Phoenix Encounter

While some had fun, others worked to pay off the debt. Nefan walked around the city with several cards that could be exchanged for souls in the bank.

Walking happily down the street, he noticed a couple making love on a bench. This was already the sixth time. It annoyed him a bit, because he could only meet his vampire at night. And during the day she worked to pay off the debt. He wondered what to do with the cards.

Spend them on drinks and entertainment, or give them to Felicia to reduce the debt and free her from it soon, so they could enjoy each other more. There was little time left.

Nefan thoughtfully remembered his past. He was a warrior, ready to fight for his mother, just like his brothers and sisters. He loved to train and fight with his fists. Then he did not have a hostile attitude towards the creatures of darkness and filth, to which Felicia belonged.

He met this girl a long time ago, but then he despised her because of her laziness and the fact that she was a vampire. Who would have thought that now he loved her completely.

"It's a pity that I was an idiot then… Now we live in a damned world," Nefan said, holding the cards and looking at them. He was not afraid that someone would steal his souls.

In this city everything was allowed: lust, debauchery, deception (in a light form), even murder. Because the dead resurrected after some time. But no one did this, because the soul quickly became dirty. But no one steals or cheats others on souls, because everyone knows about it. Everyone here treated each other like brothers and sisters. But most importantly, Caesar always knew everything.

Even when Vallynor had to see this city, Caesar drove out all the homeless and those who wanted to have sex in pairs or group sex, from the scene. Nefan understood that Caesar did not want Vallynor to sink into lust. Caesar did not have time like us, and soon it will end.

Putting the cards back in his inventory, he decided to give them to his beloved. And he headed straight to the strip club. In such a city it was hard for a girl to find a job.

Felicia was a warrior girl, and her knowledge was related to battles. Because of this, girls like her had a limited choice of work. She was ready to sleep with men she chose, not with those who just paid. That's why she didn't go to work in a brothel.

Felicia decided to work as a security guard in a strip club. And during the breaks she danced half-naked herself. The debt forced her, even such a proud and lazy woman, to do so. She was a strange woman, full of contradictions, which made her beautiful.

Entering the club, he quickly looked around, trying to find Felicia. As he walked back and forth, he heard conversations of customers and employees.

"Are you going to teach that kid?"

"Of course, I want to earn money. While I can think. I want to rest. Many already have the same burning eyes think the same way."

"…You're right… If you think about the last earthquake, we have little time left. I'm already tired of working as a naked dancer. At first it was interesting, but already 326 years in a row. When are you going?"

"I thought tomorrow, but… I'll go in an hour to Caesar."

"Damn!"

Nefan heard such conversations everywhere. Until someone touched him from behind and threatened in a menacing voice:

"Don't move, or I'll spoil your soul. Slowly lower your hands in front of your feet and get out the magic dragon."

"What?" - at first Nefan was scared that someone could come so close and threaten him. But hearing the last part, he immediately realized that it was a joke. And the one who joked was Felicia herself.

They turned around and saw their beloved vampire, dressed in a revealing police costume. She smiled and looked at him.

"Here" - Nefan pulled out the cards and handed them to the surprised Felicia.

Felicia didn't even know what to say. She thought that this fool would spend everything on booze.

***

Inside the castle, Caesar sat by the window with a cold expression. He observed the city that he had been governing since the disasters struck. Watching the city, he felt that it was becoming slightly more alive and... lustful than before, although the latter was debatable. They had already been sleeping together every day.

At that moment, Caesar was deep in thought, gazing at the city. Tinker burst into the room, holding a stack of papers. He had been searching for Caesar at his desk with worried eyes. However, Caesar wasn't there. Tinker anxiously scanned the room until he spotted Caesar by the window.

Tinker approached him with the papers in hand and spoke anxiously:

"Caesar, are you sure you want everyone to be paid for teaching the boy Vallynor? If we do that, we will disrupt the entire established economy," he said with concern, flipping through the papers, thinking about his fat wallet that might soon slim down.

