Divinitas

025 - Drowning In My Dream

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The days that followed were seemingly peaceful. A false mask for the underlying tension that slowly but surely grew. By the end of the mid semester break, when Phoenix was finally released from the hospital wing, the whole school was buzzing with gossip about how Phoenix had challenged Aether to a duel. It was probably a mistake, Phoenix reflected, telling Draco and Chima about it whilst Casi was fluttering about the room.

There were very few people who actually supported Phoenix in his decision. Most of the students, especially the Child of the Air and Water houses, voiced their opinions loudly of how full of himself Phoenix was for challenging the Child of Soul. Wasn\'t one beating enough? Didn\'t the little punk ever learn?

Strangely enough, Phoenix never rose to meet those insults. He just ignored them, walking right past those who insulted him as if they weren\'t there. This, perhaps, worried his friends more than anything else. It was such a drastic change of personality. Most certainly, in the past, he would have leapt on their throats and starting tearing our their vocal cords with his bare teeth.

But now, Phoenix seemed concerned with only one thing. Aether. He didn\'t even bother practising in Metamorphosis for the duel as he did the last time. He didn\'t even seem to be worried about it. Only his eyes were constantly locked onto Aether whenever he was in sight. Yet the boy never approached Aether, nor Aether him, both content with remaining an observer from afar. Simply waiting, on Phoenix\'s part, for his body to fully recover from its multiple wounds and severe loss of blood, worsened by his high fever at the end of his ordeal. During the Thursday Equestrian Skills class, from which he had exemption due to his injuries, Phoenix was sitting in the library, working half-heartedly though his homework, when entering footsteps him made him look up.

Gryps, dressed not in the Metamorphosis uniform that was his usual attire, and with his long silver hair flowing loose rather than confined to a braid, was walking slowly towards him. The expression on his face was amusement, not the trademark icy mask that the silver haired boy carried.

\"Cutting class, Gryps? Didn\'t think a straight-A student like you would have the guts to do such a g. Bg. Besides, I thought you were still acting all sulky because we uncovered your past, or have you finally gotten over yourself?\" Phoenix jabbed verbally, smirking just a little. Any distraction from his homework was welcomed.

Gryps just raised his eyebrow and smiled back, pulling out a chair across from Phoenix and sitting down gracefully. \"Perhaps I wanted to talk with the infamous Sacred Bird of Fire.\"

Phoenix frowned. No one had ever called him that name except for Aether… And… And that child from his hallucinations… \"What do you want.\"

\"Nothing at all. I\'m just wandering around the school. And thought it might be interesting to talk to you…\" Gryps smiled again. An action that did not suit the cold boy at all. It made him appear evil, dangerous. \"Did you know, Sacred Bird of Fire, that The Past which is not resolved will always haunt you? Well, of course you know. Look at yourself. You have the God of Soul\'s blood running through you. All because you ran away from him. Tsk tsk. Didn\'t anyone ever tell you that running away solves nothing?\"

\"What is your problem, Gryps…\" Phoenix growled, losing the cool attitude he had built up around himself since he had challenged Aether to keep his emotions in check. \"And how do you know Aether mingled his blood in mine… I didn\'t tell anyone…\" Gry Gryps smiled. The smile that said clearly \'I enjoy playing with you like this… And I certainly won\'t ruin it by telling you what I know and what you do not.\' \"Being friends with Genesis has its befits.\" The silver haired boy tilted his chair back and brought his legs up to rest on the table, purposely placing his feet onto Phoenix\'s notes and textbooks. \"Second step, hmm? Careful, Little Bird, else you\'re going to find yourself forever locked up in Aether\'s cage. Soul binding is irreversible, even in death, you know.\"

\"What the fuck are you talking about,\" Phoenix seethed, yanking his things from underneath Gryps\' feet.

