THE BEGINNING

Basked in the red light of the sunset, the warmth that it gave and a little cold breeze that could be felt at that  moment, none of it mattered for the two living beings that were the only ones standing on the edge of a high cliff, which appeared to be 50 feet above the surface of the ocean. One was a human and the other was a bird. What was so special about that bird you ask? It was a bird with peacock feathers that were the colour of blazing red flames. The feathers, matching the colour of the setting Sun, appeared as if they were literally on fire. The bird was thrice the size of an elephant, but the most astonishing part about it was that it had eyes with irises that glowed like molten lava, seeming as if they could see directly through your soul. And another  astonishing fact was that it could talk.

"You can finally wish for what you have struggled so long", it's voice sounded feminine,young but mature, like that of a girl nearing the end of her teens. Plus, it sounded as if the voice was overlapping itself twice, but it also had a grace to it."This is the fruit of your determination, the award for clearing all those challenges." The human, with head hung down, stayed quiet. The body was covered in bruises, cuts and dried blood, was something one  might not be able to keep looking at continuously for long. There was a red gem in the right hand, a ruby to be precise, with a glow as bright as that of the creature's eyes. It had the shape of an octagon, but it was small enough to be enclosed inside the  palm of the hand that held it. The fist gripping it as tightly as it could, like the human was afraid that if the gem was released even for a second, someone might snatch it.

"And what about our promise?",the human finally spoke for the first time since reaching the top of the cliff. The voice was that of a teen in at the age of 14 or 15, and it definitely was that of a boy, with great sorrow in it as if he was unsatisfied with the outcome of the struggles he had gone through. The creature spoke, or more like voiced its thoughts. It's long yellow beak didn't open even in the slightest while  speaking. "I know you are worried about me, but don't be. I again get what I deserve. In the end, I don't think after spending 7 years in this form it will really matter if I went back to my original self. But I am really happy to have met you. Of all those people who came here and took the trial, you are the only one who kept his promise. All the others just had their minds set on that ruby and died one by one along the path. As you now know, the path of the trial was enchanted in such a way that whoever tried to reach the ruby with selfish intentions in their heads would eventually die along the way," The boy stayed quiet,"But not only did you keep your word of saving my life by giving up on your needs, but you also destroyed the void of loneliness, sorrow, anger and frustration in my heart. Never before have I opened myself to anyone. So, thank you. But I guess this is where we have to say goodbye."

The boy didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit. Why was it that every time he gained something, he had to sacrife something else.Why was fate so cruel to him. Even though he had accepted it, this was just too much. "Then won't I become like them as well if I don't fulfil my promise. " the boy spoke . The creature's eyes, if it was possible for  them, didn't twitch in the slightest as if the giant red peacock was expecting that."I don't think that would be the case since you have already  cleared the trial, and this is my own decision on top of that, so don't blame yourself." The boy only showed the slightest smile, but it was a sad one. "Yeah! That's just like you, Peacock Princess." The bird voiced a small giggle at that nickname and the sarcastic tone of the boy. He kept silent for a few seconds more as if deep in thought,  then finally raised his head with a face that showed commitment, like he was satisfied with the decision that he just made in his mind and wouldn't change it at any cost.

"So this is my answer" he raised his right hand straight up and spoke with a loud voice as if giving a command,"In the name of the sacred bird Phoenix, I command the Lava ruby to grant my wish.",the gem started to glow brighter,"Beholding the bravery that I displayed and the trails that faced, I order you to fulfil this creature's desire." The Phoenix displayed a surprised look, then it's eyes went wide as it slowly realized what the boy was actually wishing for. "Forgive whatever sins she has committed, let her behold happiness in her heart again." Suddenly the wind started swirling around like a giant cylinder with the two of them inside it. The boy could feel the ruby get warmer inside his right fist."Return to your original self, for you have atoned more than enough.The Phoenix of Destiny, I hereby name you,RACHEL ELIZABETH DARE."

As soon as he had finished his chant, the body of the Phoenix stated to glow bright yellow, like that of a firefly's light and slowly began disappearing in tiny fragments as if they were really a swarm of fireflies. It's eyes were filled with tears, "You idiot, even after I spoke all those harsh words about you in your face, even after going through the hell from which you barely survived, even after getting tortured to the point that one might become insane, you're still keeping your promise to someone like me instead of worrying about  yourself."

"That's just the kind of idiot I am, and I

exactly know what it feels like to be

betrayed." The teen's voice and his face, both had a sense and feel of satisfaction like the boy didn't regret his decision in the slightest. Instead, even though his face didn't show it, he felt happy about having made this choice. The bird was almost gone, dissolved into the glowing fragments, only the neck part remaining. "There are lots of things that I want to tell you. I want to properly express my gratitude, tell you how I feel, but  neither do I have the time, nor the words, so, find me again so that when  you do, I will be able to say everything to you properly without hesitation,  without having to worry about  time...".

"Yeah, let's meet again sometime.", the

fire coloured bird finally gone, the boy gazed towards the vast ocean. Even though he had felt lonely when he  made the decision of releasing the bird from its curse, now that he had actually said goodbye to it, no, to her whom he was able to open up, who opened up to him, who understood his struggle,'a friend, yes', the actual sorrow of having said goodbye to her who was like a friend to him was entirely something else. But, even though he might not be able to meet with her again in his entire life, he figured that it was for the best since he didn't want to get her involved in his life that was a battle of life or death after all that she had gone  through.

