Ha-neul Wants to Be a Dinosaur!
"Dinosaur!"
I shot my hand up.
Dinosaurs were big, they had lots and lots of teeth, and they were excellent at going rawr. Best of all, they were super strong — so if I became a dinosaur, I was bound to be super strong too. It was a very good idea.
"...Dinosaur?"
Floating-Shiny Big Sis stared at me with a strange look on her face. She had been smiling so prettily just a moment ago, but now her eyebrows had crept halfway up her forehead.
Why was she making that face? Maybe she didn't know what dinosaurs were? That would be a little sad.
"Uh-huh! Dinosaur!"
Just in case she hadn't understood, I cupped both hands in front of my chest and wiggled my fingers like little claws. Then I opened my mouth as wide as it would go and showed her, in person, how a dinosaur roars.
"Rawr!"
...
It was perfect.
But far from being delighted, Floating-Shiny Big Sis pressed one hand to her forehead. She'd been doing that over and over for a while now — her head must have been hurting.
"So... you want the ability to summon dinosaurs?"
Summon? I didn't really know what that meant, but either way, I didn't want other dinosaurs brought here. I had to be the dinosaur myself, so I shook my head.
"Nope."
"Then the ability to transform into a dinosaur?"
I shook my head again.
"Nope."
"The ability to rule over dinosaurs?"
"Nope."
"An authority in the form of manifesting the traits of ancient creatures within one's body, so that their power may be drawn upon as needed..."
...?
It had suddenly gotten complicated. I listened as hard as I could, but in the end my head tipped over sideways. Floating-Shiny Big Sis stopped mid-sentence and stared at me, and for a little while we just stayed like that, looking into each other's eyes.
I didn't understand any of it.
"Dunno."
"...I thought as much."
Floating-Shiny Big Sis's shoulders sagged.
It must hurt a lot. I was starting to feel a little sorry for her and decided I would give her head a nice pat later — but then she let out a long sigh and asked again.
"Then what on earth do you want?"
This time I understood. I hurriedly pointed at my own chest, poke, poke.
"Ha-neul."
"Yes."
"Wants to be a dinosaur."
"...Yes?"
"Ha-neul wanna be dinosaur!"
This time I said it extra loud so there could be no mix-ups, and turned my hands into dinosaur feet for good measure.
"RAWR!"
Nailed it. That one had sounded just like a really, truly super strong dinosaur.
I grinned, proud of myself, but Floating-Shiny Big Sis went quiet again. Apparently she liked dinosaurs a great deal less than I had assumed.
"One moment, please."
Big Sis gazed straight at me, and then — sparkle! — a strange light spilled out of her eyes.
"Ooooh..."
Pretty. I wanted to do that too.
Maybe if I stared long enough, something sparkly would come out of my eyes as well, so I opened mine as wide as they would go and stared right back at her. My eyes got a little dry, but I held out.
"Tyrannosaurus..."
"T-rex!"
That one I knew. I shot my hand up as if I had been waiting for this.
"T-rex super strong!"
"Yes. That much, I understand perfectly."
"Uh-huh!"
Floating-Shiny Big Sis had finally come to understand dinosaurs too, just as I expected.
What the Goddess had actually looked into, however, was something else entirely.
Lee Ha-neul's mind had once held the knowledge of countless disciplines, paleontology among them. The name Tyrannosaurus alone should have summoned an unbroken cascade of information — its era, its skeletal structure, its estimated weight, all the way to the ecology of its time.
But that vast store of knowledge had vanished somewhere, leaving hardly a trace behind.
The Tyrannosaurus remaining in Ha-neul's head was: something big, with lots of teeth, that went rawr and was incredibly strong.
That was all.
The Goddess gazed for a long moment at the soul she had once chosen with admiration, marveling that it was the greatest intellect humanity had ever produced — then quietly withdrew her divine power.
"...Very well. I believe I have a rough idea of what you want."
"Hehe."
"That was not a compliment..."
I didn't know why I wasn't supposed to laugh, but it sounded like she was going to make me a dinosaur. Floating-Shiny Big Sis turned her palm toward me and launched into another difficult explanation.
