The many journeys of the phoenix god

Chapter 12

Daemeon

I stand up, the wind blows my hair away from my face, revealing the marks etched into my skin for all of eternity. a glint catches my eye from the back of the crowd, so fleeting that I almost assumed it was my mind playing tricks on me. it isn't, for there stands the tall handsome form of the sect master, his youthful features glow in the daylight. the crowd parts and he approaches, his magnificent headpiece shining in the early morning sun. I pretend to be uninterested, delighted when he looks over at me with a slight frown of recognition. I pretend to not see, my mouth twitching up at the edges into a smile. I suddenly jump back over the wall, my movements fluid and graceful. I race to the tree and sit beneath it, waiting. sure enough, the gates to the courtyard open and the crowd enters, the sect master leading them.

the crowd disperses and I see the elderly gentleman from before whispering something, the sect master seems to not react but approaches me with obvious intent, taking my form in. he seems sad and ignores the others around us as his eyes lock on mine. I look away, feeling uncomfortable as I blush, my face flushing a rosy red. this seems to be confirmation enough for him, he reaches down, offering me a hand. I take it and he pulls me to my feet, eyes forever looking deep into mine, searching for something. I let go of his hand and look away, hearing him sigh as he realises who I am. he turns to the old man and mutters something to him, walking over to the platform in the centre of the space. everyone quietens down as he mounts the stage, all eyes focused on him. I barely listen as he speaks, focused on his face. he hasn't changed a bit... 

The crowd's roar as he finishes announcing the entrance exam. it's the same as it was  100 years ago... I listen, shaking myself from the grasp of the memories as the old man comes around collecting names. I pause with my brush above the paper as I realise I can't write my actual name or I will be recognised. thinking quickly I write one of my names from my past lives. I look down at what I have written: Feng Huang. I guess it will do... the old man moves on, eventually returning to the stage with the scroll full of names. we are assigned rooms and told to return at midday tomorrow for who we will be fighting first. we are told that the main area and our rooms can be used for cultivating and practice whilst we wait, so I sit in my room, closing off my surroundings and concentrate on my astral projection, checking if it was damaged. it appears to be fine, but I cannot risk using astral projection in that form again just in case. I wonder in silence, what will tomorrow bring? I sigh as the sun sets over the mountains, I watch it from my window before I drop off to sleep, troubled dreams await me in the darkness of my mind, the troubled waters drowning me in worries.

I am sorry for not posting in a while, but here we are. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, post your thoughts in the comments if you wish, we will try to reply. I will be releasing a new book later this week. if you enjoy robot assassins, why not check it out?