Pit? Pit!

I woke up with a shock. My name kept ringing in my head, like someone was calling me. It definitely wasn't Lady Palutena— that wasn't her voice. I couldn't even tell who's it was. Who else would be calling me?

"Huh...?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes. When my vision cleared, I realized I couldn't see anything anyway. I was in a black void. Everything around me was endless darkness. I immediately sprung up, looking everywhere around me.

"HEY!" I called out into the darkness, "Anyone here?!"

No one answered. Of course no one was here. I guess I just wanted to make sure. I was alone in this void. But if I'm alone, who put me here?
Before I can even think of an answer to my own question, I was knocked out.

• • •

I felt my conscience come back. I don't know how much time has passed, how I got into the void I was in earlier, and how I got out. I groaned, slowly opening my eyes again. I woke up in the middle of a large field with tall grass everywhere and patches of yellow flowers in some areas. I looked around, and I saw a village up ahead. It was the village I was by the most— that's where I met my human ally, Magnus. Well, I guess all the humans are Lady's Palutena's allies. Or did I meet him somewhere else? Anyway, we help the humans fight against the Forces of Nature and the Underworld Army. Even better? We win every time! It's just that Viridi doesn't give up, and Hades had just revealed himself to be the mastermind behind the entire Underworld attack. It wasn't Medusa after all. Point is, we keep fighting for the humans. Oh, and there's Pittoo, my clone who only cares for himself, so we him fight on occasion. I guess that's enough backstory. I'd talk about myself, but I think you either already know who I am, or you'd just look it up or something. In short, as if it wasn't obvious already, I'm Pit, servant of the Goddess of Light, Lady Palutena. I fight for all that is good, and I haven't failed so far.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right, I just woke up in the middle of this huge field. No one was around me. For some reason, I felt like I was really alone, despite Lady Palutena being by my side all the time, whether via telepathy or physically. Well, mostly by telepathy.

Weird, I rubbed my head, thinking, Why would Lady Palutena send me here? Where is she, anyway?

"Lady Palutena?" I called out, "I kinda need some assistance right here...? I don't know what to do or why you sent me here...!"

No answer. I blinked in confusion. She'd usually answer me right on the spot!

"Lady Palutena?" I called again, a little quieter this time with worry. What happened? Why isn't she answering me?

I got up from the ground, feeling very different. I looked down at my hands to make sure I was still myself just in case. My clothes were still the same— I still hade my armor-like cuffs around my forearms, and my gold ringlets around my upper arms. Still had my white robes and my sandals... I was still myself, clearly. But why does it feel like a huge part of me is missing? Was it Lady Palutena not answering my call to her? Probably... I'm just worried. She's such a huge part of my life. She's like my mother— she raised me, she trained me, she helped me. She helped me do something I couldn't do on my own— fly. Despite being an angel, my wings can't bring me to the skies on my own. It's a defect of some sort. Lady Palutena never told me what it was, but she helped me fly by granting me the Power of Flight, though it only lasts five minutes, because my wings would need to recover. They'd burn off. It almost happened before at the Autumn Hive. It was terrifying. But hey, at least it ended well.

Wait, but how long was it since I've been there? It seemed like a day, yet up ahead in the village, I saw clouds of... of smoke— WHY DIDN'T I IMMEDIATELY GO HELP?!

I didn't care if Lady Palutena didn't listen to me when I called her. I began to run towards the town as fast as my feet could carry me. For some reason, I felt as if I was running much faster than ever, like my wings weren't weighing me back. And I didn't even have claws with me!

Once I arrived, I began to look for locals to tell me what's going on. I stopped by a young girl, who looked at me with her wide, brown eyes. She looked like she was maybe six or seven.

"Hey there," I smiled at her, assuring her that I wouldn't harm her, "Do you mind telling me what happened? And when this started?"

The little girl hesitantly nodded and took my hand. She took me inside a small shack nearby to hide from the commotion. We sat down in the corner on the piles of hay.

"So what is it?" I asked impatiently but gently. I needed to know what happened.

"Do you know about the famous angel that helps us all the time?" She asked.

My heart stopped. I-I was right in front of her!

"U-uh, y-you mean Pit?" I asked, not saying it was me just in case she won't answer my questions.

She nodded.

"He disappeared a few months ago," she informed me, "The goddess we praise every day for helping us fight against the bad guys went 'insane.' I don't know, that's what my mom said. She also went missing. Now we are on our own, and no one is here to help us win against the bad guys."

My heart dropped. This started a few months ago?

"W-wait," I shook my head, "What about the angel?"

"He still wasn't found," she said, "You look a lot like him, though."

The people couldn't have lost their memories about me, because they clearly remember me going missing or whatever, and they clearly seem to remember what I look like because of what this little girl just told me!

