The Phoenix King

Destiny

The planet of Callisto, located in the Terra galaxy was the biggest and most thriving planet. The planet just like its inhabitants was divided into three different climate zones. The vast deserts on the southern coast where most of the fire spirits came from. The ice lands in the north where most water spirits resided and the windy valleys where air spirits dwell. The planet was always at peace. The legend says the phoenix king was born the same day the planet formed. He brought peace and tranquility to the galaxy. Many tried to challenge him over the years but none ever matched his power and strength. Legend also says that whoever should kill the Phoenix King would be bestowed with the phoenix spirit. This is always proven to be a difficult task for when the phoenix king dies he is reborn. This ability is known to be infinite.

  About fifty years ago, the phoenix king was killed in battle. While his loyal servants, his betrothed and loyal men waited for his resurrection. The king suddenly went missing. They searched the entire planet, the entire galaxy, and no traces were found. The soon to be queen never gave up her search and spent long hours and days trying to piece together any clue to help her find her king. One day she found a small trace of his spirit in an unknown planet located on the other side of the universe. She journeyed there in hopes of returning the king and stopping the long war that started the day he vanished.

~

I use to have this dream. In this dream, there was this palace made of crystal on top of a hill. It had a dome and a tall tower. It was almost iridescent. I would dream about walking the grand halls and roaming through each room until I reached the throne room. The dark metal throne was tall and covered with carvings. There was a phoenix sitting at the top of the throne. It was marvelous to look at it but I never managed to be able to sit down. My dream would come to an end before I was able to. I preferred the dreams I would have about Selene. She was always smiling and happy to see me. She would hold out her hand waiting for me to grab it but again I would wake up before I could ever take hold. I thought they were just dreams but somehow I knew they felt real. These last couple of days felt so weird to me. I woke up knowing what I know now and seeing Selene in school every day was confusing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next but it didn't feel good.

 It was finally Friday. I knew Hunter and Sam thought it was strange to see the woman I have been painting in school. I knew they could sense I was keeping something from them but other then her being my secret girlfriend they had no clue about what was really going on. At lunch, Selene asked to speak to me so I met her at the back of the school by the football field. It was where we first met.

"Hello, Alex, I mean Axel," Selene said.

"Hey," I said back. She looked like a normal teenager but her face was far more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen. Today, she looked sad and disappointed. I wanted to ask what was wrong but I feared it was something I had done.

"How's it going, What did you want to talk about?" I asked her.

"I fear I am running out of time and I need to take you back to Callisto," she said. I looked confused and unsure of what to say.

"I, I can't just leave," I said.

"You don't belong here, you are not from this world," she said. "I know this is a lot to ask of you but you are a king and need to fight for your people."

"I am no king," I said softly. She sighed and turned her back on me. I didn't want to check to see if I had made her cry but I knew she was hurt by my words. "I am so sorry, I just can't."

"I found you so maybe your enemies will someday. You should be ready for that at least," she said tearfully.

I didn't say anything and she just walked away. Selene didn't attend any more of her classes that day. I didn't see her all weekend. I was distraught and worried I would never see Selene again. It was now Monday and I couldn't concentrate on anything but her. I spent my days working on my project and I drew her face more often than not. My inner self was screaming for her and I didn't know what to do. Hunter and Sam asked me about Selene's whereabouts but I just stay quiet when they asked. It was Friday now, a whole week had gone by. I was miserable and lost. I think I had found what I had been looking for and I let it go like a jack-ass. I slammed my locker shut in frustration. Suddenly, standing there was Selene.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"YOU! You're here, where?" I tried to ask but I was flustered to see her standing so close to me.

"It's time," she said.

"For what," I said.

"Your training," she replied. She was grinning and I was a bit scared.

"I can't just leave," I said. She rolled her eyes at me in anger.

"We are just going out of town, not into space. Stop being a child," she said. She grabbed my hand and led me to my car.

"Wait, Hunter and Sam," I said.

"There is no time, we must go now," she said. I didn't think twice and just drove. I had never been out of this small town before. I was excited and kind of looking forward to it. We drove for what seemed like hours. We finally stopped in the middle of nowhere. There was a huge mountain in the far. It was nice scenery.

"Alright, let's go," she said. I looked around and said.

"Where." She just pointed and I saw the tip of the mountain is where she was indicating.

"Are you crazy?" I asked her.

"You need to build stamina," she said. "Let's go." She easily took her steps towards the mountain.

"Is there a path up this thing," I said.

"You have to climb," she responded.

"NO! No way," I shouted.

"Well, you stay here and I'll see you in two days," she said as she jingled my keys in her finger. I sighed and followed her up to the mountain. As soon as we reached the mountain. I looked around and thought how in the world would I be able to climb this thing. She was still holding her smile and I began to try to grip the rock. I didn't want to look weak in front of her. I am sure she would climb this in no time. So I had to prove myself to Selene. I was a king, wasn't I? I climbed about an inch and then Selene began to laugh hysterically.

"There is a path, Axel," she said.

"What! Really?" I asked. She was still laughing but nodded. I got down and looked over to see the path in plain sight. I ran towards it and decided to leave her behind as punishment. She continued to laugh but ran after me. She was fast. I don't know what she had in store for me at the top of this mountain but I knew I need to do it. And so the journey to the top began.