"That was the patriarch?!" Someone said. "Its been a hundred years since he last spoke openly when he took the position when the old patriarch moved to Caricoun."

"Something unprecedented did happen, though", another added in.

What was agitated screeching before was now civil discussion. Kaden had not expected to gain such direct attention, but he guessed it was understandable.

"Who is this Kranor?" Kaden decided to ask.

Coorok gave a look at Kaden. "He is Anuu's husband", he replied. "Once he learned of Anuu's death he went insane and we confined him in his home until his rage is spent. Last few years he has been rather calm, but suffers no disruptions to his brooding. We expect him to fly out and have vengeance as soon as we let him out. We don't want to lose another of our strongest. I believe you understand the idea of rage pretty well."

Indeed, vengeance. Kaden wondered whether this Kranor had started to use it himself too. It seemed the patriarch of the phoenix clan had certain sense of humor. Toss two vengeful lunatics into same room and see what happens.

"And I will have to convince him to not kill me", Kaden said. It wasn't question. Merely understanding what task awaited him. "Considering he can kill me about as fast as I can blink my eyes."

"Indeed", Coorok said and then he looked around. "Patriarch has spoken. Show this child to Kranor's house."

"I will do it", Echee said.

Kaden got quite few odd looks from Echee as he followed him deeper into the phoenix clan's grounds. It seemed the stronger phoenixes lived closer to the volcano.

The building was one of the more larger ones. It seemed to have been rather opulent at some point. It was surrounded by formations. Everything inside was trashed. Fragments of rare materials were simply in pieces all over. Everything inside was charred black. It looked to Kaden that something, that being Kranor, had likely tried to get through the formations at some point, but had failed.

"Take this", Echee said and tossed Kaden something. "Its a single use key that Coorok told me to give you. It lets you in, but not out. Someone will check in few days and let you out ... if you still live."

Echee stood there and watched and did so until Kaden touched the formation which suddenly became passable when the key triggered. Kaden sighed and stepped in.

Kaden watched Echee fly away. He doubted he would have considered passing the test, if he merely stood outside the entire time, if Kranor happened to be sleeping or didn't care what happened just outside. Therefore he walked forward towards the trashed building.

Once he reached the doorway leading inside, he could see marks of talons tearing into the walls. One has to mention all of these buildings were made from tough materials and enhanced with formations. Kaden doubted he could leave any marks, if he tried.

Kaden could feel a presure inside. Like boiling pot of rage that had not been allowed to release.

*SREEECH!*

Before Kaden could even see source of the ear piercing screech, enormous amount of mana blasted against him. It was just release of force. Yet, it was enough to easily pick Kaden from the floor and slam him against the wall on opposite side. Kaden felt his many of his bones shatter.

Yet, he was still alive. The broken bones didn't seem to have caused any extra damage, but as far as Kaden was concerned, he was basically unable to move. Healing all that would also take time.

The attacker was obviously Kranor and Kaden was no completely at his mercy.

"WHO DID THEY SEND THIS TIME!!" A voice roared.

Kaden could see a very large phoenix leap at him, but luckily not to kill. At least not yet.

"A child?" Kranor said. Then he roared again. "A CHILD! A PATHETIC CHILD! ARE THEY MOCKING ME! THEY DARE MOCK ME!"

Kaden watched Kranor raise his talons to probably strike, but then he stopped.

"... this? Not right", Kranor mumbled to himself. "No... no point killing a child. I don't have children. My dear Anuu. Should I accept this? Why I'm doing this. .... .... ... There is something familiar with this child."

Kranor cast some spell. Kaden felt his body be filled with life mana. Most major wounds restored themselves, but it wasn't actually a healing spell. Just condensed life mana. Therefore not all wounds disapeared, but even after such significant damage, Kaden was only a bit roughed up. It was rather impressive. Kaden had not found a way to heal directly with life mana. Not that he had really even tried.

"Child", Kranor said. He was somehow already much more calm. It seemedh is rage came in bursts. "Why did those old bastards send you here. Was it to mock me? Yet, there is something familiar about you. Perhaps it wasn't just to mock. I don't even know why they would mock me. Could it be that they detest my weak mind. God didn't answer either ..."

Kranor mumbled to himself something for a while after that. Indeed, he was more or less mad. Then he stopped and looked again at Kaden, expecting an answer. Kaden wasn't going to rile him up again.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"It is relatively long story, but considering they aren't letting me out at least in a few days, there is time", Kaden said and stood up a bit shakily.

"Intent?" Kranor said. Then he looked at Kaden. "You were wounded even before coming here. Some human blessed mana stuck in your flesh?"

Kaden felt another surge of mana enter him. There was some pain in his neck. Like his flesh being torn apart. Then it went away and what was left was certain warm feeling.

"I won't come out right away, but I put my own mana in there to push it out", Kranor said. "Sorry I attacked you."

"Thank you", Kaden thanked Kranor. It was rare for him to thank anyone. Then he got to the point. "Anyway, I was sent here to see, if you would kill me or let me live. There are some matters regarding my background which caused this 'trial'. As for why I would matter to you. Years ago, I met Anuu just before she was about to perish."

Kranor roared, but didn't attack. It was more of mental pain. It seemed the two had been very close. Kaden wasn't sure of how different Cari species dealt with things like marriages or equivalent. Considering the difficulty of having children and their small numbers, phoenixes likely became very close companions. Anuu's loss had affected Kranor hard.

