For some reason, the phoenix egg still had not hatched.
It sat quietly in the corner of the room, its shell smooth and faintly luminous, warm to the touch even after two years. No cracks. No signs of life. Just a steady, gentle heat, like a heartbeat buried deep inside stone.
One day, Arven stood before it, arms crossed, brows drawn tight.
"Is it really an egg?" he muttered. "It's been two years, and it still hasn't hatched."
Rose, folding clothes nearby, didn't even look up.
"Don't rush things," she said calmly. "A phoenix is a divine beast, spoken of only in legends. No race has any real information about it."
Arven exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fine. But about this phoenix feather—we should turn it into a pendant."
---
One day, Rose took Felix to the market.
The street market was overflowing with life.
Voices clashed from every direction—vendors shouting prices, buyers arguing loudly, children laughing as they darted between stalls. The air was thick with layered scents: roasted meat crackling over open flames, sweet fruit, damp leather, incense, metal warmed by the sun.
Felix walked beside Rose, his small fingers curled tightly around hers.
His eyes shone.
Bright fabrics rippled in the breeze. Glass charms and enchanted trinkets shimmered. Beast-kin towered over the crowd, fur brushing shoulders. Elves glided past with sharp eyes. Dwarves smelled of iron and ale.
Then—
A sudden bump.
Felix's hand slipped.
The warmth of Rose's palm vanished.
He stopped.
The noise felt louder all at once. Footsteps thudded against stone. A cart rattled past, wheels screeching. Somewhere, someone laughed.
"Mom…?" he whispered, his voice swallowed by the crowd.
Nearby, raised voices cut through the air.
Mana surged.
A sharp crack echoed.
Felix turned just as a fight broke out between a beast-kin and a mage. Stone fractured underfoot. Heat rolled outward. Felix stood among the crowd, too small to understand, watching silently like everyone else.
Suddenly—
A fireball screamed through the air.
Its heat hit first, pressing against Felix's skin like an invisible wall. The light burned orange-red, sparks hissing as it tore forward.
People screamed and ran.
Feet pounded. Cloth fluttered. Stalls overturned.
Felix didn't move.
He stood frozen, directly in its path.
The beast-kin and the mage turned pale, horror flashing across their faces.
Before they could do anything—
The fireball vanished.
Not exploded.
Not deflected.
Gone.
The heat evaporated. The roar cut off mid-sound. Ash drifted softly to the ground.
The mage shouted, "W–What happened?! The fireball… it disappeared!"
Silence spread, heavy and unnatural.
Everyone stared.
The beast-kin spoke slowly, disbelief thick in his voice.
"That fireball… it was absorbed by the feather locket he's wearing."
The mage stepped closer, boots crunching softly against debris, eyes wide.
"That's impossible. Fire absorption only happens when someone has a fire spirit's blessing."
He frowned, concentrating.
"But this child doesn't have one. I can't sense any blessing at all."
The beast-kin hesitated, ears twitching.
"…What if it isn't a spirit?"
The mage stiffened.
"Wait. Do you mean—"
His gaze locked onto Felix.
"A fire bird?"
The mage shook his head slowly, breath shallow.
"No. That's impossible. The phoenix has been extinct for centuries."
Felix stood quietly, unaware of the fear coiling around him.
The phoenix feather at his chest glowed faintly, warm against his skin, humming softly like a sleeping ember.
The mage knelt, lowering himself to Felix's eye level.
"Boy," he asked gently, "what's your name? Where is your mother?"
Felix's lips trembled.
Then he burst into tears.
The sound was sharp and sudden, cutting through the stunned silence.
The beast-man clicked his tongue. "You made the child cry. Watch how it's done."
He crouched, fur rustling as he smiled wide.
"Hey, kiddo. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
From Felix's point of view, the beast-man looked like a giant werewolf baring huge teeth at his dinner.
Felix screamed and cried harder.
Just then, Rose came running.
Her breath was ragged. Panic flashed across her face.
She pulled Felix into her arms, clutching him tight.
"Guards!" she shouted. "Help! These people tried to kidnap my child!"
"Lady, you're misunderstanding—" the mage began.
Before he could finish, armored boots thundered in.
Town guards grabbed them, metal clanking as restraints snapped shut.
"Listen to us—!" they shouted as they were dragged away.
Felix suddenly cried out, "Wait!"
Everything froze.
He looked at them with watery eyes, cheeks red, voice trembling.
"Sir… I want to learn the magic you used. You mean the fireball, right? You two were really cool back there. I want to learn that too."
The mage blinked.
"You're sure? You're a bit too young for that."
Rose frowned, confusion replacing panic.
"Felix, didn't they try to kidnap you?"
"No, they didn't."
"Really?" Rose froze. "Oh… I'm sorry."
"It's fine," the mage said, rubbing his wrist.
Rose lowered her voice. "Then why were you crying earlier?"
Felix sniffed.
"I was just scared. That beast-man is scary… and furry."
The mage tried to hold it in.
Failed.
"He called you a scary furry dog!"
The beast-man growled low in his throat.
"He didn't say dog! How dare you mock me, you foxy mage!"
"Did you just call me foxy, you stinky dog?" the mage snapped.
Felix tugged at his sleeve.
"Sir Mage, will you teach me? Can I do the same things too?"
The mage sighed, shoulders relaxing.
"First, you have to learn reading and writing. Then I'll give you books. Three years. If you learn everything in those books, I'll teach you."
Felix nodded eagerly, eyes shining.
He turned to the beast-man.
"And what about you, mister dog?"
The beast-man snorted.
"Hey, kid, you're too small to play with sharp things. But fine—once you're done with my partner's teaching, I'll teach you how to use the blade."
The mage cleared his throat.
"I am Lucien Morvale, and this is my partner, Ragnar Fenclaw. What's your name, kid?"
"It's Felix. Felix Roswal."
"Roswal…" Lucien muttered. "I've heard that name somewhere."
Ragnar nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow, right at the street center, okay kid?"
Felix smiled brightly.
As they walked away, Ragnar spoke quietly.
"You're really going to teach him magic?"
Lucien scoffed. "Nope. I'll just give him far more books than he expects. Besides, it's hard to learn magic without a magic core."
Ragnar frowned. "Still… don't you feel something unusual?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a beast-man," Ragnar said slowly, "but I can't sense his mana veins."
"…Really?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
After a pause, Ragnar added, "By the way… isn't Roswal the Archduke of the Leveran Kingdom?"
Lucien stopped walking.
"…What?"
"That means the child is—"
"And that lady," Ragnar continued, "she's his daughter."
Lucien's face drained of color.
He collapsed on the spot.
Unconscious.