"What makes me not look like him?" I asked.

"The only thing you're missing is wings," she pointed.

I just stopped. I couldn't breathe. I looked behind me to see that I did, in fact, not have my white pair of wings attached to my upper back. I went pale. With a panic attack, I began breathing in and out, trying to catch my breath. How did I not feel it earlier? I knew something wasn't right!

The little girl patted my shoulder. "Are you okay, Mister?" She asked.

I looked at her, panic spread across my face.

"Y-yeah..." I nodded, lying.

"You don't look okay," she pointed out.

I sighed, looking away. I couldn't lie to this little girl. After all, she's providing me with information.

"Y-yeah, you're right," I sighed, trying to calm down, "I'm not okay."

"Well," she smiled, "I can help you. I mean, if you let me, Mister."

I smiled at her. She's such a sweetheart. Lady Palutena would've loved her.

"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Ella," she replied.

"Well, Ella," I grinned, "How good are you at keeping secrets?"

She smiled with excitement.

"I'm pretty good," she told me, "Is it really important? Like a big big secret?"

I nodded. She got all giddy and excited.

"But you'd better promise not to tell anyone, okay?" I smiled, "I wanna try to solve this on my own terms. I'm only telling you because you helped me and because you, uh, well, you'll find out."

I held out my pinky finger so she could shake it. She wrapped her pinky finger around mine and we shook.

"I promise!" She smiled with excitement.
I took a deep breath.

"Remember how you said I look a lot like that angel?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"Well, I am him. I am Pit. That's why I was so freaked out about my wings being, well..." I looked back at where my wings used to be, "Gone."

Ella's eyes were wide. She stared at me for a long moment— probably to make sure I actually looked like her image of me.

"Really?" She asked, looking up and down at me, "What happened to your wings?"

My smile left my face. I sighed and looked away.

"I..." I practically whispered, "I don't know..."
Without warning, Ella hugged me tightly. My arms moved out of the way as an instinct as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I know you don't have your wings right now," she said, "But you're still Pit, the one who saved me and my family and my friends so many times. I've always wanted to meet you and thank you. I didn't think it could really be you because I didn't see your wings, but now that you told me, I know it's you. Mister Pit, thank you so much for all you do. I promise I won't make you sad and I won't tell anyone about your problem."

I was taken aback. This is... aww! She's gonna make me cry, and I just got back after, well, I don't even know for how long! I hugged her back without hesitation, holding her tight, but not too tight so I don't squeeze her.

"Aww, Ella," I laughed weakly, "You're gonna make me cry! Thank you for helping me. I'll keep you in mind the next time I save this village."

She looked up at me with a bright smile on her face. Gods, I love her already! I just met her, yet I can tell she's such a good person! She deserves to be safe.

"Also," I added with a smile, "Tell your family that you and them have my blessing. I might not be a god, but I'm Lady Palutena's servant, right? She might not be at her best right now, like you told me, but still, I'll bless them for her."

Ella hugged me again.

"Will I be able to see you again?" She asked.

"Hopefully," I rubbed her back as she was still in my embrace. When we finally let go, I stuck out my hand. "It was nice meeting you, Ella."

She gladly shook it. "It was nice meeting you too, Mister Pit!" She giggled.

"Just call me Pit," I shrugged with a smile, "We're friends, right? No need for formality."

If it was even possible, Ella's smile became so much wider. We stood up, and I began to make my way out of the little shack.

"Thank you again, Ella!" I called to her as I waved, "And make sure you don't tell anyone about this!"

She nodded, and she zipped her lips. She then waved to me as I left. I smiled back one more time and I ran off. I really do hope I see her again and that my blessing on her works despite being human now.

But yeah, that's crazy! I'm actually a human now! I'm not an angel anymore! I was the only natural angel as far as I knew (Pittoo doesn't count since he's a clone), so... is my race extinct now? I hope not. How did this even happen? I need to find out and get my wings back as soon as possible! The world needs saving! This town needs saving! Ella needs saving! I needa get straight to work! It feels so weird to have my back be practically weightless. My wings would always blow in the wind as I ran, and they'd always have some sort of pressure, even if they didn't push or anything. I just always felt them there. But now...

I shook my head from my thoughts, determined to look further into what happened. Ella might've given me the beginning, but she didn't tell me what's going on now other than the humans are fighting on their own without Lady Palutena and me. Maybe she didn't know. That's okay, she helped enough.

"Hey! You!" I heard a voice behind me.
I turned around, realizing that the man in armor was speaking to me.

"M-me?" I stuttered, pointing at myself. I hoped I really wasn't that recognizable for everyone to notice I was an actual human right now, but I feel like everyone knows who I am. Thankfully, my wings were what made me as recognizable as I was.

