Author's Note:

Hello, and welcome to the introductory chapter of my first fanfic! Things may seem to move along slowly at first, but the plot will likely start to thicken as the main cast joins. Regardless, enjoy and feel free to share advice and/or opinions!

I should also point out as a disclaimer that Tales of Legendia and its characters do not belong to me.

She realized something was wrong even before opening her eyes. For starters, the ground felt cold and dirty—nothing like the beds at the inn.

The inn...was I at an inn before this? I can't remember... In fact, she was having a hard time remembering anything.

What's more, the air smelled...disgusting, to put it bluntly. The lingering stench of long-rotted meat seemed to be all over the place. As nice as it would've been to just get up and leave, she found herself too tired to even open her eyes, much less stand up and walk away. "Ugh..."

"Ors?"

Ors? What... Apparently she wasn't alone, and she didn't want to leave herself vulnerable if that was the case. The girl reluctantly lifted her head and forced her eyes open, only to find an otter. A clothed otter, with a little yellow cap and everything. "W-what the?" She immediately sat up and backed away, catching a glimpse of her own bottom half in the process.

Now the girl may not have remembered much, but there were a few things she had no doubts about. She had just arrived on the Legacy after leaving Crusand, for reasons she couldn't remember if she tried, and she was most certainly human before this. She did not at any point in her life have fur, little otter feet, or a tail.

Why, then, did she see those very things where her human legs should have been?

Her otter companion didn't seem to think anything was wrong, seeing as it gave a cheerful greeting. "Oh good, you're awake! Why are you napping in the resting place of the Mighty Ones?"

"Mighty...what?" 'What?' seemed to be her phrase of the day, apparently. But hey, who could blame her? Anyone would be dumbfounded to wake up as an otter in front of a talking otter. Nonetheless, she tried to answer as best she could. Maybe this otter had some answers of its own. "I don't remember. Is this a graveyard? Who...no, what are you?"

The otter looked puzzled at this, but remained smiling. "Yes, this is where the Mighty Ones come to spend their final moments." It looked her up and down before introducing itself. "My name is Poppo of the Oresoren. Why do you ask? You look like an Oresoren to me."

"I what?" The girl looked down at herself more carefully and placed her little otter paws to feel her face. Little otter ears, a small otter nose, and fuzzy otter fur were all she found. So he's right... Naturally she had no idea how to react to this, though she knew it might have been easier if she had her memories. Fainting seemed like the easiest thing to do right now. Yeah, maybe there was some trick to it, and she just wasn't trying hard enough.

...Nope, still no fainting. She desperately hoped this was just some weird dream.

"I've never seen you in our village, now that I think about it." Poppo placed a paw on his chin in thought. Despite the contemplation, he hardly seemed bothered by the situation. "Ors, I know! Maybe Jay can help. Allow me to escort you to the Oresoren village!"

"Wait a minute! Don't go thinking I'll just let you take me wherever," she protested. However, a distant roar sent a chill down her spine along with a reminder: she had no idea where she was, and sticking around could end up turning her into food for one of these "Mighty Ones". But I can't even be sure whether or not this otter was the cause of all this. There's no way I can trust him. Even so, the former human found herself meeting the Oresoren's innocent little eyes.

Big mistake.

"Well, maybe...I don't really have anywhere else to go," she replied hesitantly. Despite the shock of turning into one, the Oresoren in front of her was proving to be too adorable and innocent-looking for her to distrust completely. Besides, she wouldn't know how to defend herself in this body even with her weapon. It was far too dangerous to be alone. Stay wary, though, she reminded herself.

"Ors~! Follow me, then! It sounds like a Mighty One is on its way here," Poppo began waddling away towards some kind of platform. Huh, a platform in a cave? Maybe these were some kind of ancient ruins.

"By the way, what's your name?"

Whether she wanted to answer the question or not, she couldn't even remember her name; just her homeland and the fact that she was supposed to be human. It was more than a little scary, not even knowing her own name, but at the same time she felt too healthy to be completely worried about it. "Hard to say...I guess I don't have one."

"Well, you were found in the Mighty Ones' resting place, so let's call you Gaet for now! That's what some humans call the Mighty Ones. Ors~!" Poppo suggested cheerily, seemingly immune to any form of discomfort.

"Gaet?" She could vaguely recall hearing about something along the lines of a legendary beast by that name. Huh. So that's what Mighty Ones are. She had a name, a human name, but this would have to do for now. At least it gave her some kind of identity. For the time being, she was Gaet: an Oresoren who used to be a human girl from the Crusand Empire. Seemed like a decent collection of information.

"Be very careful," Poppo warned as the two Oresoren walked—or more like stumbled in Gaet's case, what with her inexperienced otter feet—onto the platform. "They usually don't attack us, but the monsters won't like it if we make too much noise. We should be okay once we get out of the Great Hollow."

Gaet looked up at the orange and pink shades of leaves as the platform they were standing on began rising. "The Great Hollow, huh? So that's where we are..." At least she knew they were still somewhere on the Legacy. This whole thing was just too bizarre, but she knew she would go insane if she tried to piece together everything at once. "I take it this'll be a long walk."

"Ors~!"