31 Mysteries Brought to Light

With a couple months now having passed it was time for me to finish off my journey. I had spent these last couple months enjoying the time with my family, and attending another auction with them. This was only a small one so the whole of the royal family didn't attend, but Kathyln did with a small retinue of guards.

We were able to put her masks to good use as the guards dressed like adventurers and she gave me a matching mask to hers that was light blue as well. We toured the downtown and the markets, and the various stalls and shops. The guards were surprised in the Princess's actions as they are used to her being similar to a statue or a doll. However now she was leading me by the hand around the city of Xyrus with laughs, oohs and ahhs.

When it was over, we parted at the gate where she headed back to the castle and i to the manor. It was nice to hear Kathyln laughing and having fun just because she got to be a normal person for the day, and I'm sure there will be many similar moments in the future.

Shaking my head of the thoughts with a slight smile I approached the gate with my Rez outfit on. The rumors didn't spread as heavily as the first ones did, but people knew that I was an S rank adventurer now. Young adventurers now had sparkling looks in their eyes as I passed them, as they to dreamed of being a fabled S rank adventurer.

Flashing my new white card the guard saluted me as if I was royalty, I guess even guards dreamed of being adventurers at one point. The familiar feeling of gate travel flowed through as I landed at the edge of the vast expanse of untamed land that was the Beast Glades. Tuk hated the feeling of the gate so he always just flew down from Xyrus, and landed atop a branch next to me.

'Where to now, hatchling?' He used the mental connection as he stared at me. I returned his look before looking at the uncut underbrush of the trees.

'I want to go as deep as possible. We stopped at A zone last time for the dungeon but I want to explore the AA and S rank zones. There's bound to multiple spots of dense mana that will be good for refining my core even more in hopes of breaking through to white.' Tuk shots up into the air after a nod, and I take off using wind mana to propel me through the forest, much like the first time I came here.

Like this 3 months passed as I honed my skills and adventured deeper into the Beast Glades. Coming across various types of mana beasts and even a shadow panther like Virion had the beast will for. It was truly a ferocious foe with its speed and nearly soundless movements. I was using this journey to work on the power and accuracy of my conjurer style abilities.

My sword fighting was reaching a point of almost stagnation as I only gained new insights when Xaxses instructed me. He still wouldn't answer my questions, but his training left little time to ask anyways. I was rocked from my meditation by a powerful burst of mana some distance away from me. Xaxses made the sword vibrate in my hand as if wanting me to go investigate, I turned to Tuk who was perched in a tree and he had a confused face.

"What is it Tuk?" I asked aloud.

"It's… it has the same familiar energy as you." I looked at him in confusion before feeling the sword vibrate once more. Deciding on trusting Xaxses I hop up, and store my belongings into my ring. Rushing off into the direction of the burst of mana. As I grew closer I passed more and more mana beasts who fled the area, and my heart beat a little faster in anticipation.

Breaking through the tree line we came across a small brook with slowly trickling water, and a massive bird easily twice the size of a Flare Hawk was splayed on the ground with wounds littering its body. It weakly rasped and croaked as it tried to inch toward the water. The massive bird had red feathers spattered with a vibrant gold, it had a plume of feathers shooting off from the top of its head, as well as tail feathers that had several almost ribbon like feathers that were thrice as long.

It's vicious looking beak stretched out around a foot from the base of its head. The talons one its feet looked like a raptor's from my old world, curved high before ending in a razor like point. It's eyes were pure gold surrounded by a circle of red. The bird noticed me and flared its mana, but when Xaxses vibrated within the sword it stopped and looked at me strangely.

"A Phoenix…" came the gasp of surprise from Tuk who immediately dropped to the ground in the bird form of a bow. That sent a wave of memories through my brain on different things about Phoenixes from my last life as well as the scarce information on Phoenixes here. They were put upon the same pedestals as dragons in their rarity, almost even more so as they were known to heal and help lost travelers and adventurers.

The first King of Sapin himself was supposedly blessed by a Phoenix and that's why the Glayder family has red hair. Brought back to the moment by movements from Xaxses in my sword, I realize the Phoenix is still trying to reach the water. I quickly summon a skin of water from my ring and empty the contents slowly into the massive beasts mouth.

It sputters slightly and retracts it's beak from the water before looking towards me again, mostly to my sword however.

"Long time no see, Xaxses." The Phoenix slowly says and the sword vibrates, but then Xaxses' voice is heard.

