Finally, Some Clarification

Hyeon was back in what he assumed was Scotland. It was the same forest and river as his vision after absorbing the kelpie's soul. He could've sworn Fenrir was carrying him in his arms. Could this be another one of the spirit's memories?

He walked along the riverbank, not sure of what to do. The scenery felt so familiar to him, even though he hasn't been to this country.

In the distance, he saw a person staring into nothing.

It was…Hyeon?

He looked at his own reflection in the river, but he was still himself. Why were there two of him?

"Hey—," he started to call out.

His double turned his back to Hyeon and disappeared into the forest.

"Wait!" He ran after himself, wanting answers. The branches scratched at his arms. At first, he could see his twin in between the trees, but he lost him not long into the chase.

Eventually, Hyeon ended up in a large clearing with a glistening lake in the middle, a place that was weirdly nostalgic. At its small beach, Hyeon #2 stood ankle-deep in the clear water, watching the various types of birds swimming on the surface.

He approached the imposter until he stood beside him, also getting his own feet wet. "Who are you?"

"What, you don't recognize your own animal?" Hyeon #2 asked with sarcasm. He noticed that, unlike Hyeon's hazel eyes, this person had glowing silver ones, the same color when his phoenix was activated.

"You're him," Hyeon stated. It was the first time to see his inner animal with a physical form.

The phoenix shrugged. "Him. Her. I don't have a gender."

"Why are we here?"

His double looked at the sky. "Well, judging by your high temperature and Fenrir currently washing your body, you have a fever. You should wake up in about half a day."

Hyeon glanced around the beautiful scenery. "And this place...?"

"You're dreaming about the kelpie's home, a memory which is now yours. You must've noticed how you've never visited Scotland, yet you could navigate this area like the back of your hand, correct? A kelpie was an interesting choice. Your ancestors never consumed one before."

Speaking of his ancestors, there were multiple times they tried to talk but were always interrupted before the phoenix could explain.

Little fish were pecking at his bare feet. He squirmed his toes to scare them off. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

Hyeon #2 was also observing the tiny creatures, but their kisses didn't bother him. "For a while, I lost my memories when you awakened me. I presume it's because I was sleeping for a millennium, only to be suddenly summoned to inhabit your body. Over time, I remembered everything - your ancestors, why the phoenix clans chose not to reincarnate, and our ultimate destruction."

"They can choose to be reincarnated? How does that work?" Hyeon's knowledge of this legendary bird was limited.

"Once a human with my blood decides they don't want to reincarnate after they die, their soul moves on while I return to the fire, waiting for the next child to be born. As long as you desire to return, you'll be reborn as your preferred age, fresh from the flames. Most choose their form from their 20's. My previous host, your maternal ancestor, betrayed someone very close to her. Her actions destroyed her, and she no longer wanted to reincarnate once she passed. I was waiting for the next kin, but the gods decided to eliminate all of the families who had the potential to carry a phoenix. Obviously, they missed some distant, mixed-blood relative of yours."

It was silent for a while. They listened to the small waves along the shore. "Fenrir hasn't told me why everyone is against you, er, us. It's hard to get him to tell me anything."

"That's probably for the best, given your feelings for him."

Hyeon was tired of the constant run-around. Can't anyone just tell him straight? The mystery behind his existence was wearing him out. He looked down, reaching over to pinch his double's shirt sleeve. "Please tell me. I'm tired of being in the dark, while everyone else seems to know the truth. This whole thing has been confusing."

A warm hand caressed his cheek. It gently lifted his head to look at Hyeon #2, who was smiling at him with tenderness. His silver eyes were full of ancient wisdom. "I suppose I can tell you more about our downfall. What's the one thing that comes to mind when you think of a phoenix?"

"Um, Harry Potter."

His inner animal was taken aback. "What? No. I meant the ability. What can we do?"

"Reincarnate, I suppose."

"Right. Before my kind was eradicated, we were the only creatures who could do this. When a deity died, it was our job to send their souls to their afterlife. We were the reapers of the gods, so to speak. They didn't get a chance to reincarnate, because it was against the laws of nature. It was corrupt. Over the years, they wanted to reincarnate themselves, and not worry about being killed permanently. So, they massacred our vessels – the humans. The phoenix itself cannot be killed, but our hosts can."

"But I thought you said if they wanted to come back, they'd be reborn?"

"Yes, but not if you kill the human when they're too young to make such decisions."

This made Hyeon's blood cold. "You mean...when they're just kids? Babies?"

"Sad, isn't it? They found our weakness. Zeus and the others spent years finding phoenix children. For the adults, they would torture them endlessly, re-killing our vessels over and over again until they decided they didn't want to return anymore. It was a process that took centuries. And once the gods succeeded, they themselves could freely reincarnate, forever immortal without our interference."

This information scared him. It was an immense burden to bring back a whole species, and one so detested, at that. "So, what does this mean for me? What's my purpose now that I'm here?"

"I'm afraid that's something you'll have to wait to know. I don't want to shock you with too much information, given your weak condition. For now, enjoy your time at Festr Castle, since it will cease to exist in the future. That place goes against everything a phoenix stands for."

"What—"

Everything trembled. The waves swished back and forth from the earthquake. Trees toppled over.

His twin looked at Hyeon. "Oh, look at that. A day has already passed. You're waking up."

The shaking grew violent. He almost lost his balance in the mud.

Hyeon #2 grasped his shoulder. "Can you do something for me? Find out who truly brought you to the southern aurora. Isn't it too much of a coincidence that a phoenix dýr was sent to Fenrir, who just so happens to be running a reincarnation program?"

His double shoved him hard into the water, forcing Hyeon to wake up.