Bahamut found himself in a beautiful forest. It was currently nighttime, and he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the three moons glowing with colors of blue, silver, and orange in the sky. They were so huge and so close that he felt he could touch them with a jump.

The wind was soft and cool, carrying with a faint scent of night flowers and peace. A path opened up in front of him while fireflies appeared, flying around him. He could hear their soft insect cries, which seemed to tell him to follow them. And follow he did.

They passed through trees so tall they seemed to touch the sky. He could even swear that they were taller than the obsidian citadel. Beautiful bushes surrounded the trees, seemingly hiding their roots from sight. Blue and purple flowers opened from the bushes, releasing a sweet scent into the surroundings.

The fireflies drifted ahead of him like living stars, their soft glow pulsing in a quiet rhythm, as if guiding rather than merely illuminating. The path beneath Bahamut’s feet became softer the deeper he walked, the forest floor slowly giving way from roots and stone into something smoother... gentler. Grass.

The trees began to thin, their towering forms parting like silent guardians, revealing a wide opening ahead. Bahamut stepped through and paused.

A vast grassfield stretched before him, bathed in the gentle glow of the three moons. The blue, silver, and orange lights overlapped, painting the land in shifting hues that made everything look unreal... like a dream that had forgotten it wasn’t supposed to exist. The grass swayed lightly, each blade tipped with faint luminescence, as though the land itself breathed with life.

And there, they grazed. Sheep, dozens of them, maybe hundreds. But they were no ordinary creatures. Their wool shimmered softly, glowing with a pale, almost celestial light, each one radiating a calm warmth that washed over the field. Some glowed faint blue, others silver, and a few carried a gentle orange hue, mirroring the moons above.

They moved peacefully, nibbling at the glowing grass, their presence quiet, harmonious... untouched by fear.

The moment Bahamut stepped into the field, several of them raised their heads. Their eyes met his, and for a brief second, he felt seen... Understood.

A strange calm settled over him. Then he noticed him...

At the center of the flock, a man stood. Long white cascaded down his back, reaching all the way to his knees, swaying gently with the night breeze. Two curved goat horns rose from his head, smooth and elegant, while his legs... ended in hooves that pressed lightly into the glowing grass. In his hand rested a shepherd’s staff, simple in design, yet carrying an undeniable presence.

Perched on his nose were circular-rimmed spectacles that reflected the moonlight, hiding his eyes for a brief moment. He looked calm... too calm, as if nothing in existence could disturb him.

Bahamut felt it instantly: that pull. Familiar... to familiar... just like her. His chest tightened slightly, not in pain, but in recognition that made no sense. He had never seen this man before, never heard of him. Yet...

"You..." Bahamut muttered unconsciously. The man lifted his head, their eyes met, and the world... stilled. Those eyes... they were deep, ancient, gentle yet immeasurable.

A small smile formed on the man’s lips as he adjusted his spectacles slightly, tilting his head just a fraction.

"Well now..." His voice was soft, warm, carried by the wind itself. "You finally made it."

Bahamut’s breath hitched slightly.

"Do I... know you?"

The man chuckled, a quiet, knowing sound.

"No." He took a step forward, the sheep parting naturally to make way for him.

"But you remember me." That answer only made it worse. Bahamut frowned, his instincts screaming, his mind searching, his soul... reacting.

"What are you?"

The man stopped a few steps away, close enough. The sheep gathered behind him slowly, forming a quiet, glowing sea of light.

He planted his staff gently into the ground.

"I am many things," he said simply. "...but for you..."

He smiled again, softer this time.

"I suppose you can call me a shepherd... for now."

The wind shifted, the moons above seemed to glow just a little brighter, and Bahamut realized this wasn’t just a meeting.

This was a beginning.

...

"Follow me..." The man said with a slight grin, which was very similar to how Bahamut grinned when he was planning something mischievous for Sel or Ren. The familiarity and similarity with the man were unnerving, but he couldn’t bring himself to rebuke it. As a matter of fact, he liked it.

He could feel that the man was the same as him, but of a more gentle version. The version he showed those who were close to him.

"It’s the same as the woman..." Bahamut muttered, making the man turn.

"It seems you already met your- her. Oops! I almost slipped," The man covered his mouth with a chuckle, but Bahamut could tell that he had slipped on purpose.

"My what?" Bahamut asked aggressively, in hopes of scaring the goatman to say something, but the man just looked at him with his golden eyes and smiled.

"Cute."

Bahamut’s expression became blank at being called cute. This wasn’t like how his girls called him. This one felt more like a father calling his child cute.

They reached a waterfall where the man sat down at the bank of the small river that had formed from the waterfall, facing it. His staff floated out of his hand to his side as he patted to his right. Bahamut, although confused at whatever was going on, moved to sit beside him. His eyes immediately looked towards the river, and he couldn’t help but be shocked.

His face and the man’s face...

"We don’t have much time." The man’s voice took him out of his shock. Before he could speak, the man spoke.

"She already gave you the seed to make you a chimera; it’s left with mine."

The man stretched out his hand, and a shepherd’s staff formed in his hand. Light and darkness intertwined, forming a beautiful staff.

"With this, you can command, tame, and have absolute authority over any beast. But, use it wisely..." The man handed him the staff as the world started to break apart.

Bahamut wanted to speak, but the man shook his head at him, then smiled.

"You have a beautiful name... just like hers..."

And he was gone, with the world.

...

Outside, Bahamut’s body glowed faintly as a mark of a shepherd’s staff appeared on his right shoulder, while that of a beast appeared on his left shoulder.

His eyes fluttered open slowly, glowing faintly, before they dimmed to red, then gray.