Prelinsa’s eyes fluttered open. It took her some time for her senses to come back into focus. She was tied up in chains, and there was a loud droning noise around her. As she looked around, she saw that she was in a metallic room again, which vibrated terribly. But it didn’t feel, sound, or smell like a truck. The air was very dry, and there were actually some small windows. If she turned her head, she could see outside. All she could see was blue sky over a white landscape, with some clouds floating by. There was even a faint shimmer of the aurora, if she squinted. But there were no plants, no animals, no nothing. At first, she didn’t quite understand what she was looking at – it looked like snow, but the texture was weird, and it looked really far away.
As the clouds continued to pass by, Prelinsa saw a hole appear in the landscape, and glimpsed green beneath it. Then, she suddenly understood what was happening. The white wasn’t land – it was just more clouds, and the green beneath was the actual land. The droning sound made it all clear too, she just hadn’t recognized it right away. She was in an airplane, flying high through the sky.
Prelinsa shivered a bit, feeling rather cold. Now that she understood her situation, she wanted to get out of it somehow. She tried to burn her restraints with phoenixfire, but nothing came out. She didn’t even have her supernatural strength and senses. There was no mana here – right now, she was just a powerless little girl again. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
A door opened, and an elvish soldier walked in, wearing a Western military uniform. He carried a stun baton with him, and tantalizingly, also had Prelinsa’s sword holstered on his belt.
“Hey, you’re awake,” he sneered.
“I guess so,” Prelinsa replied.
“You’re pretty bold. I’d hit you for that, but we need you alive and well. Our Supreme Leader has plans for you.”
“Supreme Leader? You mean Supreme Leader Rex Goldensun,” Prelinsa said. He was the elvish head of House Goldensun. Prelinsa knew about him from her lessons.
“I see they taught you about us. Pretty good for half a street pokkit.”
At least it was pretty much confirmed now that the Magic Freedom Fighters and House Goldensun were working together. They were also probably responsible in part for all of Prelinsa’s suffering in the North Realm. If only she could relay this news to someone. She still didn’t know what happened to Corynn and the friendly clone.
“What does your Supreme Leader want with me?” She asked.
“Hmm. I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you now. Not like you can do anything up here with no mana. Our Supreme Leader wants to study you, and use your Phoenix Spark to create a new army of soldiers to take over the Greater Realm. If possible, also brainwash you. Even if you’re only half a pokkit, you’re still a Phoenix Warrior. You’ll make a good soldier yourself.”
“Well, that’s pretty awful of you,” Prelinsa commented.
The elf laughed out loud. “You’ve really got guts, kid!” He said, grinning darkly. He bent down, putting his face right in front of Prelinsa’s. “I’m doing everything I can to hold myself back from punching you.”
“Since you’re holding yourself back. Can you tell me what happened to the Matriarch?”
“That old fox? If she’s not dead already, the Supreme Leader will take care of her,” the elf said, backing off. “Soon, she’ll be buried out in the middle of the ocean. Not even someone like her can overcome the dance of so much water and mana.”
A sinking feeling washed over Prelinsa. Her fox ear and tail fell.
“That one got to you, huh? Good. Making you feel helpless makes everything easier for me. Now I’ll leave you alone again. Look forward to the day that House Goldensun rules the Greater Realm again, and turns all you stupid pokkits back into slaves.”
He exited, the door slamming behind him.
Prelinsa sighed. Everything was going wrong right now. Matriarch Kirith was either dead, or soon to be dead. The North and East Realms were probably burning right now from airplane attacks. House Goldensun was trying to take over the Greater Realm. She did her best to remain calm, but this situation was just so terrible that it was hard.
As she dwelled on her thoughts, she suddenly felt something familiar energizing her body. It was a comfortable, fiery sensation that warmed her cold body up. But that wasn’t possible – there was no mana up here. There were definitely none of those mana crystals nearby enough to use, either.
Prelinsa! A voice called.
