Volume 2, Chapter 21: The Ritual of the Phoenix Forge
The ride back to the Academy was quiet and heavy. Inside the spirit-carriage, the air still carried the faint smell of ozone and the sharp, metallic scent of Ma Xiaotao's flames slowly cooling down. No one spoke much. Tang Ya sat slumped against the window, looking pale and tired. Her new emerald wrist guards pulsed gently with a soft light that matched the rhythm of her breathing.
Yuhao kept staring at his own hands. They were still stained with the fine grey dust from the village. No matter how many times he wiped them, the dust wouldn't come off completely. It felt like a thin, cold layer of silence stuck to his skin. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Chen Feng's empty, hollow eyes staring back at him.
"Get some rest, kids," Professor Lakas said as the carriage finally rolled through the Academy gates. He looked tired, but not shaken like the students. He just seemed like someone who had seen too many hard days. "We'll talk more tomorrow. Except for you, Yuhao. Come with me."
••••••
Lakas led Yuhao deep into the lower levels of the Hall of the Origin. They walked past the usual classrooms and training rooms, then continued further down until they reached a heavy door made of solid narra wood reinforced with cold iron bands.
Inside, the room felt warm and lived-in. It didn't look like a fancy laboratory. It looked more like an old craftsman's workshop. There were jars of different oils, bundles of dried herbs, and several half-finished wooden carvings scattered around. In the center, resting on a simple white marble pedestal, was a small curved dagger — a kris — with a hilt made of bone.
"Do you hear it?" Lakas asked. He leaned against a workbench and crossed his arms.
Yuhao frowned and tilted his head, focusing his Spirit Eyes. At first he heard nothing. Then a faint, steady scratching sound reached him. It wasn't coming from the walls. It was coming from the dagger itself.
Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.
"Is there something alive inside it?" Yuhao asked, taking a cautious step back.
"Not something alive in the normal way," Lakas replied. He picked up the dagger carefully, holding it like a small sleeping animal. "This is what we call an Anito Artifact. It's the highest form of a Soul Spirit Tool."
This is the first version of Soul Spirit Tool that he introduced before, however, after then end of battle with Tang San ten thousand years ago, and before he Ascend, he foresaw that this knowledge would bring calamity to the Soul Beasts. Rouge Soul Masters, and even some corrupted memeber of the federation will hunt down Soul Beasts to forcefully turn them into their own Soul Spirit Tool.
So he used his divine power to make people forget it and replace it with a standard Soul Spirit Tools that the world knows now.
Lakas held the blade out toward Yuhao. The dark metal was covered in flowing Baybayin markings that seemed to shift slightly when you weren't looking directly at them.
"Most tools are simple," Lakas explained. "You put your soul power in, and a skill comes out. It's straightforward. But this one is different. There's a Soul Spirit Seed living inside the metal. I invited a mountain cat spirit to stay here. It doesn't just follow orders. It actually wants to help."
To show what he meant, Lakas tossed the dagger lightly into the air.
Instead of falling, the blade flipped once in mid-air. The hilt gently nudged against Lakas's palm, almost like a cat rubbing against a hand, before settling back into his grip.
Yuhao's eyes widened. "It's… alive."
"It's an Anito," Lakas corrected with a small smile. "A partner. A guardian. It has its own will and its own stream of soul power. If you're tired, it helps carry the weight. If you're in danger, it moves to protect you. But it needs respect and a little bit of your daily energy in return."
Yuhao reached out slowly. His fingers hovered near the bone hilt. A gentle warmth tingled against his skin. For the first time since the village, the cold grey feeling in his chest started to ease a little.
"Can I… make one someday?" Yuhao asked, his voice full of quiet hunger. He thought about his own weak body and simple Spirit Eyes. He wanted something like this — a real partner, not just a tool.
"Maybe," Lakas said, his eyes twinkling. "But an Anito doesn't join just anyone. You have to become a vessel worth living inside. Keep working on your Crystalline Vessel. When your bones feel like silver and your skin can handle the rainbow shine, we'll see if any spirits want to stay with you."
••••••
While Yuhao was discovering new possibilities, Chen Feng was going through something much darker.
He was back in the cold chamber beneath the Slaughter City ruins. The High Priest of the Holy Ghost Cult stood over him, face hidden behind a mask of bleached bone.
"You failed," the Priest said coldly. "A handful of students pushed you back. Your power was supposed to bring us a god, not a coward who runs away."
Chen Feng stayed on his knees on the cold stone floor. His breathing was shallow and uneven. "The energy there was too strong. The girl's markings interfered with everything."
