MAYA [Book 1 - Water]

Chapter 42 - Legend of Fenghuang

-Maya's Point of View-

As soon as I entered the secret chamber, the wall behind me closed shut and I was left inside the darkness. "Wait! Let me out! Katara! Sokka! Can you hear me?!" I shouted while banging on the wall, but it was of no use. The stone wall was too thick for anyone to hear me.

Is this a booby trap? Will I be trapped here forever? Help! Someone! Anyone!

As I was continuously banging on the wall, bright lights suddenly shined from on top of my head. It had lightened up the whole chamber. I looked at the ceiling and they were filled with glowing crystals.

"Helennites!" I exclaimed to myself at the sight of the familiar crystals that I once saw in Omashu. I was suddenly reminded of Balu. Oh, how badly I want to meet him again.

I looked around at the chamber and the walls were filled with ancient scribbles, drawings, and writings. 

Strange... How come I can understand some of these? I walked towards the left side of the wall that has the drawing of a dragon and a phoenix. 

"Falkor and Fenghuang?" 

Those must be the names of the dragon and the phoenix. But which is which? I examined the drawings eagerly and it seems to continue off to the other end of the wall. I traced the dragon and the phoenix's pattern and it led me to the inner part of the chamber.

In front of me was a closed niche that had ancient writings on them. I wiped off the dust and tried to read the scriptures that were sculpted on the rocks. "The eternal flame of the white phoenix Fenghuang," I said to myself as I slowly read the scripture word by word.

What does this mean? And what does the phoenix mean? Isn't that just a made-up story of the flaming bird? 

I looked at the closed niche and it had a phoenix drawn on it.

Could it be that phoenixes actually exist? But that's impossible, nobody had ever seen them for thousands of years! Whatever is behind that niche, I'm going to have to find that out. I just need to find a way to open it...

I looked at the right side wall of the chamber and there I saw many more ancient drawings. This time it looks like it's depicting a story. 

In the first drawing there was a woman and a man who was being given fire by the dragon and the phoenix— Could this be the origin of the fire nation?

In the second drawing, two men were with the phoenix. One man killed the phoenix, while the other one tried to save it. 

The third drawing depicts an angry dragon blasting multiple lightning strikes at the man who was trying to save the phoenix. 

That must've been really painful... And why was the dragon angry at the one saving the phoenix? 

The fourth drawing shows the woman and the man parting ways. The dragon was on the woman's side.

At the end of the wall, there was a drawing of the man holding a fire. That fire symbol resembles the symbol of the white fire! Beside the drawing of the man was a writing.

'Only those blessed by the ancient empress shall receive the blessing of the eternal white flame. Let the phoenix's pure judgment befall those who are willing to offer their hand."

Those who are willing to offer their hand? Should I touch the phoenix on the niche? I don't know if that's how it would open it but, it's worth the shot. 

I walked back to the niche where the phoenix's image was drawn and then I slowly placed my left hand on top of it.

Just like magic, the drawing of the phoenix glowed and the niche slowly opened. From inside the niche revealed a majestic blazing white fire.