Edited by KitWulf                                         15-5-2021

*

"Let her go, Lucas. She needs some time to cool off." Andreas still held on to Lucas's shoulder as he let his own slump forward, letting out a deep sigh.

"I don't think that's it, Andreas. I think the Phoenix has been talking to her and it knows more than we do. She wasn't angry when she left. Trust me, I know the difference. That vacant look in her eyes when she asked 'When'? That question wasn't directed at Sloan." Lucas brushed Andreas's hand away and gave him a small nod as he headed to the door.

"Don't let her leave just yet, Lucas." He paused momentarily, turning his head to the Druid as he spoke... "I have more valuable information. Things she needs to hear and needs to know."

"I'm betting she has something to tell us as well..." With that Lucas exited the room to find Azura out in the hallway.

She was sitting on the floor, back against the wall with her head between her knees. As Lucas approached she moved her head upward and looked him straight in the eye with a small stupid grin on her face. Her voice, on the other hand, sounded bland and emotionless.

"Two to four months. If we're lucky it's four. It will start small but we don't know where the first fissure will appear. The moment it happens is when we'll know. Well, that's when it knows and it will tell me." Azura paused and looked away as she took in a deep breath. "I have to fight. You understand that right? I have no choice in the matter, it was made for me a long time ago."

Lucas sat down next to her and took her clammy hand into his own. As nervous as she had seemed earlier in the office to as calm as she was now...it didn't add up. Her skin was slightly sweaty as if she'd just had a massive panic attack, yet her eyes held serene peace within them. He felt her calmness radiating to himself and with how she looked at him, he knew she'd already accepted it. The only thing he could do was go with it and the longer he touched her skin, the more at ease he was starting to feel.

The mark on his forearm tingled softly as her hand grazed past it. He watched her gaze travel down to it while her fingers gently traced the feather outline. The more she touched it, the more he could feel her as if there was an invisible connection between them. It was warm and comforting, coiling around him, pinching his skin and insides and making him feel completely at peace. He could feel the tiny sparks dancing around in his stomach as her feelings and acceptance transferred to him.

"You can feel it can't you?" The smile on her face grew wider as she got to her knees and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "It's the Phoenix's doing."

"I do. Is this...what it felt like with Nora?" Lucas shifted, resting his arms on his knees as Azura squatted in front of him. Her blue eyes penetrated his and she cocked her head to the side slightly as if a bird. She gave it some thought and shook her head.

"No. This is...different. More temporary. This comes and goes as needed. With Nora, there was a permanent connection that only grew in intensity. It made us understand each other but it didn't let us share emotions and feelings like what just happened." Azura got up and extended her hand to help him get to his feet.

"This is also what happened when we kissed in the rain the other day right? When for a change, I was the one to pass out after the vision." She let out a quick laugh at his remark and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her head against his chest. Lucas embraced her back and slowly stroked the back of her head.

"You're right." Azura broke the hug and her azure eyes found his emerald again. Lucas could swear he saw shimmers of red dancing in between the blue.

"Why only now?" It was one of the biggest questions he had. "Why did it only inform you now? Why not be upfront with it from the beginning? We could have prepared more than we can now."

Her head cocked to the side, the red in her eyes became more prominent as it wasn't she who answered. "The human brain is meant to host but one aware being. A supernatural mind has more space but needs to be gently introduced and eased into it. In order to keep one from breaking down or destroying itself because there's an overload, we take it slow."

The red in her eyes returned to just flakes dancing around in the blue. The Phoenix was still there in the background but Azura was now in control as was before.

"It's trying to keep me alive."

"Trying?" As he asked, she threw her arms around him, burying her nose in his neck, and inhaled deeply.

"It knows a lot but it doesn't know the outcome." She mumbled as she kept inhaling his scent.

Lucas embraced and did the same to her; burying his nose into the crook of her neck to let her scent calm him. He wanted to ask more but with the way she was answering he knew there wasn't a lot more information he would get from her. Eventually, he pushed her away from him and gestured to the office they had emerged from earlier.

"We should go back. Sloan has more surprises for you plus you need to tell them about the...threat...that faces us." Azura nodded and held his hand as they re-entered the office.

Andreas was pacing furiously around the room while having a heated discussion with Sloan. The moment Lucas closed the door behind him, a little too loud, the large Alpha spun around and immediately stopped talking. He cleared his throat and seemed a bit uncomfortable, like a kid being caught stealing candy. Azura didn't seem to pay any attention and just sat down as if nothing were going on. Lucas glanced at Sloan who just raised his shoulders. Following Azura's example, Lucas simply sat down as well while saying nothing and waited for Andreas to follow suit, which he soon did.

"We were just having a discussion on what to do when these things emerge." Sloan broke the silence with a soothing and calm voice. "Andreas is convinced we can somehow stop it from even happening and doesn't want to inform other leaders and druids. I, on the other hand, believe there is nothing we can do until it happens, and even then probably stand no chance. I think it's best to come out with this information so the world can be prepared. Of course, that would mean exposing you and the Phoenix as well, Azura."

Lucas noticed how Andreas had to bite his tongue. The Alpha was clearly frustrated and didn't seem to share Sloan's ideas at all.