Kaden started to explain the story to Kranor. What had happened between him and Anuu. What he had promised her. Everything he knew.

"I accept you!" Kranor eventually interrupted Kaden. There was some kind of determination in the voice and much less rage. "My Anuu chose you in such a way. I will accept that! I don't care who you were before. You might not be a normal child, but in many ways Anuu was able to use put the birth flame to use and create a child just before she perished. I feel joy. She did not give up. Her work was not desecrated."

"I know only one of those two True Magi who attacked her", Kaden said. "A True Magus named Havil. He is a member of human sect named Heavenly Tower. They worship specifically Ronar also known as the Archiver. God of Knowledge. I hope to kill them one day and fulfill my promise."

"I know of him, I wanted to go tear him to shreds", Kranor replied. "The other one is named Korvin. There is another related sect with slightly different religious opinions."

"Korvin! I curse you to death", Kaden mumbled. He finally knew both of the True Magi. "Once I am strong enough, I promise to kill them. Or perhaps do you wish to do so yourself?"

"I will not hinder your promise to Anuu", Korvin replied.

Kaden pulled out vengeance and showed the screaming souls to Korvin.

"I made this for my own vengeance", Kaden explained. "I have no idea how it will work, if I were to use it on people who aren't part of my own vengeance, but someone else's who I promised. If it works, know that their souls will scream in pain until they cease to exist."

Kranor looked at the screaming souls for a moment.

"Don't let the rage break you", Kranor told Kaden. "I am out of control. My rage makes me weak rather than strong. Feed on it. Use it. Don't let it control you. Get past it." Then he was silent for a moment. "It is easier said than done. I have failed at it."

Kaden pondered the words for a moment. His vengeance was everything to him. If he was to review his actions, Kaden felt he was more aggressive in the past. These days he was more ... cold. Every action was acceptable. He cared about very little else. Was he still in control? Kaden decided it didn't matter. Whatever the answer was, he felt he was stronger as he was. He was not crazed like Kranor. He might have been in the past, but not anymore.

As some time passed, Kaden realized Kranor wasn't very talkative. He might have raged a bit, but once it passed, he merely lied in a corner silently. Instead, now that there was a chance to speak to someone directly who should know a many things and there was no need to hide many matters, Kaden wanted to talk.

After Kaden asked some questions regarding Cari and their society that he wanted to confirm, he found that Kranor would talk, if he asked. Its just that he didn't seem to be the one to start discussions.

"There is something I'd like to ask", Kaden started. This question might be a problem. "Yet, it is something that you might take personally and I have no desire to offend you."

"Speak", Kranor replied.

"What was Anuu doing where she was?" Kaden started. "She was making birth flames, but why did it require her to be where she was. I would also have assumed you would be around to aid in such task."

Kranor was quiet, but then sighed.

"We phoenixes are low in number", he started his explanation. "There exists many problems on the path of birthing children. The eggs, usually one or rarely two, must be laid first. Yet, they are not fertile yet. They require mana, very specific mana. They cannot hold that mana by themselves so the male will stay behind to feed them mana and make sure it stays in there. Locations also matters, this volcano being very good such place for example. This is a constant process. We cannot go with the female to aid."

Kaden understood the problem right away. Kranor had to stay behind at home to tend to the eggs. Kaden did not see them around. Once message of Anuu's death reached Kranor he probably gave up. Basically his future children were dead at that moment too.

"As for the birth flames", Kranor continued. "They require very specific mana too. It can technically be gathered safely anywhere, but it will take ages and will severely weaken the one attempting to do so. Hundreds of years of near constant work. While this the eggs must be also maintained. Birth flames cannot be made unless you have the mixture of mana of male and female joining during mating. So one cannot make the birth flames and only then produce eggs. Therefore other sources are usually searched ... which are nearly always, with exception of certain rare natural events, found in the No Man's Land."

No Man's Land was always weird. Kaden actually knew very little past the common knowledge.

"Do you know why it, or rather, they, exist?" Kranor continued. Kaden shook his head. "There is concept of everything. Even this world. One could say it is in many ways concept of this world. Living world. The mana amount is enormous and leaks from the great remnants at the polar regions. We phoenix are beings with affinity to life and we need that connection to the world and its life. The concept of living world. That is what must be gathered for birth flames. A neccessary part. Sometimes found in No Man's Land. Unfortunately they are rarely available and even worse where they appear seems to flip periodically." Kranor was quiet. "Perhaps I should have tried to convince Anuu to wait for a thousand years for it to flip towards southern pole from the northern. She wouldn't have needed to go so far and so close to humans. Perhaps we should have gone to seclusion and spent our own life and time to gather enough for birth flames...".

Kranor stopped talking. He merely continued to mumble to himself and Kaden left him to it. He had asked quite a loaded question, but he wanted to know these details. It was unlikely he would ever have his own children considering he wasn't sure, if that was even possible or, even if it was, was it something that should be attempted.

He was even more things he wished to discuss with Kranor, but he did not wish to press him. Kaden decided to wait for later. Besides, he still wanted to rest. Even with healing received from Kranor, he wasn't yet completely fine.

Indeed, resting was just fine. Since Kranor wasn't going to do anything, insides of the phoenix clan was probably one of the safest places he had ever been to.