“Huh? Who are you? Where are you?” Prelinsa asked, looking around.
I’m all around you.
Prelinsa looked, but there was nobody she could detect with her normal senses, even as they were being re-energized by mana. She could only feel the mana flow, and a voice in her head. But the feeling was so strong, and pure. It was stronger and purer even than the Matriarch’s mana heart.
“Are you… are you the Phoenix?” Prelinsa realized, her eyes widening.
I am an avatar of the Phoenix. I’ve come to help you.
“But how?” Prelinsa still felt weak, and unable to use her magic. It seemed like even an avatar of the Phoenix couldn’t get her out of this hopeless situation.
Focus on your surroundings. Use what the Matriarch taught you. The Phoenix is a cosmic entity that goes far beyond this planet. Your power is not limited to the mana streams. There are the Primordial Fires of Creation and Destruction all around you! Feel them! Use them to break free from your earthly limits! You are not just a little girl with power over fire. You are Prelinsa, a Warrior of the Great Phoenix!
Prelinsa closed her eyes, and focused. Trying to understand what the avatar was telling her. Feeling for the Primordial Fires around her. As she focused, she felt warm energy coursing through her body. Finally, she understood what the Matriarch’s words really meant. The Primordial Fires and phoenixfire weren’t just fires – they were among the core founding forces of the universe. Creation and destruction, life and death – they were all part of a grand cycle that created the dance of everyone and everything, like a huge wheel constantly turning. The energy of this cycle was all around Prelinsa, and all throughout the universe. It had been there the whole time – she had just never realized it until now.
As she came to this realization, her chains melted and crashed to the ground. An incomparable amount of power to anything she’d ever felt surged through her body. She felt every part of herself burning in phoenixfire. Her lungs burned. Her heart burned. Her head burned. And yet, it wasn’t painful. It was the most thrilling feeling that she’d ever experienced. She felt like she was being born anew. She could even feel her hair and fur falling off, but it was growing back in just as quickly.
As the fire faded, Prelinsa felt better than she ever had. Something was also different – her left ear, and her tail. They were gone, replaced by a silky pokkit ear and a long tail. She held some of her newly-grown hair in her right hand to look at it. It was scarlet-red, just like Marianne’s. She then turned, looking behind herself. Her new tail was bushy, silky, and equally scarlet-red.
She could feel that the Phoenix Spark in her wasn’t just a Spark anymore. It was a roaring flame – a Phoenix Heart. It felt as strong as Corynn’s, if not stronger than that. It was accompanied by a second and much fainter sensation – a shifter heart of her very own.
Her senses were also much sharper, especially with her new ear, and she felt energized, like her whole body was fitter than before.
She looked at herself in the window. Previously, she was at eye level with it, but now she had to bend down slightly. Her eyes weren’t frost blue anymore, they were a brilliant gold with streaks of orange. Again, just like Marianne’s.
“Wow,” she whispered putting a hand to her face, then touching her left ear. She looked around, and found a bit of string to tie her hair up back into her signature ponytail.
You’ve done it! You’ve gone straight through the Synthesis Stage, and reached the Purification Stage. Your body has been reconstituted by the phoenixfire.
“This is awesome!” Prelinsa shouted.
I must leave now that you’ve reached this Stage. As an avatar of the Phoenix, I have many other things I must do. But we’ll likely meet again sometime in the future.
Prelinsa bowed, even though she couldn’t see the avatar.
“Thank you! I pay respects to the avatar of the Phoenix!”
The presence of the avatar quickly faded.
Suddenly, the door opened again.
“Stop talking to yourself!” The elf guard shouted. “You’re getting delirious, huh?! Talking about phoenixes and- wait. What happened to you?! You’re taller and-”
Before he could do anything, Prelinsa outstretched her hand and blasted the elf with a tiny bolt of yellow-hot phoenixfire. It wasn’t lethal, but it hurt. He screamed and writhed in agony, immediately falling unconscious as he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. Prelinsa ran over and grabbed her katana from his belt.
