Chapter 23 - The Phoenix Master

  I was surrounded by a monster, but it wasn't just any monster... it was my mother. She was gring at me.

  "Nathan Evenhart!" she shouted.

  I'm screwed. She used my full name...

  I had already expined what happened and had even gotten my ear pulled a few times.

  "You told me this thing was safe, Sifu!" my mother yelled.

  Even my teacher was getting scolded...

  Sifu tried tue but lowered his head when he saw my mre. I was in my room, where much of it was burhe explosion had attracted everyone, even ellian.

  A pce full of trained assassins... of course, such a noise would put everyone on high alert.

  "I thought of a million things when I came in here! I thought we were utad that you... you had died!" she said, pulling my ear again.

  "I'm sorry. I swear I didn't do it on purpose."

  My aunt had arrived and reassured the servants who had appeared holding spears, and now it was just us in the room.

  It was basically me, my mother, Aunt Margie, Sifu, and... the phoenix I had named Cyl.

  "Expin to us what happened, Sifu," Aunt Margaery said.

  The old man looked at my mother.

  "Go ahead," my mother said.

  "Is it safe to have this thing in here or not?" my aunt asked.

  Sifu looked at the phoenix lying on my bed and then at me.

  "My words are the same. I stand by what I said. That phoenix will not harm him."

  My mother and aunt looked around the room.

  "Sifu, burning someone's room still doesn't seem safe to me," Aunt Margie said.

  Sifu tried to gather his words and then started to ugh.

  "My dy, something incredible has happehe phoenix has evolved, and now... I am certain it will never leave and will always stay with the boy. It has chosen him as the 'Phoenix Master,'" he said, looking at me.

  My aunt and mother looked at the sleeping phoenix and then at me.

  "What do you mean by 'Phoenix Master'?" my mother asked.

  "Remember when I mentiohe possibility of it evolving? Let's say that is the term we use for the phoenix's parthe boy has been chosen by the bird to be eternal panions, and this affects the phoenix... su animal wasn't meant to be domesticated. Even intelligent animals don't like being captured by humans... that's why there's a term my teachers described as 'Phoenix Master.' When an animal like this chooses a person, it's an aever seen before. It leads to a ge in the phoenix itself fiving up its pride. Look at the Moon Pahat roams these halls..." he said.

  My aunt and mother paused and recalled what I had told them.

  "His aor hat Moon Panther 'ellian.' Does that have anything to do with it?" my aunt asked.

  Sifu nodded.

  “Exactly. If an animal like this accepts a usually gives something iurn to the person who . The a Evenhart aor made a pact to protect his heirs. For the boy, he became a 'Phoenix Master' when he earhe phoenix’s friendship, which she accepted by taking the name he gave her. Her size likely has to do with this. I didn't knohoenix could grow se, but now I uand. Perhaps to protect the one who ears friendship, it accessed more power, including its growth into a giant. A Phoenix Master even ride the phoenix and fly through the skies,” he said, pointing at the phoenix.

  “Holy crap…” my aunt muttered.

  My mother shot her a look to stop swearing.

  Everyone looked at me.

  “So, if I was uain about the phoenix growing before, now I'm sure. Unfortunately, I don’t know what else ged about her beyond her size, sino one has ever studied a phoenix closely enough to know the extent of its powers,” he said, staring at the sleeping phoenix.

  My mhed.

  “So now this thing is really staying and won’t leave?” she asked.

  “Exactly, my dy. Now she will stay with him forever. We’ll also o decide on her diet. I’ll leave that decision to you, but the phoenix will iay with us.”

  My aunt looked at him.

  “So she’s like ellian?” she asked.

  “In terms of the prote agreement, yes, but in terms of power... she’s much more powerful and dangerous to young Nathan’s enemies.”

  “So there’s nothing to worry about, Katie,” she said, reassuring my mother.

  Aunt Margie looked at me and said, “Nathan, having the friendship of a magical animal is a great responsibility. You must be aware that you ’t use it for bad things. If it does harm, you’ll be just as responsible.”

