"And… Go!"
The sound of a starting gun blasted away Lyra's worries as she sprinted down the track. Her competitors ran with her, side by side, each one slowly passing her.
She didn't care, though. The rush of the wind against her face was all she needed.
Passing the finish line, she grasped her stomach trying to stabilize her breathing. She looked over to the judges booth to see where she placed.
'5th place… So that's where this all ends, huh…'
She wiped the sweat from her brow. The next few minutes felt like an eternity, helplessly watching as her days of running on a team had gone by.
She got back into the car with her mom, staring out of the window in a trance.
"You did well, didn't you? You did better from anyone from your own school!"
Lyra was silent.
'Was that the best I could do?'
'But... That was years ago. I haven't ran in forever, I'm just stuck working in a grocery store.'
The store was nearly empty, it was almost time to close.
'Why am I thinking about the past now?'
She stared out of the glass doors. The sky outside looked just as beautiful as it did the same day she lost that race.
'Maybe I should just pick up jogging as a hobby...'
She leaned against the counter she manned, her chin resting in her palm.
Before she knew it, she was already out on a trail. The winding dirt paths were a bit difficult to follow, but Lyra pushed herself despite that. Just a few times, though. She'd prefer to stick to the sidewalks of the city.
The rush of the wind was exhilarating, but something was missing. A key part of the rush had disappeared from what she loved about running.
'Maybe I've just outgrown running...'
That's when she woke up in a strange black void, greeted by a green silhouette. His short flowing hair was the second weirdest part of his design; the first being his see-through skin.
"Lyra Emberwind, I take it?"
Lyra tried to nod, but she didn't have a physical form to nod with.
"That's good enough. I'll be your new guardian from this day forth."
"You may call me Zephyr."
She sounded dumbfounded. "Z-Zephyr?"
He nodded continuously. "That's me. Let's get moving, shall we?"
She couldn't even refute him before she woke up in a strange forest. Lyra shrieked as a falcon landed before her.
"Relax, Lyra. It's just me, Zephyr."
She looked around, panicked. "B-but... How...? Where am I!?"
He shook his head, spinning into his true form. "Relax, I've got something that'll help you out."
He took out a strange looking bow. It was ornate, covered with all sorts of gold decals over a white base. He gently placed it in Lyra's hands.
"This should protect you."
She fumbled with the bow in her hands. "But... I don't know how to use this!"
The expression on Zephyr's translucent face shifted. He spoke in a hush voice to himself. "Huh... Maybe you're a bit more different from him than I had anticipated..."
His tone brightened. "Oh well! We'll just have to practice then! C'mon!"
"Huh!?"
Zephyr tugged on Lyra as he brought her through the forest.
"Alright... This should be a good spot. Shoot right here!"
Zephyr plucked an apple from a nearby tree and place it on his head, pointing right to it.
"Huh!? What if a miss!? Are you crazy!?"
Zephyr laughed for a moment. "Sorry, that won't be a worry. Did I forget to mention I'm the God of Wind? You wont be able to hurt me."
She leaned forwarded, eyes widened. "God of Wind!?"
He laughed again. "You have noticed the arrow you've got there isn't made of anything you're use to, right?"
She looked down to the translucent arrow, staring in pure disbelief.
"C'mon, hurry up now. Start here, and we can catch some dinner later tonight!" He rubbed his hands together joyfully.
Over and over, she fumbled with the bow, firing wildly until an arrow landed. Except, it landed on the tree next to Zephyr.
"That's close! Keep it up!"
Eventually, she could land a shot. Not just once, but a few times at the very least.
The next step was feeding herself.
Zephyr pointed in a direction. "This way, I can just smell the delicious boar from here!"
She panted as she followed behind him. "Do you even need to eat!? Aren't you a god?"
He shrugged with a laugh. "Maybe."
Just a few minutes later, she was stalking boar from behind brushes. She steadied her breath as she aimed her bow.
'C'mon... Just hold still...'
She released the arrow, landing directly in the nape of the boar.
Instinctively, she released a "Yes!".
Zephyr help her make a campfire, and they slowly began to roast the boar.
'Maybe that's the part I missed... Just the intensity of the race.'
'I suppose it doesn't matter anymore if I won't be going home for a while...'
The campfire roared as the memories flooded through Lyra.
"Zephyr... Why am I here?"
Zephyr was lying in the grass facing the stars.
"Because I chose you."
She looked down.
"...But why?"
He sat up, now facing her.
"Because someone very important to me trusted me to do so."
"Who?"
Zephyr laid back down in the grass. "...A story for another time, my dear."
The night flew by as Lyra tossed and turned over the mounds of dirt. Each thought racing through her head was just as agonizing as the last.
Eventually, the sun rose. Zephyr ushered her up.
"C'mon, you can defend yourself now. Let's see if we can't get to the city. I know some folks in there who'd be more than willing to help."
Lyra gave a limp nod as she followed behind him.
They passed by a strange looking cave, and Zephyr dissuaded her before she could even get a chance to speak.
"Don't go there. That's the Eternal Flame's dungeon, he'll be our ally, so it's best not to step on his toes"
Lyra hardly had the energy to think about it all. Instead, she begrudgingly followed Zephyr to the city.
They halted in front of the city as they were stopped by a group of men.
"Don't worry Lyra, let me do the talking here."
Zephyr stepped forwards, declaring himself in front of these men.
"Excuse me gentlemen, I am Zephyr, the God of Wind. My last Champion use to work for the Eternal Flame, so if you'll just let us pass..."
A single man stepped forward. "That won't be happening. The guild master made it clear to take any Champion not directly working for him, and that means her too."
He gave a nod, and his fellow guards began to surround her.
Zephyr spun around to Lyra.
"Tch! Lyra! Use your bow! Defend yourself!"
Lyra was startled as the men quickly approached her. "Huh!?"
She reached for her bow, fumbling with it in her hands just for a moment, but that was a moment too long.
The men each grabbed her arms and easily lifted her off the ground.
Lyra flailed as she tried to free herself from their grasp. "Let me go!"
The men shoved her into the ground. A sudden impact sent panic through Lyra's nerves, and she fell limp.
They began to drag Lyra to the guards at the gate, handing her over to the non-Champions.
Zephyr watched in horror as he was completely helpless, leading his own champion to her doom.
'Kaelthar..! I thought you were supposed to cherish your guild members, not turn on your own men!'
He looked to the ground, his fists in a ball.
'I'm sorry... I know you trusted me with her, Josh. I was supposed to guide her to a life she'd be proud off...'
'...I'll stay with her. I'll stay in the final moments of your legacy.'
'I'm sorry.'
When Lyra regained her consciousness, she sat in a prison cell. Surrounded by others like her. Each one looked to tired and hungry to speak.
She curled up against to wall to her side.
'...Why am I even here...'
'Life back home was exhausting. I missed that spark that kept me alive during high school, but this worse than that boredom...'
'...'
'...Will I be alive tomorrow..?'
'...'
'Am I even alive right now..?'
'...Alive?'
The thought of the wind raced through her mind again.
Suddenly, she wasn't in that prison anymore. She hovered above a stadium within a gloomy city.
She saw a watery battlefield, then shadowed structures littered with junk.
Then she saw her blood covered body laid in a grassy field.
'That's... The duel...'
'It looks like I won, at least...'
'Now I can finally rest, and leave the rest to them...'
'...'
'Leave the rest to them?'
'Would... Would he leave the rest to us like this..?'