I could feel the hill flattening out, but it was too dark to see the bottom of the hill. My chest felt tight with so much decline and from running too hard. Things were swirling in front of me in dizzying spirals that I thought they were the fireflies buzzing around. I knew it couldn't have been the trees that were swaying.
I closed my eyes and felt something rough tighten against my boots and a burst of light. I tripped, feeling the earth under my back as I rolled down the rest of the hill. I don't know if I screamed or not, but I suddenly felt twigs tear through the fabric of my shirt and rip at my hair. I only saw streaks of gold from the light of my symbol.
The world spun under me, and I felt myself gasp for breath as something fell on top of me. I kept on rolling with the huge lump on top. There was no sense of direction, only to roll and keep rolling. The lump continued to bang against my side. It would leave after a couple seconds before coming back down and hitting me harder.
Then, I stopped rolling. I hit something solid and I heard a slap where my head collided with a sharp object. I yelled and the huge lump that was on top of me, slammed into me. The air was suddenly hot with sweat exploding from my forehead but I couldn't see, only black. I whimpered and felt something wet cling onto my face.
"Iridian!" A voice yelled.
I urged my head to turn to the voice but I couldn't. A scream. I pulled my body from the solid object and to the empty space behind. A bulky figure stood in front of me and I could automatically tell who it was. There was a snarl and the sound of saliva gurgling and sloshing. Mr. Hrodvitnir stood in front of me, the fur on him bristling in anticipation.
I couldn't move. I was frozen, tangled with twigs and leaves. I grabbed a rock under my hand but then Mr. Hrodvitnir was gone, suddenly standing far away from me and running away in the other direction. It was soon when I couldn't see him any longer. I collapsed back on the grass, shivering. Help me. Help me.
"Iridian!" the same voice yelled.
"Ace?" I whispered, recognizing the familiar voice.
The voice disappeared. I choked on my own spit and tilted my head up. I was instantly blinded by a bright light, pointed right at me. I squinted my eyes and forced my eyes to adjust to the light.
"Iridian," a new voice sounded. The voice seemed to be right next to me, but when I looked harder, I could see someone right in front of me.
I groaned and stared. Someone had a flashlight fixed on my face, but the person wasn't standing up but rather he was sprawled on the grass just like me, on his stomach, trying to lift his hands to hold the flashlight without trembling.
The light adjusted and I could see who the person was. It was Logan with his white collared button-up so damp with sweat that it was sticking to his skin. The light was pointed away from him so the only thing prominent was his eyes, dark brown and solemn.
Ember was behind him, cautiously gazing at me and my awkward position. She scooted closer to Logan, almost protecting him. I raised an eyebrow.
Logan, upon focusing his eyes, realized it was me and instantly threw away the flashlight to stop from blinding me. He considered me with a curious stare.
"Logan?" I asked, pushing myself from the grass. Even though everything was aching, I got into a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"
He mimicked my moves and laid down carefully with his legs out in front. He reached his hand out to me but just a shy away from my arm. "Can you move?"
I coughed, feeling a throb on my ribs. Logan wiped a hand on his shirt. A streak of brown followed in its wake.
"Do you mind helping me sit up a little?" I asked him, clutching my ribs.
He nodded and there was no hesitation before he wrapped his arm around my waist and rested my body against the rock I had collided with.
Just as he moved his hand away he said, "I apologize for running into you like that."
My hands instantly shot up in a defensive stance. "No, no, it's okay. Nothing was intentional."
Logan watched me as I winced some more at the pain blossoming from my whole body. He was going to say something but stopped when someone skidded down on the grass next to him. "Logan!"
A lady with wavy, blonde hair. Veronica.
"Came down in one piece, huh?" Logan asked her while repositioning himself.
She didn't reply, only looked over at me and instantly brushed a hand over my cheek. I probably looked bloody and bruised all over. Her voice was filled with pity, "Oh, no, are you alright? I don't have anything on me to help."
My head felt like it was splitting in two and it was getting harder to concentrate. "I do feel a little light-headed."
Unlike Logan who was hesitant to touch me or be near me, Veronica was the opposite, taking no time to reach a hand to wrap around mine. "Hang in there."
"This is insane!" Ace's voice echoed somewhere. "Iridian, you better come out here right now or I'm leaving you here."
"I'm right here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Over here!"
Ace came from behind a tree with his Garvyn and Nix next to him. His feet skipped as he traveled further down the hill where Veronica, Logan, and I were. At the sight of me, Nix bounded forward, sniffing Logan and Veronica before pecking me on the head. Pain throbbed where he touched me.
From this angle, looking up at Ace, all I could see was his chest and his eyes laced with anger. I eagerly called to him, "What happened to Aaron and Mr. Hrodvitnir?"
