Born of Flames

Chapter 50 ~ Imparting Gifts

As before, she opened her eyes to a misty expanse and a glassy stream reflecting the dawning sky overhead. This time however, she did not have to wait for someone to approach her. Someone was already waiting. The First Phoenix lifted his head from its bowed position and pushed himself off his knees. He stood erect, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Janus," Morana said in recognition.

"I am sorry I couldn't meet you sooner," her ancestor replied. "Many times, I wished to help you, but it wasn't possible while you were still mortal."

"Many times I wished I had your help," she admitted. "But I understand. Why have you come to me now?"

"To offer you some guidance for what lies ahead." Morana crossed her arms and waited for him to continue. "With Astaroth gone, there is no longer a need for my father's power to be so contained."

"As I was the First Phoenix, so you have been the Last, and you are now the Eternal Phoenix. Hadeon's power will continue to be born into his bloodline as the power of the other gods is born into theirs. You must prepare the world for this change."

"What about my children?" Morana asked. "They'll be born of two god-bloodlines, or three now, I suppose. Will something new come of them?"

"It is very likely. There might even be changes in the abilities of Deimens when your god-bloodline joins that of the other gods. You will reshape the world in many ways, Morana. There hasn't been a god in Asterria since the Elder Age, and there were certainly no Demi-gods born since then."

"Can you help me figure out what to do with my powers?"

The corner of his mouth tilted up and Janus shook his head. "What right have I to dictate to a goddess how to wield her power? That will be up to you to determine. But don't worry. The Mother Nepenthe will guide you when she feels you need her help. She is your Mother now too."

Morana couldn't help but smile. "That sounds so strange." Then, she pursed her lips, another thought occurring to her. "What about Rhana? Has her mind been freed from Astaroth's hold since he was destroyed?"

"She has been waiting for you," was the only answer he gave.

The air around them thickened with sudden warmth and the mists parted, revealing a figure that was becoming very familiar to her. Hadeon lumbered towards them, his red gaze meeting hers before falling back to the female trailing behind him. Rhana's gaze was unfocused, her arms limp at her sides and her lips moving with inaudible words.

Morana didn't miss the sharp rigidness that locked into Janus' shoulders, and as she remembered what Hadeon had told her, she understood why. He had not seen his father or his daughter since his death. Hadeon did not visit the spirits who dwelled within the Eternal Haven unless they deigned to speak with him.

Hadeon halted before them and Rhana stumbled to his side, then sank to her knees and let her head fall listlessly against her chest. "Well, Goddess of Restoration," Hadeon addressed Morana in his thundering tone. "Can you undo what my spawn has done?"

Morana didn't answer. The magic that slumbered beneath her now golden tattoo had woken and was already gliding through her veins. She crouched before Rhana and gently smoothed back the hair that shrouded her face. Instinctively, Morana guided the female's blank gaze to her own, then closed her eyes and tipped their foreheads together.

Her magic wove around them in golden threads, filtering through the fog that surrounded Rhana's mind. Morana sensed the female's trembling before it gradually eased and the fog began to fade. Morana drew back as her magic crept back into its resting place. Rhana's head remained lowered, but she was completely still now, her breaths steady and even.