When I woke up, there was darkness surrounding me. It was cold, I could feel the icy wind on my skin. When my vision cleared up, I saw a street, surrounded by nature. It was silent, except for the trees rustling in the wind.

What happened?

Why am I here?

Where am I?

And…. most importantly…

Who am I?

I completely lost all memories of what happened. I felt pain on my body, moving hurt, but I had to find help, or I could die out here.

“Hello?” My weakened voice sounded through the night. “Is anyone there…? Please… I need help…”

My feet could only carry me so far, then suddenly, I was hit with a force that launched me to the sky before I crashed hard on the pavement .

I heard the tires of a car screech. It all happened so fast…

“Oh my gosh!! You’ve hit a person!!!”

“Call an ambulance, quick!!”

I was lying on the ground, I couldn’t move. My vision darkened again…

When I woke up next, I was in a hospital.

I was covered in bandages, and my skin was covered in terrible bruises and abrasions. Yet strangely, I didn't feel any pain.

A nurse entered the room, and she asked me a few questions, of which I could answer none.

I was diagnosed with post-traumatic retrograde amnesia. It was unclear what caused it - and more so, who I actually am remained a mystery. The doctors said I had bruises that indicated I fell out of a car at high speed, so they think that maybe a traumatic experience caused my amnesia, since I had no severe head injury.

It’s been three years now since the incident, and I still haven’t regained my memory from my former life. I now live with my foster parents, and they gave me the name Sophia.

“Sophia? Come downstairs, we’re going out for dinner!”

“Ah- Yes, mother! I’m coming!”

Sophia closed her laptop and stood up. “Straph…” She looked at her little bunny-mermaid Morpho Mon resting on her cat bed by her desk. “Do you wanna come, too? I bet they have something you’d like as well.”

“....” Strapholynne looked up, with both a tired and serious expression. “I’d rather not. Thanks.”

“Ahm- Okay. See you later, then…” Sophia grabbed her bag and her jacket, then left her room.

~~~

“Sophia, you seem very happy with the Morpho Defenders, right?”, her foster dad asked.

“Ah…” Sophia smiled. “Yes… I am.”

The three of them had a conversation at the dinner table. The restaurant was rather quiet and very warm. They went here every now and then - though less frequently nowadays, due to Sophia being more exhausted with her new job.

“It’s such a hard job…” He sipped on a glass of wine. “Y’know. Your mother and I never would’ve thought that you’d want to do something like that.”

“Ahm…” Sophia looked to the side. “Is that so?”

“But- it doesn’t mean we’re not proud of you or anything. We just wanted to ask… Why?”

“...” Sophia set her fork down and patted her lips with a handkerchief. “I don’t know. It just appealed to me.”

“Who knows-”, her foster mom began, “maybe in your former life you were a completely different person, like the daughter of a policeman or an acrobat in training.”

“Maybe.” Sophia smiled. “But… I will probably never know for sure.”

“Well- You answered my question.” Her dad smiled back. “And- as long as you are happy- we’re happy too.”

“I am.” Sophia grabbed her glass. “Everyone’s really nice and took me in… I even found friends already.”

“Ah, yes I remember.” Her mother nodded. “Who knows, maybe you will even find a boyfriend.”

“Ahm--” Sophia blushed. “M-Maybe-- But- I’m… I’m much more concerned about something else.”

“Mh?” Her mother looked at her. “And what is that?”

“My partner… Strapholynne… I don’t know, it’s been weeks now since she picked me. But she’s so unfriendly… And really doesn’t seem to like me. No other person in my class has issues with their partner. Why do I?”

“Mhh… Maybe you should sit down for a talk with your little Monster. Maybe she has some issues you don’t see. And if that doesn’t work, maybe ask one of your teachers.”

“Ah… yes, mother. I will try that…”

~~~

A while later they got back home.

“I’m back Straph-” Sophia opened the door to her room and put her bag aside. “Do you want some leftovers? … Hm? Straph?”

Strapholynne was not in her bed as she had been before Sophia left. Sophia looked around. “Straph??” She grabbed her bag again and looked around the house.

“Sophia, what are you doing?” Her mother called from downstairs.

“Ah- Mom- Have you seen Strapholynne anywhere?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Ah-” Sophia went downstairs. “I’ll go look for her- I’ll be back in a minute.” Quickly she got out of the door and checked outside the house. Strapholynne was nowhere to be seen. “Straaaaph?” Sophia checked the neighbours’ gardens, she wasn’t there. “Oh man…”

She got to a playground. It was empty, as it was already dark outside. “Huh?” Sophia knelt down and investigated the footprints in the sand. They were large, but not shaped like a regular animal’s paw. They could be Strapholynne’s Pergrandis Form prints. “Straph?” Sophia got up again. “Are you here? Please come home- I’m worried-”

Suddenly, a loud growl sounded.

“Huh?” Sophia turned around as the bush behind her rustled. “S-Straph??”

“GRRAAOOO!!” A large, bear-like monster jumped out of the bush. It was on all fours and had large, disfigured teeth all over its mouth and face.

“AAAHHH!!!” Sophia tripped and fell. “Aahh--!!” She crawled back in fear until she hit the slide behind her. “Oh no oh no--! P-Please leave me alone--”

“GRHHHH….” The monster slowly approached her, opening its drool-dripping mouth wide.

“AaaaaAAAAHH!!” Sophia covered her head with her arms. “HELP!!!”

“HEYAAH!!”

The monster was kicked down and growled in fury. Sophia looked up again as she heard a violent fight breaking out before her. She blinked twice, and realized that the other creature that attacked the monster was Strapholynne in her Pergrandis form. “AH!” Sophia jumped back up on her feet. “Straph--”

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Strapholynne grabbed the monster by the neck and jumped high up in the air, so high their silhouette became blurred in the sky. Just a few seconds later, they fell at the speed of a meteor, heads pointed down.

“HAAAYAHH--!” Just a split second before both crashed on the ground Strapholynne let go, catching herself on her two feet and one hand, sliding in the sand from the momentum she had, and the monster before them broke its neck with a loud crack. The impact it had on the ground blew a cloud of sand in the air, Sophia quickly covered her eyes with an arm and coughed.

“Ahh…--” The cloud dissipated and Sophia lowered her arm again to see the creature before her. Now that it was dead and no longer moving, she could make out more details.

It was obviously a Morpho Mon, but it looked off. It didn’t just have crooked, enlarged teeth, but also eyes in places where it probably shouldn’t have any. “What… is that….” She grabbed her phone to take pictures of the body.

“HEY-!” Strapholynne approached her. “What are you doing outside in the dark alone?! You could’ve been killed!!”

“Ah-” Sophia put her phone away and faced the tall bunny. “I’m- I- I was just looking for you- You weren’t at home, I was worried--”

Strapholynne rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have experience defending myself. You should look out for yourself more. You have barely any experience in fighting Morpho Mons, especially not ones that are highly aggressive and dangerous.”

“...” Sophia looked at the body. “I- I should call the defenders… Something’s off about this Morpho Mon…”

“Sure. Do that. I will go home now.”

“W-Wait Straph- We can-” Strapholynne had left before Sophia could finish her sentence. “... Hah-” Sophia took her phone and dialed the number of the Morpho Defenders HQ. “H-Hello-? I- I need someone to get to my location- I’m apprentice Sophia Smith- and- I found a strange Morpho Mon in my neighbourhood- …. No, it’s already dead …. Okay, I will stay where I am.” She hung up the phone and sat down on a nearby bench, letting out a deep sigh. “Straph….” She leaned her head back. “Why won’t you communicate with me….”