The Phoenix's Maiden

The Prophecy

“WHO ARE YOU?!” Amber shouted with all her might in this pitch blackness. It is like that the void stares back at her, and Amber became more anxious. She cannot recall how she got into this place, because all that she remembers is that she passed out after the two men took her back away from the crowd.

“I Frigs, your great grandfather and the first king of Fernis,” the strange voice answered Amber’s question. She was shocked and can’t believe what she just heard. My great grandfather, she asked herself. Her biological family are all gone due to an accident, which she believes until now. She thought that the announcement earlier by Ashura is just all a joke and she was the only one that can cover up with the real one’s absence, but she was wrong. “You my great grandchild will be the one that will free us from this prison,” he said but Amber became more confused. What prison? She didn’t know anything about this world.

“What are you telling me?” she asked hesitantly.

“Soon you will find out!” his voice intimidated her as it became louder and deeper. “I do not have much time left,” he added and Amber noticed that the voice is starting to fade away. “Do not trust t-“ his voice completely faded before he finished the sentence.

“HEY!” she shouted again. “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” she asked with all her might hoping that the strange voice will reappear again, but it didn’t spoke again. Amber was completely clueless about what that voice told her. She was left there baffled and doesn’t have any clue where to start. What prison? Her grandfather? Who will she doesn’t trust? Too many questions in her mind and it bothered her so much. She called again and again, shouting from the top of her lungs. She cannot stand being left there oblivious of anything.

“Hey, are you okay dear?” she heard Ashura’s feminine voice. She opened her eyes and finds herself again inside the bedroom where she came from first. She quickly gets up at sat on the edge of the bed. The two kings and Arthur don’t know what is happening to her. They looked at each other asking if any of them has the answer but unfortunately all of them haven’t.

Amber is breathing heavily and thankful that it was all a dream, but she isn’t sure enough if that dream is real or have a meaning at all. She was baffled from all of it. She looked at the three men staring at her trying to figure out what really happened to her.

“Hi,” she nervously said to the three.

“What happened?” the young knight asked with his soothing and calming voice.

“Nothing,” she answered quickly and cheaply. “Nothing at all it was just a nightmare,” she continued her uncomplete statement. The three breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it wasn’t the demons possessing here or any illness that was caused by the witch. The two kings along with the young knight assumed that it was all caused by her social anxiety earlier.

“We are sorry dear,” Ashura apologized sincerely.

“For what?” she asked.

“We didn’t know that you suffer from an illness that makes you weak in front of the other people,” Azura reasoned out.

“Oh,” she was shocked. “No need to say or feel sorry this is an issue that I need to work myself out,” she explained. “I have a social anxiety unlike you three,” she explained. “Since I was a child, my foster parents kept me in the dark and treated me as their slave. That’s why I have this kind of problem,” she added and Azura was enlightened by the new piece of knowledge that she received from the girl.

“Ohh,” Azura was amazaed. “So that was the sickness is called, ‘Social Anxiety’,” he said repeating the two words that she explained what it was all about. She won’t repeat that again, it is hard enough for her to tell that story, only for them not to understand that. She will let their understanding be. “You humans like to keep it simple,” he commented to the term used. “And if it was I that would name it. I will name it ‘koinonikó ánchos’,” he said and Amber’s eye twitched as she cannot spell nor pronounce that word.

“You should tell us earlier,” Ashura concernedly told her.

“It’s okay,” she reassured her. “Wait,” she remembered something. “You’re not joking?” she asked and wanting to confirm all of the declaration that they made earlier.

“About what?” they asked in unison.

“Being me the one who come forth from the lineage of the phoenix,” she pointed it out.

“Do we look like clowns to you?” Azura asked her and with his deep and manly voice, Amber sees this as an ultimatum and he completely intimidated her.  She begins to tremble with fear and they didn’t fail to notice it.

“Don’t scare her brother,” Ashura scolded his brother and he walked towards Amber. Ashura sat beside Amber and consoled her. “My brother doesn’t mean to scare you my dear,” he said with his soft voice. “What he means is that we are not telling lies in front of the citizens earlier,” he added.

“It was all true?” she asked him.

“Yes dear, it was all true,” he confirmed. Amber felt the increase in weight of her burden.

“You sure?” she asked again hoping that Ashura is telling her lies.

“In fact,” he cuts her off. “This is the time for you to know the prophecy of your destiny,” he said and Amber felt the pressure that will soon be placed on her.

“I can’t,” she refused to hear what Ashura will tell her.

“You must know,” Azura insisted.

“We are here to help you,” the young knight encouraged Amber.

“But I am just a weak girl and a nobody,” she told them.

