The primordial flame — Ferris

“Mom? Is that you?”

Yes, I was turned into a monster and stabbed in the heart. Surely I am dead. Perhaps this is the afterlife. An afterlife of flames, smothering me in comfortable warmth.

“In a sense. Though, I am not the mother you are thinking of.”

For a moment, she had looked human to me, with long golden hair and my mother’s smile, but it was just a trick of the light. She is not something my mind can fully comprehend. It is only her bright emerald eyes that I can see clearly through the flames. What I saw as hair a moment ago is now a mane of long golden feathers. She is made of embers in the wind, the cries of newborn infants, and the scent of blooming flowers.

Despite her incomprehensible form, her identity becomes obvious to me.

“You’re the last phoenix.”

“Yes, and you are still alive. Though, perhaps not for much longer.”

Did she know I thought this was the afterlife? Can she read my mind?

“Of course I can. You linked our spirits yourself, didn’t you?”

That makes me deeply uncomfortable.

“Your reaction is only natural, considering your habit of keeping your past a secret.”

“What should I call you?” I ask.

“You already gave me a name. There is no need to change it. Call me Radius.”

“Radius, you said I might not be alive for much longer. Am I going to die?”

“That is up to you. I want to offer you a choice, the same one I once offered your mother.”

“What choice?”

“To be the vessel for my return, to give up your humanity, to become one with me.”

“What will happen to me?”

“In your case, you will get to live. The process is gradual. My memories will slowly flow into you until our minds have merged. Whether you are the same person afterwards is a matter of philosophy. However, right now, you have a wound in your heart that will kill you. Only if we begin the process of merging is there a possibility for you to survive.”

“I am in the demon’s lair. How can I survive?”

“You will be much stronger, even with just a fragment of my power.”

“It doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice.”

“On the contrary. There is nothing wrong with choosing death. The life we will live together will be one of great strife. We will face impossible challenges, challenges that I have faced before, always failing to overcome. If you deem this path against your nature, perhaps it would be better for you to let your story end here.”

There is temptation in her words, I could just give in to the sweet release of death.

No. I made promises. I want to live.

“I accept your offer, Radius. Let’s become one.”

“Very well. If you choose life, then it is life you will receive.”

Feathered wings of golden flame envelop me. A thousand broken memories of a thousand distant millennia flash through my mind like flickering lights, far too much for me to absorb in a single moment. My spirit burns like the sun as the flame to light all flames pours into me.

One of the earliest memories stands out.

There are four primordial rights, the powers that created the universe, one for each species of primordial being: the geomancy of the nemata, the necromancy of the krakens, the oneiromancy of the cambians, and the vivimancy of the phoenixes.

“You are not ready to wield such power, but your pyromancy will begin to ascend anyway. Without a divine voice to hold your spirit together, your vivimancy will severely harm you if you draw out too much power. Do try to show restraint.”

I return to consciousness, immediately erupting in flames. My draconic form is burnt away.

The demonic essence within my body is purged by the flames. I am human again.

Well, not quite. Something feels different.

I pull Radius out of my chest. The wound closes on its own, healing up without even a scar.

The demon is hissing at me. It lunges towards me, reaching for my spear.

Wasn’t it faster before?

I dodge its attack, stabbing it in the side. It jumps away, shrieking in pain.

I turn my attention to the four monsters in the room. They all used to be my friends.

If I can come back, they can too.

I stab Radius into the monster that was once Norton. He was a healer, so I’m guessing he has the best chance of surviving whatever wound this causes.

My primordial fire surges into his body. The monster screams in pain for just a moment before the demonism is washed away by golden flames. When I pull out my spear, Norton falls to his knees. He is human again.

“Ferris? How? What did you just do?”

From the corner of the room, the demon shrieks with fury.

Suddenly, Norton vanishes. So do all the other monsters and the demon itself. The demonic torture chamber is now just a normal old dusty room, completely empty.

Crap. The demon could make illusions. I forgot about that. Our armor and clothes were ripped apart when we transformed into monsters, so the enchantments that Ellie put on our helmets have been lost. Indeed, I am completely naked, except for my adventurer tag which somehow managed to remain clinging to my neck.

An invisible fist punches into my stomach, and I am sent flying. I smash into the wall.

The damage heals fast. I get up to my feet and I fill the room with golden flames. I command my flames not to harm my allies. The flames feel different now. They are alive.

The illusion falters for just a moment as the demon shrieks in pain. It smashes through the wall, jumping out of the room. Wonderful. My flames can burn it now, and it seems to have retreated for the time being. In the brief glimpse I had of the room, I saw the monster Ellie had become, writhing in pain in my flames. We need her anti-illusion enchantments.

