“This beast spoke?” Kaden thought. Even the boar that was a high beast never spoke. “This bird is probably very powerful. I might as well answer its question. It’s not like there is anything to lose at this point.”

Before Kaden had even time to say anything the phoenix extended its claw towards him. So thats the way, he would be eaten by this bird beast. He didn’t resist. Fast death was probably better option.

*snap*

The collar on Kaden’s neck snapped. The phoenix didn’t even touch him. The collar floated towards the phoenix.

“What an annoying toy”, said the phoenix and the collar melted into a puddle of molten metal on the ground. “I’m spent. Too injured. I was planning on destroying everything that is valuable on me to deny those damnable magi of as much as I can, but now I find I’m not alone. As it happens, we probably have some time. I’m curious, how is it that human child ended up here?”

Perhaps in any other situation, the phoenix would not even deign to notice Kaden.

“I guess, its fine”, Kaden said and recounted short version of his story. Who he was and how he ended where he was now. With added curses to gods and his enemies, of course. The phoenix frowned slightly as it listened Kaden mock the gods. Kaden only replied why should he care about them since they didn’t care about insignificant him? The phoenix didn’t try refuting his opinions. “So… here I am bleeding to death. Cursing the world so I will be rejected from afterlife that I may remain and haunt those who have wronged me.”

“Foolish child”, said the phoenix. “Shades that might remain are you as much as you are your shadow. Shadows imprinted on local mana through strong emotions.”

“Haha, what else can I do?” Kaden laughed. Then he finally thought why the phoenix was there. “Could it be that you are why those cursed saints wanted to collect so many cores?”

“Indeed”, replied the phoenix. “I was driven to a trap. Otherwise, I might have made it over Dividing Sea. Now I’m too injured to continue. I’m not even strong enough to fly far. How pathetic.”

“I’m already dead”, Kaden said as reply. With determined voice he started telling the phoenix his ideas. “I’ll slowly bleed to death here. Maybe you can restore small portion of your strength by killing and eating me! Then you escape. Heal yourself. Then have vengeance. Kill as many people as you can! Burn down their cities. Make them feel loss of everything they have! Kill them!”

The phoenix frowned. “In any other situation, I would kill you just because you dare to tell me what to do.”

“I’m already dead”, Kaden answered. “I can say what I want. At most I will die quicker! Don’t you have desire for vengeance! You are mighty! They have wronged you! Kill them! Destroy them! Annihilate everything!”

“Human child, your mind is damaged.” The phoenix pointed out that very clear fact. “You are right, though. I would make them pay, if I could, but I too, am already dead. As for your body, its not even worth eating. You are too weak.”

“Heheahahahahah”. Kaden laughed again. Too weak to be even eaten. How ridiculous. He stopped laughing when he had to spit out some blood again. “This world in unfair.”

“Perhaps true”, answered the phoenix. “I wish I could see my mate one last time. We only wanted a hatchling. Thats why I was out searching for enough power to make that happen. It is difficult matter for my species and always requires great sacrifice even with best preparations. To be able to produce hatchlings that are already considered Lesser Cari at birth. Fair, unfair. Maybe such thing as fairness doesn’t even exist.”

Cari? Is that what beasts call each other? Kaden had not heard of these terms before. He still assumed a Lesser Cari was stronger than a high beast. To be born that powerful? This adult … just how powerful was it and then brought to such state.

“If you don’t mind me asking, I don’t know these terms”, Kaden decided to ask. “What are you? What is Cari?”

“Don’t humans teach anything to their children?” Questioned the phoenix. “Perhaps our existences are too far apart. Human generations might pass in distant places and none would ever even see something like me. I am a phoenix, one of the chosen races of beast gods!”

The phoenix felt very much pride about it.

“As for Cari”, it continued. “It is what we beasts, who have gained enough intelligence and power to speak and thus build advanced social systems like humans, call each other. A Lesser Cari, the lowest of us, is roughly the level of human at Condensation stage.”

“I see”, Kaden said. “Good to know at my last moments. Even Condensation stage is beyond my understanding.”

Kaden was silent for a moment.

“Why do humans and beasts fight?” Kaden asked. “You should be top cream at your power level and you seem sensible.”

“Greed. Differences in opinion. All the reasons why humans fight each other”, answered the phoenix. “Everything applies to us too.”

“I hate beasts far less than humans”, Kaden said. “Most beasts attack me because they want to eat me so they can live. Humans attack me because they are greedy and cruel and don’t give a shit what pain I go through in the process. Beasts have yet to truly wrong me. You are not among those that I curse.”

