When Twin Flames Unite

Penny for Your Thoughts

The glittering forest had doubled in size. Greedy and full, the jewels hung heavy and ripe. The air a warm breath, whistled like a sigh. Like blood flowing from skin, precious sap trickled from its bark.

Through the sharp and crisp grass, black footprints made tangled pathways. Back and forth, across, and over. Spinx and Ala walked in figure eights. Spinx counting the number of lives taken, Ala mourning the lost.

In the middle of it all stood Shen, his attention focused on the canopy above.

Ala's trail ended. Her heart sunk in her chest.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Conducting an experiment. Our earlier incident gave me an idea."

"You remember?" Ala asked. He had resisted her hypnosis. Which meant he was not human. He couldn't have been an angel, for she knew every angel there was. He couldn't have been a demon, for they never had their own body and flesh.

Spinx's path ended at a withered and weary Lennox. She squatted in front of him. Fingers curled around his jaw to keep his gaze straight. A cloudy look covered them. As if his mind was amidst a storm. A bit of sentience peeked through, like light falling from the heavens. Clear as day, two blue pools showed her reflection.

"Are you an angel?" He asked.

The sky darkened, and his eyes were cloudy once more.

"He's lost his mind," she frowned.

"Not lost. It's collapsed in on itself." Shen said.

Black handprints lead up the tree. One by one, the jewels shriveled at his touch. The branch he straddled was bare, but the rest of it was unaffected. He looked over the forest. Calculating how much it would take to destroy it all. The incredulous expressions on Ala and Spinx's face dulled under the shine.

A flash of green sprouted on the branch. A jade, identical to the one Lennox carried, had appeared. As expected, it shriveled and dried at Shen's touch. Now a shimmering aura of gold, it flowed towards Lennox and was absorbed inside him. Color returned to Lennox's cheeks. His hair brightened, and the bags under his eyes reduced.

"We should start a deforestation campaign." Spinx mused.

"That's not a bad idea. A mountain of jewels, a horde of greedy people? It solves itself – mostly." Shen said.

"What kind of experiment have you done?" Spinx asked.

"I opened his inner eye. Though it will madden him temporarily, his mind will be sharper than any human's." Shen said.

Ala was caught between them. Appalled and envious at the detachment in which they regarded the humans. She wanted to join them and be inquisitive and logical for a moment. But she was torn between the hysteria at the mystery of Shen, and the unfortunate constitution of the human.

"We just need to get them here," Spinx said.

"I'm already on it," Shen said.

"That's great. Who are you?" Spinx asked.

"Shen."

Ala plopped down on the ground in front of Lennox in anger. Her legs were tightly crossed over one another. Tending to the humans would always be the priority. Two fingers pressed between his eyes; two fingers placed between hers. Ala inhaled, prepared to pull the energy from Lennox's mind into her own.

Spinx placed a hand on Ala's wrist.

"Your mind could be impacted if you do this. It could be as mild as a headache, or you could lose your mind too."

"It's my duty." Ala replied bitterly.

"Forget your duty. Let the human overcome it on their own." Shen said.

"What are you?" Ala snapped.

"A phoenix," Lennox said.

Ala's eyes snapped to Spinx. A perplexed expression was mirrored on each other's faces. Neither of them moved, breathed, or made a sound. Only their eyes followed Shen swinging down from the tree and out tof he forest. 

"Go!" Spinx yelled to Ala.

But Ala was torn. Lennox looked sorrowful planted against the tree, but Shen's retreating form was tempting.

"I'll take care of him," Spinx assured her and pushed her away.

Ala took one last look at Lennox. The pull to him severing. It was as if her heart was shattering into a million pieces. A sort of sorrow took residence in her chest. One she knew would never go away. But the retreating form of Shen, and the confusion of it all, was a welcomed and terrifying break.

***

A pit had opened in Ala's stomach. Anxiety rushed to fill it. Like worms, they buried themselves inside her. Taking root in her being.

She followed Shen from a distance. Tentative uneasy steps. Too scared to break the moment. The snap of a branch or crunch of leaves could shatter the carefully crafted illusion she had believed for so long.

But the man in front of her was as real and corporeal as anything else. One foot in front of the other, he walked just as she did. The soft ground caved under his footsteps. The creatures retreated from his path. Even the sunlight cast a shadow. against his frame.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Shen asked. He was glad she had followed him. Fate had brought them together again, and he was grateful for it.

"You don't look like a phoenix."

"What should a phoenix look like?"

Malacai's tales depicted it as a warm golden bird. But he was surrounded by an impenetrable aura of coldness. No warmth radiated from his body. The flush of redness was dulled by the tinge of green on his skin. Ever faint but highlighted by shrubs brushing against him.

"You don't act like a phoenix."

"How should I be acting?"

As a soft and genteel bird, she assumed it would greet the world with affection and wonder. But he moved through it all as if everything was insignificant and irrelevant. He expressed no remorse regarding the human, and if he was truly that bird, it terrified her.

"How could a miraculous bird be so cruel?"

Shen stopped and turned till his gaze was level with Ala's.

"Am I meant to be a miracle?"

Violet eyes, never found in humans nor angels. They were startling in the way electricity was, yet there was no spark of life behind them. Heavy and tired, it looked as if his life force was waning.

"You can't be a phoenix; it doesn't make sense."

"And what would make sense?"

"A phoenix should be full of life, but you're dying."

A serpentine angel with the power of hypnosis that could meet his gaze without cowardice or fear. He was tempted to indulge her and discover what other tricks she had up her sleeve. If she was this invested in his nature, he was sure she had more information. Perhaps she was the key to finding his missing flame.

"A phoenix lives and dies, you know."

"Yes, but it seems like you live and die like a regular man."

Though the human's mind was tampered with, they had clearly assumed she was an angel. Ala did not know how much weight to give it, but nonetheless, this man was peculiar. And if he was the phoenix, the depths of Malacai's deception were greater than she'd imagined.

"If I were a regular man, I would take that as an insult."

"I need to inspect you thoroughly."

The thrill of the chase still strummed as he looked at her. A tantalizing prize not that far away.

"You'll have time to check my manhood later."

He dipped between the branches. Ala right on his heels.

Every inch – she would make sure of it.