I dash towards where Ellie had been, stabbing with Radius until I hit something invisible. Golden flames blast out of my spear before I pull it out. I don’t see anything happening, but hopefully she will realize that she should lay down some enchantments.

Sure enough, a short time later, the illusion disappears. A small glowing circle of runes is now on the ground in the middle of the room. Norton is beside Ellie, and she is looking around wide-eyed at the flaming room. The monsters that were Talia and Zack are squirming on the ground, slowly being transformed back into humans by my fire.

To speed up the the process, I inject them both with fire like I did for Ellie and Norton. Amazingly, the flames that fill the room lick the wounds inflicted by my spear, healing them.

“Ferris, what the fuck is happening?” Ellie asks.

“The last phoenix has returned. I’ll explain later,” I say.

“Not sure how you did it, but thank you,” Talia says.

“Let’s get out of here. Can we make that illusion ward portable?” I ask.

“How about this,” Norton says.

He waves his hand, and blades of wind come down, cutting a square out of the floor around the rune circle. A powerful updraft forms, pulling the chunk of stone into the air, the enchantment still glowing brightly upon it.

“That works. Stay close to it, though. The range is only around ten meters.” Ellie says.

“It takes a lot of my focus to keep it aloft. I won’t be available for healing,” Norton says.

“I think I might be able to handle healing now,” I say.

“You’ll have some shit to explain when we get out of here, Ferris,” Ellie says.

“Yes, but for now, let’s run.”

Together, we run through the hallways of the old castle. Norton floats the chunk of stone with the illusion ward, keeping it right behind us. Ellie picks up a small rock on the way, and she starts drawing some runes on it with her finger as we move.

We burst out of the front of the ruined castle, a gaping hole where the gates once were. There is a horde of monsters in front of us. A slash of Radius sends out a wave of golden flames into the swarm of demonic beasts. Some of them wither and die, others become ordinary animals, deer and wolves that scurry away the moment they are healed.

The demon itself emerges from the horde of monsters. It shrieks at me.

“Doesn’t seem like it’s content to just let us go,” Ellie says.

I set the area surrounding us alight with golden flames.

“Demon, let us leave. You cannot beat me. I’m your natural enemy.”

“You will not leave! You are my pets! You are mine!”

The demon sprints towards us in reckless rage. It charges fearlessly into my field of flames, even as they burn its pale veiny flesh.

It goes after the person farthest from the center, Zack. The demon stabs forward with its open hand. Zack barely manages to twist his body out of the way enough to avoid a lethal wound. What would have pierced his chest hits his shoulder instead. The force of the blow sends his arm flying off.

I dash towards the demon, forming a flame blade at the tip of Radius. The golden flames coalesce, becoming a brilliant prismatic white, shining with the light of a thousand sunrises.

I slash into the demon with my flame blade. It manages to mostly dodge, but the tip of the flames catch its side, leaving a scorched hole in its flesh.

It screams with rage and leaps towards me. I trade blows with it. Its hand stabs through my chest as Radius’s flame blade cuts it completely in half through the belly.

For a moment, I think I have won, but the demon proves me wrong. Black threads of tar come out of both halves of its body, stitching them back together. It pulls its hand out of my chest, and punches me in the face with the other one. I am sent flying out of the range of the illusion ward.

As soon as I land on my feat, I dash back towards where the ward had been, ignoring the now seemingly peaceful and empty green ruins. The wound in my chest heals quickly.

When I return to the site of the battle, I see the demon lunging towards Norton. Talia jumps in the way to defend him. The demon’s hand strikes her guard.

‘Iron wall!’

She activates the manifestation at the moment of contact and her defensive magic surges immensely. Her arm breaks, but she manages to stop the demon’s blow.

I dash over to her, stabbing towards the demon. It dodges my blow, leaping away.

I command my flames to heal. The golden flames envelop Talia’s broken arm, repairing it. Zack’s arm begins to regenerate as well. Fire pours into his wound, becoming new flesh.

“We need to immobilize it!” I shout.

“Perhaps I can do that,” Norton says.

Norton turns off his wind, dropping the enchanted chunk of stone floor onto the ground.

“Vile demon! Come and kill me!” He taunts, stepping forward.

The demon takes the bait, dashing towards him and pouncing with a vicious scowl.

A powerful updraft of wind forms, lifting the demon into the air. The demon shakes the world with a furious scream. Tar comes out of its back, forming into batlike wings.

