Chapter 328: Final Preparations (3)

"Uh…" He searched for words as I glared at him.

"Don't get me wrong," I added. "I'm still seriously pissed off." I put my finger against his chest and pushed him inside the room, then closed the door behind us. "I wish you did a lot of things differently, and I sure as hell want to burn you to a crisp."

Fetheion's eyes widened. "Right…" He mumbled.

"But I won't." I breathed out. "Mother just told me that both of you will join the battle. I'd rather if you didn't." 

He flinched.

"But you will, and that's perfectly understandable. So," I took a deep breath. "Don't you dare die out there, cause we're not done here."

"I don't intend to, don't worry." He smiled. "I appreciate you coming here to tell me all this." He hesitated. "I was avoiding you… I didn't want to anger you even more."

"I'm aware." I sighed. "Right, that's it. We'll have a talk after this whole ordeal is over and done with." I turned my back on him and reached for the door.

"The same applies to you too, you know." His words stopped me. "You don't get to die out there either. You will survive, and you will come back here."

I rested my hand on the door handle. "…Yeah, I know." I forced the words out, then left in a hurry. Did he know?

We then tried to reawaken the powers of the others once more but gave up towards midnight and headed to sleep. They still had trouble accepting this new reality, and there wasn't much I could do to help them with it.

As I lay awake in bed, all I could think about was what would happen the next day. My fears and worries, as well as hopes and dreams filled my mind as I eventually fell asleep some time later.

I woke up at dawn as usual, and after some light breakfast, headed outside. The difficulties I felt when trying to control my flames yesterday worried me, and I wanted to put some training in before we once again tried to awaken the powers of the others.

I walked up to the top of the cliff, where I had the talk with Mother earlier. I was far enough away from the treeline and the wind blew from my back, from the land towards the sea.

I climbed up on the rock by the edge of the cliff and sat on it cross legged. I listened to the howling wind for a while. I heard the rustling of leaves, and the waves crashing against the sharp, deadly rocks below. 

Then, I summoned my flames once more, channelling the power of the phoenix. It started as a ball of black and purple flames in my palm. Then, I allowed it to grow. With each breath, the flames enveloped me more, until nothing but flames could be seen when looked at from the outside.

I closed my eyes. The coldness in my chest grew ever so slightly as the souls within me stirred. 

"Calm now," I whispered. The phoenix's soul was slowly awakening, I could feel it. I allowed it to do as it wished instead of suppressing it. I couldn't afford to do so, I needed to be at my full strength for the upcoming battle. I couldn't fight two battles at once, one on the outside, one in the inside.

My flames roared and grew even taller, almost as if they reached for the sky. 

Then, that flickering returned. It was almost like a hiccup. Or a stumble on an open, clear path. There was no reason for it to happen, yet it did. It happened again as I still pondered about it. I felt my control on my own power wane ever so slightly.

"Kai?" A voice startled me. I was so absorbed in my own world that I hadn't even noticed Aoife approaching me. "What's wrong?" She asked, stepping closer.

"Nothing!" I exhaled. "Don't come any closer than that!" I warned her as my flames roared once again.

"Uh, ok." She took a few steps back, allowing me a momentary relief. "What's going on?" She asked.

I shook my head, then noticed how she probably couldn't really see me properly. "I'm just trying something." I said as I prepared to douse my flames. 

"Aren't they hot?" Aoife asked. "How do you not burn yourself?"

I chuckled. "It wouldn't be worth much if I hurt myself now, would it?" I hesitated as I finished speaking. Usually, I would have to constantly feed my flames to keep them as strong and bright as they were now. But now, despite having stopped doing that, they showed no sign of fading away.

"That's a good point." Aoife mumbled. I could hear the hesitation in her voice. She had noticed something was off as well. "Kai… Are you sure you're ok?"

"…No." I said, deciding not to lie. "I'll be fine, but something's off." I hesitated. "Do you mind going back to the treeline at least?"

Aoife nodded, then hurried over to the shadows of the trees. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was easier to focus  on the issue now that I didn't need to worry so much about my sister.

"Come on…" I mumbled, then focused my attention on the soul of the phoenix. "Don't make things harder for me now." 

Almost as if it were responding to me, I felt that cold wash over me. Memories flashed in my mind. Glimpses of the past, of Vixia. I felt a lump form in my chest as the memories flooded my thoughts. It felt like I watched hours, perhaps even days worth of the phoenix' life, yet I had only been sitting here for a couple of seconds at most.

Then, it was gone, just like that. My flames vanished, leaving me feeling empty and alone.

"Is it ok now?" Aoife called out. I flinched; I had forgotten about her.

"Yeah, I'm good." I gulped to get rid of the lump, then jumped down on the grass. "Let's go home."