NOVEL NEXT ch.9 Part 3: we explore some thoughts.
After my mother’s …. ‘Hugging Session’ she left my crushed corpse on a chair before taking her leave. Something about checking up on things at home, though I didn’t catch much because I was busy trying to inflate my flattened body. She can be weirdly strong at times, I guess it’s true about parents being stronger than the kid.
After a short wait a nurse came in with some lunch, it also had a cup of apple juice? Nope turns outs it was a cup of amber water.
“It’s to help with mana circulation. Sometimes when a person converges their mana pathways become blocked or misaligned. So amber water is an easy way to clear it out.” She explained before leaving.
Without much thought I drank it, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It had an awful taste, like water and paper in soda but the moment it hit my tongue my body felt hot. My shoulders felt on fire as my wings spread open quickly. I felt really good, like after a good run good. Everything was much lighter and my muscles were much more responsive. That pinching in my shoulders is even gone, it’s almost like the weight on my chest is nothing! My body could even move faster than it normally did, was this how those super solders felt like? I was ready to conquer a whole nation! I needed to do something or I’d explode! And luckily a chance to burn my energy came as a nurse took me to my next class.
“Mark! You promised me you’d go see your counselor today.” Said my father in a tone that meant I’d lose something.
“I know! But would they even understand? What I saw… I don’t know if I can look at monsters the same way.” I argued, no way was I prepared for that.
“That’s the point of a counselor Mark. Your mother feels hurt that she hasn’t seen you. You can’t lock yourself away in your room! How will your friends feel about this? They might blame themselves you know!” said a very angry father, so angry in fact that I left my room.
“That’s not fair…” I mumbled. I hated how he always guilted me to do things. Sure he might be right but it’s not easy having him be so up front about it.
“of course it’s not Mark. If you just sit there then I might as well disown you.” He said tired. “Leave your mother in tears and reject your friends, living a lonely life. No love, No sex.” He kept talking, listing off some important things to me.
“I see your point.” I grumbled, trying to shut him up.
“No more video games, kiss good bye tasty food, oh! And might as well forget about creating your own animation studio.” He continued, each word adding to my pain. He was relentless like a psycho who loved the sound of stabbing flesh.
“Alright! I’m going! Just don’t hang me to dry!” I shouted.
“I never was, just kicking a lazy horse.” He said with a smirk as he grabbed his keys.
I was taken outside to a spot that looked like a running track. The ground was a rust brown, encircling a grassy field where other people were doing…. Magic? A slug person swayed their upper body, releasing a gas that floated above it before it started raining on them. a green or-slime suddenly formed the upper body of a human, then it made the grass around it grow into three whips, one for each hand and another for the slime below. Each whip either grew thorns, flowers or eyeballs. A minotaur flexed, making his body glow before charging around the track like a football player with super speed.
While I saw the abilities of these different people, a red feathered person made their way to me. “Are you Oliver?” came a serious voice.
Looking at who was speaking I saw a guy standing in front of me. He had feathers that had a glow, they looked like a harpy, strong arms, defined shoulder muscles even talons. Yet they had scaled hands and the edges of their winged arms were large shiny feathers that had the shine of a blade. Harpies that I’ve seen, didn’t have hands or sharp looking wings, he was even taller than a normal one, bigger than me even!
“Yes I am and you are?” I asked.
“The name’s Saffron, girl.” He said. He called me a girl.
“Hey I’m not a-“ I don’t know if I mind or not but before I could correct him, he cut me off.
“I’m here to give you the lowdown on your wings. How they work, what you can do with them and what to do when you can’t properly fly with them.” the more he talked the more he sounded like a drill sergeant.
“Now for starters, I want you to stretch your wings. Get a feel for all the muscles and your wings’ strength.” He said, opening his own wings.
Remembering how I fell over, made me try to open them slowly. My muscles began pulling my second shoulders up, the muscles tightening and pulling my elbows open. It felt like my normal arms and shoulders but the hands and fingers where a different story. For one thing, my wings had basically no palms. It was more a thick joint to move the four large elongated fingers attached to it. Speaking of, opening the wings made my fingers feel like I was pulling on rope on a pulley. Pull far enough and the pointer finger went up along with the other fingers. The thumb acted like the pulley itself, one that was little more than a spiked claw. Yet it was flexible enough that I could cover myself with my wings like a blanket.
Pulling my wings open, I had them up similar to how someone held their hands up for the police. Elbows bent and hands open. The long fingers were a couple meters long with a shorter one on my elbow. The membrane between my fingers was thick and leathery but super flexible and felt like when you put your hand in spandex and opened it. Kinda fun to do.
“Good. Now stretch them outwards and back again. Do this for…. Five sets of Twenty and if it doesn’t look good enough, you’ll do another, understood girl.” He said bluntly, nodding and then leaving, swishing his tail feathers
Stupid roast goose! Saffron annoyed me, reminded me of someone I wish I never met. He was just like that, talking over everyone, acted like the world was blessed to have him step on it. No way am I going to let him talk down on me. This filled me with anger as I spread my wings wide, my blood started to heat up as my wings started moving. I was now heat, fire and brimstone.
