Chapter 1
1137 Words
Cyrus’ P.O.V
Nearly a millennium has passed, yet the memories of that fateful night remain vivid in my mind. The devastation that engulfed the land of Agnarr, slaughtering its people and my family, continues to haunt me.
What they refer to as “predestined” has proven to be nothing but a cruel curse.
What they once called brave warriors now lie in graves, their lives extinguished by their own hands.
“A Demon Hunter has become a monster in the end,” I muttered bitterly.
“What are you doing there, Uncle?” Jade, the son of my butler Roman, interrupted my thoughts.
“You even dare to call me Uncle? In your tone, I sound more like a friend… And don’t call me old, or else…” I replied, irritation creeping into my voice.
“What the hell! Old Uncle, you always sound like you’re from ancient times! Hello? It’s the 20th century!” Jade huffed, frowning in front of me.
How could I tell him that I truly come from those ancient times? That I’ve been alive for so long I’ve lost count? I stopped marking the years after my five-hundredth birthday.
“Leave… unless you want me to set you ablaze!”
“Uncle, I’m just kidding!” Jade rolled his eyes and stood up from the sofa, leaving my office with a pout.
At that moment, Roman entered. “Master, forgive my son… he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
“Teach him what he needs to know when he takes over your position as my butler. We both know you’re getting old, Roman. I want you to enjoy the rest of your life.”
Human life is too fleeting. In a blink, they leave me, claimed by death’s grasp.
At first, I felt sorrow whenever those who served me departed; I had come to see them as family. But now, all I feel is envy.
When I was human, I feared death, but after being granted eternal life, I longed for it. Ironically, death eludes me.
As a phoenix, my demise comes every hundred years, marked by a fiery rebirth from my own ashes.
Can I even call it death if I’m reborn in the same form, with all my memories intact?
“Master? Are you all right?” Roman’s voice broke through my reverie.
“Yes, just lost in thought,” I replied, taking a deep breath and leaning back in my chair.
“Do you have any news about the person I’m searching for?” I asked, but the sadness etched on his face told me he hadn’t found her yet.
“Are you sure that’s her face again? You’ve been searching for her for nearly nine hundred years, and we still can’t find her,” he said.
“I’m certain it’s still her face. Someone once spotted her, but I couldn’t find her alive. If she’s lived and died four times, I fear I’ll lose hope of ever becoming human again if she reincarnates for a fifth time. I must find her! I can’t endure this phoenix existence without a soul!” My voice was filled with desperation.
“I’ll inform you the moment we track her down,” Roman said before exiting my office.
I opened my drawer and pulled out the sketched portrait of that girl. “I will find you! I’ll reclaim what’s rightfully mine. You call it ‘saving me,’ but it led to the death of so many! When we meet again, you will pay for stealing my soul!”
“Talking to yourself again, Uncle?” Jade’s voice interrupted me once more as he reentered.
“Do you truly want me to incinerate you?” I snapped, tucking the picture back into the drawer.
“Relax, Uncle! Dad wants me to apologize to you… I’m sorry,” Jade said, forcing a sweet smile, but I could see through his facade.
“I know you too well. You wouldn’t bother if it weren’t for your precious allowance. Don’t worry, I’ll speak to your father about cutting off your credit card,” I teased.
“Uncle!” Jade frowned, inching closer.
To my surprise, he suddenly wrapped his arms around my arm, trying to soothe me.
I narrowed my eyes at him, my expression darkening. “Let go, or you’ll lose your allowance forever.”
“Okay… fine. I know you love me too much to do that,” he replied, pouring me a glass of wine.
I sighed deeply. “You’ll regret this when you learn the whole truth about your so-called uncle,” I thought.
“Yes, Jade. So study hard if you want to be my successor,” I added.
Jade’s playful nature irritated me, but he remained blissfully unaware of the truth.
He didn’t know we weren’t related at all.
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**END OF CYRUS’ P.O.V**
A phoenix is a creature that doesn’t belong to the realm of monsters. Its blood, red like that of mortals, flows through its veins.
Phoebe, the only true phoenix, is revered as a paragon in the spirit realm of deities, blessed with the power of immortality.
The original phoenix wields the gift of eternal life. In her human form, she walks among us, and when she transforms, her blazing wings shine as brightly as the stars.
If her heart remains pure, she could one day become a link to the gods, a goddess in her own right.
However, if she chooses humanity, she must claim the soul of her twin flame’s mate, allowing the blue flame to merge with her. When the red flame binds with her mate, he becomes the new phoenix.
On that night, the red flame intertwined with the blue, flowing through Cyrus’ body, marking his transformation into a phoenix with eternal life.
But eternal life comes with a dark price for those who are not the first phoenix.
If Cyrus reaches his one-thousandth year without becoming human, he will succumb to madness, becoming a volatile creature with no control over his powers—a being that will wreak havoc upon the living.
The phoenix’s fiery wrath will scorch the earth, leaving nothing in its wake.
That’s why Cyrus must find the woman who holds the twin flames of his soul. Only she can restore his humanity.
Unbeknownst to him, a dire curse looms over him, and time is running out.
When he finally discovers the truth, what will he do to survive the hell he now inhabits—and the lives of others?
Will he manage to find Phoebe, or will he descend into a wild creature after a millennium of existence?
What fate awaits them? Will he endure, or will his life be irrevocably shattered?
What kind of life does Phoebe lead now, with Cyrus’ cursed soul entwined within her?
- Writer
