Burning Phoenix - Saga 1

(Prominis 1, 58 / 7:08PM)

(Luke’s thoughts) She’s too fast!

The gym room, which laid many dumbbells and weights, held a ring in the middle of its center. Two people, a boy, and a girl, sparred with utmost intensity—

Well, mostly the girl…

(Luna) Too easy.

With utmost ease, Luna used her sword to disarm Luke, the sword pushing its limits to break Luke’s grip in his right hand, its metal showing its state of retirement. Her sword managed to chip away as Luke gave in, his hand covered in blisters and calluses.

As for Luna, her hand was smooth yet rough, as the hand that shows the knuckles was tender and soft but the palm was bumpy and jagged. In this rough conclusion, Luke’s sword was on the ground, dislodged as he was weaponless, and Luna pointed her sword at Luke.

Luke looked at Luna’s hands, as well as the stance she used to point her sword at him.

(Luke) Why are you this good at using swords?

(Luna) What, going to cry?

(Luke) No … it’s just …

(Luna) It’s just what?

Putting her sword down, she started walking towards where Luke was standing, closing the gap between them, and making her back straight as she slightly looked up. While looking up, she placed her arms on her hips, glaring at Luke with cold yet tender eyes.

Luke being Luke, he looked away, avoiding eye contact as he spoke.

(Luke) You … didn’t look like you used swords a lot before we met …

(Luna) Huh?

(Luke) Your palms were smooth like mine … even more when we had our first ring fight …

Luna then put her head down, her face being flustered as Luke cleverly noticed one mystery that Luna had…

(Luna’s thoughts) Damn it. Like a puppy, he has good eyes…

(Gwen) Are you two going to kiss?

(Luke and Luna) WHAT?!

Gwen being Gwen, she barged in knowing that Luke and Luna were sparring, her face cheerful and childish as she saw her disciple with the strongest girl. Causing both to turn red, Luke began sweating hard, backing a couple of steps away.

(Luke) Hey! We’re just friends!

(Luna) He’s my pet dumbass!

Her fists on the verge of breaking, she ferociously eyed Gwen, wanting to make another makeover on Gwen’s face.

(Gwen) Just kidding with you guys! Man, you guys can’t take a joke to save your lives haha.

Chuckling for a couple of seconds, she handed Luke a white paper card, the smell of it being fresh.

(Gwen) On the last day of training, I want you to put it in your pocket. It’s a little secret if you like to put it…

(Luke) What does it contain?

(Gwen) It’s just a little tip.

Opening the card, Luke opened it to see a little poem made by none other than…

(Luke) Is this a joke?

(Gwen) Nope, it’s my way of helping you guys out…

Luke began reading the poem in his mind, his mind focusing on analyzing every line.

(Luke’s thoughts) In a forest of dead bricks, take the tunnel to see a cool trick…

(Luke) What does this line mean anyway?

(Gwen) Like I said you’ll find out…

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(Prominis 21, 58 / 12:00AM)

The sounds of an alarm can be heard…

(Luke’s thoughts) Ow… my head … what’s going on…

Slowly opening his eyes, he turned his head left to right to notice that he wasn’t in the run-down bathroom like before…

(Luke’s thoughts) Am I in a city?

Getting up sluggishly, he noticed that all around him were buildings, buildings corroded and being brought back to nature, the moss and trees calling the buildings home as they rested for the night.

(Luke’s thoughts) And it’s a double new moon today, so the city is—

Nestled in darkness, as Luke could not see most of the buildings from far away, the darkness of the sky is shrouded in an almost dystopian setting. The more he looked at the buildings and the scenery, the more Luke began grabbing his stomach, his breathing becoming irregular as memories of the past began coming back.

(Luke’s thoughts) No … I don’t like it … help … help … where’s … where’s …

A clash of glass coming from inside a building was heard…

Luke began looking all over his area, fear prevalent all over his face as he was on the verge of panicking. Not knowing where the sound came from, Luke remained still, yet his body was trembling with utmost fear, his face being deathly pale while his back felt the chillness of the whole scenario.

Then another clash of glass can be heard…

Pretty soon another…

And another…

Until…

(Luke) AAAAAAHHH!

Using his peripheral vision, he noticed that a small figure was walking out of an office building to his left. He jumped as his vocals convoked a high-pitched shriek.

(Luke’s thoughts) Wait … Is that a wild chicken…

Embarrassingly walking towards the wild chicken that looked oddly towards Luke, he looked down, inhaling and exhaling.

(Luke’s thoughts) You’re coming with me!

Grabbing the chicken by its legs, the chicken started to try to fight back, but the way it was grabbed was so that it wouldn’t peck Luke’s hand. With the chicken being submitted to Luke’s will, he looked inside the abandoned building, hoping to see anything that could carry and hold the chicken as he walked.

