Chapter 2
1133 Words
CASSIUS' POV
It's almost been a millennium, but the memories of that night remain vivid in my mind. The devastation that engulfed the entire land of Alba, slaughtering its people and my family... it still haunts me to this day.
What they called "The Chosen One" was, in truth, a curse.
For the so-called valiant warrior turned out to be the one who would end many lives.
"A Demon Hunter became a monster in the end," I say bitterly.
"What are you sulking about now, Uncle?" Jade, the daughter of my butler Roman, pipes up.
"You called me Uncle... the tone of your voice makes it sound like I'm just a friend," I respond with a hint of annoyance.
"What the F! Uncle. Don’t be so dramatic. You sound like you’re from ancient times!" Jade pouts, crossing her arms in front of me.
How do I explain to her that I actually hail from ancient times and that I have lived for nine hundred and ninety-nine years? "Get out of my sight if you don't want me to scold you?!"
"Uncle, can't you take a joke!" Jade stands up from the sofa, her frown deepening as she leaves my office.
My butler, Roman, enters. "Master, please forgive my daughter... she doesn't know what she's doing."
"Start teaching her the things she needs to know for when she takes over as my butler. We both know you’re getting older; I want you to make the most of the time you have left," I say.
A human's life is incredibly short. I spend only a brief time with them before death claims them.
In the beginning, I felt deep sadness whenever those I served left me, as I considered them family... but now, I feel envy.
I was once afraid of death, but now that I've been granted eternal life... it seems so tempting to embrace death... yet it’s the very thing that eludes me.
As a phoenix, my death comes every hundred years when my body ignites in flames… only to be reborn from my own ashes.
Can I even call that death if I am constantly reborn into the same form, carrying all my memories from my long life?
"Master? Are you alright? You've been staring off into space for a while," Roman asks.
"Yeah, just thinking," I reply with a deep sigh, leaning back in my chair.
"Do you have any news about the person I'm looking for?" I ask Roman, but judging by his somber expression, it seems he hasn’t found the woman yet.
"Are you sure it’s really her face? You’ve been searching for her for nearly nine hundred years, and we still can’t find her," he says.
"I’m certain it’s still her face. Someone once recognized that woman, but I couldn’t find her alive. If she has lived and died four times, I have no hope of seeing her as a human again. Therefore, I must find her... I don’t want to live as a phoenix without a soul! I have to find her!" I say firmly.
"I’ll let you know when we track her down," Roman replies before leaving my office.
I open my drawer and take out the sketched image of that woman. "I will find you! I will reclaim what should have been mine. I don’t want you to have done this to me. What you call saving me has caused the deaths of many!... When we meet again, you will pay!—thief of my soul!"
"Are you talking to yourself again, Uncle?!" It’s Jade, now ready to annoy me again.
"You really want to be scolded?" I reply, putting the picture back in the drawer.
"Relax, Uncle! Dad wants me to apologize to you... I’m sorry, Uncle," Jade says with a sweet smile, but I know she’s just pretending, that mischievous daughter of Roman.
"I know you; you wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t for your beloved credit card. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take it back from your dad," I tease.
"Uncle!" She pouts even more and approaches me. To my surprise, she suddenly hugs my arm and starts to act sweet.
My expression darkens. "Let go of me if you don’t want to lose your allowance."
"Oh come on, Uncle, I know you love me so much that you wouldn’t do that," she says, pouring me a drink. I let out a deep sigh because of her antics.
"You will regret this when you find out the whole truth about what your so-called uncle has done," I think.
"Yes, I can, Jade. So behave and study hard if you want to be my successor," I add. Jade is oblivious to my true nature. She doesn’t even know that we’re not related by blood.
The phoenix is a being not of the monsters. It has red blood like mortals.
Amaya is the only phoenix and is called a paragon in the spirit realm of deities. She was blessed with the power of the Phoenix (Immortality).
The original phoenix possesses the power of eternal life. Her form can resemble that of a human, and when she transforms into a phoenix, she shines like a star because of the fire emanating from her blazing wings.
She can belong to the gods if the phoenix's heart remains pure until she meets the twin of her red flame.
Once she takes the blue flame, she will become a deity.
BUT! This process is only valid for the first and original phoenix.
If the phoenix chooses to become human, she must take the soul of the person holding the mate of her flame, and the blue fire will enter her body.
When the red flame transfers to her mate, he will become the new phoenix.
That night, the red flame twinned with the blue and flowed through Cassius' body.
He became a phoenix with eternal life.
However, being eternally alive also has a dark side for those who are not the first phoenix.
On his one-thousandth birthday, if he has not become human, he will lose control and become a dangerous creature, terrorizing the living.
That’s why Cassius must find the woman who holds the twin of his flame to reclaim his soul and become human again.
Cassius is unaware of this curse... he has no idea that his time is running out.
When did he learn about this? What will he do to escape the real hell of his life?
Will he be able to find Amaya, or will he become a wild creature after living for 1000 years?
What kind of FATE is destined for them? Will he survive, or will his life be completely destroyed?
What kind of life does Amaya have now... now that the cursed soul of Cassius resides in her body?
- Writer