“What’s happening back there?!” Another elf yelled, approaching from around a corridor.
Prelinsa drew her sword and ignited it. The elf drew a saber, and the two clashed – only briefly, as Prelinsa’s sword cut straight through the elf’s like a hot knife through butter. While the elf looked at his destroyed weapon in disbelief, she moved in and chopped his neck with her hand, knocking him out.
“Security! The subject has escaped!” A voice called out.
Prelinsa made her way through narrow corridors to what she thought was the front of the airplane, based on how it was moving. More guards blocked her path, brandishing stun batons.
“Surrender!” One of them ordered.
Prelinsa sized them up, as elves surrounded her on all sides.
“How about no?” She said.
“Then it’s your funeral!”
The elves approached her and charged forward. But to Prelinsa, they were moving in ultra slow motion. She considered simply attacking, but wasn’t quite sure if she could deal with so many non-lethally. Then she recalled Corynn’s trick, and the mana flow she’d seen when other people shifted. Surely, she could replicate that now.
In only a split second, Prelinsa dropped her sword and downshifted into a tiny fox, causing all the elves to miss their attacks wildly and stupidly bash each other with their stun batons. They all hit the floor, unconscious. Prelinsa upshifted back to her earfolk form, reclaimed her sword, and strode forward, completely unopposed.
As she reached what felt like the front, she saw another elf, guarding a door. This elf carried a mana crystal with her, and had prepared several barriers of ice in advance to stop Prelinsa from getting through. The pokkit fired upon the barriers to break through, which the elf futilely tried to stop with even more ice. But she quickly ran out of power; the crystal disintegrated and Prelinsa’s fire melted through the ice.
Prelinsa pushed the hapless elf aside and prepared to force the door open. But as she approached, she heard a strange noise that prompted her to rocket herself backwards. This was prudent, as the door exploded into shrapnel from all the thermal stress. There were some yells and a smell of blood, as warning beeps and alarms went off.
The plane lurched horribly to one side. The elf quickly scrambled for the doorway, which Prelinsa allowed. Looking past the destroyed door, she saw two more elves, seated in chairs and dead from the wave of metal door shards. There was a big windscreen like a car, through which there was a good view of the sky. There was also a complex control array of computer screens, levers, and switches. The screens were all dead, and several areas of the array had pieces of shrapnel sticking out of them.
“Oh no,” the elf said, as she came to a horrible realization. She entered the room, pushing one of the dead elves aside, and trying frantically to operate the controls.
“I’m guessing this is bad,” Prelinsa commented.
“Bad doesn’t begin to describe it! The controls aren’t responding! This plane is going to crash now!”
“Oh. That does sound bad,” Prelinsa said. “Let me uh… give me a moment, okay?”
She pointed her sword and shot out the side of the airplane. Immediately, there was a howl of wind, and the droning of the plane’s engines got louder. The elf braced herself as small pieces of ice and metal debris were pulled out of the plane. Prelinsa turned, and leaped out of the hole. But she wasn’t afraid. She summoned jets of flame from her back like a pair of wings, as the clones did with water. She began clumsily, but after a few moments, her improved senses let her quickly got the hang of it. She was flying. A mage, flying through the air. She was safe.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
But the elves onboard the airplane weren’t. The plane was tilting to one side fast. It was definitely going to crash. She didn’t want everyone onboard to just fall to their deaths. They were sick. They needed help.
Prelinsa flew beneath the airplane’s descending wing, careful to avoid the spinning propeller blades. Wind howled past her, but the cold didn’t bother her with so much fire inside. From outside the plane, she could really get a good view of the faint aurora. As well as the clouds, which the airplane was now tipping towards at a precarious rate. Summoning as much power as she could while bracing herself against the wing, she pointed her sword and aimed her fire downwards, trying to slow the tilt. It was helping, but the plane was still continuing to tilt. Prelinsa yelled, trying to blast out even more fire as the plane plunged into the clouds, smothering her with cool water vapor. The plane creaked under the heavy stress as it fought against Prelinsa, but it began to level out, still descending.