"We have two to four months. There is nothing you guys can do before that. There is nothing you can do after that either." Azura spoke up and with enough authority to silence everyone. Lucas felt the power drip from her and was surprised Andreas didn't seem to react to it this time. "These things are molded from darkness and shadows. They can materialize and disappear at will, move unseen between the shadows, and possess people and animals alike. It can even manifest and possess trees, plants...anything that actually lives. Last time the Phoenix faced them they were almost brought to extinction, hence why the druids believed them to be gone forever. The Phoenix is the only thing capable of killing them. This is going to be my fight. The only thing you can do is to inform people of the severe importance so they can keep the area clear for me to fight. Once I do start to fight, the Phoenix will most likely take over and it will not take into account who's good and who's bad."

The way she spoke and how he had seen the Phoenix so close to the surface in her eyes made Lucas doubt who was actually talking. It wasn't fully Azura but it wasn't fully the Phoenix either. The tactic seemed to work as Andreas had seemingly calmed down. This time around, it wouldn't be them calling the shots and that fact was deeming in on both Andreas and Sloan.

"It looks like the Phoenix needed a jog at its memory to wake up and now you know more about this than us." Azura actually softly growled at the tall slender man as he spoke up, which he ignored completely. "I want to tell you more about what I've discovered though. About what transpired three hundred years ago."

Lucas intently watched Azura move and react to Sloan. She was rather difficult to read right now as she seemed to shift between who was in control. Andreas and Sloan probably had no idea what was going on but Lucas could tell the difference by even her smallest movements. The growl was most definitely coming from the Phoenix but she seemed to have pushed it back as Sloan began talking about past events. When Lucas was sure she would actually listen he relaxed and focused on Sloan who had started talking already.

"These two men were you and Nora's ancestors. The werewolf speaks for itself, but the human must have been yours. The unlikely friendship between them, especially for that time and age, must have been the source for their ability to attack and eventually kill the Phoenix of their time. They had no idea of why the Phoenix came just as we didn't. They saw the Phoenix as a threat just like us. I found the logbook written by Nora's ancestor describing the whole event and aftermath. The writer believed that his friend had perished by the Phoenix but he made a remarkable recovery within minutes. After they killed the Phoenix, they made a pact together that if anything like this was to ever happen again, their blood would join forces again to defeat it."

Sloan looked up from his hands and directly at Azura who edged forward a little.

"You know what this is right? This is the making of the blood bond that you and Nora had. Their friendship, unfortunately, didn't last long after that. Like now, the Phoenix knew its true purpose and like now, it had manifested itself in a person to fulfill that purpose. Your ancestor had died and was reborn by the Phoenix which had manifested itself in him. Just like what is going on with you. The creatures of darkness emerged soon after and the Phoenix was quick to respond. The power of it was, unfortunately, too much for your ancestor to handle. It drove him mad, he became angry, dangerous, and unpredictable. The werewolf had to watch his friend slowly descend into madness. Back then they had no idea what was going on until the Phoenix showed itself a second time, now from within your ancestor. It defeated and disposed of the threat, destroying almost half of the country in doing so."

Professor Sloan took a small and fragile notebook from his bag and placed it on the table. The cover was worn down and the pages had turned yellow. He shoved it to Azura and she took it without opening it yet. As she stared at the book she let her fingers softly trace the cover. Sloan continued his story.

"In the end, Nora's ancestor had to kill his friend in order to prevent him from destroying more. The bloodlust, the anger, and the power of the Phoenix had wiped his friend from existence. The body was a mere shell but the soul was consumed. The book might provide you with more insight."

Sloan paused and softly tapped the table with his fingernails, making Azura look up from the notebook to him.

"Azura, if you go to fight, you know the chances of coming back are minimal right? Once you experience the true power of the Phoenix, once it takes over, it will be almost impossible to come back. The Phoenix, even though part of you, still is a dangerous thing. It still has its own goal and purpose and it will stop at nothing to reach it."

Lucas's blood turned to ice. Someone could have punched him right in the face and it would've hurt less. At the mere idea that the Phoenix would completely consume her, he felt sick to his stomach. Azura had always craved and longed for violence and killing in her nightmares and she had even admitted it felt good and satisfying when she had actually killed people. The talks they had about it also showed her darker side had become stronger ever since the Phoenix had become part of her. As the realization that she might actually turn evil and mad hit him, he felt his stomach turn upside down.

Lucas swallowed hard and put his head down, supported by his hands resting on his knees hoping the nauseous feeling would pass. He wanted to be there for Azura but as he glanced at her she seemed to hold up better than he was.

"Someone might need to kill me just as was done with my ancestor." The feeling of needing to throw up was gone in a flash as Azura spoke up. She sounded so cold and distant he barely recognized her. She met his surprised gaze and kept their eyes locked together as she continued. "Don't hesitate."

A dagger twisting and turning in the gut would hurt less. She broke eye contact with him and repeated herself to Andreas and Sloan.

"If needed, kill me. Don't hesitate. If you do, I will most likely kill you first." Like every word was meant for him. He was most likely the one to be with her if it were to happen. There was no guessing as to where they would be. It could be here, it could be in another country.

"For now though, we have time. I have to go to Norbury first. I need to see where I came from, where my mother came from. I need to settle things with the blue-eyed snow leopards and..." She looked at Lucas briefly with a baffled look in her eyes before it turned to one that actually gave him shudder. "the overgrown big-ass snow leopards."

She looked rather smug with her herself as she nicknamed them. Lucas raised an eyebrow and sighed softly at her knowing all too well she had made up her mind about what to call his kind of snow leopards. He was more concerned with her attitude change as she didn't seem bothered at all after announcing they would have to kill her if she went psycho. Something he hoped wouldn't happen. Or rather, he hoped the Phoenix wouldn't allow it to happen.