The other boy laughed. \"The Past, Phoenix, The Past. All this is happening because of The Past.\" He smiled innocently and got to his feet, leaning over suddenly and grasping Phoenix by the collar that still encircled his neck, pulling him forward so their faces were mere inches apart. \"This, Little Bird, is a temporary for for a Soul Bind. Let him complete the third and final step, and you will be nothing more than a living doll. You will be utterly his to command and do with as he sees fit. Think about that.\"

Gryps shoved the fiery boy backwards, sending Phoenix sprawling into his chair with enough force to topple it over. Boy and chair hit the floor with a loud clatter and a cry of pain as the fall jarred hidden wounds.

For long moments Phoenix lay there, biting his lips as the sub subsided. Damn that cold bastard! What the hell was he playing at, talking about soul binds and shit like that?! But as he struggled to his feet again, noting with annoyance that Gryps had left whilst he\'d been down, words that had fallen from Aether\'s lips rose up in his mind.

\"The second step, Phoenix. To bind your soul to mine. All it takes is an exchange of blood during the act…\"

Phoenix\'s heart skipped a beat again. Why. Why did this terror rip through him like so. It couldn\'t be true, it was impossible! The notion of a soul existed only in poetry, it wasn\'t something someone could own! But… Wasn\'t the whole reason he was afraid, deep down, because it was possible, and he knew that to be true? Memories of the sensation of Aether\'s blood invading his own body and seizing his heart spread through him like wild fire.

In a furious rage brought on by realisation and acceptance, Phoenix shoved all his books back into his bag and stalked back up to the dorm room he shared with the others, throwing the bag onto his bed from the door. Not even halting to catch his breath, the boy turned and walked without sense of direction, only knowing he was closing in on Aether, and that was all that mattered.

The door flew back open with such force its wood splintered, crashing into the wall with a thundering bang. The entire senior year class conducting their lesson within jumped, the only exception being the target Phoenix stalked. As the raging boy stormed towards his destination, Aether rose slowly and gracefully from his seat to meet him, smiling coldly in the heat of Phoenix\'s glare.

The class\'s teacher made to intercept Phoenix, but Aether casually stopped him with a gesture of his hand, allowing the furious boy to snatch a fistful of Aether\'s shirt and pull him down to eye level. \"The duel. This Saturday. I don\'t care that I\'m not fully healed. Better I die than havesoulsoul bound to your\'s, you fiend,\" Phoenix hissed, crimson eyes burning with Hell\'s fury.

Aether let his smile ice over as he stared back at Phoenix, taking hold of the boy\'s wrist with his hand and easily prying it lose, making Phoenix wince. \"The last thing I want is to kill you, Phoenix… And you have no say in what happens to your soul. It is mine,\" Aether whispered back dangerously, yet in such a soft voice no one else in the class could have heard.

With an angry thrust, Phoenix pushed himself away from Aether, eyes flashing. \"Saturday, Aether,\" Phoenix growled again. \"I will not lose, this time.\" Without waiting for a reply, the boy marched out of the classroom he had so rudely interrupted. But such mundane thoughts of being polite and making a good impression were the furthest from his mind.



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Roles had been reversed. As much as Aether hated to admit it, deep inside of him, he was the one who had dreaded the coming of Saturday. Why? What had changed? He was the Child of Soul. He could control any of the four Divine Beasts. Phoenix would not even summon his own Bird of Fire.

So what hope did Phoenix have of besting the Child of Soul?

Aether\'s blood ran through Phoenix\'s veins now. Just as Phoenix\'s blood ran through his. Connection, bond. Something that allowed Aether to always sense Phoenix, and vice versa should they want it enough. Something that only deathld sld severe. Until the third and final step was implemented, Phoenix could always abandon him through death.

That was… unacceptable.

Fighting this duel with him… For Aether to win, it meant wounding Phoenix to the point where even his fiery spirit could no longer will his body to move. And that was dangerous, given Phoenix\'s weakened state. It would have been barely two weeks since he had freed himself from the Heart of Genesis.

But… Losing the duel was also unacceptable.

Then… Was it an acceptable risk to fight Phoenix to the point of death?

What had happened to revenge? The thrill of hurting the boy who had caused him so much suffering in the past? The lack of compassion that allowed him to carelessly hurt him was being smothered out. Why.