“The wings will be a problem for me,” Norton says.

“Hold it in place!” I say, raising my spear. I do not want to miss my shot.

“I can get you three seconds!” Ellie shouts.

She throws the stone she has been working on at the demon, hitting it in the chest. The stone shatters, and the demon’s time slows down, not to the extent that it did when she used her pocket watch, but it is still significant.

I leap into the air, blasting flames out of my feet to fly up to the demon. I stab with Radius.

I try to activate Piercing Star, but immense pain burns through my body. My spirit cannot contain this power. I feel like I am going to burst.

Fuck, why did this have to happen now? Well, Radius did warn me.

I simply cannot afford to hold back in this moment, though.

The power that created life itself flows through me. I am set alight as my very existence burns.

I am back in Lika village, looking at the sky. No, not Lika. Such a place does not exist yet. There is only a great field of sunflowers, freshly bloomed.

I think about those that I love, Natalia, Maribelle. I remember my promises.

‘Primordial Piercing Star!’

As I stab the demon, a cataclysm of color explodes from Radius’s sharp point. The demon’s voice dies in its throat as it hollers in agony. The hideous monster is utterly vaporized as the primordial flame refutes its existence.

The light shines down on the ruins below, setting the world alight with flames of life. It only lasts for a moment, but it is enough to completely purge the earth of the demonic corruption that suffused this place. A million sunflowers bloom throughout the ruins, coming out of every surface, each blossom holding a tiny piece of my spirit.

I fall down, landing in the sunflowers. My friends rush to my side. I have a nosebleed and my head hurts horribly. My spirit was noticeably weakened from using that power, but I’m alive.

“Ferris, are you okay?” Ellie asks.

“I think so. Don’t count on me doing that again any time soon, though.”

“How did you do that?” Zack asks.

“I’m not clear on the details myself. I’m going to slowly become a phoenix, I think.”

My teammates stare at me, clearly just as confused by this turn of events as I am.

“Huh, good thing we brought you onto the team,” Talia eventually says with a smirk.

“Understatement of the fucking century,” Ellie says.

“Will you grow feathers and stuff?” Zack asks.

“I don’t know.”

“You look like you need a nap,” Ellie says.

“I do. Mind if I sleep here for a bit?”

“Go ahead. I think you’ve more than earned some rest,” Talia says.

I close my eyes.

“Mind if I take one too?” Ellie asks.

She lies down beside me, her warm body pressing against mine.

I am too tired to get excited about it.

“Whatever,” Talia says.

We fall asleep amidst the sunflowers.

Sadly, the peaceful bliss doesn’t last long.

Brilliant strands of sunlight wrap around me, pulling me into the heavens. It is so bright, so hot.

“Welcome back, old one.”

Above me is a titanic being of blinding sunlight. Four gleaming eyes shine brighter than everything else. My spirit burns just from its presence. I am in awe. I am terrified.

The being regards me silently. Eventually, I gather the courage to speak.

“What are you?”

“Indeed, it is too soon for you to remember me. I am Solus the Daydreamer, heavenly godking of the sun. I consider you an old friend. We have even been lovers in the past, though perhaps such a relationship will not be desirable for you in this incarnation.”

I was expecting crazy things to start happening to me, but not this.

“You know the last phoenix? Has she returned before?”

“The first and the last. You have returned many times. Long ago, you were the first being to achieve nigh-omnipotence. When the calamity rose, he destroyed you and your kin, only allowing enough of you to remain for life to persist upon the earth. You have returned many times during the eras of the calamity’s slumber, always being destroyed once more upon his awakening. This is the inevitable cycle of your existence.”

Radius spoke of an impossible challenge. Is this what she meant?

“What is this calamity?”

“The calamity is he who rose above all, the progenitor of the dragons, the most powerful being in all existence. One does not speak his name while he slumbers, lest he be awakened by it.”

The progenitor of the dragons? The most powerful being in existence? Something like that is going to come to kill me one day?

“Do not concern yourself with him. I suggest that you simply enjoy your life while you still can. Attempting to survive upon his awakening has proven to be a futile endeavor for you. When he returns, it is best if you simply accept your death with dignity.”

My stomach churns with disgust. Is this guy really asking me to just offer up my life to someone who has repeatedly killed me? Offer myself to the thing that created the dragons?

Maybe he has a point. It’s not like I can face something like that, right?

Fierce words echo in my mind.

“If there are limits, I will break them. If supreme beings stand in my way, I will surpass them. If people look down on me or my dreams, I will leave them in the dust. I won't stop until gods kneel at my feet, until dragons run like frightened lizards, and I have conquered all creation.”

