Chapter 0 - Prologue

Prologue

Grandelious is a harmonious world that was created for demons and humans to coexist and maintain a balance that wouldn't affect the life of each side. A world where everyone is willing to help everyone in need, no matter what their race is. Nobody rules them, no kings or queens, or emperors or empresses to command them, for their decisions are theirs and theirs alone.

However, despite everyone's desire for peace, there will be always darkness and slowly but surely, humans began to covet what the demons had such as the wings, scales, and teeth of Dragons, Fur, and Fangs from Wolves, pearls, jewels from a mermaid's tear and blood and even the powers of a Fae. No matter what they have, the humans coveted them, and thus the hunt began.

People, who were filled with greed, went after those majestic creatures, captured them, imprison them, torture them, enslaved them… or killed them. It didn't matter how long it'll take as long as they can get what they want, it doesn't even matter if they kill their own kin that was protecting or hiding the creatures that were slowly dying out. Screams of terror and fear slowly descend on the world, demons would fight back but then the humans would double in numbers.

Blood started to cover the world and God, who saw this was angered, more so when his favorite creatures, were slowly dying out. The Phoenixes. A demon that could turn into a human and into a Majestic Bird of Flame, should they desire. Creatures that were known for their immortality, creatures that were willing to help humans who are injured, healing them with their tears. A knowledge that was slowly spread and exaggerated as it slowly spread out.

It was known that a Phoenix tear could hear any injuries or sickness… however, it was spread that whoever consumes a phoenix's blood could regain their lost youth, and consuming an organ would regenerate a lost limb… their heart could turn someone immortal. And thus phoenixes were captured alive, whether they were in their bird form or human form. With the thought that they're immortal, they could regenerate what they lost in an instant, and if they die, they would rise from the ashes.

But that was not the case, for the tears and blood of the phoenix can only heal sickness and wounds. A Phoenix has no capabilities to return a person back to their youth, regenerate a lost limb, nor can they make someone immortal, for it was all nothing but a rumor created merely for their capabilities to heal anything. Yet, it didn't register the humans' minds, for they still continue to hunt and hunt, killing them for immortality or regeneration, not knowing that their actions were slowly dying out because despite being immortal creatures, they do eventually die.

Like other creatures, Phoenixes had their own weaknesses and that is their heart, for their heart is like a crystal that a single shot is enough to kill them. And the term that they would rise from the ashes when their dead is slightly incorrect, they do revive but not from ashes, for they merely get reincarnated. The thing is when they get reincarnated, they're merely humans and can only be phoenixes once more when they found the missing piece of their heart, their mate.

The flaming birds mate only once and whoever that person is, they will love them for eternity. And if one of them dies, the survivor had a choice, to follow them to death or to wait for them to be reincarnated and be together once more. Most of the dead phoenixes prefer death because they don't know how long they will wait for their mate and would rather forget about them, despite knowing that even as a human there's always something missing.

Those who decided to wait can find their mates easily or will take years but even if they found them, their reincarnated mate wouldn't recognize them so they have to court them (they don't have to worry about their reincarnated mate having a partner, for those who were reincarnated will completely wrong when loving someone else, especially if their mate is still alive searching for them.

This also resulted in them rejecting the people courting them and being alone if their mate didn't find them in time) and win their love, and when they're together, only then will they have their memories restored, only then will their reincarnated mate will be a phoenix once more. With how the people hunt them, all of the phoenixes died… all but two. Marcelino, the strongest phoenix, leader of his kin, a handsome blond-haired with silver eyes when in human form, was one of the last unwilling survivors.

During the hunts for demons, he and his mate, along with a few other demons, had turned into humans in hope that they will be safe, and together with the other humans, they will save and protect their kins and those who were hunted. Such a pointless thought, for humans, were desperate and when Marcelino with a group of fellow demons and humans was scrouging the forest for meat and fruits that they could share with everyone, their houses were attacked. Greedy people noticed their sanctuary and didn't hesitate to kill anyone, not even children.

When the group arrived home, they merely saw burning houses, bloodied bodies on the ground, no humans in sight, and no demons seeing alive. Dropping their prizes on the ground, each demon went to their houses, or the fallen bodies in hope that their loves are alive, but it was all for naught. The Phoenix leader dove into his burning house, uncaring of the flames for they don't hurt him, and searched for his wife and children.

And then he found them, his beloved light was on the floor, on her back and directly showing him that an arrow had pierced through her heart, their weakness. He ran towards her, lifted her cold body up to his, and cried, hoping his tears would heal her despite knowing that it was fruitless, when they did nothing, he looked up and froze for right in front of him were the cribs for his babies, his precious twin children, a perfect copy of him and his wife.

Fearing the worst, he gently lowered his wife to the floor and went closer to the crib. When he saw what was inside, he screamed and cried, for there were the bodies of his children, sleeping as if nothing is wrong, as if they weren't stabbed in the heart. That was when he swore revenge, carrying the body of his wife, and their children on her chest, he walk out and saw his fellow kin and the humans who helped them.