Myth Series 1: Twin Flames Of The Phoenix

Chapter 5

As the sky wept, Val continued to fight while waiting for someone to help her.

She was panting from the exhaustion of evading the Vodyanoy's attacks—terrified of being injured, even from a mere hit.

"Just give up!!" he screamed, prompting her to attack, vowing that she would never surrender.

She dodged swiftly when he swung his baseball bat at her.

She never imagined that this was what she would face tonight. Had she known from the very start that she would confront a human monster, she would have likely backed off immediately.

She was exhausted from fighting back time and again. She didn’t know how much longer she could last. He was too strong—her three years of combat training felt useless here.

"If I just had the courage to kill, I would. But I can't—I don’t want to commit any more sins," she thought.

Gunshots rang out, and she couldn’t blink at the speed of the incident. She staggered back when she saw Vodyanoy's body lying on the road, and Jae appeared behind it, holding a gun.

"You should have shot him earlier, Val!!" Jae shouted at her, but before he could get close, the Vodyanoy rose again... and at that moment, it fully revealed its true form.

It was more than double its original size, its skin wrinkled as if soaked in water, resembling a frog. Its eyes were large, and it had a wide mouth like that of a frog.

She covered her ears when the Vodyanoy suddenly screamed in anger. In the blink of an eye, Jae's body fell to the cold pavement, his blood spreading and mixing with the rainwater.

"Jae!!" Val screamed in grief as the entire area suddenly lit up, bright as the sun, blinding any mortal who caught sight of it at that moment.

Perhaps due to the fear the Vodyanoy felt and the wonder of the inexplicable scene, it suddenly fled.

That light came from Val. In her anger, she could no longer control her emotions—the power from the flame she held erupted... it was from the twin flame of the phoenix.

Val's POV

As I live this way, I am forced to fight to escape the curse that has clung to my soul since before I was born.

I don’t want to be like this, constantly running into danger and now slowly losing my way.

"How long will I endure this pain before we are destined to meet? How long will I suffer in this life, Ava?" I said, kneeling under the tree where my twin lost her life.

"I just lost my best friend; her death was unjust. What kind of person am I!? Can I even be called a person? Why do they want me so badly? What was the life we had back then?" I poured out the grief and sadness I felt under that tree. Every time I was there, I felt like I was talking to my sister. Even in the darkness, I couldn’t stand up; I didn’t have the strength to move from where I stood.

"Why do all the people I come close to die? Because of me! Because I’m a plague? There’s nothing left of me! They took you all from me!— I can’t handle it if Devi is also gone," I uttered painfully. "I would rather die than be left alone while my conscience haunts me for the loss of all of you!"

I immediately stood up when my hand suddenly trembled. This was a sign that danger was nearby again.

"Sister?" I turned around when someone called me.

"Devi?! What are you doing here?" I asked, instantly feeling fear for my sister's safety. "You have to leave without me!! Run!!" I screamed as my left hand shook even more, a sign that danger was getting closer. The reincarnated human monster was coming to kill me!... To kill us.

"Ate Val, I can't stay with Papa’s family anymore. Please, I can’t wait any longer!!" Devi said.

I became more alert as I felt a heavy presence; it was dangerous if Devi didn’t leave immediately.

"They are here!! We have to run—you have to run without me!!" I grabbed Devi by the arm to lead her away from that place, but suddenly, she clutched her head and cried out in pain.

"Devi? Are you okay?? Hurry up!! We have to leave!" I begged her, but she remained in that position for several minutes, unable to stand.

I immediately took the knife from my bag and looked around.

"You led them to us," Devi suddenly stated.

"You’re the reason they got killed... all of them!"

I was stunned by Devi's words. "Devi, what are you talking about?"

"I accidentally saw everything when you grabbed me, so don't pretend you don’t know what I mean," Devi added.

"This isn’t the right time to talk; we have to run." I was about to touch her, but she refused.

"Don’t touch me." There was bitterness in Devi's voice.

I couldn’t bear to hear it from her; I hadn’t expected it to hurt this much... but she was right, it was all my fault. I didn’t tell her because I knew it would hurt her... and it would hurt me if she hated me... I can’t lose her; she’s all I have.

"I’ll explain everything later; we have to leave, Devi!" I cried out in plea. My hand never stopped shaking; at any moment, they could track us down... or maybe they were just around, waiting for an opportunity to take our lives.

"Devi!!!" I shouted authoritatively. "Please! Do as I say!"

My heart pounded against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of the night. Devi’s words hung in the air, heavy and accusatory. She was right; I hadn't told her the truth, hadn't shared the burden of this curse, this legacy of violence that clung to me like a shroud. I’d shielded her, convinced it was the best way to protect her, but in doing so, I'd driven a wedge between us.

The air crackled with an unseen energy, a palpable sense of dread that tightened my throat. I could feel their presence, the hunters, closing in. They were relentless, drawn to me like moths to a flame. Or perhaps, more accurately, like sharks to blood.

"Devi," I whispered, my voice barely audible above the drumming rain, "Listen to me. We need to run, now. I'll explain everything later, I promise. But right now, survival is all that matters."

I tried to pull her to her feet, but she remained rooted to the spot, her eyes wide and unseeing. The pain in her gaze was a physical blow, a wound deeper than any blade could inflict. She was hurt, betrayed, and rightfully so.

Suddenly, a guttural roar ripped through the night, closer than before. The ground trembled beneath our feet. It was him, the Vodyanoy, and he was enraged. He could smell our fear, our vulnerability.

I didn't hesitate. I grabbed Devi's hand, my grip tight, desperate. "Come on!" I yelled, pulling her towards the dense undergrowth bordering the alleyway. We stumbled through the mud and debris, the rain plastering my hair to my face, blurring my vision. The roar followed us, a monstrous echo in the darkness.

We ran blindly, adrenaline pumping through my veins, fueled by primal fear and a fierce protectiveness for my sister. I didn't know where we were going, only that we had to keep moving, to escape the relentless pursuit of the creature. The forest loomed before us, a dark and unforgiving refuge.

We plunged into the shadows, the trees a chaotic maze of branches and leaves. The Vodyanoy's roars were still audible, but they were becoming fainter, more distant. We were losing him, but I knew it wouldn't last. He was relentless, and he would find us again.

We stopped, gasping for breath, huddled together under the dripping leaves of a giant oak. The rain continued to fall, a relentless torrent that mirrored the storm raging within me. Devi was silent, her face pale and drawn. She hadn't resisted my pull, hadn't fought against my desperate attempt to save her. But the trust, the bond that had once been so strong, was fractured, broken.

I knew I had to explain everything, to lay bare the truth of my cursed existence, the burden I'd carried for a thousand years. I had to earn back her trust, to mend the rift that had opened between us. But first, we had to survive. We had to escape.

The silence was punctuated only by the relentless drumming of the rain and the distant, fading roars of the Vodyanoy. The forest held its breath, waiting. And so did we.

Meanwhile, Jae lay bleeding on the rain-slicked pavement, his eyes staring blankly at the stormy sky. The Vodyanoy's attack had been swift and brutal, a savage display of power that left him no chance to fight back. His last thought was of Val, a flicker of concern for her safety before darkness claimed him. His death, however, was not in vain. Val’s outburst of power, fueled by grief and rage, had momentarily stunned the creature, giving them a precious window of escape. The cost, though, was high.