Phoenix

Prologue - From the Ashes

First thing I saw was the sky floating in front of my eyes with the freezing misty wind flowing above my face. That was when I woke up in the middle of my long deep unconsciousness that seemed like emptiness forever. Wanting to lie and sleep for more on this wet bed of earth, I was motioned by the strong gale of winds telling me that something was wrong and that I was missing things so I pushed myself from the cold floor of sandy rocks. My feet slipped weakly upon doing so giving me bruises . . . new bruises, for I noticed with a slight hint of terror older bruises I did not know where I got. I looked at them alarmed trying to recall earlier signs of ill happenings then, as I remembered not, I stood trembling and made the first few steps then fell over again. Without any previous knowledge of events, I felt however that something was wrong and that I was not okay unless I was wrong about this feeling. Barely ignoring the aching limbs and stinging wounds, I forced once more my own weight up and decided to walk from the shallow waters to the clearing shaded by the shoots of trees.

Making the first steps, my head weighed a million tons. Surely, there was something painful in it too so I put one palm around my creasing forehead and looked at it. Blood. I swallowed my tongue at the sight of it.

I looked back. This is beside the sea! As if running, I had the soles of my feet dug into the mud and sand approaching the sea and viewing the distance that seemed to warn me I might be walking now on the side of a faraway island. I came to realize there was a great deal of scattered pieces of debris floating above the waters and knew the way forward to the sea is a death road so I turned back and chose to rove the land.

What is this place? Mix of sadness and fear evolved within me as I continued walking lamely across the wild green. This might be just somewhere in the woods, I guessed. I do not know. What am I doing here?

Going deeper into the forest, I looked for signs of people. I picked the withered leaves off my skin and off my hair and brushed the mud from my arms onto my clothes. Where did I get this? I was too late to pay attention on what I was wearing. An unfamiliar rose-pink dress mud-stained, soaked wet, and torn at the waist and knees flowed down on me. I do not remember attending a party, not really, I mean, never . . . not even once.

Another wisp of wind shook the trees violently and few boulders of rocks rolled down deeper into the woods. Momentarily, there was a drizzle of rain tracing the path from the treetops down to the dirt. I cursed the stinging wounds behind my leg and set a hand against the tree trying to resist the pain. Then, there was noise.

"Yes." The murmur said as the dried leaves from somewhere sent a crispy sound, ". . . one good heck of an epic for the record."

"So do I still need to congratulate you, Dragonfly?" a different voice said teasingly as it approached. The crispy sound of dried leaves continued. The voice stopped then spoke again. "That's good for now. Over."

"Will they come here?" the other voice said. It is a man's.

"I think but the Empress will have to say." The other sounded like it came from a girl but slightly low and brave.

"Many have died."

"As always. You have to step over the grasses before you get the mice."

"The Empress is here."

The wind blew sending sand specks on the air and carrying dusts that stick to my wet arms and toes. I motioned myself towards the group of the trees when my wounds started to burn once more. I gasped. I need help. Those people may help me. I walked awkwardly towards the voices kicking tiny rocks and pebbles that rolled down towards the water. However, the voices stopped so I started to run helplessly.