"Considering how little time we have left until the will of this planet dies along with the planet itself," Caesar calmly inquired, still gazing at the city.

"Time is short. That's why I'm so concerned about the Praetor. Because the plan you talked about won't be carried out."

"Or more precisely, we have less than five years. And are you sure that's what I wanted when I told you about the plan?"

"What?... Indeed..." Tinker's mind quickly came alive, and he began to ponder everything. The rebels who had left. Methods of collecting souls so they wouldn't be wasted on foolishness. And that plan that had seemed very good before. But now, with the appearance of this boy, maybe it was all designed to help him. Or there was something deeper.

"Prepare yourselves; soon many will come to claim the dusty souls... It's time to rise and prepare for the final journey."

Tinker was puzzled at first and didn't understand Caesar's words. But when he realized that Caesar couldn't say more, everything changed. Quickly transmitting all his information to his other selves – one located in the restaurant and the other on the black market, which now resembled an ordinary marketplace, just with a different market.

All three versions of Tinker were a bit saddened, thinking that soon everything they had gathered would disappear. But then they quickly brightened up. And simultaneously, each of them had the thought to teach the boy everything they knew – both in business and in earning money – so that he could fulfill their dream and become the head of an international trading house.

***

"That's all for today. You'll come by yourself tomorrow," tired Gabriel sat on the couch. He could no longer tolerate this foolish student. Well, at least he quickly grasped everything. But his logic and ideas were annoying to him. At the same time, his daughter observed from the shadows.

Why was she secretly watching him? Perhaps this boy had piqued her interest. But... why was he hiding?

Looking at a pair of eyes that were closely watching Vallynor, Gabriel began to come up with various things in his mind. Thoughts of simple love at first sight and the desire of every woman to make love were coming to his mind. But she was... innocent.

Gabriel immediately started to regard the departing Vallynor as an enemy and began to think of ways to get rid of him without harming Caesar. If he had known that Vallynor had problems with his little friend, Gabriel wouldn't have agonized until the next day.

Walking through the tower, Vallynor saw various magical devices and objects, as well as encountering many people of different races who stopped and began to question him. Fortunately, they were all busy and couldn't spare too much time for him.

Most of them invited him to a bar where they could talk, and some girls even openly offered to have fun together at night. There was even a suggestion for a threesome with two girls. However, when the proposition with men came up, Vallynor declined and didn't even think about it.

Among the pleasant offers for the soul, there were also unpleasant snakes, raising their heads and considering him as prey. However, it was not about ignorant brutes attacking him, pretending to be cool. Fortunately, there were no such idiots.

But the proposition of a threesome with... men, that was too much. "If you don't go to the rainbow, the rainbow will find you," Vallynor thought, holding his throbbing head. Can I feel pain when I'm undead? Although, wait, it's said that I'm half. Damn.

Walking back and forth and answering people's questions, Vallynor realized that he had lost his way. But it was not a big deal; he had a teleportation ring. He started to move more slowly and pay attention to his surroundings.

He observed with curiosity and noticed that no new people were appearing with questions. On the contrary, it became very quiet. Vallynor's shadows quickly began to grow, and he noticed it himself.

He instantly conjured a fireball using the technique taught to him by Gabriel. It took him a few seconds to conjure Zara, but it was enough to summon it. The fire was supposed to dispel the shadows. However, the shadows didn't disappear; they only increased.

"To dispel the shadows, you'll need a stronger fire," a familiar voice came from the shadows, which somewhat calmed Vallynor's heart.

"I came to fetch you for training, Vallynor. So, watch out for the shadows."

"For the shadows? But..." - Vallynor saw how the entire corridor was covered in shadows. Incorrect, everything was engulfed in black shadows. Black shadows, like ink, covered everything. And he didn't understand when he found himself in a world without light, transported to another place.

