She felt like she was drifting somewhere. Not being able to feel her own body, she understood that she was dead. Now that her soul was without a body, without any physical needs to attend to, she was finally able to relax. She didn't care what her destination was if there was to be any. The strain and the everlasting pain stopped and that was all she cared about at the moment. She let her thoughts drift freely. They came to her and she let them go, effortless.
Being in this trance she didn't feel sad or angry about her own demise, nor did she think about revenge, she was calm and let herself float wherever the current was taking her.
At some point, she felt a change. She stopped moving forward and instead was floating about the same area, swaying slowly back and forth. It was temperate and very comfortable. This didn't disturb her in the least and therefore she didn't mind it.
What is that? She thought as she felt something corporal beside her, reaching out towards it. Whatever it was, it had substance and reacted to her touch. It felt warm just as the liquid around her and it was somewhat soft. After a few touches, it reached out as well. It's alive. That means I'm alive too, but just where am I... Her thoughts didn't linger for long and soon her mind went back to its relaxed state, now feeling even more relaxed, knowing she wasn’t alone anymore.
The next time she was roused, it was by something pleasant. She didn't recognize what it was, but it felt immaterial and started to embrace her and her companion. This ethereal energy then tried to infiltrate and change them, but before it could do so, she had already subconsciously altered whatever it was supposed to do, before it entered her body and she fell asleep again.
She stirred once more when she felt another being coming close. The newcomer had an affectionate and peaceful aura. The energy it radiated seemed golden and friendly to her with no harmful intentions. Its aura also tried to enter them, but nothing inside her wanted to intervene and she let it happen without resistance.
Again she felt her mind getting heavier, but this time she tried to stay awake. The contact of the golden being made it harder and ever so harder to continue staying awake and at last, the dream world captured her once again.
When she woke up again, she felt once again a change in her environment. The first thing she realized was that the warm liquid was gone. Cold, she thought. It was replaced by air which felt cool on her skin when compared to the fluid it replaced. Her skin tingled uncomfortably from the new sensation. She wanted to know what happened.
She tried to open her eyes, but the light stung her eyes and she relented. She heard hushed voices, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. Everything was hazy and the only relief she felt was the warmth that gradually enveloped her. Slowly her eyes adjusted and when she opened her eyes she could make out the blurry shapes of multiple figures towering over her. They are so big. They were so tall that one of them was holding her wrapped in a soft towel. That’s where the warmth comes from. Knowing that there seemed no ill intent helped her to not panic.
She also heard a crying baby nearby. While her vision started to focus more she twisted towards the noise and saw a frowning man cradling a stirring bundle. It was obvious that this squirming bundle was the cause for the commotion.
Where am I? Looking around she noticed that she was in some sort of bedroom. The gray stone walls were adorned with tapestries of different colors and sizes. The floor was covered by multiple carpets and furs. There were even multiple wooden tables and chairs. Their woodwork was embellished with intricate designs and the chairs had pelts to make them more comfortable. She could even see an expensive and very comfortable looking couch in front of the fireplace. The bed that the one holding her was in appeared to be just as lucrative with all the pelts, cushions and blankets covering it.
Hearing a feminine voice she twisted again to focus on the face of the smiling woman holding her. What greeted her were light blue, laughing, but exhausted eyes and long, raven black hair which framed a blemishless face. Her white skin looked smooth to the touch and the former phoenix lifted her arm to try and touch it, but she couldn't reach that far. As a reaction, she heard a quiet laugh from the tired woman. This caused her hair to move in front of her face, revealing her pointed ears. An elf? She asked herself. Wait a moment… Does this mean I am an elven child? She contemplated her circumstances, but couldn’t come to any other conclusion.
A deeper voice interrupted her thoughts. It was the, probably elven, man holding what she thought to be her twin sister issuing an order if the tone was any indicator. One of the women around her apparent mother, probably their maids, responded and moved beside him holding out her hands in which the elf put the crying infant. When she leaned forward the woman exposed her round, human ears behind her shoulder-length, light brown hair. While the human woman started smiling and crooning at the baby, the elven man’s frown lifted as soon as the toddler left his arms. Then he looked at her, sighed and turned to leave the room murmuring something, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to it. Why would he be unhappy? Isn’t he our father? She contemplated. Another observation she made is that she didn’t understand their language. This could become problematic, she thought.
The maids visibly relaxed as soon as the door closed behind him. Their high held heads dropped a bit. Arms which have been pressed to their sides began to move again and their postures changed to a slightly more informal variant. One of them even started pacing in front of the bed. That got her a stern look from the one holding the now giggling twin. She also looked older than the other maids. Maybe she’s the head maid?
