Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 — Until Next Time

Chapter 39 — Until Next Time

Victor was walking along the riverbank, practicing his flame control while humming a tune from a television show he used to watch back when he was on Earth. He was almost certainly humming it out of tune, but that didn’t bother him. There was something strangely comforting about the familiar melody, even if he could barely remember all of the words. For a few moments, he allowed himself to get lost in it, letting the sound mix with the gentle rush of the river beside him.

Eventually, Victor stopped humming.

His attention returned to the small black flame resting above his palm.

It flickered gently in the air, its dark edges twisting and curling without producing so much as a wisp of smoke. Victor focused on it, trying to maintain the delicate balance of Soul Power required to keep it alive. He could feel the control becoming increasingly difficult. The longer he maintained the flame, the more unstable the connection seemed to become, as though the thread between his mind and the fire were slowly thinning.

A few more seconds passed.

Then the flame disappeared.

Victor looked down at his empty palm.

”Good job, Victor. You still can’t last more than thirty seconds.”

A small laugh escaped him.

It was frustrating, but he couldn’t deny that he’d improved. A few days ago, he could barely keep the flame alive for several seconds. Now he could maintain it for nearly half a minute while walking.

That had to count for something.

Victor lifted his hand again and summoned the Black Phoenix Flame.

The small fire returned.

He continued walking along the riverbank, making tiny adjustments whenever the flame began to weaken. His steps remained steady as he followed the winding river, occasionally glancing down at his hand to make sure the flame was still there.

Then something caught his attention.

Victor looked toward the water.

Two fish were swimming upstream.

At first glance, they looked almost like koi, but the resemblance ended there. One was covered in deep blue scales while the other carried a rich crimson color. Strange archaic markings ran across their bodies, forming intricate patterns along their scales that made them look less like living creatures and more like paintings that had somehow come to life.

The two fish moved together through the current.

They weren’t simply swimming in a straight line.

They moved in a graceful figure-eight, weaving around one another as they pushed against the flowing water. Every turn revealed another section of the strange patterns covering their bodies, and for a moment Victor simply stood there watching them.

They were beautiful.

Victor’s gaze followed them as they continued upstream.

There was something strangely familiar about what he was seeing.

The river never stopped pushing against them.

Yet they continued forward.

Victor found himself wondering how many creatures in this forest were fighting battles he would never see. The fish were only swimming upstream, something so ordinary that he probably would have ignored it under different circumstances, yet even they had to struggle against something larger than themselves simply to keep moving forward.

Maybe that was just how life worked.

Everything was fighting against something.

The thought lingered in Victor’s mind for a moment.

Then the two fish disappeared around a bend in the river.

Victor watched the empty water for another second before glancing down at his hand.

The black flame was still burning.

He almost smiled.

Then he began counting silently.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine.

Poof.

The flame disappeared.

Victor stared at his empty palm.

His expression fell slightly.

Still thirty seconds.

His Soul Power control was improving, but it was clearly still a work in progress.

Victor sighed and lowered his hand.

When he looked up again, something familiar caught his attention.

He was closer to Jacob’s grave than he had realized.

Victor didn’t consciously decide to go there.

His feet simply started moving.

The river continued flowing beside him as he walked toward the large rock he had placed over the grave. The crude tombstone stood quietly beneath the soft illumination of the cavern, surrounded by patches of moss and scattered stones.

Victor approached it slowly.

Then he sat down beside the grave.

For a while, he said nothing.

There was only the sound of the river moving nearby and the faint echo of water dripping somewhere deeper inside the cavern.

Victor looked at the large stone.

”You know, Jacob...”

His voice was quiet.

”It’s been two weeks since you left me alone here in this pit of despair.”

Victor laughed softly.

The sound quickly faded into the cavern.

” I also found a cavalier yesterday.”

A smile appeared on his face.

”The flavor was exactly as you described it would be.”

Victor looked down for a moment.

”I would’ve brought you some...”

His smile faded slightly.

”...if you were still here.”

Silence returned.

Victor stared at the stone for several seconds before his expression suddenly brightened.

”I finally started learning alchemy.”

There was a hint of excitement in his voice now.

”You would’ve laughed at how bad I am at it.”

Victor shook his head, remembering his three disastrous attempts.

Then he reached over and slapped the rock lightly.

”I nearly killed myself yesterday.”

A small laugh escaped him.

Victor leaned back against the stone and looked toward the cavern ceiling.

For a while, he simply lay there.

The luminescent stones embedded throughout the cavern ceiling cast a soft glow across the darkness above him. Their light reflected off the uneven stone walls, covering the cavern in shades of pale silver and blue. Water trickled down distant walls, catching the light as it fell and creating tiny flashes that almost looked like stars scattered across the darkness.

For a place that had once felt like a prison, there was something strangely beautiful about it.

Victor took a slow breath.

Then he sat up.

His eyes moved toward the grave.

”Until next time, old friend.”

He stood and walked away.

There was work to do.

Victor’s next objective was the forest.

He needed more materials for the Spirit Accumulation Pill, and most importantly, he needed more Spirit Shrooms. He already had an idea of where to find them, but unfortunately, the area where they grew was deeper into the forest.

And deeper into the forest meant more danger.

Victor wasn’t exactly eager to find out what new nightmare was waiting for him this time.

Still, he needed the materials.

As he approached the edge of the river, Victor raised his hand out of habit.

The Black Phoenix Flame appeared above his palm.

It flickered.

Victor watched it for a moment.

Then he continued walking.

The river stretched ahead of him, winding deeper into the cavern as he followed its current upstream. The familiar sound of rushing water slowly blended with the distant noises of the cavern, and the farther Victor traveled, the more the cavern behind him began to disappear into the darkness.

Victor glanced down at the flame.

He smiled faintly.

”Let’s see if I can survive another battle with this damn forest.”