King Aetherion sat upon his throne, stroking his beard as he watched a magical projection play before him, showing glimmering images of Jackie's monstrous form as she fought against Zephyrax.
"This monster," muttered the old king, "is not like any we have seen before... power like that... without magic?"
King Aetherion was a strong-looking man, his muscles bristling under his golden armor, purple robes, and ring-adorned, wizened fingers. His white beard was well-trimmed, covering a strong and handsome face for a 205-year-old man.
As was traditional with the Ruler of the 8 Kingdoms of Vortexia, he did not wear a crown but instead carried a golden helm under his right arm that resembled the head of a lordly dragon.
The mage, who was projecting the image with his staff, bowed. "It does not dwell in the records of the ancients, and any further attempt to research what this beast might be has completely stumped all the head curators and scholars in the Vault of History. My lord... I apologize, but we don't know what it is... all we know is that it is, in fact, on par with the Lord Dragons."
"Could it possibly match... a Cognosapien?" muttered Aetherion.
"Nothing of that scale that we know of," said the mage. "I doubt it could scratch Ember Stormweaver from the other world of guilds... but this monster does present a troubling fact... that beings without magic can indeed reach another scale of power."
"Any information on the source of its strength?" asked Aetherion.
"We have collected samples of the odd energy it used. It is volatile, untamed, appearing to result from a reaction that occurs when splitting atoms of a certain element we have been unable to pinpoint," said the mage. "Unlike magic, it is simply Power. It does not create, alter reality, bend space and time, or allow one to conjure up a teacup from thin air... it simply destroys. From observation spells placed at the time, we deduced that the beast whose essence was absorbed by that girl fed on this energy... produced more of it... it is inherent to its very life cycle."
"Hmm, very well... continue to observe Varden's new student closely," King Aetherion muttered. "We must not let up our caution for even a second... and grant credit for Zephyrax's defeat to Varden."
"My lord? That is quite harsh. The girl is already being ridiculed in the Monster Mage community due to her beast possessing no magic! Surely she deserves some recognition," said the mage.
"It pains me to say this, but if word were to get out of a beast with this capability, regardless of magic, there might be panic or an uprising among the Celestial Legion, and we can't afford it in this climate, not when war is brewing between the 8 Sovereign Alliance and the Kingdom Regions," said Aetherion. "Keep the power of this beast quiet for now. By the way, does it have a name at least?"
"Varden said that this monster destroyed the girl's parents before its mysterious death, and its essence was absorbed by her," said the mage. "When she sleeps, she produces a name for it as she curses it in her nightmares... that is the only name we know."
"And...?" said the King. "What is it called? Any way to refer to this anomaly without causing confusion would be welcome."
The mage nodded. "She called it... Goridezula, my lord."
---
Jackie opened her eyes... she seemed to be standing in a realm domain, surrounded by nothingness. For a moment, she couldn't surmise where she was, then she looked up to see a massive set of flaming red eyes bristling with powerful radiation.
Jackie knew those eyes; she felt rage in her like never before.
"Come here, puny human," the eyes said.
"Gladly!" growled Jackie. "I'll get to punch you in your stupid lizard face, Goridezula!"
The eyes blinked in surprise, and the beast grunted. Obviously, it had not expected this kind of response.
"Oh, I'm sorry... am I supposed to grovel? Be moved by your holiness?" growled Jackie. "I'm sorry, but killing my parents made my hatred completely outweigh my fear—"
"Silence!" roared Goridezula.
Immediately, the entire black plane shook, and the force of a hurricane burst out all at once in the dream.
Jackie's facade fell as she staggered back, trembling, tears streaming from her eyes. The truth was, the death of her parents hadn't just resulted in anger; it had caused deep, traumatized fear.
"You... you don't scare me..." Jackie whispered desperately, trying to muster her courage. "You don't scare me! You don't scare me!"
"Hmph... I'm sure those tears and that trembling body mean you're absolutely fearless at the sight of me!" said Goridezula sarcastically. "Ha! Little ant... look at you squirm... if your parents died, it was because you humans are arrogant and stupid. Stupid, arrogant, tiny things! Ha-ha!"
Jackie felt her heart race as she stared up at the beast. "My father died trying to save my mother as we were merely trying to escape... and you stepped on them... like... like... Why the hell am I trying to justify it to you!?"
Goridezula paused. "This is the girl who wields my power... and body now? Somebody with bleeding sentiment? Don't give me that, girl. I've lost pity for your race long ago. I had no quarrel with humanity. They are the ones who chose to give me grief."
Jackie gritted her teeth in fury. Images of her parents, moments before they were crushed beneath a ginormous foot, slithered through her mind like creeping fingers, seeking to pull her down.
