Seeing Spica collapse in pure exhaustion from using that forbidden technique, I ignored her and was about to continue what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted by her; unfortunately, when I turned around, I saw numerous people flying over, and from what I could sense, which was next to nothing, they all held powerful cultivation bases.
'Ugh, great, now because of her, she's caused a large problem, and I've got to deal with it.' Thought Elif in annoyance while eyeing the unconscious Spica in envy while sighing.
When the people neared us, I could tell they must've realized what had happened from sensing the large disturbance in the atmospheric Qi as they all furrowed their brows before glancing at the collapsed Spica and I; thankfully, they didn't seem to just jump to conclusion and assume I'm at fault.
"Prince Elif, I'm Hayat Renata, the current heir to the Phoenix Clan; I'll save the small talk for later, but if it isn't a bother, could you please explain what happened here and why my cousin is in such a bad." Asked a young boy with fiery blue hair and a youthful face while wearing a silk, blue, red, and white buttoned-down gown with oversized sleeves and a belt with an emblem of a Phoenix.
"Haa, yes, I don't mind." Replied Elif with a nod of annoyance as he began recounting the events that transpired from the moment Zanga left to now, causing the boy to be angry at his cousin, though he didn't lash out.
"I see. Thank you for your assistance, Prince Elif; if you could just give me a few seconds to discuss with the Elders so that I may get the servant's side of the story." Said Hayat candidly as he swiftly retreated to the groups of Elders who had just got done speaking with Spica's servants.
As I watched Hayat speak with the clan's Elders, it's only been a few seconds, but he suddenly seemed to lash out in anger as his body erupted into a bright blue blaze of fire before he quickly reeled in his flames, though I did note, his flames were hotter than Spica's. Just as he had said, the conversation had only lasted for not even a minute before he approached me, though, from his expression, I could tell he was vividly angry with what he learned.
"I'd like to deeply apologize on behalf of my cousin's actions; I don't know what type of past you two have, but for someone to attempt to kill you in our domain, it is very pathetic and unbecoming of us Phoenixes. If there is anything I, or we, could do to express our deepest apologies for our shameful display as hosts, please do not hesitate to ask; we'll gladly wish to display our sincerity." Declared Hayat solemnly with a slight bow to Elif.
"It's fine; other than irritating me, she didn't do much; however, I suggest keeping her away from me; if she tries that again, I won't be so merciful." Replied Elif calmly while fanning himself with his quạt tay as he glanced at Hayat.
"I very much appreciate how generous you are, Prince Elif, but I implore you to request something. I won't feel at ease if I can't at least reimburse you for the trouble my cousin caused you; you could've been killed after all." Said Hayat seriously as he stopped bowing and looked Elif in the eye.
'Well, when he puts it like that, she did indeed attack me with enough strength to kill, though even if I didn't respond to her attack, my protective artifact would've protected me; however, that's beside the point; it's the principle of the matter.' Thought Elif, figuring it would be best to heed Hayat's words.
Unfortunately, while I intended to ask for something in return, there wasn't really anything that piqued my interest; I didn't know much about the Phoenix Clan, so while I'm sure they must have a resource or two in abundance that my Empire doesn't have much of, I wouldn't know what specific resource it is. Not to mention, for the things I am interested in, they most likely don't have them or have a very minimal supply of them since usually, the things I'm interested in, even our Empire, don't have a lot of them.
'Wait, when I read the book Species of the OverRealm, the Phoenixes are in possession of two types of fires: the Immortal Flame, which is said to be the very first flame in existence, and the Flame of Rebirth, stated to have been birthed alongside the very first Phoenix.' Pondered Elif with a light smile while eyeing Hayat.
If I brought up anything regarding the Immortal flames, it would be quickly denied; I don't know exactly how important it is as I'm no Phoenix, but even so, I know it would be a foolish endeavor; however, the flame of rebirth, on the other hand, is slightly different. We have next to no information regarding the Immortal flame except that it is supposed to be the first flame and that the Phoenix clan is most likely in possession of it, though we've got quite a good amount of knowledge about the flame of rebirth.