Ace withdrew the staff he was carrying. I didn't realize he had been holding one this whole time. "Not sure, they ran off somewhere. So, what's your plan now?"
"Plan?" Veronica questioned.
"Oh," Ace turned to her. "You're in this too? Since when?"
Veronica frowned, unpleased with what she heard. She stayed silent, continuing to stroke her fingers over the back of my hand. A dragon crawled from behind Veronica's shoulders. It was the size of a textbook but a little bit longer from head to the tip of its tail. Veronica moved her hands behind her to pat her dragon. She side-glanced at her dragon and whispered, "Ssh, Zoey, it's okay. That's Ace."
Veronica moved her hands to part her hair behind her ear. That's when I noticed Veronica was wearing earrings shaped as a dragon, entwined with her ear and looping through it as if the dragon was crawling on them. They were silver except for the dragons' eyes which were red. They must be the symbols she received when she entered through the portal.
"My plan," I started, trailing off. I didn't know what my plan was; whether or not to choose between staying here or going to Malanthe...a billion options popped in my head.
"So, we all heard Aaron's story then?" Veronica asked.
Logan instantly looked away, unable to look me in the eye.
Veronica flipped her hair to the side. "It doesn't make sense. She could have come here a long time ago and could have tried to convince you herself once she knew either one of you was the Phoenix Auxiliary. Aaron must have told her about you two right when you came through the Center Assemblage portal. Something's preventing her from coming here."
"It's obvious," Ace interjected. "We can't go to her if she wants their powers. We stay here and wait for her to come."
"She's going to think of something to pass through the barriers and if we stay here then we're risking a chance of other people getting killed or convinced to help Malanthe," Veronica disagreed, shaking her head. "More Colludes will volunteer."
"Since when did we become people who only thought of others?" Ace asked.
Veronica turned to him. "We can't let other people suffer. Our world needs kindness, not hatred."
"Going to her isn't a better option," Ace argued. "To get to her you would need to go through her other Phoenix Hunters in Daer Nercropis and Delensaysia before you can even think of getting to Volvanic Acropolis where Malanthe is. You can't just transport to Volvanic Acropolis and face her."
"Why not?" I asked genuinely. Wouldn't it be easier just to go straight to Malanthe without having to go through her other lackeys?
"Long time ago," Veronica started. "Volvanic Acropolis was created with the intent of community and shelter. Volvanic Acropolis could and can only be reached via two other stops for extra security and protection. People can always leave, but it's harder for people to come in. It's one of the big reasons why Malanthe probably established herself there out of all places."
Logan added, "There used to be other paths and portals to get to Volvanic Acropolis and to Daer Necropis and Delensaysia. However, ever since Malanthe took over Volvanic Acropolis, she has limited the amount of going in and out."
Going on this journey with Veronica and Ace when they weren't even Phoenix Auxiliaries. Why? Why were they including themselves in this situation? It wasn't something to joke at even if they were used to fighting.
"But that doesn't matter. There's always another option," Logan's voice sliced through the conversation like a dagger.
Veronica instantly growled at him. "Don't think about those, Logan. You've come all this way. Don't you dare."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "The killing myself part to relinquish whatever power she wants? Or Logan killing me, so she won't look for another Phoenix Auxiliary? Or just willingly give up and give her the damn powers?"
Logan finally looked at me. "No, Iridian. You killing me."
Veronica chided Logan, "Don't talk about death so easily."
Ace grunted. "Great, we're trying to sacrifice ourselves for the good of the other."
"Please," Veronica said, waving her hands in the air. "The only plan is to find these Phoenix Hunters and go to Malanthe. Find Augite in Dear Necropis, Searill in Delensaysia, and Malanthe in Volvanic Acropolis. We don't know the full story yet. We can't jump to conclusions."
Veronica listing all names and places almost gave me more than a headache than what I already had. It was like each new name was one more stab to the heart, reminding me of the situation I was in and what I had essentially lost. She must have been talking about the two Phoenix Hunters and where they resided.
"I don't know," I whispered. "This wasn't what I wanted. I just wanted to accomplish a life-long goal of helping the world with an animal by my side. I wanted to be part of the future of a world I am proud of. That Iona was imagining. Whatever is in store for me in terms of Malanthe, was not what I wanted."
Veronica placed a hand on my shoulder. "This can't be easy to digest, Iridian. But please, you can't let go of this issue. This is your world, and this is the way you must go to help its future."
"You're forgetting, "Ace reminded. "There's not only two Phoenix Hunters to handle. There are her Colludes as well. There's a reason she hasn't set out to look for Iridian or Logan herself. If any of you kill themselves with your powers, all is for naught for them."
All the animals began to stretch themselves in preparation to rest for the day. I was ready to pass out with them, but I strained myself to listen to Ace while rubbing my fingers on my head.
"That's true," I murmured.