"I know about that... everyone knows about that," Jackie whispered. "The UN's decision to bomb you was asking for trouble... my father told them that... he was part of the Monarch Research team assigned to study you... he defended you! One of the only ones!! And you... stepped... on him!"
There was a pause... Goridezula was so quiet now that even his flaming eyes gave away nothing.
Jackie didn't know what to think. Was the beast thinking of new ways to mock her? Surely, he felt no remorse for killing a few humans.
"Hmph... I had no idea there were humans with some sense... that is surprising," said Goridezula. "But in the end, his death was still insignificant."
Jackie's heart turned to stone, her fury only slightly cooled by fear and trauma. She shivered, speechless, unable to respond.
"You will answer my questions, human," said Goridezula. "And you will answer them thoroughly. If you do not give me answers I like, consider your tiny life over... understand?"
"You... you piece of..." Jackie sobbed, clutching her chest, pain streaking through it both physically and emotionally.
"I will take those stammers of fear as confirmation," said Goridezula. "First, how did you manage to obtain my power? Second, how have you come to be in this form? Third, is it possible for you to remain in that attractive—I mean, that powerful form permanently?"
"Eh?" Jackie blinked rapidly. "Eh!? Did... did you just say... attractive form?"
"Don't deviate from the subject, lowly human!" roared Goridezula, causing explosive wind to blast from the direction of his voice, his red eyes flaring with anger. "It was a powerful form! Yes, that's what I said! As it is my power and form!"
Jackie's face wrinkled with disgust. "That... that was your form I turned into? Wait... I turned into you? I... I want to vomit."
"V... vomit!?" roared Goridezula. "Such disrespect... disrespect! My form is the most glorious form imaginable! I am the King of the Monsters! And you regard using my form as disgusting!?"
"Would you want to take the form of the monster that killed your family?" screamed Jackie. "You wouldn't understand! You're the least likely thing to understand... you... you sociopath god!"
Goridezula froze, his eyes glaring furiously, twitching with irritation.
"You think me a sociopath with no empathy?" growled Goridezula. "That... will... not... stand! Fine! We will settle this! Not in the dream world, but in reality. Prepare for a fight you cannot win, you... hot attractive female monster!"
"Hot attractive—wait, what!?" Jackie stammered just before the dream ended.
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Jackie awoke in a plush, comfortable bed, something she hadn't felt since she lived in London. In a panic, she sat up, the covers falling off her fancy silk pajamas.
"Jackie!"
Lucy clasped her hands joyfully, wearing similar pajamas as she sat on a chair next to her.
"Wh... where...?" Jackie looked around the massive room with a grandfather clock in the corner, suits of armor lining the walls, and a chandelier on the ceiling.
There were coffee tables and plush armchairs near a fireplace, and large framed diagrams of magical beasts like dragons and colossal giants adorned the walls.
The bed she lay in was a fancy four-poster, queen-sized, with curtains drawn open.
"Wh... where am I?" Jackie murmured. "And... Lucy, you're not dead?"
"Varden's house," said Lucy. "He brought me here, barely alive... the two of you saved me. The magical healers helped just in time. You were... well, you fell into a 3-day coma. Apparently, using big monster forms depletes a ton of astral essence."
"Lucy... when I became a monster, what did I look like?" Jackie asked, fear beginning to bubble in her heart.
"You were incredible!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "You were much larger than that demon, like a HUGE dragon, or... er... a FAT dragon! Yes, a huge monster! And you had these large spines and... Jackie, are you alright?"
Jackie had bowed her head dejectedly. So it was true. Somehow, Goridezula had died right after killing her, and she had absorbed his essence while being reincarnated in this world. She had become the new Goridezula, the source of her pain and anguish.
"Is my life a joke to you?" Jackie whispered to the world around her. "Just what are you playing at?"
"Now... Jackie Serizawa!" came a sudden, small and arrogant voice. "Are you prepared for your final battle!? Let's see if your insults were worth it now!"
"Eh?" Jackie sat up straight, blinking as Lucy did the same.
"Did you hear something?" Lucy muttered slowly.
"Uh... I think," Jackie replied.
Suddenly, a small creature, around 8 inches tall, leaped onto the bed.
It was a grayish-green lizard with large, bulging yellow eyes. It possessed a dinosaur-like gait, and a set of tiny red dorsal plates ran down its back.
"It's... SO CUTE!" squealed Lucy.
"Goridezula!?" Jackie stammered, unable to believe her eyes.
"HAHA! Indeed! Did you think it was a dream!? That I wouldn't face you, arrogant human!?" Minizula growled as he stomped across the bedcovers.
