[The Phoenix Village - Street Level]
The journey toward the Queen's Shrine was imbued with a sense of anticipation. The streets were alive with the energetic chaos of ongoing preparations.
Everywhere, the Phoenix Kin were busy. Some perched gracefully atop sloping roofs, placing small clay figures of the Ancestral Queen on the eaves to oversee the celebrations. Others stayed on the ground, hanging glowing paper lanterns.
Yet, whenever Libinea passed by, all activity halted.
Those on the rooftops paused, nodding respectfully. Those on the ground stopped their tasks to offer a deep eshaku bow.
"The festival is nearing..." Libinea murmured.
There was a trace of sadness in her voice. However, she never let it show on her face. She maintained her regal bearing, her back as straight as steel, as she walked closer and closer to the place she once called home.
Upon arrival, they lingered outside the structure for a long moment.
"This is where I spent my childhood..."
The Shrine resembled a monument more than a home.
Its roof was tiled in stark obsidian, providing a sharp contrast to the support beams painted in a vibrant orange reminiscent of the purest flames.
Above the main entrance hung a massive plaque. The letters were rendered in black ink, written in the Ancient Phoenix Tongue. These runic characters extended down the pillars, pulsing faintly as they acted as both decoration and defensive wards.
The rest of the structure was made of aged Iron-Wood, grey and imposing.
They climbed the stairs and paused at the door.
Raiking observed Libinea's hand hesitate as she reached for the handle. It was a brief moment—a split second of reluctance hinting at a deeper burden—but she persevered.
CREAK.
The heavy doors groaned open.
The air that greeted them wasn't stale; it carried the faint, sweet scent of fresh flowers mixed with sandalwood incense.
"It seems the Elders have been maintaining this place..." Libinea whispered softly.
The interior was immaculate. It was just as she had left it a millennium ago. Paintings of the Five Peaks hung perfectly straight on the walls. A vase of fresh, vibrant orchids sat on the central table. Even the small meditation mat was meticulously placed by the window, catching the afternoon sun.
Libinea's gaze flickered to the mat.
For a moment, her expression tightened. She didn't speak of it. She didn't explain. She simply tore her eyes away, refusing to acknowledge its presence.
Instead, her gaze shifted left, focusing on the door to the study.
She didn't move forward. Instead, the sensation of Time Magic began to ripple through the air. Libinea brushed her hand across the space before her. Golden particles drifted from her fingertips to the ground, where they began to merge, materializing a smaller version of herself.
The projection of the little girl excitedly ran toward the door Libinea was staring at, flinging it open with a vibrant smile and exclaiming.
"Grandma, look at my painting!"
She proudly displayed a drawing of one of the Five Mountains from across the room.
At that moment, an illusion of Elder Wenya appeared, seated at a desk, smiling warmly at the little girl.
"What a beautiful drawing!" Wenya exclaimed, taking the paper in her hands. "We can hang it up once you're finished with your studies. Now, come along. We still have much to learn."
"Okay!" Young Libinea responded with a nod, sitting attentively beside Wenya.
The memory fast-forwarded slightly. Though the child was intensely listening to Wenya's lectures on history and etiquette, she couldn't help but steal glances at her drawing on the table.
"What is troubling you?"
Little Libinea hesitated. She fidgeted with her robes, then finally asked the question that had been buried in her heart.
"Grandma... when will I be able to go there myself?"
She pointed to the drawing of the mountain.
Wenya's smile faltered. She looked at the child with deep sadness, her mouth opening to deliver the answer that every Phoenix Queen before her had heard.
WHOOSHH.
Older Libinea waved her hand through the air, shattering the golden particles before Wenya could speak.
The scene dissolved into dust.
"I don't need to hear the answer," Libinea whispered, her voice strained. "I've already lived it."
She pivoted sharply to the right, facing the double doors that would open to the next chapter of her journey.
She pushed them open, allowing the lush air inside to be replaced by a gust of mountain wind. They stepped into a high-walled courtyard filled with battered wooden training dummies and racks of dulled Sun-Steel practice swords.
Golden particles of Time Magic began to swirl again, dancing at the center of the training grounds before forming a new scene.
This version of Libinea was older—a teenager in human years. She sat cross-legged on the stone floor, her skin flushed a deep, alarming red. Sweat sizzled as it dripped from her brow onto the hot pavement.
Towering over her with crossed arms was the projection of Elder Mushai.
"Concentrate," he commanded, his voice echoing from the past.
"I... I am trying..." Young Libinea gasped, her voice strained with effort.
Her pain was palpable. She was engaging in Solar Absorption—drawing the raw essence of the sun directly into her meridians.
This feat was only possible here, near the peak of the mountain, the only place on the continent outside the Divine Realm where one could be close enough to touch the heavens. It was the ideal forge for a Fire Magic user, especially a Phoenix.
But even the mightiest bird risks being burned if it flies too close to the sun.
Right now, Young Libinea, who was merely at the Foundation Stage, was battling to keep her body from turning to ash from the inside out.
"Just a little bit more," Mushai urged, watching the sun's position.
Young Libinea gritted her teeth. The veins in her neck bulged. She was trembling, resisting every instinct that screamed at her to stop.
Mushai began the countdown.
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
"Release."
"HAH!"
Young Libinea's eyes flew open as she exhaled a plume of smoke. She slumped forward, breathing raggedly, clutching her chest. She flexed her hands, opening and closing them, feeling the new, volatile energy coursing through her veins.
"You have done well, Libinea," Mushai praised, offering a rare smile. "If you keep absorbing the sun's heat at this pace... in another hundred years, you will be able to advance to the Ascension Stage."
Young Libinea managed a weak, hopeful smile.
"I will not fail..."
Failure was not an option. Her tribe lacked a true powerhouse. If any of the neighboring Kingdoms attacked now, the Phoenix Tribe would be wiped out, and who knew if the Skyward Region would offer any help at that time...
She needed to be strong. Even if it took a century to take a single step.
WHOOSH.
Older Libinea waved her hand through the air.
The golden particles shattered instantly. The image of the struggling girl and the proud teacher dissolved into the wind.
"A hundred years for a single stage..." Libinea murmured, looking at her hand. "I did not have that kind of time."
She reached into her robes and touched the cold surface of the Phoenix Pearl resting against her chest. She had bypassed the centuries of slow suffering by enduring a millennium of hell in the Void.
"I have accomplished my goal."
She turned away from the training field, the feathers on her robes swirling gracefully. Retracing her steps through the doors from which they had emerged, she headed back across the library toward the meditation mat she had previously ignored.
This was the final challenge she needed to face before she could genuinely move on.