After a restful night and the unsettling encounter with the PALADIN, I returned to the zoo, where my life as a zookeeper continued. The journalists had begun to express concerns about a creature like me soaring freely in the sky. But despite their apprehensions, I carried on with my daily tasks, aiding my fellow keepers as I always did. It seemed that my unique connection with the Wyrm had made my job remarkably easier, as even the most fearsome animals, including the snakes, had become magically obedient in my presence.

One day, as I was tending to my responsibilities, I received a summons from McGyvor. He requested my presence in his office. With a sense of unease, I obliged and noticed my own car in the parking lot - my unmistakable emblem of the past.

McGyvor's voice was solemn as he said, "Daathrr, please head to the marina. They are terribly frightened here. The glass enclosure will provide them some comfort. I assume you've seen your car in the lot?"

I soared through the sky and gracefully landed within the marina enclosure. Half of the roof had been removed, and the steel fence was gone, alterations I had made myself to expedite my visits. On the other side of the glass, I saw my wife and children, along with Heater and McGyvor. A Bluetooth speaker allowed them to hear my words.

Sandra was the first to react, her terror palpable. "Oh my God, this can't be real, it's a nightmare!" She sought refuge behind McGyvor, her eyes wide with fear. "Is this some sick joke? It can't be him. He's a monster, a devil, a beast!" Her voice trembled with disbelief, and she questioned the integrity of the glass, fearing my presence might shatter it.

McGyvor tried to calm her, guiding her to a nearby seat. "Sandra, take a deep breath. You're safe here. Look, he's on the ground, his eyes closed. It's going to be okay."

Sandra's son, however, was far from convinced. His voice seethed with anger as he growled, "NO, IT'S NOT HIM. IT IS THE MONSTER THAT ATE HIM AND HIS SOUL. DEMON, SATANIC OFFSPRING. HE SPEAKS AS IF HE WAS HIM, BUT HE WILL KILL US ALL." He made a solemn vow, "I PROMISE THAT I WILL KILL YOU AND HIM. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO MADE OUR LIFE A LIVING HELL. YOU PERSECUTED OUR FATHER, YOU HURT US ALL. YOU DESTROYED OUR LIVES. YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US, HEALTH, FRIENDS, FAMILY, WEALTH, AND THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, YOU STOLE OUR FATHER, MONSTER. MOOOONNNNSSSTERRR."

Sandra, her voice laced with sorrow and anger, joined in, "David is right, you are not who you say you are. Why did you do this to us? We didn't do anything to you. He was kind, always lost in his inventions, fighting his imaginary monsters. I hope you meet a cruel fate in hell, monster."

A girl, unable to contain her rage, spat on the glass, her hatred evident.

Heater, ever the voice of reason, intervened, "No, you're making a grave mistake. You're breaking his heart. He needs you. Let him explain." Witnessing their anguish tore at my heart. I had endured so much, fought in silence to protect them, never revealing the truth, as I knew it would devastate them. But now, seeing their rejection, I was engulfed in a maelstrom of emotions. Rage, sadness, and frustration boiled within me.

I found my voice and desperately implored, "HEY guys, it's me. I'VE CHANGED ON THE OUTSIDE BUT I'M STILL ME. I WILL NEVER HURT YOU, NEVER! I love you with all my heart."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Their response was a barrage of accusations. "Liar! Monster! You claim to love with all your heart, but what heart? How can you love, when you have no heart at all?"

Their words cut deep, and in my despair, I couldn't find the right words to reassure them.

Sandra declared, "Come, my children, we have nothing more to see here. Daddy is lost forever, and that monster is defiling him. And David, when you are old enough, avenge your father!"