Sure enough, he saw an old purse and backpack, just waiting for it to be picked up…

(Luke’s thoughts) It looks like it was placed…

Grabbing the purse first, he placed the chicken inside of it, zipping the purse up so that the chicken couldn't escape. As Luke zipped the purse, he noticed that the purse looked expensive.

(Luke’s thoughts) Reminds me of the purses Dad would buy for Mom…

He carried the purse with his left hand, followed by the old backpack like he was going to school.

(Luke’s thoughts) I should get going. Let’s just hope I’m a good cook—

When Luke was about to exit the door, he felt like something was watching him…

Turning around normally, he saw—

Dozens upon dozens of red eyes were watching him in the darkness of the building, with the creatures dropping all kinds of saliva off of their blue beaks.

Realizing what position Luke was in, he then realized something.

(Luke’s thoughts) The chicken I was carrying was a female, the only one in their little tribe, so…

The red-eyed creatures slowly started to walk their way toward Luke.

(Luke’s thoughts) If this type of tribe system is correct, then … These are poisonous blue-beaked chickens!

His body moving in motion, Luke quickly ran out of the building and into the street. Looking back, he quickly saw that dozens and dozens of male chickens were running towards him, their beaks drooling with venomous saliva.

(Luke’s thoughts) Why do chickens hate me so much?!

Dozens of minutes after midnight, Luke Fenix, a 16-year-old boy holding a Lewis Batton purse with a female chicken in tow, being chased away by dozens of male poisonous chickens can be heard in the distance.

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(Prominis 21, 58 / 12:33AM)

(Luke’s thoughts) panting … I think they’re gone…

Hiding in a home with no front door, Luke lurked in the shadows of an abandoned home, his body heavy as he lay down beside the wall in a molded living room. Noticing that a clock still works, he looked and his eyes were met with panic.

(Luke’s thoughts) I’m only 30 minutes in!

Tapping his foot up and down for a couple of seconds, he stood up and put his fists against the wall, his head rubbing on it as he tried to calm himself down.

(Luke’s thoughts) This is insane! How am I supposed to survive six hours of this?! Even then, I’m supposed to reach the center of the city! How! How! How—

Then Luke looked up, his face inches away from the wall…

(Luke’s thoughts) What … What did Boris say again?

Scratching his head furiously, he tried to remember those exact words that Boris said before he passed out, but it was no use.

Frustrated, Luke slammed his fists hard against the wooden wall, the shock not as hard as Luke thought it would be, but just enough…

So that a small portrait would hit Luke’s head.

(Luke) Ow! Now pictures are tormenting me!

Picking up the portrait, he was about to use his right hand to throw away the little portrait, until he noticed that there were a bunch of legs that the photo had on the bottom.

(Luke’s thoughts) Is this a suburban home?

Upon looking at the photo in full view, he saw a normal family photo of a mother and father with their three kids.

(Luke’s thoughts) They all looked happy…

Noticing the happiness of the family of five, Luke looked around the living room to see the ambiance of moss and mold already calling the house home.

Looking at the photo even more, he noticed that the father wore a soldier uniform. Its black and red striped jacket followed by the amount of shiny medals made the father not just a soldier, but—

(Luke’s thoughts) A commander… just like Gwen…

Putting the photo in his pocket, an idea came to him.

(Luke’s thoughts) If he was a soldier … then … then he must have at least a weapon in storage!

He went deeper into the house, trying to find anything useful that the soldier may have hidden or kept, but the darkness of the house was Luke’s biggest obstacle.

(Luke’s thoughts) I should probably find a match or flashlight in here somewhere. If I was a commander, where would I put a flashlight—

As Luke went inside the kitchen thinking to himself, he noticed that a drawer was wide open. Running towards the drawer with immense speed, he looked through the drawer to find a red and blue kids-sized flashlight.

(Luke’s thoughts) It may not be that bright, but it would work…

Having a source of light to navigate the house, he grabbed the flashlight with his right hand, and then made his way to the molded hallway. The more the wooden floorboards creaked with each step, the more he had to cover his face from the moldy air until he noticed that the hallway was plastered with family photos.

In each photo, Luke noticed that the fatherly soldier was in them, either with his wife, his son, or his two daughters. Their smiles are ever-present in the decay of time.

(Luke’s thoughts) What happened to him?

As Luke’s eyes simmered downward, he took a whiff of a door that was conjoined with the floor.

(Luke’s thoughts) That’s the basement… wait … could he put a weapon stash in there?

Running to the basement door, he quickly put the purse down near the stairs and made his way down.

But then he tripped, tumbling his way down the stairs.

(Luke) Aaah!

