In a dazed state, Reika finally awoke. As her surroundings came into focus, she immediately spotted Zephyr by her side, his eyes reflecting a hint of worry. She noticed her body felt considerably lighter, the pain had eased, and her spiritual energy was gradually stabilizing.
"Zephyr…" Her voice was faint, but there was a trace of comfort in her heart. "Did I faint again?"
"Yep, you really don't make it easy for people, you know? I was worried sick." Zephyr looked a little exasperated, though his tone held a warmth that couldn't be mistaken, and a slight smile played on his lips as if all his earlier tension had melted away.
"I'm okay now, right?" Reika asked, a bit sheepishly.
"You say that every time, but when has it actually been true?" Zephyr gave her a mock stern look, though the humor in his eyes was undeniable. Reika felt a laugh bubble up, but it came out weak; she hadn't fully recovered her strength.
At that moment, Sylas and Isla entered from outside, both grinning broadly. Isla rushed over as soon as she saw Reika awake. "Finally! I thought you were going to sleep through till tomorrow!"
"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Reika muttered helplessly, trying to sit up, though her body still felt weak.
Standing beside her, Sylas chuckled. "We already handed in the spiritual herb mission to the staff at Brightmoon Pavilion. They let us submit it on your behalf this time, but next time, you'll have to do it yourselves."
"Thank you both for the help." Reika looked gratefully at Sylas and Isla, her heart warmed by how dependable her friends were.
Just then, Alden Ravenshadow, the valley's renowned healer, strolled in with his usual humor. "You really are a handful, young lady. How do you keep fainting like this? Always gotta be me to save the day, huh?"
"It's not on purpose…" Reika mumbled, a bit embarrassed.
Alden smiled, patting her on the shoulder before turning to Zephyr. "Go ahead, bring out that phoenix of yours. I suspect this young lady's symptoms have something to do with it."
Following Alden's instructions, Zephyr retrieved the phoenix from his infinite pocket. The moment it was out, the phoenix glared at Zephyr with an indignant look, as if to say, "How dare you stuff a creature of my stature into that tiny space?"
"Sorry, I had no choice! It was an emergency!" Zephyr scratched his nose sheepishly, looking as though he were genuinely apologizing to the feathery diva.
The phoenix gave an annoyed huff and held its head high with unmistakable pride.
"Now, this is no ordinary bird," Alden observed, studying the phoenix intently, his expression tinged with surprise. "Look at those silver and golden feathers… This is a queen-class phoenix! Typically, only a queen phoenix would have feathers that shine like that."
Reika, utterly baffled, knitted her brows and asked, "So… what exactly does that mean?"
"To put it simply, it's preparing for rebirth," Alden said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "And by the looks of it, it's already chosen its 'mate.'"
"Its… mate?" Reika blinked in confusion, her cheeks immediately turning red. "Wait, no, that can't be right—I'm a girl too!"
The phoenix blinked at her with a fierce, almost offended look, as if to say, "Don't you dare question my concept of true love." Then, with a proud flutter, it pranced over to Reika's side, shamelessly rubbing its head against her leg like a love-struck puppy.
Reika stared down at it in shock, feeling its warmth against her leg but unsure of how to respond. "What… what's happening?"
Zephyr burst out laughing. "Looks like it genuinely likes you, Reika."
"Hey! Don't just stand there laughing—what's going on with this bird?" Reika shot a helpless look at Alden.
"Precisely as I said," Alden continued with amusement. "When a phoenix's feathers shift from silver and gold to pure gold, it's choosing a mate." As he pointed to the phoenix's feathers, Reika noticed they were indeed shifting, the silver gradually giving way to a dazzling gold, as if liquid sunlight were flowing over each feather.
Reika's face lit up with surprise as she stammered, "But… I'm not exactly equipped to hatch an egg!"
The phoenix, looking utterly pleased with itself, nestled against Reika with great affection. It clearly didn't care about any of these trivial concerns. Slowly, the golden liquid from its feathers began trickling down and settling over the wound on Reika's leg.
In an instant, Reika felt a comforting warmth flow through her foot. The pain from her wound disappeared entirely, replaced by a gentle sensation of harmony as the spiritual energy in her body stabilized. She glanced down and saw the golden liquid rapidly healing her injury, creating a balanced flow of energy within her.
"What is…?" Reika whispered in awe, relief washing over her.
The phoenix, radiating a soft glow, continued to transform. Its once reddish feathers were now a stunning golden hue, and it looked every bit the regal creature out of legends.
Before anyone could process what they were seeing, the phoenix abruptly stopped its display. A brilliant burst of light erupted, and—
A glittering golden egg landed softly at Reika's feet. The phoenix then shimmered with an intense golden light, spread its wings like a butterfly breaking free, and soared straight up into the sky.
"It's… it's transcended…" Alden murmured, looking astonished.
Zephyr, Sylas, and Isla were equally stunned, realizing they had just witnessed a phoenix's sacred transformation. The once-simple spirit bird had completed its rebirth, ascending to become a true phoenix.
"It flew away…" Reika whispered, her eyes following the golden streak that disappeared into the heavens.
Before it vanished, the phoenix had cast one last gaze back at her, filled with silent parting words that seemed to say, "Take care of my child, dear one."
