The Black Phoenix: Chronicles of the Destroyer

Chapter One: The Phoenix and the Dog

New Emerald City is a storm of lights. 

A million shades of white, yellow, purple, red, and blue flood the highways. From the sky, they look like flowing luminous veins, illuminating the city's glass and granite skeleton. The capital city of the Simharayanan Empire glitters below me, a jewel that shines brighter at night than in the sun. 

The city belongs to me, even though no one wants to admit it yet.

Tomorrow, on Reflection Day, the city will transform into a sickening excess of bodies flooding the streets, along with memorial day speeches, White Crown Project PSA's and military recruitment ads. Even more HoloScreens will litter the skyways and bridges, revolving in the skies along with the s.Crows, the empire's floating orbital security cameras.

Usually, I'm the one plastered on the HoloScreens: "The Black Phoenix ties mayor to elementary school flag pole!" or "Winged Vigilante threatens severe consequences unless resignation of disgraced Finance Minister Philips is expedited!" and my absolute favourite: "Dark Demon-Girl attempts to kidnap WCP Captain Dhillon!"

I've never threatened to kidnap Madoc Dhillon. I just offered him a passionate whirlwind romance in which I would whisk him away to Turtle Island and elope. But he said no, so I backed off. I do not chase boys. The media just loves drama.

For the past few days, the HoloScreens have featured Crown Princess Caelestis, the heir to the Simharayanan empire. In the new White Crown Tournament recruitment ad, she's in Head Captain mode. She wears her iconic dark violet PowerArmour, long dark hair tied, warm tawny skin glowing a soft gold, glimmering brown eyes surveying the city. They say, "Join me, imperial citizens, and you, too, can be as pretty and powerful as I, your beloved darling Princess, your light in shining PowerArmour."

Pfft.

The HoloScreen flickers and the other White Crown captains appear on either side of her in their own PowerArmour. From Cardinal to Regalia, the nine captains remind the city that they're the future of the empire. The HoloScreen flickers once more and then they stand in their white service uniforms, badges indicating their respective divisions.

"Cuuute," I drawl, then fly through it. The HoloScreen tingles on my skin as I dart through. Electricity dances on my skin for a few seconds and then tempers off.

I make my way towards Phoenix Falls, and the greater the distance between the city and myself, the better I feel. The lights are less overwhelming, and the sounds of the city fade as the hush of the falls and river take precedence.

Phoenix Falls is named after Suzaku Tsukino, the Last Phoenix of Irela, and the High Counsellor to King Cillian before his throne was usurped by Brenton Hall. When Samran Simharayana inherited the throne after King Brenton's passing, he had the falls renamed to honour Suzaku's service to Irela. Most people think this was to respect the Champions of Irela, but you'd think a guy who honours the fallen would respect them by allowing them to return right? 

Nope.

As soon as I showed up years ago, he did nothing but ignore me, and when I made it so he couldn't just pretend I didn't exist, he decided to colour me as an enemy of the empire. Big mistake. He'll realize how big soon enough.

When I near the forest to the east of the falls, I dive. The winter wind bites but the cold doesn't really bother me. If anything, I'm always a little too hot. Everything about me is charged. My body temperature, my temper, my attitude. If I had discovered my fire abilities before my shadow ones, maybe they'd be calling me something stupid like Fire Phoenix or Flame Phoenix or Phoenix Girl instead of the Black Phoenix, which infinitely more badass.