Inside a cave in the mountains, a kilometer away from Red's house, there he is sitting in a lotus position, who just opened the book
'The Heavenly Phoenix Record.'
"Huh? Why is this empty?" he said to himself disappointedly after he saw that the first page was blank.
Then, he scanned all the pages, and like the first page, all of them were blank. The pages were dirty white, and some have stains.
Red was puzzled as to why his grandfather gave him the book if it was blank. He thought that maybe his grandfather had a mental illness due to aging.
He shook his head, cleared his mind, and then rethought. He trusts his grandfather even though he's shrouded by mystery. His grandfather will not give him something if it is not useful.
He closed the book and saw the figure of a phoenix at the bottom of the book cover. It is imprinted on the surface of the cover as if there's a missing piece.
He pondered a few more times. Rewinding the words of his grandfather before and after handing the book. 'Fortunately, you have the fire element within you. That means our guardian is still with us, and our lineage is still thriving. 'His grandfather's words echoed in his mind.
He still doesn't have any idea about their identity—their origin and the so-called lineage. He kept wondering and tried to connect everything he knows, but his knowledge is limited.
After that, he realized something. Although he is unsure if that idea could work, he doesn't have any choice but to try.
"If the elements are within us and our family guardian is the phoenix, then maybe my blood is the key," he muttered to himself.
He hesitated for a moment and looked at his hands intently. Then his eyes stopped at his index finger.
"I hope this works," he said before he breathed deeply.
He bit his index finger on the right hand, and then a small amount of blood dripped from the wound. He pinched the index finger using his thumb, which resulted in more blood coming out, and he let it drip on the figure of a phoenix imprinted on the book cover.
The imprinted figure of the phoenix was filled with his blood. He looked at it intently, praying that it would work out.The figure emitted purple light, and the blood slowly disappeared, as if the book drank it. Red was astounded and immersed in the purple light emitted by the figure.
The light was dazzling in lavender, and Red was attracted to it. The light on the figure began to condense and flew rapidly, as if it was flicked, towards Red's forehead. Red flinched due to the pain and touched his forehead. As he touched it, a figure of a phoenix, in purple, was marked on his forehead. Although he can't see it, he knows that there's something on his forehead, for it is itching.
He did not mind it, but instead, he opened the book once more, and the purple light gradually revealed the texts and figures on the pages. As if the purple light is burning the outer layers of the pages as it slowly reveals the contents.
Red's heart raced rapidly, for every word in the book carried an unfathomable power. He can't read it out loud; just seeing the texts makes his head hurt. The pressure it emits is heavy. He realized that whoever wrote the book, that person is powerful enough to shake heaven and earth.
Although he just started to become a cultivator, his instincts tell him that he needs to digest every word one at a time.
"What background do we have, Grandpa?" he said to himself.
He was surprised and at the same time excited to discover a great knowledge and power within the book. He was motivated and eager to comprehend the contents. His hunger for the truth and knowledge made him more determined.
Unknowingly, he's gifted with an ability to comprehend anything. As he read the book, he was able to grasp the essence of every spell and technique at a fast pace compared to a cultivator with years of experience.
He's not aware that he is already immersed, and although the pressure is strong as he comprehends it, the knowledge just goes in.
The phoenix's symbol on his forehead lit again, and immediately a beam of purple light flashed out from his eyes. Red was entranced and floated; he was unaware and unconscious. Flashes of purple light gushed out from the book and were absorbed by the phoenix's symbol on Red's forehead.
The knowledge and purple energy flowed naturally, and the energy was distributed to different points of his body. As if all of it were his and it just came back to its rightful place. Without warning, his body began to crack, and purple veins bulged on his skin, symptoms of energy overdose. It seems that his body cannot handle the unfathomable energy being sucked in, inside his body.
Suddenly, Red's body was enveloped by the purple energy, then slowly it burst into flame. His body was consumed by the purple flame. It burned his outer skin from the cracks, and new skin was formed from the purple energy.
The fire gradually purified and refined every part of his body where impurities evaporated. Meridians, where the energy is stored, were improved. Bones were strengthened, and he was renewed.
At the same time, Red opened his eyes and saw himself in an unfamiliar place. Darkness, yet there are bright dots all over the place. Chaotic energy also filled the space, heavy yet light, hard yet soft, edgy yet smooth, and hot yet cold.
Red was dumbfounded by what he was seeing. At the same time, he felt reunited with the place. The place he just saw for the first time. He kept wondering why he had this feeling of belongingness to this unfamiliar place.
A beam of purple light and flame burst out that teared the space. Red was surprised and panicked to find something to take cover behind, but there's nothing.
