accompanying the phoenix

Prologue:

It all started on a rainy night, a small number of people started to gather in what seemed to look like a shrine, the majority of this eerie looking place was covered in faded paintings of rivers and clouds with figures made of light, each wall had a golden statue of a phoenix at its base, all except the front wall which had an arc shaped hole with a fountain in it. The fountain had apparently run dry years ago judging by vines and leaves that ran across it. A tall lean man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood at the mouth of the arc and tried to collect the attention of the small audience before him, he raised his hands in the air and spoke in a foreign language. He took the silence that spread across the crowd afterward as a sign for him to continue, he folded his arms across his belly and said, “The time has come to fulfil our clan’s purpose, brothers and sisters, I come with good tidings today,” he spread his hands to his side as he wore on a gleeful smile, “the blessed one has been born!! And it could not be in better timing.” He looked to the right and gestured to a woman who was standing by a tent, she bowed to him in response and peered into the tent. A minute later, a beautiful woman dressed in a simple white garment walked out in a gracious manner. A golden blonde hair waived gloriously behind her as she sauntered towards the man, the people however had their attention on what she carried in her arms, a nursing baby, no more than a month old perhaps. She stepped up to the man showing nothing but concern in her eyes, she held her baby tight trying to hold back the tears that left her watery eyes. She handed the baby to him barely looking at him in the eyes. Before taking the child, the man caressed the woman’s cheek making her look at him, he wore on a different kind of smile now, a much more sincere and mild one. After cautiously taking the infant from her hands, he began to chant an eccentric language before he pulled out a small vial, he emptied the vial’s contents into the baby’s mouth. Not long after, the baby began to display a sign displeasure on its face and soon started to cry. Its pulse slowed down as its skin got pale, even when weaker now, the baby bawled as loudly as it could. It soon became silent as its skin got colder, its once watery eyes closed slowly as the baby drifted away. The man tried to calm himself as his hands began to tremble, he looked at the baby’s mother who was almost in tears and gave a faint smile. He neared the corpse to his mouth and whispered into its ear, “My last gift to you” He removed the thin robe he wore around him with one hand and spread it across the ground, he placed the baby’s corpse on it, with tears in his eyes he placed his hands on the baby’s chest and chanted in almost a whisper, “Chivala caldhora” His hands glowed in a magnificent tone of yellow that lighted up the baby’s entire skin, the man closed his eyes slowly and laid by the baby. With a smile, his last breath escaped his lips. The mother picked up the child in her arms, she held it up to the people who watched as the infant began to cry. The crowd started to chant a prayer in unison, all except the mother who had her gaze on the man, her gaze narrowed at him as tears rolled down her cheeks, who could blame her though, before her laid her deceased lover.