Aria's heart started swelling up from the pain of seeing her son like this. His hands... how desperately he wanted to cling onto her but... he couldn't, in fear of staining her in the accursed scent of blood like himself.
As she stared at him losing strength in his legs and collapsing on his knees, his desperately trembling eyes as he gazed at his own bloody hands, her heart started aching terribly, 'I failed... I failed to protect him...I failed to save him from this hell... I failed... I failed as a mother! Aria you... you failed! You failed to protect your son, Aria!' Her feet stepped forward involuntarily, her hands reached forward but the guilt inside her forced her to stop.
Ferrin was lost in his thoughts, he asked himself something in his monkey words but Aria... she felt as if she knew what he was asking.
He was asking himself if... he was truly Ferrin or not.
The pain inside his voice pushed aside everything holding back Aria and shoved her forward to interlock him in her tight embrace.
Ferrin's cold body morphed back into his human form, and as Aria's tears mingled with his' and drowned his face, his thoughts started running rampant, 'Ferrin? I am Ferrin? The boy who can barely fight back when he's bullied? The boy who needed his mother to save him every time, to save him not only from physical abuse but also to struggle every day so that she could feed his gluten mouth? I am him? I am... Ferrin.
สผNo... This isn't me, Ferrin is not this. Ferrin can't run like this. Ferrin can't do strenuous activities like this. Ferrin can't... Fe-Ferrin can't mu-murder others in cold blood.
Ferrin doesn't let his emotions take hold of him. Ferrin doesn't take a life in the blink of an eye without remorse.
Ferrin DOESN'T EVEN REAP LIVES!! Ferrin, Fe-Ferrin... Ferrin doesn't, Ferris isn't... Ferrin anymore!สผ
It clicked, everything started to flash past his eyes. His endeavours In the last few days, he realised it and that realisation struck hard, '๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐'๐ก ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐!'
"Ugh!" Ferrin's hand clasped his mouth as the urge to pour out screamed from his gut.
"FERRIN!" Aria stared at her son's pale face and the blood started pouring more fervently from her injury.
'๐โ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ? ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ? ๐โ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ? ๐โ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ? ๐โ๐ฆ?' The nauseating feeling kept getting stronger. The clicks started slowing down.
That's when she appeared in his mind, '๐โ๐ ๐บ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐... ๐ โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ง๐! ๐ผ๐ก'๐ ... ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐... ๐๐ข๐ก โ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐ฆ?'
The nauseating feeling struck harder and in response to the fear attacking him, his river of tears he was shedding flowed faster.
'๐โ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐? ๐โ๐ฆ... ๐๐ป๐ ๐ท๐๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ ๐พ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ ๐น๐ธ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ ?'
'๐น๐๐๐๐๐... ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐!๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ... ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐!'
The mere thought of it brought chaos into his already messed up mind.
"UWWAAHHH!!" A piercing headache struck Ferrin's head, his body trembled from fear of what he was becoming and the rising belief of his death.
"Uwahh!" Aria's body got covered in blood as she desperately hung onto Ferrin, looking at him like this... she felt an extent of pain incomprehensible by words. Her eyes turned red from the sight of her son turning into this. Blood kept gushing out due to the strain placed on her mind.
That's when it appeared... bringing with it the present of silence...
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The wind quacked from the sheer horror and dread that the scream brought. Though that was everything that dared made noise, beside it... everything hid behind the shade of silence.
Aria's shell-shocked body stuffed Ferrin's deeper inside her. Though his on-edge body, akin to a pissed-off cat about to attack stared back in the direction of the sound. The stains of his tears decorated on his wide-eyed face didn't fail to show that... he wasn't scared in the least.
His fear wasn't there any further, as if a scared Ferrin had swapped with a calm Ferrin. His gaze wasn't that of a prey about to get hunter, it was the stare of an aloof hunter looking down at its food.
This was the exact reason why Aria's fingers dug deep into Ferrin's shirt, her tears kept flowing, her scream kept echoing in the supermarket but this time... not because she was scared at seeing her pitiful son or she was feeling guilty of having failed to protect her son but because... she didn't want Ferrin to go out and kill that thing, '๐ท๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐... ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐... ๐ท๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐!'
She tugged his shirt lightly while calling out in a meek tone, "Ferrin?"
"Huh?" Ferrin swiftly turned his head, his eyes eerily wide.
"Oh! Mom!" A deep frown appeared on his face, he reached out his hand, causing Aria to flinch. His hand caressed her face lovingly, "Don't cry! There's nothing worthy of your tears outside... it's probably that giant monkey." An enraged glint flashed across his fierce eyes, "Wait here!"
Without an ounce of fear he darted outside and stared at the gigantic monkey announcing its presence from far away with its horrific steps.
It wasn't near them nor was it walking towards them. Ferrin's eyes calmly stared at it with aloofness and without concern, '๐๐, ๐กโ๐๐๐'๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐๐... ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ก๐๐๐.'
Sighing to himself, Ferrin withdrew his predatory stare and walked back inside.
Seeing his mother's eyes scanning him from head to toe, a soft and gentle smile stretched across his face, "No need for concern mom! That monkey isn't walking in our direction."
Aria kept staring at his demeanour, '๐โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐'๐ก ๐๐ฆ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐.'
Ferrin frowned slightly, "I told you it's not coming in our way, don't worry mom!" Aria didn't reply, her eyes still scrutinising him, "Mom? Are you... not relieved?"
"Huh?" Aria blinked her eyes, half in a daze, "Huh? No, no! I am very glad... its not coming in our direction." She smiled weakly, her face seemed to had aged a lot.
