Tempest

49 : From the Ashes

Tempest felt like she was waking up from a really vivid dream where she was aware of everything that was happening but was still in disbelief about what was going on around her. When she and Galan declared their love for each other, sealed their bond and transformed, it was magical. It was like being infused with a power like she had never known before and it opened up something in her that she had never experienced before. 

As she fought with Galan against Noah, they worked in a perfected synchronicity she had never known she could achieve. And it was because of Galan. They performed as one, each of them instinctively knowing what would work best for them in this fight against this mutated man. They sliced, shredded, ripped at him, intending to end him once and for all.

Finally, they lifted Noah’s mangled body and ripped his heart from his chest, making sure he was truly dead. After that they watched as his body fell from their grip and crashed into the ground. 

It was over.

And yet, as they saw the resultant carnage, the bodies which could barely be identified as having been flesh and blood, they mourned. All the lost lives, the unnecessary deaths.

Tempest let out a cry as they flew over the war zone, looking at the destruction that had been caused by the war that should have never been. She heard a voice, Damien’s voice, coming from a long way away.

“The Phoenix has great power. In my thousand years of life, I have never seen one but I have heard stories of its capabilities. It can purportedly control life and death, destruction and creation.”

Instinctively then, they knew what they had to do. They flew upwards, knowing that they needed to fix this. 

“Galan,” she said to him.

“I feel you, love, and I’m with you. Let’s do this.” 

Galan’s voice in her mind was all the affirmation they needed. She felt them inhale and then they dove. They felt the energy flow form them and be released all around them. They flew around the battlefield, feeling their energy. They looked behind them and saw the golden stream of light that flowed behind them. Around and around the battlefield they flew, gathering speed as they circled the area where all the supernaturals lay dead. When the stream of gold touched the soiled earth, a white flame arose and they could feel their energy flow outward from within them.

Round and round they flew, faster and faster, discharging the golden light which then became white fire until the whole war zone was covered by a white flame. They were getting tired but something within them kept pushing them, telling them to keep circling the affected area.
Finally, they flew high into the air, not stopping until they felt the last of their energy being sapped from them. When that happened, they fell. They did not have enough to even flap their wings, to try and stop the imminent collision with the hard earth.

The hot sun warmed their body as they kept falling, their speed of descent increasing as they neared the same ground that had been the receptacle for Noah’s body.

“I love you, Tempest,” Galan told her. 

“I love you too.”

It felt so right and she relished in knowing that he had accepted her as she had been, flaws and all. Nothing mattered now other than knowing that they had fixed this.

“It is the nature of the Phoenix,” she heard Damien speak. His voice sounded like it was a million miles away. “Death… And rebirth.”

As their body crashed into the ground, a huge energy ball encased the entire Lycan Kingdom, raising the ashes around them and yet, simultaneously putting out the white fire that had been caused by their Phoenix form.

It was done. It was over now. She closed her eyes and waited for death.

Yet death did not immediately claim her. She opened her eyes and gasped. When she raised her hand she saw that she was alive. Not only that but she and Galan were now separated. She quickly sat up and searched for him, realising that he was not too far from her and doing the same. They rushed into each other’s arms and held on tightly.

“I was afraid I had lost you,” Galan said, his voice soft. With a huge grin, Tempest jumped into his arms and meshed her lips against hers. She tasted his mouth, savoured him, and poured out how happy she was that they were still alive. When she was done, and she could barely breathe because of it, she pulled back and sighed.

She looked to her side and started shaking, Galan held onto her, supporting her as she almost fell.

“Galan, look,” she whispered, her eyes wide.
It was then that he paid attention to his surroundings. Tempest felt his grip on her tighten until it was painful but she didn't mind, for the sight that greeted them was  beyond anything that they had expected to see.

Shapes rose from the ashes and dusted themselves off. All around the form after form stood up and looked around. The cloud of ash had settled now and Tempest watched as body after body took to their feet, looking around in bemusement and awe. All the bodies that had died because of Noah were being born from the ashes. 

Tempest cried as she watched, her sobs the only sound that was heard as body after body stood up. Galan comforted her and as she quieted she heard her name being called.

“Dean,” she whispered. She looked at Galan and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her brother’s voice. She ran into his arms and hugged him fiercely. When she saw Cassey behind Dean, she grabbed her hand and included her in the hug. As the three of them held each other tightly, she felt rather than saw more people come up behind Dean.

She closed her eyes as she saw them. Her father and mother were walking up to her, hand in hand. Dean must have felt them too because he released her. Slowly she walked up to her parents, looking from her mother to her father and back again.

Without a word she walked into their open arms and hugged them close. 

Finally, after so many years of searching, her family was complete again. 

More than complete, actually. She looked behind her, searching for Galan. He was right behind her. She reached for him and pulled him into their hug. Galan pulled Dean who pulled Cassey. Not to be outdone, Marc and Leon jumped into the hug as well, pulling Aida and Samual. Samual pulled in Tristan who pulled in Rainey and Ceres. And so it went, until all the people in the former war zone were linked with Tempest and Galan almost at the center of their huge hug.
WereSabre hugged Lycan who hugged Werewolf who hugged Sylph who hugged Witch who hugged Dragon. And so it went.

From the ashes of the Phoenix, life has been restored.

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31 December 2020
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