"The rabbit floated in endless blackness. When he finally opened his eyes, a searing light pierced through him, burning so brightly it felt as if it would consume his very sight. Then, as the brilliance faded, he found himself inside an unfamiliar hut. A hulking troll knelt low before him, its massive head bowed in reverence."
What is this place…?" he muttered, his body trembling as he staggered back. Slowly, a thought dawned on him. Lesser monsters… they often followed stronger beings for protection. This troll—this hut—it must have been their leader. But when I broke through the silk cocoon, the shock alone must have crushed their will. They saw me… and fear took its root."
The troll lowered its massive head, shoulders hunched, and a guttural growl rumbled from deep in its chest. It wasn't just noise—there was rhythm to it, almost like broken words. The beast was trying to speak.
The rabbit tilted his head, ears twitching. He couldn't understand the language, but the intent was clear: submission. The troll was acknowledging him as its new master.
The rabbit flicked his ears and, with a small motion, gestured for the troll to leave. The hulking creature obeyed instantly, lumbering out of the hut on heavy steps.
Curious, the rabbit hopped forward and pushed through the crude flap of the hut. What lay outside made him freeze.
An entire village stretched before him—dozens of trolls, towering and scarred, going about their strange, brutish lives. Fires crackled in pits, hides were stretched over crude wooden frames, and the air smelled of smoke and iron. Every troll he could see had stopped, their yellow eyes now fixed on him.
He blinked once. Twice. Then, without a sound, he backed into the hut and let the flap fall shut. His heart thumped in his small chest.
He froze, ears twitching. Then, without warning, a voice like a distant thunderstorm echoed inside his skull.
"Calm yourself, little one. What you see are nothing more than lesser beings—creatures drawn to power. They will not harm you so long as you do not waver."
The rabbit's fur stood on end. It wasn't the troll's guttural grunts he was hearing; this voice was inside his mind, deep and resonant, carrying the weight of centuries.
"It's me," the voice rumbled again, softer this time. "The lion whose essence now sleeps within your core. You and I are bound. Through you, I will rise again."
The voice echoed in his head again, calm and powerful.
"Do not fear. These creatures are lesser demons. They follow strength, nothing more. By breaking free of your cocoon, you've already marked yourself as their master."
The rabbit blinked, his heart racing. Master? He was just… a rabbit. Yet the trolls' bowed heads told him otherwise.
He looked up at the massive troll still kneeling before him. Its jagged tusks scraped the dirt as it pressed its forehead lower, growling in rough, broken tones.
"Rrrgh… grruhh…," it rumbled, the sound deep enough to make the hut's walls tremble.
The rabbit tilted his head, ears flicking. "You… can understand me?"
The troll froze, then gave a single grunt—almost like a "yes."
The lion's voice whispered in his mind again. "Their tongues are crude, but their loyalty is simple. They will obey."
A strange sensation stirred inside the rabbit's chest—confidence, maybe even pride. His tiny body trembled, but he forced himself to stand taller, puffing out his chest as best as a rabbit could.
"Then…" His voice was small, but it carried a weight he didn't understand. "Take me to your village."
The troll lifted its head, eyes glowing with respect, and gave a booming roar that echoed outside. Almost instantly, heavy footsteps thundered closer. The hut's entrance darkened as other trolls appeared, peering in with cautious, glowing eyes.
The leader gestured to them, then lowered its massive hand as if inviting the rabbit to climb onto its palm.
The rabbit hesitated—but then the lion's voice chuckled faintly in his mind. "Accept it, little one. Step forward. A king does not hide from his people."
With a twitch of his whiskers, the rabbit leapt onto the troll's hand.
As the giant carried him outside, the world opened up. Before him stretched a sprawling village of crude stone huts and roaring fires. Dozens of trolls turned at once, and when they saw him, they fell to their knees.
A hundred glowing eyes fixed on the small, winged rabbit. The air was heavy with reverence, as though a god had descended among them.
The rabbit swallowed hard. He had no idea what he was doing. But for the first time, he realized something:
He wasn't just a rabbit anymore.