The Box

The man carried Phoenix to an abandoned apartment complex, opening the door and then carrying her inside to put her on the sofa. She laid sideways, resting her head on the armrest and closing her eyes. The night replayed in her mind over and over again. Her findings about Onyx and her suspicions about his father made their way to the forefront of her mind and she choked back a sob. She still had one more mission before she could completely give up.

The man came back and gave her a glass of water, then sat beside her on the coffee table, watching her drink. Before long, she had drained the glass and handed it back to him. He got right to business. "The box, how do you open it?"

"Why do you want to know?" she asked softly.

"I have my reasons. Why is it in your possession?" he countered.

"It was a gift before I lost everything."

"From who?" Phoenix rose a brow in his direction and he sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you my reasons if you tell me how to open it. With that, I'll leave you alone and never bother you again. You'll never see me again."

She snorted. "I doubt that! Just like I doubt that I'll never see those three ever again."

"I keep my promises!" he snarled. "I can kill you easily with a quick flick of the wrist. I will if it comes to that."

"Go ahead!" she breathed, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing. "Then my wish will come true and I truly won't see you again."

"I'm not playing a game!"

"Neither am I. I'm serious when I say go for it. You won't get another shot. I won't let you."

The man stood, walking out of the room before returning to his seat, holding up the box. Phoenix opened her eyes and saw the box, emotions running wild inside, but showed no hint of interest. She just closed her eyes again. The man said, "What's inside this box can either be a weapon or salvation. It could mean life or death for someone. It could mean a lot of power in one's hand."

"I don't want power," she breathed smoothly.

"Neither do I."

"Then why do you want what's inside?"

The man stared at the box with longing in his eyes. "Because, I need it."

"For what?"

"Something."

Phoenix snorted. "Try again. I'm not opening it without a valid reason for doing so."

"I can keep you here for as long as I need to, shoot your other leg, and make it impossible for you to go anywhere on your own."

Phoenix waved a hand in the air. "Please, by all means! At least then someone will be smart."

He sighed and slammed the box onto the table, frustrated. "Help me! Or so help me…" He trailed off at the look of amusement on the woman's face. "You're enjoying this?"

She nodded and finally looked at him in the eyes. "When men get angry, it's very hard for them to control their anger, therefore when they're trying to suppress it to be rational, it's humoring. I don't get to see it often until recently. It makes life more interesting."

"What will it take to make you help me?" he asked in a somewhat calmer voice.

"I want it back. I want it until you absolutely need it. And I want to know what you're using it for or else I won't tell you a single thing."

The man stared at her for a long moment, unsure to trust the woman in front of him. When she didn't look away or show any signs that she might be lying, he nodded, handing the box to her. "Fine, but you come when I need you, no matter what. I don't want any delays when I'm in a hurry. Are we clear?"

Phoenix took the box and nodded. "I won't be living on this island anymore. I will come when it's dark and probably stay at the coffee shop. If I'm not there, I'm busy, so tell Gwen where I can meet you. Tell no one else. And if you ever shoot me again or break my bones, you will know the worst torture known to life."

The man smirked, finding her threat amusing and false. He looked at her leg and frowned. "I'll be right back."

He left again and Phoenix sighed, exhausted from everything. She had gotten no sleep and couldn't keep her eyes open much longer. She didn't want to sleep because there would be nightmares worse than before. She wasn't a coward towards something so unthreatening, but she just couldn't face them right now. Not when she was at her weakest. Not when she lost everything all over again, including her home.

She couldn't go back, but she couldn't leave Elliot completely alone. If she dd go back, Onyx would find her. if Onyx found her, things would get messy. If things got messy, she'd regret it most dearly. Maybe it wasn't Onyx's fault for what had happened, but he still did it without remorse. He could've said something, anything, so she could help. And she would have helped. She would've found a way to keep both of them safe in the fastest way possible.

The man came back after a few minutes and she opened her eyes to see he had a needle and thread, and alcohol. "Drink this so you can go numb. I don't want passerby's thinking I'm torturing you."