The clouds went on for a while, but almost as soon as they began, they ended, and Prelinsa could see land below. Everything looked minuscule from this height. Up ahead and further into the distance was the ocean. She wanted to avoid hitting that if she could – she wasn’t sure if her newfound powers could deal with the dance of water and mana. She didn’t want to find out.
The ground continued to approach at a terrifying speed, while the thick layer of gray clouds overhead receded. Prelinsa allowed the airplane to tilt just enough to turn, trying to make it fly parallel to the coastline. The engines whined as the metallic flying beast groaned and fought, but she persevered. Slowly, the plane began to turn in a wide and sweeping arc, until it was pointing in about the direction she wanted. Using more jets of fire, she steadied its course, still trying to keep it from flipping or falling too quickly.
The soft, sandy beachfront approached rapidly. The plane was still pointing nose-first at the ground – Prelinsa wasn’t sure how it would take a head-on impact, but it surely wouldn’t end well. She let go of the wing and flew herself under the nose. With one last yell and a mighty blast of phoenixfire, she forced it to tilt upwards, then flew clear.
The plane descended into the beach. First, its tail skidded against the sand, then the rest came down. Pieces began breaking off as it kicked up big clouds and left a trail of metal debris. Fires erupted from the engines as the propeller blades buckled backwards and slowed to a halt upon striking the ground. But thanks to Prelinsa slowing its descent, the main body just barely held together. Finally, it came to rest quietly on the beach.
Prelinsa flew towards the wreckage, hoping to find survivors. But before she could do so, she heard another plane zooming overhead. At the same time, she felt a surge of powerful mana. A huge wave of water came from the ocean and swamped the plane, crushing the body into a twisted, mangled wreck. She stopped herself before it could hit her too, getting splashed a little. Her heart sank – there was no way anyone inside could’ve survived.
She looked for the mana heart that caused this. It was above her, and it was powerful. Not on the same level as the Matriarch’s overwhelming power, but at least as strong as Rupeth or Rensa, and rich in water. It felt like the clones’ magic, but on an entirely different level. It was a Leviathan Core.
Descending from where the plane had passed overhead, an elf floated from the sky with wings of water, landing upon the beach. He looked old – at least 60 in normalized years, which meant he was at least 300 actual years old. His short and well-kept hair was entirely gray, and he was clean shaven. In his right hand, he carried a staff similar to the Matriarch’s, but its gem was charged with water. He sized Prelinsa up carefully, his sharp facial features difficult to read.
“So. You’re the one responsible for this,” he said, looking up at Prelinsa.
“Are you the Supreme Leader, Rex Goldensun?” Prelinsa asked, still floating in the air.
“I am,” the elf said, nodding once slightly.
“This might be bold of me, but. Why did you kill them?”
“They were presented with a winning hand, yet they failed to restrain you. I do not tolerate such mistakes,” the Supreme Leader said coldly.
Prelinsa scowled. “That’s awful.”
“You have the worldview of an inferior race. Elvish culture was built on the premise that everyone fulfills their role, even if sacrifices must be made,” the old elf said simply. “But now, elves have grown soft in this era of peace. They must be reminded of what let our people rise up and defeat the dragons, standing over all others to gain control of the Greater Realm. They must be reminded of what it takes to stand up against the tyranny of House Silvermoon.”
“So in order to take over the Greater Realm, you were willing to sacrifice even House Crimsonstar,” Prelinsa snarled. “You ordered the burning of the North Realm’s mana streams. You made everyone suffer.”
“A necessary sacrifice. It was the only means of gathering enough mana to kill your Matriarch.”
“It’s your fault that my mom died!” Prelinsa screamed. She could feel the phoenixfire raging inside her as she finally understood. Standing in front of her was her true enemy. The root cause of all her pain and suffering. Everything was because of this man. “Because of you, everything in the North Realm was terrible! We lived in poverty and were attacked by slavers! They killed my mom! You killed my mom!”