"I am Goridezula! Dragon of the Kaiju! I will not be insulted by a whelp like you! Now... prepare to die!"
The tiny Minizula ran toward Jackie, squealing as he reached her stomach, beating his tiny little arms against her belly button.
Jackie stared for a moment as Minizula angrily smacked his tail and hands against her, causing nothing more than a slight tickling sensation.
"Uhh..." Jackie said, raising a hand, unsure whether she should stop him.
"I see you won't go down easily, as expected of a female of my kind," growled Minizula, panting. "In that case... face my ATOMIC BREATH!"
He let out a small cough, and a tiny candle flame puffed out, disappearing into smoke.
"SO CUUUUUUUTE!" squealed Lucy again.
Jackie grabbed the cub by the tail with two fingers, holding him upside-down in front of her face.
"LET ME GO, YOU STUPID FEMALE!" screamed the cub, flailing his arms and legs frantically.
"Ehh? Not so tough now, huh?" Jackie grinned maliciously. "Guess the shoe's on the other foot now... you're the tiny ant, and I'm the superior being."
She tossed the cub onto the floor and got out of bed, grinning. Never had she felt so alive. Of course, she didn't have a clue why Goridezula was in this state, but a chance for vengeance like this was rare.
The cub scrambled to get away, but Jackie stomped on his foot.
"Ow!" squealed the cub, a tear welling up in one of his eyes.
"JACKIE! What are you doing!?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Giving him what he deserves... he stepped on us like we were nothing but insects," Jackie replied. "But Karma's a bitch, isn't it, Goridezula?"
"Why you...!" gasped the cub as Jackie raised her foot, ready to stomp him.
"NO! STOP!" Lucy cried, grabbing Jackie by the arms, pulling her back.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Jackie yelled. "THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, LUCY!"
"I know! He did something terrible to you! But he's tiny and harmless now! Do you want to become like him, hurting something small, throwing away your humanity?"
"THAT THING ISN'T CUTE!" Jackie roared.
"I'M NOT CUTE!" screamed the cub.
Lucy gave him a "Really?" look.
"Not helping," the cub squeaked.
Lucy turned back to Jackie. "Do you want to be like him?"
Jackie hesitated. The thought disgusted her, but something inside pitied Goridezula's current state. Pity for the one who murdered her parents? What was going on?
"Oi," Varden suddenly entered the room. "What's all this noise? Is Jackie awake?"
He noticed the scene and sighed as he walked over to the cub.
"What are you doing!? I'm warning y—!" the cub stammered before Varden stomped on him so hard the floorboards cracked.
"EEEEEEEEK!" both Jackie and Lucy screamed in shock.
Varden smirked, lifting his foot to reveal the cub, relatively unharmed but groaning in pain.
"Monster souls are indestructible. The only way to kill them is to kill the monster mage who uses their essence," Varden said. "Isn't that right, Morgana?"
A miniature red dragon puffed a small flame as she perched on Varden's shoulder. "Indeed. I'm surprised you gained a soul from a beast that didn't agree to become one."
"Monster soul?" Jackie asked.
"When a monster agrees to have its essence absorbed by a mage at death," Morgana puffed smoke from her nostrils, "our souls are reborn as familiars to aid the mage in learning to use our powers."
"I agreed to no such thing!" roared the cub. "I can't have DIED! I was fighting that four-headed bastard, and the next thing I know, I'm stuck in her head! DAMN IT! THIS IS ALL A HUMAN SCHEME!"
Morgana gracefully leaped to the floor, nodding at the cub. "Calm down. Accepting your role will make things easier—"
"MY ROLE!? Teaching this human to use my power!?" he roared. "Forget it! I know humans. Arrogant, selfish destroyers! They eliminate anything they *think* is a threat! I HATE THEM ALL!"
The cub ran out the door, screaming curses.
"What should I do...?" Jackie stammered.
Varden sighed. "Give it time, I'll figure something out."
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In the darkest part of the Ruler of the 8 Kingdoms of Vortexia's castle, a man in white robes and a radiant white crown stood smiling in the dark chapel. Stained-glass windows depicted colossal beasts—giants, dragons, and demons.
The Trinity Gods Haven, the principal religion of this world, had ministers dressed in black and white robes, muttering and scribbling feverishly in white chalk on the chapel's walls.
"Yes, my brethren," whispered the High Priest. "The will of Ravos has spoken... the prophecies are coming to fruition. Ravos, our Father, will send his sons to purge the world's sins."
"Glory be to him," the ministers chanted.
In the center of the chalk drawings, a massive four-headed dragon was depicted.
"Come to us, Mal Oscuro Jushou! [dark evil beast]" the priest declared gleefully. "Savior of this world."