Walking into the school during the weekend was really weird, I wasn’t a super DX Honor student that needed the oxygen tank that after school hours offered. I wanted to focus on my art, the art of bringing manga, comics and great screenplays to life in animated form! Who wouldn’t want to see those eye watering scenes in movement or the epic finisher that the hero unleashed on their final boss of a rival, blasting them to ashes. Or maybe those lewd scenes the MC has with their best girl, the teasing, flirting, the messy first kiss that might go a little farther. There’s so much I could do! So much that needs to be shown!
“Hello Mark, are you doing alright?” asked Mrs. GrimClaw, her professional voice sounding worried.
Looking at the large hell hound of a woman behind her Void obsidian counter, I wasn’t sure how to reply. “I’m here to see my counselor… about Friday…” I said looking down at her counter. It had a way of absorbing my focus, made it a easy way to ignore the world.
“Miss Clematis is ready to see you at any time. I hope she helps you feel better.” Mrs. GrimClaw’s voice was heavy with sympathy. Her kindness made me feel a little braver.
“I hope so too.” I said, partly to thank her and partly to embolden myself.
Opening the door to Miss Clematis’ office, my eyes were blinded as I was hit by direct sunlight. Making me cover my eyes as I entered her office. She always had her big windows open, blinding everyone that opened the door. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the light. The room had a big window that started from the floor and connected to another one on the ceiling, letting as much sunlight as possible. On another wall were shelves set up on a zig-zag pattern with several potted flowers on top of it. Each pot had flowers of different colors and sizes and even a hanging ivy plant. All but one pot was black, the one that wasn’t, was crudely made and painted yellow, red, pink and white with the words, “your the bestest” written on it. This one had a large pink flower, its five petals opened then curled back in on itself, with many stringy yellow bits in the middle. Her desk was pushed into a corner near the door which made her office feel bigger than it was. Another pot sat on her desk, but the plant in it had one eyeball per green stem, it was almost a bush of eyeballs that turned and looked at me. None of the eyes blinked, ever, it would just follow whoever opened the door. I’d just try to ignore it but It would sometimes lean forward whenever I mentioned it, I think it likes being talked about.
“Hey you! How are ya my guy!” came the sweetest voice, you’d swear you were enjoying a snack of honey and candy. I wouldn’t mind being welcomed home by a voice like her’s.
“I’m… ok I think?” I said not really sure if I was or not. “No, I guess I’m feeling a whole lot of confusion.” I admitted.
“Oh… can I ask why you feel that way?” she asked, stepping away from behind a small divider.
Miss Clematis was a pink flower mantis. Her body was mainly a marshmallow white while her four forearms were pink and looked like large sleeveless cuffs ending at her elbows. She had a cute face with large yellow eyes, circled by light green hair, like a newly grown stem. She wore a white sleeveless button-down that had folds on the sides of it with a red flower pendent near the left breast. Her upper shoulders were segmented into what looked like pink flowery shoulder pads these arms ended in folded, toothed scythes. Her lower pair of arms had white shoulders, ending in more human like hands, if a human hands had natural segmented armor for skin. She wore an apron like skirt that was pink that had an apple pin and a tear drop pin attached to it. Where her shins were it looked more like pink leg warmers that drooped over her ankles. Her feet had two claws one, the longer one making most of her red feet.
“I saw Oliver converge last Friday… I remember his screams a-and the sound of his bones….popping.” I cringed at the memory. “He was in a lot of pain.” I said looking away.
“Oh my. Well let me first tell you that Oliver is fine, everything is working and there are no problems last I heard.” She nodded her head three times with serious eyes. “Now your concerns are justified, seeing such a painful convergence has worried on lookers in the past. But denying nature would be even more worse.” Her head didn’t move at all when she said that.
“But does he have to go through that?! What if it k-killed him!” I argued. I wasn’t ready to see someone die in front of me.
“There is some risk with convergence, yes. But that’s why the whole city’s foundation has been built with safe mana materials, easing the risk for all those that converge.” Her voice alone eased my heart and her reminder was sound. “Plus Oliver is alive. So what are you going to do with a living Oliver?” she asked turning her head almost sideways.
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.
“Oliver is alive but how are you going to approach him? You’ve told me in the past how he’s your first friend to put up with you. I don’t think you want to lose that do you?” she asked another question.
“You’re right…but what if seeing him scares me, reminds me of what I saw?” I asked, scared I might actually lose my best friend.
“If your trauma pops up, I’d suggest first taking a breather to clear your head. Basically you want to calm yourself own, it might help to remember something that soothes or gives you courage. It might also help to talk to Oliver about what you saw but remember to keep it positive. What you say might circle your head like a mosquito and the last thing I want to hear is one of my students wasting away.” She said, combing her hair with her toothed scythe.
“You have a point… could I go over some scripts? So I don’t freeze up when I finally talk to him?”
