The Mythos Trials

Chapter Thirteen, Part One

Phenex chuckled. Seeing Gwen's glare, he cleared his throat, doing his utmost to appear contrite. They'd been working on hand-to-hand combat for the past forty-five minutes in the pursuit of keeping Gwen in tip-top fighting condition. The problem was, she'd gotten so used to Lyka's fighting style over the better course of her training that she wasn't equipped to deal with his.

"Maybe we should take a break," he suggested, averting his gaze in a vain attempt to hide his smirk. "Why don't we work on some of your gifts? You've got Magic Sight and most of the others down. Now would be a good time to work on Sensory, don't you think?"

Panting, Gwen rose to her feet on unsteady legs, taking Phenex's hand when he offered it. "Yeah, I guess so. Just as long as we don't..." She faltered, looking away.

Phenex released her hand slowly, brow furrowing as he looked at her. "As long as we don't what?" When she didn't answer, he said, "Gwen? What is it?"

A moment passed where he thought she might not answer. Then, tentatively, she said, "I just...I'd rather avoid Unrestrained." She gave him a furtive look. "At least for now. I just don't want to..."

Phenex gestured her toward one of several boulders scattered throughout the clearing, located at the base of an Ignisian Maple, its fiery red leaves casting dappled light across the grey stone. Gwen hesitated a moment before finally settling on top of the boulder, one knee tucked up with the other dangling over the edge.

Lowering himself onto the ground at her feet, legs crossed, Phenex idly began plucking at the blades of grass, tying them into knots. "You know, the first time I used my powers in your world, the results were...well, in a word? Catastrophic." He offered her a self-deprecating smile. "It was all so new to me. Not just because I was young, but because I had been made to adopt an alien form—a human form. But without it, my power would have been too much for your world. Too much for most worlds, really. Not even in Mythos can I release the full power of the sun."

Dropping the grass, he peered upward, relieved to see that Gwen had visibly begun to relax. Not wanting to lose steam, he went on with his story. "Y'see, the people of Earth got the phoenix myths only half-right." He grinned again, and shook his head. "The assumption that we're the symbols of death and rebirth was right on the money—but with death comes destruction, and not always just our own. Did you never wonder why I'm the only one you've met?"

Gwen averted her gaze, and Phenex could see her face turning pink. "I did. But..." She trailed off with a shrug, a shy smile touching her lips. "Since winding up with you guys, so much of what I thought I knew has been disproved. I thought maybe only one could exist at a time."

"Which isn't too far from the truth. There aren't any others around right now—at least none that I'm aware of," Phenex added. "But there was a time long ago when there were many of us. Unfortunately, between poaching, the countless wars, and everything else thrown our way, we became what you'd call 'endangered'. Even the rebirthing cycle has its limitations. When it became obvious our species as a whole couldn't thrive in such a climate...well, word has it we died out."

"That's terrible." Gwen fidgeted, guilt flashing across her face as she asked, "Were...were people responsible?"

The question caught him off guard, and several long seconds passed before he answered. "In part."

"Phenex, I—"

Phenex was on his feet in an instant, pressing a finger to her lips. "No, Gwen. Don't apologize," he said, voice gentle. "The sins of the past are not your burden to bear, remember? The truth is, gods, humans, and everything in between...all are guilty, and all are innocent. You're no more responsible for what your predecessors did than Zeus is for creating storms."