It couldn\'t be, could it. That this binding of the soul… It couldn\'t be back lashing on him, could it? It was meant to be one way whomplompleted. So Phoenix could not live without him, but Aether could at any time leave Phoenix as he pleased. Why was it then, that he was confused like this?

It\'d been three weeks, hadn\'t it? Since he last touched the boy intimately, kissed those unwilling lips. Three weeks since he\'d seen those same lips touch another\'s. The old flame of jealousy flared, along with the immense desire to possess the Sacred Bird of Fire. For now, for all of Eternity.

That\'s right. It didn\'t matter, what he felt, what Phoenix felt. None of it matter, as long as Phoenix was his.

Blocking out all thoughts except this, Aether walked down towards the Metamorphosis training hall, the familiar weight of his katana at his side.



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It was strange, how humans were drawn to unnecessary violence that didn\'t concern them. The Metamorphosis training hall was packed, all except the space where Phoenix stood with C, Dr, Draco and Casi beside him. Ares was standing nearby, having a heated conversation with the Child of Air and the Child of Water. Dawn, the Child of Earth, simply smiled encouragingly at Phoenix when he glanced over to them.

Phoenix\'s mind, however, wasn\'t really registering anything. If he thought back to the past two weeks, it was all a blank, except for Gryps\' odd words and his own challenge to Aether.

He had woken up after challenging Aether in the hospital room, all his wounds tre, lo, looking more like an Egyptian mummy than a sixteen year old boy. Draco, Chima and Casi had been there, all voicing their concern and relief. He remember consciously avoiding the topic of what had happened to him. Just that everything would be alright now. Because he\'d finally challenged Aether to a duel, and soon he would be free of Aether forever. But even then he had known, hadn\'t he? That could never be the case. Free of Aether forever…

The things that had happened to him in the Heart of Genesis. The portraits he had seen, the vision of the child, the strange nature of Genesis itself… All these things had been pushed aside for this duel. This was what mattered. And… perhaps they had been pushed aside because they didn\'t make any sense. Impossible, illogical, surreal.

Phoenix closed his eyes, shutting out the physical chaos and drowning in his own inner turmoil. What hurt most of all… Being abandoned by Aether? Or being hurt by him in the first place? And not even knowing why.

A blanket of silence suddenly fell over the crowd. Approaching foot steps that echoed loudly in the cavernous hall soon became so deafening within Phoenix\'s mind that he was forced to escape it by opening his blood red eyes. Only to find himself face to face with Aether\'s strangely blank gaze.

\"Your terms, Phoenix. You challenged me. So state your terms,\" Aether said quietly, violet gaze drilling into his own.

\"If I win, you will release me from this collar and terminate all ownership rights to me. Should I lose, then I things shall remain the same,\" Phoenix heard his voice speaking softly yet clearly. It was as if he was an observer of his own body. He was simply watching himself shake Aether\'s hand, but not feeling skin brushing up against skin. Nor the heat that seemed to radiate from Aether which burned his palm. And then he was walking away from Aether, swinging into the Metamorphosis capsule without so much as another word to anyone.

This would not be a repeat of The Past. Things would be different, this time.

The initiation process flashed by in a blur, and soon Phoenix found himself standing on the barren landscape, the familiar blue screen baring the mysterious words \'Si tu amitto tuus somnium tum omnia is conficio\' once again floating in front of him.

Without even having to voice the request, Phoenix\'s weapon appeared in his hand, the metal warm and comforting to his touch. Strange that he was so calm, his breathing almost silent as he simply stood there out in the open, waiting for the first attack.

It was just a shift in the flow of artificial air, but instantly Phoenix had spun around, bringing his double bladed weapon up to block the downward slash of Aether\'s lethal katana. He wasn\'t using a Divine Beast to attack him this time, Phoenix noted, his guard instantly doubling.

With a grunt of effort, Phoenix pushed Aether back off his weapon, the sound of metal on metal torture to their ears. Neither had time to cringe at it though, as Aether instantly leapt forward again, attacking with such force that Phoenix could only block, reduced to backing away from Aether with each blow.

Phoenix never saw it coming, only heard a sudden rush of wind before he found himself tossed up into the air, buffeted by gale force winds that seemed to surround only him.

