Elliott, Ralphie, Kou, Yumiko, and all four of them were standing in the middle of the street, each of them gazing down at the letter that Bow had handed them. The parents of those who had been trapped beside them behind a wall of fire were instructed to keep their children as far away from it as possible.
The flames were fierce and shooting high into the sky. The calm wind made the flames' tips waver to the sides while Kou searched for information about Tem's disappearance.
He searched the entire inferno, but was forced to stay away from it because of the fire's deadly heat. He searched the rubble but could find nothing but charcoal, and he grew impatient. He was so tense that he could hardly stand or maintain a composed look. Tem was no where, it was invisible air to the naked eye.
"Guys. I came here the moment I saw that explosion of fire. I expected Tim to be here with you, but I don't see him anywhere. Someone please explain to me, what's going on?"
They gave Elliott their whole attention. He could see the total distress on their faces. Not a single sign of joy could be seen on their faces. Nothing to trust Elliott with, not even comfort or hope. They resembled the completely wrecked structures by the side of the road. They lacked the motivation to take any action.
Elliott received more than enough information about what happened just from their silence. He found it unsettling to think that way, and he couldn't ignore it. He didn't really believe them at first, but as he patiently waited, he came to understand how serious each of them was.
His eyes opened to the side in shock. As soon as he realized it, they began to shake, and sweat began to trickle down his cheeks and saturate his face. All of them remained silent for a little longer, but eventually the flames started to wave, drawing the attention of the homeless.
The flames began to merge together by obstructing other people's vision. The orange fire trails dragged into a single little flame flew above their heads. It began to expand and reheat with each fire it absorbed. As it flared through the area, its colors shifted to a crystal blue. People perceived it as if a volcano had erupted.
The blue flames between them arched, yet the heat didn't hurt anyone at all. The other people began to calm down as the flames began to lose their heat and turn chilly. Their skin was progressively scraped by what appeared to be regular wind.
Its vivid blue hues gave the street a sense of illumination, as though light itself shone through the night. To their eyes, their skin appeared to be blue. Then, that lone flame in the middle of the crowd started to take amazing shape, a beautiful, spectacular, giant phoenix rising from the ashes in flames like a whole new being. Incredulity blanketed the area as the fire took the form of razor-sharp wings. The flames never stopped, not even once. It resembled an endless cycle of fire that kept rekindling.
The inferno in front of them quickly opened up and pieced together shape of a person's shadow as it let forth white sparks, that whirled through the street, over everyone's amazed eyes. Everyone watched the phoenix's silhouette swell up. The individual leaped through it as if it were a closed window, falling to the ground in an instant.
The first thing they saw was a woman's body.
Her top was covered by a white tee shirt, squeezing her chest close. Blue hoodie had covered the same tee shirt was tightly covering her arms with its long sleeves; its hood covering the top of her head.
Her belly button was exposed to the eye, as if the undershirt itself had been to small for her torso size.
Next, her white trousers expanded close to the bottom of her foot, where the blue and white sneakers were put on. Lastly, she had a black route tied around her hips, peeking from under the edges of her hoodie.
The next thing they saw was the girl's body being swallowed by the flames, which had the shape of a phoenix. They were drawn in like rubbish being vacuumed up from the floor.
The other people spotted Tem standing in front of them out of pure inferno that eventually subsided. She looked at Ralphie while holding the top of her hood. Elliott's eyes were filled up with pink hearts when his eyes first met hers, and she was welcomed with surprised looks. Tem's chest was the first image that entered Elliott's head.
He was barely able to control himself before shaking his head to calm down. Moments later, his eyes enlarged, only for his eyeballs to suddenly physically bulge from their sockets.
"He's been reborn as a woman?!"
Everyone's stunned expressions changed to joy. They greeted Tem with a loud round of applause and louder cheers. They waved forward after raising their arms in the air.
Their eyes saw a human emerge from a phoenix's body for the first time ever. Tem's restoration to the living, though, made her feel a little odd. She felt a greater power mist enclosing her body, as if she had been resurrected into a far more potent form of herself.
The street had now been made safe from any dangerous fire. With the exception of the fallen wreckage brought about by the tremendous fight, peace had returned. Like everyone else, Ralphie had been momentarily silenced, and his anxious look had given way to a hopeful smile.
In response, she sighed and adjusted her hip to the side before placing her palm on top. She gave everyone a pleasant welcome just like everyone else did for her. She no longer had any visible scars from the prior struggle. She was no longer grimy, and the clothing was free of cuts.
Elliott eventually gave in to the act of love and submitted. He'd been caught stunned before he even realized that the woman before him was really a boy.
Her soft voice touched others ears.
"You know. I'm slowly starting to get used to this body. Being a girl is not half bad; but seriously, I'd rather not get hit by another devastating punch. I'd rather not have any more of my bones broken."
"What happened to you? You rekindled from the dead like fire, and something about you feels much different." Asked Ralphie.
"Huh? I wasn't dead. I guess I just lost consciousness from the explosion. But, really, I was able to sense all of the immense power that was going on around me."
"Hold up! Are you telling me that the inferno was just your body spread into multiple flames?"
"Yup. That was all me." She replied, only to be given a face of somebody who could barely believe a word she said. "At first I thought that your ability was only fire. But this just doesn't make sense to me." Told Ralphie.
"Yup! It's just fire. Well, fire with a few.... exceptions. To be honest, I don't know what my ability is myself. I've been trying to figure this out for years. But, now, after the recreation process, I feel like something is missing."
She elevated her chin while turning her head to the side. Her expression started out somber, but she soon caught a whiff of something delicious. She was so amazed that Elliott could see the glitter of her body in her eyes.
Others quickly recognized her act, and it didn't take them long. Her ability to detect food from a great distance was just one of her many talents. Elliott then hopped in front of Tem like a bunny as his eyes sparkled. Excited, he had turned his head to face her. He was compelled to ask it and couldn't wait any longer to say it aloud.
"Would you.... Would you let me touch your breasts?"
Tem's mouth twitched in response, indicating a quick reaction. His question could not have disturbed her any less than she had anticipated. She moved embarrassingly away while making a frightening expression, which only served to instill enthusiams in Elliott's thoughts.
"I may be a woman on the outside, but I am still considered to be a boy! Just because I'm a boy, that doesn't mean I'll let you touch my body for your filthy hands!"
"Come on. We can keep it a secret! Besides, I think a female captain is much better than some food-loving find-it-all-type of boy!"
"Stop being so rude to every girl!"
"You just admitted you're a girl! That means you're not even close to being a boy! Come on, just one good touch and then we're good!"
Tem was being pressed harder by Elliott as he attempted to change her decision. However, wherever he went, Tem tried to break off any touch he may make until, all of a sudden, a hard object struck the top of his head. Yumiko was looking down at Elliott as his body fall to the ground, her face veiled in somber anger.
"First; You're a real pervert, and second; I can't believe you tried to touch a boy? I mean, it depends on your preference, but that's just something I didn't expect around here." Yumiko stated, then looked back into Tem's direction.
"You know.... I understand why women are bothered by this, but in my entire life, I never expected to experience it for myself."
"Anyhow.... What's that paper in your hand, Ralph?"
Ralphie took a moment to examine the letter before quickly explaining why he had done so and what had actually transpired while Tem was unconscious.
"It's the list of names of women that had been picked to attend maiden selection. We'll talk this one over later. Right now, we should prioritize the homeless people. Some of them were wounded, so they need treatment right away."
To be continued...