From a wakeless dream

[Kampanom]

Pick up the sword.
Without putting any thought into it, she picked up the sword in front of her.
And the shield.
And the shield.

Turning, she found a monstrous being. Skin like ash and face behind a brass mask. Not a human, but a mockery of it. There was something taunting on the mask's face, she couldn't explain what. It laughed at her, yes, it laughed. It thought her lesser, inferior. It wanted to do things to her, and to everything else.

She looked at the land, one of crimson trees and golden grass. In the distance, mountains that reached Heaven. Who would possibly harm that land? Then, her gaze returned on it.

Kill.

Hatred now poured into her being. Yes, that thing, it deserved to die. All goodness, all sweetness, abandoned her youthful face.
She, who had never held either a sword or a shield in her life, confidently approached the taunting beast and, with a swing of her shield, knocked it to the ground. By the time it had turned back towards her, his long knife pointed towards her, the blade had already sunk deep inside its chest. A terrifying shriek filled the air, then it collapsed to ash.

You are not finished.

She wasn't. Dozens, hundreds like it fell, entire kingdoms liberated and bells tolling in her praise.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, and through it all, that warm, compassionate fire within, alien and still familiar, gave her everything she needed to face these demons; emotions, sensations, knowledge, instincts, all she needed was to just let go, and she would be its instrument.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Where was she?