Back at the very beginning

When I opened my eyes, the scenery had changed completely. A soft and gentle breeze, the comfortable grass beneath me... It was the same. The same as the first time I was summoned to this world.

I raised my torso, taking in the environment. How long had it been since I was able to just sit and appreciate the world around me?

"I really am back." I took a deep breath. The air was clean, a pleasant feeling on my lungs. And I exhaled, letting all my previous exhaustion melt away.

"You really are. Would you look at that? You were never punished for your little stunt." The voice of the Goddess rang in my head. That's right. I used to have direct communication with the Goddess, or at least I did before I severed the bond completely, turning my back to her and to the faith.

"You remember everything then?" There was always a chance she would've forgotten alongside everyone else. But things don't work as great as you hope them to.

"Indeed, I do. Needless to say, I hope you don't assume everything is forgiven."

I gave a bitter chuckle. It was nice to be able to once again laugh at myself. "Wouldn't dream of it. I know we aren't on the best of terms." I stood up, dusting off a few blades of grass from my jeans. "So did time really rewind all the way to when I first came?"

"You should be aware of the answer, no? It was your powers that brought us back."

It's true that I managed to do this. But to be honest, I didn't gave it much thought. I just knew I wanted to be back here, to finally do things properly. I didn't care about the details or technicalities at the time, so I have no clue if everything went as I expected. I shook my head. "Guess there's only one way to find out." I stretched, feeling the bones on my back give a pleasant crack.

"Before anything, quit messing with my sigil. Weren't you going to 'fix your mistakes'?"

I rasied an eyebrow. "What are you saying? I'm not doing anything."

Her voice became exasperated. "My sigil! I don't know what you're doing, but stop it."

The Sigil of the Goddess. The proof I was chosen as the hero, and the source of the hero's divine power. It establishes a sort of parasitic relationship between the hero and the Goddess, granting me the ability to use her powers according to my will. 

I focused on my left hand, revealing the sigil. Normally, it was the symbol of the Holy Church of Creation, the dominating religion in this world, devouted wholeheartedly towards the Goddess. But now it was different. It's like the symbol had been cut diagonally through the center, leaving only a fragment of what once was.

"Guess that's the price I had to pay." I turned my palm from side to side, examining the sigil. "I definitely feel less power coming from it."

"But that's ridiculous! Time was rewinded, and that's my sigil. How is that possible?" The Goddess complained. It's pretty clear that this was not her doing. And as she says, the sigil should be intact given what happened.

"Maybe this wasn't a rewind after all." I concluded. It was the only thing that made sense to me. "At the time, I just wanted to come back to the beginning of everything and have a second chance. I never strictly. I never specifically wished to rewind time. That also may be why both you and I still have our memories."

"Then... what have you done to my world?" The Goddess' voice trailed off. I have to admit, a part of me was glad to see her at a loss, but this situation is overall bad. I have no idea if things will work out the same as they did before. The Goddess gave a sigh. "Though I'm happy you won't become as absurdly powerful as before, this is a critical situation. I can't afford to let things run blindly, specially when I'm in doubt your power is great enough to defeat the Demon Lord."

"I will defeat him." I asserted with confidence. I don't know how much weaker I am compared to before, but this is the one thing that's non-negotiable. This time, I'll do right by this world. No matter what.

"You better. I do not have the power to summon another hero. Even getting you to come was a nightmare, which thinking about it in retrospective, I definitely shouldn't have gone through all that trouble at all." Her voice was serious with a hint of anger. It's true I am the hero, but if she had the choice, she'd get rid of me in an instant. "I'll focus on figuring things out. You... Don't squander this, or I'll find a way to smite you to ashes."

"Loud and clear." I quipped back. I may have taken it a little as a joke, but I'm sure she would enjoy nothing much that killing me herself. 

And with that, I felt the communication cut out. It was once again, me alone, at the very beginning of my adventure. Now that I was sure she wasn't watching over me, I decided to take the chance and properly examine myself.

My old battle scars and wounds were gone, my body was the exact same as it was when I was first transported here. I wasn't weaker just regarding holy magic, but my body itself definitely felt slower, softer. I guess that means I lost all the training I did too. And most importantly, I couldn't feel it in my chest or its power coursing through my body. I guess I lost it now that I'm back at the start, which is definitely for the better.

"I guess I should be on my way," I whispered to myself. If I have any hopes for things to go like they did last time, minus the bad, then I need to recreate my steps as closely as I can. And if this world really is different from the last one... Well, I guess I'll learn about it the hard way. And so, I began my journey one again in the land of Zelthuria.