That was the time, when the worried Celeana, who was busy wandering around, in search of Aelin, ended up finding Aelin, in such a terrifying, life-and-death situation.
She used her energy and brought Aelin back to 'The Barrage'. After which, she summoned Nature to treat Aelin. The rest is what both Aelin and Prithvi know. So, he let go of her wrist, while getting lost in his own world of thinking and imagination.
That girl, that heartless goddess, she actually left him and his heavens and found shelter in a human's body. She actually gives the body, the power, everyone wants, to a weakling. She actually did that to him. Just how much does she hate him? For how long will she hate him? Why does she hate him?
It's not like by killing Athena, she can get her species back. It will only turn her into a rogue and then he, himself, will have to deal with her, which he so desperately wants to avoid. The moment she gets anywhere near that despicable creature, she will turn herself into a threat.
Then, as per the Law, he, The Great Deitiness has to handle the matter and kill her in front of Heaveners in The General Council, which would be the last thing he wants to do, either unwillingly or willingly.
Aelin just stared at her hands, the video kept replaying in her head. This girl, this fellow saved her. She heard her pleas and gave her a life to live. Not just that, that girl actually possesses her body on Earth, to make her strong and avenge her, in her place.
Making Aelin feel so touched, that she wanted to cry, how strange she couldn't cry. No matter what or how many times she tried. Again that hunch of her said, she isn't a human, to cry her heart out.
The same hunch, the same sense which told her she can defeat the Ligress. Daeng. This hunch. This voice. It was the same as the one talking with the girl in the video.
She remembered that the girl on the video was talking with a voice, could it be, the girl and the voice are connected somehow, in some way.
' Yes, we are.' Aelin heard the voice, out of the blue, which flinched her, she was about to fall down from the branch, when subconsciously Prithvi hold her tightly, saving her.
" What are you doing?" Prithvi, who finally came back from his reverie, couldn't help but ask, with his cold, dangerous voice, making her flinch again. But luckily, she was held tightly in her place. So, no disaster happened.
" Answer me!" Prithvi said, in a strict tone, but not a cold one, this time.
"N-Nothing." Aelin replied back, making Prithvi ruffle his hair to remove some of the frustration. Daeng. Firstly that heartless phoenix, now this scaredy human. Can't he deal with normal creatures?
AELIN!!!! Prithvi mentally roared at the phoenix, who is god knows where doing god knows what. Then, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. After all, scaring this creature won't be ideal, given that she is staying in the body of the most dangerous yet most vulnerable creature at the moment.
" Alright. So, now you get what happened to you, right?" Prithvi asked while making a mental note on knowing everything about this human, in a gentle voice. To ensure his phoenix's safety.
Aelin nodded confusedly.
" Well, I do know what happened, but at the same time, I don't know what happened. I mean, I know the girl in the video saved me, by doing something. " Aelin quoted her confusion.
Making Prithvi frown then nod.
" Firstly, that wasn't a video, I call it 'Vision', with the help of which I can get to know about any to every activity of the creature, be it from any realm unless it has been sealed by the organism itself, which only happens in case of deities.
Secondly, the girl in the vision saved you by swapping your soul in your body with hers, while allowing you, the human soul, to possess her body.
Thirdly, the body which is sheltering you at present belongs to a Phoenix Goddess, the last surviving member of her species.
Till now, are we clear?" Prithvi asked, to which Aelin gave half nod, half shaking her head, neither denying completely nor agreeing completely.
Making Prithvi blink to digest what just happened. So, this human didn't understand even in the most basic, most humanistic way.
Great. Wonderful. Aelin! Once again he shouted the name of the heartless creature, who was nowhere around him.
Now, how can he make her understand?
Alright!
" Umm... Aelin, how about you consider it as a fantasy tale, where you sleep like a normal peasant one night and wake up as a princess the other day?
It's just that, in this case, I mean, in your case, you woke up like a Phoenix Goddess from the normal human one." Prithvi suggested, making Aelin finally nod, though she couldn't believe this fellow would come up with such a toddler concept.
