A man with dark brown eyes, blond hair tied in a braid, a red Hawaiian shirt, and caramel skin stood a margarita made with fruit that turned liquid blue.

Next to him sat a younger man with sunglasses over his green eyes and dark red hair, wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and Birkenstocks. In his hands was a carton of white milk.

“Why am I dressed like this?”

“If you are on vacation you should look the part.”

“So these are vacation clothes.” Kyrion said as he received an absurd amount of stares.

“Don’t go starting any trends.”

“It's the milk. Why can’t I have what you’re having?”

“Because I don’t need you of all people drunk during a stealth mission.”

“I thought this was a vacation.” Kyrion turned up the milk and scowled as he pondered sneaking off towards the restaurant his companion received his drink from.

“Oh, is that an African elephant?” The redshirt man ran off at a convenient time.

Kyrion felt a disturbance as a group of girls seemed to casually make their way towards his direction.

“Nope.” Kyrion swapped places with an older man standing next to a stand selling merchandise related to pandas. From there he watched as the figure was surrounded then ignored as they turned around and left him alone.

Kyrion swapped places with him again and watched as the man shook. He was lost in thought and a bit out of it as the situation occurred not realizing he was getting yanked around space.

“Crisis averted.” Kyrion said as he began to take a sip out of a hard iced tea he’s swiped between his teleportations.

The red-shirted man coincidentally swiped the can from Kyrion’s hands. Which was a first.

“You’re too young to drink in this country kiddo.”

It’s just tea.”

“Uh huh. You have a problem.”

“I have a liver tougher than a tank.” Kyrion added.

“Well society expects people your age to mind the laws and refrain from drinking or smoking.”

Kyrion gave the man a flat look. “I’m not an expert in earth children psychology but even I know that just encourages those that do. They get that rebellious dopamine kick as well. Or believe it makes them look the cool.”

“What are you, a psychoanalyst?”

“I've spent most of my life dealing with the clinical insane. My whole world revolves around turning children into child soldiers with little care outside the early years of life, because power beats everything. A system that doesn’t work as well for races other than orcs as they are adapted to it and age much faster.”

“Easy there.”

“People my age are likely to have killed at least one person or sentient being. When compared to this peaceful world, aside from stupidity that will tear the planet to pieces, the majority live their lives without killing anyone…That's a lie, this world is war torn in places, but for the most part, you don’t have the same issues my world has.”

“So. You would say that you never had a childhood.”

“I would say that I got lucky in that my school wasn’t as bad as some of the others out there. But as far as the spark of innocence that made me similar to kids my age, that glint of childish mischief. It died the day I lost my eye.”

The red-shirted man flicked Kyrion on the forehead. “Now that's too edgy. And a lie. If anything that sounds like you got a grasp of yown mortality and worked to never be in a situation like that again. Have you killed people in your world?”

“Yes, it's a matter of life.”

“Was it in cold blood or was it to protect someone?”

“Yes, at the same time I believe.”

“Mmm. How so?” The Hawaiian-shirted man led Kyrion toward a snake exhibit.

“Twice, and somewhat recently. I was passing through a village on my way to another city in my world. I discovered that a girl was having her mana consumed by a sentient parasite that had already killed bot of her parents. My magic moved and it died, I didn’t try to capture it, nor did I try to subdue it. I could have done both, but at that moment, something welled up and it was dead.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“That sounds more like a monster.”

“The line gets crossed when those things are involved.”

“And the second?”

“Ah, I was headed somewhere right after and encountered some slavers in transport that had a run in with a troll. The troll died and the slavers were tied, up. As I was headed somewhere else I left to do that and when I returned the slavers had been killed by their former captives. That was also my fault and I should have known that would happen.”

“Is it all parasites, and cutthroats?”

“One was a headmaster though they were infected with a parasite. Tried to attack one of my friends and I put him down quite quickly. Though I likely should have subdued him and let those smarter extract information.”

“Have you killed anyone here?”

“Through inaction probably too many. I could be out saving lives in various hospitals as we speak but people don’t want me using magic to heal them as it will potentially awaken magic inside of them.”

“What is your limit on teleportation? Places I’ve been or spatial doorways I’ve set up beforehand. Sometimes through telephone lines.”

“So.”

“So?”

“What if I were to sign off on your freeroam papers and give you a license to visit hospitals all over this continent. I don’t just mean NUS, I mean the entire United Continent of America, would be yours to heal and explore.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I know you’re plotting something, I’ll inform my cohorts of said something and work with you to get it done. We’ll even help with the setup.”