"You as well Verrun." A wispy tired voice calls out from the sword.

"Who is the human and why does he feel familiar?" Verrun questions while scrutinizing me.

"He is 'his' son." Xaxses said vaguely, but it was enough to make Verrun's eyes widen before squinting at me.

"He looks just like her, but if you're in your sword then that means you must have failed." The mood turned somber as neither spoke for a time.

"Yes, I was unable to continue protecting Prince Zaldon's son and his betrothed. My will was strong enough to enter my sword though, and luckily an adventurer happened across it in the outer edges of the Beast Glades. Which led to me being sensed by young… Jaron here, his son." Xaxses spoke solemnly.

"He doesn't carry the royal name?" Verrun quickly asked.

"No, it seems Lady Emilia chose a human name for the babe when she escaped using 2 names from her ancestors to hide his name after we sealed his blood. Only Phoenixes and apparently birds are able to sense his true bloodline." I saw Tuk shake slightly at being referenced.

"I imagine that the assassins thought Emilia and the young princeling died in the explosion. She must have used the amulet to teleport Jaron to safety as I haven't felt any trace of her since." Verrun nodded at Xaxses' words before coughing up blood from his wounds.

"After you escaped with Lady Emilia and the princeling the rest of tried to hold as long as we could before Prince Zeldon commanded us to flee. The attackers have been hunting us to extinction ever since that day." Verrun intoned and another silence fell and I finally interjected.

"What are these attackers you're talking about?!" I exclaimed in frustration. Verrun glanced to me and I could feel my sword hum.

"Prince Zeldon, your birth father, was originally fascinated by the Vritra clans ability to make offspring with the lesser races outside of Epheotus. As he had spent his early days exploring the continent of Dicathen as an adventurer, well one day he saved Lady Emilia from a group of bandits. He fell for her at first sight and brought her back to live in Epheotus, the land of the Asuras.

The leading clan of the Phoenix Asuras was Zuwelia, your father was Prince Zeldon Zuwelia, and wanted to make Emilia his future Queen when he took over as king. We as a clan are not as big or strong compared to the clans in the Great Eight, no our power comes from our extraordinary healing capabilities. Not of ourselves as you can see, but the healing of others, as well our mastery over Fire that rivals even the dragons, that snooty bunch.

However once Prince Zeldon figured out what the Vritra were doing with the Alacryans he threatened to tell the Great Eight, only to get killed by the Vritra leader before he could. But the Vritra didn't know that we possess the ability to teleport before we perish, and Zeldon used this to teleport into the throne room of the Indrath clan warning them of the Vritra's plans.

(I'm sure this doesn't exactly fit the timeline or whatever, but since there isn't a detailed timeline anywhere I couldn't mold the story to fit it.)

The Vritra then began sending assassins after all the remaining Phoenix Asuras intending to eliminate the entire race, as the ability that was known to them and the rest of the races had the potential to be very troublesome in the war." Verrun took another sip of water from the stream.

"What is that ability?" Verrun chuckled at my question and looked toward my sword.

"The ability to imbue our will and memories into objects. We Phoenix's are one of the first beings to be born in this world and each king of the leading clan absorbed the memories and will of the previous. Which is what Xaxses here did with his sword that miraculously found it way to you.

I'm not sure why, but he chose to only slowly feed you his memories and will rather than instantly." Verrun glanced at Xaxses again and a faint hum sounded from the sword.

"The child's blood is not awakened it would have driven him mad, especially when he first discovered me as he was only 4." Verrun's eyes widened.

"He was able to sense you at 4 I thought human children didn't awaken till later, that reminds me child how are you a bright silver core mage? You should only be around 7." I nodded my head.

"Yes I just turned 7 a week ago, I'm a bright silver core mage because I awakened at 2 years old and purified my core constantly." Verrun looked to toward my sword which hummed in agreement.

"I can only imagine what kind of Asura you would have been had you been born under normal circumstances." He said and shook his head eliciting another cough of blood.

"It seems my time draws near, damn those Vritra. Come princeling let me impart one final gift to you in honor of Prince Zeldon." I stepped forward partly knowing what comes next, as soon as he touch his beak to my chest I felt it right and constrict. My blood boiled and I felt my body begin to heat up.

My pupils turned from black to gold with my blue still staying, my hair stayed black at the roots but slowly flowed into flaming red hair. A deeper and more vibrant red than Xaxses. I could feel and see the mana raging around me, as well as different energy that I hadn't ever seen before. As quickly as it came though, it went away and my eyes went back to normal as did my hair. I dropped to my knees breathing heavily.

