Vurs fist crashed through the purple barrier, shattering it into thousands of tiny pieces. A gust of cold air surged past the group, causing the two phoenixes to shudder. Tafel took a step back and shivered, a chill running down her spine. It wasnt just the cold. There was sothing about the air that made her want to retreat. She took a step to the side, blocking half her body with Vurs. She peered through the hole left behind by the destroyed barrier and frowned. There were dozens of bones belonging to various birds. White frost coated the surface of the bones, causing them to appear sharp and jagged.
Are those phoenix bones? Emile asked and gulped. He flapped his wings once before settling them back against his sides, not caring about the fact he threw the Recordkeepers hair into disorder. But thats impossible! When phoenixes die, they turn to ashes and co back to life!
Is it because theyre frozen? Susan asked. Maybe the temperature was too low for them to burst into flas.
Do the two of you really think phoenixes are immortal? the Recordkeeper asked, her head shifting from Emile to Susan. If that were really the case, where did the phoenixes go? If they were immortal, they would be the only creatures left in existence. Theyd reproduce nonstop, and eventually, thered be enough phoenixes to blot out the sun.
But, but our mom told us so, Emile said. If we die, well burst into flas, beco ash, and co back to life as a baby.
Yes, youll burst into flas, turn to ash, and from your ashes, youll be reborn, the Recordkeeper said. But what do you think will happen if your ashes are scattered before you can be reborn? What do you think will happen if youre unable to burst into flas? Its possible for phoenixes to live forever, sothing that very few creatures can boast about, but that doesnt an its impossible for your existence to cease.
Emile fell silent. Theres other creatures that can live forever too?
So jellyfish, so turtles, so flatworms. Its really not that impressive when you think about it, the Recordkeeper said. Phoenixes are just known for it because most of the other creatures that can live forever live in the ocean. They just arent noticed.
Were only as special as turtles? Emile asked, his voice drifting off. His head hung downwards, and his tail drooped. A mont later, he raised his head. Ill show you ceasing to exist! If I lt the ice, I can bring all these phoenixes back to life! He flapped his wings and jumped off the Recordkeepers shoulder. He took in a deep breath and exhaled out a giant ball of phoenix flas. They surged into the hole and washed over the frozen bones, but nothing happened.
Emile frowned. What kind of ice is this?
If it was cold enough to prevent the phoenixes from bursting into flas, what makes you think youll be able to lt it with your flas? the Recordkeeper asked. Youre not even an adult yet. If you want to lt this ice with your own ability, youll have to be even stronger than your mother.
Emile snorted. Susan, get over here and help . He glared at Tafel. You too!
Susan jumped off of the Recordkeepers shoulder and landed on the ground underneath Emile. Tafel frowned, but she went over to the two phoenixes and summoned so phoenix flas around her. She glanced at Vur. You learned a few skills from Minerva, right? Help us thaw these bones out.
Vur scratched his head. I thought you didnt want to create the bonfire anymore, he said. He shrugged and exhaled. Phoenix flas filled the cavern and the tunnel behind him, bathing the whole place in flas.
Emile and Susan glanced at each other. How co Vurs a better phoenix than us when hes a dragon? Susan asked.
Who cares? Emile rolled his eyes. He focused on a set of bones in the corner and blew out a jet of flas. Susan shrugged and copied Emile, focusing on the sa set of bones as him. Tafel added her flas as well, and the set of bones couldnt be seen underneath the flas.
The Recordkeeper fanned herself with her hands and wings, but she couldnt stop her skin from turning red or stop the beads of sweat from forming on her forehead. She glanced around. The ice didnt seem to be thawing. A burning pain struck her wing, and she let out a yelp. Hey, Vur! Be careful with your flas!
Vur turned his head. He blinked at the Recordkeeper. That wasnt , he said. He pointed a little to the left of the winged woman. One of your wings is missing.
Huh? The Recordkeeper turned around. Nearly all of her right wing was gone. All that remained was a bleeding stump with a few feathers dangling off of it. Blood dripped to the ground as the Recordkeeper stared in silence. Under everyones gaze, she poked the bloody stump and flinched. She raised her head. I know I didnt use it much, but losing a wing is still a major bumr.
Is that all you have to say? Tafel asked. Is this a regular occurrence? Why dont you sound the least bit concerned? How the heck did you even lose a wing?
The Recordkeeper sighed. You guys created such a big fire even after knowing it could attract a kirlopion. I did tell you kirlopions are invisible. If you put two and two togetherwhich is quite hard for you, Im surebut if you tried really hard, youd co to the conclusion that a kirlopion ate my wing.
Emile gulped and looked around. There was no sign of a kirlopion anywhere. With the flas Vur had spread around, it shouldve displaced so, revealing its rough location. Since he couldnt find the kirlopion anywhere, he took the best course of action he could think of. He flew towards Tafel and dug his way into her robes despite her protests, hiding himself from view. What are you waiting for? he shouted. Get us out of here!
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