"You don't know how to get to Daer Necropis, or any of the other places Aaron mentioned. Where do you start?" Ace placed a hand on his waist.
"I don't know," I whispered again.
Ace shook his head in disbelief. "Clearly you all are just making things up on the fly."
"Don't place the blame on her," Veronica argued. "We're all trying our best here."
"Ace makes a point," I said.
"A point that isn't helpful to you," Logan added, looking at me. I could see him in my peripheral vision, his eyes only at me, as if observing my reactions.
Ace leered at Logan. "What the hell do you know? Just now, you were moping around and telling people you'd rather Iridian kill you."
"None of that matters," I interjected, looking at all three of them. "What exactly are you getting out of this? How does helping me benefit you? Any of you?"
One by one as if in a roll call, they all answered. Veronica went first, her words definite and straight to the point, "I have unfinished business with Malanthe's Colludes. Although she may have had no direct contact, her influence has reached farther than you might think."
There was a pause before Ace confessed, "Well, I'm the one leading you there. Luckily, I know where all three places are." I could tell there was another purpose but if he didn't want to say it, I couldn't pry it out.
Logan was last and took the longest to explain. He looked up to Ember and then to me. His eyes gave away a certain sadness, an acceptance of what was to come. "This will also be my journey as well. Alongside yours."
"But if you ever feel like it's too hard for you, Iridian," he stated, placing a sturdy hand on his chest. "Please do not hesitate to-"
"Kill you?" I interrupted. "I won't do that. Don't put me in that position."
Logan's eyes slightly widened but he said no more, looking away and ending the conversation there. Unlike my symbol glowing brightly, his symbol was dark, I could only rely on the moon's light to make sure it was there.
Veronica sighed. "Let's not think so negatively already. Let's sleep it off for the night. I'm sure we are all tired."
Sleeping under a canopy of trees didn't appeal to me very much. I wanted to go back to the housing where there were at least beds to rest on, but most importantly, I wanted to go back home where I would have been covered in comfortable blankets and I had the smell of Crescent's fur right under my nose. Now, watching the dead leaves on the ground and the wilted grass, it felt like I truly had lost every path.
Out of anybody on the planet, billions of people, I was branded as a Phoenix Auxiliary. I had nothing, nothing special. I might have been chosen randomly, by fate, or something more sinister, I had no clue. But there was no escaping who I was now.
My past was only a blur of memories. My future, a shrouded image but it had a defined one. One that I was certain to unveil. But now, it was like a huge wall had separated me from that future. I never wanted badly as now to be any other Auxiliary than a Phoenix Auxiliary.
"Iridian," Veronica whispered to me. "You should rest too."
I looked around. Logan had already laid down on the grass, his back flat against the ground and his hand lightly on top of his chest. Ember had wrapped her wings around Logan's legs and allowed his thighs to become her pillow.
Ace was sleeping on his side, his navy-blue shirt dotted with all certain kinds of stains, from chimera's blood to the grass pigmentation to the brown dust from the ground. His Garvyn slept next to him as well, its loud huffs simmering down to gentle whisks.
"Do you think Malanthe would do anything for the phoenix's power?" I asked Veronica, who had started to cross her legs.
She allowed Zoey to crawl in her lap to sleep and we exchanged a rueful glance with each other. "Yes. She doesn't have much status in the world. Simply put, she's only a person with ambitious goals, but the connections she created with her Colludes and her Hunters makes her stronger than anybody out there. She's a great leader, I'll give her that. Her Colludes and Hunters rely on her strength and vision, not because she's a threatening dictator. Her Colludes don't run on a plan, they run on an idea. Malanthe doesn't really give much orders, simply suggests, and her Colludes go wild with the information."
"How do you know so much about her? The raids around tell nothing about her."
She pursed her lips. "It's complicated, but I've had enough experience in the past to piece together most of what's going on. Back then, during The Evaluation, when I realized you and Logan were both Phoenix Auxiliaries, I didn't get a great feeling. I brushed it off at first, but when I saw the Phoenix Auxiliary hadn't happened in ten years and what Aaron was telling us, it all made sense."
Her short hair covered her face and for a moment, she looked restless, her mouth slightly open and her head tipped in a way that felt like she was having a headache, too much going through her mind.
I further pushed my back against the boulder and tried hard to relax. My head throbbed painfully as I did, remembering about the collision and the long run down the hill. I reached over to stroke Nix who was already sleeping nearby, twisting his tail around his body.
The yearning I felt to only sleep and leave this world was compelling even if it was for a few hours. Maybe this would be my last sleep. I would never know until I saw the sun again. Before falling to sleep, all I could watch were Veronica's eyes, now gazing determinedly at the view before her. She blinked her eyes methodically, the patterns of them coaxing me to slumber, and helping me forget all about the merciless darkness.