The Phoenix King

Whatever It Takes

Halfway up I was starting to lose my breath. I don't think it was just the high elevation but also the fact I started running and now I was too tired I was barely walking. Selene, on the other hand, looked like she had enough energy to pick the mountain up. That was a little annoying.

"You're overthinking it," she said.

"Huh," I said.

"Your thinking too much about your destination and what it's taking to get there. Just walk," she said.

"Okay," I said but I wasn't too sure what she meant. She took my hand in hers and took the lead. She started to sing a song in a language I didn't understand or recognize. Her voice was soft and sweet. The melody was gentle and calming.

"The song, It's very pretty," I told her.

"You told me once your mother used to sing it to you as a child," she said. I was shocked but then it hit me. If I did have another life I also had another family. My parents were nice people and they were always there for me. Now I have two sets of parents.

"Did you know my parents?" I asked her.

"No, they died before I met you," she said. "But you did tell me stories of them, they did seem like incredible rulers." I forgot that part too. They were King and Queen before I was.

"Did you know me as a kid or," I asked her.

"No, I met you when you were in your fifth life," she said.

"Huh," I said.

"You're a phoenix king and if you die you just come back to life. So when you were in your fifth life after dying four times I met you," she said. "It's strange though, you never come back as a child you just come back at the age you were when you got the phoenix spirit in the first place. So the fact that this time you started off as a child is rare."

"Oh, so I've lived for a long time," I said.

"Yes, it's been a lot. Our people do not grow old fast and it takes a while for us to age. The more powerful your spirit the longer it takes for you to age but if our spirit dies then we die with it. Unlike you that can live for all eternity if you choose so," she explained.

"I must have been lonely," I said.

"Yes, you told me you were until you met me," she said softly. She looked away from me but I wanted to see her face. I turned her head to look back at me. She grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes. "One year on your planet is 3 in ours." Her words hit me like a truck. I held her tight and I felt her body relax in my embrace. I looked into her eyes again and felt the urge build deep in my bones. I kissed her deeply and passionately. Her lips were so soft and tasted like the sweetest fruit you could imagine.

"I can't imagine how lonely you have been," I said as I pulled away from her sweet lips. She looked hurt but took a deep breath.

"I never gave up and I knew I would find you," she said. I took her hands and ran back up towards the tip of the mountain. She was giggling and I was smiling from ear to ear. Everything she tells me might scare me in some way but her words are much more than just words. She has been looking for me for over fifty years and I can never undo that. After some hours we finally reached the top. I was shocked to see a tent and some supplies.

"You already came here," I said.

"Yes, I need to find the best place for you to train," she said. I was impressed.

"So now what?" I asked.

"You must focus. First, we will start with the easiest spirit to bring forward. Sit on that rock and close your eyes," she said. "Let's the air around you become a part of you. Feel it on your skin and move it at your will." I think it was easier said than done. Being up this high I could feel the air all around me but how do I move it to my will. It's air, it does what it wants. I kept my eyes closed but I couldn't focus. I couldn't move anything.

"Axel, concentrate," Selene said. I then felt this blast of wind push me off the rock I was sitting on. I opened my eyes and Selene had a gust of wind wrapped around her hand. She hit me again and I almost tripped. I looked into her eyes and she was dead serious.

"When I leave you will be defenseless, now feel your power and fight me," she said. That was going to be even hard then try to move air with my mind.

"No!" I shouted. She then jumped to the edge of a cliff. "What are you doing?"

"Catch me," she replied.

"No, don't please, I can't." I pleaded with her. She moved closer to the edge and almost let her self go but I shouted louder. "STOP!" She looked at me and her eyes were shining more brilliantly. She let her self drop. I ran to the cliff and shouted. "Selene!" I felt the air around me whoosh past me and I stopped Selene from falling. She laid in mid-air as if there were an invisible barrier. My heart was racing and I was sweating a lot. She looked at me with approval and then just stood where she was and jumped back on the mountain.

"Are you crazy," I snapped at her.

"You did it," she said happily. I fell to my knees and was grateful she didn't die. "I'm fine and you learned to summon your air spirit." 

"I don't get it," I said.

"You didn't want me to die and you wanted to protect me," she said. "Your powers will come forward when you need them the most but I need you to be prepared to handle their full strength." We practiced some more and I kind of got the hang of my air spirit. I moved things, I used it to pick up huge rocks and even figured out how to hold air in the palm of my hands. I saw the look in Selene's eyes as she saw me handle my powers. She was proud and happy I was getting the hang of it but she also looked worried at times. I knew that I would do whatever it takes to learn each of my powers and become strong. If that is the only thing I can do. After a few more hours of learning my air spirit and controlling it. Selene took me to the other side of the mountain and there was a waterfall.

"Sit and concentrate," she said.

"That s**t is cold," I complained.

"Stop whining and sit," she said aggressively. "Concentrate and make the water not cold anymore. Oh, and take off your shirt." I was self-conscious about my body but I knew I could be in better shape. I had a flat stomach and average muscle definition. Hunter was always trying to get a six-pack. He had like two. I took my shirt off and sat on a rock that was being hit by the water from the falls. It was cold as blocks of ice. It hurt as it hit my skin but I sat and tried to stay focused.

"Whatever it takes," I said as I began to shiver.