Reika looked down at the radiant egg by her feet, her expression completely bewildered. "So… I'm really supposed to hatch this thing?"
"It seems the stars have chosen this for you, Reika," Zephyr chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief.
***
"Wow, so this is a phoenix rebirth? I'm witnessing history in real time!" Sylas was clutching his book with excitement, flipping through it as he muttered, "This is absolutely going into my cultivation diary! Nothing I've read in *Tales of the Immortals* comes close to this!"
"Should I remind you that cultivation diaries are meant for personal use, not to be published as historical documents?" Zephyr teased, his tone light but with a gentle smirk.
Meanwhile, Reika stared blankly at the golden phoenix egg lying on the ground. One of them was too thrilled, and the other too relaxed—it was enough to make her brain explode. "Hold on. Am I supposed to… hatch a phoenix? How would I even start? It's not like this is a chicken egg, and I'm definitely not a chicken mom!"
She gingerly placed her hand on the eggshell, feeling the powerful pulse of spiritual energy within. The energy was as steady as a heartbeat, sending a shiver down her spine. "Please, the biggest animal I've ever cared for was… a goldfish. And now I'm supposed to hatch a phoenix?"
"Hmm…" Isla interjected in her usual icy manner, arms crossed. "I think you should worry less about hatching it and more about whether it'll crack in your hands. Spirit beast eggs can have, well… attitudes, so don't go smacking it too hard." The subtle edge in her tone was hard to miss.
Reika felt even more flustered; Isla's warning made way too much sense, but she still muttered under her breath, "A moody egg? Should I sing it a lullaby?"
"Hatching a phoenix is a big project," Zephyr said with a smirk, his tone as close to reassuring as a tease could get. "Better be careful. We're talking about the top-tier ruler of spirit beasts. If you hatch it wrong and out comes a tiny monster instead of a phoenix, you're in for it."
Nearby, Alden Ravenshadow, the valley's famed healer, chuckled and shook his head like he was dealing with a bunch of clueless kids. He bent down, his gaze lighting up as he inspected the egg. "Kiddo, don't underestimate this egg. This is the egg of a phoenix queen—a spirit beast's crown jewel! These eggs appear maybe once in a millennium, brimming with spiritual energy like a mini energy vein. If you really manage to hatch it, it'll be the talk of the sect."
"Talk of the sect? More like the talk of every restaurant…" Reika muttered, picturing herself with a clingy phoenix demanding three gourmet meals a day, sampling every spirit dish in the sect.
"Just look at the steady flow of spiritual energy on this egg—it's anything but ordinary," Alden added, tapping the eggshell with a look of awe. "We might need Lord Alarion Ravenshadow himself to check this out. We can't have him missing out on this kind of spectacle."
"Lord Alarion?" Reika's heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling nervous. "Should I hide the egg before he arrives? What if he decides to take it?"
Alden laughed and waved her off. "Don't worry, our city lord's seen a lot in his day. He's hardly greedy. Besides, a phoenix queen chooses whom she's entrusted to. Do you think you could just shake it off that easily?"
"Entrusted… with an egg…" Reika sighed, feeling like she'd just been handed a lifetime of responsibility overnight. "This is seriously like being forced into early motherhood."
Zephyr chuckled and gave her a pat on the shoulder, his tone light. "Relax. Worst case scenario, if the egg cracks, it's more likely to be a baby chick than some mini-monster."
As everyone continued to chat around the egg, Reika suddenly felt a strange chill on her foot. Looking down, she saw that the spot where the phoenix's golden fluid had touched her was now a patch of deep gold. The area gleamed faintly, as though it had taken on the sheen of tarnished metal, and felt oddly heavy.
"Uh… what's happening to my foot?" Reika's voice wavered, the weight of her foot suddenly overwhelming her. "Why does it feel like it's locked in place?"
She tried to lift her leg, but the golden patch seemed as heavy as iron. Every step felt like she was dragging a lead ball, her movements sluggish and awkward.
Alden immediately crouched down to examine her foot, his brow furrowing. He studied her leg closely, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Strange. The golden liquid was supposed to heal your wound, not make your leg feel like a brick. The wound's fully healed, and your spiritual energy is balanced."
"But I swear, my foot feels like it's broken or… something," Reika replied helplessly, staring down at her foot. This whole situation was baffling beyond belief.
Sylas looked up from his book, adjusting his glasses thoughtfully. "Hmm… this sounds like certain metals left by high-tier spirit beasts. Smooth on the surface but heavy inside—it's a classic case of spiritual energy blockage, if I remember correctly."
"Energy blockage?" Zephyr raised an eyebrow, then grinned as he looked over at Reika. "Don't stress, it's nothing major. You'll probably get used to it in a few days—and who knows, it might even make you stronger."
"Stronger?" Reika gave a wry smile, feeling like Zephyr was joking with her. "What, so I'm just turning into some kind of… golden battle Barbie?"
From the side, Isla commented dryly, "If you actually did, I'd bet no one in the sect would dare cross you."
Reika rolled her eyes, muttering, "I'd rather no one cross me if it means dealing with this lead-foot nightmare…"
At that moment, Alden turned to his young assistant. "Go fetch Lord Alarion right away. With this egg and Reika's foot, I think he'll definitely want to see this."
The assistant nodded and rushed out the door, disappearing in moments to summon the city lord.