"Caw! Caw!"
*Swoosh* *Crash*
Hearing the familiar bird call and sound of the ocean, I open my eyes to a familiar retreat. The tall trees, the sound of crashing waves, and the glistening sea never look so beautiful after such a terrible storm and heavy winter. It is like the world telling me it is finally over. With my bare hands and feet I lay upon the shores, letting the waves crash upon my body.
(Haaah... When was the last time I feel this relaxed?)
"Oh right! Since I'm here let's watch where or what my body-"
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Is this paradise? Is this what Heaven is? Sweet~!"
Hearing my own voice shouting in Owlian, I turn around towards where the commodities are kept to see myself. As if it came out of the mirror- no not exactly, with curly side hair that forms into a drill reaching her waist, the rest of her hair curls everywhere as if she has been blown by a typhoon. She spins around with a thin white dress Mary likes to make us wear and lifts her arms high, moving her finger with intrigue in her smile asking:
"Oh? This is some pretty nice dress, and a human body? I may forgotten many things but I'm sure I was a sponge when I started. Oh well... Whee I got some nice hair too!"
She shrugs it off and plays with her messy hair before jumping on the swinging bed. Streching her body and relaxing, she grabs the snacks at the table saying:
"Wehehe! The original would've love this kind of lost paradise from the flashbacks I got. A hammock, a large TV, and all the snacks you can eat... Yum! Maybe when we die we became the original again? So he/she's human? I'm sure it was some 6 eyed freakshow from the flashback reflections."
Seeing her chowing down without restraint, I start to walk up behind her as she continues her rampage. With her feet she picks the remote and turn toward the large screen with a huge smug until I finally appear behind the reflection.
"Yum, yum... Hum? Don't I look familiar? And..."
With her cheeks puffed and full, she finally turns around,
"Pfuu! You! Ack!"
Spitting the food at my face, I block the food in time as she flips over the bed and crash to the soft sands. She points at me shouting:
"Y-You! What are you dong here!?"
I throw away the remains from my hand and rub it on sand before saying:
"That's my-"
"Isn't this suppose to be my safehaven!? Eep!"
Cutting me off and crawling back she found herself cornered to a tree before she panics and look around as if looking for an exit. As I walk closer fixing the bed and picking up the trash she spills, she looks back at me saying:
"Hold on now, seeing how you're here that must've mean we're both dead so let bygone be bygones kay?"
"Sigh... Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Also just saying, this is actually inside my head and I'm still alive."
"Huh? Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean!? I'm in your head! There can only be 1 collective consciousness in one vessel."
She nervously crawl back up as she shouts back with confidence contrary to her flustered appearance.
"If that was the case, we wouldn't have to challenge each other and absorb one another."
She continues to speak while hugging the trees and I shake ny head in response to this sudden information saying:
"Well, I don't know either but you're not the first consciousness or person up here."
"Wait, what?"
I gather the trash at the corner and pick up the remote replying:
"Before you, this place had another residence before she dissapeared."
*Grab*
"Wait! Wait! Explain! Are you telling me I'm going to dissapear slowly!? You evil witch! You can't just grant me this life and take it away! Evil! Evil I say!"
In response to my replies, she seems to reach some sort of conclusion by herself. She grabs me by the collar of my dress and look at me with anger and I peel her hands away, trying to calm her down saying:
"Sigh... I never said that. I just have my own suspicion on where she might be. And I have a feeling where I can get her back, you don't have to worry about being kicked out or dissapearing... Or wait, should I keep you here?"
A certain idea pop in my head as I explain and I can't help but say it which cause her to panic more as the anger at her eyes turns sorrowful before shouting:
"Don't you dare! No! You can't! Wait, I... I can definitely help you!"
"Like...?"
"Um... Since this is inside your head, maybe... Uh..."
Without being able to say anything, I push her hands down saying:
"Sigh... I'm just kidding. Calm down and enjoy this place. I'm not someone who kicks out anyone I don't like."
I remember back during my first days of training with Sis to be a hunter. Before she teaches me the practical lesson and give me my cultivation techniques, she made sure to instill the right mindset for us. To not and never hate the monster we hunt, at the end of the day they're just nature taking its course and we are part of it.
"You're simply doing what you're born to do. While I despise what you did, I can't hate what happened."
Hearing my reason, she seems to calm down and take some distance with a smile. With her hand on her hips she shrugs her shoulders replying:
"Oh? Heh, you're quite mature for someone young... You're young right?"
"Well, I just recently turned 17."
She takes a swing and pats my shouting:
"Pssh, you're basically a newborn! But yeah, I'm happy you're thinking like that. I mean it's not like I chose to be a MK Vessel anyways!"
(MK? Oh, Monster King).
With the tension dying down I take a seat between the table and bed curiously asking:
"Hmm... So how did you becone a Monster King Vessel?"
"Oh!"