"Yes, you, young boy," he walked up to me. His green eyes shone through his armor, looking at me with all seriousness.

"Uh, yes, Sir?" I asked.

"What's your name, young boy?" He asked me.
I gulped. I can't just tell him I'm Pit! Ella was easier to tell, because she promised me to keep it secret. This is a person I didn't even get to know. He just came up to me. If I told him I was Pit, he'd take it much more seriously even if I told him not to tell anyone. Or he'd not even take me seriously and make fun of me, telling me that was impossible. I just didn't trust him enough to tell him my true identity. Don't question why I told Ella and not him! Ella was sweet and kind! And she helped me! She deserved to know, especially after she said I looked a lot like me!

"U-uh," I stuttered again, "Uhm, I'm... I-I'm—"

"Quit stuttering, kid!" The man shook his head, "What's your name?"

Oh, little does he know, I'm so much older than he thinks. I'm just "physically" thirteen, if you know what I mean.

"Holt," I blurted, "Haha, yup! I-I'm Holt! Haha..."

It was the first thing that came to me. My name is Pit, which is also a hole in the ground, so instead of my fake name being Hole, I replaced the "e" from hole with the "t" from my name. There we go! Perfect reasoning...! Well, I kinda just blurted it out and just decided to explain a reason after.

"How old are you, Holt?" The man asked.
I sighed with relief. He didn't question me about my obvious lying.

"Thirteen," I said.

I mean, I wasn't entirely wrong. If I told him I was so much older than that, he wouldn't have believed me. I guess it's good to look young despite living for so long.

"Oh," the man paused, "Well, Holt, help me out and help everyone evacuate. The town is being raided by the Forces of Nature right now. You don't have anywhere to be right now, do you?"

I shook my head, "No. I'll gladly help you, Sir!"

He smiled at me through his helmet, and he shook my hand.

"Thank you, Holt," he said, "Maybe you'll be in a position like mine in the future."

Little do you know, I already am in a position like that, if not higher, I thought to myself.

I saluted, and I ran through the village, calling out to people about the evacuation. Some questioned why they should listen to a young "thirteen-year-old" boy despite there being so much evidence and commotion to back me up. As soon as I told them that some sort of officer told me to tell everyone, they obeyed. If only they knew who I was without making it more complicated for myself. They would've listened to me right off the bat!

"Let's go, let's go!" I shouted as I helped people evacuate. I saw some of Viridi's forces move into the town, attacking people. I immediately stopped what I was doing and ran to the people about to get hit by one of Viridi's soldiers. As I ran, I grabbed a sword from off the ground. I don't know why it was laying there. Plot convenience? I dunno. Point is, I took the sword and took that creature out. I looked to the people behind me, who were shocked and seemingly impressed by me saving their lives. In their eyes, I was just a thirteen-year-old boy who had just successfully fought with a sword.

"Run!" I ordered them, "Evacuate the town! I'll try to fight these monsters off!"

The people nodded and ran. A few more from the Forces of Nature came by, immediately noticing me. I taunted them, swinging the sword around playfully.

"C'mon!" I readied myself, motioning for Viridi's warriors to come at me.

Within minutes, I destroyed the five that were in front of me.

"That was easy," I chuckled to myself, "Despite being a human now..."

I walked through the empty, destroyed village. Well, it wasn't that messed up, but still, you can tell there was damage done here. All of the sudden, I heard footsteps approach me.

"I didn't know you could fight so well, boy," I heard a familiar voice say behind me, "I watched you from the side."

I turned around and faced none other than Magnus himself. My heart dropped, wondering what his reaction would be. As soon as he figured out who I was, his eyes widened and he took a step back, gripping onto his weapon tightly.

"Y-you're that angel!" He exclaimed, "You have to be!"

"Yeah," I sighed, lowering my head, "It's me."

"Well, what the heck happened to you?" Magnus asked me, kneeling down so he could speak to me face-to-face, "You were gone for several months! Your goddess went insane, and she's nowhere to be seen, either. We humans were on our own. Where were you, and where the hell are your wings?!"

I looked up at him with shame. I failed humanity because I was gone. Who took me? Why are my wings gone? I have the same questions as Magnus does.

"I wish I knew too," I shook my head.

His eyes widened, and then he frowned a little. "So you don't even know?" He asked, "You didn't just decide to become a human or something and leave us all behind? Leaving your goddess?"

I looked at him with shock. Why would he ever think that?!

"Are you serious?" I frowned, "Why would I ever leave Lady Palutena's side by choice? Why would I ever get rid of my wings by choice? Why would I ever leave you humans on your own by choice? You know who you're talking to, right Magnus?"

