Phoenix: Ashes of Life©

         It was a long day, I barely got rid of my last contract before he got rid of me. As I was walking through the Hunter's Hall with cuts and scars all over my body, victim's head in hand, to receive my reward, I fell upon the one thing I did not wish to see. In front of me stood his son, holding his father's blade in his hands. I noticed him in the cabin after I sliced the contract's throat, and again following me as I journeyed back to the Hall with his head. I didn't think much of it then, as he could have been anyone. When he started charging towards me, I knew my life had come to an end. I couldn't bring myself to draw my own blade against a child who has yet to see the good in life. I felt a sharp pain, one i was familiar with all too well, yet it was colder now. He had pierced my heart, and started twisting the blade. I fell almost instantly, regretting taking his fathers life and leaving an orphan alone in this cruel world. At that moment, I, Cedric Long, greatest Bounty Hunter in all of the world, was killed at the hands of a small child...

Chapter 1

A Lakeside Bed

         I was floating in the darkness after, with no idea how long ago it was since I died. It could have been minutes or even years. It's cold, and hard to breathe... So... Hard...
I get up quickly, gasping for air. I was lying with my face down in the water on the shore of what seems to be a lake, but how am I alive? I feel a chill as I start crawling away from the shore. Glancing down I see not my body, but the body of a young boy with burnt clothes. I wonder what he's been through, or rather, I should say what I have been through. I look out across the water to see a sight too beautiful to exist. The lake is a clear blue, while the sand around it sparkles golden. On either side lie mountains with trees whose leaves are like mirages with colors ranging from the deepest red, to the brightest of purples. The sky is as clear as the water below with two suns that shine green and blue. It would have been the most perfect sight if not for the black smoke rising on the opposite shore. I look down to where the smoke is coming from, and see the burnt husk of a village which was on fire not too long ago. Then things start to click, with memories coming back. In this life, that was my village, and I was Lucent Talonflame born to Gerta and Wulf Talonflame four years ago, which explained my small stature, however that was all I could remember. I stood up quickly as soon as I realized that my village, the one my parents raised me in, was now destroyed on the other side of the lake. I started running around, rushing to see if they were still alive, forgetting the previous life I had just left behind. I nearly trip on a burnt piece of driftwood which only increased my worry. The closer I got, the more potent the smell of burning meat and wood became, burning my eyes and causing me to cough. When I reached the edge of the village, I started shouting out for them, desperate to hear a reply, yet as I walked on, I started seeing bodies, burned beyond all recognition, with ashes of what was once their bones falling out of their mouths as the wind blew by, bringing the smell along with it, making it feel more and more futile. I saw what once could have been shops, now rubble. Everything was unrecognizable, save for a sign lying out in the street. Upon it were scratches of some unknown language. As the day came to end, and my exhaustion increased, I decided to crawl under a collapsed building for the night, and after getting comfortable, I fell asleep.
         I awoke to the sounds of voices outside my wooden cave, all male, and all desperately searching for something. Scared and confused, I try to back away only to knock over some debris behind me, causing me to yelp out of surprise.
         "I got something over here!" yells one of the voices. The rubble start shifting as they remove the wood and rocks I had crawled under, until light is pouring through. Out of one of the holes, I see what appears to be a bunch of short men, all with long beards tied in fashions that would make even a grown man laugh at them. Some of them are made to look like wild animals, while others look like plants and tools. They all stop lifting and stare when the biggest in the group walks towards me. His beard is in the shape of a bear's head, mouth open, as though as it's about to devour whatever it could get it's jaws on. I try to back away even further, only to hit a wall.
         "Well bless my beard," the big one says. "It's little Lucent! Oh my gods he survived!" Without warning, the entire group burst into tears, confusing me further. They seem to know who I am, which gives them the upper hand. The sounds of wailing could be heard even behind me, letting me know that I was surrounded. After what felt like decades, they started to calm down, and the one with the bear-shaped beard walks closer. He starts to reach for me, only to move his hands over his ears as I start yelling. No way am I going to let them touch me. As soon as I saw them reeling from my scream, I bolted, running between their legs heading for the forest on the outskirts of the ruined village. Just before I passed the last one, he grabs my arm, causing me to fall as the momentum carried me forward still.
         "Hold it lad, don't you remember us?" asks the one who prevented my escape. I look up to see that he had a golden beard in the shape of a bird wing. I shake my head in answer, afraid that if I try to talk that I couldn't.
         "Poor lad, must've been through quite a bit," says one with a hairy skull under his chin.
         "I could imagine. No child should witness a dragon attack," says another, one with an elk beard. I start fighting Bird's grip as Bear steps forward, eyeing me.
         "The last time I saw you, you could barely walk," he says, "so it would be no wonder if you forgot me." I keep struggling for those words could just as easily be lies. He keeps getting closer as he talks. "My name is Hrothmïr. I'm your godfather and these are my friends. We are dwarfs, men of the mountain mines." He's right in my face now. "As per what your father has asked, I shall take you in. Vïmro, take note, Hätvi has fallen." So that's the name of the one holding me. When I scanned the husk of which was once home, I knew that I have no other option but to follow him. It is now I realize how hungry I am. In my other life, it was normal for me to go for days without food as I stalked contracts, so I forgot how much I needed to eat now that I was a child once more. The hunger became to much, and I passed out, falling towards my new guardian, Hrothmïr.