But never mind, she can understand, her situation is beyond explainable, so the fact this fellow is trying was more than enough to warm her heart out.
" So, umm... What does a Phoenix do ?" Aelin asked with a bit of hesitation in her voice.
Only Prithvi knows how he controls himself from spitting some of his energy in the surroundings while pretending as nothing happened, not a big deal, at all. He didn't even blink, to show, he wasn't affected by the question at all.
What does a Phoenix do? If it's a normal phoenix that Aelin is asking about, then the answer would be healing and helping the creatures out there.
But if, What Phoenix Aelin Westfall do is the question, then what should be the most approachable yet easy-going answer would be?
Running away from her task, playing with water droplets, measuring the heights of the mountain peaks, touching the depth of the oceans, swimming in the molten lava of the volcanoes, messing with satellites invented by humans, pranking the deities, watching the quarrels after igniting it from the sidelines.
In simple terms nothing. But, won't that break the heart of this human?
But can he tell the truth? The fact that this very creature loves to hunt creatures, tie them, trying countless painful, dreadful, nightmarish, dangerous tortures on them, give them the horror of slowest burn, making them beg for death, yet death doesn't show up anywhere near 50 km of Aelin's radius.
Once the creatures die when their organs give away, then search for new targets and repeat the cycle.
Naah, this scaredy-cat won't even be able to digest the sight of blood. She even got scared after watching the shapeshifter, the very shifter whose leaders this very creature had killed ruthlessly, herself.
" Did I ask something wrong?" Aelin couldn't help but ask when the silence began to prolong.
" Oh, no-no. It's not like that. Not at all. I am just wondering what should be the right way to explain the role of a Phoenix to you.
As you see, it takes a lot of effort to make you understand things." Prithvi blabbers out, to which Aelin nods again.
Well, she agrees with it.
" Alright, so here we go. Have you seen the stars?" Prithvi started after what seemed like an eternity. Making Aelin nod.
" Then, do you know why they are so shiny?" Prithvi asked next.
" Because they are hot and they carry energy in them," Aelin replied, what her teacher had taught. The teacher had also explained nuclear reactions and all. But she decided not to become a Physics professor here.
" Not bad. Not bad. You are halfway there, already. Then, do you know about black holes?" Prithvi asked next.
Aelin nodded again.
" When a star loses all its energy, then it ends up creating a black hole. Due to the strong gravity in it, nothing can escape from it." Aelin explained again. In a short, crisp way.
[ A/n: Well, physics or astronomy lovers please don't come at me. I am just spewing nonsense here. I am completely clueless about this matter. Besides, the study ain't my stuff. ]
" Great, you are a genius student, Aelin." Prithvi praised generously making Aelin give a shy smile.
" So, since you know about stars and black holes, then you make it easy for me to explain. Basically a Phoenix, in simple words, you carry the fire element, which is used as a source of both light and warmth.
And you, or should I say, A Reincarnator Phoenix, which you are, gives birth to countless stars, creates a new galaxy of stars, by charging these energyless black holes.
It's the role and responsibility of a Reincarnator phoenix to maintain the balance between light and darkness in this Universe. Since you are a Phoenix now, then it's your responsibility Aelin to ensure this balance." Prithvi said with an encouraging smile.
While Aelin felt her soul just passed away. So, they aren't talking about teaching Physics here but actually applying it in the Outer Space of the Universe.
AHHHH !!!
Here she thought, now, maybe life will be easy. See, her first task is to charge the freakin stars and galaxies.
" Any problem?" Prithvi asked while controlling his laughter. As it was his first time watching Aelin's zoned-out look.
"No. Not. Nope. Nothing. Not at all." Aelin replied while shaking her head vigorously. After all, it was her, who wanted a second chance. So, she has to suffer now. As simple as that.
While a little smile escape from Prithvi's lips, after watching the girl looking all set for the 'Do or Die' mission.
[ Edited chapter ]