The Tearless Phœnix

Despite Kemishi’s caveats, the woods crossing turned out to be a serene walk, to say the least. Far from the danger she had mentioned. Simple excessive caution? Come on, such an explanation wouldn’t satisfy anyone.

     Approaching a cave sinking into the steep side of a ditch, Kemishi stopped. A remote rustling almost confounded with the leaves’ one. Though Henox sensed the presence of a nearby watercourse after listening with attention.

     Then his eyes landed on Kemishi. Her shoulder’s stiffness, her staring look… She seemed tense.

“Last time I found some in the depths of this cave.”

     Having felt the sorcerer’s gaze, the alchemist directed a smile towards him before forgoing a tree’s support to start down the slope, taking care to avoid the brambles emerging from the ground.

“What are we precisely looking for?”

“A porous rock. It is of a bright crimson.”

     Once at the bottom of the ditch, they neared the entrance. Stalactites hanging from either side like sharp teeth.

     Detaching an object she had kept hooked to her satchel, similar to an oil lamp, Kemishi inserted a green crystal into it. The latter soon emitted a fluorescence amplified by the lamp as they stepped into the demon’s open-jawed.

“Tell me, where do you plan to go next?” Kemishi asked.

“As for Gretel, I don’t know. As for me, I’ll return to my lair if your alchemy allows her to fly again.”

“You would give up travelling?! But going on an adventure like this is a bless! So many encounters are awaiting you! So many different persons… I admit I’m envying you.”

     A touch of jealousy. How sweet.

“Hence why don’t you go on a journey on your own?”

“It’s not possible. That would bar me from focusing on my researches.”

“Perhaps you might find some clues for a cure along the way. Gretel would much probably be glad to go on a journey with you.”

“N… No. I don’t think it would be reasonable given Lennac’s state.”

“I see. So, he’s a burden for you?”

     The alchemist came to a standstill, a blank look upon her face. Despite the darkness, her pupils seemed to have shrunk.

     Words hold a particular power. Some should better not to be uttered, for then there’s a risk that they will become reality.

“You are misleading. I don’t see him like this.”

     Her voice monotone until then, she tightened her grip around the handle of the lamp.

“Taking care of him is my choice. And,” she turned to face Henox “if you think about it, I wouldn’t have met Gretel and you if I had been living my life otherwise.”

     She paused.

“I hope you’ll stay long enough for me to learn to understand you.”

“You seem truly fascinated by encounters. By the others.”

“True thing. I can’t help it. You know, when speaking of treasures people tend to imagine mountains of gold and jewels. To my eyes, each person is like a treasure chest and their thoughts, their soul of their essence – call it the way you wish – are all gold nuggets.”

“To open every boot you find is not always a wise idea. Some may turn out to be trapped… or even ready to swallow you up.”

“That’s a risk worth taking.”

     Having resumed their progress through the dampening tunnels, a thoughtful smile crossed the alchemist’s features.

“To decipher the universe’s laws is one thing. In contrast, one of these world’s greatest mystery remains each individual’s uniqueness.”

     The gallery eventually widened, letting them reach the threshold of kind of a room, far larger. An underground lake where rocks, crystals emerged in certain places. Some were fluorescent, like the one Kemishi used to lighten their way.

“Are the stones we’re looking for here?”

     Henox made a few steps until reaching the water’s edge.

“…”

“Kemishi?”

“There wasn’t so much water over there the last time…”

“Hmm…” Henox observed the room with attention. “Water might have percolated through the tunnels dug by the brambles.”

“That’s terrible…”

“It doesn’t ease our task, though that doesn’t hinder us from seeking.” Henox remarked, shrugging.

     With a wave of his hand, he made sections of rock surface between the shore and one of the emerged areas. A narrow path soon took shape.

     Stepping froward to follow it, the sorcerer then noticed the young woman’s stillness.

“Well, what are you waiting for? You want to find these stones, so you can help your friend. Isn’t it?”

     But Kemishi recoiled.

     Noting her move, Henox narrowed his eyes.

     Out of a sudden, he extended his hand towards her. Grabbing her arm, he wanted to draw her to him. Taken aback by his gesture, Kemishi had to get closer to the walkway but soon she struggled to break free, frantically.

“Let me go!!”

     Around them, the water began to stir, eddies seeming to form on the surface.

“Let me go right now!”

     As soon as the sorcerer loosened his grip, she managed to pull away and tumbled backward before falling to the ground.

“That’s what I thought.” He remarked. “You’re not human.”

“…”

     At first, she didn’t reply. She didn’t try to. First and foremost she needed to calm down.

     Sighing, Kemishi looked up at Henox.

“How did you guess?”

“Your clothes. The hem of your clothes is always wet. You also seem to fear contact with water bodies. As if they might absorb you. An undine, maybe?”

     Allowing herself enough time to dust off her sleeves, the alchemist straightened up. It was useless to deny the obvious, she would merely had managed to make herself ridiculous.

“Yes and no. I am a hybrid. Although I do take after my mother more, indeed.”

“And your father?”

“A phœnix. My father is a phœnix.”

     Water and fire. If undines were known for their stunning beauty and their frequent loves with mortals, phœnix were for endlessly getting reborn from their cinders, but as well for their tears…

“If you are half a phœnix, what prevent you from healing Lennac?”

“Because I am a failed creature.”

     Silence. Water had calmed down, nothing more came rippling the surface.

“The bird whose appearance I can take is not of fire. It is of water. As for my tears… they can’t heal anyone.”

     A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it… The magic I’ve inherited should allow me to heal him. Lennac shouldn’t have to suffer like this. But see…” She continued, her fists trembling. “My very existence is grotesque!!”

     A part of Henox was curious to see an aquatic phœnix.

“In the end, we look alike more than I would have thought.” He said.

“What-”

“You neither, you don’t like this world.”

     Turning away from her, Henox stepped forward onto the narrow rocky path.

“So this is why you turned to alchemy.”

     While nothing disturbed the sorcerer’s tranquillity, Kemishi was loosing ground. If he had known what he was about to unleash, would Henox have acted differently?

     As likely as encountering a troll philosopher.

“How can I trust magic when it scoffs at me? It abandoned me. It had always been against me. But there’s one thing you’re wrong about.”

“Shed some light on it for me.”

“I’m not like you. That doesn’t stop me from finding it beautiful. I don’t hate her. I don’t hate this world.”

“See that. You bury your face in the sand in a charming way. Is it the truth that you run away from this stubbornly, or is it yourself? Strange, isn’t it… Water is your attribute, so to speak. Lennac’s blood-”

“Stop it…”

“His blood changes into water.”

“Shut up.”

     In the cave, waves formed on the surface of the water. Like in the middle of a raging sea.

     Nevertheless, Henox kept on without paying attention to it.

“You’re the one who made him sick.”

     Tremendous waves suddenly rose, almost reaching the ceiling before beginning to swirl, to gather into threatening masses of water which pounced on the sorcerer in order to engulf him.

“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!!”

     Barely had he the time to turn around that the water’s arms closed around Henox.