Phoenix rising v01 beginning

Phoenix Rising Prologue Birth of the Hero It was a dark and stormy night. The wind buffeted the grass and trees so hard some were uprooted and were carried away with the wind. However, Mother Nature wasn’t the only one going through turmoil. In a certain house a woman was yelling and wailing.

She was lying on top of a comfortable bed, but it did little to soften her pain. Her stomach was large, but it seemed to cause her an unimaginable pain. Because of this, she was unable to lie still and made wild movements on the bed. A man stood next to her with a petrified expression on his face as he held the hand of the woman. Then he looked at the woman wearing the maid uniform. Catching his eye, she made a reassuring face.

“Master, please calm down,” the maid said. “There are no problems to mistress.”

He nodded and started to breathe deeply to calm down. His wife looked at him in a fluster and made a wry smile. Looking at his panicked face seemed to have calmed her down slightly.

“Madam, now please, take a deep breath.”

“Nn!” The pregnant woman’s husband watched the pained expression of his wife as he continued to hold her hand. He continually said “Give it your best…” while feeling helpless. A few tense moments later the baby was safely born. It was a boy. His hair colour was black and so were the colour of his eyes. Now the maid has passed the baby to the pregnant woman.

She held her son in her arms and finally hugged him. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness… his hair isn’t… blonde.”

Hearing those words, her husband caressed her head. Her hair was a beautiful blonde colour.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he said cheerfully. “If it was blonde hair, he would look almost as attractive as me!”

With that he thrust his chest out with pride and his wife smiled. Then she passed the baby to him.

“Oh, wow,” he said as he held his son in his arms.

The baby had high temperature and a crying voice that was noisy. He also had small hands, small head, small lips a small nose. The baby was overflowing with life. Realising the significance of holding a life in his arms, the husband smiled happily.

“A baby… a real baby…!” he said as tears formed in his eyes.

Just when he was about to hug the boy, the maid took the baby from his hands. Then she faced him with a disapproving expression on her face.

“Master, please be careful. With your iron grip, you will hurt the child.”

“Oh… right!” he said, confused at first before realising what she meant.

He had almost completely forgotten to watch his strength. His well-shaped muscles and the line of his body belonged to those that trained under extreme intensity. Even his hands belonged to those that practiced the sword on a regular basis. In the corner of the room, a sword stood gleaming in the light from the room.

Realising the grave mistake he was about to make, he bowed to the maid and said “I’m sorry!”

She simply nodded and moved to the wife.

Since then a few days have passed and the condition of the mother and child have stabilised. One day they were talking about the baby. The husband and wife were making plans for the child. The maid busied herself with looking after the baby. However, before all can be planned right, they were stuck on the one important thing; the boy’s name.

“What should we name him…?” the husband said in a wondering voice.

“Hmm… how about… Ragava?” the wife said.

“Why Ragava?” the husband asked with a puzzled expression. “That doesn’t sound entertaining. It’s got to be something with a glory in it.”

“Glory?” the wife asked in exasperation. “What are you, expecting him to make a fame of himself?”

“Isn’t that something all fathers dream about their sons?” he asked.

“You, apparently,” she muttered.

“Hey, I heard that!” he said, but he was laughing happily.

“How about Deva?”

“Sounds like a bad guy’s name. Maybe Vijayandra?”

“It’s a bit too straightforward to me.”

“I don’t see you doing any better!”

“What’s that you say?!”

The maid listened to their conversation and watched as they glared at each other. Finally, sighing, she chipped in and said “How about… Lakshman?”

They turned to her in surprise. Then they looked at each other. The wife had a thoughtful expression on her face while the husband folded his arms and looked impressed.

“I quite like the name.”

“I’m not so sure,” the wife said.

“What’s wrong with it?” he asked his wife in surprise. “It’s got a good feel to it.”

“Yes. Yes, it does,” she said. “However, that name belongs to the first Sword Titan.”

“Wow!” he said in surprise. “I forgot about that. Still, it’s cool!”

Then he saw the worried expression on his wife’s face, he asked “What’s wrong?” ”I just think that name might bring more harm than good.”

She looked really worried as she turned and faced her sleeping baby boy. He was her first child, born only a few days ago. Her husband moved over and hugged her tightly.

“Are you worried about that time that man, sharing the name, died protecting you in the dungeon?”

She nodded, but didn’t speak. Apparently something from her past was causing unease within her and he knows it.

“It’s alright,” he said as he hugged her tightly. “He is our son and, more importantly, my son.

He possesses my blood within him. When he grows up, he’ll become as strong as me.

Maybe even stronger! Heck, he’ll become so strong he’ll start showing off!” and he laughed.

She smiled slightly.

“Come on, Lakshmi,” he said. “You owe that man your life. I think it’s just fair to name your son that.”

She remained silent for a moment. Then she looked up at her husband and smiled before saying “Ok Indra. While I am still unconvinced, I understand my debt to him that day.”

“Alright! It’s unanimous!” he said cheerfully.

Then he looked at his baby son and smiled.

“Lakshman Reddy. Grow up to be strong, my son!”

Lakshman slept blissfully, not knowing the radical phase in his life will go through because of the name.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 1 Magic Discovery The day was bright with the bright sun shining its light from the sky. There were only a few clouds to cover the clear blue sky. The birds and small animals stirred in the morning sun and readied for a new day.

In a particular house, however, someone was still sleeping. They had their bed covers over them as they slept soundlessly. The only sign of life beneath the bed sheets was when they rose and fell rhythmically.

The sunlight was penetrating through the closed curtains and there was the noise from the chirruping of birds from outside. Even with this, the sleeping person did not budge and continued to sleep deeply.

Just then, the door to the room opened. A woman, in her mid-twenties, entered the room.

She glanced at the bed with the sleeping person and put her hands on her hips with an “Hmph!” sound of exasperation.

The woman moved towards the curtains. As she opened the curtains the let the light into the room, she said “Come on now! Wake up, Lakshman!”

Lakshman, the sleeping person, moaned softly and shifted aside, but did not get up. The woman sighed and moved to the bedside and started to shake him gently.

“Wake up, Lakshman. Quickly now! It’s morning and your breakfast is ready! If you don’t get up and down, it’ll get cold!” she said while continuing the shake the blankets.

“Five minutes, mum,” the voice of a boy muttered as he rolled over on the bed.

“No five minutes. Now wake up already, it’s your favourite!”

There was a moment of pause. Then the voice of the boy excitedly asked “What? Really?”

The boy quickly sat up on the bed and moved them away. Once the blankets were removed from the bed, the form of a boy appeared. He had pure black hair and charming black eyes and was wearing a shirt and shorts while he lay on the bed.

He turned and looked eagerly at his mother and asked “Really, mum?”

Lakshman wore a bright smile and his eyes were shining with excitement and happiness.

Seeing this, his mother’s face suddenly broke into a smile and she began to laugh. He looked at with a confused expression as he did not know why she was laughing.

When she calmed down, she grinned and said “Sorry Lakshman, but I lied about the breakfast.”

“What?!” he exclaimed in shock and his eyes widened in alarm. Then he realised he was tricked and he started saying “Cheating, cheating, cheating!”

She chuckled and said “Well, come down. Your dad wants to get you started on training. If you do well, I’ll think about making your favourite breakfast. Okay?”

“Right...” he said in a slow motion agreement.

Smiling, she left the room. When she left, he yawned hugely and he got out of bed. He moved to the nearest window and looked out into the sunny morning. Seeing the beauty of the morning, he smiled.

Seven years has passed since Lakshman, also known as Lakshman Reddy, was born on that stormy night. Since that time, he had slowly grown through time with his family. His family consisted of his mother Lakshmi, his father Indra and their house maid Mariana.

Ever since being born, Lakshman had been growing up with the affection of his parents and strict management from Mariana. Other than that, he spent the last seven years peacefully playing around and enjoying life.

A while ago, Indra decided to begin his body training exercises. Apparently, this training was to make his son strong. Lakshman was apprehensive at first after witnessing his father’s crazy training in the morning. Then his curiosity made him unable to decline the offer to train.

So he stretched his arms and legs to ease his muscles before making his way out of the room. As he arrived downstairs, he saw Marian carrying a pot of food boiling inside. Seeing the food made him hungry, but a stern look from her caused him to quickly go to the front of the house.

When he walked out of the house, he saw his father swinging a wooden sword around.

Suddenly, he took a fighting stance and began swinging the sword expertly. He wore a serious expression on his expression and fought hard against his invisible enemies with the wooden sword.

Once he finished swinging and straightened up, Lakshman was applauding energetically.