So, with a smirk that was hidden behind my quạt tay, I brought up the flame of rebirth, curious to see if I may be given access to its capabilities, though I didn't have much hope regarding it.
"If you wish to show your sincerity in the matter, Hayat, how about allowing me to use the Flame of Rebirth?" Asked Elif curiously, his words causing Hayat's eyes to widen as he sported a troubled expression while Illumia was merely confused.
"T-That, Prince Elif; you may not know, but the Flame of Rebirth is very important to our Phoenix Clan, not to mention very costly to use; only three people per generation are allowed to bathe in its flames and undergo a rebirth; otherwise we'd quickly exhaust our resources. Also, to my knowledge, only Phoenixes have ever used the Flame of Rebirth, so I don't know if any other species can endure its rebirth effects." Replied Hayat with a deep frown and a troubled expression while indirectly refusing Elif.
"So, since you've just told me the possible dangers, what you're essentially saying is, as long as the Phoenix Clan isn't required to offer their resources, I'll be given access to it?" Remarked Elif with a grin, causing Hayat not to know how to respond.
"I-I'm sorry, but I can't make such Important decisions; you'll have to discuss this with Patriarch Renata; only he can make such an important verdict." Stated Hayat with an awkward expression while shifting the question to Patriarch Renata.
"Well, that's fine; I was originally on my way to visit him before I was rudely interrupted, but now I can ask him about the Flame of Rebirth." Said Elif as he nodded with a light smile, while Hayat wore a troubled expression.
"If that's the case, Prince Elif, I'll lead you to him since this is your first time as our guest." Remarked Hayat with a forced smile as he turned around and flew through the air, heading toward the distant manor while Elif and Illumia followed behind him.
'Your Highness, what is this Flame of Rebirth you spoke of?' Asked Illumia via divine sense, her words slightly shocking Elif.
'You don't know of the Flame of Rebirth, Illumia?' Replied Elif via divine sense while raising one of his eyebrows.
'With my status as Her Majesty's follower and your Personal servant, I'm given access to the Royal Library; however, that is only for the first three floors, so while I may be knowledgeable, I don't know everything.' Stated Illumia blandly via divine sense while glancing at Elif as they flew through the air.
'You're not wrong; I just supposed, since I've never mentioned anything you don't have knowledge on, I subconsciously figured you would know what the Flame of Rebirth is.' Muttered Elif via divine sense.
'Anyways, the Flame of Rebirth is a primordial fire born alongside the very first Phoenix; it's stated to carry the properties of rebirth and allow anyone who bathes in its primordial flames to undergo a refinement via rebirth.' Added Elif via divine sense, his words slightly astonished Illumia.
'T-That's amazing, your Highness! If you're allowed to bathe in such flames, I couldn't even fathom how high your strength would soar!' Remarked Illumia via divine sense, unable to contain her shock at such knowledge.
'Yes, I feel the same as you; however, as you just heard, it's very costly, and I don't know if I have the resources for it on in my dimension ring, so even if they do allow me access to it, I may not be able to bathe in its flames.' Replied Elif via divine sense with a frown just as they neared the Phoenix manor.
Landing on the ground, seemingly in one of the manor's courtyards, Illumia and I followed behind Hayat as we navigated through the manor while greeting those we happened to come across, though thankfully, no one attempted to start a conversation with us; I wasn't really in the mood to converse.
Arriving before a set of double doors with the symbol of a large white phoenix in the middle, Hayat slowly opened the doors and entered inside, which we followed, allowing us to view a rather large office, though since we were in the patriarch's office it's only a given it's large.
Sitting at a sizeable desk in the back, there was a middle-aged man with bright blue flaming hair, currently deeply invested in a conversation with a man as they communicated through a crystal ball; seeing that, the three of us stood by and waited for him to finish his seemingly important conversation.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/5n7RV7Xu (Note: this link only lasts for one week)
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 178: Fun?) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 59: Nearly Late!) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 93: Sunaipu, The Cursed Pistol) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]
Yolo; ya'll having fun?
Creation is hard, cheer me up!