How did he understand it? He walked back and forth in this world or room where there was no light. He didn't encounter anything. In that corridor, there were columns, various objects, and walls.

And most importantly, Vallynor couldn't see through this darkness. The room or world was just a black blot of ink.

"Welcome to my world. The world of shadows. To fight and kill, you must learn to merge with the darkness, the shadow that is a part of the darkness itself. If you learn to fight in the dark, you'll easily handle the bright light," said Rick.

Vallynor listened attentively to Rick's words, fantasizing about how he would fight and kill in various ways, using magic or weapons. But he was quickly interrupted by a blow to the stomach.

"The first and most important thing is to learn to feel. Darkness takes away almost all feelings, but few know that it enhances hearing. A killer must use hearing to find their targets and not let enemies ambush them," Rick continued.

This time, as Vallynor listened carefully to Rick's words, he paid attention to his surroundings, trying to find a clue. But he was struck again, this time on his right leg.

"A killer doesn't just use darkness or shadows. They merge with them to achieve their goal."

Again, a blow, Vallynor was hit again and again in different places on his body. They even nearly hit him below the belt. But fortunately, Vallynor didn't feel pain... and that was bad because he couldn't gauge how serious his condition was.

"A killer must also use instincts to intuitively know when to attack, when to run, when to defend, when to sense danger."

"You will learn all of this, and we'll start with you defending against my attacks."

After two hours, Vallynor found himself battered and covered in bruises. He collapsed on the roof of a massive building and, as he got up, noticed Rick emerging from the shadows. Rick looked at Vallynor's injured body.

Mohammed enveloped Vallynor in the darkness of his hand, but after a few seconds, all the wounds disappeared. "You're whole and unharmed," Rick said, observing the city.

Vallynor, realizing that Neffan had already done something similar and considering the presence of magic in this world, accepted it as something ordinary and approached Rick, who was sitting at the edge, looking at the city.

The city combined ancient architecture with modern and futuristic elements. Vallynor understood that the technologies that existed here were unfamiliar to him but could emerge in the future.

"I thought you'd be surprised when all your bruises and wounds healed, even if you didn't feel pain," Rick spoke, not taking his eyes off the city.

"I've already been surprised too many times. I don't want to anymore; I'm mentally exhausted. There are too many amazing things here. I won't even be surprised if they tell me I'm not a half-blood but a caterpillar," replied Vallynor, not hiding his thoughts.

"You're right. There's too much happening in this city for a newcomer like you. It all seems like a mixture of a dream and a nightmare to you. But your regeneration ability is strange. You're half-undead, according to your words. Your cells should be dead or close to it. So, you should have taken longer to recover. But you healed very quickly. Maybe you didn't notice, but the wounds I inflicted on you earlier healed on their own. Your body seems enchanted or under the influence of some potion. If not for that, you should have been covered in wounds and with broken bones," Rick explained.

Exactly! Vallynor only now remembered how he had broken his arms and legs several times, but they had healed soon after. At first, he suspected Rick, but now it seemed that it wasn't his doing.

"If you don't mind, I can take a bit of your blood and try to find the cause," Rick offered.

"Huh? Why do you ask for permission?" Vallynor asked, surprised. Although it's normal to ask, but...

"In this city, we're all like brothers and sisters. We know everyone's secrets, almost like our own... Well, almost. But you're special. You're a stranger, full of mysteries to us. What I'm proposing will allow us to learn more about you. And I don't know if you'll like that or not," Rick explained.

"You may," Vallynor agreed immediately. Why hide when everything will be known in the future anyway? But seeing how Rick looked at him, he added, "I want to know for myself what the reason is behind this unusual regeneration."

Rick nodded, accepting his decision, and quickly pierced Vallynor's skin with a needle to collect a few drops of his blood. Then he played with the drops for a while.

