Chapter 23 - The Phoenix Master

I was surrounded by a monster, but it wasn't just any monster... it was my mother. She was glaring at me.

"Nathan Evenhart!" she shouted.

I'm screwed. She used my full name...

I had already explained what happened and had even gotten my ear pulled a few times.

"You told me this thing was safe, Sifu!" my mother yelled.

Even my teacher was getting scolded...

Sifu tried to argue but lowered his head when he saw my mother's glare. I was in my room, where much of it was burned. The explosion had attracted everyone, even Carnellian.

A place full of trained assassins... of course, such a noise would put everyone on high alert.

"I thought of a million things when I came in here! I thought we were under attack and that you... you had died!" she said, pulling my ear again.

"I'm sorry. I swear I didn't do it on purpose."

My aunt had arrived and reassured the servants who had appeared holding spears, and now it was just us in the room.

It was basically me, my mother, Aunt Margie, Sifu, and... the phoenix I had named Cylla.

"Explain to us what happened, Sifu," Aunt Margaery said.

The old man looked at my mother.

"Go ahead," my mother said.

"Is it safe to have this thing in here or not?" my aunt asked.

Sifu looked at the phoenix lying on my bed and then at me.

"My words are the same. I stand by what I said. That phoenix will not harm him."

My mother and aunt looked around the room.

"Sifu, burning someone's room still doesn't seem safe to me," Aunt Margie said.

Sifu tried to gather his words and then started to laugh.

"My lady, something incredible has happened. The phoenix has evolved, and now... I am certain it will never leave and will always stay with the boy. It has chosen him as the 'Phoenix Master,'" he said, looking at me.

My aunt and mother looked at the sleeping phoenix and then at me.

"What do you mean by 'Phoenix Master'?" my mother asked.

"Remember when I mentioned the possibility of it evolving? Let's say that is the term we use for the phoenix's partner. The boy has been chosen by the bird to be eternal companions, and this affects the phoenix... such an animal wasn't meant to be domesticated. Even intelligent animals don't like being captured by humans... that's why there's a term my teachers described as 'Phoenix Master.' When an animal like this chooses a person, it's an act never seen before. It leads to a change in the phoenix itself for giving up its pride. Look at the Moon Panther that roams these halls..." he said.

My aunt and mother paused and recalled what I had told them.

"His ancestor named that Moon Panther 'Carnellian.' Does that have anything to do with it?" my aunt asked.

Sifu nodded.

“Exactly. If an animal like this accepts a name, it usually gives something in return to the person who named it. The ancient Evenhart ancestor made a pact to protect his heirs. For the boy, he became a 'Phoenix Master' when he earned the phoenix’s friendship, which she accepted by taking the name he gave her. Her size likely has to do with this. I didn't know a phoenix could grow so large, but now I understand. Perhaps to protect the one who earned its friendship, it accessed more power, including its growth into a giant. A Phoenix Master can even ride the phoenix and fly through the skies,” he said, pointing at the phoenix.

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“Holy crap…” my aunt muttered.

My mother shot her a look to stop swearing.

Everyone looked at me.

“So, if I was uncertain about the phoenix growing before, now I'm sure. Unfortunately, I don’t know what else changed about her beyond her size, since no one has ever studied a phoenix closely enough to know the extent of its powers,” he said, staring at the sleeping phoenix.

My mother sighed.

“So now this thing is really staying and won’t leave?” she asked.

“Exactly, my lady. Now she will stay with him forever. We’ll also need to decide on her diet. I’ll leave that decision to you, but the phoenix will indeed stay with us.”

My aunt looked at him.

“So she’s like Carnellian?” she asked.

“In terms of the protection agreement, yes, but in terms of power... she’s much more powerful and dangerous to young Nathan’s enemies.”

“So there’s nothing to worry about, Katie,” she said, reassuring my mother.

Aunt Margie looked at me and said, “Nathan, having the friendship of a magical animal is a great responsibility. You must be aware that you can’t use it for bad things. If it does harm, you’ll be just as responsible.”

