Everything was darkness—darkness everywhere. There was nothing. A world without anything, without anyone. A void so absolute that even "nothingness" didn't exist. And there he was, that hero, drifting through the void—or rather, through " ".
???: Wake up…
He curled up, feeling oddly comfortable.
???: WAKE UP!
Froggy: Mom… just five more minutes…
???: I SAID WAKE UP!
A sharp pain shot through his leg. He jolted awake, kicking both feet wildly.
Froggy: AHHHH!
When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the same ground as before… with a lizard biting his leg.
Froggy: Huh?
The lizard climbed up and settled on his chest, staring down at him. Face to face, they locked eyes.
Froggy: Uh… hi?
???: MORTAL!
The lizard glared at him, its fury impossible to hide.
Froggy: Do we know each other?
Lizard: Of course we do. IT IS I. THE DESTROYER OF THE SUN.
Froggy was still disoriented from waking up so suddenly. The last thing he remembered was being moments away from burning alive.
Froggy: Uh… yeah… I don't know you, man.
Lizard: The primordial flame? The master of the true fire?
Froggy: Nope… doesn't ring a bell.
Lizard: Perhaps the destroyer of universes? The one and only lord of heat?
Froggy: OHHH, yeah…
Lizard: …
Froggy: So… what's the lord of fire doing around here?
Lizard: …
The lizard bit him again.
Froggy: AHHH!
He shook his arm violently, trying to fling it off.
Froggy: LET GO!
Lizard: NOOO!
Froggy: AT LEAST TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!
The lizard finally released him.
Lizard: I am the Absolute Lava Lizard.
Froggy: …What?
Froggy looked at it. It was barely twenty centimeters tall—the size of a small cat. Its tail held a tiny flame that was already starting to fade.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Ally stats.
Friend added 1/1
"Absolute Lava Lizard Lv. 1"
Status: Humiliated
Alignment: Friend (forced)
Skills:
Spark (damage 5)
Tiny Roar (intimidates nearby enemies)
Warmth (can heat tea and other liquids)
Froggy: …You look… a bit different.
The lizard felt an overwhelming urge to kill him on the spot.
Froggy: How did you end up like this?
Lizard: THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, MORTAL!
The lizard sat beside him. Froggy took the chance to sit up too. He looked around—the dwarves were still unconscious, the land even more scorched than before, and well…
Lizard: WELL?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, MORTAL?!
Froggy: I SAID I DON'T KNOW!
Lizard: YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING!
Froggy: Maybe… I accepted a friend request…
Lizard: A what?
Froggy: Ah… right.
The lizard fell silent. It looked at the ground, then back at Froggy.
Lizard: You… CURSE YOU!
It lunged again and bit him.
Lizard: PREPARE FOR MY FURY!
Froggy: HEY, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!
Froggy thrashed around, trying to shake it off.
Lizard: DON'T MOVE!
Froggy: LET GO!
Without thinking—pure instinct—Froggy bit the lizard back.
The lizard froze, releasing him and stepping back a few paces.
Lizard: Since when do humans bite?
It sounded genuinely offended.
Froggy: You bit me first. I'm just returning the favor.
Lizard: I see. MORTAL!
It charged again.
Froggy: AHHHH!
And they started biting, rolling, and tumbling around for several minutes. The lizard bit and pulled, Froggy did the same. They rolled across the ground again and again. Froggy even tried to grab a dwarf's weapon.
Froggy: HAHA! You won't be able to—
It was too heavy.
The lizard took advantage, snatched a helmet off a fallen dwarf, awkwardly put it on, and charged.
Froggy barely dodged.
Lizard: YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE, MORTAL.
Froggy: WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING?!
The fight went on until they both collapsed from exhaustion.
Froggy hit the ground first. The lizard kept biting his leg for a while longer, until it got tired too and sat beside him, staring into nothing.
Silence.
Then the lizard spoke.
Lizard: I can't believe this… I WAS POWERFUL… feared even by gods… respected… mortals worshipped me… even fire itself feared me…
Froggy sighed.
Froggy: Now maybe you're good at making tea.
The lizard felt its rage flare up again and started to rise—
Froggy: Timeout. We'll continue later.
Lizard: Fine.
The lizard growled, a tiny five-centimeter flame flickering from its mouth before quickly dying out.
Lizard: I've lost everything… my power… my size…
Froggy stayed quiet for a while before speaking.
Froggy: Maybe we've got something in common after all.
Lizard: What?
Froggy: I don't remember it… but I used to be someone. Maybe important.
Lizard: Important? You?
Froggy: Not powerful, exactly… but I had a life. And now I'm… nothing.
The lizard stared at him in silence.
Lizard: So… you lost everything too…
Froggy nodded.
Two completely different beings, sitting side by side. Both exhausted. Both resigned. A human and an ancient creature.
Lizard: That is…
Froggy: Yeah?
Lizard: IRRELEVANT. WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT YOUR MISERABLE LIFE?! GIVE ME MY POWER BACK!
Froggy blinked.
Froggy: I DON'T HAVE IT.
Lizard: THEN FIND A WAY!
Froggy: What do you think I can even do? I didn't even know it was you until recently.
The lizard glared and charged again. The fight resumed—and ended the same way, both of them on the ground once more.
The lizard dragged itself away on its tiny, trembling body, then collapsed onto its side, exhausted, muttering under its breath.
Lizard: Stupid… mortal…