"Wait wait wait, Jimmy big brother—what are you writing again?!" shouted a girl by squinting at the notepad tucked under his arm.
"Miss Lisa, he's doing that fiction thing again! Now it's Dumta Theatre." another nun called out, half-laughing, half-scolding.
The hallway erupted. Some nuns exchanged knowing glances of it. They have raised him from the... One crossed her arms and grinned.
"Where's the toilet guy, Jimmy?"
"Did anyone come back from Kwantheris City this time, or are they still stuck in your magical bathroom?"
Jimmy didn't flinch.
He just smiled.
A quiet, strange little smile.
Without any talk, he turned and walked to his room like a ghost brushing past memories. Luna trotted behind him, tail flicking. Peeko hovered, making circles above Jimmy's head like a siren who couldn't resist noise.
Inside the room, silence returned.
Jimmy opened his desk. He checked the delivery time — arrival time tomorrow. He set it down, sat back on the bed. He didn't say a word.
Peeko jumped onto his chest like a squirrel
Luna curled beside him without a sound.
Jimmy finally pulled his worn notebook close and flipped a page. On it, he scrawled:
Entry #47: Today I arrived at Vatican.
They mistook me for a god again.
Someone escaped into the toilet. Peeko caused a scene.
No one believes me. Perfect.
He glanced sideways. The nuns were still laughing outside.
Veriyth City
Next morning, by 9:30 AM, the sky above Vatican City was pale blue.
Jimmy stepped off the shuttle, his black coat fluttering slightly in the wind. He tapped a number on his device and called the broker of his home.
the man answered. "Don't worry, boy. No problem here. I even left one Whisp guarding your place. Congratulations on your first winning on big stage."
The call ended.
Jimmy reached the home and pushed open the wooden gate. A mechanical bark greeted him.
Bruno stood inside, one metal ear twitching upward. His bronze body whirred to life, eyes blinking with soft blue light.
Before Jimmy could sign anything, Peeko launched from his shoulder and landed on Bruno's head.
"Dumta dumta dum! How are you?!"
Bruno's head tilted. The reply came in a grainy metallic voice, "Good. You are?"
Peeko blinked, confused. He turned to Jimmy with a face that said: He speaks like a spoon hitting a drum.
Jimmy signed, He's asking about you.
Peeko's ears perked up. "Dumta... Dumta... Oh! Good. I am good!" he replied proudly, puffing up his fiery cheeks.
Bruno stepped aside automatically.
"Welcome home, Jimmy."
Jimmy gave a faint nod.
............
Jimmy asked 'What about the egg?' Bruno said "No, Jimmy. Everything remains as it—wait…"."
Jimmy's eyes narrowed the moment he stepped in. A soft shimmer was leaking from the base of the lifeless egg. He quickly approached, eyes darting over the vitals and status lights.
The egg—once lifeless—was showing signs recovery.
He turned swiftly to speak—then found no one is there. He signed rapidly to Bruno, "Where are the others?"
Bruno blinked. "Playground."
.....................
Peeko was crouched like a gremlin near the edge of the sandpit, furrowed in concentration, drawing odd spirals and shapes in the dirt. Luna sat beside him, head tilted, clearly trying to decipher whatever nonsensical art Peeko was crafting.
Jimmy raised a brow and signed, "What are you doing?"
Peeko turned with wide eyes. "In my dream, I saw a feather! Falling! From the sky! I want to learn how to make that."
Jimmy asked "do you really want to learn?" Peeko nods in yes.
Jimmy blinked, then quickly pulled out his phone, searching "falling feather fire sky thing."
On the screen The results?
Meteor fire rain.
But not exactly helpful.
Still, Jimmy showed Peeko a simulation of a meteor fire rain attack.
Peeko stared at the image—mesmerized. Then, without thinking he did something.
A faint ember sparked.
Then another.
Luna sat up straight.
Within seconds, a fireball started to swirl above Peeko's head, its edges trembling with unstable energy. It pulsed once—twice—then grew. Two meters wide. Floating five meters in the air.
Jimmy took a step back. He signed sharply, "Peeko. What are you doing?"
But Peeko didn't respond. His eyes were glazed in pure focus. He was in a stance—unmoving, consumed by it.
Then, suddenly—
BOOM.
The fireball jolted. The balance tipped.
It started to fall straight towards them.
.............
"Luna!" Jimmy signed.
Luna darted forward, blasting it with Aqua Burst. The fireball hissed, exploded into steam. The field shimmered with heat.
Jimmy punched Peeko lightly on the head. "Dumta."
Control the fire, he signed.
Peeko blinked. "dum dum… okay!"
"Make a fireball," Jimmy ordered.
Peeko made, a fist-sized ember forming above his beak.
"Smaller."
Peeko reduced it to the size of a fingernail.
"Smaller."
Now it was barely the tip of a feather.
"Good. Now grow and shrink it, on repeat, till I say stop."
Peeko started with glee.
Jimmy turned to Luna. "Fuse three elements in once. Because I have seen you still can't fully use of your total 3 elements in a sync."
Luna began combining her 3 elements. Jimmy activated his Comm and called, "Bruno—come check Peeko. He's being evasive."
"On my way," Bruno answered, whirring toward them.
Jimmy ran back to his room, opened his bag, and pulled out a shimmering Fire Crystal. He came back to ground.
Its heat pulsed in his palm.
Before he could say anything, Peeko appeared on his hand, having teleported in a flash.
Peeko's eyes locked on the crystal.
He opened his beak to gulp it down.
Jimmy quickly yanked it back into his other hand.
He signed, "Why'd you stop?"
Peeko proudly showed his fireball, shifting its size repeatedly—perfect control.
Jimmy sat down on the grass and signed, "When did you learn to teleport?"
Peeko scratched his head. "During that night match—one guy's whisp kept doing it. I copied it. Failed 15 times. Then... got it!"
Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "Liar."
Peeko huffed. "DUMTA!"
Jimmy smiled faintly. "Okay, okay. You can eat it."
Peeko beamed and zipped back to the ground, wagging his tail-feathers.
Jimmy held the crystal again and signed, "Wait. Before eating it, rotate the fire."
Peeko blinked. "What's that mean?"
Jimmy demonstrated—he drew two balls of fire and made them orbit one another like twin moons.
Peeko tried. He summoned two fire throwers but they sputtered and clashed.
Jimmy said, "Step one. Make two small fireballs."
Peeko obeyed. Jimmy said "Now control". Peeko was meaning controlling it very well.
"Now rotate them around each other."
Jimmy asked now rotate them. Peeko showed him rotation of two fireballs. Peeko huffed "DUMTA... EASY."
Jimmy gave a punch on his head then asked "rotate that flame thrower." Peeko did it with one stroke, and got another punch. Jimmy asked "why did you got fail in first try? You were not getting this."
By saying it, Jimmy about to went to room, Luna called him. As he turned back he saw, Peeko is crying there. Jimmy made a beat on his head by grabbing him with his peck and said "This crystal had too much power. You could not able to digest it easily. Wait for next to next evolution. Then you could take it or, you would feel a very less energy in your body. You could not run or play nor even eating also."
Peeko nodded like a serious little monk. But understanding a lesson and actually following it—especially when there's food involved—was a whole other story. And when the food happens to be a fiery, glowing crystal... well, if a glutton doesn't eat it, who will?
Jimmy had barely loosened his grip when—CHOMP! Peeko devoured the crystal in one gulp like it was his birthday cake. Jimmy blinked. "Peeko—?!"