Vallynor continued to observe the city, enjoying its incredible beauty. However, some scenes that played out in the city... Well, he was already expecting to see something like that and was prepared to accept it, but then he saw a homeless person in just his underwear being called out, and he noticed that the person bent over without taking out his equipment and inserted it through a hole in his underwear. Damn, why am I commenting on this horror? Vallynor immediately closed his eyes but then reopened them upon hearing Rick's words.

"It seems your body is filled with various potions, and your genetic structure contains genes from different beings," Rick explained.

"What?" Vallynor was greatly surprised. What in the world is he?

"A strange situation, nothing unusual comes to mind about what could have happened to you in this world," Rick continued.

Vallynor began to recall everything that had happened to him. How he found the book, fought with giant bats, learned that they were fallen vampires, fought with rats, and much more. At one point, he remembered the time he spent with Baba Yaga.

A bird's cry distracted both Vallynor and Rick. High in the sky, a massive black bird was approaching — a fallen Phoenix.

"What's that?" Vallynor couldn't help but ask.

"Fallen Phoenix. I wonder which one," Rick said, noticing a faint fear on Vallynor's face. "Don't worry; it's not the first time he's attacked the city. We already have some experience with this."

As if to confirm his words, thousands of spells rained down on the Phoenix, and the bird itself collided with a dome surrounding the entire city.

The Phoenix was so fast that Vallynor couldn't see it clearly; he only saw a rapid, massive shadow. This flying monster was darting everywhere, trying to destroy the barrier and avoiding spells cast at it.

Rick and Vallynor watched in silence. One looked sadly at an old acquaintance, while the other became even more motivated to become stronger.

***

While Vallynor watched the Phoenix, Gaze entered the old house. Inside, there was old furniture and a few chairs. She sat down on one of them and felt the vibration of mana. Then she headed into the second room, where an old woman sat in a rocking chair with a cat at her feet, swaying slowly with closed eyes.

The old woman stopped and opened one eyelid, revealing a gap where her eye should have been. The cat, on the other hand, opened its mouth and spoke:

"Why has Baba Yaga's familiar come?" – a female voice, a mixture of several different female voices, came from the cat's mouth.

"I've come at my former mistress's final request," replied Gaze.

"Former? That means she destroyed herself... The place of the most powerful witch has been vacated. Finally, after millennia, someone else will become the first. But why do we feel so sad?" – the old woman, who had previously been sitting like a doll, lifeless, began to cry black tears.

"She wanted to convey that she's grateful to fate and the Soul God for having such wonderful sisters and wanted to apologize for all her actions."

"...Apologize? She lost the last shreds of her sanity in that cursed forest. Disappear and never show yourself to us again. We'll never forgive her," whispered the old woman, and the cat spoke with hatred, almost screaming along with the old woman.

Gaze rolled her eyes slightly, as if sighing, and left, leaving the crying old woman and the cat behind.

The cat and the old woman simultaneously spoke in a whisper:

"Why did you leave us, elder sister? We hate you, and we'll never forgive you."

Gaze left the old house and headed to another place to bid farewell to the remaining husbands of Baba Yaga.

***

After some time, the Phoenix flew away. Vallynor, observing everything that was happening, felt excitement, wishing to create such spells himself in the future. While the Phoenix attempted to destroy the barrier, spells of Darkness, Fire, Ice, Wood, Void, Time, Music, Drawings, and so on were cast upon it. So many different and unusual spells.

Looking at Vallynor, Riku smiled inwardly. Then he interrupted Vallynor, who was fantasizing about creating such spells, and said:

"Does it excite you? Then train and don't be lazy. Make full use of your gift. Don't feel physical pain, fatigue, and hunger, even if you still need to eat. But let's continue our previous conversation. After studying your blood, I realized that it's mixed with a potion similar to witches' potions. Maybe Baba Yaga had something to do with it?... Hm... Can't you remember anything unusual?"

"Witches' potions? Maybe Baba Yaga was somehow involved... Hm... I can't remember anything strange. Although she did feed me and even cooked in a cauldron when I had no arms and legs," replied Vallynor.