Apollyon

“And, that’s about if for today.” Mira said, passing the book over to me. “Any last questions, my dear?”

I took the book in both hands and flipped through the pages we covered in today’s lesson. It had taken us around two week to go through all the material on the Ionian Kingdom and its major locations. In the past one and a half month, we had also covered the other two kingdoms.

As it turned out, the Asmit Kingdom was much larger than either the Ionian or Rhineheart Kingdoms, with eight different regions.

And that wasn’t even the worse part. No, that wasn’t even half the leaves of the tree.*

Sure, (Emberport Islands, Athalira, Astros, Mithburg,Greenhampton, Ortosa, Jaggidgard, and Feynton) weren’t a lot, but adding the Royal Family (Augustus), the Seven Great Houses (Blazeheart, Elreon, Vorici, Bestel, Siosa, Alira, Zana), the great cities (Asmit, Malberk, Oriath, Dion, Redridge), and a few of biggest notable locations of the Kingdom, with each one having something different to add was so hard!

And Annoying!

Couldn’t they just have one big city and have everything happen in the same place? Did almost everything have to take place in a different city, under different ruler with different rules and circumstances?

At least the dwarven kingdom wasn’t like that. While it had six main regions (Balin, Bafurm, Derain, Dori, Bwalin, and Gluin), due to being located in the toughest terrain in Elmore (outside of the Valley of the Beast, of course), their naming process was simpler, their names sharing the same beginning or ending letters.

It had taken me some time, but at least I finally understood them, which meant only one thing.

“Yeah, when are we going to learn about the Valley of the Beast and the Rangers?” I asked, eager to learn about this for a long time now.

I really enjoyed learning all of this. Take the Moltenforge, for example—the dwarven strongholds down south, where lava and cold mixed together. It sounded so cool (both literally and figuratively) and amazing, but it wasn’t of any help to me.

The phoenix had flown deep into the Valley of the Beast. If I ever wanted to find him again, I needed to know what that place was really like.

Mira’s pretty brows touched.

“Well, if you really want to, we can start the day after tomorrow, but...” She waited a bit, and turned fully to me. “could you tell me why you’re so eager to learn more about the Valley of the Beast? You’ve been asking the same question, for a few days now.”

For a second, I didn’t know how to respond. What was I supposed to say ‘I want to kill the phoenix?’ It was a mythical beast. A mythical beast!

Papa was always vague, but he wasn’t lying when he said that people can only dream of seeing such a thing. Having done so for myself, I could understand the reason very well. Not only was it impossibly hard to find, but it held such powers, if it wanted to, no one would remain alive to tell the tale.

So, really what was I supposed to say? And, even if I said it was the phoenix, what would Mira say? Would she laugh at me, or try to discourage me from trying?

I could simply say, that I wanted to learn more about the Valley of the Beast. People went there all the time to find its mysteries. It couldn’t get more interesting than that. Why are they going? What are they finding there? These were questions always popping on my mind every time the Valley of the Beast was brought up on the topic. So, it wouldn’t be a lie.

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Mira’s lips parted, but before she could speak, I blurted out, “Because I want to find the phoenix.”

The words hung in the air, my heart pounding in my chest. Saying that the Valley of the Beast was interesting wouldn’t be a lie, but it felt wrong. Mira had been so kind to me. I could trust her, could I not? She wouldn’t laugh or think I was strange… would she?

Butterflies filled my stomach, twisting into knots, but I kept my gaze steady. I wasn’t going to look away. Mira had always trusted me, always done everything I asked of her. She deserved the truth.

Mira’s expression softened, but something flickered in her eyes—fear? Concern? Whatever it was, it turned the butterflies in my stomach into heavy stones.

‘Did… did I make a mistake?’

“Lyon, my dear,” she began softly, “are you sure you want to go down that path?”

And then she paused.

I expected her to say more. Maybe even to try and make me change my mind. But she didn’t. She just waited, her silence urging me to speak.

My hands clenched into tight fists. “Yes. It has to pay for what it’s done.”

Mira sighed, her eyes closing briefly. “Very well. We’ll change the schedule and will start with the Valley of the Beast tomorrow if that’s what you want.”

I blinked twice, lost for words.

“A-Aren’t you going to try to stop me?” I stammered. “To tell me to forget about something so… stupid?”

She looked back at me, her lips curving into a sad smile. “Did you want me to?”

My breath caught, my racing heart slowing. “N-no,” I mumbled, the words slipping out before I could think.

“Then why would I? This is your choice, Lyon, not mine. I made my own a long time ago.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the chest, sending a chill through my blood. She wasn’t supposed to agree. She was supposed to tell me it was dangerous—that I was just a kid, that I was being foolish. That’s what everyone else would say!

So why wasn’t she?

I couldn’t explain it. I simply couldn’t understand her. And it shook me to my core.

“And what was your choice?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“To move on.”

Her words froze me in place.

Move on… move on… The flames, the screams, the destruction—the village, Papa and Theodore smiling, all of them gone.

The embers of forgotten rage sparked back to life.

“Never! I’ll never forgive what the phoenix for what it did to me. To Papa, to Theodore, the village—everyone!” I yelled, feeling the tears well up, blurring my vision.

Mira reached out and gently tapped my forehead. The world dulled. My mind went blank.

“I’m not asking you to forgive, Lyon,” she said, her voice low, comforting. “I know the pain you carry. I know how important it is for you to remember those you’ve lost. But I’m begging you, don’t lose yourself in your anger.”

Slowly, my senses returned, and with them came the warm embrace of Mira’s arms around me. My chest ached as the tears spilled over, bringing with them memories that haunted me. She hushed me, her hand smoothing my hair as if to calm the storm raging inside me.

“Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting them,” she whispered. “It means accepting what’s happened and finding a way to keep living. If you want to hunt the phoenix, so be it. But don’t let your anger chain you. Don’t let it rob you of your future.”

My fists loosened, trembling hands reaching out to clutch Mira’s robe as the tears streamed down.

For the next few minutes, Mira said nothing, letting me pour out everything I had been holding inside. Even after the tears stopped, she didn’t pull away. Her hand continued to gently stroke my hair, offering comfort without words.

It was only when I finally pulled myself away, sniffling, that I felt the warmth of her touch leave me.

“Th-thanks,” I mumbled, my eyes downcast, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

I risked a quick glance at her. She was smiling, soft and reassuring.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said, standing up slowly.

She turned toward the kitchen and put on her apron.

I hesitated for a moment, still feeling raw from our conversation. “W-what are you going to make?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

Mira paused, looking up at the ceiling in thought before her gaze returned to me. Her smile grew a little brighter. “Dumplings.”

She began taking out the ingredients, then glanced over her shoulder, back at me and asked: “Aren’t you going to play outside today?”

I shifted uncomfortably, my fingers fiddling with the hem of my shirt. “I… I want to stay home today.”

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That wasn’t even half the leaves of the tree.*

Elven idiom, similar to the idiom in our world ‘that’s just the tip of the iceberg.’

It means that what has been revealed or experienced is only a small part of something much larger or more complex.