Vitaliana, in a daze while admiring the magic her sisters could wield, forgot about her previous mission.
"They've grown quite a bit since the last time." Solaria giggled a little, petting Vitaliana's now slightly larger body. "I get the feeling you'll reach that level in a far shorter time. I can feel it." she continued, hiding the fact she was inspecting for any hidden wounds.
Vitaliana didn't respond, she was still focused on the storm her sisters unleashed.
This truly is quite the feat. It's so beautiful. A storm of such destructive power… Over the whole city. An army is one thing… But a city… Never mind, how does this magic work?
After several moments of admiration, Vitaliana finally registered the words her grandmother, Solaria, had spoken.
"You think I'll really be able to, grandma? I hardly have a reference for the storm in front of me. Let alone any hope of performing a similar feat. It seems so far out of reach, yet comforting to know my sisters are so strong." Vitaliana replied, making eye contact with Solaria.
"You've been reincarnated, so I'm sure you've got at least some understanding of how to grow to such heights. Think about it deeply and internalize the source of magic's power…" Solaria started explaining with a reassuring smile, though before she could finish speaking, Vitaliana already went back into deep thought.
Magic… It's the power of the imagination made real but, the source of magic…
Once Mages and Magus have drained their MP or Magic Power… They grow lethargic and dizzy, as if they've become drained mentally and/or spiritually…
So the link between the two… It must be the soul. The SOUL! The Soul is both, the fuel and the hearth of magic!
Then, the longer one cultivates their soul's strength the stronger they will be! The more efficiently they train, the stronger they will become!
"The soul is the source of all strength. It is what empowers magic, and wills the body to move… I now know why I was reincarnated as a bird…" Vitaliana said, coming out of her daze.
"Oh, and why's that?" Solaria giggled a little while gently petting the underside of Vitaliana's beak.
"To cultivate a soul's strength, one must soar high. And there is little that soars higher than a phoenix…" Vitaliana answered, proudly puffing her chest out enjoying the petting sensation of Solaria's finger.
"Ahahaha, oh, you're adorable." Solaria laughed, wiping the tears of laughter away from her eyes. "You're right, the soul is everything. And the only thing above us phoenix, is but a singular god… Though in terms of where we fall on the scale, us phoenix are tied at 1st with the dragons. Their strength is not to be underestimated." She continued. "But, we can talk more about all this later, for now it's for the best if you finish teleporting all those followers to safety." She finished saying.
"I'll return shortly, grandmother!" Vitaliana chirped and took to the sky, once again flying through a portal of her own making.
"She's really quite strong. I wonder… Does she know just how strong she actually is now?" Solaria wondered aloud, and then with a glance to Ralond she asked him; "What do you think, Ralond? You saw her fight before right? What do you think of her, then vs now?".
Ralond, winced at the question. Is my goddess's mother seriously asking me to rate her granddaughter just like that? Let's try this instead. "Divine Lady Solaria, I'm but a humble mortal. Even if I know young Lady Vitaliana's background… I couldn't possibly give an accurate answer to your question." Ralond replied, hoping it would get him out of it.
"Hmm…" Solaria, pondered for a moment. "I see, I guess that answers it well enough… You can't give an accurate rating because she's gone beyond your ability to understand. Well, at least the current you anyway. Very well then, go and get some rest. You did some good work today, you deserve it." She finished with a wink towards Roland's wife, clearly insinuating something.
Ralond and his wife left in high spirits, despite the hellish situation they were now living through. Each thanking their own good fortune to have been faithful.
Solaria stood there admiring the community the people had. Even in such a difficult time where they don't know what comes next… They are remaining optimistic, even going as far to think about their instinctual urges. It was a rebirth from the ashes.
These people are exactly the type I thought Mother had wanted to cultivate all those centuries ago. I'm glad it turned out there were some people that were this faithful. Terrible that it had to happen like this. I miss those cuties already. They could have been amazing, if only they had had more time to grow stronger. Things would be different. But in the face of that weapon… Wait, how did Vitaliana survive that? Shouldn't she have also…
"That was me, I gave Vitaliana a small bit of power that would protect her from everything the weapon the human's used was blocked, at the cost of breaking that protection. I couldn't reincarnate a soul only for it to die again shortly after. I'd get in so much trouble with the creator." Solaria's mother whispered to Solaria.
"I see, having worked there myself I understand the rules. Makes sense to do that. Especially if you're trying to make them into a truly powerful monster later on." Solaria replied, still saddened by the loss of the vast majority of her grandchildren, some of whom she had never been able to see.
"It was unfortunate, but I'm glad to see Vitaliana doing so well. I think with a little bit of guidance she'll become the strongest phoenix to ever live. Though, she certainly has a lot of catching up to do."
Several hours later, the storm had finally ceased and Vitaliana had finished teleporting all of the large groups of people out of the city. Moving to the smaller groups, or, the not really official spots where no more than two or three families were gathered.
~ The City Lord's Mansion ~
"This is not how this was supposed to go!" The City Lord's Son exclaimed in terror.
"How! There's five of them! Only five! How are they alive!" The City Lord panicked as he saw five large figures, perched on the rubble of what were once buildings.