From The Ashes

Three menacing roars erupted followed closely by a thunderous slap that produced a shockwave strong enough that I was tossed into the air. The golden-red flames vanished into nothing forming a lump of dark ash where the phoenix had been burnt to crisp.

Rrooooaaaarrr!

Swat!

Slap!

Boom!

The sea serpent at first thought that it was a futile attack as it just continued to shower me with its dark flames.

But that wasn't the only thing that made my eyes open wide on their own accord. Cerberus seemed to be increasing in size with every roar.

I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me but after landing on the sands with a thud, I registered everything to be true from the pain.

Hahahaha!

I laughed out loud as I thought that his potential was just shit. Of all the things it could have gotten like flying or maybe have a summoning power, and he just got some increase in overall body size.

What a shame!

Slap!

Boom!

Slap!

Boom!

Before anyone could register what the hell was going on, Cerberus had administered several slaps making the serpent roll away with every beating. Looking closely at the effect, I was shocked to see that some changes were visible as scratch marks appeared on the black scales.

This was real, at last, a thread of hope appeared as I thought it would be possible to defeat the sea serpent after all the crazy abilities that it had.

After all, everything has a solution and with time, even gods succumb to death.

I got to my feet and headed to where the pile of ashes was. It isn't like I was happy to see the phoenix fade away, but the fact that it looks like we had met before, piqued my curiosity and I had to confirm that there wasn't anything left to salvage.

The spectators that had once again settled were baffled by the change of events. Even the King was wide-eyed looking at the unbelievable change of events in the arena.

So much had happened but few had witnessed when the serpent produced a huge chunk of black flames that had devoured the magnificent bird with just a single touch.

Everyone thought from how the serpent had shown its ruthlessness from when it entered the arena would be the one to emerge on the top as it had clearly humiliated Cerberus earlier and consumed the flatulist with a single bite. With that as proof and considering that the bird was already a goner, should be enough to make the serpent the most feared beast in the arena. But seeing it being tossed around mercilessly by the three-headed dog, everyone knew that anything could happen and they had to be ready as they had taken a larger bite than they could chew.

I got down on one knee and made a prayer; may it be gods will that thou shouldst not perish.

A sickly sweet smell of burning feathers assaulted my nostrils and I couldn't help but feel like puking on the spot.

"What a joke?!" I sneered looking into the ashes as I thought of what Cerberus had just said not long ago.

'Immortal?.. Associated with royalty?.. My foot.'

This was absurd but I still kept looking at the ashes hoping for a miracle to happen. Cerberus had said that they are often reborn from their own funeral phire, but I guess it was all talk.

I was disappointed but what could I do to make the dog eat its words. Even though am its master, I can't punish it as am still weak and if by any chance I get out of here alive, then I'll need a powerful ally and the dog fitted my requirements perfectly. And also the fact that it was huge and scary, how would I be able to punish it?

It was just as impossible as seeing the bird rising from the ashes.

But before I rose back up, I noticed some movements among the remains. I knelt and reached into the pile of black end visra. As I gazed down at the sticky clump of black razin a fluffy red object peeked out over the ashes.

I squinted. It looked like a living creature!

I pulled out a wriggling pink worm covered in ash, it had tiny nubs where arms and legs should have been. It couldn't have been much older than a nestling. I watched in astonishment as the midsection of the worm swelled up into a round belly. The top grew into what looked like a head, and two dark lump spread up on either side of it.

Finally, the nubs began to shape themselves into wings and a pair of feet. I realized what I was holding, the fetus of a bird. I raised it to the morning sunlight and the thin pink eyelids began to open revealing a familiar pair of eyes.

Shock and shame could have nearly killed me on the spot.

It has risen!

Flap! Flap!

The nestling attempted to fly and I was dumbfounded as I felt like laughing my head off.

Flap!

With the third flap of its tiny wings, it hopped off from my hands and begun to free fall. I was sure that it wouldn't survive as it dropped like a stone.

But as the little bird stretched out its wings, they seemed to grow before my eyes. When it landed on the sands, it was twice the size when it dropped off. The bird primed its brilliant red and gold feathers and looked up to me, its green eyes emanating a brilliant light. As I looked into them I was struck with a realization, suddenly everything made sense.

Cerberus knew everything! The dog was telling the truth!

Flap! Flap! Flap!

The bird took into the air though its features were still growing at a visible rate. I was surprised to see it take off, and in a moment of stillness, everything else died down as I focused on the phoenix who was flapping its wings in front of me.

The bird opened its slender beak and a soothing voice overlapped my ears as it spoke in a magnificent silvery voice.

"Don't say anything!.. I know that you are curious about everything that has just happened... It only means that you witnessed my rebirth. Isn't it?"

The bird asked and I subconsciously nodded.

"I am also curious. How did you do it?" The phoenix asked and I was again left speechless.

What should I even answer the question? How did I do what? The things that I have witnessed so far are the craziest. What is the bird even talking about?

This is ridiculous!

"What do you mean by that?" I asked back as I didn't even know what to answer. At that moment all I could see were unlimited possible answers but I didn't want to enrage a beast that even Cerberus had a liking to it.

"The living can not see my rebirth, it is only the dead who can witness the power of it. And in your case, it is hard and unthinkable but also possible. The truth is that you were once dead. At least that's what I can confirm at this point."

"What?.. Dead?.. Stop playing games with me." I was on the verge of a breakdown as I thought the bird that I was starting to like was actually attacking me mentally.

This was worse than I had thought of.

Taking a few steps backward to process what the hell was going on, the bird posed another question on top of the first.

Its silvery voice reached my ears and I thought hard about what it said. "I bet you can't remember anything in your current life... How far do you remember, Lucifer?"

"I demand an answer..." The once smooth voice started to hurt as I listened.

"Nothing of importance to anyone. I just remember everything from two days ago." I answered still watching the bird closely.

"Exactly... What a coincidence, then. After I escorted you in the journey to get your heart measured, something powerful evicted me from the underworld and into this, mortal realm."

"And I have spent a thousand years here, with no purpose... But now, now that the first person to escape hell since the dawn of creation is standing in front of me. I won't let this opportunity pass."

"As rare as we are, I the great Immortal Phoenix, humbly request for a spiritual bond with you..."

"Lucifer, do you accept?"

As much as I was in a jumbled state, I thought that this was just out of the order that anyone had expected. Nothing was going as planned, but anything could change in a blink of an eye.

As I was still considering whether to accept or reject. A high-pitched hissing sound made me turn and focus on reality as witness the horror and blood that had plastered the sands in the arena.

A gory scene was what met with my eyes at the same time as I heard Cerberus's advice echoing through my mind about Phoenix's request.