The Phoenix's Maiden

New Journey

Amber’s Point of View

This time we are going towards the castle on foot because unlike the first time that we are just going for this place to meet... her... we are on a carriage and it seems like that there is no king of long-range communication that can reach them back at the castle.

If we use the birds to send a message towards them it will take us days to wait for the reply, so I thought that those time that I will use for waiting might as well use it to travel back towards the castle, and walking around this country might lead me to something useful that I can use to fight the underworld.

Unlike the first time that I travel for the first time in this world, I am completely defenseless and I don’t have any idea about the aura thing and how to use it and use that for battle but now, every hostile creature that will attempt to harm me will have to think their life decisions first.

Now that I am no longer the fragile Amber the first time I came here, I will no longer hesitate to kill. I will make them regret their actions. I will make sure of that. I will use my fire to torment them, because before they reach hell, I will give them a taste of how it feels like being there.

We are now starting our journey and we are pretty much far away from the cave, I turned around to take my last glimpse of this place. I closed my eyes and for the time that I lived in that place, all the memories flashed back just like in front of me.

The last tear falls down through my cheeks and I promised myself that this is the last time that I will shed my tears. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for a long journey. This will be tiresome for sure but this will be worth it. I can feel it.

Exploration, training, and experience.

After that I looked straight, and saw the three waiting for me. All of them are looking at me but I stand proud, I am not that old Amber anymore easily embarrassed by small things anymore. I walked towards them to resume our journey.

“You said your last good byes?” Pyro asked me with his deep voice while in his cute fireball form, definitely not cute at all. That voice is more suited in a more daddy like figure. Well, whatever.

“Yes,” I answered his question cheaply.

“You really sure about this Amber?” and for the countless times, she asked me this question worried and Kamandag transformed into her snake form trying to conserve energy. Just like old days she hid in my neck using my long hair to block the sunlight. I’ve been longing for this moment. So, I let her even she does not ask for my consent because she knows that I will gladly accept her.

I felt that she rested on my neck and she rested on my shoulder as we continue our journey. Going on through this place reminds me of the horror on what happened. Countless corpses, death is everywhere, it clearly depicts the true nature of the underworld. Wherever they go death seems to follow and, in their wake, they will make sure that they will leave this kind of brutality behind them.

“I did not expect that my creatures will be this many,” Pyro remarked and I sensed the sadness in his eyes while looking at their corpses. He is a guardian. He protected these creatures for years and they died for his cause. That feels bad.

“That is why we will seek revenge,” I told him. “For all what they have done to us that day, all that is left we will come for them to collect the debt that they left behind,” I added and I felt multiple eyes are on me right now. I first saw Arthur looking at me so surprised, and the other two but I can tell that they have the same reaction as Arthur’s. Well, this is the first time that they met the new Amber.

“That’s unprecedented,” Arthur remarked and we continue on walking.

“But I want to tell you, maiden of the phoenix,” Pyro said and I pay attention to him as we walk. “Don’t indulge yourself in vengeance too much,” he said. “No matter how sweet, no matter how satisfying always remember that being blinded by anger will lead to catastrophic events that will break you even more,” he warned me.

“I know,” I said cheaply, I don’t have a reply for that speech that he gave me. I have no idea what he is telling me but okay... I’ll take that in mind, but my path for vengeance, I will still follow that path. I will control myself and will not let anger take over my mind completely.

“Hey,” Kamandag called. “How long until we reach the castle?” she asked, I don’t know the answer to her question so I remained quiet and continue on walking.

“About one and a half days,” he answered her question. Technically, I can say that this journey will last for two days, because I am taking in account the rest and breaks that we are taking in this journey. That’s obvious because we will not keep walking even, we feel sleepy and tired.

“Flying, how long?” she asked again.

“One day?” he answered unsurely and it seems like that he did not still experience flying as a means of transportation on reaching the castle.

“I need to rest more,” she said before making herself comfortable again. The heat did not bother me as much back in the human world, because unlike there, this place has so many trees that offers their shade and cool air.

So hours of walking? No problem. Back then, just a couple of meters of walking will get me exhausted quickly because of the intense heat back in that world. That’s why I always work on night shifts, because walking home while the sun is still not in its peak, is a safe haven for me and I can take my time walking.

Now breathing sure feels comfortable as I know that I am breathing fresh air. I inhaled deeply, and that refreshed my lungs. This is how it feels being in a healthy place. I enjoyed my time sight-seeing, observing new creatures from afar that I cannot identify. Observing plants that I have never seen before. Everything is new.

In the carriage I can only see a glimpse of everything, that is why I insisted on us to walk back to the castle, because this is the main reason. My personality might change in a greater scale but there is one thing that will not change inside me, it’s my enthusiasm towards this kind of things.

I will not get tired just by watching them. Actually, I can stare at them for hours without getting tired. I feel like a scientist right now, out for a field test. I don’t know their behaviors their way of living, I want to know it all, but sadly I don’t have much that time to do a detailed observation.

What amazed me is how the animals here have appearances that are new into my eyes.

Technically not that new because I saw them in books, movies, or any fantasy media, but now I am seeing them in front of my eyes. Back then all I can use is my imagination to give them life but now, they have their own life, living their lives the way how it is supposed to be.

“Hey,” Arthur called me and I noticed that he is very far away from me. “If you want to reach the castle quickly, don’t get distracted,” he reminded me on why I insisted that we should leave immediately.

I am sorry creatures, but I have much more greater responsibilities now, all I can do is to glorify the great one’s creation. Now thinking of it, back in the human world we refer to him as god, but here he is called as the great one. The creator of all things.

What does a god mean anyway?

I know that real gods don’t die but when Amaterasu was killed that made me question a lot of things, I don’t what is a god anymore. But now, I will create new terms, the true god, which is the great one because he is the one and only true god, and false gods, just like Amaterasu.

I am starting to define the false gods as powerful creatures that has command on a certain type of thing. I remembered when someone told me that the great one blessed clans and creatures in this realm, maybe that is when false gods are created, giving them blessings coming directly from him to power them up.

Now her head is clear. She will refer to them as false gods from now on but the enemies are still labeled as demons, because they are really are demons. Nothing can change my mind because they are all alike. Devils.

Speaking of devils, the kings mentioned that Satan was sealed. So, a question rises... where he is right now? Where is his prison? Maybe Cain is trying to get him free once again and cause chaos to this country.

Then a cold breeze was blown by the skies that made me snap out of my thoughts. I think I should calm down and relax.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-