That was the first time he had seen his father make such amazing movements. Hearing the clapping, Indra turned around and smiled at seeing who it was.

“Lakshman! A good morning to you,” Indra said as he greeted his son with a cheerful smile.

“That was amazing, dad!” Lakshman said excitedly as he smiled widely at him.

Indra shrugged and said “That was just the routine exercise a warrior must always do.

Otherwise, they’ll lose their balance in a real battle.”

“Wow...!” Lakshman said in awe.

Indra eyed his son’s awestruck expression and came to a decision. He cleared his throat loudly which caused Lakshman to quickly snap back to reality to listen.

“If you train rigorously, someday you’ll be able to do those amazing moves,” Indra said smoothly.

“R-Really?” Lakshman asked uncertainly and he had a doubtful expression.

Indra smiled and said “Why not? You’re at the right age to start training. When you slowly become strong, I’ll teach you how to swing your sword like that. Eventually, though, you’ll have to make up your own inventive moves.”

“Y-You really think I can do it, dad?” Lakshman asked as a small doubt continued to cling onto him.

Indra grinned and said “You are my son! I know you can do it!”

With a strong expression on his face and confident words of encouragement, Lakshman had to believe him. With that, he decided to begin his training under the guidance of his father.

The first training was the running exercise. Lakshman was perplexed, but Indra stated how important running is to strengthen the leg muscles. This will improve their speed when they have to fight quickly, dodge or get out of the way. Indra also ran with him to encourage him along.

The next training was body stretching. Indra and Lakshman stretched their bodies to loosen up the extra fat their bodies might have gained and to ease up tense muscles. After that, Lakshman began his training with the wooden sword by swinging it up and down.

“How useful is it to swing it up and down, dad?” Lakshman asked and looked perplexedly at the sword.

Indra patiently explained how the swinging of the sword helps develop hand grip, arm strength and strengthen the shoulders. Then he went to great detail on how the sword skill is an art which respects the sword.

After listening to his father’s explanations, Lakshman asked “Isn’t a sword just a cutting tool though?”

Indra nodded as he said “Yes, it is, but it is also a defensive tool.”

When Lakshman looked puzzled, he said “If someone, not in their right mind, attacks you, you must fight back. You have the responsibility of what you do with the sword, but you also have the responsibility of the lives of you and your allies.”

“So...”

“Take for instance if a monster attacks you. Cut it down in an instant! If you hesitate, even for a moment, your life is finished! Monsters are dangerous and can become aggressively wild! Pitying them and thinking it is wrong to harm them, you’ll be the one becoming their meal!”

Lakshman shivered at hearing the sharp words of his father, but he also understood the logic behind it. He was looking unhappy and Indra consoled him by saying it is not wrong to do what is necessary to survive.

“We live in an uncertainty world where things can change in an instant. If we’re not on top of it, we’ll find ourselves hopelessly in a bad situation. If a man or monster attacks us, it’s my job to protect my family. If I don’t eliminate the monster quickly, I will lose precious people most important to me!”

“I... see...” Lakshman said slowly as he nodded.

“So yes it is wrong, but the necessity of survival overlooks the right and wrong. Always remember Lakshman. No matter whom you face as an enemy in the future, show them no mercy and take down with force!”

Lakshman did not respond and looked unhappy for a moment. Then a firm expression came over his face and he said “Yes, dad!”

They smiled at each other when they heard the voice of Mariana calling from inside the house.

“Young master? Young master! Where are you? It’s time for your study session,” Mariana’s voice said.

Lakshman suddenly panicked and said “Oh no! Studies! I’m not studying!”

He tried to quickly leave, but Indra caught him by the back of his collar. Lakshman frantically tried to get away, but Indra held on firmly with ease. He wore a big smile as he turned in the direction of the house.

“Mariana, your young master is outside!” he called in a cheerful voice.

“Dad! Let go! I don’t like studying!” Lakshman said frantically in his desperate attempts to escape.

“No can do, my dear son. Just imagine what your mother would say at hearing that I let you go and have fun? We’ll have another noise night of her cries and wails about how I lack education. Ugh...! I think I’d rather skip that episode of tearful drama!” he said and he shuddered at the imagination.

With that, Mariana came outside and thanked Indra for his assistance. Then she dragged him into the house and, a few minutes later, their study session began. During the three hours of studying, Marian went through different subjects and taught them expertly to Lakshman.

Lakshman found the information interesting, but studying them and then doing work bored him. He preferred to go back to training with his father. He later learned that, because he was so young, he can only train for a certain amount of time until he grew stronger.

While wishing he grew strong quickly, he sat through the study sessions. During his studies, he learnt about the reading, writing, literature, numeracy and various other subjects of the world. The subject that bored him the most was history because of how old the stories were.

During breaks, Lakshmi would join in the study session. She would intently listen to Mariana while quietly slapping her son across the head. She would do this often to snap him back into attention whenever he head drooped from feeling sleepy and bored.

At other times, nighter of his parents would be home. Both Indra and Lakshmi are fulltime workers with jobs to do. The two of them do jobs constantly for the sake of their one and only child. They are also working very hard in case they have more children in the future.

Indra has the job of an adventurer. He takes on missions and gets paid by the clients on successful completion of the missions. Lakshmi works as a nurse in town and cures people from their injuries and sicknesses.

Due to them both constantly working, they only get the time to play with their son during weekends.

Even though he does not see his parents much, Lakshman does not feel lonely. For one part, Mariana is constantly at his back and constantly annoys him to study. The other part was that he felt his parents were close to him regardless of whether they were there for him on the spot.

After several months of studying, Lakshman suddenly burst out and asked if it was worth studying all those subjects. The two women quietly looked at each other and then back at him. Then they began put him a test which was supposed to be basic.

Seeing the result he received on the test, he complained. When Indra came in and gave him a serious glare he stopped. After which, he paid more attention to studying, but still grumbled a little whenever he had to do history.

“How is learning about history be so useful?” he asked Mariana at one point.

She smiled and said “The past is what makes us who we are today. History keeps records of what happened so long ago when everyone has long forgotten about them. It is also something we used to learn from so we don’t repeat mistakes of the past in today or tomorrow’s time.”

“Ah,” Lakshman said once he understood and they resumed studying.

Then one day he woke up feeling a little dizzy. At that time, both his parents left home together. He later found out that they left to go on a mission together. They needed someone to help the wounded and she was the person they were looking for.

“Do I need to study?” he asked Mariana tiredly.

“Master and mistress might come back late, but that doesn’t stop you from studying, young master,” Mariana said calmly.

So he began his studies like usual. However, he was having difficulty paying attention. Then his head started to feel dizzy, his eyes became heavy and his stomach was feeling strange.

For a few seconds, he swayed on the spot he sat until finally he collapsed.

When he collapsed on the ground, Mariana was out hanging up clothes. When she returned inside, she saw Lakshman lying on the ground with his eyes closed. Seeing that, she assumed he was lying to rest or sleeping lazily.

“Young master, you can rest later. Please continue to complete the questions. Otherwise, mistress will not tolerate it,” she said.

Mariana began to walk away into the kitchen when some unease suddenly filled her. She turned around and saw that he was moaning lightly. Feeling nervous, she quickly hurried to his side and moved him a little. Then she placed a hand on his forehead to feel his temperature and was alarmed.

“Young master? Young master?! Oh no!” she exclaimed when she realised that he was sick.

Mariana quickly thought fast about what to do. First thing first, she showed amazing strength as she lifted him with her arms. Then she rushed up the stairs and went into his room before lying him on his bed.

Then she left before coming back with a towel and a bowl of water. She mixed the cloth in the bowl and then crushed it before placed it on his head. Lakshman moaned softly and he continued to lick his lips.

Noticing this, she rushed away and brought back a water jog and a glass. She poured some water into the glass and helped Lakshman slowly drink it. Then she laid him back on the bed and he heaved a sigh.

Then he opened his eyes and muttered “Amma...! Amma...! I’m so sick I feel like I’m dying...! Studying is killing me. They are killing me! Ah...! I’m going to die from studying...!

Amma...!”

“Oh! Stop complaining, young master. You’ll be perfectly fine,” Mariana said calmly.

She took the cloth off his forehead, mixed it in the bowl and crushed it before placing it back on his forehead. She periodically continued to repeat this process to keep his temper from going out of control.

During this time, Lakshman fitfully slept a few times. When he woke up, he saw Mariana coming in and leaving his room. Then how dutifully she washed his body to make sure he does not get cold.