She took the bottle and smelled it, scrunching her nose at the stench. Phoenix hated alcohol. It gave her happy feelings that weren't truly hers, made her senses go haywire, and gave her a horrible migraine the mornings after. Deciding against it, she set it down and closed her eyes. "I'd rather deal with the pain than let my senses disorient and you take advantage."

"Drink the bottle," the man hissed.

Phoenix put up the middle finger of her right hand. "Over your dead body!"

The man groaned and sat down, unwrapping the now soaked make-shift bandage. Phoenix winced but did not cry out, not even when the needle pierced her skin and the man started pulling it together, not even when her leg felt like it was going to fall off. She did not cry out.

Onyx stormed the island looking for Phoenix, not caring about her threat against his life. He didn't care when Ecthrois and Advandth told him that Phoenix will hold true to her threat and not to push her. He didn't care that Neclord was pissed off they didn't capture her again, or that his father was in mortal peril if he didn't return with her within the week. If Neclord killed his father, he'd have no leverage against Onyx, and he needed leverage if he wanted Onyx's full attention.

Onyx had been everywhere it seemed, even the coffee shop and her house. The only people he found were Gwen who seemed to have sympathy for him, and Elliot who glared at him and told him to forget about Phoenix and screw with someone else. Onyx wanted to punch him, but didn't have time. He ran back into town and searched everywhere, desperate to find her, needing to find her.

At some point, it occurred to him that she might be on a different island, but he couldn't even begin to know which one. Ethereal wasn't meant for humans, and she wouldn't go to Death Archipelago. She didn't seem to find that place very welcoming the last time she was there. But if not in those islands, then where?

Onyx made his way back to the abandoned building where Tariel was being held. He didn't think the man would know, but he certainly would have answers to other questions. When he found the man in a corner with his mouth gagged and his limbs tied up, Onyx stalked up to him and knelt, ripping the gag away and waking him up. "I want answers about a woman named Phoenix."

"You mean the bitch who made that net in my house?" Tariel sneered. "What about her?"

"Who is she?"

Tariel gave a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

Onyx growled and back handed him across the face. "Tell me who she is, or I will make sure you stay alive while I gut you!"

Fear bloomed in Tariel's eyes and he tried to cower away. "I seriously don't know!"

"Then tell me about the night you beat my father into a pulp and let Neclord hide him away. What did he do?"

Tariel swallowed a large lump in his throat and whispered, "He saved a girl. We were raiding a house an hour's walk from town, and were supposed to get as much as possible. I didn't know they'd be home, and therefore didn't know what to do when I saw them. I just decided to save me some trouble by killing the family.

"Your father was hesitant from the start, asked a lot of questions, tried to redirect us to another house. I didn't listen to him, and ordered the attack. We took the yard while some men went inside. The mother was killed and then the father. The boy was then killed, leaving only the little girl. She ran and one of my men told me your father helped her escape. I was pissed there was a witness and took my anger out on him. He was to blame for anything that may come in the future.

"After that, we came back and Neclord hid him away, said that you were going to replace him as soon as you came of age. He told me to keep quiet. I knew I couldn't, so I ran. I took as much valuables as I could and made myself a living. I was wrong to come back here."

"Do you know the girl's name?"

Tariel shook his head. "Why in the hell are you--?"

Onyx punched him in the stomach and growled, "It's none of your business!"

The victim spit blood from his mouth and tried to reposition himself, only to be caught by Onyx and hauled up against the wall. "Seriously! I have no idea what the hell is going on! I know as much as I told you!"

Onyx's jaw clenched in irritation and he pulled out a knife, putting the blade to Tariel's throat. "Give me one good reason why I should keep you alive."

"Onyx!"

Onyx turned and saw Ecthrois walking up to them, papers in his hand. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Put the piece of shit down and read this," he hissed, nudging the papers toward Onyx.

Tariel took a deep breath and let it out, relieved. Onyx glared at him, not finished with his rampage, so he knocked him out. Dropping Tariel's body to the ground, Onyx dusted his hands and put his knife away, then took the papers from Ecthrois.

