Kim watched as Lilith jumped off from Castor's back with ease and ran towards Bran and Melinda.
She giggled like a little girl meeting her friends after a long time away. Seeing her like this finally made Kim realize how much younger Lilith was.
Lilith gave both of them two big hugs and began talking with them. Kim's full concentration was on her mount, so she couldn't hear what they were saying.
Agnes helped her jump and land on the asphalt. Looking to the side, she saw people walking along the road, watching the enormous beasts with awe.
After everyone got off, the hippogryphs took to the sky once more. Kim watched them fly southward, and she wondered how many of these creatures existed.
She stood there, in the middle of the road, staring until their forms were only specks in the cloudy blue sky.
"Beautiful creatures, aren't they?" Asked a male voice next to her.
She looked to the side, then up and stared into Bran's brown eyes. He tried to make a comforting smile, but it was a clear failure.
From one look it wasn't obvious, but Kim saw through the facade without a problem. It was hidden there, in those hollow eyes... He was in pain. Not physical, of course, but it was there.
Kim turned away, back towards the sky, where the hippogryphs weren't visible anymore.
"What are they?"
She had seen nothing like them. Throughout her years, she had only heard rumors of creatures that weren't trying to kill everyone in sight. Even in the past two years, she never met any.
"They are a race called hippogryph, created by the angelic beings in a Realm called Aerin. They made them to be fast war mounts, and after the Realm's destruction, they sought refuge on Earth."
He recounted the creatures summed up history with ease, having read through them loads of times in the past two years.
It was lucky that they had a giant archive of this information. It made searching for specific entries much easier.
Also, Sera tasked a group of researchers to find and manage any information connected to Aerin. Bran did not know why she tasked them with this, and in his curiosity, he spent a lot of time reading up on that specific Realm.
"Why are they here helping you?" She asked, turning back towards Bran.
His eyes still stared towards the sky. He seemed to reminisce about some past happy memory. Whatever it was, it made him sad.
"Why else... It's because of her, of course!" He answered in a whisper, his voice melancholic.
Kim knew who he was talking about. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say or ask. After a few tries, she just sighed and asked the question that interested her the most. The question she never cared to ask before...
"Who is the Phoenix?"
Hearing the question, Bran looked surprised, then chuckled with a small genuine smile on his face. The smile was weird and unnatural on his usually depressed face.
Without saying a word, he began walking inside the building. Kim followed a step behind him. Only now did she notice that everyone else had already left the area.
The military headquarters was colorful, red and gold, the dominant colors, with a few splashes of pure white here and there. The designs on the walls were lavish for Kim's taste.
There were also a few statues depicting a female wearing dress and holding a glaive.
This was the real reason she wanted to know more. In her mind, maybe if the Phoenix was a great person, and that was just a single accident, then she could let go of her revenge and try to cope with her emotions in another way.
"I'm not lying. I wanted to kill the Phoenix, since she deserved it, but now I'm not so sure..." She looked away towards the large window and watched the soldiers move on the street.
On the other couch, Bran chuckled to himself, which brought Kim's eyes back to him.
"Lies yet again... Wait, let me finish... Before you try to explain yourself again, try answering this question first... What caused this change in you? Why do you want to know more about the person you hate the most? Why do you want to find a reason to forgive her for killing you entire family?"
With each question, he drove the nail further into the point he wanted to make. It took no thought this time for Kim to answer.
"Because when I looked into a mirror, I couldn't recognize myself, and I hated myself more than I ever hated the Phoenix..." she said with sadness, finally understanding why Bran called her a liar.
She was, in fact, lying. This quest for answers had nothing to do with Sera... She just wanted to find a reason to forgive her, and then maybe she could find a reason to forgive herself, too.
"Say her name."
Bran's voice echoed in the small room, demanding Kim's attention. She looked at him with confusion, then with a small tremble in her voice she said... "Seraphine."
Saying it out loud felt like pulling teeth. In her life, she never referred to Sera by her name. It was always 'the Phoenix' for her. She didn't want to name the person of her nightmares, but now things were different.
As the name left her mouth, something tiny changed inside her. With this, she gave a name for the monster, which then gave her a face, a personality, a life...
It was easy to be angry towards a faceless monster who killed her family without remorse, but hating an actual person was way harder.
Hearing her answer, Bran nodded with satisfaction...
"You have a choice to make, Kim. You can follow this path of revenge, and maybe you will succeed, but it will be hollow and it will leave you hating yourself. Killing from hate is never fulfilling, and it won't stop the nightmares... There is only one remedy for that."
Kim already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from his mouth... "What is it?"
"To let go... The past has already happened, we can't change it. Sera to this day hates herself for that one mistake and I give you the same advice as I gave her... Forgive her and yourself, let go of the past..."
Bran spread his arms, encompassing not just this room, but the entire city.
"This here is a new start. That's what Sera wanted to give you... She can't make the past right, can't bring you family back to life, but she can give you a chance..."
He stood up, and while walking towards the door, he spoke...
"I will leave this room and return in about half an hour. You have until then to figure everything out... This is a fresh start. You can either go back to your revenge, or maybe join us and help the world... You can also just leave, and be a regular person... It is your choice."
With that, he left the room, leaving Kim with her thoughts as the only company.
She walked towards the large glass pane window and stared at it until she saw her own reflection. The tiny young girl stared back with green eyes.
The words continued to echo inside her head... 'Fresh start'. Maybe that's what she needed... Or maybe not. She did not know.
"Revenge or Forgiveness." she said the words in a whisper, trying to find the answer to this question. Discover exclusive tales at empire
On her reflection, a small confident smile appeared... She made her choice...