Annie

The moment those words left his lips, I felt a burning sensation in my left arm. The two of us are quick to let go of each other's hands, but it's too late. I find myself wincing and squinting my eyes as a bright orange glow emanates from my arm, leaving behind a strange symbol as it fades. It almost looks as if it was branded or tattooed onto my skin, but it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before.

What kind of magic is this? I think to myself as the burning sensation slowly fades into nothing. Did he place some kind of seal on me? "What the hell did you do to me?" I ask as I hold my arm close to my chest, narrowing my eyes at Garfunkel who's staring at his own arm with a furrowed brow.

"What did I do? What did YOU do?" He retorts, starry eyes shooting up to meet mine with intense ferocity laced within. "What kind of sick game are you playing, lady?"

"I'm not playing anything! I don't even know how to USE magic, never mind whatever the hell this is!"

Garfunkel's eyes widened a bit, and he arches a brow before giving me a once over. "You sure your fancy shoes didn't do this?"

"Positive."

I watch as Garfunkel's face contorts into one of confusion, and to my surprise, his hair changes to a slightly darker blue and starts to rotate a little. It doesn't change how it's shaped, but the ripple effect coming from the cloud is throwing me off a little. "Hey, did you get a mark too?" I ask, wrenching my gaze from his unnaturally moving hair.

The cloud-head glances up at me before nodding, shifting his coat a bit to show another unfamiliar symbol on his right arm.

"Do you know what it means?" he asks, to which I shake my head.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life. Is it some kind of language?"

"It's certainly possible, but I'm not too sure. We could try asking around, maybe someone has an interest in obscure or weird stuff like this."

I can't help but chuckle as I take a seat on a fallen log. "Copperfeld isn't really known for its scholars, unfortunately. Besides, everyone's too busy getting ready for the queen's arrival."

"Copperfeld, huh? Is that where you're from?"

I nod, stretching my arms above my head before realization hits me. "Ah crap! I totally forgot!" Garfunkel squeaks a bit as I jump to my feet, glancing around for that pesky little cat from earlier. "Have you seen a black cat around here? It's got a little red bowtie, a real 'menace to society' looking face?"

"Nyow that's just rude."

Both of us scream as the same beady-eyed furball I was chasing casually hops up onto the log beside Garfunkel, casually licking his paw for a moment before taking a seat. The voice coming from the creature seems pretty dead, not as low as Garfunkel's and slightly nasally. "Really, if you're going to talk behind my back, at least make sure I'm not around."

"The cat..." I start, falling onto my butt from sheer astonishment.

"Can talk..." Garfunkel finishes, with just as much shock evident on his face. "HOLY CANOLI THE CAT CAN TALK?!"

"I am NOT a cat!" The very-obviously-a-cat replies, flicking an ear behind him. "My name is Devil C. Birb, and I am but a helpful spirit guide, merely choosing to take on the form of this flea-ridden species. And please, stop with the screaming. My ears are sensitive."

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" I glance over at Garfunkel, who shakes his head while slowly inching away from the cat. Is this some kind of Youkai trickery? But why would one be all the way out here?

"Now, this little revelation is nice and all, but we don't have time for pleasantries," Devil continues. "Times are changing, and the era of war has returned to this kingdom after two hundred years. The heroes of yore call to you both, for it is you who must take up the mantle to vanquish the ancient evil that threatens to tear this world asunder once more."

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Venile" Garfunkel responds with a role of his eyes. "With all due respect, cat- err, Mister Birb?"

"Just Devil is fine."

"Right, Devil... You can't be serious about all that, right? I mean, we've been at peace for decades, what reason would anyone want to start a war between nations?"

"Not between nations," The cat corrects. "At least, not this time. But it can escalate to that point if you don't do anything to stop it now."

Devil casually pads over to Garfunkel and places a small black paw on his arm, right in the middle of the marking. "This symbol proves that you are to take on this challenge, that you are part of a chosen few to save the world from utter destruction."

"Woah woah woah, wait a dang minute." My head is already starting to hurt from all the nonsense, still trying to process the fact that a cat is talking, much less what he's saying. "What are you talking about? Ancient evils? Heroes saving the world? Sounds like some generic fantasy story if you ask me. That kind of thing doesn't happen in real life!"

"But it does, Annie," Devil answers with a smirk. I think. "You may not believe it to be true, but that doesn't make it any less real. Besides, it's only the most famous war in history. Didn't you learn about it in school?"

The confusion on my face and in my voice must not be apparent enough if he's asking me that. "Not many people know about it anymore, many brush it off as an old legend," Garfunkel says, thankfully saving me from having to explain myself. "I only know because my family thought it was important to teach me, but even they were skeptical about how true it could be."

Devil goes to open his mouth, but horns sounding in the distance interrupt him before he can continue. "Oh no," I turn back towards the sound, feeling the dread slowly growing in my chest. "She's here early! Why is she here early?"

"Cool! Let's go see what's happening then!" Garfunkel says, standing up and dusting off his jeans. "Also uh.. who are we talking about?"

"The Queen of Malthen Las," Devil answers, stretching his little body before hopping off of the log as well. "It's been a long time since I've seen her. Perhaps you both will see what I mean then once we get back to town."

"Ahh, you guys go on ahead of me," I respond. The two give me confused glances as I step back, finally taking a moment to get rid of the rest of the leaves and dirt in my hair. "I'm not exactly too fond of the queen."

"Well, could you at least lead the way?" Garfunkel asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not sure how to get to town from here, and I'm not confident enough to follow a cat all the way there."

I squeak as Devil jumps onto my shoulder, curling around my neck and making himself comfortable. "Sounds like a plan! You know, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Or not, who cares. Friendship is cringe."

I let out a sigh as Garfunkel barks out a laugh, and our little party of three trudges back towards Copperfeld, the dread slowly sinking into my stomach and getting worse with each step forward.