Sensory Overdrive

"There," Hyeon said to himself. He was on his knees with his sleeves rolled up to avoid getting chemicals on the expensive fabric. After throwing the towel into the bucket, he wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead. "I think that finishes everything."

He looked around the squeaky-clean entrance hall. Ten days have passed since he accidentally blew up the place. His punishment was to clean until all remnants of his little stunt were gone. The decor and chandelier would have to be replaced, so his only job was to wipe and do some carpentry work. It was well deserved since he went against the rules of practicing without supervision. Speaking of, Hyeon still needed to properly apologize to Shika.

*How tedious,* the phoenix complained.

"Part of this is your fault. You keep disappearing when I need you." His inner animal was more active than usual during his cleaning sessions.

*Part of this is your fault,* it mimicked Hyeon. *Your body isn't ready to accept me yet.*

"Where do you keep going?"

*You know.*

Hyeon shivered, knowing exactly where. His body began to sweat when remembering that fiery pit. He couldn't imagine being there for another millisecond, let alone weeks. Has it been there for years, waiting hopelessly for the next phoenix dýr?

"Well, since you're here, let's finally talk about what you meant by 'going to war.'" When Hyeon went berserk and ate his first soul on Stewart Island, the phoenix tried to explain what would happen if he continued absorbing living souls. Of course, it couldn't finish since Sani showed up to the grisly scene.

Hyeon noticed some passing servants staring at him. They probably thought he was talking to himself like a crazy person since they couldn't hear the voice in his head. He turned away.

*Has no one told you yet? You have more chances to talk with the god of death than me.*

He was annoyed at the phoenix's nickname for Fenrir. "Obviously, things have been busy lately."

The voice in his head sighed. *As I mentioned before, you can't go around taking the souls of humans and dýrs as you please. The only dýrs who possess this power to take from living beings are descendants of phoenixes. Once in a while won't get attention from other gods, but it'll be a problem if you do it regularly.*

"Who would I risk fighting with?"

*Everyone. Gods, deities, dýrs…humans maybe, if they discover our existence.*

"Soooo, that's the reason phoenixes were wiped out?" Hyeon was in the supply closet, putting the bottles away on the shelves.

*It was a minor part of it, but there was a much bigger reason.*

The phoenix didn't elaborate any further.

"And that reason is…?"

His mind was quiet again. They were just getting to the good part!

"Hey!"

*...I don't want to say.*

Hyeon stopped and stared at the labels. "Why not?"

*You're unstable and not ready to know.*

He felt his body heat up. The chemicals inside of the bottles boiled.

*See? Knowing the truth now would—*

"Why am I not surprised? Of course, you can't tell me." Hyeon ran his mouth in anger. Months ago, he would've accepted this explanation and be patient, but he was changing. The old him was fading. "If the phoenix's main characteristic is reincarnation, how were you guys eliminated without returning until now? Are you actually that weak?"

His vision turned white from the splitting headache that pierced his mind. A high-pitched ringing in his ears tuned out all other sounds. He stumbled backward and fell into a fetal position. Everything throbbed.

*I AM PREVENTING YOU FROM SUFFERING BY WITHHOLDING THE TRUTH AND YOUR ANCESTORS' MEMORIES,* the phoenix bellowed. Hyeon opened his mouth, but he couldn't tell if he was screaming or not. *YOU DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO HANDLE SUCH INFORMATION NOW. WHILE YOU TUMBLE WITH THE GOD OF DEATH UNDER THE BEDSHEETS, I AM BURNING. ALWAYS BURNING. GET STRONGER AND ACCEPT ME, THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH IN TIME.*

The intense migraine and ear ringing shut off. Like a light switch, his whitened vision turned black. Hyeon laid there for a while. His senses were in overdrive, making him feel numb on the inside and pain on the outside. After a while, nothing improved. How long has he been on the floor?

A fuzzy thing rubbed against his face, but the fur felt like little knives scraping across his skin. He flinched. Someone grabbed his arm, but Hyeon smacked it away. Touching really hurt!

He was left alone for some time to stew in confusion. He recoiled in surprise when there was another attempt to touch him on his shoulder.

*Go away!*

Soft lips gently grazed his. It was the only touch he could handle. Arms slid under him to pick him up but he cried out, or at least he thought he cried. Hyeon heard nothing. A tongue prodded his bottom lip. He opened his mouth to accept it. While their tongues were caressing each other, the mysterious person lifted him up against their large chest. The kissing stopped. The gentle swaying from walking helped him doze off.