Igniting Sparks

Chapter 40.

Edited by KitWulf                                            3-4-2021

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The more she pushed back against the Phoenix, the harder it fought her. Its fire scorched her from the inside as she felt herself being dragged along by Lucas. Andreas and Sloan were probably on their tail judging by the talking and shouting but the words didn't register in her mind. All her senses were dulled as she focused every bit of energy in her body to keep the Phoenix at bay. The raw, brutal power roared inside her and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it back.

As she stumbled behind Lucas, she'd lost all sense of direction. She saw his form in front of her but no details except for faint golden sparks and lines fading in and out of existence. The rest of the area passed by like a blur. Suddenly, the only thing she felt was the cool air and wind caressing her skin, soothing but it was like a drop of water on a forest fire. The Phoenix kept pushing to come out and Azura could swear the flames were breaking her skin by now. By the rough push she received on her back she concluded she was probably right.

"Stop fighting it and shift, Azura!" It had to be Lucas who shouted at her and his words broke her last resistance. How she was able to hear these words and not the rest was a mystery to her.

The push came so sudden, Azura couldn't react properly. One foot before the other then she tripped and fell to the ground, managing to catch herself on her hands. It was the final jolt that broke her restraint. Pain flared as muscles ripped themselves apart, bones broke and realigned themselves.

Her arms and knees caved and Azura fell on her side screaming as huge tremors took over her body. Her limbs were pulled out of their sockets, arms yanked back as the fire erupted all over her skin. Clothes went up in ashes as her skin blackened and peeled itself off her body. Azura screamed till her voice no longer could, and tears no longer trail from her eyes.

The flames broke free, engulfing her into their fickle fingers, and lifted her up. Azura's head snapped backward, further than was humanly possible, and a loud screech erupted from her throat. Where her mouth used to be, a beak covered in fire started forming.

The transformation felt so unreal and unnatural to her. Every shift, crack and change hurt. She wanted to scream out in pure agony but she no longer felt the connection. The pain was in her mind, the body no longer hers yet the pain was still very real. What seemed to take forever, lasted for a couple of minutes. Her wings flapped alongside her body, her legs and feet had shifted into strong and powerful talons. A tail with long separate tailfeathers swooped from side to side.

Before the three men flew a Phoenix. Smaller than the original one, but very much alive.

It was different than when she had fused with the flaming entity. In her fight with Nathan, the Phoenix had given her its power which she had embraced. Now, the Phoenix was in control but their minds had mended together. She could see through the beaded, glassy eyes... Her eyes. A new sense of purpose had set itself in her head. Her own worries, anxiety, and sorrow were a side issue and she wondered how it ever had been so big that it ruled her life.

New sights and smells assaulted her as she viewed the world through the eyes of the legendary bird. Threads of light danced before her, connecting the living things together, almost singing in tune. They flashed a bright golden when someone or something moved. It was as if she was transcended.

All life is connected by the world's essence. All that inhabit your world are too inferior to see it but it's what keeps you alive.

She needed no more explanation. Everything made sense as all the knowledge the Phoenix held had melted with hers.