The Way Forward

The tunnel Li Rou walked down was familiar. She had been taught in these tunnels as a hatchling. Phoenixes only lived one at a time, yet past Phoenixes could teach and strengthen their young each night. In this regard Phoenixes were preserved, their loneliness need only extend in the day.

Li Rou walked passed the burrows that held scorch marks from young Phoenix. She walked until the straw turned to stone. Here she found the Odyssey. Li Rou walked to them and bowed, she looked up to see the Eldest that comprised the Committee. They smiled at her.

"It is good to see you." The Olmother said. She was the first Phoenix at the dawn of time. Beside her sat Li Ming, the Phoenix that had been before Li Rou, he always took lead in her matters, then there was Qiao Gen, the General of the Phoenixes.

"It's good to be here." Li Rou replied, coming out of her bow. She sat cross-legged on the ground, ready to listen to the Eldest.

"Do you remember anything after your flame?" Li Ming asked, his voice low and gentle.

Li Rou shook her head, "I blacked out and awoke this morning."

The Committee looked to each other, conveying thoughts unheard by Li Rou. She frowned, wondering what they were hiding. They rarely spoke without her, as it was the Phoenix way to hold no secrets. The dead did anything they could for the living. Li Rou focused on the ceiling above them, there were new scorch marks. She had been here so many time she had memorized the scorch positions. There were new ones.

The Olmother sighed, "You were supposed to join us then." She said, a hand sweeping her mane of flames out of her face, "Yet you did not, somehow you were put in a sort of hibernation until now."

Li Rou's eyes widened, "How long was I gone?" She asked, dismay in every word.

"One hundred years." Qiao Gen said, his face grave.

Li Rou tapped her knee, trying to hide her panic, "And the hatchling?" She asked.

"The hatchling is no longer a hatchling." Li Ming said, gesturing for her to look behind her.

Li Rou turned to see a young Phoenix walk into the burrow. He met her wondering eyes with his, a deep blue that ran through her. She stood as she took in her hatchling, whose hair had grown to his hips, pulled back into a long ponytail that had feathery hair sticking wildly about.

He bowed to her, "I am Ye Qiren, current Phoenix." He looked up with a carefree smile.

Li Rou stared in shock, he looked to be her age, though she knew she had been 5 decades older before igniting her flame. His smile conveyed confidence and innocence. She let out an invisible breath, he had not been hunted like her, he had not done what she had. She was still the Phoenix warrior, Phoenix murderer.

"I'm Li Rou." She said, unsure of what to think. She turned back to the Eldest, "What do I do now? There have never been two Phoenixes before." She said, drawing srength from Li Ming's soft eyes.

"We will send Wu Qiren to you. Try to find him too." Qiao Gen commanded, "We'll speak more tomorrow."

Li Rou nodded, bowing to the Eldest before turning and bowing to Wu Qiren. She closed her eyes to welcome the real world.

Li Rou woke to find someone standing above her, she tensed as she saw it wasn't Tatsu. Her hand found Tatsu's knife as she tried to understand her situation. The man above her had black hair and many scars, danger radiated from him and Li Rou felt her core shivering from it. His scars were all slits, from battle, unlike Tatsu's which were from something scarier, something she didn't know yet.

The light from above the tree told her she had not been asleep for long, the dream had been longer than her actual sleep.

"Your monster couldn't even capture a cripple." The man above Li Rou spat, moving to look at a man behind him. His purple robes told Li Rou that he was a Tamer, that made her tense more, they always proved the most trouble for Phoenixes, all Phoenixes had ran into more than one, often at their most vulnerable time. She had hoped Tamers would have died out by now.

She waited for them to turn to her, to restrain her. They did no such thing.

"Do you know where the others are? We need to intercept him so he does not return to the Skull King." The scarred man asked, moving away from the tree.

Skull King, Li Rou had heard that title before. She searched her memories to find the name's face. A young man came into her head, or rather, a young ghostling. He had approached her near the end. She had not accepted his help, she had not trusted his calculating smile or alert eyes. Now he had resurfaced in her life, not a day after her remergance. This could not be a coincidence. The man had said that Tatsu would return to him. Who was Tatsu? Why did he work so closely with a ghost?

Li Rou focused on the man, trying to learn more.

"These Wild Bells are nothing but children. Broken ghosts that exist to make my life terrible. I won't stand for it any longer." The man snarled. He traced a scar on his arm, fury embedded in the motion. Li Rou gripped the dagger tighter as she tried to stay still, recalling Tatsu's protective spell. A ghost shouldn't be able to do maguc, magic was a thing of life. There had to be more going on here.

The man turned to the Tamer, "You said you sensed him here. Where is he now?" He asked, eyes clear and calmed.

The Tamer shook his head, "I'm not sure, his presence is faint, he likely did a spell here to get us off his trail. I suggest we move to the bridge, we can intercept him there. He needs to get back to the Ghost King's realm." He shot a look at Li Rou then steered his master away, whispering calling to horses.

Li Rou waited for a few minutes more before moving into a crouch. The Tamer had known she was here. Things had changed while she was gone. She had to be careful, allies had surely changed in her absence.

Li Rou closed her eyes, feeling for her core. She felt a slight twinge and reached fornit, calling for a flame. Her hand began to warm, then nothing. She opened her eyes with a sigh, she still couldn't reach her core energy. It made more sense now that she knew she should be dead, perhaps her core was the price to pay for life.

Li Rou sat on the roots and waited for Tatsu to come back. He had not been caught because that man had still been furious, it was only a matter of time before he returned. She took Tatsu's knife and inspected it further. The handicraft was exquisite, they had been made like this when Li Rou was learning to fight, 200 years ago. The blade was made out of Crystallized steel, it was one of the strongest materials Li Rou had ever encountered, and she had searched for years. This blade would be able to withstand any force she exerted on it. The diamond hid the bell behind it well, it meant something to him.

The tree's leaves rustled above her, she spun, the knife ready to throw. Tatsu landed in front of her, raising his hands.

"Took you long enough." Li Rou said, handing him his knife, he stuck it back in his belt sheath.

"I took the long way back." He said, giving a sheepish grin, Li Rou grinned back.

Moving back, Li Rou folded her arms, "What do we do now?"

Tatsu smiled, "I need to get home. Wanna come?" He tilted his head towards her.

Li Rou smiled, "I've got no other plans. Do you mind if we take a detour?" She smiled as she thought of her next stop. Hopefully Wu Qiren would know to find her there.

Tatsu nodded, "Let's get going."