"I cannot actually turn your body into a dinosaur, so I will instead fuse the traits of dinosaurs into the Hero's authority you already possess. If I reconstruct such characteristics as a resilient body, physical strength, and keen senses into the form of a divine authority..."
Still too hard. I nodded along, pretending to listen carefully. I did catch the word "dinosaur" every now and then, so she probably meant she was going to make me into one.
"...Did you understand?"
"Mm-hm!"
I didn't understand a word of it.
But I must have answered well, because Floating-Shiny Big Sis didn't ask anything more.
"Then please hold still for a moment."
She reached out her hand, and a tiny light bloomed at her fingertips.
Sparkle.
"Ooooh..."
The light split into several strands at once and began circling around me. The sparkling was so mesmerizing that I turned my head to follow it, and it spun faster and faster until I was whirling round and round along with it.
"Lady Ha-neul, you don't have to spin."
"Mm."
I stopped, nice and obedient. And then all of the light dove into my body at once.
Flash!
"Whoaah!"
It was so bright that I squeezed my eyes shut. A warmth spread through my whole body, and for a moment it felt as though my clothes had melted away and left me weightless — then, before long, something soft and fluffy came wrapping around me instead.
I cracked my eyes open.
"...Oh."
Green. I was swallowed up in a big green outfit from my hands all the way down to my toes, and white claws were attached to my hands besides. It was so fascinating that I waved my arms, and the baggy sleeves went flutter, flutter.
I waved the other arm too.
Flutter, flutter.
So fun.
This time I poked my belly with a finger. The pale, puffy tummy dented in, then popped right back out.
"Hehe."
Poke, poke. This was fun too.
But while I was examining myself from every angle, something behind me gave a little swish. The moment I turned my head to check, my eyes went wide.
"A tail!"
I really had a tail. A green dinosaur tail, long and tapering to a point at the tip. I wanted to touch it right away and reached behind me, but the moment I twisted my body, the tail moved right along with me and — whoosh — away it went.
"Huh?"
This time I spun the other way as fast as I could and grabbed for it.
Whoosh.
It got away again.
Weird. It was my tail, so why did it keep running away from me? It felt like if I spun just a little faster I could catch it, so I started whirling round and round — but the faster I went, the faster the tail went too.
"Nnngh...!"
One spin.
Two.
Three.
Just a little more and I'd have it—
"Lady Ha-neul, you're going to fall if you keep that up."
"Ha-neul's okay!"
Fourth spin.
Whump!
...
I fell down. I lay sprawled on the floor for a moment, but strangely enough, it didn't hurt one bit. I got up as if nothing had happened and checked on my tail again.
It was faster than me, and it had even kept me from getting hurt when I fell.
Super strong. A dinosaur tail, through and through.
This time I felt the big hood on my head. Sharp little teeth brushed my fingertips, and when I ran my hands down my back, spiky bumps trailed all the way to my tail.
Claws. A tail. Even teeth.
I spent a long while inspecting myself, and then a very important fact dawned on me.
I had really, truly become a dinosaur.
"Ha-neul is a dinosaur!"
I felt so happy that I threw both hands up in the air.
"RAWR!"
Floating-Shiny Big Sis clapped for me. Clap, clap.
It was slow, listless clapping, but praise was praise.
"I take it you like it."
"Mm-hm! Dinosaur super strong!"
"That is not incorrect. The basic physical reinforcement granted to every Hero, layered with the authority I just crafted for you — Lady Ha-neul's physical abilities at this moment are likely beyond any comparison with a Normal Human. And since you do not yet know the first thing about handling that strength, you must be careful for the time being."
I nodded along earnestly, petting my tail.
This time I'd caught it. It was so soft and fluffy.
"...You are listening, aren't you?"
"Mm-hm!"
I hadn't heard a word.
Floating-Shiny Big Sis drew in a very, very deep breath.
Why, though?
She kept her eyes closed for a moment, then looked at me again as though steeling herself.
"Lady Ha-neul. I will now send you to Rand."
"Rand?"