The muscular man lowered his head and sighed.

"Right," he nodded, "Sorry about that. I'm just pissed off."

I smiled at him, reaching up and putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it," I assured him, "But yeah, I dunno what happened either. I'm trying to figure all of this out. Do you mind helping me?"

Magnus thought for a moment. He was a stubborn guy and didn't really give in to situations like these, but the sooner I get my wings backs and the sooner I find Lady Palutena, I'll be able to help humanity just as well as I have been several months before the... incident, or whatever.

"Alright," he smiled at me, "Just promise me that as soon as you return to normal, you'll help us win this war once and for all."
I grinned and I shook his hand.

"Well, duh!" I laughed, "That's what I'm trying to do!"

Magnus let out a chuckle. "I guess so," he said. He then looked around the area and continued, "Pit, I'm probably going to have to stay behind to help everyone else here. You can go on your adventure. I guess I can help you by giving you more information. I can try to find out as much as I can, and I'll let you know."

I liked this plan, but there was a tiny flaw.
"But how will you let me know if I'm far away?" I asked.

"I can try to contact a god or goddess of any sort to try to find you by praying or something, I guess," Magnus shrugged, "Palutena hasn't been responding to anyone, so I could try a different one. It could work. Or maybe we'll just run into each other again."

I smiled at him. I'm so glad I've had a human ally before this happened. Otherwise I would be talking to strangers who wouldn't even consider talking back to me or answering my questions. Even though humans are mostly good, some traits aren't the best. I can kind of see why Viridi hates them.

"Thank you so much, Magnus," I shook his hand again.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he smiled with a short eye roll, "Now get going. You want to get this done as fast as possible, right?"

I nodded bravely and waved as I ran off, the sword I used still in my hand. It could definitely come in handy! I ran through and out of the village and I was back at the entrance. I saw all the evacuators still running from the area, trying to get to a safer destination. I snuck away before the guards could see me again, because to them, I'm just a normal young teen roaming around and wielding a sword. I ran and ran, trying to find a place to hide out in. This is gonna be hard. I'm gonna have to survive somehow. I was always just given food and I had shelter, but now with Lady Palutena gone, I don't have either of those.

And idea then blossomed in my mind. As soon as it came, I couldn't get rid of it. I made my way back to the village (I wasn't too far from it), once again avoiding the evacuating people. The battle there was over, but people were still running. Perfect, because I really need to get to somewhere. I walked up to a huge temple in the town with a smaller shrine nearby. The huge temple was for none other than Lady Palutena, but like Magnus said, she wasn't answering anyone. So I walked over to the smaller shrine to ask for help from another goddess I knew. Don't know why the village was attacked with her shrine in it, but I can't really question her motives. I knelt down on one knee and closed my eyes.

"Hey, it's me," I said informally, "I need your help. Lady Palutena isn't answering me, and you're the second closest to me when it comes to the divine. Sorry for being informal, but it's urgent. Thank you if you do help in advance. If you don't, well, I understand. I'd greatly appreciate your help, though."

I heard no immediate answer, which was to be expected. I sighed, and I walked out of the small shrine. I gripped my sword tighter, and with determination, I left. I had to find out what happened.

Once I made it back out to the fields, soldiers from the Underworld Army surrounded me. I readied myself, spinning my blade around and striking it into position.

"Alright," I grinned, "Who wants some?"
The monsters began to attack, and I fought back. I danced around with my blade, hitting the soldiers from left to right. But being a human now, fighting these guys was tough. I still have my energy, but I don't have my previous advantages. The army began to close in on me, and more began arriving.

"GAH!" I screamed in pain, realizing that I've been cut on my leg. It was a pretty deep cut. I fell to the ground, too weak to fight. I was bleeding for the first time, and I didn't like it at all. It felt so weird and gross. Not only that, but the pain! This is a huge cut! I know I said that, but dang! Usually I'd heal up with food or a hot spring, but I don't have access to any of those right now.

I prayed for some sort of miracle, hoping I'd somehow survive. But I couldn't even protect myself anymore, and I don't even have any help with me, no one to fight alongside me. I clutched my leg, still waving my sword around as I was laying on the ground so no monsters draw any closer. It didn't work.

"GO, MY FRIENDS! DRIVE THOSE DISGRACEFUL CREATURES AWAY FROM HERE!" I heard an all too familiar booming voice shout.

I began to lose focus and my vision began to blur. Soon enough, from what I saw, the Underworld Army was gone. And surprisingly, the monsters that drove them away were the Forces of Nature.

"V-Viridi...?" I asked weakly under my breath before passing out.

• • •

A/N:
Hey! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Not a strong start, but it works.
Anyway, bye!

~ Sweggy