  “I won’t do anything bad… I just want to protect the people I care about. I won’t use Cyl for anything bad.”

  “Like a true Evenhart should act: ‘Family united and enemies dead,’” she said to me.

  My mother looked at me.

  “If you don’t take proper care and teach this thing properly, you’ll see what I’ll do to you, Nathan Evenhart!” she said, pulling my ear.

  “I-I-I won’t do anything bad,” I said, pulling my ear from her hand.

  My aunt patted my ear.

  “It’s okay, Katie. The scare is over… now we have another reason to celebrate. It’s the first time in a long while that an Evenhart has earhe friendship of a magical animal; we haven’t had anything like this since ellian. And it’s the same little person whht home our first ented relic.”

  In the end, my mother calmed down, and I was assigo a new room sihe one I was in had beeroyed.

  Sifu:Leaving the room, I headed towards my training area, trying to tain my joy aement. I had to trol myself a lot these past few days. Ever since I sahoenix, I almost cried with emotion.

  tless nights were spent sharing stories around the campfire with my old masters and friends as we listeo tales of the legendary 'Phoenix Masters.' Now that Nathan has officially bee her master, there are many things he will o discover. Unfortunately, this brings a series of responsibilities and he must be cautious... he could end up attrag unwatention.

  He and the phoenix will be in danger until she uands the extent of her powers. I don’t want anyone from the capital to learn of her existence. I know no one else on this ti, aside from me, uands her true potential. She is not just an animal that befriends emperors… she has the power to make someone an emperor. The Phoenix Master will trol this gigantic legendary being and could dominate a try if he wished.

  Luckily, this creature didn’t fall into the hands of the Human Empire. I don’t know how they knew about the existence of this bird, but if the Song Dynasty inteo use the phoenix… it would mean bad news for the people here… or any people in this world.

  “Sifu!” a voice called from behind me.

  I turned and saw Margaery.

  “You and I both know what would have happeo the people of this kingdom if the Song Dynasty or the Theocracy trolled this bird,” Lady Margaery said.

  This woman is sharp… you ’t say anything to her without her thinking miles ahead.

  “You would have been annihited if the Song Dynasty had gotten hold of the phoenix,” I said.

  She sighed and closed the door behind her.

  “How long would it take for them to decide to e aroy this kingdom if they had captured the phoenix?”

  I tried to think.

  “I ’t say. The growth of this bird is as you saw. It was small yesterday and today it’s the size of an adult hawk, but its real power would take a long time to access. But remember, the Song Dynasty thinks in the long term. Even if it took 500 years for the phoenix to grow to a feared size… they would atiently.”

  She returo her serious queenly demeanor.

  “We ’t let aake this creature from him. It’s too risky to trust our fate to others.”

  “Are you referring to the kingdom? If you’re talking about that… don’t let the official who es see him with the bird. The people of this ti don’t know what a phoenix do, but that doesn’t ge the fact that they would want its power for themselves,” I said.

  “What will happen if they discover that bird grow huge?”

  “The obvious, they will e to our door and demand we hand over the bird.”

  She ughed.

  “Let them try…” she said.

  “Don’t worry, as long as the information about the true size of the phoenix remains hidden, they will never know the dahey face.”

  “What danger?” she asked.

  “The danger of angering you and having their entire capital turn to ashes,” I said, ughing and leavihere.

  “Sifu!” she called after me.

  “I know, Lady Margaery, you Evenharts preach pead harmony with nature. I know you would never do such a thing. The problem will only arise if the King and his family learn of the phoenix’s eventual size. That’s why we o keep the phoenix hidden until Nathan and Cyl are ready to defend themselves if something happens.”

  She sighed.

  “My work just keeps increasing…” she said.

  “He is your nephew and your daughter’s fiancé, good luck solving his problems,” I said, ughing as I walked away.

  Young Nathan, my old masters told me that earning the friendship of a phoenix would bring a ge to the world… what ge will y?