She jumps at the bed behind me and leans to my right replying:
"Don't you know? Everyone in the whole world has been infected by the Monster King's curse. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone or anything that hasn't."
"Huh?"
Surprised by this nugget of information, I turn to her saying:
"Please elaborate."
"What? Come on! You're an Owlian, you should've been the ones to know the most. I mean I'm speaking Owlian am I not?"
(Well, she speaks more of an Older Owlian I always use, but not as bad as Big Bro Ezurus' ancient words).
I brish those thoughts aside by tilting my head and replying:
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Really? I thought the Owlian nations prioritize preserving history and knowledge before I fell to my hibernation since they're going through dark times or whatnot. Did it change? Or maybe you never studied?"
Hearing a hint of insult there, I let if go replying:
"Well I don't know how long you sleep but many things has changed."
She swings around on the bed and turn around to lean to my left replying:
"Really? Well, not surprising since things change pretty fast with you humans. Now listen close!"
She slowly gets up and sits cross legged at the bed saying:
"Ever since you owlians taken down the original Monster King, half of his body broke down and disperse through out the whole world, spreading our essence or what you humans call Virus. Thanks to that, many corpses where MK never visit or touch starts to rise and became sprouts which soon became us! To counter this "disease", you Owlians created and share this MK Vaccines to any living thing you can find that acts as a deterrent, preventing any living being from reanimating and turning to us the moment they die or whenever some part of them rots."
"Vaccine? Never heard of that but that's interesting."
"Hey, what's with that answer? Did they stop giving vaccines now? No matter how strong the immune system is, it aint going to work when your body part's dead. I don't know what they made the vaccines with but it sure as hell works, it would be foolish to not do it when magic's proven to not work against us... Or did they make magic vaccines now? Knowing the Shakranda and their western rival Zvkrad Empire it wouldn't be surprising."
(Shakranda? Zvkrad? That's quite new).
"Hm? What? No way, did those empire don't exist no more? Also, isn't the place you're defending should be the shores of Ohgrunye? Both Shakrand and Zvkrad are north after passing through Zsin's frontier... Hmm? I feel like I'm missing some crucial stuff..."
(Ohgrunye? That sounds familiar. And Zsin? Is that how Xin sound like in the past?).
Pressing her feet over her head and chin, she folds her arms and starts spinning around the bed. Ignoring her weird movements, I try to change the subject saying:
"No, I'm simply lacking in knowledge or common sense. I never go to school and lack many important knowledge like you explained... Hmm, yea, maybe you can be my vault of knowledge."
At my response, she grabs another snack at the table with her feet before replying:
"Pssh, don't bet on it, just like before, I feel like I've forgotten most of the details. Besides, I feel like I'm missing a lot of my memories as well so maybe not much of my essence you absorb- Ah! That's right! Now I remember! You didn't eat me but instead destroyed my corr into dust instead! You fool! This is what happened dumbass! Hmph! The reason I'm here is probably because my blood or something seep into your wounds."
As she opens the bag and start chowing down in anger, I grab some from her bag saying:
"That's fine, now... As for your name, I guess what I called you before should do."
"Yum?"
"Jacky, I will call you Jacky."
"Hmm, since you did defeat me and give me some new purpose... I guess I'll let that slide. So... I've been wondering but are you a man or a woman? I mean you look like a woman but you sure pack something down there... Or is that how humans are now? Weird evolution or revolution since it's only been how many years?"
She peeks down at me and I easily answer with,
"I can assure you I'm a man."
"Oh right, human females do attract a lot more than men. Feels bad everytime my male bait gets ignored. Nom! Nom!"
"This is simply something the previous occupant decided to do and I'm powerless against it. This has nothing to do with baits or mimicry!"
"Whaaat~!?"
I quickly answer her back to clear any misunderstanding but she replies shocked before saying:
"You're telling me I get to customize your look?"
Jacky peels back in shock as she cover her open mouth before getting serious saying:
"Pssh, the previous occupant must've been a boring one. Long blonde with white dress? How basic can they get? I may forget many things but my core will always remember my strategy to get preys. Since you did save some of me I'll be gracious enough to share part of my trade secret!"
With a cute smile she she pumps her chest out and I raise my hand saying:
"Uh, you do-"
"Listen close junior! From my experience of luring sailors to the deep sea, I say having wavy hair is a must! Also, red hue hair colour is a tie breaker. All the sailors I met salivate at the sight. Your long hair is already good I guess, but it must also be accompanied by the aesthetics! Like add some decorations would you? Even some simple clams will do. Only kids wear headband like yours... Well I suppose you are a kid if you really are 17."
Hearing her contructive criticism over my appearance I brush my long blonde hair, remembering Mary having my same look I answer:
"This is my original look, maybe not the long hair but this is my natural appearance. And I kinda like the long hair now after spending some time with it."
