**Author Note** For all my new readers, welcome! An important note is that the MC is non—binary. This particular non—binary character uses ze/hir/hirs/hirself for pronouns. So, when you see these in the story, it is not a typo nor a nickname. Thank you for your time and enjoy the story.

All ze could remember was eating at the restaurant, excited to try goat for the very first time. As ze laid there for a moment, feeling weightless, hir second thought was ‘oh, I can breathe now’. There wasn’t time for a third thought as hir body was rotated and now faced toward a long white table and glowing figures that seemed to be standing around it.

“Finally. The chef made it,” a scratchy voice dripping with venom said. “Took long enough.”

“I ah,” ze hesitated a moment, trying to make sense of this. “I think I died, didn’t I?”

A being with long, clawed, greenish fingers three times longer than they should be, with skin stretched too tight across the bone, reached out. The curled black claws carefully wrapped around hir torso, which ze noticed was missing some features. “You are the one that seeks the truth behind the old ways of cooking, yes? And tries dishes without fear?”

Ze blinked and attempted to make out facial features in the strange light. “Well, I did have a vlog I ran. I like learning the history of food and how it’s changed. Trying recipes that have slowly changed over time. I wasn’t an official chef or anything. It was part—time. My full—time job was working as an assistant manager at a store.”

An almost musical voice came from the left as a dark hand with stars set inside of the palm extended outward, motioning for the first hand to set hir down. “Official or not, your soul, young—,” there was a momentary pause. “Did one of you damage the soul?”

The crackling voice from before spoke up, coming from a swirl of orange mist. “I damaged nothing. I removed that which their soul screamed wasn’t needed. Which is better anyway. Man nor woman nor beast can create our feast for us.”

“Ah. Well then young one. Your skills are what are needed. Besides, it was better to take you at that moment, anyway. This will be far less painful.”

“Painful? So, I did die?” Ze had the start of a headache from trying to peer into the various lights and mists. Even sitting on what appeared to be a swirling galaxy was a bit much.

Long Fingers spoke up. “Yes, your kind would call it an allergic reaction. Very fast but very painful. They thought you were choking and failed to get anything to help in time. They were trying to force the food out.”

Ze felt very glad ze didn’t remember that. “Ok. I died. Because of a goat. A dead goat.” Ze took a moment to process that before continuing. “So, I have to make a meal for all of you?”

An overly happy, teetering on manic giggle came from what appeared to be shattered mirrors and glass. When ze looked at them in the right moment they showed parts of the others no one needed to see or comprehend. “Oh, yes. We require a feast. A grand feast. And if you don’t do it, everyone will die!” The laughter rang through hir very strongly, down to whatever passed for hir bones ze supposed. 

“Hold on, that’s not fair at all! I don’t know what to make. What are your expectations. . .  and to kill everyone if I make a mistake isn’t right!” Ze stomped hir foot, appearing to make some comets change course. “And a meal for, what am I looking at? Gods? Interdimensional beings?”

The song—like voice wrapped itself around hir, as a parent would do to calm a child throwing a temper tantrum. “Well, yes. You must make a feast that will feed all of us. We all have a curse and blessing that must be a part of the various courses. We will, of course, give you a body that can handle all of that.”

Thundering clouds rumbled, causing hir hair to stand on end as electricity traveled through the space around them all. “You will have a year in the world’s time. And you will have gifts from all of us. You, technically, can choose to not do it and risk falling at the end of the year with all of creation. That is your choice.”

Ze looked around a moment to consider hir choices. “Alright. When does my time start?”

Songs, laughter, rumbling, and crackling went on around hir as ze jumped down towards the table, lightly landing on hir bare toes. Ze carefully walked forward towards the light., They seemed to part as ze did so. Just as ze could see the beginnings of a face before them, a firey blue phoenix landed before hir, spreading its wings so ze couldn’t see anymore. In hir mind ze could hear the bird’s warning.

