Too much power always corrupted people, being seen as ‘all-knowing’ and the most ‘righteous’ of beings? It made the skin underneath my fur run cold as a high-pitched whine escaped me. 

I quickly tried to shake the thought from my head and sighed, looking at the box a second or two longer before I back at the spirit. 

“What’s the paint for?” I asked as I sat down.

“As champion, you have wed a Daemonium right?” My tail began to thump against the ground, a blush rising to my cheeks as I giggled. It seemed like everyone and their grandmother knew about Ryzel and me. why couldn’t' things just be kept a secret?! 

“N-Not yet! We’re getting there though.” I chuckled. 

“Well, you still plan to do you? If not, there’s no reason to have you wear this face paint.” The spirit sighed. 

“Of course, we still do but you aren’t telling me why you need to know,” I grumbled, causing me to raise a brow in curiosity. 

“All Guardians have a lifespan unlike The One, they live a thousand years and must pick a champion to succeed them before they die. You, however? Being committed to a Daemonium before your taking of the role of Guardian leaves you in a similar position as the Anguis. You’re immortal.” The spirit explained, my brow rising in slight surprise. 

Idiotic of me or not, a part of me still assumed that the whole 'immortal' side of things wasn't true! Being immortal...I didn't have too much of an issue with it, death wasn't traumatizing to me but at all on the same token? I had made such a life for myself here that I didn't want to go any time soon! I could learn all types of new skills, witness change to the world around me, and make sure that everything went all fine and such! 

After all, Earth may have been my home through and through but...although fantasy was merely a harsher, more magic-filled reality. 

It was better than the world that was slowly falling into the gutter day by day. 

Nonetheless though, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. The position of being Guardian forever? I didn’t know how to feel about that. 

I let out a heavy sigh, running my paw over my snout in stress multiple times before I grumbled at the paint. 

They were so quick to replace me now that Ibis was in a coma...it didn’t feel right, I felt like the bird would want her position back as soon as she woke up! But, when I thought about it too hard and too long? My brain began to war with itself, one side not wishing to officially take the role yet while another begged me to in order to have Ibis live an easy life while I took care of business for her! 

It- It was the least I could do.

 “...Do I drink it?” 

“No, a spirit will place the paint underneath your eyes." A female spirit suddenly answered as she walked up towards me, causing the male spirit to step back a few before I watched her kneel before me. 

"I'm guessing this is how Ibis got those golden eyes of hers?" I hummed. 

The spirit before me nodded her head before she dipped her thumbs into the paint, my ears perking to the sound of deep humming surrounding me before I quickly closed my eyes to the feeling of the paint being placed underneath my eyes. 

The ritual was...rather quiet and boring aside from the throaty hums, the slow patting of hands against stone, and the whispers, prayers, and pleads to The One to give me favor as well as let me have a successful reign until the day I was called to serve him. 

Hell, how could I not feel out of place? Even if it was just slightly!? 

If I didn’t like being looked up to and seen as some type of ‘grand being’ to my own village then what made my duties as Guardian so different!? 

They didn’t. 

All I wanted was to be treated how I originally came into the universe. 

Human. 

Sure, I’d take the role, attempt at being the perfect little deity all I could 24/7 but that didn’t and wouldn’t change the fact that I was human first. I made mistakes and how could I not worry about the potential idea of slipping up?! All the duties piling up more and more...? All I wanted to do was do the things I wanted to do and that was it. Free this world from a destructive war and seal the deal with Ryzel. 

That was it, nothing more and nothing less. 

“Are y’all done?” I asked, daring to open my eyes ever so slightly as soon as I felt the spirit's thumbs remove themselves from around my eyes. 

I blinked my eyes rapidly, my vision ceasing to blur ever so slightly before I suddenly widened my eyes at the sight of golden particles beginning to fill my vision and make my eyes water. 

It was like pepper spray had been sprayed right into my eyes after waking up from a damn nap! 

“The hell?!?” I yelped, jumping to my feet as nothing more than gold filled my eyes, causing me to shake and thrash my head around as I desperately tried to get the particles out of my eyes.

“Calm yourself, my Guardian! You will be just fine!” Someone called out. 

“Say that to my damn vision!” I snarled. 

“She is right, you will be fine Guardian Luna Ibis, your vision should return soon. In fact, you should see it as a blessing, being presented to The One is an honor.” 

As hot tears filled and flowed down from my eyes, the constant rubbing at my eyes with my paw doing almost nothing to get rid of the itchy, burning sensation. I couldn’t help but scoff! The One, I believed he was real, after all, this entire world around me was real but at the same time? If the Guardians could live on the mortal plane then he could’ve at least had the courtesy to come down for a visit instead of having gold paint particles fly into my eyes! 

“Next time, tell him to come down here himself will y’all?” I grumbled, rubbing my eyes one last time before I slowly but surely began to regain my vision. 

‘Now I’m just beginning to feel bad for the bird.’ I thought with a heavy sigh at the end, the sight of the spirits beginning to disperse making me tilt my head.

 “Where are you guys going?” 

“To tend to the cave? Keeping a place tidy isn’t easy my Guardian.” A girl responded with a small chuckle.

I merely watched them walk away for a moment longer before I walked off to the waterfall in the distance. It was the only one that was the color of gold instead of the others that were normal crystal-clear water, hell, if I remembered correctly, it was the same waterfall Ares came out of! However, as I trotted closer and closer to the falls, making my way over rocks and having to handle the slight annoyance of being bowed to by each spirit I dared to pass by, it wasn’t too much longer before...I began to see dogs wandering around close to the falls. 

None of them were like the dogs in my old world, some were clearly mutts while others? They were bigger than me! To the shaggy-furred, long-clawed dogs with short snouts, to the thin-furred, short-clawed dogs with longer snouts! They were all unique looking and surprisingly quiet! At least...until they all suddenly turned their heads to me, the sound of tails beginning to thump against the ground almost reminding me of a small audience applauding. 

“Hello, Guardian Canis!” They all greeted eagerly before they bowed their heads.

I nodded my head towards them with a chuckle. “Hiya, are y’all guarding the waterfall?” I asked before one of them, a black and white shaggy dog nodded its head. 

“Indeed!” It- or rather he barked. 

“From what?” I chuckled before I sat down. 

“Nothing! We’re protecting the former Guardian that rests within’ the falls, o-of course though, we’d never try to get in your way!” The dog continued with a large dog-like grin, my own grin beginning to widen as my tail started to wag. 

I liked these spirits! Much more than the buzz-kills Ibis somehow tolerated, although I found it a bit strange that they weren’t human like Ibis’ spirits were, at the same time? 

I found that they could’ve been more useful in this form, four legs were better than two after all.