Sometimes, I don\'t even know what I\'m doing. I just do these things, because I had planned them. But now I don\'t see why.

The ground rushed up to meet Phoenix as the winds slammed him into the dirt, ripping up shreds of grass as the wind took on a razor like nature. Through the whirlwind of grass and dirt, Phoenix glimpse Aether standing calmly over him, a beast with the head and wings of a hawk merged with the body of a lion accompanying him.

\"There is no way you can win, Phoenix,\" Aether stated calmly. Strange that Phoenix could hear him at all over the roar of the wind that pummelled him. Strange that Aether\'s voice sounded so artificially apathetic, lacking its usual twisted glee at the notion of torturing Phoenix.

The boy didn\'t make an effort to reply, focusing all his effort instead on lifting one hand and aiming it at the griffin. With a sudden shrill cry of pain, the griffin leapt to the air as its wings were suddenly engulfed in flames.

I do these things for a dream I weaved for myself long ago. For my Wish. But now…

Pulling himself up from the ground, Phoenix charged at Aether, a battle cry ripping from his throat. The clang of metal on metal rang throughout the landscape, drowning out the cries of the Griffin as it danced contortedly through the air, the flames consuming it.

\"No,\" Phoenix growled out. \"There is always a way.\" The boy thrust the double ended sword forward, only to strike thin air as Aether easily side-stepped.

\"I will never allow you to win,\" Aether answered softly, blocking another blow before delivering a slash that raked across Phoenix\'s chest, drawing the first blood.

Through gritted teeth, Phoenix dragged in a gasp of air, jumping backwards as another swing of Aether\'s katana narrowly missed him. In the back of his mind he registered that the air was no longer polluted with the sounds of the Griffin\'s cries. \"You never allow me to do anything, Aether,\" Phoenix spat back, hatred finally beginning to smoulder in his eyes. \"Always have to be in control, always treating me like I am less than something human… Don\'t you know I hate that most of all!\"

The enraged boy charged at his target once again, only to be suddenly thrown backwards up the uprising of the ground beneath him, accompanied by a violent shaking of the earth. There was a lion\'s roar that made Phoenix\'s body shudder even as he landed heavily on the ground, but before he had even the chance to sight the creature who created it, two massive hooves impacted on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Vines had sprung up from the ground around Phoenix, snaking around his throat and limbs, binding him to the earth itself. Struggle as he might, nothing would give. The weapon held in his right hand was useless. Green growth had effectively captured that as well.

The chimera leapt off him, crushing Phoenix further into the ground, only to be replaced by Aether\'s shadow.

\"I\'ve told you… I do not care whether you hate me or not. As long as you are mine, that is all that matters.\"

A roar of anger erupted from Phoenix\'s throat, and his body engulfed itself in flames, burning away the vines in a magnificent blaze. In an instant Phoenix had jumped to his feet, charging out of the blaze, the double ended sword held by his side like a spear, aiming right at the heart of the chimera who stood loyally by Aether\'s side.

The blade plunged itself deep into the chest of the beast, right up to the hilt before Phoenix pulled it back out with a sickeningly satisfying wet sound. Dark red blood poured forth, splashing onto the ground before the chimera followed with a heavy and final thud.

\"Why must I be your\'s by your will…\" Phoenix demanded in a low raw voice. The blood of the chimera marred his pale face, giving him a savage look. Slowly an aura began to glow around the boy, a burning red. \"Why couldn\'t you let me be your\'s by my own choice!\" Brilliant wings of flame burst forth from Phoenix\'s back, propelling him forward with supernatural speed.

The content of the words shocked Aether a thousand times over the sudden agony that pierced his right shoulder, barely missing his heart. A blank amethyst eye looked down to see Phoenix\'s sword impaled on his flesh, bright red blood running in rivulets from the wound and dripping down the blade. Slowing Aether\'s gaze travelled up Phoenix until they met the boy\'s eyes.

Burning rubies shinning with tears and framed by flaming wings were the last thing Aether saw before his body crumpled underneath him and the Metamorphosis landscape vanished from around him.

But now… My Wish has changed.

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