บท 6: Phoenix
Adam tried his best, dodging the weapons that were thrown at him. At the same time, he tried to keep his distance from those dashing towards him as they burned in the fires he summoned.
One-fourth of the tribe had already jumped into the fire. Before they could make sense of what was happening, they were burned to a crisp, their charred remains left scattered on the ashy ground.
This seemed to intimidate the tribe as a whole. After a sizable number of them died with no harm done to Adam, they backed off, withdrawing from their attack.
Adam didn't pursue the retreating tribes. As they disappeared from view, he looked at the bloodbath he had caused. Among the charred remains, he saw something that looked vaguely human. Despite years of loneliness in the darkness and the haunting memories of Apex dulling his empathy, his emotions were slowly returning while he stayed with Highwalker and Firehair.
Even though he still looked like a Neanderthal, he was human at heart. If Adam could have avoided it, he wouldn't have killed the tribe's attackers. But he had no choice—if he hadn't defended himself, he would have been the one lying lifeless on the ground.
Adam sighed, a look of disappointment adorning his beastly face. He turned back and marched towards the cave to inform them that he had taken care of the Xeno Tribes.
On his way, Adam spotted Firehair walking towards him. As they came closer, he noticed something different about her. Her clothes were torn, and tears streamed down her face.
Firehair noticed Adam too. She ran to him and started bawling as she spoke via telepathy.
"They're dead. They died because of me. They died because I'm cursed," said Firehair.
"Dead? Tell me what happened, Firehair," Adam inquired.
Before she could respond, a swishing sound filled the air as a rain of wooden spears descended on them, piercing both him and Firehair.
Adam turned towards the source of the spears and saw the tribes that had fled returning with reinforcements. He pulled out the spears lodged in his flesh, and the wounds healed in the blink of an eye. However, Firehair's condition was far worse.
A spear had pierced through her abdomen and exited her back. The life in Firehair's eyes slowly faded. Adam pulled the spear from her stomach and tried to heal the wound using his Mummudrai powers, but the healing was too slow. Meanwhile, the tribe continued attacking with stones.
Adam shielded Firehair with his body, providing her cover. He bore the brunt of the attacks, but all his attention remained on her wound. He could feel Firehair's vitals weakening and realized she would die from blood loss before the wound could be fully healed. Even if the wound was completely healed, she wouldn't survive.
Adam was desperate; he couldn't let a child die in front of him. So, he drew upon a power he had only used once before. He searched for the dormant power within Firehair's body and unleashed her full potential.
After channeling his Mummudrai powers, Adam kickstarted the latent energy within Firehair. Her lifeless eyes regained color, but the transformation didn't stop there. Psionic energy leaked from her body as she began floating in the air.
Brilliant blue light radiated from her. Firehair's eyelids fluttered, signaling her awakening. Before she opened her eyes, an otherworldly force, shaped like a bird, descended from the sky and merged with her body.
Soon after, earth-shattering changes occurred. Firehair's bright red hair darkened, and when she opened her eyes, they no longer looked like those of a child. Adam saw apathy in them, an indifference that regarded everything before her with cold detachment.
The awakening was interrupted by more projectiles. Rocks hurled towards Firehair stopped mid-air and floated around her before spontaneously combusting in the cosmic fire she released. The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the entire burnt landscape and vaporizing the furious Xeno tribes in an instant.
Adam would have shared their fate if not for his fire-controlling powers. He managed to stave off the cosmic flames briefly, but soon they overwhelmed him.
Adam used his Mummudrai abilities to regenerate his burning flesh, but it was futile. The cosmic fire consumed his body faster than he could regenerate.
Realizing he couldn't escape, Adam did the only thing he thought might work—he walked towards the floating Firehair. Walking away would spell certain death, as the flames encompassed the entire area.
Adam advanced through the purgatory of cosmic flames, his skin and flesh burning and regenerating in an endless, agonizing cycle. The fire intensified as he approached Firehair.
Enduring excruciating pain, Adam finally reached her and extended his hand, holding her in his embrace. The flames intensified, pushing his regeneration to its limits. In the end, even his abilities couldn't keep up.
Adam's body slowly evaporated, leaving only his astral form.
Before his astral self faded, Adam closed his phantom eyes, signaling his entry into the Chamber of Adams. In quick succession, he reopened his eyes, gaining newfound potency.
Using his enhanced mental capacity, Adam began reconstructing his physical body. Cells materialized rapidly, growing into organs, bones, and tissues. Within moments, a new body was formed.
But this body didn't resemble the Homo erectus form he previously had. Instead, it was human—bearing a striking resemblance to Firehair, with long, dark red hair.
Adam could have regenerated his original body, retaining his fire-controlling powers. However, he knew those abilities wouldn't save him in this situation. His astral body, now metaphysically connected to Firehair, replicated her DNA to create a new body with powers mirroring hers.
Adam activated the full potential of his new form, standing before Firehair in hopes of establishing a connection. Upon activating the powers that he newly gained he could sense the distressed mind of Firehair so he tried contacting her telepathically.
Adam established a mental link with Firehair's mind as he appeared in what happens to be the inner world of Firehair mindscape.
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