The remaining elf poked the former phoenix’s nose to get her attention. When their eyes met she said: “Artemis”. Is that supposed to be my name from now on? I think I might come to like it. She smiled at her mother. Next, she gestured for Artemis’ sister to be brought over. When the maid stood in front of her holding the baby in her direction, she put her hand on the baby’s stomach and waited until it also looked into her eyes. Then she said: “Diana”.
This gave new Artemis the opportunity to get a first look at her sister. Her bright blue eyes shone like a clear sky at noon and caught Artemis’ attention first and held it glued for some time. Diana seemed to notice her sister studying her and turned to her, showing a bright smile on her face. Artemis even thought she could see a hint of mirth in her sister’s eyes, but couldn’t be sure and just happily smiled in return.
Collecting her thoughts she started to ponder her circumstances. I died, of that I am sure, but I was reborn. Before, I was a phoenix, but now I am not. From what I can gather I am an elf, but I can’t understand the language, which might become problematic, but no one would expect that of a newborn anyway. I’ll be taught naturally as I grow up...
Lost in her thoughts Artemis only noticed that the adults had started talking again when she got handed to a maid and some last words were exchanged before she and Diana were carried out of the room. Was that supposed to be a sort of dismissal? I didn’t catch that! Please repeat it!
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Through the door was a hallway decorated just as luxurious as the bedroom. Artemis delighted in the colors and riches she could see. Not that there was much time for gazing at the furniture and decorations since they only passed a few doors before they entered another room.
In this room, there were two wooden cribs, in which they were placed. While the maids did their best to arrange the pelts, blankets, and cushions around them Artemis took her time glancing around the room. The sole light source was the fireplace in between the two cribs which were put at the wall left to the hallway door. Another potential light source would have been the two windows opposite the door, but it was night time. In front of the fireplace was a big pelt, probably from a deer or an animal just as big, and a few cushions to sit or lay in comfortably while relaxing in front of the fire. On the remaining side were the tables and chairs of the room. Artemis could see the children toys on the tables. Not that I’ll ever play with them, she thought stubbornly.
Finally, the maids were happy with their arrangements, they smiled, said a few words and left the two. Artemis felt comfortable and tired after all the excitement and soon enough she fell asleep.
When Artemis woke up again, light shone through the windows. She liked how the sunshine felt warm on her skin and the warmth she felt being wrapped in blankets. She contemplated moving, but decided against it and dozed some more. Maybe later, she thought.
After a while, she heard someone at the door. Opening her eyes, she saw a maid entering. It was the older one she had thought to be the head maid. Leaving the door open the maid went to Artemis’ crib while uttering something. Artemis couldn’t decide if she was talking to herself or to the two sisters. Deciding it was the latter, Artemis lifted her arm as if she was reaching for the maid when she was standing at her crib and tried to imitate the talking she heard before, but instead of sounding like words it was the indistinct babbling of a baby. This embarrassed Artemis greatly and she stopped immediately, but not before she could hear the maid chuckling to herself.
Murmuring something that involved Artemis’ and Diana’s names, the woman picked both of them up and left the room.
After getting fed and washed by the maid, they were brought outside. Once there, they followed a gravel path leading into a large cluster of trees. Even though it was sunny outside and the sun shone directly on them, the air felt uncomfortably cold on Artemis’ skin. Looking around, she noticed the tall grass on the sides of the path. It wasn’t luster green but had a yellow hue to it. This led Artemis to believe that it was late autumn, almost the beginning of winter. I have never touched snow before, she thought, I have certainly tried and always was curious how it would feel, but my flames would always melt it away long before I was able to reach for it. Is it as fluffy as it always looked? I hope I’ll get to play in the snow...
At the edge of the grove, Artemis noticed a slight shift in the air. Not being able to see what caused it she looked at the maid carrying her, but she didn’t find any change in her expression, the maid just kept walking down the path smiling. Not knowing what to do about it Artemis decided to pay more attention to their surroundings.
The path didn’t lead down in a straight line, but snaked around the trees, because of that Artemis couldn’t see their destination. Further in Artemis noticed a considerable contrast in the age of the trees compared to the edge of the thicket. They were only a bit taller, but the trunks almost doubled in size. The same happened to the leaves. Where before they were about as big as Artemis’ hand they were now half her size and the maid led them even deeper on the now dark path. Maybe it wasn’t a grove, but a small forest. I must have misjudged the size by a lot. Another surprise was that the grass's color changed more and more to a dark green the more they advanced.