“I won’t do anything bad… I just want to protect the people I care about. I won’t use Cylla for anything bad.”

“Like a true Evenhart should act: ‘Family united and enemies dead,’” she said to me.

My mother looked at me.

“If you don’t take proper care and teach this thing properly, you’ll see what I’ll do to you, Nathan Evenhart!” she said, pulling my ear.

“I-I-I won’t do anything bad,” I said, pulling my ear from her hand.

My aunt patted my ear.

“It’s okay, Katie. The scare is over… now we have another reason to celebrate. It’s the first time in a long while that an Evenhart has earned the friendship of a magical animal; we haven’t had anything like this since Carnellian. And it’s the same little person who brought home our first enchanted relic.”

In the end, my mother calmed down, and I was assigned to a new room since the one I was in had been destroyed.

SIFU:

Leaving the room, I headed towards my training area, trying to contain my joy and excitement. I had to control myself a lot these past few days. Ever since I saw that phoenix, I almost cried with emotion.

Countless nights were spent sharing stories around the campfire with my old masters and friends as we listened to tales of the legendary 'Phoenix Masters.' Now that Nathan has officially become her master, there are many things he will need to discover. Unfortunately, this brings a series of responsibilities and he must be cautious... he could end up attracting unwanted attention.

He and the phoenix will be in danger until she understands the extent of her powers. I don’t want anyone from the capital to learn of her existence. I know no one else on this continent, aside from me, understands her true potential. She is not just an animal that befriends emperors… she has the power to make someone an emperor. The Phoenix Master will control this gigantic legendary being and could dominate a country if he wished.

Luckily, this creature didn’t fall into the hands of the Human Empire. I don’t know how they knew about the existence of this bird, but if the Song Dynasty intended to use the phoenix… it would mean bad news for the people here… or any people in this world.

“Sifu!” a voice called from behind me.

I turned and saw Margaery.

“You and I both know what would have happened to the people of this kingdom if the Song Dynasty or the Theocracy controlled this bird,” Lady Margaery said.

This woman is sharp… you can’t say anything to her without her thinking miles ahead.

“You would have been annihilated if the Song Dynasty had gotten hold of the phoenix,” I said.

She sighed and closed the door behind her.

“How long would it take for them to decide to come and destroy this kingdom if they had captured the phoenix?”

I tried to think.

“I can’t say. The growth of this bird is as you saw. It was small yesterday and today it’s the size of an adult hawk, but its real power would take a long time to access. But remember, the Song Dynasty thinks in the long term. Even if it took 500 years for the phoenix to grow to a feared size… they would wait patiently.”

She returned to her serious queenly demeanor.

“We can’t let anyone take this creature from him. It’s too risky to trust our fate to others.”

“Are you referring to the kingdom? If you’re talking about that… don’t let the official who comes see him with the bird. The people of this continent don’t know what a phoenix can do, but that doesn’t change the fact that they would want its power for themselves,” I said.

“What will happen if they discover that bird can grow huge?”

“The obvious, they will come to our door and demand we hand over the bird.”

She laughed.

“Let them try…” she said.

“Don’t worry, as long as the information about the true size of the phoenix remains hidden, they will never know the danger they face.”

“What danger?” she asked.

“The danger of angering you and having their entire capital turn to ashes,” I said, laughing and leaving her there.

“Sifu!” she called after me.

“I know, Lady Margaery, you Evenharts preach peace and harmony with nature. I know you would never do such a thing. The problem will only arise if the King and his family learn of the phoenix’s eventual size. That’s why we need to keep the phoenix hidden until Nathan and Cylla are ready to defend themselves if something happens.”

She sighed.

“My work just keeps increasing…” she said.

“He is your nephew and your daughter’s fiancé, good luck solving his problems,” I said, laughing as I walked away.

Young Nathan, my old masters told me that earning the friendship of a phoenix would bring a change to the world… what change will you bring?