“Finally! It took you long enough to figure out your own mana!” Saffron said with a smile.
“What? All I’ve been doing is practicing your mindless wing motions.” I grumble back.
“Exactly! With my coaching, you figured out how to move mana through your wings. Look, even your body is glowing with it.” He said rubbing his chin with a smile.
Wait? I looked at my wings which practically reflected the sunlight like a mirror, my wings and body were warm like I had a good workout. There was a heat that seemed to live in my muscles almost like when I drank the amber water. Looking at my arm, my crystal scales glowed faintly with a soft light.
“There you have it. Dragons are said to be prideful. So I believe the fastest way to fix their mana problems is to piss them off” he chuckled to himself.
“But why?” I asked.
“Because your wings are too powerful to master without charging your muscles with mana. One flap and you’d probably end up in the troposphere. Plus being mana charged means you’ll have better control of your wings.” He explained.
“So I’m a muscle flyer?” I question confused.
“No.” he shook his head with a disappointed face. Which made my body grow hotter. “You’re both. You can use your muscles for takeoff, speed and sudden maneuverability. That means dodging.” He said explaining the last word to my annoyance. “While magic lets you float, dodge better, manage turns easier and enhance your speed somewhat.” He said as he extended his wings.
“nmNow before you leave, remember to pay attention to what angle you position your wings and for gods’ sake, don’t go walking with your wings open! All it’ll take is one speeding car to pull you along with its drag. Then I’ll see your sorry mug back here.” He said as his feathers puffed out in his anger before leaving.
“I’ll be careful then. I’d rather be on the outside living my life.” I retorted.
Saffron looked back at me, nodding in approval.
Later that night, I got out of bed. There was something I wanted to confirm, no I had to. Otherwise I’d look like a brain dead guppy. Of course it’s important, I’m not excited or anything. That’s not a blush at all, it’s just a little hot here in my room, I’ve been stretching all day!
My argument for if a sudden nurse appearance planned, I quickly rushed to the restroom. I had to see something, because in there a beauty waited and I had to see her! Entering the restroom, I switched on the light. I looked or tried to look at the floor, only for my-these two huge hills blocking my view. Don’t think about it, don’t think about them! Grabbing the edges of the sink, I slowly looked up at the mirror to be greeted by the cutie in the glass.
I saw her huge purple eyes with silted pupils which became narrower as my vision zoomed in focusing on these jewels. closing my third pair of eye lids I could see a clear membrane cover her eyes like goggles, it kinda looked like the lenses of glasses. Opening the lids, I looked at her yellow glossy looking skin, it was a good color I think. She wears it well. I saw how her cheeks were slightly raised, raising two finger I pushed her cheek. Smooth and a little squishy I didn’t feel a single scale. Her lips looked sensitive and protruded outward in a pouty look and were colored a light orange. Poking her upper lip, the bottom of my finger pushed the full lip to the side. Making it slightly fold to the side and opening her mouth a little, I can feel the silky smooth scales on my finger, it was somewhat warm. Looking up at her nose I could see the tip poked up slightly with the ridge of her nose straight as it connected to her face.
Looking at her brows were thick near the nose and thinned to a point going away from the nose with a slight arch. They were the same dark orange color as her hair. Pair with her deep big, gorgeous eyes, she looked curious but just as likely to spit fire at you. Her hair wasn’t too long, I’d say shoulder length with thick waves. Running my finger through her hair I moved most of it to my right, that looked best as it caressed the side of her face perfectly. Looking up I saw two black ridged horns coming from the middle of her head that curved in the shape of an S. running my claw on the ridges up to the tip made my body heat up as it made me tremble, my wings wiggled and my tail rubbed the side of my thigh like a needy warm cat.
Pulling away I saw her cheeks were now a dark yellow, they were super warm, even her ears were warm. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath. There’s a time and a place. Calming down I looked at her ears, they were pointed and stuck out to the side but not long enough to act like an elf cosplaying a c-cute and pret-powerful dragon. Looking downward, her chin was narrow and her jawline looked perfect with her long neck. The kind most women had although there was still the muscles that connected at the base of the neck.
She was too pretty for her to be looking at me… I was really cute uh, she had a natural beauty is what I meant…. Her bountiful beauty… looking at my-her chest it was large. Though that made sense considering we monst-converged become proportional to our height. So… you could say I was hit with a grow ray and these um… parts would be a little preposterous at my original height.
Swallowing, I raised my pointer finger. It hovered just inches away from a mound, I could sense the heat radiating from my… body. It was so warm. Oh god was it warm and I loved being warm. Sweat began to trickle down the sides of my face as I contemplated my next action. Looking up I saw her face again, it was as nervous as I was but her eyes said something else, I could feel fear. Those eyes had the chill of passing a boundary, so much so that I trembled. If I passed it then I could say good bye to seeing myself as a man, making my stomach twist into knots like I ate several rocks and they were trying to find a way out my through my throat.
Turning away, I visited the toilet to spit up rainbows….
