Igniting Sparks

Chapter 43.

Edited by KitWulf                                         25-4-2021

*

It was silent as he glided through the air. It was not his body flying but more like his consciousness was entwined with the thing that was. He was a mere spectator but could feel whatever it felt. Beneath them, the earth seemed tiny. The snow-covered mountains, the scattered trees, and then the city. The city he knew all too well.

As Lucas tried to move his head to the side he felt the creature doing the same thing. Flame-covered wings slowly beat next to its body, keeping them afloat. It felt strange to see the wings moving, not making a single sound. He used to hate silence but it felt so tranquil and comforting now as his feelings entwined with those of the Phoenix and maybe even...Azura's?

The head snapped back to look back to earth again. Was he a guest, a passenger, or a parasite on this ride? Were they aware he was with them? Lucas stared at Pleyvale from above. He could recognize everything. His own house, his old schools, and even the climbing hall. It was so strange seeing it from up here. So serene.

Do you trust me?

The voice sounded like Azura but not entirely. It should have spooked him as it spoke up so suddenly but Lucas felt as if he were expecting it. It was part her but part Phoenix as well. The question itself was strange though. Why wouldn't he?

As if Lucas's eyes were opened again he found himself staring through the eyes of the Phoenix at the city. He saw the flames of the tail and the wings flash by at times but the ground was no longer moving. They were hovering above the city. Waiting for something...or someone as it turned out.

Lucas stared at the male figure beneath them. He looked straight up at them and kept on walking until he was at the main square of the city. The man had no face but he seemed familiar. There was something about him, about the way he stopped and kept their gaze even though his face was blurred. Lucas tried to look around again, but this time he couldn't. Had the Phoenix allowed him to look around the first time?

He felt the heat building up. The flames coiling and growing on the inside. It felt so powerful, Lucas seemed to forget where he actually was. The sheer force that was growing deep within the belly of the beast drew him in. It was mesmerizing and for a moment he felt like walking right in the middle of it. A yank in the back of his mind drew him back as he again stared down at the city, at the man on the square. As the human raised his arm, Lucas knew.

He was staring at himself as the Phoenix and Azura prepared themselves to spew the largest amount of fire at him he had ever seen. She wanted to do it, Lucas could feel it as he stared helplessly at the scene in front of him. The Phoenix and Azura would really do it. The heat, the flames, and the power he had felt and loved for a moment now felt distant and terrifying. They would kill him. He watched in horror as he looked at himself down there and the flames rolled out of the beak of the Phoenix creating a wall of fire going straight down. Right when the flames would hit their mark, everything turned white and a deafening sound roared through his ears.

*

A pair of blue eyes dug into his green ones as his fingers scratched the dirt. Lucas slowly raised his head when he realized he was flat on his back in a puddle of dirt and mud. Azura was kneeled down next to him and just stared at him without touching his body. He slowly sat up straight and cleared his throat.

"Well... That was different." He smirked and rubbed the back of his head. Azura still stared at him, insecurity was written all over her face and she wasn't attempting to help him up or even reach out to him.