"Then we will remove the interference," the Priest replied. He held out a small, pulsing orb of dark energy. It looked like a heart made of thick tar. "This is the Death-Eater seed. It will combine your two paths — your Wilted Grass and your Scythe. But it needs a sacrifice to complete the connection."
Chen Feng's corrupted system appeared in his mind.
[Path of Evolution: The Desolate Reaper.]
[Requirement: Remove all remaining traces of your old identity.]
[Target: Memories of your previous life on Earth.]
[Removing knowledge from your old job…]
[Removing memories of that corporate life…]
[Merging: Corrupted Seed and Wilted Grass complete.]
Chen Feng screamed as the black seed sank into his chest.
His Wilted Grass martial soul appeared behind him, but it had changed. The thin yellow stalks turned into sharp black thorns that wrapped around his arms and merged with his dark skin. The scythe in his hand grew longer, its blade curving like a jagged crescent moon made of teeth.
His skin didn't become shiny like Tang Ya's. It turned into a dull, light-absorbing shell. The last traces of human tiredness disappeared, replaced by a cold, endless emptiness.
When he opened his eyes again, many memories were gone. He no longer remembered what spreadsheets were. He no longer remembered the name of the company he once worked for. He only knew one thing: This world's natural order was wrong, and he was the one meant to erase it.
•••••
Later that night, Professor Lakas sat alone in his small workshop. Yuhao had already left. Lakas reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. On it was a simple doodle he had drawn during a boring meeting — a funny drawing of a Jollibee chicken drumstick.
He stared at it for a long time and felt a strong pang of longing. He missed the simple joy of eating greasy fast food. He missed arguing with people about unimportant things like sports or movies, without the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
'I'm starting to lose touch with those memories too,' Lakan thought quietly. 'The longer I stay like this, the more they feel like scenes from an old movie. I need to hold onto them.'
If I'm not careful, I'll end up like Chen Feng, just a set of rules with a name. It's good that I have my companions with me. My awesome and beautiful wives, and my fellow Earth Brother. If Chen Feng wasn't the Universe Will's puppet, tool, then it would be fun to hang out together. Perhaps sing on Karaoke.
He stood up and walked to a small stove in the corner. He boiled some water and made himself a cup of the local coffee beans he had found. It wasn't the same as the instant coffee from Earth, but the warm, bitter taste helped ground him.
He needed these small, ordinary things. If he forgot what it felt like to be a regular person who just wanted a snack or to relax with friends, he might end up like Chen Feng — empty and cold. Or he'd never be able to teach Yuhao how to stay human while becoming an awesome legend like me.
•••••
Huo Yuhao stood on the balcony of his dorm room, looking out at the quiet Academy grounds. He couldn't sleep.
"Elder," he whispered. "Is it possible for someone to hide their strength so well that even you can't see it clearly?"
"It's not just hiding, boy," Electrolux replied. His grey form hovered near the railing. "Some people become part of the world around them. You don't see them as separate — you see them as the wind or the ground itself. This Professor Lakas… he doesn't just use the Baybayin markings. He feels like the markings themselves."
"Do you think he could be… the Phoenix?" Yuhao asked, the idea sending a shiver down his spine.
Electrolux let out a dry chuckle. "The Phoenix is a God who lives among the stars. Why would someone like that be here grading papers and drinking ordinary coffee? But whoever Lakas really is, he's your best chance right now. Chen Feng has gone too far. He's no longer a person using a weapon. He's becoming a weapon that thinks it's a person. You'll need every bit of strength and clear thinking you can get to face him."
Yuhao gripped the railing tightly and looked up at the distant stars.
"I'll be ready," he said quietly. "I'll build a vessel strong enough to hold whatever comes."
••••••
Deep in the Slaughter City ruins, the High Priest watched Chen Feng test his new power. The black thorn-covered scythe whipped through the air, turning solid stone into grey dust with a single swing.
"The girl at the border showed us a powerful new marking," the Priest said to a shadowy figure behind him. "The 'Da' (ᜇ) marking. The Federation's bloodline is starting to wake up. If we don't act soon, Lakan's peace will become permanent."
"Then we strike at the heart," the shadow replied. It was a man wearing Sun-Moon style robes woven with dark corrupted crystals. "The big Inter-Academy Exchange is coming up in the capital. All the best students will be there. We'll show them that even a Phoenix can fall if you poison the nest from within."
The Priest nodded. "Let Chen Feng lead the first strike. He has nothing left to lose. He's the perfect weapon now."
Chen Feng stood silently, swinging his scythe. In his mind, he saw only a vision of green fields turning grey. He didn't know why anymore. He just knew it felt like the right thing to do.
End of Volume 2, Chapter 21