Bebak and Ranzak sat in stunned silence, their minds reeling as they processed the tale Phoenix had shared. The truth of the Mastrom race—its dark obsession with evolution and progress at any cost—was almost too much to bear.
Bebak broke the silence, his voice filled with a mix of disbelief and anger. "So, you're telling us… you're the last arcane rune ever produced? Then what about the other five? Where are they? Are they alive, like you?"
Phoenix's expression shifted suddenly. It wasn't anger or despair. It wasn't even sadness. It was a face of complete uncertainty—a kind of emptiness that unsettled them both. He finally replied, his voice calm but distant. "As I said, Bebak and Ranzak, I remember my life… but you're not ready to hear it all yet."
Bebak stood abruptly, his fists trembling. "Not ready? You think you can just drop breadcrumbs and leave us in the dark? Do you know how many questions are eating at us right now? Do you know what you've done to us? Thanks to you, we're a race clinging to survival—only our intelligence keeping us alive. You think that makes us better than humans?"
He stepped closer, his voice rising with every word. "No, Phoenix, I don't feel 'better.' I wish I were normal like my brother, Noah. Humans don't have brains like ours, but at least they build things. They live peacefully. Look at us! If we hadn't dug up that cursed orb, we'd still have bodies—still have lives that weren't on borrowed time! Do you know how it feels to live in constant fear of death, to know your body is a ticking clock? Do you?"
Phoenix's eyes softened, but Bebak wasn't done. "And you? You call yourself a victim of the Mastrom? You claim you wanted to stop the rune experiments? Don't make me laugh! You weren't a hero. You were a pawn. You thought you were clever, stealing files and prying into secrets. But all they did was use your ambition against you. You fell into their trap like a child chasing candy!"
Ranzak tried to interject, but Bebak raised a hand to silence him. "You say we aren't ready to hear your story? Fine. Keep your secrets, Phoenix. But don't you ever tell us we aren't ready again. We might not be as 'advanced' as your people were, but we have something you lost long ago: a heart. We care about life, about each other. Can you say the same?"
Bebak stormed out, his anger radiating like heat.
Ranzak stayed behind, his face calm but his tone sharp. "Bebak's right, you know. You talk about the Mastrom like they were monsters, but where do you think that hunger for power came from? It was in you too, Phoenix. Even now, I can see it in your face when you talk about the runes. Jealousy. Ambition. You wanted power, just like they did."
Phoenix lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're right, Ranzak. I thought I could outsmart them. I thought I could stop them. But I was blind. My greed for knowledge blinded me, and I became their perfect test subject. I thought I was winning… but I wasn't. I lost everything."
He paused, tears streaming down his face. "When the transformation began, I was unstable. The power to turn a man into a rune was too great to control. I released energy waves that burned my home to ash. My wife, my son, my people… all gone. My race didn't die because of the experiments. They died because of me."
Ranzak's voice softened. "And yet you lived."
"I lived," Phoenix said bitterly, "but not as a man. I became the sixth and final arcane rune—a process that wasn't even complete. I turned into a tree, rooted in place, unable to move or speak. I thought I was dying. But then…"
He hesitated, his voice trembling. "Then there was blood. A battle between Homo sapiens spilled rivers of blood onto the ground. My roots absorbed it. And somehow, it woke me. I wasn't fully transformed, but I was alive again. And when I saw two of those sapiens cowering in fear, I wanted to help them. A branch extended from me, piercing them, gifting them powers they couldn't fathom. And so… the druids were born."
Ranzak absorbed this quietly. "Do you regret it, Phoenix?"
Phoenix nodded. "Every moment. I never wanted to ruin anyone's life, but I did. Even now, I haven't atoned for it. I don't know if I ever can."
Ranzak leaned forward, his voice firm but kind. "Then help us. Truly help us. Give us the knowledge we need to undo the damage—yours and the Mastrom's. Build teams. Teach us. Share your science, your healing techniques. Let's make this world better, together."
Phoenix looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "You'd give me that chance?"
"You have one chance, Phoenix Tarmon. Don't waste it."
From behind the wall, Bebak, who had been listening, smiled quietly.
Six Months Later
Phoenix's transformation had begun. His body was fading, bark overtaking flesh. Yet he worked tirelessly until the end. He taught the druids how to build, how to heal, how to thrive. His final days were spent surrounded by those he had saved—and those who had saved him in return.
On his last day, Bebak and Ranzak sat by his side. "You've done more than enough, old friend," Ranzak said, his voice heavy with emotion.
Phoenix smiled weakly. "Thank you… for giving me this chance. Kiss little Ghoba for me, will you? I can finally rest. Suisedh… Lachthi… I'm coming home."
And with those final words, Phoenix became a massive ash tree, his branches stretching toward the heavens. Bebak, Ranzak, and the druids wept as they said their goodbyes to the one who had both cursed and blessed their race.
6 Months Until A.R.P. Manifestation
6 Years and 4 Months Until the Great H.D.W. Breaks