A while later she patiently fed him bit by bit. He had a dry tongue, so he fed him what he could digest easily. Seeing her lovingly care taking manner, he was moved to tears. She paused and looked surprised by seeing tears in his eyes.

“Young master, why are you crying? Is there something hurting you? Did I put too much chilly in the food?” she asked anxiously.

He wiped his tears and said “I... was wondering why you’re doing this, Mariana. You’re our house maid, but you’re taking care of me so much I... I don’t understand. I thought you didn’t like me because of how harsh you were when I’m studying.”

“Oh...!” she said as she understood his question. She smiled and continued to feed him as she spoke to him.

“When mistress gave birth to you, I was the first person to hold you in these hands. After that, I looked after your wellbeing. You are like my son, young master, so I would be angry if my son is misbehaving and not studying which are good for you.”

“Ah... but studying is a pain though.”

“Studying will always be a pain, but how do you think our society evolved? How do you think people began to live in such a civilised way? It’s because we had brilliant people who studied and were wise in their minds.”

Lakshman did not know what to say. That was the first time Marian spoke to him in such a way. He had always thought of her as someone with little knowledge, but he knew he was sorely wrong. It was also the time that his inner eyes were opened to the wide world outside the box.

It was later in the night that Indra and Lakshmi came home. They were both looking extremely pleased about their successful mission. Then their smiles faded and were replaced with worried expressions and they rushed to Lakshman’s room.

“Lakshman!” Lakshmi exclaimed when she saw her son lying on the bed while moaning.

They came in and sat on his bed side. Lakshmi caressed her son’s forehead gently as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

“M-Mum...” Lakshman muttered weakly.

Indra was speechless to see his son in such a state. In the seven years, this was the first time he saw his son in such a sorry state.

Then he quickly looked at Lakshmi and said “Lakshmi! Heal him already!”

“R-Right!” she said quickly and nodded at him in understanding.

Lakshmi raised her right hand and placed it on her son’s chest. When Lakshman looked at her worriedly, she smiled and reassuringly said “It’s okay, Lakshman. You’ll feel better in no time! Just leave it to mum, I’ll fix you up!”

Then she closed her eyes and fell silent. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a bright light began forming on her hand which was placed on Lakshman’s chest. Then she opened her eyes and spoke words of some sort of incantation.

“Spirits of light, bring the power out and restore the strength and force of my love! Healing!”

When she finished speaking the last word, Lakshman was suddenly surrounded by a bright glow of light. For a moment, the light continued to envelop Lakshman’s body. Then it faded and left Lakshman’s body intact.

Nothing had changed on him and he remained motionless for a moment. Then he slowly opened his eyes and looked at them. He blinked in surprise and, with their support, sat up and smiled.

“Wow...! I’m feeling good! Wow! Thank you, mum! I’m okay!” he exclaimed happily and began to laugh energetically.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Lakshmi said as she hugged her son tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Since then, Lakshman became less distracted. He began to put in more effort into studying and training. Hearing Mariana’s words had a strong effect on him as it changed his view of studies. However, he still views the subject about history as something boring and dull.

Then a certain event occurred that would change his life would become dramatic, totally radical. It was after finishing training in the afternoon that Indra and Lakshman were sitting outside the house. They were having refreshing drinks that Mariana made to taste good especially after training hard.

Lakshman then spotted a cat wandering near the gate to the house. The cat spotted them and slowly trotted towards them. He found this surprising since Mariana had told him how wild animal stay clear of populated places or places with people living there.

Then he noticed the cat was limping as if it was injured. As it got close to him, he leaned forward and saw that its leg was bleeding. Indra also noticed the injury and expressed his surprise.

“Stay! I’ll get you a thin cloth to heal that wound,” Indra said and he rose to his feet and walked into the house.

The cat, as if obeying his command, tried to sit down, but failed. It seemed the injured leg was causing it heavy pain. Instead, it lay down on its side and meowed softly.

Lakshman felt sorry for the cat and wondered if he could do anything to help it. He was just a seven year old who knew very little about the world around him. He thought deeply about what subject he studied could help him here, but everything was like a blur that he studied.

That was when he truly understood how knowledge can be power in the right place and time. This was that time, but he just did not to do. He was struck with guilt because he did not know of anything that can heal the cat’s wounds.

“Heal...? Wait...!” he said as something clicked in his memory.

When he was last sick, he remembered his mother using something to cure him of his sickness. He realised that was exactly what he was after. Now he thought hard to remember what it was and, a few seconds later, he finally remembered it.

Imitating his mother from his memory, he outstretched his right hand at the cat. As he did, he smiled at the cat and softly said “Stay still, okay? I’m going to heal you.”

He wondered whether the cat understood him or not. Nevertheless, it became still and silent as it watched through beady black eyes.

Lakshman then recited the incantation his mother used on him, although he changed it a little, and aimed it at the cat’s injured leg.

“Spirits of light, bring the power out and restore the strength and force of the injured!

Healing!”

For a moment, nothing happened. At that moment, Indra came back out and said “Alright!

I’m here.”

As if he was the key to the activation, a bright glow of light suddenly activated and surrounded the cat. The creature let out a small cry, but it stayed still as the light enveloped around it. A few seconds later, the light vanished and returned everything to normal.

Lakshman retracted his arm and looked closer at the injured leg. It was not bleeding and its wound had closed up as if it was not there in the first place. The cat gingerly stood on its four legs before meowing happily. It came forward and rubbed against his legs affectionately before taking its leave.

“Bye!” Lakshman said and the cat meowed happily before exiting through the gates and disappearing to the side.

Lakshman heaved a sigh of relief and smiled happily. He was feeling proud and glad to help a stray cat from its pained wound. Then he turned around and saw his father standing still and silent. He was staring at his son with eyes wide and a disbelieving expression on his face.

Curious as to what his father was doing, Lakshman asked “Dad? What are you doing?”

Indra stared at the gate where the cat disappeared and then back at his son. He blinked a few things in disbelief before shaking his head to clear away the doubts in his mind.

Indra took a deep breath and asked “Lakshman… did you just use… magic?”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 2 Magic or Sword After learning that Lakshman could use magic, Indra called for a family meeting. A while later they were seated in the living room. Lakshman was sitting next to his mother, Lakshmi, and looked worriedly at his father.

“Indra, what’s the matter? Why did you call for a family meeting all of a sudden?” Lakshmi asked Indra as she gently patted her son on the shoulder.

Indra was not looking at them. Instead, he had his eyes closed and arms crossed. It seemed like he was thinking because his eyebrows kept twitching up and down. A moment later, he opened his eyes and unfolded his arms as he looked at his wife and son.

“Lakshmi, I just discovered something a few minutes ago,” he told her in a flat voice.

“Okay...? And? What is it?”

Indra paused for a moment to think through what he was about to say. He sighed and flatly said “Lakshman can use magic.”

For a moment, those words did not sink in. Lakshmi simply looked at him blankly and asked “What? Come on, Indra. That’s a silly joke, even from you. How can Lucky know how to use magic so early in the age?”

“It’s not a joke!” he said firmly and she suddenly realised.

Lakshmi’s eyes widened slightly and she turned to look at her son. Lakshman, sensing her gaze, turned his head to look back at her.

“Lucky...?”

“Yes, mum?”

“I-Is it true that you used magic?”

Lakshman simply looked at her blankly and asked “Magic? What’s magic?”

Lakshmi, hearing those words, leaned back and breathed into the air. Indra’s eyes widened in surprise and he said “Lucky! When you healed the cat, what you used there was magic!”

“Oh...! So that’s magic!” Lakshman said as he finally understood what magic was.

“You have to be kidding me,” Indra muttered in disbelief.

“How did you know to use that spell, Lucky? Did anyone teach you how to do it?” Lakshmi asked in a puzzled voice.

“Well... I remember mum using it on me when I got sick. Because I got better after that, I thought I should do the same for that cat. That’s why I used that... um...”

“Magic spell. You used words of incantation and then said the magic spell’s name to execute it. Really...” Indra said in an exasperated voice.

“So you really did use magic...?” Lakshmi asked in a hushed voice.

When Lakshman nodded, she seemed to become stiff for a moment. Then a wide smile suddenly spread across her face and she hugged her son tightly.

“Awesome, awesome, awesome! That’s my boy! Wow! You used magic when you’re only seven! Hahaha! You’re more like your mother than your father, Lucky! I’m so proud of you!”

“M-Mum?” Lakshman asked in a puzzled voice as he was hugged by her.

Lakshmi was very excited for a few more seconds and looked at her husband and asked “Come on, Indra! Quickly go out and advertise for a magic tutor! We need magic tutor for Lucky!”