“I assure you, we are just the same”, the phoenix pointed out.

Kaden was silent.

“This world is unfair.” Kaden repeated and then coughed some blood. He was dying. His life was nearing its end.

“It is”, replied the phoenix. It didn’t say anything else for a moment, but then. “If you could live longer, would you?”

“Yes”, Kaden said after a moment. “But you know what I would do with my life. I would likely not live too long anyway.”

“I’m well aware”, assured the phoenix and then motioned one of its front claws. A small flame apeared. “This is a birth flame. The reason why I was out here. When my kind wish to have hatclings, we will require a birth flame. Weaker creatures such as humans only need to mate, but we will additionally need this flame. It is formed from my essence as phoenix. Once merged with a living fetus, it will change and transform it. It will be there to adjust and alter its growth to become a true phoenix. It is the seed of flame and life that each phoenix has inside them. I received mine from my mother as she gained hers from her mother and so on. The human true magi that follow me… this is what they want the most. Its the truest essence of a phoenix.”

Kaden listened to the phoenix. He still had some life in him.

“Of course they cannot use it like a phoenix would, but that doesn’t mean its useless to them”, the phoenix continued. “To use it correctly, to make it merge with flesh, to make it seed of phoenix essence, one needs help from another stronger one, such as from an adult phoenix.”

The phoenix was silent for a longer time.

“What I suggest to you is a preposterous act”, said the phoenix in a grave tone. “Perhaps I will get cursed for it as a heretic or worse. Yet, you can be my instrument of vengeance, if this works. I’ll rather give this to you than let those detestable true magi have it. Perhaps I should destroy it, but why do that when I can put it to use.”

Kaden listened.

“In a way, if this works, I can imagine you as an adoptive son”, phoenix continued. “This will change you. I cannot even begin to predict how a human body will react to a phoenix birth flame that is truly given to you. No one has done this before. You might die. You might live. You might become a monster. You might live, but wish you would die and be unable to end yourself. Anything could happen.”

After a moment it asked Kaden a question. “Do you still, young Kaden, accept this offer.”

“I accept it!” Kaden said with determination. He would do anything to live. He still had things to do. “And to you, I promise that, if I’m ever able, I will kill those too who have wronged you. Your vengeance will become part of mine. I swear it!”

The phoenix nodded.

“Phoenix, I would like to know your name?” Kaden asked as the phoenix was bringing the birth flame to him. “I need to know who my benefactor is!”

“Call me Anuu”, replied the phoenix, Anuu.

Kaden nodded and the phoenix proceeded.

Thin, almost string like, flames extended from the birth flame and wrapped around Kaden. They did not burn, but only felt warm and gentle. These strings brough rest of the flame closer. Kaden’s clothes ignited, but the fire did not burn him. He quickly kicked his wolfskin boots off before they were caught in flames. They were last thing to remind him of his mother. He did not wish to lose them.

Soon Kaden was covered in flames, but he wasn’t burning. It felt good. His wounds didn’t hurt and he was starting to feel more healthy. Exhaustion began to take over. It intesified at the moment the small birth flame entered his body.

“Sleep”, Anuu said. “Sleep. I can hide your presence. Nothing should find you until the process is complete. Sleep.”

Kaden felt closeness to Anuu that he had not felt before. He felt he could trust Anuu completely. So he gave up resisting. He quickly fell asleep as the the birth flame continued to merge with him.

At the end the flames formed small vortex around him. It gathered dust and earth, plants, moisture and everything it could from surroundings and it began forming a spherical shell. An egg. Despite being formed from such matter, it texture and color changed to much brighter and healthier color. Glowing lines crisscrossed across the egg for a while until they dimmed. The remaining matter left behind a bedding of ash under the egg.

Within that small cave was now a relatively large egg in which Kaden continued to merge with the phoenix birth flame.

“I wish you luck, child”, Anuu said once done. “You can be considered my child now too. I hope you can one day get conclusion to your rage.”

Anuu released small amount of mana. The cave seemed to disapear.

Anuu sighed. “It is my time now. Those true magi should be on the move already. I didn’t get far. I’ll get a bit further from here and make my last stand.”

Anuu left as she was gathering mana inside her core. She would self destruct and destroy as much of herself as she could. This was possible only after she had some time to rest. It would not have been possible within the restrictive formation. She knew that it was because of Kaden that she could spit at the faces of the True Magi as her last act. They would only collect some scattered pieces of her corpse.