Heater and McGyvor, struggling to make sense of the situation, interjected with urgency. "STOP! YOU ARE IN THE WRONG. HE SAVED A FULL BUS AND 2 CHILDREN FROM DROWNING IN THE LAKE. HE LET HIMSELF BE CAPTURED WITHOUT VIOLENCE. AND NOW HE IS A WOMAN! HE NEEDS YOU. YOU ARE HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, AND IF HE CAN PROVE IT WITH YOUR TESTIMONY, HE CAN COME BACK TO LIVE AS A HUMAN WITH HUMAN RIGHTS, EVEN WITH A BODY LIKE THIS ONE. HE IS LIKE A DISABLED BUT CAPABLE PERSON WITH A DIFFERENT APPEARANCE. HE IS STILL YOUR FATHER AND HUSBAND. DON'T BE CRAZY. YOU ARE CRUCIAL. WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU TO MAKE YOU HATE HIM LIKE THAT? HE IS GOOD, KIND, AND CAREFUL. HE ALSO SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN, HE ALSO HEALED AN INJURED PARAPLEGIC GIRL WITH HIS TEARS. YOU ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE."

Sandra, however, remained unyielding, her anger unabated. "If you love your snake so much, why don't you make him your man? What about the 'he loves children'? Of course he loves them, IN HIS STOMACH!!! I will NEVER recognize this THING as my husband or the father of my children. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER."

To intensify her point, she flung a newspaper article at Heater, the headline blaring, "A REPTILE OF MONSTROUS SIZE ATTACKED A SCHOOL BUS." The gruesome details described a horrifying incident involving a colossal monster.

Heater, undeterred, dismissed the article as false, stating firmly, "What a load of crap, a sum of lies. I was there."

But Sandra was unrelenting, mocking Heater, "I'm sure you love riding him, and soon you'll love being ridden by him to have little scaly hellspawn. Oh, and I have a present for you too." With a cruel twist, she tossed the lifeless body of Tegu, my pet lizard, onto the glass, taunting me.

"The poor little beast looked so much like the monster in front of us," she sneered, "he was nice, stupid, and stinky. Yuck! And I, no, WE killed him because he reminded us of the THING in front of you. HAHAHA, Poor Tegu, Poor Tegu! Teguteguteguguguuu!"

RAGE coursed through me like an inferno. HATE and ANGER welled up, threatening to consume me.

Heater, frantic to defuse the situation, pleaded, "NOOO, STOP! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT, TO MAKE YOU ANGRY, TO PROVOKE YOU, AND TO MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR TEMPER. They are wrong. Give them time to realize their mistakes. Don't blame them."

But I could no longer contain my fury. An earsplitting ROAR escaped me, and a shockwave cracked the massive glass window that separated us.

"I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU," I seethed. "You make me so sad. I LOVED YOU. I LOVED YOU. AAARGH, WHY? IF I CATCH YOU, WE'LL BE A FAMILY AGAIN. I'LL MAKE YOU LOVE ME TOO. AND I'LL BE YOUR FATHER TWICE, AND YOU SANDRA, I'LL MAKE YOU A DRAGONESS, AND YOU'LL LAY EGGS FOR ETERNITY, MAKING A 'LOVELY' FAMILY."

My outburst was accompanied by a burst of mana, causing the sky to change and become stormy. Thunder resounded, and lightning illuminated the clouds, adding to the electric atmosphere.

Then, as suddenly as my rage had erupted, I calmed down. I turned away from the room and walked out into the park, my emotions in turmoil. I told Heater and McGyvor, without acknowledging my role in the stormy weather, "I'm going to the orphanage."

Sandra, unrelenting in her disdain, commented, "What a monster... now he's going to eat the survivors."

McGyvor and Heater, frustrated and disappointed, made a final decision. "Security, get them all out of the zoo. We never want to see them again. Throw them out; they make me want to vomit."

They were promptly escorted from the zoo, my family forever lost to me.

With a heavy heart and anger still simmering within me, I took flight. I circled above their car, hidden by the forest, making sure they could only see me. With my HUD IR technology, I roared and left a trail of fire in the sky, a final tasteless farewell. The message was clear: THEY ARE SERIOUSLY FEARING ME.

After that, I flew away, high enough not to terrify the onlookers below, heading towards the orphanage.