Picking her nose, she seems uninterested as she replies with,
"Oh really? Well, you must be quite the twink if you're really a man. Plus, I remember that hunting humans are just a waste, they're like pest, they barely got any meat for the effort we have to do so we just consider them as simple games. So whoever thaught you or if you think eating humans for your main diet are great then you do you."
Ignoring her stinging response, I try to change the subject again by asking:
"Anyways, I'm still quite curious about one thing. How did you become a Monster King? I mean your own personal story."
She looks a bit surprised before Flicking her finger she answers:
"Oh? Well, simple really, like many MK sprouts, we underwater critters are just a byproduct of negligence. Unlike most surface swimmers that gets devoured whole, I was a sponge, a simple organism that's suppose to grow after taking root at the carcass of some giant leviathan that sunk to the deepest part of the ocean, but some creature bite of my stem before I could bloom like my siblings, and that's how I started.
"I see... Wait, if we go by your logic of negligence, wouldn't that mean the deep sea is..."
"Filled by Monster King Vassals? No, as much as that that theory held weight, there's a reason why the ocean is not controlled by us... Or why you humans don't suffer continous invasion from under the sea every day and everywhere. Not like you humans ever explore the deep much anyways. And that's all thanks to a certain mythical creature."
"Mythical creature?"
"That's right! You humans better be thankful towards the Gods of the the Monsters, the F.A.B.L.E.D. Specifically [F] or ********, even before I became a Vessel, it has been ruling the seas and keeping the water biome stable. I had so many close encounters thanks to his Chosens even after I became a Duke... Or is it Marquise? Or maybe both?"
(Hmmm? That blip sounds familiar but most importantly).
"Wow! That sounds cool. You really are a treasure trove of information! To think there was a ruler of the seas, and Monster Gods? So even Monster worship Gods? I thought the F.A.B.L.E.D are just remnants of big beats or something."
Jacky brushes her hair with a huge smug on her face as she proudly puff her chest out saying:
"Hehehe. So you wanna know more? Maybe getting praise a bit more might make me remember something else. The seratonin produced each time I got praised is addicting..."
"Nope, no thanks."
"Excuse me?"
Seeing Jacky baffled by my answer I lean my head back and aim the remote at the TV. Jacky grabs my head from the side and pull it back to make me look up at her saying:
"Hol on now, don't you wanna know more?"
"I do, but I think I can save that for another time. I have something else more important."
"What? I see you moving that remote, are you telling me watching TV is more important than talking to me? You brought me here so take responsibility! I'm human now and I'm sure you humans are a social species with familial bond do you not?"
"Sigh... I'm just saying since I'm probably still alive, I'm just trying to watch what my body has been through. This place is like a continuous dream, we can always chat in another time."
"Ooooh, oh? Wait, you can watch your body in your sleep!? The heck! Do you know how much I suffered not being able to sleep peacefully in my early years without that trait!? That nughtmare fuel of waking up inside some monster's belly is ingrained to my core... Come to think of it how long have you been a Vessel anyways? There's no way you're that lucky."
Jacky tugs at my head and pulling at my neck to get an answer but I simply answer the truth with,
"I don't know, I've been like this for only few months but maybe my traits all from the previous occupant."
"Whaaat!?"
(Hmm... I wonder how did Mary become a Vessel? Or what was she before she possessed Yuwei's mom? Or is she really is Yuwei's mom? I don't think so).
"Hey, now I'm the one with a lot of questions!"
She continues to pull at my head and I forcefully peel her hands away saying:
"We can continue this next time."
I look back at the screen when Jacky taps at my shoulder asking:
"Then... Can you at least answer me this?"
"Hm?"
I turn around wondering what she's about to ask as she then says:
"You... Are you perhaps his descendant?"
"Who?"
Curious by the weird question, I can't help but tilt my bead asking who she is talking about.
"You know, the myth of the first human to get infected by the MK Virus. Patient Zero."
"Patient Zero..? Oh..."
"What? Wait, you are!?"
Hearing that reminds me of the time I talk with Sis at that White palace.
(Myth huh?)
"Oh yea, Sis did say I'm connected I think."
Hearing that, Jacky simply goes silent and becomes meek. Rubbing her fingers together she looks away saying:
"Wow, so the legends are true... Alrighty then, I think I'll wait till next time. But you better be prepared for all the questions I'm gonna bombard you with."
Wondering why she became so quiet I continue in and play the TV as she watch from behind me.
***********************************
My vision is completely blurred as if submerged underwater. From that obscrure vision, I see lights. Like embers at a distance, it dances, bouncing up and down, coming closer before my vision becones dark.
I soon then regain half of my sight and the blurryness dissapears. Rolling around, I saw what remains of my body, a horrid sight for anyone to see even with my face covered by my hair that has turned brown and trash stuck on the holes in my body. And beside me is a boy holding a trolley, picking up severed arms and legs as he puts them inside...
***********************************
"Yea, that don't look good."
"Mhm, so you gonna wake up now?"
*Click*
I shut the TV off replying:
"Hopefully..."