Indra simply looked at her and shook his head. Then he said “No, Lakshmi. I’m not letting my son master magic.”

“What?! Why not?! He’s got talent! If he gets trained, he’ll -!” Lakshmi said and stopped as he raised his hand to stop her.

“He might or might not have talent, I don’t care. I’m not letting Lucky master magic. It is completely useless,” Indra said flatly.

Lakshmi’s eyes widened in shock and she asked “What do you mean by ‘useless’?”

Indra sighed and said “Like I said, magic is useless. Magicians need to stand around and speak out those incantations. Then they have to shout out the name of the spell to execute them. That is a total waste of time when close combat solves everything!”

“W-What?! Are you stupid?! Using magic spells would only take around five to ten seconds!

How can you say it’ll take longer and everything?!”

“Well then! That’s such a waste of five to ten seconds! In those five to ten seconds, Lucky could’ve been able to destroy plenty of monsters and inflicted lots of physical damage!

Magic only takes away precious time a warrior needs to fight to the fullest!”

“Yet, magic is what gives you the advantage if your opponent is also a magician! What if the spells they use stop you from getting to them quickly enough to deliver a blow?”

“Then Lucky just needs to learn to use Weapon Force and Energy Force. You know that many of our friends are capable of using both at the same time! Like them, I’ll teach him to master them as well.”

“He’ll master them regardless of whether he learns magic or not, but it comes in handy when he cannot use normal strikes!”

They continued to argue on and on about how useful magic is or how a waste of time it is.

Lakshman watched his parents argue in amazement. He had witnessed his parents sometimes argue, but this was the first time he had seen them arguing so heatedly.

A while later, it seemed the couple have become tired of arguing. They were out of breath and breathing quickly. Indra was even sweating, although this was due to his concern that he might lose his arguing ground.

“W-Why... are you so... against Lucky learning... magic?” Lakshmi asked finally.

“Like I keep saying, it’s pointless. He just needs to master the sword and live with it. If he trains rigorously, he’ll become strong or he might even surpass me!” Indra said confidently.

“B-But... Magic is not so useless. Aren’t you forgetting that I’m a healer and using healing magic is what I specialise in?”

“For you, I understand, but I won’t let my son be the same. I want him to be a warrior that fights in the front lines. Magicians fight from the back of the line and are... rather... cowardly!”

With Indra’s words, Lakshmi began crying. Unable to face her tearful face, he rose to his feet and firmly said “Lucky will not study magic! Is that clear?!”

With no choice in the matter, Lakshmi just nodded her head at him. Satisfied with the response, he left the room with a displeased look on his face. A few minutes later, they heard a whinny noise of a horse. Lakshman guessed that his father was going out while riding on his horse.

Lakshmi was crying as she put her hands over her face. Lakshman did not know what to do to stop his mother from crying.

Wanting to do something, he tentatively said “Mum, please stop crying...”

“Ah! I’m not really crying!” Lakshmi quickly said and she wiped the tears from her face.

“B-But...”

“I’m just annoyed at how foolish your father is, Lucky. He thinks so little of the magicians, it makes me feel sad. Many of our friends are warriors, but there are also others who were magicians. It’s annoying that he keeps reminding himself about how our friends died when they could not protect themselves.”

“Does dad not want me to learn magic because he thinks I will die like them?”

“I am also thinking the same thing, Lucky. That man is just no brainer and all brawn. He trusts his strength and skills only in battle. So he fears what might happen to you if you learn magic.”

“What if I learn secretly?” Lakshman asked and he suddenly looked eager, but Lakshmi looked unhappy.

“Even if you did, I don’t know any other magic apart from healing type magic spells. You’ll need to be tutored in magic lessons, but I can’t do it. I would ask Mariana, but she doesn’t know about magic.”

They remained silent and, as time passed, Lakshmi finally got up. She smiled sadly at her son and left the room. Lakshman was troubled because of what just happened. He wanted to make his father happy, but seeing his crying mother just made him feel complicated.

After that, a few days went by silently. Indra and Lakshman continued their daily training early in the morning as per schedule. Then the remainder of time, Lakshman would study while supervised by Mariana. During the times that they met, Indra and Lakshmi talked normally.

It seemed like they put the argument behind them, although there was the slight rift between them.

When Lakshman talked about it with Mariana, she simply said “This is normal between couples. Sometimes they argue and sometimes they are all lovey-dovey. It’s just a natural thing to happen when both of them get angry when opinions clash, but they get back together later! Just give them time and they’ll start smiling happily again.”

Lakshman believed her words and thought his parents will come together later. So, just like Mariana told him, he just let it go and left it to his parents to sort out. Then something happened that changed the course of his life.

It was a few weeks later and Lakshman was training with his father when a villager rushed in.

“Indra, there are a few monsters attacking the villages nearby!” the villager said hurriedly.

Indra immediately changed into his fighting clothes, put on his armour and left riding on his horse. He had told Lakshman to inform Lakshmi. Then he rode into the distance with the village sitting behind him. Lakshman did as he was told and informed his mother.

“What?! Indra went after to fight several monsters in a nearby village?” Lakshmi exclaimed in shock.

Fearing trouble, she got onto another horse they owned and rode into town. She intended to go into town and alert the authorities to send help to her husband. Meanwhile, Lakshman and Marian stayed home in case someone came by to help.

An hour passed with no one coming to see them. Lakshman was pacing outside the house worriedly since he did not know what to do. Mariana asked him to sit inside several times, but his nervousness made him not feel like sitting still.

A few minutes later, he heard a neighing sound of a horse coming towards him. He ran towards the entrance gate and saw a figure, covered by a cloak, riding a horse towards them. The figure brought the horse to a stop and jumped down.

Lakshman was amazed at how tall the person was. The person was wearing a black hat, and had a body that was slim and was around one-eighty centimetres tall. The person was wearing a cloak that covered their body and face as they looked down at him.

“Is this the... Reddy family house requested assistance with a monster problem?” the person said and Lakshman was startled to hear the voice of a woman.

“Y-Yes! Dad went off in that direction to fight off some monsters that apparently attacked the nearby village!” Lakshman said quickly.

“I see, but unfortunately I don’t know the way around this area. Would you mind showing me the way?” the woman asked politely.

“I’ll show you the way!” Lakshman said firmly.

She helped him to sit on the back of the house and easily swung up it. Then she put the horse into a gallop and they sped away. The woman was good at handling the horse as she directed the horse where to go and it did as it was told.

With Lakshman’s guidance of the map and directions, they reached the nearby village in less than thirty minutes. When they got there, they saw that several of the buildings were smoking while others had partially been destroyed.

“Excuse me, but has anyone seen a certain warrior named Indra” the woman asked once she got down to speak to the local.

“Ah! Do you mean the warrior that chased out the hounds that attacked us?” a village girl asked and the woman nodded in reply. The village girl turned and pointed in a direction as she said “He chased them away in that direction. I think he went to deal with them.”

“Understood,” the woman said and she jumped back on the horse and put it into a gallop in the indicated direction.

The horse raced in the direction the village girl pointed them in. As they raced in that direction, they could hear the sound of combat getting louder.

“It looks like your father is fighting just ahead!” the woman said and Lakshman nodded.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a spot and saw something amazing. Indra was fighting with several monsters with two heads at incredible speed. Although he was fighting them so quickly, he does not seem to be inflicting damage to them.

“Stay here!” the woman said as they jumped off the horse.

She extended her hand from under her cloak and a staff suddenly materialised out of thin air. She gripped it tightly and silently walked towards the combat. Indra was fighting really hard against the monsters while keeping away from getting hurt.

When she was in the right position, she began to prepare her spell before executing it.

“Spirits of earth, solidify the earth and grab the enemies of my ally. Earth Bind!”

After saying the magic words, she tapped the ground with her staff. The next instance, the ground began to shake slightly. Indra and the dogs stumbled slightly as the ground shook beneath them. Then earth suddenly rose up the monster’s legs and bound them to the ground.

With the monster dogs unable to move from their positions, they no longer looked that dangerous. Indra looked at the leg bound monsters in confusion before looking around.

When he spotted the woman, he nodded at her and rushed in to kill the monsters.

Once the fight was over, Indra arrived at where they were and whistled. From the distance, they heard hooves sound as the horse that Indra rose in galloped towards them.

“That’s one fine horse you have there,” the woman said and they saw her smile where her cloak did not cover her mouth.

“He and I have been partners for a long time!” Indra said proudly and he patted his horse affectionately.

Then the woman explained what happened for her to be there. Indra nodded in understanding and thanked her for coming to help. Then, together, they got back on their horse and rode back the way they came.

