The crickets chirped as Huo walked back to their house. The heavy weight of the Phoenix in their arms made them realize their current situation. So now I’ve found the mage, the Phoenix, and the werewolf. Who will betray me? The question scares me more than anything. They sighed and walked up the steps. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. Huo turned the knob and stepped inside.
“Master, I’m home,” they said. They didn’t hear Fashi’s voice call back, but they heard him shuffling around the kitchen. It sounded like a pot of water was boiling, and things were tossed around. Huo gently put down the Phoenix and went over to the kitchen. Fashi was fumbling around with kitchen utensils. Huo almost laughed and walked up to him. They tapped him on the shoulder, and the wizard jumped two feet off the ground.
“Huo, my goodness, you frightened me almost half to death!” The mage took a moment to recover before facing his young apprentice. The Phoenix went to stand next to its mistress, and Fashi’s expression changed. He grinned and smirked.
“Looks like you might find your father after all,” he said, pleasure and amusement coloring his tone.
Huo just shrugged and wrung their hands. The Phoenix bumped its head against their leg.
“Well, I’ve found the mage, the werewolf, and the Phoenix,” they said. They glanced at the bird, then back at their master.
“But the biggest unknown and my biggest fear is who will betray me. I don’t know who it is among the ones I’ve met.”
Fashi stepped forward and offered a hand. Huo looked at it for several seconds before holding his wrist.
“Whatever happens, I trust that you know how to handle it. I’m always here if you need me, though,” he said.
Huo managed a smile and slightly shook their master’s hand before letting go. There was a moment of silence before Fashi spoke up again.
“Have you eaten?” Huo shrugged.
“No.” Fashi motioned for his young apprentice to sit down at the table. Then he got up, returning to the kitchen.
When Huo went upstairs for the night, they could hear a soft rumble outside. The storm from the North Side was coming over, according to Fashi. We’re in for a long night, I guess, they thought. The Phoenix followed its mistress upstairs and curled on the end of Huo’s bed.
The soft rumble of thunder slowly formed into louder booms. A heavy downpour battered the window in Huo’s bedroom. They pulled the covers tighter as white flashes appeared at the window. I used to be afraid of thunder, not so long ago, it seems, they thought. I hope I can see my father again. Slowly, they turned on their side, blowing out the candle.
Outside the house, a downpour hit the pavement, consistent flashes of lightning lighting up the block. Over by a neighboring house, under a tree, something slipped out. It moved only when there were no flashes of lightning.
Flashes of white light lit up Huo’s bedroom as they were sleeping quietly. Suddenly, the Phoenix lifted its head, got off the bed, and went to the window. Just under it, a figure with a red cloak stood. There was just a hint of a malicious smile on their face, barely visible. The Phoenix unlatched the window with its beak. With some struggle, it managed to lift it up. When the red cloaked figure suddenly shot forward a burst of black colored magic, the Phoenix raised its wings and let out a mighty shriek. Red and orange flames burst from its body. Flames surrounded the red-cloaked figure in the next instant. They screamed as they were surprised. They tried to absorb the Phoenix’s flames. But it wasn’t fast enough.
The commotion woke Huo up. They quickly lit their candle and rubbed their eyes. They looked around. The Phoenix was screeching, illuminated by flames flying up at the open window. Someone was screaming outside from down below. Heavy rain sprayed inside while the thunder raged on outside. Huo quickly ran to shut the window. But not before the Phoenix flew at the figure down below. It let out an even mightier screech, and the figure was coated in a heavy dose of flames. The screams were so loud that they woke Fashi up, and Huo could hear him running to their room.
“What’s going on up there?!” He burst inside to see the Phoenix gently fly inside the window before shutting it with its beak. The screams outside slowly faded away in the heavy rain and thunder. Huo was staring in complete silence, staring at the bird, open-mouthed. Fashi rubbed his eyes and looked from his apprentice to the bird, who returned to its position on the end of the bed.
“What happened here?” he asked. Huo took a moment to respond, still staring at the Phoenix. It had gone right back to sleep.
“I-I don’t know,” they said. “I just woke up to someone screaming outside, the rain coming in the open window..and..and a bird screeching.”
Fashi got up and went downstairs swiftly. A few minutes later, Huo saw him at their window. Clad in his blue coat, he looked over the red-cloaked figure. As he did so, the expression on his face suddenly changed from curiosity to horror. He dug inside the robes and pulled something out, quickly reading it. Then Fashi ran inside the house. When he returned inside the bedroom, he sat for a few moments before answering.
“It was a darkana minion…. with orders from Schneider Facilities to eliminate Experiment 340.”
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