The Griffin and his Phoenix

chapter 1: light and darkness

Sometimes in order to see a great light, we need it to be the darkest time we've ever experienced. Fear, uprising, and a seemingly hopeless quality to the air we breathe. The components necessary to bring about a new day in the face of great evil. That's what our time has come to, a place of uncertainty and sudden death to great fear. The fear of an unknown disease taking away our lungs, the fear of the color of our skin determining if we live or not. The fear that we might lose the ones we love to the violence of others for the sake of a war we're not even fighting. In these times of great trials, we seek comfort in the arms of those dearest to us, to things familiar to us. But when we must face the reality of not having access to those basic places we made into our coping mechanisms- then the world starts to fall apart. Music became my guide to the outside world, the only thing that hadn't changed as our world turned once more for the worst. I only hope one day this will end and our lives will once again see a light in the darkness- if there is a light at the end of this tunnel at all... now would be the time to see it before any and all hope diminishes.

Unfortunately this plague that hit the earth has still been going on, it started long before our mother was born and has lasted long after she has gone. Our guardian was appointed by The Fates after our mother passed when we were 4. Ariston is the closest thing to a parent, a title he never wanted- that much was certain. My brother doesn't see the potential for a great light, as the legend goes his blood flows with demonic properties from a father not of my own. I, his counterpart, carry angelic blood through my veins from my father. By any logical sense, we should have nothing more in common than our mother. After all, how could a demon and an angel love one another in such a way? What light could ever shine in the presence of great darkness... and what darkness would let her?

Griffin Alexander, the first born with a heart content for the heavens but cursed to the underworld. Mother kept our father's identities a secret, perhaps due to the seemingly impossible nature of our births. Or of the jealous battle that may ensue between the light and dark of her life, taking into account that she ever loved either of them at all. She smiled when she said father when we were children, I only hoped my memory was serving me well after all these years, as dreams started to be confused for memories. There was, after all, no one to keep me straight as to what I imagined to be my mother and what was reality. He never had such a fire in his eyes before The Fates told him about his destiny, that of a demonic entity. I would find him in the garden on summer mornings watching the ducklings follow their mother in the pond, sitting in the very spot mother had once stood. He was a gentle soul oppressed by his own subsistence. I had once wished that I could take away the pain of his curse, they said that's what proved the bloodline rushing through me. I had an unmistakable bond to him, closer than a sibling... we were called The Fated Twins. Part of some legend of the old world, an unstoppable pair that could either save the world or destroy it. They would have raised us separately, to identify our powers and keep the outside world from tainting our view of humanity.. But mother kept us a family. She knew what it was like to lose everyone you loved, and she knew one day time would take her away from us. So she ensured that we would always have each other, that we would never be alone.

I can never thank her enough for that. If I didn't have Griffin, I think I might just end the world in suffering. I suppose his answer would be quite similar.

Phoenix's pov.

I peeked my head into Griffin's room, not seeing any shadows I whispered into the dimly lit space, "Griff?" no response. Again, "Griff.. You there?" nothing. Just as I was about to enter- "-going for a stroll Nix?" his voice spoke into my ear, effectively startling me. I jumped and my face rested into a playful glare as I faced my obnoxious twin brother. He raised his eyebrows at me and I punched his arm in a 'i love you' sort of gesture. He stepped into his room and the shadows dashed across the walls from their hiding spots. My eyes followed them while Griffin watched my actions with a morbid curiosity. His shadows had recently tried to kill me. My lightlies also had some run-ins with him and his shadow army. It was becoming increasingly more dangerous to be without each other. "You needed me I'm guessing?" Griff asked settling into a seated position on his desktop. I laid down on his bed facing him while I kicked my feet into the air. Propping my head up on my elbows I sighed, "i had another dream vision." "ooh what am I gonna do now? War? Death? Plague?" they usually predicted what the demons were up to. So far I haven't seen Griffin's fate but he considers himself one with the demons that terrorize the earth. The only ones he doesn't aline with is any that try to kill me. That's when his true scary form comes out. "This time I was the demon.." I said. Griff dropped his feet off the desk and sat more like a gentleman and less like a scolded child with his knees to his chest. "That's impossible though. It must mean something else-" "-what if we got it wrong Griff? What if I'm really the demon and you're the angel-" I tried but he cut me off as soon as I got the words out. "-Ha! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard Nix. What am I? A bad angel and you're a good demon? Face it you're the good twin sis." "You know I hate that distinction. If I was born the demon-" "-you would find a way to be the best and most caring demon to walk the earth Nix. And if I was born the angel, I'm sure I'd get kicked out of heaven and come join you in the underworld just for kicks. Don't worry about this dream it was probably just there to shake your faith in your light or something. Maybe The Fates are finally trying to turn you against me." He joked. "You know I'd never let them do that Griff," I corrected and he smiled, "I know. You love me too much." At least he knew that. At least he knew that no matter what the supernatural threw at us, I wouldn't let our DNA change us. "Oh. Where were you just now?" I asked suddenly remembering he had been gone when I arrived. "Cafeteria. You know I'm kinda gonna miss this not literal hell hole," Griff said looking around the room. I smiled from the bed, "no way does Griffin Alexander ever admit that the compound isn't that bad." He sent me his signature wide smirk, the joy on his face could only be seen by me- everyone else saw the face of a troublemaker about to set fire to the earth.