The villages thanked Indra and the woman for helping. They were also curious about Lakshman, who had been hiding behind his father’s legs. Laughing at his son’s fearfulness, they got back on the horses and left for home.

“You’re safe!” was the first thing Lakshmi exclaimed when she saw them.

Lakshmi rushed towards them and hugged Lakshman. Indra eyed her with a raised eyebrow.

“Aren’t you worried about me?” he asked curiously.

“I was at first, but when I came home and Mariana told me that Lakshman went as a guide to the assisting woman, I became more worried about my son!” Lakshmi said in a firm voice and she glared at him.

Indra shook his head at her in exasperation. Then he turned and thanked the woman for her assistance once more. She told him it was her pleasure and was glad nothing bad happened to them.

“So how much would you like me to pay, Miss. Magician?” Indra asked her.

“Um...” the woman said and hesitated uncertainly.

Suddenly, Lakshmi looked up and was interested in the woman. After hearing her husband call her ‘Miss. Magician’, she suddenly realised the woman was a magician. Taking this opportunity, she pushed past her husband and clasped the woman’s hands with hers.

“Please, miss! Can you please tell my stubborn husband that learning magic is not a bad thing? Please!” Lakshmi pleaded with the woman desperately.

“Lakshmi! What are you doing?!” Indra said in an annoyed voice and he dragged his wife away from her. Then he came back and said “I’m sorry, but my wife is a little stupid. Don’t mind her.”

The woman was not listening to him. The words that Lakshmi pleaded with her were ringing through her mind. At that moment, she realised the man of the house seemed to be not letting her son study magic.

“What she said...? Are you not letting your son study magic?” the woman asked curiously.

“No, but there’s really no need for-!” Indra began, but was interrupted by Lakshmi’s loud voice.

“Lucky was able to use an Advanced ranked healing spell which I only was able to master when I was sixteen! That show should tell you that he is talented or not!” Lakshmi said loudly as she spoke over her husband.

“Lakshmi! Zip it! Outsiders don’t need to know about these sorts of things!” Indra said angrily.

“But you’re not even giving him a chance to learn! You’re just using your own prejudice that magic is useless, pointless and all those things you said a while ago!” Lakshmi said as tears formed in her eyes.

“Lakshmi...! Not now!” Indra muttered through gritted teeth.

“And then you went on saying how stupid and defenceless a magician is when it comes to physical combat! I’m a healer who specialises in healing magic! How am I supposed to feel about that?”

“Lakshmi! That’s enough!” Indra suddenly said angrily and he glared at her fiercely.

Seeing the sharp gaze he put her through, Lakshmi fell silent, but tears streamed down her face. Indra’s hand shook slightly as he turned back to speak with the magician woman. He tried to speak politely while wearing a smile.

“Please don’t mind what you just saw here. My wife’s a little stupid and doesn’t know what she’s talking about at all!” Indra said to the magician woman.

The woman remained quiet for a moment. Then she shifted as if she was looking at him and said “On the contrary, I am now even more inclined to see what your problem is.”

Indra, finally at his wits end, impatiently said “Look! You’re a stranger and this is our family issue. I’ll decide what is best for my son to learn! I don’t need the word of a stranger to tell me anything!”

“Even if it’s the word from a magic oriented race?” the woman said and she removed her cloak that was covering her face.

Lakshmi gasped by what she saw and Indra’s eyes widened in surprise. Lakshman, on other hand, was mesmerised by the appearance of the woman.

The woman had blue diamond shaped eyes and long blue hair that fell down to her waist.

Then there was the blue diamond-shaped crystal embedded on the centre of her forehead.

Just from looking at her, Lakshman could only think of one word that described her; beautiful.

The woman ran her hand through her long blue hair and stared at him through her blue diamond shaped eyes. Indra was frozen for a moment before shaking his head to recover.

“You’re...?” he said slowly as he tried to figure out her identity.

“Sumara Manjuvad. I’m from the Demon race of the Manjuvad clan.”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 3 Recognised Potential “So what if you’re from the Manjuvad demon clan? You’re still a complete stranger to me!”

Indra said firmly.

“Even so, I cannot just ignore the cries of your wife and that angry expression on your face!”

Sumara said and she glared fiercely at him.

Indra was startled for a moment. He quickly recovered and said “This is my family and you are not part of it. So I don’t care what you got to say and I won’t be convinced about my son learning magic! It is an utter waste to learn it!”

Sumara’s eyebrows twitched and she said “Explain.”

“You must first have to say the words out loud and then execute it! Your opponent would know what you’re planning and will take evasive actions to avoid it. Not only that, but you’re wasting previous time standing around and speaking them out!”

“Your point is the time taken to execute spells? I, on the other hand, think that the execution of magic spells takes less time than you realise. How else did you think I quickly cast my spell and captured all those Two-Headed Cerberus in my magic spell, Earth Bind?”

“I don’t know when you and Lucky arrived, so I cannot ascertain how long it took you to cast your spell,” Indra said flatly.

“Then your argument has no proof that magicians take so long to caste a single spell.”

“I watched people take that long to do it!”

“Then those people need proper practice to become a true magician!”

Like that, the two of them continued to argue on and on. Lakshmi and Lakshman were standing around and switching their gaze from one to the other. It seemed nighter of them will back down from this confrontation about magic or sword.

Getting tired of the argument, Indra said “I’m never accepting the idea that my son will learn magic!”

Sumara narrowed her eyes and said “You say that, but did you ever bother to ask what your son wants to learn? Shouldn’t he learn what he is interested in learning?”

“He’s only seven, too young to decide what is good or not good for him! That’s why we, as his parents, are here to guide him!” Indra said and he looked firmly at her.

“You’re not agreeing with me!” Lakshmi said angrily.

“And like I said, magic is not good to learn! Stop trying to make him do something with that stupid logic and then regret it later!” Indra retorted angrily.

“Then let’s ask Lucky what he thinks!” Sumara said and they turned to look at her in surprise.

“Ask him? Do you mean to ask a seven year old to know what is best for him?” Indra asked with a perplexed expression on his face.

“It’s better than having to argue on and on about this silly matter.”

“Fine! My son won’t let me down!”

All three of them turned to stare intently at Lakshman. He was taken aback by their serious expressions and wondered what he should do there and then. After walking over to him, Indra knelt down and spoke quietly to his son.

“Lucky. Tell me, honestly. Would you prefer to learn the magic or the sword?”

Lakshman made a blank expression as he stared into his father’s eyes. Truth be told, he was very interested in learning magic, but he also liked the sword. He felt strong and unbeatable whenever he practiced the sword. With that in mind, he did not know what to do.

Then a voice, in his mind, suddenly asked “So you like to do both the magic and the sword?”

“What?” Lakshman asked and he suddenly began looking around in confusion.

Indra sighed and said “I asked you whether you want to study the magic or the sword or maybe both?”

“Oh...” Lakshman said in a low voice.

“It’s me, Sumara. I’m speaking to you through telepathy,” the voice of Sumara said in his mind.

Lakshman looked up at her and saw that she was smiling. She nodded and he heard her voice once again in his mind.

“Be open about it. Your father is asking you for your opinion. Now’s your chance to tell him you want to do both.”

Lakshman was amazed by her words and thought “I wish, but I’m scared.”

“Why?” “I... I’m scared that dad might hit me for learning magic and sword at the same time! He got so angry at mum for asking about it, I’m afraid what he’ll do to me if I practice it!”

Sumara’s voice suddenly laughed and said “Don’t be silly! You are his son. If you make a mistake, he’ll hit you, but he won’t do anything when the choice is yours. Besides, aren’t you a fighter? Aren’t you a warrior? If you are, then be brave and come out in the open and say it!”

Lakshman was puzzled by her words. That was the first time anyone has ever told him to be brave regardless of the consequences. This somehow reminded him of how care taking Mariana was when he got sick.

Plucking up courage from the depths of his heart, he took a deep breath and said “I like to do both of them. Both magic and sword, dad.”

Lakshman prepared himself for the beating he might receive from his father. Instead, none came. He looked at his father and saw that he was wearing a pained expression on his face “D-Do both, ah...?” Indra said and sighed heavily.

Indra sighed once again and he stood up before facing his wife and Sumara.

“I know he said that, but I still don’t think he can use regular magic anyway,” he said in his last ditch effort to make his son avoid learning magic.

“That’s no problem. In fact, we can have him try using magic right here!” Sumara said and she suddenly looked excited about the prospect.

Sumara explained to them that she will get Lakshman to fire a magic spell called Water Ball.

