When Twin Flames Unite

Finders Keepers

Night was creeping toward dawn. Though the festival had reached its conclusion, celebrators still hung in the tavern drinking. A friendly card game kept them company. Unbeknownst to them, in a room tucked far away in the corner, a different game was taking place.

One man of particular desperation sat on the edge of his seat. The roll of the dice reflected in his eye. It spun in circles across the table. But no matter how much it turned; his conviction was firmly planted on five. Back and forth it went, tittering on the edge of dream and nightmare. When the dice settled on four, his body turned cold. He felt a shock as he picked up the dice. Every hair on his body stood at attention. A thick heavy cloud lingered above his head. The spark of electricity filled the entire room and condensed into a single point.

Bile rose in the back of his throat. Not wanting to express weakness, he burst out the room, and out the backdoor. He stumbled just far enough to put the tavern in his peripheral. But the earth made a great quake, and he was thrown off balance. Black spots filled his vision. The final thing he saw was the silhouette of a white veil.

***

The forest was bare of any flowers and foliage other than the hand sprouting through the dirt.

Shen clawed his way out of the shallow grave. He had forgotten what it was like to live in the light of day. It was overwhelming him, but thankfully he was cast in a shadow. Zuri, a man whose wisdom grew in a beard to his toes stood over Shen with a welcoming smile.

With the weight of emotions and memory missing, Shen was nothing more than a wisp of his former self. Thin and unsubstantial, he crumpled under his weight. Zuri took his hand and pulled him out the dirt. He had the gentle touch of a healer. A soft palm with clean trimmed fingernails. Shen clung to his warmth.

"Sour or sweet?" Zuri said to himself and placed a berry in Shen's mouth.

Zuri gathered his magic and formed a blue orb around his hand. It waved like a detector as he circled Shen's body. He was collecting Shen's life force to fix any abnormality. A broken bone, a piece of exposed flesh, the ashen gray pallor.

"Tell me, what kind of phoenix can't generate its own heat?"

The berry spread like fear on his tongue. It became a rash on his skin. Prickled his spine and down to his toes. Across his chest and over his arm. It was like a million insects were crawling inside his skin. They moved in time to his heartbeat accelerating, but he was still as stone. They unearthed an awful feeling of rage. His mouth was so sour he spit the berry out and looked at Zuri with death's eye.

"I'm a man without fear. What do you think you can do to me?"

Zuri finished his inspection with a tender pat on the head.

"Congratulations. You have cheated death, again."

Shen's voice came out thin and hoarse.

"You know life and death is just a game for a phoenix."

"If that is so then you must be an outlaw."

Though his remains were buried frequently, he was never laid to rest. Shen was used to letting go and traveling lightly. But the one thing he could never let go was fear. It gripped him and made him grim at the prospect of his future and he constantly mourned the past.

"How long was I out for this time?" he asked.

"Three months."

A pit in his stomach opened. He promptly tried to fill it.

"Give it to me straight." Shen twitched.

An iridescent oval was pressed into Shen's hand. He unscrewed the cap and pressed it to his lips. The temptation of the drink was tantalizing. It was smooth and crisp. The sweet aftertaste mingled with his mind and left an imprint that filled him with bliss. With each sip the unquenchable was satisfied. Still, he thirsted for more. He guzzled it all, the dew dripped down the sides of his chin.