Chapter 1: The Immortal Phoenix

Sheva and his friends, Alec and Rae, were shopping at a popular religious gift shop, located on the first floor of the local multi-storied temple, both owned and operated by the Monks of the Order. The monks, in their white and orange layered robes, gracefully moved about their store, helping customers and tourists, and performing jobs that kept their business running smoothly.

Sheva was at the front of the shop browsing one of the long display tables covered by a velvety red tablecloth. It held various religious statues and figurines crowded together, they were made of pure gold, and consisted of different people, gods, and animals in varying designs.

One of the human-like gods caught his eye, and Sheva turned it towards him—it was not one he was familiar with. He was about to walk away when he noticed the surrounding figures were similarly haphazardly placed. It ticked a box inside him that made him start to organize them, for the sake of order, before he caught sight of his friends walking towards him.

“We’re done,” Alec called out. “Rae had—”

An excruciating pain shot through Sheva’s body.

Time.

Sheva fell to his knees and his friends were by his side in seconds, their shopping bags lying on the floor, forgotten.

Mortality.

Rae held Sheva in his arms, while Alec knelt beside them.

“There were no signs! How could it be now?” Alec asked.

Not just friends—guardians.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Rae shot back. “It’s time.”

A monk rushed over to them.

“Come with me,” he told them.

Alec moved Rae over and threw Sheva's arm around his neck in support before they got up and ran out the side door deeper into the shrine. They navigated through a maze of beautifully crafted halls while the curious, yet knowing, stares of monks followed them.

End it.

Sheva tripped and slipped through Alec's arms, crashing to the ground. As Fairy lights emerged from Sheva’s body and began swirling around him, another monk ran over to them and knelt, bringing Sheva’s head into his lap.

He held out a small phial of liquid to Sheva’s lips.

“Drink this,” he said.

It tasted sweet.

You cannot stop it.

The lights withdrew and Sheva rolled into his side and picked himself up—a second wind.

“Now go,” the monk said.

Alec, Sheva, and Rae continued up the stairs to the third floor, then turned twice to the left, and straight to a hidden door leading up to the mysterious central tower.

A gentle light encircled Sheva’s chest, the edges wavering like flames flickering in the wind and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

The monk who was guiding them gathered Sheva in his arms and continued up to the tower, leaving the two guardians behind.

You are reading story The Immortal Phoenix at novel35.com

It’s too late.

Inside the tower was a small, windowless room, where a crystal-clear pool was enclosed by rocks. The area was lit only by the candles situated on tables next to either side of the pool. On the right, the table also held a medium-sized ornate box.

A monk waited beside the pool in apprehension for Sheva’s arrival.

It’s time for my return.

The monk holding Sheva entered the room, and let the door behind him shut with a bang.

Sheva’s skin had grown so scalding hot to the touch the monk almost dropped him before setting him gently onto the floor. The bright fairy lights emerged from Sheva’s body and lit up the room as they swirled about. Soon the glow around Sheva had coalesced into a circle of light in the middle of his chest.

The monks took off Sheva's shirt to reveal a full upper chest tattoo. It was a large red and yellow phoenix, with wings of flames spread, reaching the outer edges of Sheva's chest before folding back and down. Its head was covered by elegant feathers, and looked up towards the sky with a closed beak. Long, fiery tail feathers reached down, and encircled Sheva's back and over the front his abdomen, with the tips of flame stopping just below his waistline.

In the center of Sheva's chest were two circular tattooed rings, one encasing the other. In each there were words written in an ancient script: the outer ring represented a seal of protection, and the inner ring contained a sacred ritual for immortality. In the middle was an intricate, decorative sun where the glowing light had gathered.

The rings began to turn red hot and started burning Shiva’s skin, emitting a sickening smell. Flames erupted from the outer circle, engulfing the seal in a ring of fire, and destroying it, leaving the inner ring exposed.

Immortal Phoenix no longer!

Sheva was immediately picked up and completely submerged into the pool. A horrible screeching filled the room as the ball of light dispersed into the water, while trapping the rest of the fairy lights that were darting about under the water’s surface.

“You were stripped of your godhood, Athar,” one of the monks said, turning about the room. “You may be immortal but your powers are no longer yours, or did your memory fail you?”

One day I will have my powers back! Then I will come for you and your precious Phoenix.

When Sheva was lifted out of the pool and placed on the floor, the monks saw the charred skin had healed, and the tattooed seal inside the outer ring was back in place. One of the monks had brought over the ornate chest and opened it to show his companion. There was an empty, frosted glass orb inside.

“Only a human Phoenix can continually absorb the powers of a god,” the monk stated. “Perhaps you forgot we gifted ours with immortality. Sheva’s first burning would have resulted in a permanent death, if it weren’t for our healing pool and the immortal seal resetting the process.”

The other monk picked up the orb and knelt next to the unconscious Sheva. He held it over the sun design on Sheva’s chest and slowly pressed it against the skin until the sun absorbed the ball in a blinding flash of light.

“It hurts, doesn’t it, Athar? Having your powers constantly being squeezed out of you like a dirty rag.” He added, knowing full well the answer.

It’s not over.

“How long until the orb is full of your godly powers once more?” The monk asked. “How many times will you fail trying to steal your powers back from it, when we empty the orb? It’s these failures that will haunt you, and it’s part of your punishment!”

There was no response. It seemed Athar was gone.

The other monk stepped forward when Sheva began to stir.

"We should return Sheva to his room, and renew his guardians’ seals of immortality before reuniting them."

“Do it,” the first monk replied, “and tell them the Immortal Phoenix was successful.”

 

 

You can find story with these keywords: The Immortal Phoenix, Read The Immortal Phoenix, The Immortal Phoenix novel, The Immortal Phoenix book, The Immortal Phoenix story, The Immortal Phoenix full, The Immortal Phoenix Latest Chapter