The target is Indra and she made him stand several meters away from them. Indra stood there, like a statue, and waited for the moment when her magic would hit him.

“Do I have a choice?” he kept asking, but she simply smiled in reply. Then she said “Just block it whenever you feel like it!”

“Ha...! Yes...! Feel free to fire off any time!” Indra shouted at them with a disgruntled expression on his face.

Sumara turned to look at Lakshman and said “Lucky, observe me carefully. Make sure you see how I’m doing it, okay? Then it’ll be your turn.”

“Yes!” Lakshman said excitedly and he watched her with utmost attention.

“Right...!”

Sumara straightened up and extended her hand out. Out of thin air a staff suddenly appeared. She gripped it and muttered “Transform into wand.”

As if in response to her request, the staff emitted light and suddenly became small. Sumara was now holding a small stick which seemed well built. She nodded in satisfaction at the wand in her hand and turned to smile at Indra.

She extended her wand arm out and aimed her wand at Indra as he readied his sword to block her Water Ball. Then she began to chant incantations to execute the magic spell.

“Sprits of water, transform into a spherical shape of a ball and launch! Water Ball!”

In an instant, a strong wind began blowing around them as Sumara’s long hair was blown by the wind. Then particles of light began forming in front of the wand and it turned into the shape of a ball, except that it was full of water.

The next instant, it went soaring straight at Indra. As it sailed, it left a trail of water flying behind it. As it neared, Indra casually lifted his sword up and defended against it. The Water Ball splashed against his sword and water fell everywhere on the ground.

“Okay! I think this is too easy! Perhaps something tougher?” Indra called to them.

“Seriously...!” Lakshmi said and she shook her head at her husband’s cockiness.

Sumara nodded at the result as Indra waved his sword around to clear away the water from his sword. Then she knelt down and looked directly at Lakshman. He knew it was his turn and he suddenly became very nervous.

She smiled and said “No need to feel nervous. You can do it! I know you can do it! Do you feel you can do it? Of-course you can!”

Feeling a little more confident from her encouraging words, he took the wand that she handed him. Then he took a stance and aimed the wand at his father. He closed his eyes and remembered what she did a few seconds ago and imitated it.

“Spirits of water, form into a... um...?”

He stumbled for some words and turned to look at her for help. She smiled and said “It’s ‘Spirits of water, transform into a spherical shape of a ball and launch’. Okay?”

“Right!” Lakshman said and he nodded confidently.

Then he took his stance once again and aimed the wand at his father before chanting the incantation.

“Spirits of water, transform into a spherical shape of a ball and launch! Water Ball!”

The wind began glowing faster around him like it did for Sumara. Then particles of light began forming in front of the wand until it turned into a ball of water. The next instance, the water ball whooshed away at high speed.

“What the?!” Indra exclaimed in shock at the speeding water ball.

He tried to bring his sword up, but it was too late. The speedy water ball splashed him in the fact and he found himself dripping wet. He closed his eyes automatically just before impact.

Seeing the impact of water on her husband’s face, Lakshmi burst out laughing. Lakshman, on the other hand, panicked. He quickly handed the wand over to Sumara and ran into the house while shouting in a panicked voice.

“I didn’t mean to do it! I didn’t mean to do it! Don’t hurt me, I didn’t mean to do it!”

Lakshmi, startled by his shouting, tried to call him back, but he had already entered the house and disappeared. Then she smiled and walked towards her husband, who stood still and silent while dripping wet.

“Couldn’t you block the attack or dodge it? Was it just that fast for you to even make a move?” Lakshmi asked in a wondering voice, but was grinning broadly.

“Be quiet,” Indra muttered and he looked at her unhappily.

“Well...! This should prove you son’s potential, although he needs to control it. Clearly he accidentally got the Water Ball to launch a lot faster than necessary,” Sumara said in satisfaction.

Indra remained silent as he wiped the water off his face. Then he looked at them with a displeased expression on his face. They thought he was going to yell at them when, all of a sudden, he began smiling at them.

“Ah...! It’s been a while I got this bend up!” Indra said in a voice full of energy.

“Huh?” both Lakshmi and Sumara said in unison.

“Alright! It’s settled then!” Indra said in a firm voice and they listened quietly. He looked at Sumara and asked “Miss. Sumara-” “Just call me Sumara,” she told him and he nodded.

“Okay. Sumara, would you please be our son’s magic tutor? If you don’t like to, I don’t mind, but searching for a different magic tutor would take time.”

Sumara looked amazed before letting out laughter of happiness. Once she calmed down, she said “Actually I was going to ask you if you would let me tutor your son. Right now I’m wandering the world and looking for a job. If it’s still alright with you, I will do my job as your son’s magic tutor!”

Indra and Lakshmi looked at each other for a moment. Then they looked back at her and said “Please! We would like for you to teach our son in the ways of magic. We’ll arrange training schedules from when to when he will do what. Is that okay?”

“Suits me just fine!” Sumara said with pleasure.

Indra extended his hand out and she grasped it. Then they shook firmly which sealed the deal. That was when Sumara Majuvad became the magic tutor for Lakshman Reddy.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 4 Learning the Force and Ranks Two weeks have passed since Sumara Manjuvad was chosen to be the magic tutor for Lakshman by his parents. Indra and Lakshmi were very impressed by her and decided to alter the schedule which he trained in.

Beginning early in the morning, Lakshman would conduct his training with his father. After breakfast, he studies the educational subjects and the literature of the world under the watchful eye of Mariana, their maid. After lunch, he would learn to use magic instructed by Sumara till evening. After dinner, Sumara helps with his magical studies till bedtime.

Lakshman practiced using magic in the backyard of the house.

One day, while Lakshman was using magic spells, Sumara decided that it was time to explain a few things about the concepts of magic and energy.

“That’s good! Now let’s take a break. There are some things you should learn,” Sumara said in satisfaction and urged him to continue.

“Yes!” Lakshman said breathing ease after an hour of magic spell exercise.

They walked to the back of the house where there were chairs and a table. Once they reached them, both Lakshman and Sumara sat down. Then they relaxed and Lakshman let out a soft moan contentedly. For a while they sat in silence due to the relaxation.

Lakshman then straightened up and said “Miss. Sumara...?”

“Mmm...?”

“I was wondering... Two weeks ago, you used telepathy to speak to me right? You know...

When dad was asking me whether I would choose magic or sword or both?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“How did you do that?”

Sumara opened her eyes and straightened up on her chair and turned to look at him. She thought for a moment about how to explain it. Then she smiled to herself at the realisation that she did not know how she could do it as well.

“You could say... It’s natural?”

“Natural? Is that some sort of ability?”

“You could say that, yes. Our clan has had this ability since the ancient times. In fact, barely anyone remembers how we came to possess such an amazing ability.”

“Probably because your clan never liked using spoken words?” Lakshman asked with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Very funny...!” she said and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Then she said “Anyway, you’ve gotten the grasp of using magic in almost a week, impressive.”

She praised his efforts in getting a firmer grasp of his magical strength. In these past two days, she focused on improving his magic proficiency. Initially, he cast magic that were powerful, but he couldn’t control it. So, instead of explaining things, she wanted to make him perfect his magic control.

“Before we get into different types of energies, you must grasp the fundamental use of your energy,” Sumara said.

“My… energy? What’s that?” Lakshman asked in a puzzled voice.

“Energy is something that exists in all living things,” Sumara said and gestured to him, then her and then all around them. “In you, me, the air, plants, in trees and in the air. It’s all around us.”

“Wow!” Lakshman asked in awe.

“Yes,” Sumara said with a smile and continued to explain. “It is this force that everyone uses to live. Everyone burns energy to stay alive and need food to replenish that energy.

Recovery magic can also work, but It will deplete your Magic Force.”

“Eh? Magic Force? What’s that, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman said in surprise “It’s the energy that our magic spells use when we execute them. Take for instance, our Water Ball magic spell. Each time you use it you feel a little drained, right?”

“Actually,” Lakshman began in wondering voice and said “Now that you mention it, I do feel something gets drained out of me each time I use magic.”

“Yes. That’s your energy that you apply to magic that gets drained,” Sumara said. “Most people refer to it as Mana in their attempt to shorten it.”

“Question!” Lakshman said as he raised his hand in the air.

“What is it?” she asked while making a face of amusement at his way of asking questions.

“Why is it called Magic Force?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t told you more about the forces. Actually, there are three types of Force.

One is Magic Force, the other two are Weapon Force and Energy Force.”

“Weapon Force and Energy Force,” Lakshman said trying to keep them in mind.

“Yes,” she said with a nod of her head. “Each Force is used in its individual way.”

