It has been a month since the success of my new body. Countless hours of research and training both mind and spirit to get here. I'm forever indebted to Xane for his help with my soul extraction. Turns out he is more resourceful and knowledgeable than we give him credit for. But I do worry about my sister, Kojo. We were two different souls born in the same body. She was so energetic and bubbly contrasted to my politeness and poise. Kojo was always the dominant one. Always speaking the most, always getting the both of us in trouble. But she never dismissed me. After all, we were Andromeda Tonkotsu.

But as we got older, our profound magical talents created a fork in our future. Kojo, wanted to adventure and see what the world has to offer while I wished to visit the Great Libraries of Zambrios. The irony is too great with Kojo being the plant side of our magic with me being the cloud side. Cloud dragons were notorious for their insatiable desire to travel, however I was more like the forest dragons who took root and cultivated their sacred groves. But in the end, the experiment was a success and with no major draw backs of note. Now, there is one last thing to do.

---

Dear Mr. Tonkotsu,

Good day! I hope you are doing well! I am a soon to be professor at the Cloud Kingdom University and would like to personally invite you to our campus for an interview. We have made great strides in our studies of the history of Megiddo and would like to share the fruits of our labor. Speaking of fruits, there will be plenty of pineapples.

Sincerely,
An aspiring scholar

---

The message was sent, and I spent the next few days preparing myself for this encounter. Would he recognize me? Should I give it more time? Will he truly acknowledge me? And there he was, big, blue, and bulky. The air was crisp with the cracking if electricity. His magnificence was too great. One could feel the power and the magnitude of this behemoth's presence.

For the first time, I felt an overwhelming anxiety in my new body. My palms drenched, my skin clammy, heart racing. Who even was this man before me anymore?

EXCUSE ME!

-The big, blue, beast perks up to see a nervous man before him. He smiles and places his boulder fists on his hips. He spoke in a booming and hearty voice-

"You must be the one who invited me. Quite the place you got here. Easy travel with the clouds and all. So? What's going on here. Have questions about Megiddo?"

I-I...ummm...y-yes! We here at the University-... Universe...i...ty...

-The poor man froze failing to keep himself together. His breath became uneasy. He felt he could faint at any moment. It was too much. He wasn't ready. Before the man could react, he would feel a warm, calming, muscular embrace. His eyes widen as the behemoth spoke-

"I don't know how you did it, but I am so proud of you Kumo. This body reminds me so much of your mother, Xansida. This must be so much for you right now. Touching me for the first time on your own. I have always felt you. As inseparable you and Kojo were, I always saw you for you Kumo. I love you. And it brings me so much joy to finally hug you, my son."

-Azune perks up and pulls away quickly with an embarrassed look-

"Oh, sorry! Uhh...do...do you identify as a man? I mean with you being part of Andromeda, I don't really....uhh..heh heh..."

-And in that moment, the son breaks down and smoothers himself into his father's massive chest. Azune huffs holding his son again. The tears began to flow as the father chuckles in the embrace. Finally, he was able to speak-

Sniff...oh man...sniff. I love you too, father. Guh-huh. Sniff. Um...no...I mean...yes! I am a man. Um...but uhh... since...umm... since I have a new body and can...be my own person now...

"Yes?"

C-Could I...umm... may I have my own name? I-I know you named me Kumo to separate me from Kojo...but...

"Its okay. I can call you whatever you like. You're my son. Hm hm hmmmm~! Wow. Gotta get use to that."

W-well. I was thinking... something...uh-... like...

"Azune? Haha! Well, I kind of did it with Azula. But I'm not sure what a good-..."

AZUNO! Uh...Az-Azuno. Like... using Kumo? Umm...

-Azune gives a quizzical look as his son begins to curl up. They sigh and shake their head trying to hide their blush-

I'm sorry. It is foolish.

"No...its perfect. I'm just... I'm just now letting it sink in that I truly have been blessed with everything and then some. A beautiful wife. Strong daughters. And now, a son. Gosh, you remind me of...well me! Man... the hoops you had to jump through to make this happen."

I could tell you about it. Maybe over pineapples?

"Sure. We have a lot of farther and son bonding to catch up on. I'll try to stay awake when it comes to the science and magic stuff. Hm hm hmmmm~!"


Art by the reliable  ginkko