Creature of light

She didn't really have to wait for long because soon after, a click echoed through the void. It was baffling how this thing was the only one with the ability to produce any noise here.

As she pondered the sound, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of glass shattering and the onyx shards that rained from the sky; it looked beautiful. Dazed and confused, her mind still registered the sound of a high-pitched shriek.

"Crap."

In the midst of the chaos, the little flame burned with fiery intensity. She recognized that emotion to be excitement. It bounced forward before disappearing completely swallowed by darkness.

Sadness surged in her heart; somehow, she was sure she would never see that little flame again. Even though their time together was short-lived, it was still memorable.

The shriek grew louder and more hysterical, drawing her attention back to her current predicament. Placing her palms to her ears, she saved herself from the sensation of having her eardrums explode.

'I can't believe it. I'm actually beginning to miss the endless silence.'

She sidestepped, dodging a giant shard about to crush her head, taking in the abrupt changes of her surroundings. The void was crumpling, leaving destruction and onyx shards in its wake.

Bending down quickly, she picked up a shard; it was thin and solid with a dark gleam to it. She placed it in her storage bracelet; it was a piece of an ancient realm, after all.

"I'll study it later."

The chilliness of the darkness soon gave way to potent heat, and the shards that had fallen burst into extreme, radiant golden flames. The ominous inky void had become a raging furnace, with her being stuck in the middle with no way of escape.

"I take it back; darkness right now is better than this."

The feeling of being slowly roasted was not a welcome one. Instead she considered it a shameful thing for a dragon to die by the hands of their source element. But at the moment, dignity and whatnot were the least of her concerns.

" I am certainly not like those idiots who think glory is everything." She scoffed gazing ahead.

All this began when the lock came undone, so who was that ancient fiend that wanted to end the life of the person who freed them from their shackles.

'Didn't their mother teach them gratitude.'

She pouted,slightly irked by the situation but somewhere under her nonchalant facade, a feeling of dread had crept into her heart. If whatever it was wanted to kill her or escape to attack others outside, she had no doubt that even with all her strength she wouldn't be able to stop it.

She wasn't belittling herself, it was just facts. The annoying reality she was living in.

" I have to become stronger."

She silently promised herself. In this world where the strong were the dictators and the weak sinners, she couldn't afford to be weak or she wouldn't even realize how she died.

The tension in the air became palpable with the shadows in front of her writhing as if in agony. Her body tensed and her eyes followed every subtle movement as the mass of shadows still remaining, twisted and converged.

The darkness was slowly changing shape becoming something brighter, hotter and more powerful. The former mass of obsidian vaguely resembled a winged creature of light rather than darkness. Now looking a deep shade of red with intricate details of gold mixed in.

The heat grew fiercely, the flames surrounding her came to life as if worshipping their creator, the ancient pressure grew lighter replaced by a heavy weight that filled her with awe and dread.

Beads of sweat raced down her body, as her body tensed up trying to fight the overwhelming urge to bow in reverence to the majestic creature.

The flames around her rose like flaming pillars before merging around the still forming figure like a fitting mantle as the body underneath took shape becoming more defined.

Alexia stood witnessing the beauty of rebirth, a breathtaking figure of a giant bird had appeared, now encased in golden light and embers that twirled around it like a hurricane. She retreated while covering her eyes with her hands, it felt so sinful to gaze upon it.

" Literally, my eyes are burning."

She blinked slowly, adjusting her eyes to the lights. Gazing upon the creature, an old tale she has learned in history class came to mind.

" Glory to the Phoenix, companion of Lugus. Herald of destiny, destroyer of darkness, the fear of the demons."

She whispered to herself but one word stuck to her mind.

" Destiny."

It was only now that she noticed that destiny was a primary part of most ancient legends. Her thoughts wandered, distracted she didn't notice that the creature had already formed and was now glaring at her with animosity.

Maybe the glare was too intense because whatever she was pondering about kept escaping her. Now focusing on the Phoenix before her, her eyes widened in wonder, she had never seen anything like it before.

It was truly worthy of being called a creature of legends. Its plumage shone like polished gold, with intricate patterns of crimson, orange, and yellow that seemed to dance.

As it spread its wings, the phoenix revealed a stunning span of feathers, each one tipped with a delicate flame that flickered and pulsed. Its tail feathers flowed behind it like a river of fire, leaving a trail of sparks and embers in its wake.

The phoenix's beak shone like polished obsidian, strong and sharp, while its claws gleamed with a fierce, molten light. It was majestic, resplendent and ethereal.

Fixating her gaze on its ember eyes, unnoticed, her heart skipped a beat before a chill ran down her spine when she noticed it was still glaring at her.

It was looking at her the same way a girlfriend would before deciding whether to forgive her or down right feed her to sharks. Don't ask her how that image got there it just did.

" I really need to learn to be serious sometimes. My life might end soon"

" You stupid girl. Don't you know it's rude to be lost in thought when standing before someone, especially one as great as I. And what's your obsession with Destiny. That witch will get you killed someday."

A booming voice akin to thunder rang out in the empty expanse as it berated her. Alexia honestly had no words to describe her current scenery, it could neither be called a lightless void nor a raging inferno. It was neither but also both at the same time.

" Let's focus on this ancient fiend."

Anyone in her situation would probably be trembling when they realized that they had upset a powerful ancient horror that had been imprisoned in a lightless abyss for Lugus knows how many years.

But Alexia was a unique being so her ears only caught two things.

' Who is he calling stupid? And did he just call Destiny a murderous witch? Wait, is Destiny even human?'

Of course she wouldn't say any of this out loud but her face unfortunately said it all.

The Phoenix quirked a brow at her while slightly leaning forward.

" Anything you want to say to my majestic self?"

It's tone was a mix of cockiness and amusement. She reacted quickly by shaking her head signifying her refusal under it's intense gaze. While staring at her, the creature unexpectedly burst into laughter. It's voice booming accompanied by the trembling of it's blazing shoulders.

It's humongous wings that filled up the vastness of the now ruined void shook, threatening to destroy whatever was left. She tilted her head in inquiry.

' Why the heck is it laughing?'

" Look at you acting so obedient. Why weren't you like that at the stone entrance?"

Her eyes widened, her voice rising up a notch in surprise.

" What?!"

A chill ran down her spine as she locked eyes with the Phoenix, her body momentarily paralyzed with fear. But as it's words sunk in, her face flushed crimson before her eyes finally narrowed, all emotions drowned in a pool of anger as she pointed a shaky hand towards it.

" You,you... you're that damn flame!"