My Sudden Monster Convergence

At the lunch table, Mark and Emily were busy talking about animation again but every now and then Mark would look back at me with a worried face before snapping back to a normal face again. Figuring something might be wrong I tried to talk to him about it and figure things out.

“It’s…. a personal thing man….I’ll tell you later.” He said trying to keep a cool face but he still frowned.

“You sure? Whatever it is, it looks like it’s bugging you pretty bad.” I asked trying to give a softer look.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” He said before pointing back to the table. “I think someone needs you.” He said before walking back to Emily. I wasn’t too happy about this, he doesn’t get like this unless…….. I stared at his back for a moment longer before Belle waved at me.

“Hey Oliver!” He called with big hope filled eyes and poking his fingers together cutely. “I was hoping you would be, you know, helping out at the Flora’s Gathering tomorrow.” He asked with a small smile.

It wouldn’t hurt to see one of these cultural school events but will I go as my incarnation of myself? I could really use time away from my dragon side for a bit, maybe visit that dungeon again? Work on my magic skills? “Sure.” I said, making Belle’s smile grow bigger but before he could cheer. “What exactly do you need help with?” I asked. 

“Just some set up and some other things….” He looked down, his ears flattening out with a blush painting his face. “Maeve uh, challenged the Artist Trove pixies to the throwing of petals and besides me there isn’t a lot of super powerful pixies or fairies!” Belle explained.

“Powerful?” I gave a nervous chuckle. “Belle, I made an explosion with Maeve last time! Heck my mana is complex enough to be considered a construct.” I said with a confused face. This wasn’t a fighting magic tournament was it?

“That’s exactly why I asked! You have the mana reserves to keep going! All you need to do is knock the petals off the flowers with your mana and let Maeve and I handle the rest.” He said with big eyes. 

“So no fighting people?” I asked.

He looked wounded before his face hardened. “Maeve….why did you have to be a meat brain.” He muttered to himself. “Despite what Maeve does. Fairies and Pixies aren’t fighters, just certain ‘individuals’ are loose maga-cannons.” He grumbled. Wait there’s more than one like Maeve?! If she’s that powerful then I wonder who else is a power house! My mind was getting excited about this possibility, one that I wasn't too sure on. “Fairies and Pixies just like fun challenges. But pixies are more into the pranking side of challenges, soooo if you do help out, look out for a trick or two.” He admitted.

“Only two? Is there some handbook on this?” I asked with a small smile.”

“Hahaha. You know it!” Belle gave me an agreeing nod. Wait what? I was just joking….. “So will you help out as my team mate for this game so soon?” He asked in a sing song voice.

“I… alright. I wanted to use my incarnation again anyway.” Belle looked up at me beaming like a thousand stars with his cheeks puffing up with a smile.

“YAY~!” Belle jumped almost two feet off the floor like gravity was a rule he ignored and landed like it was just a simple hop. “Here. This Band marks you as a member for tomorrow’s game and even acts as a pass to enter the gardens for a whole month.” He said while handing me a small red fabric band that looked more for a finger than an arm or wrist.

“This is a little small for me.” I said, looking down at the tiny band in my hand. Maybe it’s for my incarnation?

“Oh! Yeah, your mana’s too strong for it right now.” Belle took the band while his hands started glowing, making it grow big enough for his wrist. He then took my hand, I could feel his mana softly poking mine like Q-tip softly rubbing my skin. He probably wanted my mana to mix with the band, but would that be safe? He might be asking for a cup of water and I might end up giving him a lake. But before I would consider what to do, I felt a small poke the kind I’d feel when I tapped my finger with a pencil, after that the band grew again. “There you go!” Belle showed the larger band before handing it over. “Just wear that whenever you want to go to the gardens.”

“Thanks! That was pretty cool. How-“

“How’d you do that?” Oliver asked the ever cute nya-jin. Belle didn’t do what I think he did right?!

“It’s was nothing.” He said swaying his tail tip side to side. “Just some mana weaving.” He said with a cheerful face that would make anyone blush brighter than a tomato.