I felt like I'd heard that somewhere before.
"Yes. It is the world you are to save. When you arrive, the people of the Artea Empire will be waiting for you. With their help, you are to learn about this world, prepare yourself thoroughly — and then defeat the Demon King."
That was a lot of words. But this time I listened really, really hard.
Ar... something-or-other. People. Demon King. Prepare. There were an awful lot of hard ones.
"You understood, yes?"
"Uh-huh!"
"You truly understood?"
"Uh-huh!"
Floating-Shiny Big Sis narrowed her eyes.
She didn't seem to trust me.
"Then what must you do when you get there?"
...
I shut my mouth.
What was it again? I had definitely just heard it. Meet the people, do the thingy, and then do something to somebody — it had all gotten scrambled together in my head. The harder I thought, the ticklier my head got.
And then I saw the white claws on my hands.
Oh.
I was a dinosaur now. Which meant there was only one thing to do.
I beamed and brought both hands together in front of my chest.
"Rawr!"
...
Good job.
But Floating-Shiny Big Sis's expression had frozen solid.
"No. Not rawr — the Demon Ki—"
Wooooong—
Suddenly the floor beneath my feet lit up brilliant white. A round circle of light, much like the one that had brought me here, bloomed across the ground, and then my whole body began to sparkle too.
Floating-Shiny Big Sis's eyes went wide.
"Wait! You cannot send her yet!"
"Ooh?"
My body floated gently up into the air.
Fun!
I kicked my feet in delight, but Floating-Shiny Big Sis flew over in a panic and reached for my hand.
"Lady Ha-neul! Listen carefully! When you arrive, find the people of the kingdom! And the Demon King! You must defeat the Demon King!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Demon King!"
"Deman Kang!"
"De! Mon! King!"
"De! Mon! Kang!"
"King! Kiiing!"
The light grew even stronger. Even as everything before my eyes turned blinding white, I nodded along as hard as I could.
"You must not, under any circumstances, forget!"
"Uh-huh!"
Fwoosh!
Floating-Shiny Big Sis disappeared.
No — it seemed more like I was the one who had vanished.
What had Big Sis said at the very end, again? Deman Kang? No, that wasn't it.
Hmm...
Dunno.
The Grand Prayer Room of the Artea Imperial Palace.
Behind the massive doors, sealed shut since the early hours of the morning, the pillars of the empire had gathered in a single chamber. The Emperor and the Imperial Princess, the high ministers who had served the imperial house for decades, the finest mages of the realm, and even the Knight Commander — people who would seldom share a room under ordinary circumstances — yet not one of them exchanged idle chatter, and not one stepped away from their place. What was to happen here today would decide not merely the fate of a nation, but the future of all of Rand.
At the far end of the chamber stood a colossal statue of the Goddess, a symbol of the imperial faith for hundreds of years. Beneath it, gathered around an ancient Summoning Circle that had never once given off light in living memory, several dozen people waited with bated breath.
The Imperial Princess, who stood at the Emperor's side, walked slowly forward. Her long golden hair spilled down her back, and the imperial crest embroidered in gold thread across her pure white ceremonial gown shimmered softly in the candlelight that lit the chamber. She was nervous too — but when she turned to face the assembled crowd, her expression held the unshakable poise of a princess.
"Everyone — the day has finally come."
Her clear voice rang through the vast chamber, and every gaze turned to her.
"For over a decade, the Demon King's armies have encroached upon our territory without cease, and in that time countless of our people have lost the ground they lived on. Even at this very moment, our knights and soldiers fight with their lives on the line along the border — and with each passing day, we lose more and more."
The knights' faces grew heavy. Among them were those who had lost family, and those who had only recently bid farewell to comrades they had fought beside on the same battlefield. The threat of the Demon King and the Demon Race was no legend from a distant age — it was a reality that continued, even now.
The Princess regarded them for a moment, then lifted her head to look up at the statue of the Goddess.
"But the Goddess has at last answered us."
