Chapter 22 – The Guardian Phoenix Evolves

  "Screw our ag hearts. We made the best decision in this chaotic situatio me tell you something I realized long before we sent that dot. The truth is, I would have arrahis e even if we weren't in this situation," she said, staring at me with narrowed eyes.

  "Don't even think about judging me. You would have cluded the same thing. Would you want to offer our children as odities to whoever had the most money and wao buy them? I couldn't bear to see my daughter desired in that way. Do you know what happens when nobility has an arranged e? On the girl's ing-of-age birthday, she must mate the act with her fiancé to bee an adult. But here, she will have the freedom to choose when she is ready to bee a woman. We won't o rush anything. As for the boys... you know what happens. Nathan would either marry a young girl if he was lucky or an old hag if the situation worsened and the Wolves took over without deg to kill him. He would face the same thing as my daughter, forced to grow up quickly because he is a man. If his fiancée were an adult, he would be forced to bee an adult too... you uand me," she said.

  Listening to her words filled me with rage at the mere thought of such a situation.

  "I'm talking about a sario where we would have to yield to the nobility due to this crisis. They are already seen as livestock for reprodu and geing heirs. Now we hold the key to their innoce. Everything will happen naturally when they decide it's time," she said, holding my hand and looking into my eyes.

  "I feel terrible for what we've done, but if that had to happen, I would feel even worse and perhaps wouldn't be able to bear it..." I said.

  "Now you uand? This is the best oute. Our decision protected our children from vultures. We may have taken away their choice, but that doesn't mean there's no room for true love. Just as I fell in love in this pce, they too. After this bitter blow of losing our loved ones... these two represent our future. They are the future of the Evenhart family and will bring joy back to this pce. I already imagihis pce filled with my grandchildren," she said, ughing.

  I looked at her with a goofy expression. Outside that throne, when no one else was around, she returo being my simple friend. The price of sitting on that chair is high, and she o be someone who makes tough decisions, especially in this crisis.

  "For now, let's focus on raising our children... we think about grandchildren ter," I said to her.

  She ughed and turned back to the empty wall.

  "There is a tradition that every Evenhart ohrone must have a portrait with their family. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get a portrait with Erid Ethan, but soon... we will have a portrait with Nathan and Chloe," she said.

  Nathan Evenhart:

  "That idiot!" I said, st bay room.

  "The brat tricked me! That water is always cold! It never gets warm even if we keep moving; it always adapts and stays cold. Her mother ented it to stay that way!" I said, ing myself in a towel.

  I was feeling incredibly cold and ed the towel around myself for warmth.

  "Stop whining. Didn't you onvade the realm of the dead? That pce was truly cold," Athena said.

  "Then why are you uhis boo?" I questioned her.

  She clicked her tongue.

  "That's beside the point..." she replied, turning her face away in embarrassment.

  Ign the goddess, I had to deal with the creature scolding me in its strange nguage.

  'Squak!' 'Squaaak!'

  "No oold you to sleep there. I ended up leaving. At least I left the door open so you wouldn't feel trapped," I said, ing myself tighter iowel to warm up.

  "That little brat... she threw me into cold water..." I murmured.

  The little phoenix flew and sat on my p.

  I was about to pin, but I realized she was quite warm.

  "Sorry, but now I'm going to use you to warm up," I said, hugging the small phoenix.

  'Squawk!' she protested, but I kept hugging her.

  "No oold you to be so warm."

  The phoenix struggled a bit but theled down.

  If Cerberus saw this, he'd be jealous...

  I go the side and firmed that the crazy goddess had disappeared, feeling more at ease. I still wasn't used to seeing and talking to my former aremy, the one I moved heaven ah to kill and caused a war that sank tis.

  "The damn goddess still follows me, no matter what life I choose to live..."

  At least she's just some kind of ghost I'm seeing. If she thinks she haunt me, she'll be wastiime. I've faced many dangerous creatures and gotteo it.

  I sighed.

  But no creature was as dangerous or terrifying as the Goddess of Strategy...

  I let thoughts of my old life fade away; I had decided to live a new life and didn't o keep recalling my past.

  Holding the phoenix, I looked into her eyes. She tilted her head slightly.

  "If yoing to stay, would you like a name?"

  She looked at me strangely for a moment and then nodded.

  "I'm not good with names... but there's one hat's very special to me. I give it to you?"

  She nodded again.

  "Then I'll call you Cyl. It was the name of an a city where a powerful general was born... a man who ged the world and even killed gods. So I want to give you the name of his city," I told the phoenix.

  It was the city where I was born and where I died...

  As soon as I said that, the phoenix began to glow a hot. I reflexively let go, and she was shining brightly.

  "What's happening?" I asked as her glow intensified.

  I had to y eyes and shield my face as my entire room was filled with light, and all I could hear was the sound of the phoenix.

  "What are you doing?" I tried to ask, but the light and sound grew stronger until suddenly, heat surged like my room was turning into a sauna. The light became so intehat even with my eyes closed, I could see it. I turned away, and then a sound like an explosion occurred, sending my furniture flying and smming against the walls.

  The whole pce shook, and I heard things crashing.

  The light vanished, but I still couldn't open my eyes due to the brightness. When I finally mao open them...

  "You burned my entire room! I'm in so much trouble..."

  Everything was charred from the floor to the walls and ceiling. The remaining furniture was on fire. I had to run around, using a sheet to prevent the fmes from spreading.

  "My mom turns into a monster when she's angry... I'm so screwed," I muttered, trying to put out the fire.

  The little phoenix appeared in front of me.

  "You caused all this..." I tried to say, but then I noticed something different about her.

  "Did you get bigger?" I asked, surprised.

  The small phoenix had indeed grown into a true phoenix.