"Live and become strong Prince Zelium Zuwelia." As he said that his body bursted into particles and they flowed into my body giving me all of Verrun's memories and imparting me his personal will not just his beast will. The names started to make sense as the closer to royalty the farther down the alphabet. Z is reserved for royal family. X for close relatives, and so on. I could see how the Phoenix Asuras led simple lives and mostly kept to themselves away from the machinations of the other Asuras.

Sadly the Prince got to close at end spelled the near end of the Phoenix race, one of the founding Asuras. To Verrun's knowledge, there are only a few remaining Phoenixes taking refuge with the Indrath clan as there is a pact going far back between the founding races, to help prevent the extinction of another race.

I entered into my meditation to look at my core and see a Phoenix made of red and gold flames latched onto my core. As it clenched the core I felt a pain shoot through my chest, Xaxses entered next to me and his essence flowed into me as well. With it the knowledge of assimilation and the final moments of that fight he wouldn't let me see.

"Damn you Vritra." Came the growl of Xaxses' voice, as through his eyes i looked up at the assassin.

"The great royal guard of the late Prince Zeldon, brought low by me. How lovely." Xaxses grunted and looked at the wound on his chest to see it leaking a purple black fluid that burned his chest. He looked back up meeting the blade of the Vritra.

"The end of Phoenixes is here, you should have stayed away from matters that didn't concern you." The Vritra said as he removed Xaxses' head, and only one name flooded his thoughts. Agora. Apparently Agora had been the one to kill both my father and Xaxses. The only problem is, is that I don't remember who Agora is from the books. I remembered an Agrona, but not Agora. However I imagine in the future during the war I'll eventually come across him and I can get my revenge for my father and mentor.

Exiting my core I come to with Tuk looking down at me.

'Good to see you awake hatchling' He sent mentally.

"How long have I been out?" I asked as I sat up, holding a head to my head.

"4 days." I whip my head towards him fast enough to make myself slightly dizzy.

"4 day?!" He just nodded and stared at me.

"Your power has grown, and I can feel a power similar to that Phoenix running through your blood much clearer now. I imagine you're close to awakening your bloodline as they called it. Luckily the Phoenix said only other Phoenixes can feel it and apparently me." I just nod, as it really would be quite the nuisance to deal with Asura level opponents right now. Another sharp pain shook from my core.

"It seems I need to begin the process of assimilation, watch over me while I run through Xaxses' memories on it." I immediately went into a meditative stance and willed the memories of assimilation to the front of my mind. It seemed that it was just a form injecting mana into my various muscles, bones and cells. Being bright silver my control over mana is much finer than I imagine Arthur's was when he had to assimilate. Not to mention I have the knowledge of biology from my world and the knowledge of mana from 2 Asuras.

Couple that with the fact I'm part Phoenix Asura apparently I feel I can fully assimilate in the 7 months I have remaining in my journey. Especially in this mana dense Beast Glade. However another thought runs through my head and I jump up, startling Tuk.

"Gah! What the hell did you do that for hatchling?" He said as he straightened his feathers.

"I've decided to go to the deepest point of the Beast Glades to do my assimilation." I said as I made sure everything was on me and I started leaping through the trees towards the center, Tuk flying over head.

"Just be careful, the mana beasts here are as strong if not stronger than the ones you faced in that dungeon." Came the concerned voice of Tuk.

"Well I'll need some sparring partners once I finish my assimilation. It'll work out." Tuk just gives a mental sigh and I chuckle at him. I will more wind mana into my feet and increase my speed, the sooner I get there the better.

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Author's Note

Alright I'm almost as nervous about this chapter as I was the dungeon battle chapter as I feel this will make or break the story for a lot of readers. Hopefully I hit all the points I had intended and no one is too out off by his origins, and his beast will.

I tried to make the Phoenixes seem like big deals as a founding race on the planet, but they didn't care for the snootiness that came with high ranking positions. Think of them as a version of the Nara clan in a way. They were knowledgeable because of their ability to pass down memories and wills, and typically excelled in things they actually focused on.

Now you have a half Phoenix asura that wants to get stronger? Also I know the names are a bit strange, but Jaron will still go by Jaron, only future Phoenix Asuras and other Asuras will call him by his Asuran name. Hopefully the Phoenixes were as cool as I wanted them to be to all of you. His beast will abilities will be explained in detail in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.

-SocioPhobia