Jee-shahn stood on the edge of the royal balcony, his Ceremonial Blue robes
whipping in a gale that smelled of rot and stagnant oil. Below, the once-crystalline
waters of the Suiseiryu Trench were thick and sufocating, turning into a pitch-black
ink that strangled the life out of every coral reef and sea creature it touched. The
"noise" of the dying ocean was a low, mournful thrum that vibrated through the stone
floor.
"Lizard," Jee-shahn muttered, his voice barely a whisper against the wind.
From the depths of his silver hair, a tiny, azure-colored lizard crawled out, blinking its
golden eyes at the blackened horizon. This was the Azure Lizard, the snarky crown of
the Monster's head. It let out a tiny, draconic hiss as it surveyed the corruption.
"What do you say, Master?" the lizard chirped, its voice echoing in Jee-shahn's mind
with a mocking tone. "Shall I consume this filth for you? It looks quite bitter, even for
my tastes."
Jee-shahn let out a little chuckle, his eyes narrowing as he watched a school of silver
fish turn to ash in the ink. "You know what I want," he said simply.
The lizard gave a sharp, toothy smile and hopped from Jee-shahn's head. At that
exact moment, Jee-shahn's entire body was engulfed in a roaring pillar of Azure
Flame. The heat was so intense it cracked the balcony's marble. Jasmine screamed,
panicked, and tried to rush toward the fire, her hand outstretched to pull him
back—but she froze in her tracks.
The flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
Where the small boy had stood, there was now a man—a 7-foot "Monster" with long,
flowing silver hair and eyes that held the weight of a thousand dying stars. He was
draped in fur and regal silks, standing with the terrifying grace of a true Cosmic
Observer. The tiny lizard had transformed, manifesting into a massive, draconic
archer's bow that glowed with a celestial light.
The nobility fell to their faces, unable to breathe in the presence of his true form.
Jee-shahn gripped the bow, his lips curling into a sharp, predatory smile. He pulled
back the string of liquid light and released a single shot into the heart of the ink-black
ocean.
BOOM.
The arrow didn't just hit the water; it detonated with a purifying force that swept
across the Trench like a tidal wave of stars. The ink-black corruption vanished
instantly, burned away by the azure light until the ocean was clear once more.
The bow shimmered and shrunk, returning to the form of a tiny lizard that scurried
back into the man's hair. In a blur of light, the tall man vanished, and the small, lazy
boy in the messy blue robes stood there once again, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"There," Jee-shahn drawled, looking back at the shocked, speechless crowd. "The
noise is gone. Now, where is my meal? I'm not asking again.