“A shame. Judging by your appearance, she must have been a fine specimen,” the Supreme Leader remarked. “She could’ve made an excellent soldier. But that is of little importance anymore. Thanks to the Magic Freedom Fighters and their research, we have far superior soldiers in the form of clones. And thanks to the military tactics and technology from Earth, we have gained powerful new weapons. Airplanes will decide wars from now on. They will enable House Goldensun and the elvish race to reclaim what is rightfully ours. The entirety of the Greater Realm, and supremacy over all others.”
“No way. I’m going to stop you,” Prelinsa glowered, bringing her emotions in check.
She focused all of her fury towards the inevitable fight with Rex Goldensun, and pointed her sword at him.
“Someone like you can’t be the ruler of the Greater Realm! I’ll defeat you here, and make you experience a hundred years of help!”
However, she could feel that her mana heart wasn’t nearly as strong as his – even with the help of the avatar of the Phoenix. That didn’t matter. She would at least give it her best shot, and fly away if she needed to.
“You’re not strong enough,” the Supreme Leader opined, shaking his head. “Even if you learned some trick to cast phoenixfire without mana, your power is still lacking. I will destroy you with overwhelming force.”
He raised his staff over his head, and water from the ocean rose up in a towering wall, casting a shadow over Prelinsa.
“Now! Bear witness to the Way of the Leviathan! Not even a fledgling phoenix can withstand this!”
Prelinsa prepared herself to fly away, but before she could, the wall exploded into a cloud of steam, showering Prelinsa with hot water. It didn’t hurt her, but it scalded the Supreme Leader. He screamed in pain and fell to the sand, dropping his staff and clutching his face. While this was happening, Prelinsa felt a familiar and powerful Phoenix Heart. No, it was even stronger than she’d felt before. It was on the same level as the avatar of the Phoenix.
“Matriarch!” She exclaimed.
Matriarch Kirith Silvermoon emerged from behind the steam in all her glory. She was in her fox form, but not the cute and small one that Prelinsa had seen before. This form was massive and majestic, with glossy, sweeping fur. Kirith floated in the air with jets of fire from her back, which looked like six sweeping wings. They emitted so much light that they made the overcast day look like clear skies. She looked down at both Prelinsa and Rex Goldensun. Her staff and mask were missing, and her expression could be read clearly. She looked serene.
“Prelinsa,” she said, smiling.
Rex Goldensun stumbled to his feet, still holding a hand to his face. He looked up at the Matriarch with a mixture of emotions. Anger. Hatred. Despair. “No! No! That’s impossible!” He shouted. “You were dead! I saw you die! I buried you at the bottom of the ocean myself! Not even you could’ve escaped from so much water!”
“Well, it seems you were mistaken,” the Matriarch replied dryly, looking at him with a more serious expression. “Now, are you ready to face the consequences of your actions?”
“Kirith! Have mercy on me! I will change! I will do better!” Rex pleaded pathetically. Prelinsa could feel the waves of heat coming off of the Matriarch, scorching the old elf. She turned away from the terrible sight.
“I have given you over one hundred years of chances to turn over a new leaf,” the Matriarch replied. “Instead, you have repaid me by trying to kill me, and conquer the Greater Realm. You still view other races as beneath you. You have killed countless people and destroyed the lives of even more, all in the name of your selfish goals. I believe this has gone on for long enough. Now, I must purge you for the greater good.”
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!” Rex Goldensun screamed, as the heat incinerated him in a blinding display. When it all cleared, and Prelinsa looked, there was nothing left of him. Not even the smell of ashes. The only sign of his existence was his staff, which now rested on the beach.
Prelinsa landed on the beach, and looked up in awe at the Matriarch as the elder pokkit descended to the sand, and the halo of phoenixfire around her faded. The Matriarch shifted back into her earfolk form.