After that, he saw two purple lights at the teared space. The pressure was immense; with sheer determination, he fought the pressure. Then he realized those are the eyes of something huge.
From the shadows, a huge black beak slowly came out, and there, an enormous creature flew and flapped its wings, which caused the chaotic energy to swirl.
It showed to Red its huge appearance as the chaotic energy surrounded it as it continued to flap its wings.An enormous bird with purple feathers that match the chaotic energy and purple flame that surround it. Now its eyes are scorching in golden shade with a touch of purple inside its pupil. The feather crown on its head was so majestic that sparks of purple light touched it. Its feet are as black as charcoal, and its claws are as sharp as a spear sharpened a thousand times.
Suddenly, it slowly opened its black beak. It screeched loudly, which caused the flash of purple lightning, followed by a deafening thunder. The purple flame also moved savagely, and the chaotic energy dispersed in different directions. Red covered his ears while flinching as chaotic energy scratched his body and was confused by the events unfolding.
"Stop!" Red shouted with all his might.
A shockwave was produced that made the chaotic energy dissipate and the enormous bird stop screeching, which calmed down the purple flame.
Red was astonished in disbelief.
"Did I do that?" he thought while gasping for some air.
"Ha, well done," a calm maiden voice said after it scoffed.
"W-what?! Who are you?... A-and w-where am I?" Red asked while stuttering.
Red's eyes bugged out, and he slightly trembled. He's a little bit scared now, knowing that the enormous bird could speak. Knowing that beasts could not.
"Hmm, this is your mental space, where your imagination is at its peak," the enormous bird calmly answered.
"It saddens me that you don't know who I am. How many years has it been?" she said with a hint of sadness and disappointment.
"Then let me show you!" she shouted in a serious tone.
After that, flashes of purple light swirled and formed a tornado that spiraled to Red. Then, memories of the past were flashed to Red at a fast pace. The enormous bird flashed its own memory, its existence, its origins, and its identity.
Every memory, from the beginning of Red's lineage, from his ancestor to the one before him—his great-grandfather—unfolded right before his eyes. Unclear yet it is vivid, confusing yet he understood.
As Red watched the events of the past, he gasped for air as he breathed inconsistently. Unveiling the identity and connection of the enormous bird to their family was surprising, and he was emotional. Teary-eyed Red was immersed, not letting a single memory pass him, as flashes of memories surrounded him at a drastic rate.
At the moment when Red seems like he can't contain all the memories, the tornado instantly dissipated, and Red knelt like a knight on the surface as he gasped for some air. Red sweated and was still in the processing stage. Then, he smiled and breathed deeply.
Suddenly he put his hand on the front of his chest while his left hand was in an open palm facing the fist of the right hand. He bowed with respect as he honored the enormous bird before him.
"It is an honor to meet the guardian of our lineage, the Spirit of Space, the Maiden of the Void, the Empress of Cosmos, the Eternal Phoenix of the Night, Apeir Xaos," Red said proudly and happily while his eyes were closed and tears flowed; it was as if he had met an old acquaintance.
Suddenly, the enormous bird exploded in an elegant way. A shower and smooth swirl of the purple energy fall on the surface. Then, there a maiden stood in her empress wear. Majestic gown in black and purple with her phoenix robe that waves.
However, Red can't see her face clearly. He felt dizzy, and his eyes became blurry. Something is pulling his consciousness, but before blacking out, he saw the sweet smile of the maiden. And a soft voice echoed in his mind, 'We will meet again,' then she chuckled, and it slowly disappeared.
Back inside the cave, the flame continued burning, and the purple light gradually lit the whole cave, getting stronger every second. As the purple light totally covered Red, a strong shockwave was released that shook the earth.
The cave trembled, and immediately a barrier was cast that contained the cave and prevented the shockwave from continuing. As the shockwave ended, the purple flames and light also disappeared.
Red was left unconscious, lying on the stone where he was seated earlier. However, the marks of the purple flames can be seen inside the surroundings of the cave.
Everything there except Red was burned—even his clothes. The 'Heavenly Phoenix Record' mysteriously disappeared. However, the book 'True Essence' was protected by something that endured the savage purple flame.
Suddenly, footsteps of something are approaching. It sighed deeply and inhaled strongly as if it wanted to smell its favorite scent. It slowly walked inside and stopped before Red. It knelt down and checked Red's pulse. After knowing that Red was breathing and had a pulse, it carried Red, and it also took the book lying beside him.
"Haha, I was right after all," it said calmly.
Then, it walked away, and the shadow engulfed them.