The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 166: Unseen Hand

Ignia’s existence had always been something of a peculiarity to Alden.

Not only did her appearance differ vastly from that of her kind - giving her a starker, more ominous form, as if her existence was some sort of herald of coming doom -, but she had also ended up in the Wilderness, far removed from the Pyre Peaks.

A place rumoured to be housing the remnants of the once illustrious phoenix race.

That wasn’t the only suspicious aspect of his cute, little familiar, though.

The nature of their first encounter, or more precisely the timing of it, also left Alden a little disturbed. He had thought so back then, but it felt as if an unseen hand had carefully manipulated events so that the two of them would meet.

If that truly was the case...

Why did they want him and Ignia to cross paths?

What was so special about her that it warranted such calculating behaviour?

The latter was what interested Alden the most and the reason why he gazed at her so curiously.

The little phoenix was like an enigma; a puzzle he really wanted to solve. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

So far, Alden had shied away from looking too deeply into what Ignia could do, reasoning that it was better for her to grow first before he tried to incorporate her too much in any of his plans. Even then, the phoenix had proven useful on numerous occasions - first against Swifty, then the Dark Elf, before more recently against the Ice Wyrms.

Experience suggested Ignia was at her most effective in a frigid environment.

However, while that was definitely true, that didn’t mean she could not help him elsewhere. Alden would be a fool to write her off, especially since he believed she possessed a special type of flame unique only to her.

He called it... the Void Flame.

It was a flame that seemed to share some commonality with his Magic Class, namely its dark colour, but Alden did not think they were so similar as to share the same source. In other words, contrary to the name he had given it, the Void flame wasn’t actually from the void.

Currently, Ignia’s pitch-black fire did not appear to have any special effects.

It was just an "ordinary" flame, if only strange in colour and perhaps more intense.

However, Alden had faith in his little familiar. He was extremely confident she would become a force to be reckoned with in the future. Alden did not know when exactly Ignia would come of age or when the scenario he had in mind would occur.

But, he knew it would be a glorious day when she did.

Until then, the little phoenix just had to focus on growing.

Which, she did in abundance.

Alden could already sense the difference the past month had made. If before, she was just a little bigger than his palm, now she was more than double that.

It was almost a little absurd how fast she grew. Alden wouldn’t be surprised if, eventually, one day, she became as large as, or even larger than his chest.

Recently, Alistair had taken it upon himself to feed Ignia the meat of different magical creatures. The Guildmaster and Alden were both curious whether this little experiment would have any effect on Ignia’s growth.

Maybe it could help her unlock a special power or allow her to develop her reserves of essence further. Perhaps she needed to feast on meat which contained lingering flame essence for the latter to happen.

Either way...

Alden couldn’t wait for her to become stronger.

’In the future, I’ll need all the help I can get. But, for now...’

A gentle smile formed on his face.

’I’m content with her remaining as adorable as she is.’

A moment later, a sharp whistle resounded within the garden. Alden watched Ignia change direction immediately, her figure a blur as she rushed towards him. He extended his forearm, allowing the cute little bird to perch on it.

Alden felt a burst of warmth coming from Ignia, and he chuckled warmly, nuzzling her beautiful, avian form with the tip of his finger.

She cooed... if phoenixes were capable of such a thing.

Alden admired the stunning phoenix for a little while longer, making sure to softly rub the spot under her beak just where she liked it. Then, once Ignia was happy, he gave her a mental suggestion through their bond.

The little phoenix cried, understanding his intent.

In the next moment, she flapped her wings and soared in the air, hovering there like a dark omen, steam shrouding her figure in a soft, graceful mantle. Alden stared at his precious bond, her yellow, intelligent eyes burning with determination.

He smiled.

Then, the pitch-black phoenix attacked.

Her body blurred, diving towards him.

A heartbeat later, a stream of pitch-black fire hurtled towards Alden. Casually, almost lazily, he erected a [Shield], deciding that there was no need for anything too fancy.

The outline of the magical barrier quickly turned transparent, before shattering in a rain of ethereal shards. Without hesitation, Ignia immediately changed her strategy, appearing behind him at an angle. The dark fire dancing across her plumage flickered - another stream of jet-black fire assaulted Alden.

Steam sizzled as it approached, the biting cold resisting the dark flame.

This time, instead of summoning a [Shield], Alden waved his hand, unleashing his own abyssal flame. The two energies clashed, creating a thick cloud which obstructed Alden’s vision.

Of course, that was before he channeled mana to his sole eye.

’Hm?’

And when did, he discovered that Ignia had disappeared, using the fog as a distraction.

’Clever girl.’

Alden had no issue tracking her; his mana sense blanketed the entire space.

Ignia was still much too young and weak to fully evade his perception.

However, Alden definitely liked what he saw.

’That’s my girl.’

Allowing Ignia to disgorge even more of her pitch-black flame - so that she could become more accustomed to using her essence -, the young man vanished, reappearing behind her.

The little phoenix tried to turn, but Alden was too fast.

He held her gently until she finished spewing her pitch-black flame.

Tendrils of smoke slowly escaped her beak.

’Well done, little one. Great job.’

...Ignia cried happily in response.