Ouroboros studied me, her tone soft but edged with wonder. "You don't quite understand our world, child. Those dinosaurs, as you call them, wouldn't last a minute outside. Perhaps a few might trouble weaklings, but most mortals could destroy them."
I thought back to my fight with the stag, how exhilarating it felt to live, fight, and win. I wonder how strong I can get if I keep following my own path. Could I one day stand above these dinos?
"Your star," She began, "Its power over space is unique. It is something coveted by even constellations above."
"You have the potential to be the best, you just need to use it."
I let those last words linger in my head, the best. This wasn't empty praise, the keyword was potential. Potential means I can fail, that I will fail, but I might succeed.
"If you were to go up against those beasts right now, would you lose?"
There was a small pause in the air, Ouroboros' eyes shining into mine with crystal clear resolve.
"Nah, I'd win."
Days passed along the island's coast with no amount of subtlety in our lives.
We foraged, and I learned about the anima that existed besides the Dinos. There was everything from Dire Wolves to massive centipedes.
Yeah, I never want to see one of those again.
"Brat."
A cold voice drew me from my stupor.
"Have you chosen a weapon from the list I gave you?"
"Ahhh…" Yeah, I totally didn't. "I did."
For those who are just tuning in, she's asking about the four weapons she said matched my fighting style.
Hand axes, Glaive, Greatsword, and one I came up with, Chain knives.
I loved my makeshift spear, but even I could tell it was starting to hold me back. I might've gotten good with it, but it wasn't enough anymore. Every swing felt like my body was stuck following someone else's rhythm. I needed something that could move with me.
That leads me to where I am now, a crossroad of decisions.
Honestly, my favorite is the glaive, I mean, at its core, it's a saber on a stick. How much cooler and responsive could a weapon get? Control is a big part when weilding it, but that made it perfect for me.
But the chain knives, they were my idea. And I love them just as much.
When I tied rocks to vines and threw them, I felt them move around in air within my perception, and if I mastered spatial control? Perfect flying knives. It felt stupidly dangerous, and perfect.
"So? Which one are you gonna pick? The longer you wait, the worse you're gonna end up when that spear breaks." She spoke with an exasperated tone, clearly fed up with my procrastination.
I met her stare, shrugged once, and said it without hesitation.
"I'm gonna pick two of them."
"Hmmm… Which ones?" Her eyes narrowed around my mind, trying to pry it open and see what was inside.
"My main weapon will be the Glaive, it suits me the best." I watched as her lips twitched. I guess she liked that one the most as well. "For backup, I still think chain knives are perfect for me."
I watched as her eyes went dark for a moment, like she stepped out of the driver's seat of her body.
She told me this happens when she consults her archive… Whatever that means.
"Fine," she said quietly. "Those two fit your nature. But they will demand more from you than you realize."
"Do you think I made the right choice?" I muttered, "I'm still on the fence about the decision. I can see myself using all of them."
Ouroboros walked over to me, her arm resting along my shoulder."Kid… I am not you." Her eyes went cold for a moment, her voice constricting around them. "If you like them, then it was a good decision."
I stared back at her now. Something had clicked with her words. If I like them, why does it matter if it's the right choice? It's my choice.
"Alright," I spoke with a happy smile, unable to hide my giddy energy. "I like the glaive and the chain knives, do you know how to make them?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Ouroboros spun around, holding her hand into the air. "Come, Janny."
Marble erupted from the ground as the words left her. It spiraled upwards, twisting into each other and forming into a door with two heads perched along the top.
An ethereal light glided along the surface of the door, as if connecting to somewhere else in the universe.
Ouroboros went dark for a moment, eyeing "This is Janus, the Door Constellation… Or as I like to call him, Janny the Door."
I stood before the massive marble structure, taking in the feeling of standing before two godlike entities.
"Usually, I would use Janny to travel everywhere, but I can only use it as a subspace within this pocket realm." She went on. "But right now, this is the best spot to learn, the ultimate training space."
Suddenly, the massive door started to move, swinging inwards, lights shining through the entrance, encasing it in an ethereal look.
"Come," She pulled me along, guiding me into the entrance. "We have a lot to learn here, especially with how poorly you're already conditioned."
I felt a shiver run down my spine as she said that, for some reason, it felt like I was naked in front of her right now.
As my feet pushed through the shining light, my breath was stolen as I looked around us.
This was…
A colosseum.