“Their individual way? What do you mean, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman asked, sounding puzzled.

“Take for instance, Magic Force. It is applied to magic spells. Weapon Force is used with weapons. Energy Force is the raw energy used in neither magic nor sword.”

“I understand, but can you explain more about the Weapon Force?”

“I’m not that familiar with it, but I’m sure your father is. Ask him, he should be able to tell you more about it than me.”

“Ah, sure! I’ll ask him in tomorrow morning’s training.”

“Good. Now, let’s return to your magical training. I want you to do this…”

They returned to their training without further ado. Sumara gave explicit instructions to Lakshman. These instructions were to mentally and physically train him to command his magic without losing control over it.

An hour later, she concluded his training for the day and they returned to the house.

Lakshman sat briefly before lunch to rest from using magic spells constantly.

“This is delicious!” Sumara said during dinner.

Both she and Lakshman ate their food quickly. He choked a few times, but Mariana was there to pat his back and help him cough it down. Sumara then praised Lakshmi’s and Mariana’s cooking with a curious expression on her face.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… would it be alright for me to learn some cooking?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well, of-course!” Lakshmi said brightly. Then she asked “When you want to take a break from Lucky’s training, we can help you train in the art of cooking. Right, Mariana?” and she turned to Mariana.

Mariana inclined her head in a semi-bow and said “I will do my best to teach you, Miss.

Sumara.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Sumara said sounding happy about this arrangement.

That night, Lucky lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was exhausted from the day’s training and he sighed tiredly. Strangely, though, he smiled as he was having a good time training in the morning with this father, studying the normal subjects with Mariana in the afternoon and practising magic in the evening with Sumara.

Because of all the fulltime he is training, there was no chance of him to feel bored. He was happy to constantly work rather than sit idly by doing absolutely nothing.

Just then he heard a knock on his door. Grudgingly, he rose to his feet and walked over to the door. Opening it, he saw Sumara holding a load of books in her arms and looked bright red in the face. She was puffing as if she had run for miles.

She suddenly glared at him and asked “Won’t you take these heavy books from me and put them on the table?!”

“O-Oh... Right! Sorry!” Lakshman said quickly.

Lakshman placed the books on the table in his room. Then he tried to make his way back to his bed. Then he noticed Sumara come into his room and close the door behind her. She sighed in relief and looked at all over his room with satisfaction.

“I’m glad to see you keep your room neat,” she said impressed. Then, in surprise, she asked “Hey, why are you lying in bed?”

She asked him when he returned to lay on his bed.

“I want to rest,” he said shortly.

That day was particularly harder than the previous. Sumara had made him use up most of his mana using difficult magic spells. It seemed she was assessing his capabilities at this present time.

“No, you got study to do,” Sumara said flatly and Lakshman groaned.

“Do I have to?” he asked and Sumara looked unimpressed.

“There’s still time before bedtime,” she said crossing her arms and looking serious. “So, I and your parents decided we’ll spend this remainder of time teaching you the theory of magic.”

She pointed at the books which she brought with her. He groaned again when he looked at the books. He had helped her carry them into his room and placed them there.

“My favourite subjects,” he said sarcastically.

“Don’t be like that,” she said cheerfully. “Once you get into it, it’s quite fun to learn.”

“Yay…” he said half heartily.

“Ah, come on,” she said and, grabbing his arms, she pulled him off the bed and over to the table.

Lakshman sat and stared at the pile of books. He resigned to the fact that each night he will spend time like this with Sumara in studying magic.

Thus, their study began and he listened to her speak while taking down notes on a piece of paper. He used black ink and feather to write them down. These were bought by his father, Indra, a few days ago anticipating this very day.

So for an hour and a half they immersed themselves in studying from the books that Sumara brought. She did not stick to one book for teaching. At certain things like magical creatures, she would use other books to find better descriptions of them.

Lakshman learnt Humans were not the only race occupying this world. Other races like Beasts, Demons, Angels, Demi-Humans, Spirits and many more also exist. He also learnt of the history that brought these races together.

Eight-thousand years ago, the world was ruled by one man who possessed incredible power.

He commanded the demons, ordering the angels and controlling the spirits at will. He had no equal and no one ever challenged his authority.

This man was forever known as Zekadraite Askajengret, the ruler of the world. Later, his death sparked the war between the races, each in their attempt to take over the world. It

was then the Phoenix Titan made his appearance and, through his sacrificed, stopped the war and restored peace to the world.

For some reason, after hearing the name Phoenix Titan, Lakshman’s head started to hurt.

Something about that name sounded familiar to him, but he did not understand why.

The pain dissipated a few seconds later, but the question that it raised remained in his mind.

At learning the existence of various races, he remembered something he wanted to ask Sumara.

“Miss. Sumara, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he said tentatively.

“Oh? What about?” she asked, looking up from the book she was flipping through.

“Um… how… how old are you?”

She let go of the book reflexively, staring at him with wide eyes. She was startled at suddenly being asked for her age. She coughed and looked away, looking flustered.

“Isn’t… isn’t it rude to ask a lady her age,” she said while not looking at him.

“It is?” he asked in surprise.

“Yes… but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“Oh… ok then.”

She turned to him, closed her eyes and coughed as if she was trying to give off a dignified air. This was spoiled when she started coughing involuntarily.

“I’m twenty-five years old,” she said a few seconds later.

Lakshman widened his eyes when she told him her age. He did not want to doubt her age, but her appearance was clearly of someone around the age of eighteen. With this in mind, he voiced his doubt.

“But… Miss. Sumara… You look like an eighteen year old,” he said doubtfully.

“I know and most people said the same thing when they had a guess about my age from my appearance. The fact is, I’m twenty-five years old and that my appearance doesn’t match my age. It’s not at all surprising considering I am a demon,” she said in a matter of fact tone.

“Because you’re a demon?” Lakshman asked in surprise. Then he looked at her forehead and asked “Is that why you have diamond shaped eyes and that blue diamond pressed onto your head?”

“Well... Each demon is different depending on their clan heritage. My clan, the Manjuvad, has blue diamond eyes and the blue diamond embedded into our foreheads.”

“Oh! So not everyone has them?”

“No,” she said while shaking her head. Then she said “Most demons have horns, but thankfully I’m spared from horns.”

“You don’t like horns?” Lakshman asked curiously.

She looked at him with an exasperated expression as she said “Having horns make me feel somewhat similar to the stronger demons and that’ll only cause more trouble for me!”

“Then... what about that blue diamond embedded on your forehead?”

“It’s something that’s been embedded in my forehead as long as I could remember.

Everyone in my clan have this diamond crystal embed into their foreheads.”

“Wow...! It must feel strange to have a crystal inside your head.”

Sumara laughed and said “Actually, I don’t even fell it. It’s almost as if it’s part of my skin and not a foreign object.”

“Wow!” Lakshman said in amazement. Then he remembered something and asked “Oh...!

So that’s why my parents were surprised to see you when you took off your cloak, Miss.

Sumara?”

She nodded at him and said “Anyway, we’re getting side-tracked here. Let’s get back to training.”

Another hour later, Lakshman started yawning as he continued to study with Sumara.

Noticing his increasingly yawning, she pulled out a small object and flipped it open. On it a design of the sun and the moon were drawn. She moved her eyes to see the arrow’s position, which was closer to the moon.

“I think we’ll wrap it up here for today,” she said closing the object and putting it back inside her robes.

She closed the books and stacked them once more.

“Lucky,” she said and he turned to look at her. “Let’s talk about a few things about tomorrow’s training.”

“Sure,” he said wondering what she plans to make him do.

“I think you’ve nearly got the hang of using most of Intermediate ranked magic spells. So, I’ll be putting you through some tests.”

“Ah, ok,” he said and nodded his head. Then, wondering about the rank name she keeps using, he asked “What is that ‘rank’ name that you keep on using, Miss. Sumara?”

“Oh! I forgot to mention,” she said and placed her hand on her forehead. “Anyway, these are the ranks that function as a level of competency and proficiency your skills are at.”

“The ranking system...?” he asked thoughtfully. “Does it apply just to magic? Is it also applied to the sword?”

“Yes, these ranks are applied to both the magic, sword and fighting,” she said with a nod of her head and listed the ranks.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Beginner Intermediate Advanced Saint Sage King Emperor Titan

“The higher your rank is, the more powerful skills you can perform,” she finished.

“Wow…!” he said in surprise. Then, being curious to know about her rank, he asked “What rank are you, Miss. Sumara?”

“I’m Saint ranked at water magic, Advanced ranked at healing magic and Advanced ranked at earth magic.”