“I… I greet the Matriarch!” Prelinsa said, bowing deeply. “May the fire of the Phoenix burn eternally!”
“There is no need for that anymore, Prelinsa,” the Matriarch said. “As of today, I am no longer the Matriarch. I am merely Elder Kirith Silvermoon.”
“But why? You’re so strong now,” Prelinsa wondered aloud. Surely, the Matriarch had ascended from the Renewal Stage, and what she was seeing now was the legendary Rebirth Stage. She was stronger than everyone else. Even Rex Goldensun hadn’t stood a chance.
“It is because I was blind. Rensa warned me about the dangers, yet I failed to react appropriately. She is much wiser than I am. The Greater Realm will prosper under her leadership, as the new Matriarch of House Silvermoon. I will step down and focus my efforts on teaching students like yourself, and protecting the people.”
Prelinsa nodded. She was a bit sad to see her teacher step down. But she was happy at the same time. Rensa was smart – she would guide everyone to a brighter future, even if she had to drag them kicking and screaming with her. The Magic Freedom Fighters still needed to be dealt with, but now that the Supreme Leader was gone, House Goldensun would soon be in disarray. House Silvermoon could take advantage of that and push for victory, and with the way Rensa was, she would capitalize on any chance she got.
Even the destroyed mana streams in the North would heal given enough time. It would take many years, but with proper management, the North Realm could prosper once again.
As Prelinsa dwelled on these thoughts, there was a noise from the plane wreckage. Someone pushed a piece of metal aside, and one of the elves – the one who tried to stop Prelinsa with ice – forced her way out. She was severely hurt, and barely alive. Her breathing was ragged, and her right arm and leg were both missing. Her mana heart was so weak right now that Prelinsa hadn’t felt it, even with her improved senses.
The mangled elf dragged herself out of the plane and collapsed onto the sand, bleeding out horribly as she lay on the verge of death. Prelinsa and the ex-Matriarch-turned-Elder approached her. The Elder outstretched a hand, healing the elf’s injuries. A bright white fire shone, as her limbs grew back into place.
The elf gasped. Prelinsa could feel the soldier’s mana heart regaining its energy.
“What- what happened?!” She saw Prelinsa and the Elder, and scurried backward towards the wreckage, bumping up against the plane’s body. “Are you the Silvermoon’s Matriarch?!”
“I am merely an Elder,” Kirith Silvermoon replied.
The elf went silent, as she mentally replayed the events from before. The phoenixfire. The plane crash. Her body being crushed horribly by a huge wave of water and metal. She shivered in terror, but that terror gave way to immediate anger.
“Fuck!” She yelled. “I can’t believe the Supreme Leader tried to kill me! After I shed blood and tears for him so we could take over the Greater Realm! I’m so angry!”
“Your anger is justified,” the Elder advised. “You worked hard for the Supreme Leader, and he betrayed you by attempting to take your life. But do not let your emotions consume you. Through great fortune, you are still alive. Now you have a chance to learn from your mistakes. Use your anger to drive you forward on whatever path you take in the future.”
The elf took deep breaths. “…You’re right,” she said. “I am alive. I can take even revenge on the Supreme Leader.” She looked around. “What happened to him, anyway? I don’t even feel his Leviathan Core.”
“He perished in battle, as I believe he would’ve wished,” the Elder informed her. Hiding a bit of the truth, and showing that foxiness that Rensa spoke of.
The elf slumped as she realized that the target of her anger was dead. All the wind had been taken out of her sails. “You killed him, huh? And here I thought he was strong, but Silvermoons really are on another level. Guess I won’t be taking revenge after all.”
“Revenge only begets revenge. Use your anger for other purposes. You can begin by informing me of everything that you know about House Goldensun’s plans.”
“Sure thing,” the elf said, though with some hesitation. She was talking directly to her former enemy, after all. “That’s… that’s not why you saved me through, right?”
“It is one reason,” the Elder said.
“Fair enough.”