Crap.

I have to tell them too or else these weird dragon rules will take whatever it is it does. Damn it dad, why did you just make things more complicated!

‘Because you wouldn’t be ready for the outside world if I didn’t.’ Answered an annoying imaginary figment of my dad from a past memory. I hate how forward you are, you know that dad.

“So that’s how you managed to find an easy way to draw a kraken’s boobs. I didn’t think you’d go that far.” Emily said with a look of awe and respect, she was even drooling at this info.

“Yeah…… Sam didn’t like me pestering her at the luere crustacean. But legally a mixed bath is a mixed bath and I bribed her to let me learn from her. A little discount on two enchanted Tamerous pearls and she was golden.” I whisper back.

“Oooooooh! Using a kraken’s love for body accessories! Smart move. I have to write this down!” Emily said, pulling out a note pad. 

While she was writing I looked back at Oliver, he was talking with that pretty lamia now. She always seems to give him a warm smile when he’s looking but when he isn’t she seems a little blue? Don’t know what happened over the weekend to make her like this, maybe it was whatever made both Oliver and Her absent from class last Friday? Seeing her sad face makes me feel kinda bad but I have my own worries at this point. Focusing on Oliver and his cute face of his, that big dumb cute cheeky face of hi- no! I cant think of my best friend that way. Not when I have to warn him about his dragon law, rule thing that might mean they become his sex slave or something else that a lawyer might use to crap on his friends. But how do I tell him in private? I can’t take him to the bathroom and I can’t do it after school, Kathy needs my help…..

Maybe pull him into a classroom that’s empty? It shouldn’t be too hard. Alright, sounds like I have a game plan.

After lunch was over I made my way to Jaque’s class, with every step I felt my blood slowly heat up. He let me handle that stupid sparring match with no heads up, no way to just get out of it, Nothing! My face tightened at the thought of his actions or rather lack thereof.

Turning a corner quickly, I almost ran into another student. Turning back to check on them, their face turned pale, she was frozen on the spot. Still annoyed I grumbled before leaving the little girl while swinging my tail in wide arcs.

Once I made it to class, I took another deep breath and even channeled some mana out of my system before walking in. the moment Jaque saw me he bowed so low that I wondered how he didn’t fall over, he was a perfect right angle from how he bowed.

He didn’t saw or move from his bow, holding it as I got closer. “I am sorry Oliver. I have misused my station and placed you in an uncomfortable position.” He sounded sad about this but kept trying to sound firm. ”And because of that you are leaving! But! Before you do please let me teach you one last technique!” He begged.

Was this his way of apologizing? He’s hopeless if that’s how he does things, especially if he doesn’t help with my mana control. “Fine. What do you want show me.” I said half coldly, half annoyed.

Raising his head, he moved his arm like a wave, the more he moved the more his body glowed a pale green. Then as if turning into a flood light, Jaque flashed a blinding light, making me cover my eyes, after this point I felt a huge surge of heat rush him. The heat vanished. It felt like Jaque was gone but he was just standing in front of me….Was he using mana to hide his presence?! I need this! If I can hide myself then-then, I don’t have to walk through the halls like some king or god! I can be free to be a stupid teen if I want! Well… I still have dragon stuff but this! I might finally get some space from people!

Without waiting any longer I slammed my feet into the floor, launching myself at Jaque like missile, I didn’t stop, instead tackling him to the ground………..and then into it…making a small Jaque sized crater…..oops? but I uh, pulled him out ok! In one piece.

I just rammed my claws into the sides of the hole and pulled it open like tin foil and pulled him out.

“I’m sorry about that. I just got overly excited after seeing what you just did!” I tried to explain.

“I am surprised you didn’t try to stomp my body deeper into the earth. Your mother wouldn't hold back in my regard.” He said calmly like it was a Friday night.

“I may not be my mother but you should be careful how you talk about her, otherwise I will do something about it.” I grumble back my warning. Feeling annoyed he saw my mother as some brute, that I was getting more pissed.