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         I'm slow to get up, for the pain running through my body is unbearable. I open my eyes slowly, not knowing what awaits me when I wake. Looking around, I see that I am in a cabin which is just big enough for a small family. In the corner beside me is a bookcase filled completely with the same strange writing of this world. Next to it is a window, showing the shadows of trees meaning that I have been asleep for a full day. On the other side of the bed is a small desk with a bowl of what appears to be soup, but with a greenish tint to it. Another bed is on the opposite side of the room, with the covers strewn about lazily. Behind it is a half open door, from which I can hear faint whispers. I head over to see the dwarfs sitting around a fireplace and telling stories. Staying back, I hear about adventures and battles filled with tales of fairies and dragons. What type of world is this? I'm so entranced by the tales of grandeur that I wander closer to hear better.
         "Now creeping up to him, I thought he hadn't noticed me. I brought up my sword just as the beast turned around, flame spewing out of his nostrils. He was not happy to see me, so I duck over behind the nearest rock just as-" Silence fell upon the room as they all turned around. I had unknowingly kicked one of the mugs that they had discarded earlier.
         "Lucent!" yelled Hrothmïr. He turned his head back towards the rest of the group. "Could you all leave for a moment? I don't want him to feel overwhelmed." They all stood up, leaving the cabin one by one. "Now then lad, tell me, do you remember anything from the attack?" I shake my head, still too afraid to talk. He pats the side of the couch motioning for me too sit down next to him. "Do you know why a dragon would even want to attack your village? Be truthful now," his tone getting serious. Again, I shake my head. Hrothmïr took a deep breath, then asked if I was sure.
         "Yes," I manage to squeak out. There was a long moment of silence while he thought of what next to say. It was clear he has never had a child before. During this time, I looked at my surroundings. To the right of me was the door I had just come through, and behind the couch was the front door. Above it was a stained glass window with a depiction of a phoenix flying above the twin suns of this world. On my left is a wall with mounted heads, some of which I could identify, while others looked just plain bizarre. Next to the fireplace is a door that is open just enough for me to peer in. From what I could see, it was either a bathroom or a kitchen going by the sink. Above the fireplace is a picture with two people in fancy dress, a man and a woman, and the dirty form of Hrothmïr. It looks strange however, as it wasn't painted, but instead looked as if it grabbed the moment right out of time. Apparently he saw me looking at it as he got off the couch and picked it up.
         "I remember this. This was taken by a photomancer we hired during your parents wedding. They never really did like me coming in my work clothes," he commented laughing. I finally see what my parents in this world look like. My father had a head of wild orange hair tipped in red, and my mother had these deep crimson eyes that looked to be filled with fire. Judging by how they looked at Hrothmïr, it was clear that they didn't approve of his clothing choice.
         "You know, there is a town nearby. What say you and I find us some better clothes tomorrow?" I look down and see the ragged items that I had draped over me, looking as though they could fall off at any moment, and agree. After talking a while, the others start filing in, tired of waiting. Hrothmïr tells them that he's tired and heads into the only bedroom, bringing me along after seeing me yawn. The instant he gets into bed, he starts snoring, and what a weird snore it was. It sounds as though a cat is dragging his claws against an angry chalkboard in the middle of a classroom filled with screaming kids. I climb into the other, and after lying down for a while, I fall into the darkness of slumber. In my dreams, I see Wulf and Gerta, reading to me, and playing with me. These must be memories from this life, I think to myself. Suddenly, everything goes dark, save for the glint of a blade, one I have seen before. It was the dagger of the child who killed me in the previous life. I feel it go through me again, except I don't feel the coldness of death, but I feel like I'm burning alive. That's when everything goes white.
         I wake up to the smell of burning. I jumped out of bed and rushed outside, only to see Vïmro over a fire, attempting to cook what appears to be a large boar, but with feathers instead of hair. Past him are the rest of the dwarfs leaving the forest carrying buckets of water. Among them is Hrothmïr who, at the sight of the burning animal, drops his buckets and rushes over.
         "Blast it! Take the bloody thing off you blundering oaf!" he yelled. A dwarf with an elk beard ran over with his buckets, and attempted to save what meat was left, only to trip over Hrothmïr's bucket and dousing himself. The scene that was playing out right in front of me was too funny to handle, and I burst out laughing, surprising all the dwarfs who didn't notice me.
         "Morning kid! How'd ya sleep?" said Hrothmïr.
         "Well, until I smelled that awful cooking. I thought creatures with feathers were supposed to be plucked before putting them over a fire?" I replied. They all went silent and stared at me as if seeing me for the first time. Perhaps I said something I shouldn't have? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to criticize your cooking Mr. Vïmro."
         "Think nothing of it. It's just..." he starts.
         "We thought ya couldn't talk." finished the dwarf with the elk beard, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Thought that after the incident, ya would've been too scared to." Fair enough, though it wasn't because I was scared, I just didn't trust you.
         "I'm supposin' we sh' introduce ourselves," said the skull bearded man. "I'm Corvo."
         "Feginicus, at your service," said one with a leaf beard.
         "If it's not obvious, I'm Elkbeard," said the one who tripped.
         "Hathis' the name," another, the smallest with an ax shaped beard, said.
         "Gal, would be me," said one with a beard in the form of a mutton.
         "You've already met Vïmro and I," said Hrothmïr. "So that should be all of us." I looked around at them all, going through their names in my head. My gaze eventually landed back on the boar thing, which was burnt through.
         "I think breakfast is ruined." I said calmly, motioning to everyone to look at the fire pit. A long sigh could be heard from Hrothmïr, a clear sign of his agitation.
         "Vïmro, go get another one, and next time, let me do the cooking."

         After breakfast, we packed up to continue on our journey. The trek took us nearly a week, during which, Elkbeard was prohibited from cooking. He spent the whole time mumbling, "Don't see why his cooking is any better than mine," and, "Anyone could've made that mistake."
At the end of our expedition through the woods, we came across a sign with the weird writing I saw back at Hätvi.
         "Ekio, five miles. We're getting close, not much longer now."