Do not fail before you have started, little chick. There is so much more here than your mind can process, yet. You will hatch soon enough.

“I, right. Sorry. I was curious.”

Of course, little chick. One day. When it’s time. But not yet. 

The song settled out into words again. “It will begin when you have touched your feet to the mortal realm’s soil. Not before, nor after. And now we give you our gifts. We need only your name. The one your soul sings.”

“My. . .  soul?” Ze looked at hir fingers a moment and chuckled. “I don’t know. What will I look like there?”

“However you desire. Your first gift will be that of ever changing form. Much of what you must touch and taste will be dangerous to a human.” The now gentle crackling spoke. “I can give you that much as a gift for this task, Chef.”

A smile spread across hir face. “My gender never matched my body. No matter how I felt. Mom used to joke it was because she ate too many mushrooms so I became like them. So, Enoki. Like her favorite.”

The phoenix plucked a feather and placed it in Enoki’s mouth. A freezing warmth built into hir chest and spread out to every part. Soon it caused a blue fire to spread across their form, making hir feel heavy again. Hir hair fell down into place as the flame burned out into a slight gray smoke. 

The song began to rise as if wishing to not be interrupted. “Now, my gift. You need clothing that can change with you.” The phoenix fluttered its wings, causing the embers to flare up and slowly reform into clothing. In brilliant blues and oranges came the coat with large heavy shoulder pads. A snug dark blue leather vest with copper fasteners made the top feel form fitting as it only gave a hint of a waist and the barest suggestion of a chest that might have been. As Enoki looked down, ze could see the dark orange, almost brown, pants just as form fitting as the vest. What surprised hir was the flaring out asymmetrical skirt that appeared to be resting on top with the plain brown laced up leather boots.

The fractured mirror spoke with two voices giggling out of sync and full of discord. “Our gift! Our gift!” As shards of glass and mirror flew at Enoki, hir first instinct was to dive out of the way. 

The phoenix let out a short cry before turning and breathing its blue flame, melting the pieces and causing them to land just shy of the new boots. It walked over and put the still cooling pieces on the palms of the two gloves, creating a small oval in each. 

These will become the tools you need to prepare and gather what you need for the meals.

“Right. Handy.” Enoki ignored the giggles as the next rumbling voice spoke.

“Give hir the song of understanding, just the beginning. Ze is not ready yet for more.”

The most beautiful song came out from the silver beak of the phoenix as it came forward. Words from languages of the eight races filled hir mind. Enoki could see each race that ze had to meet and find. What their lands were like. The stories of the world became part of all that ze had ever known. Even a small town entered hir mind. A place to call home, perhaps?

Long Fingers extended its hand. The most normal thing here besides the table at this point. As the fingers opened there was a pair of curtains. One was gray while one was a gentle yellow. Next to them a brown leather backpack with a simple flame carved into it. “You will need a way to carry supplies. Your food will spoil or become too heavy. Hang the curtains to enter the storage rooms. The gray will hold the food to the exact moment that it was placed inside. In the yellow, things will continue to age and ripen.”

“I, right. Is that everything I need?”

Yes, little chick. Any more gifts will hinder more than help. Read the list in the bag, and know that it will change based on where you are. You must gather everything needed before the feast. Find the flock that will help you.

“I’m allowed help?” Enoki carefully looked around, to see if any of the voices disagreed. Ze quickly packed away the curtains and put on the back pack to leave. Due to that, ze didn’t notice the table fading away below their feet and the tired and now slightly ashen phoenix taking off. “And how will I learn to use these gifts?”

By kicking you out of the nest, little one.

Enoki saw the beings had disappeared into misty clouds and blue sky. 

“Wait. . .  what?”

Spread your wings quickly. Falling won’t kill you but the sudden stop will hurt.

Enoki felt gravity pull down on their now heavy form as they began to plummet through the bitterly cold air and frozen, misty, clouds. Now, hir only thought was how much gods must really suck, and felt a bit glad ze had been agnostic before this.

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