“I am sorry… your mother was just as excitable when finding dungeon treasure hoards.” He said. “and I know I deserved this…..” he took a deep breath before changing topics. “What I just did was called aura hide. It forces any mana related to me to become hidden within my body. It doesn’t stop you from releasing mana, that is something you will have to become more aware of. It more shells your mana for a time, do it too long and you will mana frenzy.” He warned sternly. 

So all it does is bring the mana inward? Thinking about it, I slowly cup my hands together and try mana channeling my mana into my palms. I can feel it rushing into my hands and pooling up, then I try thinking about my releasing mana floating in the air. Closing my eyes, I slowly breathe in through my nose when I actually smell something familiar….. it smells like me? it sounds like me too… maybe this is my scary mana?

Hmmm, maybe if I pull it into my hands? But how do I pull it in? A thought comes to mind, just suck! Turning the mana in my hands into a spinning vacuum, I pulled in all the mana around me into my hands. Some of it felt like cutting wind, burning zaps and even pelting stones. I even feel some pressure on my hands, trying to pull them open and push me back too! But I don’t give up, tightening my grip, pushing my muscles.

“OLIVER! STOP! You’re preparing an attack!” Jaque shouted, snapping my eyes open.

There in between my fingers is a spinning glowing bright ball of blue-no green, wait red-purple? It’s like it’s shifting colors! What! That’s magic! The shock made me open my hand slightly, instantly releasing a bolt of icy blue electricity that cut through the ground like some sci-fi mega laser, leaving a line of molten rock as it moved.

“Oliver! imagine the magic falling apart like sand!” He told me.

“How do I do-“ The moment I spoke, lime green wind blasted out like some snaking sonic boom! As it moved, everything nearby was pushed, sliced or crushed, leaving behind a trail of gouged out rock, peppered with sharpened rock fragments, deep carved out slices or launching rock fragments like bullets!

This spooked me that I immediately pressed my hands together and began using my mana to pull apart the magic ball, pulling out small bits until imagined smashing weak toy blocks apart. I felt the mana begin to shatter like thin ice shavings. Feeling the pressure weaken into nothingness, I let my hands fall to my sides. But the moment my hands separated, a small ball shot out like a squeezed rubber ball that hurtled at the exit like a cannonball.

A second later and Jaque appeared in front of it before whipping his arms at the orb and capturing it in one of his barriers. Inside I saw the orb erupt into sharpened pillars of stone, twisting green blades, pounding bursts of fire and huge bolts of lightning. The barrier shook and bounced in his hands as the magic fought to break out like a mad animal trying to defend its young. At least the magic didn’t explode, I thought. 

Suddenly the magic ball began cycling between the different types of magic, faster and faster, thrashing and slamming at the barrier that even Jaque was shaking and straining to hold it together. it was like a timer counting down, earth ,fire, electricity, wind then fire again before earth, just picking up the pace each cycle. That’s when the ball turned white and instead of fire or another magic, a mist poured out, moving like a feather slowly falling. The moment the mist touched the barrier,  it cracked, making Jaque’s eyes widen before he quickly threw the barrier into the air and ran to me, covering us inside a barrier.

The barrier he threw, flashed like four giant blinking stars before exploding into millions of white stars that surrounded us, each flashing or blinking into and out of existence. The sound it made was like lightbulbs popping mixed with glacier ice breaking apart!

Once it was done, all there was left was a mist that floated to the ground and slowly vanished. Jaque dropped his barriers after that and fell to his knees, releasing a deep breath. The training room was filled with holes like a giant scooped it out with a spike and air even smelled like roasted almonds.

After a moment longer, Jaque turned to me with a tired face. “You were almost there by a good portion but you moved the mana too quickly and even took in used mana. Perhaps I should teach you slowly.” He said while looking at the destruction. “And this was only a fraction of what you collected.” He looked amazed, maybe jealous?

I didn’t matter, I wanted to forget I had this and seal it away like some demon in fiction. I can’t use something like this ever! I am a living nuke……………