Grabbing the flashlight in his right hand, he tucked his right arm so that the flashlight wouldn’t break on his flight down the stairs. With each stair he tumbled upon, the cold cemented steps would put on a body and face makeup of purple and blue bruises.

Feeling like an eternity, he managed to tumble down to the basement floor, his face hitting the smooth stone with a lot of force. Slowly getting up, his body was shaking as the cemented stairs made him discombobulate, with his head feeling like he was stabbed to the side…

Ignoring the small ringing in his ears, Luke noticed that the flashlight was still on, his breathing slowing down as the pain started to subside.

(Luke’s thoughts) Alright, now to find that—oh, is that the weapon’s locker?

As Luke’s luck got the better of him, he walked towards a wide-open weapon’s locker, his bruised face naturally forming a smile straight from his heart.

(Luke’s thoughts) I just hope they haven’t … raided it.

Unfortunately for Luke, the weapon locker was …

(Luke’s thoughts) It’s empty…

The chicken from the purse started to cluck hard…

(Luke’s thoughts) Why is the chicken acting up? And at this time?

Even when he was in the basement, the clucks the chicken was making were frantic and fast, almost as if the chicken wanted to get out of the purse…

(Luke’s thoughts) It’s a poisonous blue-beaked chicken … What animal can scare off one of the deadliest animals on…

The floorboards from the hallway started to creek hard…

(Luke’s thoughts) Oh no…

Sweat starting to form on his forehead, Luke noticed a big blue cabinet. Running to the cabinet, he opened it wide and enclosed himself in it. Turning off the flashlight for a much better chance that he wouldn't be seen, he crossed his fingers hoping that whatever was on top of him was just one of the candidates. The more the floorboards creaked hard, the clucks of the chicken could be heard harder…

(Luke’s thoughts) I don’t want to die…

Breathing in and out rapidly, his body odor started to be noticeable, as Luke remained fearful for what lay outside the basement. Placing his hands on his ears, he wanted the sounds of hell to stop.

(Luke’s thoughts) Please go away! Please go away! Please go away! Please go away!

Shutting his eyes from the world, he remained like that for several minutes, keeping himself mentally stable to not lose hope and humanity.

Then the sounds of the chicken clucking stopped.

And the floorboards stop creaking.

Still having his eyes shut, he steadily unclasped his hands that were binding his ears, his breathing still heavy and fast. His breathing slowly started to dim down as his hands started to press against the cabinet.

(Luke’s thoughts) Alright, I don’t hear anything. I think I could open my eyes now.

Opening his eyes slowly, he saw almost nothing out of the hole in the cabinet, the darkness of the basement staggering his vision. Steadily pulling out the kid's flashlight, he flashed the light out of the cabinet.

(Luke’s thoughts) This is a horrible idea, but I got to know…

Seeing that the basement was completely devoid of anything, Luke still had a worried face, his sweat still prevalent as he carefully opened the cabinet door to let himself out. Moving inch by inch, he steadily put a foot down on the basement cold floor, making sure a monster wouldn’t grab his leg.

(Luke’s thoughts) I hope it isn’t hiding … I just hope that it was just my imagination…

Looking around with the kiddie flashlight, there was nothing that moved or changed—

The flashlight then stopped working.

(Luke’s thoughts) Come on! Come on! Why out of all times!

A putrid hot breath tickled down his neck.

Then came a low humming growl… from on top of him.

Luke knew that putrid hot breath from anywhere, his face ghostly pale, his face saturated with sweat, and his whole body shivering as if he had hypothermia.

And upon noticing this hot breath, Luke …

Sprinted with so much force to try to escape whatever was near him—

(Zompire) Save Us!

The zompire managed to tackle Luke, with enough force for Luke to fall on his chin. As Luke was lying on his back, he was forced to submit by this zompire that was waiting for their prey.

(Luke) NOOO!!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!! PLEASE ANYONE—

Just as the zompire was about to clamp its fangs into his neck, another figure was behind the zompire, a girl who wore blue trousers.

In an instant, the girl who was wielding a Swiss army knife managed to pinpoint exactly where the zompire’s heart was, and in an instant, the zompire started to melt, with its eye sockets, nose, and mouth spewing out putrid black tar. For several seconds, the zompire then started to turn into ash, black ash that covered Luke from top to bottom.

Slowly and fearfully getting up, his shivering face saw a girl much younger than him, most likely at 12 years of age. In an instant, Luke knew who the girl was.

(Luke) L-L-L-Loraine?

Her short height and scrawny body were confusing since she was the second strongest female fighter other than Luna. She had gray eyes and dark brown hair, her hair having pigtails that reached towards her back. Her skin was light and pale, with her nose being above average and her ears being large in length.

Looking up at Luke, she pointed towards the stairs.

(Loraine) sniff sniff. Can I have your chicken?