“What?! A monster?! How is that even possible..?! C-children died, and Jerry, Jean and Ja….” Elen suddenly cut short her word as she took in a sharp breath. The distortion in her emotion was noticeable that even without her ears and tail trembling, anyone could tell just by the look on her face that something was up.
“What is it, Elly?” Danison asked her worriedly as he rushed towards her engulfing her within his arms; he felt his heart constricting on noticing Elen was hyperventilating in fear.
“J-jack and Jean and Jerry, t-they, OH MY GOD!” Elen screamed as she collapsed into Danison's arms, worrying her assistant, who dashed towards her wondering if she could help.
“You can help by getting her some cold milk to cool her nerves; I’ll handle this,” Danison told the worried assistant as he tried his best to calm down Elen by gently patting her back. He was sure Elen’s favorite drink was cold milk, probably due to her cat ancestry, but she liked milk from a young age, even into adulthood.
Just as he had guessed, after taking an entire bottle, she finally calmed down, detransforming in the process.
‘He does know a lot about her…I’ve been with her for three years, yet I never knew that milk was her favorite drink, probably because she mostly consumed coffee. Thinking about it, maybe it was so she could handle the extortion from work.’ Elen's assistant admired.
“Elen, are you finally okay?” Danison asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them.
“Y-yes! Jean and J-…” Elen exclaimed as she stood up in a panic again but was quelled by Danison, who placed his fingers over her lips.
“Calm down and explain; let’s get ready to do what we have to,” Danison calmly stated.
“O-okay,” Elen stammered anxiously but still managed to explain everything.
***
[Meanwhile]
“Jean, I’m gonna toss a Jack at you, and you'll make a run for it, okay?!” Jerry shouted out to Jean as he created another flower shield, successfully blocking the nasty paw the monster attacked with.
‘I seem to have forgotten that he’s an awakened ancient, but to have such power…is that normal? He has the power of a Pure!’ Jean thought, stunned at how good Jerry was, perfectly neutralizing the monster’s attack with numerous flower shields he created as if he was very used to it.
Jerry’s identity as a Pure was much hidden, as he had lost his memories; he had no idea that he was a Pure, so both he and the Johnsons family had mistaken him for an Ancient.
Even as an Ancient, as he thought he was, Jerry couldn’t get training in high school as only an awakened could do that. Still, as his identity as an Ancient was being hidden, he was asked by Elen to wait till after high school to start the basic training, so seeing Jerry so in sync with his power was quite a stun for Jean.
His control and ability to deflect the monster were stunning and mind-blowing. Even more shocking was how the supposing fragile flower shields he created somehow blocked the beast.
What sort of flowers were they?!
Yes, the monster wasn’t yet serious, but for Jerry to be able to handle tentacle after tentacle while still protecting Jack, who seemed to be lost in some daze, was very impressive.
Jerry’s new form was melancholically pretty, to say the least; a purple line stretched out from the edges of his peach blossom eyes upwards, stopping just below his ear,
His hair had grown yet again, except this time it reached his upper knee area with a serene color of white and its edges colored purple.
His fingernails had grown, elongating into a set of purplish claws, with a peacock tail, he had half-transformed.
Jean had always wondered about Jerry’s beast, and now his curiosity had uplifted. He couldn’t help it; the gorgeousness of Jerry’s beast was too outwardly and unique; just as he had suspected, Jerry was an extinct specie among the Ancient and Pure races, a peacock.
“Kriek!!!” The monster screeched in mysterious emotion as it stretched five tentacles simultaneously at Jerry.
“Jerry!” Jean shouted as he watched the calamity about to befall his friend.
The attack was severe this time, and even Jean could feel it. Jerry felt his heartbeat freezing up, fear, desperation, unwillingness, extreme unwillingness to die when Jack was still in danger!
As if having unlocked something within him, all these swirling emotions seemed to gather together, turning into some key to open what appeared to be a locked door.
Click!
All his movements suddenly stopped, time froze in his sight, and before he could comprehend what was going on, his vision suddenly blurred, sending him into an unknown space filled with black and white.
He could feel his pulse escalating with every second that passed, and his sense of hearing was entirely coveted by its racing sounds. It was beating so loud that it obscured every other background noise as they faded into nothingness; that was when it began.
*Jerry’s memories will be in brackets {} to avoid confusion.
{“&@#£ ()…Mamai...Maste.... ^&~#@&@”}
Strange sounds, memories, feelings and the like flowed into his brain like a rushing river. If not for the unknown constrainment his physical capabilities were facing, he would have screamed in severe pain as they danced in his brain nonchalantly.
It seemed like forever before he finally got himself.
*Gasp!*
“W-where are my...?” Jerry muttered soundlessly as he stared into the endless darkness that had suddenly enveloped him like the rest.
It was so dark that he couldn’t even discern his features.
“Hello?! Hello!” Jerry finally called out again, but no one answered.
“Hey!” “Hey!!” “Hey!!!!”
He screamed till his voice got hoarse and his willpower dying out, and just when everything seemed futile, a light suddenly burst out like the breaking of dawn at full speed, blinding Jerry, who covered his eyes with his hands while closing them.
“What the…? I finally got control of my body…huh?!” Jerry started but found his mouth shut up by the next thing that happened.
He saw himself in a different body, as another him, only….that wasn’t him?! No, it was him! Another him? What the hell?!
He reached out to touch the other, only for his hand to go right through ‘him’!
“The heck?!” He exclaimed in shock but was suddenly blinded by light once more. “Again?~!” Jerry exclaimed in annoyance as his vision got blocked entirely.