“You are,” Ashura told her and Amber became more sad. “When you plant in here,” he used one of his hands to point it in her head. “But in here,” pointing at her chest and he makes sure the he will avoid contact to avoid offending her sexually. “You are the girl that you are destined to be,” he said those words to inspire Amber. She was dumbfounded after Ashura told her all of those words of wisdom.

“But before all of that,” Azura intervened. “Before we tell you all of it, you must state your name before us,” he commanded her. All this time the three didn’t knew Amber’s name. That is why Ashura didn’t reveal her name back then.

“My name is Amber Cesia Garcia,” she answered cheaply without any leaking her other personal details out.

“What is your age?” he asked again.

“I am 26 years old,” she answered cheaply again.

“You’re too young looking to live for 26 years already,” he commented on her. Amber touched her face again. The feeling of her face doesn’t change at all. She saw a mirror near in the bed and rushed towards it. She was shocked to see herself looking younger. Everything about her reverted back in time, from 26 years old her body reverted 8 years back in time.

“How could this be?” she asked.

“Of course!” Azura shouted. “You are from the lineage of the Phoenix and that’s one of your abilities,” he answered Amber’s question.

“Oh I remember now,” Ashura remarked.

“Every time you die, you will experience something that King Frigs called the blessing of the phoenix prevents you from completely dying,” he explained. Amber remembered something when Azura mentioned the name Frigs. The one talking in here dream, she remembers him. He was telling the truth all along, he was her great grandfather. Does that mean everything he said is true? She asked herself that question. The intriguing part was his last statement that he didn’t finished.

Who will she not trust?

“What are my other abilities and who is King Frigs?” she asked him continually.

“King Frigs is the king that we are talking about earlier, the one who sacrificed himself for the kingdom’s greater good and also he is your great grandfather,” Azura answered and Amber eyes widen. It’s really true, she never expected that her dream will be that accurate. “Your other abilities will show over time,” he added pertaining to the other question asked by Amber.

“About the prophecy,” Ashura opened up about their true motive this time. Everyone became quiet because they are giving way to him to explain it to Amber clearly. “Amber dear, your appearance here in the Mystic Realm is not an accident by chance. There are all reasons about it,” he explained and Amber looked at him in confusion. “You are destined to save this kingdom, you are the one who will face and defeat the current lord of the underworld,” he added. “We don’t know when he will attack again in this kingdom. Days, months, or even years we do not know, but a vision was showed to us that a phoenix’s maiden will soon appear and will be the one to save this kingdom. The curse that was placed on your family many years ago is finally broken and now your abilities are back. That mark on your waist, there is no denying that you are the one that the prophecy foretold,” he told Amber about the prophecy. Amber assumed that the mark that Ashura was pertaining to is her birthmark. It does look like a phoenix because of its shape like a bird logo and it looks like that it has flame on it, the birthmark was pure red.

“Me? Fight?” she was intimidated to Ashura’s words. Fighting isn’t her thing and the fact that her whole she didn’t fought back to anyone, even her family is hurting her even once she didn’t fought back.

“Yes dear,” Ashura confirmed and Amber backs off.

“No no no,” she cannot accept it. “I didn’t even know what my abilities are except for not dying,” she exclaimed.

“Days from now you will set off in this kingdom to train yourself,” Azura told her about the planned training to unlock her full potential.

“The army of the current underworld lord, Cain, is not that weak that is why we are providing you the proper training in which way you can fully discover yourself efficiently,” Ashura added.

“Can I breathe some air?” Amber asked them and she cannot take it all in anymore. The two kings nodded at her understanding what she feel right now. The maiden quickly went outside the door and tread her way out to anywhere she can let herself be. She stumbled upon a balcony but unlike the one she went in with Arthur that has a beautiful garden view, this one shows the beauty of the town.

“WHY ME?!” she shouted letting all her feelings outside of her chest. “AM I THAT CURSED?” she asked even there is nobody there to answer her. Her tears began to fall through her cheeks, and wishing that she was dead. She cannot carry these burdens anymore. It became heavier and heavier when she found herself in this kingdom. I didn’t expect these to happen, she thought to herself. All she knows is that when someone dies, that person may find eternal rest or eternal t*****e, according to the bible that she worships. Not these kinds of duties, protecting other’s lives. How could she do these kinds of stuffs if she cannot protect herself? She let her arm rest on the terrace and let the fresh breeze of air blows to her face causing her hair to be messy. She doesn’t have enough energy to fix her hair as the thing in her mind became more complicated the more she thinks all about it. The moon shone more brightly and the light that was produced by it is like a spotlight pointing to a princess that is pretty much like damsel in distress. She needs to think faster how to get out of this place.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-