July 5th,

Three days ago, a family of four was murdered in cold blood, only one survived. The mother and father stabbed multiple times in the stomach and chest areas, while the child was shot in the back by an arrow. The girl, Soliel, either has survived or died on the run. We have no record of where she might be. Her only living family is dead and she has nowhere to go. She is five years old and has red hair and blue eyes. If you see her, please bring the child to the authorities for proper inspection.

August 14th,

The girl, Soliel, has not been found. We think she may have been kidnapped or dead. If you have an idea of where she might be, please let someone know. Red hair and blue eyes, she must be found because she has no living family members. When found, please bring her to the authorities. Handle with care! This is a scared child who is scared and lost. Don't attack the child. Do not raise your voice. Do use soft tones of voice. Do make her feel comfortable with you. Do let her go if she runs and immediately find the nearest authority figure. We are not dealing with a criminal! This child has lost her family and needs as much support as we can give her. She needs protection, not force.

January 19th of the next year,

Soliel has been spotted! Soliel has been spotted! A local saw the little girl running away from her house in the direction of the Ethereal bridge. Alert all the locals on Ethereal of who we are looking for and tell them to report at any time. if you are passing the bridge, keep an eye out! Approach with care. Do not show weapons to the child, for she will run!...

"You think this is Phoenix?" Onyx asked Ecthrois. The man nodded in agreement. Onyx scanned the other documents, seeing the same as the second one, noticing the dates getting farther and farther apart until the end of the second year. His brows furrowed. "Is this it?"

"They stopped searching for her, finally giving up and claimed Soliel was dead. No one cared after that. Everyone forgot about her. Went on to other matters like agriculture."

"Do you know where she might have lived while alone?"

Ecthrois took the documents and pointed to the third one. "Ethereal. It's the only place I can think of."

"But it's not for humans. And if she was there the whole time, why didn't anyone report her whereabouts?"

"Maybe someone took her in as their own. People tend to be more lenient towards children than adults. Maybe someone adopted her and she lived a semi normal life until she turned of age and came back."

Onyx shook his head and sighed. Soliel. Phoenix. Their lives were intertwined by the life in front of him. Tariel killed her family and tortured his father. He stole from both of them, made sure they were both miserable, but prospered himself. Without thinking, Onyx flicked his wrist and a knife went into Tariel's heart, buried deep to the hilt. Somehow, that just made him feel worse.

"You know, if she sees you searching for her, she'll kill you?"

Onyx sighed and turned to his comrade. "And if I don't find her, and apologize, she'll never know the truth. Do I just let that go?"

Ecthrois shrugs. "She's a strong woman, Onyx. I know for a fact that she can kill you, and if she does, your father dies along with you. No delays. Neclord will make him pay for your actions."

"Neclord can't use him against me," Onyx growled. "There's no way for him to do anything right now, not when he has a killer woman out for his head."

"You're just going to let him rot and die?"

"I'll get him. I'll get him and find Phoenix. I'll do what I must."

"She isn't going to be easy to find. If they couldn't find her when she first went missing, then we won't find her now. Not if she doesn't want to be found."

Onyx nodded but closed his eyes, putting all the pieces together that he knew of. He said, "She was a child back then, small and able to fit in tight spaces. She's an adult now, intelligent but easier to find than a child."

"She also has weapons at her belt, a mind of steel, and a rage more powerful than anyone I've ever seen. She's going to be tricky to capture."

"I'm not looking to capture the Firebird," Onyx said dazedly. "I'm looking to bait her, then pull her in. I'll let her escape as many times as possible, but there will be a time when she will not want a way out, a way to be free. I'm looking to ensnare her by letting her walk into me willingly, not the other way around."

"Like a fish to a hook," Ecthrois murmured.

"Better," Onyx hissed. "Like a bee to honey." He started out the building to face the firing squad Neclord had ready for him. "Phoenix wants revenge, she'll get revenge, but only when I'm ready."