"Mother... why does your hair feel wet?" Ferrin felt something creeping upon his heart, he instantly made a run for her. The sight around her nearly made him faint.
His face turned pale as he reached out for his mother's face, "MOM! YOU'RE BLEEDING!"
"Huh?" Aria blinked her eyes, trying to shake out of her thoughts, "Huh? Bleeding? Wha-" As she turned her head, her eyes passed through her blood stained clothes before falling on the puddle around her. "Where... is this coming from?"
"Mom!" Ferrin's eyes searched around before falling upon the doctor, "PAUL! PAUL WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING AROUND LIKE A STATUE? COME! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MOM!"
Paul's eyes slowly regained their light as he focused on Ferrin who kept screaming like a wild beast about to pounce on somebody. '๐ ๐๐, ๐ต๐๐๐๐?... ๐ต๐ฟ๐๐๐ท?'
"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER? WHY IS SHE BLEEDING SO MUCH?" Paul zoomed towards Aria and gently supported her body as she slowly started closing her eyes.
"Help me take her inside!" Paul calmed himself down and asked Ferrin for help.
Ferrin wiped the sweat from his forehead and morphed into his monkey form. He single handedly lifted Aria and supported her head with his bushy tail and hurried to the staff room.
Seilo and the others were still holding their breath from horror when Ferrin bolted inside, causing the girls to flinch in fear.
Seeing the bloody Aria, the girls instantly jolted towards them before slowly withdrawing due to Paul's presence. "What happened to her?" Aoci asked, her brows knitted together.
"Let me understand that first myself." Paul shook his head and started doing his things.
***
The giant monkey kept walking steadily, not even a second of its presence escaping from the eyes of the five Guardians tailing it.
Using their various superpowers, they kept observing the giant monkey.
The peachy glow of a guardians' eyes faded off, returning to her normal pale green color, she glimpsed at her comrades who she was communicating with through her mind, "The Ending is absurdly powerful. But it seems to posses a time limit to its... this form. Its like a superpower, just like the other super-powered monkeys we found."
"Hmm... lets keep on observing for now. Keep your power at bay for now, Miki." Posco, the only supposedly combative type guardian, at least through his muscular looks, among the five commanded the girl.
Loki, who was still leisurely leaning against the wall nodded his head, "Hmm! I think that's how it just suddenly appears and disappears. Good work, Miki!"
Miki giggled sweetly to herself, "Senior! Praise me more!"
Tipp clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Here comes Miki's praise obsession!"
"Keep your lowly words to yourself fool! Humph!" Miki pouted cutely while pushing aside her dyed pink hair.
"Hahaha! Don't fight guys! Stay focused!" Loki shook his head with a small grin, '๐โ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ ๐๐!'
The Giant kept walking silently, though its terror, like a shadow, kept following its steps. Wrecking destruction and ruin.
But the monkey didn't seem to be walking blindly, it kept walking towards the radio tower.
"Is the Ending trying to destroy the radio tower? Is the goal of the Ending to destroy this area?" Tipp started curling his curly hair around his finger.
Posco frowned and held his chin with his burly hands, "Tipp, observe the radio tower."
"Roger!" Tipp reached out his hands, causing a high-tech telescope to materialise in his hands, the guardians stood rooted to the ground, waiting for Tipp to finish.
Tipp surveyed the lower part of the radio tower and slowly started moving upwards. His hands stopped only when he reached the top.
"Nothing?" Julet placed her slender finger on her lips, her charm shooting off the charts with her natural pinkish hair fluttering gently in the soft wind.
"Wait, Julet!" Tipp, paying no heed to Julet's charm zoomed-in the telescope.
His gaze landed upon two monkeys sitting on the top of the tower. One seemed to look average while the other seemed to be a two feet dwarf.
The delay in their steps caused the Giant to already reach the radio tower. Its body, in the blink of an eye turned into the size of an ordinary monkey.
"I think we just spotted our key to victory." Julet chuckled to herself, her wide eyes glittering like stars.
There was something strange about her large eyes, her pupils seemed dull, like... as if she was blind.
"Get a look at this!" Tipp slapped the telescope, causing it to turn into a wide screen placed on a stand. He used his fingers to zoom in on the screen, displaying the Giant in his small form climbing rapidly atop the radio tower.
"Those are swift moves!" The last member of the group finally spoke up, clapping his hands in marvel.
"Hahaha! What are your chances of performing the same feats as it, Mopi?" Posco asked in amusement.
Mopi grinned, "Don't doubt my agility. I can cripple that barbarian." He raised his chin high in pride.
"Alright! Quiet guys!" Tipp slapped the screen, causing a signal catcher like thingy to sprout from its side.
The Giant lowered its legs before jumping high, landing near the Genius and his pawn.
"Kekekeke!" The Genius swung around his legs back and forth while sitting at the edge. Seeing the Giant land next to it, it burst out into jovial laughter.
Hearing the wretched and incomprehensible laughter, Posco slammed his palm on his face, "Damned monkeys and their monkey language!"
The Guardians may not have been able to understand the Genius's next words but if Ferrin was here, his reaction at the Genius's next words would've been... questionable.
The Genius, still in its playful tone mocked the Giant, "The power to become thick truly did made you thick, huh? You were being followed, thick-head!"
The Giant who was in the midst of waving towards the Dwarf froze abruptly, its head eerily shifted towards the Genius, its eyes turned abnormally thin from rage as they pierced straight into the Genius's, "๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐?!"