Besides, there was something else that had to be done, or more like there was something to hide, something to be left behind as it was really dangerous. Even though it was only 4 feet long, 14 centimetres wide and didn't have that much weight, it was probably the most dangerous thing in the world. Others might not realize the danger upon seeing the beautiful object, but since thousands of people had alreardy died because of it and lakhs of people had  witnessed the tragedy the object caused, and because he was the sole person in the world who knew that the tragedy that they witnessed was caused by the very same beautiful object on his back, he had to keep it out of the world's eye no matter  what, and the place he found the  ruby was the perfect one.

It was already getting dark and the stars were starting to appear in the sky. He hadn't noticed that he had been standing on the same spot, just deep in thought even after the  Phoenix was gone, for more than half an hour. He started heading back, all the way down to the cliff, towards the forest at its bottom. He didn't pay attention to the beautiful scenery, nor to the chilly wind he felt on his bare arms, nor to the wounds on his body that still hurt. Many stags, deers, owls and many more were looking curiously at him  through the branches, bushes and from behind the trees of the forest that he was passing through now.

Ater having dragged himself for almost an hour, he finally arrived at the entrance of a cave. Calling the rocky structure in front of him a cave would be an understatement as the boy knew that it was the exit of the long tunnel in front of him. His body hurt, his eyelids felt heavy, he wanted to pass out then and there, but he had to complete the task in front of him before taking rest. Walking slowly with a heavy head, taking only one step at a time and after struggling along the long and deep path of the cave illuminated only by a thick tree branch that he had lit before entering the cave and stumbling upon many uneven paths, he finally arrived at the place where he found the wish granting ruby. Even though it had faded away just like the Phoenix said after he made his wish, he could still feel its warmth on his right palm as if it was still there.

Standing in front of the pdestal where the ruby was once placed, he drew out the object on his back along with its sheath.It was a double edged sword with charcoal black hilt and the blade a shade somewhere  between grey and black. There were three rhombus shaped rubies  embedded on either side of its rain guard. They were embedded on both sides such that they formed a  triangle with its topmost vertex towards the opposite side of the blade. There was no cross-guard, instead the blade stretched along the sides of the two adjacent rubies in small curves along with a small grey rising, like a tiny but long  horizontally cut cylinder running along the width at the place where the blade got bisected into two. The pommel was in the shape of the tip of a spear. The scabbard was no less beautiful, having the same charcoal black colour as the sword's hilt and a ruby each embedded on either side at the locket part, making the hilt's triangle look like a complete  rhombus when the sword was  covered with the scabbard.

But the most surprising of all was that the boy was feeling some kind of presence from that sword, a big and overwhelming one that felt down right evil, but something seemed different about that evilness, like it was not the kind of evil that would devour and destroy everyone and everything for the sake of fun, but instead the kind of evil that wouldn't stand anyone disobeying it no matter what and would end those who tried to get in its way then and there. That presence and the sword, for some reason both reminded him of a dragon, and a ferocious one at that. But why only a dragon in particular, the boy decided against leading his thoughts in that direction because he knew the exact reason for it.

Suddenly he heard squeaks from above his head and they only kept getting louder by the second. He looked up, and saw the source of the squeaks. There were bats were hanging from the ceiling. The shrill of their voice seemed alarming, as if they sensed how dangerous the sword that the boy was holding in his hands was. He brought his attention back to the pedestal, then towards the sword in his hand. "Thank you for everything up until this time. Even though I am leaving you here, I have a feeling that the time I will wield you again won't be long, BAHAMUT.", speaking the last word with a heavy voice, he held the sword's grip tightly with the tip of the blade pointed horizontally down towards the fractured maroon coloured pedestal. There was no slot or anything like that on its top, just some cracks as he and the Phoenix, instead of fit in a slot, had found the ruby suspended directly above the pedestal, surrounded by red light that was bright enough to light the complete dome shaped portion he was in right now unlike the torch which he had made that barely lit the area within the radius of a meter around him.

The boy stood close enough to the pedestal so as to put all his weight into the sword. He held his breath and put all the power that remained in his body in his grip and brought the blade down with all his might while yelling, "HHHAAAAAAAAA", and with a loud sound of crack that comes when trying to break concrete with a chisel, the blade sank deep into the pedestal until the grey coloured cylindrical part. Immediately an immense burst of energy was released from the sword, and the boy along with the scabbard were sent flying to the wall of the dome. The boy hit his head hard on the uneven stony wall and  immediately lost sense of all his body parts as he fell on the ground and spat a little blood. His head on the ground was at an angle from where he was able to see both, the scabbard  that fell near him and the pedestal with the black sword in it. Was it some kind of magic or the material used to make the pedestal, he didn't know but the pedestal was still in one piece but due to the impact of the shockwave, the bats that were hanging from the ceiling up till now were screeching and flying here and there. His torch was already out due to the impact just now, it was only the red coloured glow coming from the sword that allowed him to see to some degree, but even that was slowly fading.

'I guess...I have reached my limit at last, but at least I...finished what had to be done...but, there are still things that..I have to do no matter what.', he didn't have enough strength left to even think properly, 'God, I know that I've...always cursed destiny...and...acted atheistically...but if...if you are really forgiving like  how people say..then please, don't let my life end...just now, I have to...set things.... right for..... those... two.... as ...well..........'. With that prayer as his final thought, the boy drifted into unconsciousness and the red glow also faded completely, making the dome shaped chamber pitch dark. Slowly, all the bats also settled themselves on the ceiling again and the chamber became completely silent, as if nothing had ever happened in there.