Xerxes held the phoenix and began walking out of the building towards the others.
Aemon studied the flaming bird, which now appeared to be under Xerxes's control.
"Everyone, I think it was just frightened. I saw something—someone told her to run. 'Run from this war.' Was it the war a decade ago?" Xerxes said, defending her.
Aemon shook his head. "If what you saw was real, then I believe that person was alluding to something greater. They must have been speaking of the Great War of Succession, over seven centuries ago."
Conrad blurted out in disbelief, "You're telling me the kid's holding a bird that's over seven hundred years old?"
It wasn't just him—everyone shared the same confusion, even Xerxes. What truly puzzled Xerxes was the fact that it had only just hatched. How could that make sense?
"But how could it have only just hatched?"
Aemon recited a quote he had once been told: "Through ashes and flames they rise again, moulded with the strength of the past and determined by the promise of tomorrow."
Though it sounded like another of Aemon's philosophical musings, Xerxes grasped its meaning well. It wasn't merely metaphorical—it had literally happened. The flames of its rebirth, the strength of the past being that vision, and the promise of tomorrow being himself…
Aliya spoke up. "As Father said, the phoenix must have reawakened. After all, they are known to be immortal. I believe that after all this time, it's simply fatigued and regaining its strength. We should wait for it to wake properly. In the meantime, we ought to repair this part of the castle."
Aemon agreed, and for the next few hours, Leiya and Xerxes kept watch over the phoenix while men from the outpost and the city helped rebuild the damaged structures.
Aemon assisted by weaving earth magic to speed up the reconstruction.
By nightfall, the castle had been restored to a decent standard. Aemon reassured everyone it had been a simple mishap, not wanting to stir fear over the presence of an ancient beast among them.
To prevent another unexpected fire, the Truth family retreated to a secure location, unbeknownst to most people in the entire city.
A secret vault behind the castle, accessible only by specific mana signatures. This place was reserved for the Truth family alone.
Inside, the vault revealed a vast space stocked with crop reserves, weapons, and a safe haven in case beasts ever breached the barrier.
Upon entering, Xerxes felt oddly weak. "What is this room for?" he asked. Questioning the odd serenity he felt.
Conrad answered, "My father built it long ago. Only the Truth family knows of its existence. We maintain the crops and keep livestock here."
He continued, "You may think despite us living in the fallen kingdom, we have grown to acknowledge every danger there could be, but there is still the unknown, and nothing is more frightening than the unknown, for adults and kids alike."
Xerxes hesitated. "Are you sure it's alright to show me?"
Leiya nudged him. "What did Gramps say? You're practically family now, aren't you?"
Xerxes smiled. "Yeah." To reinforce their trust, Conrad added, "Give it another year, and maybe I'll add your mana signature to the vault."
"Really?" Xerxes exclaimed.
Aemon chuckled and nodded.
They ventured deeper into the vault, settling in a safe area away from the livestock and crops, ensuring another one of the phoenix's outbursts wouldn't destroy everything here.
Now, all they could do was wait.
Hours later, the phoenix's wing twitched. Its eyes fluttered open—gleaming like droplets of gold, sun-kissed with hues of orange, slitted like a predator's. It stretched in Xerxes' palm, yawning widely.
Xerxes and the others watched it like a newborn—which, in a way, it was. Gently, Xerxes stroked its flaming head.
"Hey, Phoenix—are you alright now?"
It tilted its head.
"Xerxes… you're alive?" it asked.
Xerxes glanced around. "Did you hear that? It asked me a question!" But the others only looked baffled, like a mad man trying to explain his fantasies.
Aemon shook his head and explained - seemingly having an answer for most things, "I've seen this before—a bond between man and beast. None of us heard it speak, but Xerxes did. Their minds are now linked, meaning what the Phoenix says to him, he can only hear - by any normal means of course."
Xerxes was stunned. Was this like Dorian and Emrys? Dorian had claimed to converse with Emrys. All this time, he thought Dorian was playing as a fool, but could there have been truth in what he had not taken seriously?
Aloud, Xerxes replied, "I'm alive—better than ever!" He gave a thumbs-up.
"First, what's your name? I don't want to just call you 'phoenix.'"
"My name? My name is… name." The voice sounded feminine, but it couldn't recall its own name. Why? If it couldn't remember that, what else had it forgotten?
"Who was the man in the vision? He told you to flee the war—that he'd find you."
"I don't know. I remember flying as fast and far as I could… then I sensed something, strange mana. Or… was it mana? He radiates it." as she directed a wing towards Aemon.
Xerxes relayed this to Aemon. "She says she sensed something—maybe not mana—that woke her. I'm not sure."
Aemon seemed to have an idea but stayed silent, suggesting Xerxes name her instead.
Leiya chimed in, "Yeah, Xerxes! Give her a name—it's only fair!"
Xerxes looked down. "Would that be alright with you?"
The phoenix nodded eagerly. Xerxes had decided to continue relaying the knowledge back and forth so they wouldn't be left in the dark.
In the midst of Airi nodding, Xerxes pondered of what to call her. From the voice he originally heard, he had a suspicion it could have been a 'her' all along. Hence why he primarily stayed on the path of thinking of 'female names'
He chose a word that was used in the Elven Kingdom. It had different meanings all around but the overall meaning was derived from the first two letters, 'Ai'. 'Ai' was the incantation of a wind spell that Aya had always wanted to learn.
It could provide someone with true freedom over wind magic, releasing a powerful torrent of wind that was gathered from the entire kingdom, fueled by the ocean's support.
The next two letters were, 'ri". Ri was said to be the starting letter of many weapons as it had a slang meaning in Baratheon that alluded to something along the lines of 'saviour'.
Thus he spoke her name.
"Airi," he announced.
Leiya clapped. "That's beautiful! Your naming skills are top-notch."
The phoenix—Airi—gazed up at him. "Airi… I love it. Thank you, Xerxes. And thank you for saving me earlier. I saw you in my dreams—wrapped in purple mana, lying near death. I tried to heal you, but my strength didn't reach far enough. So I guided you to me."
Xerxes shared this, dispelling any lingering doubts about her intentions.
"I want to help you, Airi. Is there anything I can do?"
"A nap would be nice," she replied playfully. "And time to learn your goals, so I can aid you. Along the way, perhaps I'll rediscover who—or what—I am."
Xerxes found her amusing but bit back a laugh, not wanting to offend her.
"What's so funny?" she asked, tilting her head.
"You can read my mind too?!" he cried. Would he have any privacy? What about when he grew older? Would she see everything? He shoved the indecent thoughts away—though she'd probably already noticed.
Then, she did something that would make Xerxes' perception of Aemon shift for the rest of his stay in Truth City.
She fluttered over to Aemon, who observed her warily. She didn't land, mindful of her flames, but scrutinised each descendant—Conrad, then Leiya.
Then, she uttered words that made Xerxes question everything about Aemon.
Speaking directly into Xerxes' mind, she revealed:
"Kalarysz Truth, the God of Truth… was your master wasn;t he? You inherited your power from a god."
Xerxes stared at Aemon in shock, pointing accusingly.
"Aemon?!"
Aemon, now slightly irritated, demanded, "What is it, child? What is Airi telling you?"
Pointing a finger at Aemon's chest, Xerxes stared at him as if he had an alien presence.
"You inherited your powers from a-"
Aemon knew what was coming and didn't even decide to protest the next word that would come out of his mouth.
"God?"