Months ago, while the Princess prayed alone in a chamber no one else could enter, an oracle had descended upon her. A savior would come from another world. A Hero, chosen by the Goddess herself and granted a singular authority, would descend upon this land to stand against the Demon King. From that day forward, the empire had waited for nothing but this day.
"The Hero, chosen by the Goddess, shall descend upon this very place. The one who will reclaim the lands stolen by the Demon King and the Demon Race, and become the new hope who brings this long war to an end."
The Princess laid a hand over her heart.
"Let us all welcome the Hero with the fullest of honors."
The moment her words ended—
Wooooong—
The Summoning Circle engraved at the center of the chamber began to tremble faintly.
"Your Majesty!"
At the court mage's cry, the Emperor rose from his seat, and the knights lined up on either side snapped to attention in unison. The Princess, without quite realizing it, clasped both hands before her chest and watched the Summoning Circle slowly brighten.
This was the moment they had waited for.
"The Hero descends..."
Light surged up from the Summoning Circle and reached all the way to the ceiling of the Grand Prayer Room.
KWAAAAAH—!
Brilliant divine power burst outward in every direction, and a fierce wind whipped at the Princess's golden hair and the knights' cloaks. The radiance was so overwhelming that several ministers shut their eyes, and one, unable to contain himself, sank to his knees where he stood and called out the Goddess's name.
Only the Princess, eyes narrowed against the glare, kept watching the circle to the very end.
There was someone within the light.
A figure smaller than any of them had imagined.
At first they assumed the searing brilliance was playing tricks with the distance. But even as the sacred light gradually died down and the raging wind settled, the figure did not grow the slightest bit larger.
At last, the final wisps of light scattered.
The Princess blinked.
...
The Emperor said nothing.
For the first time, bewilderment crept across the Knight Commander's stern face, and even the minister who had been kneeling in rapturous prayer slowly lifted his head.
In the very center of the Summoning Circle stood a tiny little girl.
Floor-length sky-blue hair that brushed the ground, pale skin, wide, vacant blue eyes — any of that, they might have looked past. The problem was what the girl was wearing.
It was green.
A huge hood lined with rows of white teeth sat on her head, sharp spikes ran down her back, and a long tail trailed along the floor behind her. Even her fingertips and toes were capped with claw-like decorations.
No matter how anyone looked at it — it was bizarre.
...
A hush fell over the Grand Prayer Room.
The Princess replayed the words of the oracle in her mind, from the very beginning. A savior from another world. A Hero chosen by the Goddess herself. A being granted a singular authority to strike down the Demon King. And before her stood a tiny girl in a baffling outfit.
Could something have gone wrong during the summoning?
The instant that doubt took shape, the girl slowly raised her head.
"Huh...?"
She seemed to have only just realized that dozens of gazes had turned upon her all at once.
The girl looked at the Emperor, then at the Princess, then moved her gaze along to the knights in their gleaming armor, one by one. Then she wrinkled her little brow, as if trying to recall something very important.
"Floaty Big Sis said something, but..."
The Princess's brow twitched, ever so slightly.
Floaty Big Sis? Who could she possibly mean?
Surely not.
"Lady Hero — did the Goddess perhaps say something to you directly?"
The Princess asked carefully, but the girl did not answer. Instead, she thought very hard. Her blue eyes rolled to the right, then back to the left, and her small lips mumbled soundlessly. After a long while of this, her eyes suddenly flew wide open, as if something had come to her.
"Oh!"
The Princess tensed. The Emperor and the high ministers waited as well for whatever would come out of the girl's mouth. Perhaps it would be a new oracle from the Goddess. A way to defeat the Demon King, the course the empire must take from here — or perhaps the will of a god that they themselves could never hope to understand, delivered through the lips of this tiny Hero.
With everyone holding their breath, Ha-neul placed both hands on her hips. Then she puffed out her little chest as far as it would go. Behind her, the green tail gave a little swish.
"Ha-neul is a Hee-yo!"
...
No one could find an answer.
Ha-neul looked around at all the faces staring at her, one after another, and then — apparently deciding she had given a splendid introduction — beamed brightly.
"Hehe."
And so, at long last, the savior the Artea Empire had awaited descended.
Probably.