After another few turns, the gravel path ended leading into a clearing, but the trees had grown so much and the leaves were so large that most of the sun's light was still blocked by them. The only exception was the center of the glade. There stood a bright, white rock with a flat surface surrounded by light green grass bathed in sunlight from above, forming an almost graspable halo around it. Sitting completely still on the rock was her mother meditating. Artemis was so captivated by the scene that she completely forgot about wanting to keep an eye out.
The maid approached quietly, only to stop right before the light. She only had to wait a few moments before the elf started to move again. Waving the maid to come closer she stood up and turned around. When they were close enough the twins were given to their mother who sat down again with her children in her arms. Then she lay them down before her. Bundled up in her blankets Artemis didn’t notice the cold surface of the stone below her but instead felt rather warm and comfortable near her mother and sister.
Since her mother went right back to meditating and she had already studied the clearing as far as she could, her attention inevitably shifted to her sister, but she was asleep so there was nothing interesting left to observe. She could only wait for her mother to finish…
Getting tired after a while she yawned and closed her eyes. Maybe I can sleep until mother finishes? The gentle breeze that caressed her face only made her want to fall asleep even more.
Wait. A breeze? Wasn’t the glade entirely calm before? How can there be any breeze at all? She opened her eyes again to look around, but the grass was still and the giant leaves of the trees wouldn’t move, but she could still feel the slight movement on her face. What is causing this? Where is it coming from? She fidgeted around a bit to figure it out. Whatever was moving, it went in circles around her mother.
What is that? I can’t see it, but it is not the wind, because then the grass would move with it. She squinted in order to focus on it, but it was immaterial and as such, she wouldn’t be able to see it. Subsequently, she went back to the inexplicable feeling on her face and concentrated on that. Now just like her mother, she was meditating, trying to feel inside herself and realize what was around her.
First, she could only feel something reminiscent of her old flames, fiery but calm. Fixating on that something and ignoring everything else she could make out little sparks of blue energy flying across her face. Trying to catch a few sparks she moved her hand to her face, but this broke her concentration and she had to start anew.
As she came back to the point where she could perceive the small specks of blue energy again, she still wanted to capture some to inspect them, but she knew moving around would break her concentration again. Trying to figure out another method, the only way that came to her mind was doing the very same thing, but with her mind instead.
Starting a new attempt trying to expand her mind, she quickly realized that this was well beyond her capabilities, maybe even impossible. Next, she tried to peer into herself. For this, she went into the same meditative state she was in before and changed the focus from her face to her inside. There she searched for the center of her being. She still knew where it was supposed to be from her time as a phoenix and as such, she only had to keep her concentration. When she was a phoenix, her core had been a bright crimson red fire and had millions of connections flowing from her core all over her body, but to her surprise, she couldn’t find the vibrant flames in her current core. She thought maybe it was somewhere else, but it was nowhere to be found.
Sad from not finding anything she changed her focus back to the sparkles that compared to her seemed so vibrant with energy. She was envious. She wanted to have that energy. Wasn’t she a mighty phoenix? All the power in the world was her birthright. With that in mind, she mustered all the feeble power that her little body possessed and thrust it out towards the sparkles in front of her face and when it connected she pulled it back into her core with everything she had. Even though she had her eyes closed she could feel black spots appearing in her vision and for a short moment she blacked out.
When she regained consciousness, she felt tired and beaten. She was a bit out of breath and when she opened her eyes, the colors seemed less vivid. Trying to shift her attention to her inside she lost focus a couple of times before she could finally see what she had achieved. What she saw was one single sparkle floating within her core.
Excited, she almost lost her concentration again but caught herself right before that happening. Studying the blue spark she noticed a few things: It was some kind of energy taking an only somewhat physical form, namely that of a tiny string. It was physical enough to interact with the world around it, but it was not enough to be seen if one didn’t know how to look for them. She realized she could influence the string, albeit a bit sluggish as long as a connection between her and the string existed. Looking around her core area, she also found a connection from there leading to her forehead. This discovery was a very welcome sight and made her smile.
Setting out again with a mind to catch another one, she focused on her perception again. After a shorter while than before, she started feeling these sparks around her once again. She thought about trying to gather more sparks in the same way as before, but she felt too exhausted and just continued to observe the blue energy grazing her face.
Trying to figure out what to do next Artemis noticed the vortex surrounding her mother slowly dissipating. When she opened her eyes she could see her mother's shoulder dropping a bit. Then her mother opened her own eyes and after she picked up the twins she left the glade and returned to the mansion.
Somewhere on the way, Artemis finally fell asleep.