Chapter 26

he messenger of the bloodthirsty elves does not hesitate, he cannot, he has only a limited time of life and a mission, he is a small magic bird, he was captured as a baby, all his life the magic he possessed had been taken away by the wizards of the elven sect, weak he could only think of one order to fulfill, the only one his dying mind recognized: "He had waited so many years for an order that would put an end to his misery that now he traveled quickly, swiftly, not caring about the feathers he lost on the way, nothing mattered but the promised oblivion.

 The magic field of the warrior priest was a clear point, it was the only thing he could see, but it was far away, even at their best these birds take more than four days to arrive and this poor specimen had only two days left to live, he could stop, if his conscience was not so limited he would only have to look for food, But his conscience was still bound to the will of the new elf king, a selfish creature who did not stop absorbing any magic he produced, now that he was in agony, he continued to force him against his will for miles and miles to advance, his contract was fading but so was his life, it was a lost battle.

 A day before his arrival he realized that he would not make it, his already diminished eyesight could not even see the colors that weak humans see, let alone the magic fields or the air currents that he should play with, only a black well with a single bright color far away, Little by little he loses height, his chest beats fast but accompanied by gasping, more and more followed, more and more similar to rales, "Failure, I could not die free" is the last coherent thought before he falls into the pit of blackness, but he feels a little relief, at least the message will not arrive.

The fall seemed slower than it should have been, he was sure that it must have dissolved long ago or shattered on impact, yet he found some relief, as if descending to the bottom of the dark well, this gave him some freshness, a little energy, he even felt that his consciousness was beginning to recognize the magic, pure magic that he had not felt in his life, it was cold, but it helped him to strengthen his weak energies, it was strange, he seemed to be immersed in magic, but he knew no magic of that nature, Cold, not aggressive, almost with the peace of the grave, but it lived, it boiled with a determination he envied, besides the power, nor with the memory of his ancestors, which had been closed for a long time for not having enough magic to invoke it, but now it became clear, the magic of the elves was brilliant, but cruel, hard, the dwarves always had a red energy, burning in their wit and curiosity, the creatures called humans began to have magic only a few hundred years ago, but it was a magic like a layer of ice water, it looked many shades depending on their emotions or their potential, usually no bigger than a magical animal, but this one was special, it burned black, and kept feeding him, soon his whole battered body began to regenerate, relying only on the magic available to them, so the shine of their feathers returned, but they were no longer red, a midnight black replaced the plumage, his mind opened, but he no longer had the blind rage of being forced to obey blindly, he finally thought clearly, it was a calculating thought, focused on one goal, to destroy those who abused him, but he did not rush, the source of magic did not seem to want to go anywhere and he felt full, more and more, intoxicated with his own growing magic, he decided, since there seemed to be no threats nearby, to make the most of this miracle.

 When he felt strong enough he began to open his eyes, a magical being was watching him from a distance, with the respect he never felt he deserved, cloaked as he was in a hungry body, but there she was, she had a smile of tenderness, cold eyes and a strange body the likes of which he had never seen before, with awkward attempts he bowed, his tail feathers growing as he genuflected, when he straightened he took a closer look at her, Nudity is not something strange in his species, but not in humanoids, the body is thin and sinewy, there are mutations of a magical nature, even so an incredible power is perceived, when he saw her he could realize that only at the peak of power could his race face her, that disconcerted him, he knew that only captives from young were able to dominate beings as tough as him, at that moment he felt a sharp pain in his head, it was so intense that he could not even see.

A blinding glow floods his senses but it is not pleasant, it is the instructions, the brutally introduced seal as a small boy "you will obey crimson dawn" and the last instruction "you will be free when you deliver the message" both instructions haunt his mind, turning his vision back to a dark pit with a light at the bottom, his goal, now he can clearly see the warrior priest, a human in fine highly resistant clothes, with a very unkempt brown beard, bald and carrying a staff with a huge amplifying stone, his magic field is not to be despised but nothing compared to the one he is nourishing, he understood that it was necessary to leave, that he was forced to leave, just when he was about to spread his wings, a hand rested on his head, immediately the light dimmed to the point where he could focus his gaze again, the human because that was originally that looked at him with compassion "you don't have to leave so soon, you are still exhausted" he told him, "stay with me and you can fulfill your mission" for a moment the bird hesitated, he had no idea how reliable her words were, but he could go on for another while, although his contract was still active he felt less pressured to fulfill it, an extension that he was very grateful for, it allowed him to continue nourishing himself with that different magic.

 When the night began to dawn he felt frankly better, then he could notice that his color had changed, absorbing so much strange magic on the verge of extinction by starvation his body assimilated it and began to produce it in such a way that everything remained the same inside (except for the cold determination that replaced the anger) but outside his beautiful plumage for the first time existed as it should be .... except for the color, it had turned night black, a brilliant black, exultant of power, with a song of joy and exultation it delighted the meadow where it had fallen, a small effort and its decorative flames set fire to the grass without changing the black color, for the third time it saw its benefactor again, only then it realized that the powerful person that helped it not to die was exhausted, contrite it prepared to leave fearing that its proximity was responsible for its pain.

 -Wait - gasped the female- you don't have to leave- at that moment he realized that the mandates were beginning to affect him again, he fought hard but it was a lost battle, he had to go, he understood that even with all his new power he had no alternative.

 -Not alone, but you are not alone- said the woman as if she was able to read his thoughts, she put her hand again blocking that urge to comply with the orders.

The poor animal asked, he really didn't want to go, he didn't know if some hidden instruction would cause his death even though in his state he was the closest thing to a magical being with full use of his abilities. -Your only duty is to carry the scroll in your paw, right? -The woman nodded her head in agreement.

-Just concentrate, remember what you looked like, what you were like before you ate, before your millennial hunger was extinguished, imagine your colors, your scent, your face, do it and let it be seen in front of you.

 He tried, it seemed difficult at first, but with a little practice he remembered, the expression of the one who saw him, the shadow he cast when he flew, the reflection of his owner's eyes, little by little a golden speck of color materialized in front of him, it was a magnificent bird, with orange red feathers, defined, with a hard pearly beak, a proud phoenix, but at that moment he was attacked by a blow of sincerity, It was not him like that, no full plumage, less body, much less, his eyes dull and fleshy, dull dirty colors, a fading glow, it was nothing compared to the lights of the bonfires, it was more like the color of a will of wisp, when he saw himself, pathetic, defeated, his eyes flashed with fury, he began to gather strength to attack the one responsible for his condition, to kill him even more, again he was stopped by the woman.

 -Do not try to eliminate the one who enslaved you, your body has been attacked for years to drain you, what I have done was to help you to be reborn, but you cannot attack him, the only way you can harm him is if you help me by using this old you to send the message, I will protect you and help you if he has left you a surprise, however, I have to ask you two things, you are not obliged to comply, I am only asking you…

The phoenix thought for a moment and then lifted her paw to withdraw the information -I will do it- rang in the young woman's mind -I will be honored to comply, I would just like you to tell me your name,- the woman showed a smile that revealed some very long fangs, her cat-like eyes flashing.

 -You may call me Lilith and that is what I want the scroll to say.