{“Mamai~!” A tiny boy with white hair with highlights of pink hair and round peach blossom pink eyes shouted.}
Jerry, whose eyes had finally cleared up, watched the scene in shock. It had just suddenly started after the light.
{“Orinda! What is it again, you bear child?!” A curvy, beautiful lady with pure white hair and gorgeous upturned blue peach blossom eyes scolded the kid who once again had managed to annoy her.
“Wah~, Mummy hates me! Wah~, Wuwuwu” The kid bawled, making his mother’s heart soften.
“Sigh….”}
Jerry watched in dejected boredom as the woman consoled the crying kid until the scene suddenly blurred and moved to a different one.
“Wow,” He muttered in shock but watched on anyway.
{“So you’d marry the Berserker? Are you crazed, child?” Sera asked her delirious kid in front of her
Sera wasn’t surprised; it was around this time that kids, especially omegas and feminine betas, had crazy delusions. Orinda having it before his ‘ageing’ wasn’t surprising to her; she had always known that her child was one with an overactive imagination.}
“Kid, you sure got ambition, that crazy man…? Wait! How did I…?” Jerry mumbled in shock when he noticed that he had suddenly gained anonymous information he never knew, or maybe that was his memories.
Thinking like that, he couldn’t help squealing slightly; he was finally getting his memory! But he stayed still, either way, to continue watching the memory.
{“Yeesh! And for Meshsila….” Little Orinda said with a stuffed mouth full of green Local Rican, a sort of rice that tasted like apples from the ‘Rasxa forest’. It had various flavors, and the green one tasted like apples.
Local Rican tasted fulfilling when mixed with ‘Pollen milk,’ a particular sort of milk from the bee race.}
‘This strange info is filling my mind again. Perhaps I love this so-called ‘Local Rican,’’ Jerry thought.
{“Don’t talk while chewing!” Sera scolded, but to her frustration, the excited kid wasn’t having any of that.
“I’ll fight Melissa and protect my king!” Orinda said enthusiastically while jumping up, almost toppling over but was caught by his mom, who also captured his falling Rican.}
‘Melissa, huh….who’s that?’ Jerry wondered; unlike other information that suddenly appeared in his brain, this one didn’t.
{“Fine, fine, now sit and eat” Sera finally gave in to make Orinda finish his meal at the least.
“Ok!” Orinda said cutely.
‘He’s so cute! Never worry, my beloved child, you’ll find the king of your life, love and protect him with all your heart…but not THAT king, that’s the worst a mother can wish for his beastly child,’ Sera thought solemnly.
Even if she devoted her life and loyalty to her king just like the rites demanded, giving her child’s heart to him was foolish, only done by idiots or those greedy for monetary gifts.
After all, who didn’t know that the Berserker sold his heart in exchange for Eternal Rule?}
‘Eternal Rule huh….’ Jerry thought; he had briefly wondered why he could hear his mother’s thoughts but decided to drop it. All this wasn’t logical, to begin with, so why would he care about such a minor detail?
He stared on as the imagery yet again blurred to another familiar-looking scenery that instantly started playing out-
{“Number 18,” A female voice shouted
“FAILED,” A male voice responded
“Number 9”
“FAILED”
“Number 10”
“FAILED”
“….200”
“FAILED”
“That’s it for this year!” The female shouted, at which the male nodded.
They bowed at the man on the stage while stating the results; the male’s visage was hidden underneath the mask as he stared at the crowds (seemed to), with boredom (seemed to), his movements completely feline-like and easy-going. Still, the others knew better than his ‘easy-going’ self.
The gathered crowd that had been unusually silent started mumbling after the result announcements; some were complaining,
Others jesting the idiots that tried out even though it was evident that failure was the only result unless THAT route was taken, which no one could take; after all, everyone wanted their freedom and life before wealth.
“Another year with no one getting that position,” a male sighed wistfully
“Yeah, with his highness’s request, is it even possible to find such a person?” Another female said, her tiger ears twitching
“You changed forms, huh? Why…? Don’t tell me you’re trying to get noticed by ‘him’?” The male asked apathetically.
“Hmph! Rumors say he likes tigers, so just maybe…” the tiger female stated coyly, disgusting the male.
“Give up, wimp; he also hates those with no backbone; if you wanted to get his attention, you’d have participated,” The man berated.
“You’re right,” The female responded despondently as she detransformed. Meanwhile, the male who had called out the failed participants suddenly stated-
“So, the crowd should probably be dismissed…..”
“MAKE WAY!!” A shrill voice was heard, but before the crowd could make out what or whose, the owner had somehow maneuvered his way through the crowd and to the front.}
Jerry, whose eyes had been on the figure everyone was trying to please all this while, suddenly shifted to his other self, who breezed right through him as he ran with astounding speed.
‘He’s fast…! Faster than me now even!’ Jerry thought in shock.
{The crowd was just as shocked as Jerry's; the creature slicked through them and reached the highness’s dwelling place without being seen by anyone! Even the guards who finally managed to stop him were shocked.
“Your highness!” the intruder’s crisp but lovely voice was heard as his indistinguishable face bowed, showing his snow-white hairs with traces of pink.
“Isn’t that……The Last Race of the Peacocks?”}
"Ah...!" Jerry suddenly yelped as he felt his heart constrain; heavy, dark and heart-wrenching emotions filled his mind and even without seeing or knowing the memory, he instinctively knew-
“Mother is dead,” Jerry muttered, slamming to the ground to his knees. He raised his now tear-filled face and screamed in pain and agony-
“WHO DID THIS?!!”