The+Death+of+the+Phoenix

He was causing too much trouble. Shaking up too much dust. While she had wanted him to suffer for an eternity, there was too much at stake in allowing him to live. There were events being set in motion, and that meant she needed him out of the picture entirely. She knew it had to be done. Madame Cho had already found out his true name, and she knew that would unlock him from the curse she’d placed on him so many years before. And if that happened, it would ruin her plans completely.

While it had taken many years of research to figure it out, she’d come to the conclusion that she could, in fact, kill him. It was not something she wanted to do, per se, since death seemed to be a quick and easy way out of his punishment, but, seeing as there was nothing else she could do, she figured she would make it painful for him. Killing him included pushing him out of the void, and into another plane of existence. That would be difficult for most, but not her. With the ability she’d possessed since birth, she’d been able to knock him right into the other world, and transport herself there as well.

The plane, Huorna, familiar to Aglæca, would be the place of the Phoenix's death. She thought it only fitting, seeing as it had been the plane where she’d hidden Sethos’ body all those years ago, only to destroy it later on, and free herself from his grasp. It had not been an easy task to complete, she’d almost died during the process of releasing herself, but she’d done it, giving herself true freedom. Now, she would grant herself freedom from the figure who for so long had been a source of many unresolved problems for her.

She waited for the curse to be broken in the shadows, letting him to rise like the great phoenix he was. She watched from the ground as he ascended, flames beneath his mighty wings. Her fingers were placed upon a bow, and she drew back an arrow. The bow was not one made of man, but of magic. On it were carvings in an ancient tongue. Whispering the enchantment that would ensure she not miss her mark, she let the arrow fly. There was a short time where it seemed to travel in slow motion. She held her breath, waiting for the moment she had so long desired. The arrow hit the great beast in the center of his breast, and he fell, undoubtably feeling a great deal of pain. She was sure he’d suffered before, but not like this. This sort of torment could only be felt by one who was about to die. He hit the ground hard, the grass beneath him was torn up and scorched. But, he was not yet dead, this Aglæca had ensured before hand. An arrow would have been far too impersonal. She needed more then that; she longed for comfort. Walking forward, toward the beast who had not yet shifted back to his human form, Aglæca smirked.

“You pathetic being,” she sneered, walking around him without a trace of fear, “You were once so great, or so I heard. What has happened to you?" The guardian looked up at her, confusion evident in his eyes. He’d never seen her before, so of course he’d have no idea what she was doing.

“I suppose I should introduce myself,” Aglæca continued on, not giving the guardian a chance to make a sound, “I am Aglæca Vindica now, but I was not always. I was once a young, weak girl called Seema, who hailed from the settlement known as Potentatus. You may not remember it, it was destroyed many years ago, by causes unknown.” His eyes followed her as she moved around him, trying to figure her out. When she mentioned the name ‘Potentatus’ his eyes widened.

“Oh, so you remember it?” she questioned him, “How strange. You never seemed to care about it, at least, not back when I lived there. Were you simply too preoccupied? Too busy to care about the people who suffered there?” The beast opened its mouth, as if to argue with her, but it would do him no good.

“Don’t you dare speak,” threatening him, Aglæca took a knife from off of her belt, the same knife had dripped with the blood of her parents, as well as her own, and knelt down, holding it by his throat, “This is //my// time. While you were out, caring for others, my people died. Do you know how many young women died because of you? How many baby girls were killed by their fathers because of their gender, without a chance of life? Do you realize what they were doing to them? Doing to us?” Her voice cracked on the word ‘us’. Although she had intended to keep her emotions in check, they were beginning to pour out of her, and she was not able to contain them.

“My mother died at the hands of my very own father, and he got away with it, because he claimed it was the honorable thing to do! To ‘save’ our family from the spoiled mind of a crazed woman! I was beaten every single night by the same man, and that was not punishable by law! I was given scars to remember what I was; a worthless little //menda// who should have considered the fact that I was still able to take breath a blessing! And the worst part of it was that my story is not even out of the ordinary! There were hundreds of others who shared the same exact backstory! The only difference is that //I// was able to haul myself out of that life, and take power for myself! That is the only thing that separates me from the others! Was that not worth your time? Did you have more important things to do, more important people to protect?” She was on the verge of tears now, and her entire body was shaking. This was not how she’d planned for this to go. She’d planned to make him suffer, but she’d never meant to let herself get so worked up.

The guardian stared at her, as if pleading. She could see there was pity in his eyes, but she wanted none of that. She did not want his pity, or his sympathy. She wanted him to suffer, just as she had.

“It does not matter now, for my people are dead. There is nothing you can do that will fix the wrongs you committed. For you, there is only suffering and death. The curse that was placed on you so long ago should have been enough, but now, with the situation the way it is, I have no choice but to end your miserable life,” she seethed, “Is it not fair? That I end your life, just as your indifference ended the lives of so many?” She moved the knife from his throat, to right above his heart. Her heart was beating like the drum in her chest, and she took one last look at the savior who had never come to her aid.

His eyes watched her, and she could see the terror in them. But, she could see something else too, which unnerved her completely. She saw regret, as well as forgiveness. She almost could not bring herself to do it; to end his life. But she knew she had to kill him. A part of her screamed that he would forgive her, take her into his open arms. But the other side, the louder of the two, knew that if she wanted to carry out her plan, she would have to end him. That even his forgiveness and regret would never be enough.

Without thinking about it, she plunged the knife into his heart. There was a great burst of light, along with a surge of heat, and she flew backwards, her back hitting hard against one of the trees. Tumbling back to the ground, she didn’t dare look up, for fear she’d be blinded. Minutes passed, and she opened her eyes slowly, to find the area had been cleared, and ash surrounded her. She was covered in soot now, it fell in her hair, and encrusted her face. She’d done it; the Guardian of the South was no more. However, Aglæca did not celebrate. She did not feel the rush of joy she had felt when she’d killed her father. She only felt a great numbness sweep over her body. Trying to get to her feet, she found she had trouble standing, and went back down onto the ground in an instant.

Tears trailed down her ash covered cheeks, leaving their mark. She covered her face with her hands, and she began to weep. Over what exactly, she was unsure. Perhaps the wounds that the event had brought to light, the nightmares that still haunted her, or the memory of the Phoenix looking at her like no one ever had. Whatever the reason though, it made no difference. She sat there, crying openly, for the first time in a very long time.