“A spectacle you say?” Kyrion looked at the snakes and scowled as his senses told him he didn’t have the full picture.

“Yes. I want you to announce yourself to the world in a way that will either make you seem like a Hero of justice or a Villain. We’re pushing up the calendar on the knowledge of magic and would like your assistance in showing humanity what they can do. Oh great Kaolad.”

Kyrion’s gaze sharpened. “How do you know about that?”

“You aren’t the only superpower in this world.”

“Yeah I get that you could likely slap me through the moon. But why me?”

“Ander will also be visited soon by one of my comrades.”

“Why don’t you do that yourself?” Kyrion’s left arm loosened as he prepared for a fight.

“It’s a bit difficult to be seen at the moment. When your patron tier gets high enough you should create an afterlife for the souls that you absorb. It will keep you sane.”

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Uncle Sam.”

Krion’s hand moved with enough speed to be nearly untraceable as his hand shot up and through Sam’s Chin. His body was completely incorporeal. Which was odd given their interactions.

“Cedric told me you died.”

“I did. But a ghost with my power can linger a bit and interact with things with the slightest bit of concentration, even becoming visible to the human senses or magical.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t be able to defend against you easily.” Kyrion sighed as he looked up at the snakes.

“Yeah, but you are not the enemy I want. This world needs Cecil sooner rather than later and based on what I figured out, he’s in a place with massive time dilation where he can grow and improve before his world is torn asunder. What I want is for him to come back and help save this world, but you will do, for now.”

“Showing your true colors. I’ll ask, but he likely won’t want to come. Not unless I can make a permanent doorway.”

“Ok, I’ll stay in contact, you better start getting ready.” Uncle Sam disappeared from Kyrion’s senses which was eerie. Leaving the young man seemingly alone in a zoo.

Kyrion walked up to the snakes and began to whisper. “Do you wish to serve me? If so, I will offer you freedom and power beyond what you know. You will be as the two legs, knowledgeable and capable of many interesting things.

Kyrion held out his hand right hand and passed through the glass without breaking it as his blood-covered crushed walnuts, pomegranate seed, and bits of fruit from his other affinities.

The serpents sensing the power lapped it up and began to enter a state of hibernation as their bodies began to change. Kyrion repeated the process for every reptile in the Zoo when the first glass enclosure broke and the screaming began.

Serpents the size of bodybuilders with proportionally almost human-like arms slithered about, though they knew not to attack anyone.

“Massster Kao, we offer ourselvesss to you. What do you wisssh?”

Kyrion looked at the serpents and pulled out various packets he’d prepared. Ever since he learned about how zoos were prisons for innocent animals and caused them to lose their spark from that cartoon with the talking animals. This was on his list. “Throw these into the other enclosure and repeat what I asked of all of you. To serve me in the elevation of humanity.”

“What is the price of this power?”

“You will grow more and more reliant on food made by humans. Thus you will need them to thrive if you wish to be alongside them. Fast food will be your friend. Also, money, and education, your people will require jobs. I will talk to Cerberus about having you sign on as soldiers in the near future.”

“We won’t fight for you?” The Snake man asked.

“Fighting for freedom and the things that make you happy is fighting for me. Just find what that is and try to keep it moral/ethical by human standards. Also, your species is now known as the Serpentine.”

Within the hour, various zoo animals morphed and began to run around saving their brethren. No humans were hurt but the amount of fear and dread by sudden monsters made the news as some world-ending omen. When it ended however every animal that signed on, had been taken to the monster island where the penguins were building weapons of mass destruction. The plan to like a fire under humanity would soon begin.

Pandas became Pandolians, which were bipedal pandas with opposable thumbs and a rather lazy outlook on life. Zebras morphed into Zefran, which were bipedal behemoths capable of opening up portals and gateways. Giraffes oddly transformed into humans with nearly the same proportions only the ears atop their heads stayed the same and their necks were oddly long. The Sloths didn’t change much visibly but seemed quite capable in speech and moved slightly faster. Goatskin was the name for various sheep, goats, and other animals similar in shape that grew human bodies yet kept the head of the animal they started as. Felios was the race of lions, tigers, and other feline creatures that had taken on a humanoid shape, with their faces mostly resembling their baseline while their gestures were somewhat human. Every animal in the zoo was transformed as countless new species were uplifted to sentience and given magic.

In time the allies of humanity would make their grand appearance on stage as a line of defense against the monsters that come to animate the world though this stunt would forever mark Kao, as a deity that lorded over humans and demons alike.