I can guess what Maribelle would say to this god. Something rude, probably.

“No. This time will be different. I will live, and find happiness.”

The god of the sun glares at me. I immediately regret speaking my mind.

“How disappointing. If you once again insist upon this path, then when the next war for the calamity’s promise begins, we may find ourselves at odds. However, hope remains for you to have a change of heart. Perhaps I should choose someone close to you as my hero. That has helped convince you in the past.”

What is he talking about?

“This woman, Elise Lasova, is a good candidate. You desire her as a lover, do you not?”

“Leave her out of this. Please.”

“I think not. It will be her decision whether to accept or reject my gift. Goodbye, old friend.”

The dream fades.

I wake up covered in sweat. Ellie is napping in the sunflowers next to me, still completely naked. Her arm is wrapped around my chest.

I feel a spark of power bloom within her. For a moment, her spirit shines like the sun.

“Ellie!”

She wakes up gasping for air. She looks into my eyes.

“Did you just become a hero of the sun god?” I ask her.

Her eyes go wide.

“How did you know?”

“He talked to me too. I think, well, he might want to manipulate me through you or something.”

She scowls.

“I had a feeling he had ulterior motives. It was just too good an offer to pass up though.”

Talia walks over to us. She is wearing makeshift clothes made of animal hides.

“You two have a good nap? Huh, why so serious?”

“I am in way over my head,” I say.

“Speak for yourself. I just got awesome powers from the sun god,” Ellie says.

I shoot her a glare.

“The sun god? What are you talking about?” Talia asks.

“Oh shit, I think he said something about not telling people. Forget I said anything,” she says.

“Right,” Talia says.

“Are you ready to begin our journey back to Salsvale? It will be a long trip without the griffins, perhaps around a week,” Norton says.

Norton and Zack are sitting on a nearby stone wall, crafting us clothes out of fresh leather. Zack is using his venomancy to tan the hides, and Norton is drying them with his aeromancy.

“Yeah, as soon as you finish making our clothes,” Ellie says.

Norton nods.

“It won’t be long,” he says.

“So, Ferris, are you ever going to explain what the fuck happened earlier?” Ellie asks.

“Yes, I guess I should,” I say.

Everyone looks at me with rabid curiosity. I suddenly feel a twinge of irrational guilt for taking a nap before explaining why we all survived.

“As Ellie and Zack already know, my spear, Radius, is made from the talon of a phoenix. This phoenix spoke to me when I was being killed by the demon, offering me a second chance at life if I became the vessel for her reincarnation. That’s where my power came from. It was vivimancy, the primordial right unique to the phoenixes, but I can’t use it fully yet. The phoenix said that her memories will slowly flow into me over time, and eventually we will merge into a single being. That’s all I know.”

“You said the sun god talked to you?” Ellie asks.

“Yes, he came to me in my dreams and said we were old friends. He wanted me to offer up my life to someone called the calamity.”

“The calamity?” Zack asks.

“You know about it?” I ask.

“It’s an old legend of a human who surpassed the primordials. He created the dragons and conquered the universe,” he says.

“A human? How do you know about this?” I ask.

“I studied ancient mythology at the academy.”

“Those are just myths though, right?” Ellie asks.

“Apparently not,” I say.

“Indeed, you do seem to be in over your head, Ferris,” Norton points out.

“Ellie is a divine hero now? I guess the cycle is really repeating then,” Zack says.

“I told you to forget I said anything,” Ellie says.

“Cycle? What do you mean?” I ask.

“The pantheon wars, they happen every couple thousand years. The gods create heroes, then they descend from the heavens and walk the earth in the flesh. It’s just a theory one of my professors had, but there is quite a lot of evidence supporting it.”

“Why do they create heroes if they are going to descend to earth themselves anyway?” Ellie asks.

Zack shrugs.

“No idea,” he says.

“Very helpful,” Ellie says.

“Here, put this on,” Zack says, tossing Ellie some leather clothes.

“Thanks,” she says, getting dressed.

I can’t help but feel slightly embarrassed being the last person to receive clothes, even though it really shouldn’t matter. Soon enough, though, Zack and Norton finish making my clothes as well and we are all relatively decent.

“Let’s go back home!” Ellie exclaims, raising her arms in the air.

“I wonder what Maribelle has been up to,” I say.

“Getting herself into trouble, I’m sure,” Ellie says.

“Don’t say stuff like that. You’ll jinx it.”

We sprint out of the ruins of Telluria, leaving behind nothing but a field of sunflowers.