The "Human Sled" had reached its final stop at the edge of the royal balcony.
Jee-shahn stood on the marble railing, his breath hitching as he felt the combined
weight of the High Priest and the four sisters—Mina, Liana, Jasmine, and
Yuna—clinging to his limbs like desperate barnacles. The High Priest was still
sobbing into Jee-shahn's shell-patterned socks, while Mina and Liana, returning to
their human forms, gripped his neck with the same frantic strength as Jasmine and
Yuna.
Jee-shahn looked down at the royal mess anchoring his feet and throat. His
expression remained a mask of profound, sleepy boredom and utter exhaustion.
"Lizard," he said softly, his azure eyes dimming. "I think I've reached my limit of
unnecessary race interaction for this century."
"I warned you, Master," the Azure Lizard chirped, its tiny hat wobbling. "You can't
have a quiet vacation if you marry into a family of seagulls."
Jee-shahn sighed, his voice carrying a heavy vibration. "Everyone, please stop
touching my socks and neck. It's making my feet warm, and I hate warm feet." When
the family refused to loosen their grip, his patience finally evaporated. "Enough," he
whispered. The word carried a bone-chilling vibration that turned the morning air to
ice.
With a flick of his wrist, he released a precise pulse of light aura. It acted like an
invisible gale, neatly peeling the royals off his body and launching them backward
through the air. In a scene of high-speed comedic grace, the High Priest and the four
sisters sailed across the conservatory, landing in a synchronized, unharmed heap on
the oversized plush bed.
As they sat up dazed, the "Monster" shed his vacation skin. In a swirl of azure flames
and shadow, the messy robes Jasmine had forced on him disintegrated. In their place,
his original regalia manifested: flowing black and crimson silks with silver dragon
embroidery and dark, regal fur. Jee-shahn grew, his frame elongating until he stood as
a towering 7-foot Monster. His long hair billowed like a river of darkness, and the tiny
Azure Lizard hopped onto his brow, transforming into a jagged, golden dragon-crown
pulsing with predatory light.
He turned back with a smile of pure frustration. "You wanted the Monster?" he
rumbled. "Well, here is the Monster. And the Monster is going to find a very quiet
mountain where snotty princesses aren't allowed." With a thunderous snap, heunfurled massive, tattered wings like a Demon King. The wind-force sent the High
Priest's crown flying and flattened the sisters' hair against their faces.
"If anyone asks about a 7-foot monster, tell them he doesn't exist," Jee-shahn
commanded.
"Wait!" Jasmine screamed, reaching out one last time. "At least take a coat! And tell
me when you're coming back!"
Jee-shahn looked back over his shoulder. After a heavy pause, he gave a short, dry
chuckle. "Never," he said. With one powerful leap, the titan took to the sky, leaving the
Suiseiryu royals staring upward in a mixture of anger and crushing sadness—the
realization hitting them that the "Monster" was gone for good.