It was a process that had taken close to three whole weeks, the first two of which were spent just trying to get past his shields and defenses. When their queen, the most powerful among them, had tried to infiltrate his mind, she'd realized all too quickly that there was no way she would be getting into his mind, not in a thousand years. It had taken the constant concerted and unrelenting effort of every phoenix within the realm to allow them even a chance. The first fourteen days had been spent trying to get past his defenses however, it was the latter six days spent carefully putting his mind back together that had proven to all just how much of a bad idea it would have been to kill him. Part of putting his mind back together had included rearranging and putting back together his memories. Putting back together the first eighteen years of his life had been all too easy seeing as they'd already reviewed it almost twenty four years prior. It was however the last year of his life that had proven most crucial and the one that had served to change all their minds including their queen's, about whether the boy lived or died. Eldraen and the other dark phoenixes were back in the earth realm.
Tatia had only been a child when Eldraen had last been alive, but still she remembered the devastation he had wrought in the world. She dreaded to imagine what all four of them would do. And not just the four of them, but every creature out of the portal the boy had opened. The boy not going back to fight was simply not an option open to anyone, not even them. If Eldraen and the rest had managed to find a way back to the earth realm, then it was only a matter of time before he found a way to the phoenix realm. Eldraen and the rest needed to be put down and they needed to be put down yesterday! The only person that could do that was the boy now lying on the bed groaning slightly in pain. Their queen had tasked some of the soldiers that soon as they were rested, they should immediately begin recreating the replica of the doorway the boy had made on the earth realm. She had also ordered some of the scribes to create the potion the boy was after.
His concerns had also crossed their minds as they tried to save him. What was to prevent him from becoming the next Eldraen or worse? Up until the point where they went dark, everyone had believed that each of the previous four male phoenixes wouldn't go dark. None of them could know for sure that it wouldn't be a repeat of the same. It was a risk they would all have to take and a gamble they'd all have to make. The only consolation however meagre, was that he wouldn't be growing any more powerful than he currently was. A phoenix's power didn't come from burning up and dying, but rather, from being reborn through the flame of rebirth. That option wasn't open to Dan, so he would be stuck at the power of five burns. He so far proven capable of managing that much power without going dark. Hopefully he would continue to do so as far into the foreseeable future as was imaginably possible.
Tatia's head turned in the direction of the door to the room when it swung open. It closed to reveal their queen behind it as she entered the room. She bowed her head to her once and with a silent nod her queen acknowledged it. "How is he?" the queen asked.
"Not much has changed since we finished yesterday," Tatia reported. "Except for the fact that he started groaning in what I assume is pain, about three hours ago. And odd as it may seem, I think that is a good sign. I think he is slowly coming to," she added.
"That's good to hear," the queen answered her eyes on the boy on the bed as another moan escaped him. "I'm here to relieve you, you can go rest now. She added turning to regard her.
Tatia did a once over of their queen. "You haven't rested since yesterday," Tatia returned calmly not moving from where she sat. "You need rest too," she offered.
"My son is back from the dead," Their queen spoke a dark look crossing her expression. "Trust me, rest is the last thing on my mind," she returned quietly.
"It shouldn't be," Tatia replied. "If you are going to lead us into battle, we need your mind fresh as can be," she went on.
"Who says we're going into battle?" Their queen answered in a tone that was meant to betray nothing of what she felt or thought.
Chapter Seven
Start from the beginning