“Wow,” he said in awe. “Can you teach me those things, Miss. Sumara?”

“After mastering the basics? Yes. I will teach them you!” she said and she smiled at how excited he became.

So one day of hardship in training finally ends. Lakshman is relieved the day is over. Now, he looks forward to the new training that awaits him from now on.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 5 Controlling the Force One morning, several weeks later, Lakshman was outside the house and was practicing with his sword. Joining him in the early morning training session was his father, Indra.

Indra had returned the previous night after three days of absence. The reason was that he and his adventuring party took longer than expected to escort a group of travellers. With the extended time of travel and arrival, it took them three days to return home.

Indra looked pleased when he looked at his son’s swings. Lakshman had constantly worked on exercising his body and swings of the sword every morning. Now, he is capable of swinging up to thirty times and can do more than fifteen laps around the house. His body strength along with stamina increased steadily.

Lakshman was burning to ask his father what Weapon Force is. Sumara could not explain it well because she never had to use it before. She was a magician and magicians’ do not usually rely on anything, but the staff or a wand.

However, they do carry short swords for close combat situations.

He decided to pose the question to his father once they take a break. After an hour of rigorous training, they stopped and rested by sitting down on the stairs leading into the house.

“Dad,” Lakshman began and said “I have something to ask you.”

“Sure. What is it?” Indra said, with a smile on his face.

“What is a Weapon Force?”

Indra became surprised and it was shown in his facial expression as he asked “Oh? So you’ve crossed the doors to learning about the different types of Force?”

When Lakshman nodded, he became impressed at the learning pace his son was going at.

“Yes, but Miss. Sumara couldn’t explain to well.”

“I wouldn’t expect a magician to explain about Weapon Force as well as a warrior,” Indra said, before muttering “Still, I can’t believe you’re already at that stage…”

“What stage, dad?”

“Ah, never mind,” Indra said and he scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, Weapon Force… Hmm…” A few moments later, Lakshman asked “Is it difficult to learn?”

“Not that it’s difficult… It’s just that… you would need to understand the flow of energy to use Weapon Force.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As you may know, there are three types of Force; Weapon Force is used with weapons to increase their skills and other aspects, Magic Force is used for executing magic spells and Energy Force is the unrefined form of energy and requires visualizing to achieve it.”

“So, how does one achieve Weapon Force?”

“Tell me, Lucky. Have you gotten the feel for the flow of energy?” Indra asked curiously.

“You mean this strange sensation when I release magic?”

“Mmm… I wouldn’t understand that… How about…?”

Indra rose to his feet and went into the house. Several seconds later, he walked out and he was holding a red crystal in his hand. Then he sat down and handed it to his son. Lakshman looked at the crystal and felt it was strange to the touch.

It was the first time he ever seen this kind of crystal. Then Indra explained what it was.

“This is called an Energy Crystal. When the user applies their energy to it, the crystal glows bright red. The brighter the glow, the more power the user has flowing within them.”

“Oh, wow,” Lakshman said, impressed as he stared at the crystal he held in his hands. Then he asked “So, what do you want me to do with it?”

“Use it, Of-course. Focus your mind, concentrate and use that whatever you felt while using magic, then channel it into the crystal.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

Lakshman closed his eyes and trying to feel the flow of energy within him. It took him a few seconds, but he managed to feel the strange sensation once more. He felt sure it was his energy and tried exerting it.

“Wow! That’s bright!”

He heard his father shout and opened his eyes. To his surprise, the dazzling light of the red crystal he held in his hand nearly blinded him. The crystal was glowing red and the brightness was very hard to escape from.

Just then, he heard his father shout “Lucky! Drop the damned thing! Hurry!”

Lakshman quickly lets go of the crystal and it drops to the ground. The bright glow quickly dims until only the aftereffects of the brightness remained. Both Indra and Lakshman felt like they were semi-blind as purple transparent dots appeared in their vision.

“Oww, my eyes!” Lakshman complained as he rubbed his eyes frantically to get rid of the purple dots.

“Note to yourself… never let my son use the Energy Crystal without wearing the Shadow Glasses,” Indra said as he also rubbed his eyes.

After recovering from the sudden brightness, they laughed happily. It felt a good to laugh since Lakshman was like this.

“I’m very impressed at you. You got so much energy in you I’m amazed the crystal didn’t break from it all!” Indra said, with a grinning face.

“I’m sorry,” Lakshman said as he felt a bit awkward.

“Don’t be!” Indra said, cheerfully as he clapped his son on the back. “You’ve just got to control your Energy Force.

But, I think you got the feel for it now. All that’s left is practice!”

“Great,” Lakshman groaned.

Indra laughed and stood up. He turned to his son and said “Watch me. I will show what a Weapon Force can do to your sword.”

Lakshman watched his father head over to a small rock and took a stance before swinging his sword at the rock.

With a loud clang, the sword stopped after hitting the rock. He straightened up and looked at his sword before looking at the rock. He nodded in satisfaction before turning back to face his son.

“Now I’ll apply my energy to my sword which is called Weapon Force.”

Indra held the sword in front of him with both hands. For a moment nothing happened when, all of a sudden, his sword started emanating light. He took his stance once more and swung the sword at the rock again. This time, the sword sliced through the rock. The rock slid back and fell onto the ground with a light thud.

Indra straightened up and nodded in satisfaction while Lakshman was staring at his father in astonishment.

“Cool…” Lakshman muttered as he gazed at the lightly glowing sword.

Lakshman was shocked to see the sword cut straight through the rock as if it was nothing.

“One of the things a Weapon Force can do is enhancing the sword. Ordinarily I couldn’t cut through the rock, but with a lightly applied energy, I was able to cut through it easily.”

“Can I try too?” Lakshman asked, eagerly.

“Sure, I guess,” Indra said, but he looked worried before saying “Be careful, Lucky!”

Lakshman eagerly rose to his feet and brought his wooden sword with him. As he held it with both of his hands, he closed his eyes. He sought out the sensation of the power he felt earlier and finally found it. Then he opened his eyes as he began to apply energy to his sword.

Just like it did for his father, the wooden sword began to glow dimly. Then, to his shock, the wooden sword suddenly exploded into pieces. The splintered wood fell everywhere and he was left to hold the handle of his previously sturdy wooden sword.

“What?! What… happened?” Lakshman said as he stared at the pieces of his wooden sword lying around on the ground.

“That can happen, you know, if you apply too much energy and your sword cannot handle it, it’ll simply explode,” Indra said in a matter of fact tone.

Lakshman was upset. He did not expect himself to be good at controlling his energy from the many practices by controlling his Magic Force. Indra then explained how the application of each force is different from another. So it left Lakshman with only one option.

“Practice makes perfect,” Indra said, bracingly and then went on to add “Never give up!”

“Yes,” Lakshman said, looking unhappily at his broken wooden sword.

“Cheer up! You now know you’re capable of using the Weapon Force,” Indra said in his attempt to try and lift his son’s sad mood.

Lakshman finally smiled and said “Dad, I know. I guess training is the only way to go from here on.”

“Yes, but I think it’s pretty unreasonable to want to be perfect on your first try. Don’t expect you’ll have a natural talent in all aspects. You’d be dreaming if that were true.”

“I understand,” Lakshman said and nodded.

With that, they returned to their sword training and Lakshman received a new wooden sword. The day progressed smoothly with no problems arising from his actions. Then, that evening, he began his training under the watchful gaze of Sumara, his home tutor to teach him magic and related studies.

“I hear you got the hang of using your Weapon Force,” Sumara said after a while.

Lakshman smiled proudly.

Seeing this, Sumara added “Although, not enough to stop your sword from exploding into pieces.”

Lakshman’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a sad expression. He was unhappy he caused his practice sword to explode like that.

His father explained how the Force acts differently from one another. He also asked Sumara, but she said the same thing. Maybe it was simple for him to assume that different types of Force would behave similarly.

“I will practice until I get it right!” he told Sumara in a firm confident voice.

Sumara smiled and said “That’s the good spirit I see, but please don’t break too many swords. Otherwise, your father might start scolding you severely. Heck, he might stop you from practising magic altogether if he thinks it’s getting in your way.”

“Ah!” Lakshman said in alarm as and he looked shocked at her words. Then he said “Dad won’t do that,” but he did not sound confident.

“He might… if you misbehave,” she said while smiling and looking like she was having a good time teasing him.

He looked upset and he lowered his head. She suddenly realised that, maybe, she had teased him more than she should have. Thinking fast, she changed the subject to something that could interest him.

“So, now that you understood about how Weapon Force is applied, you think you can manage something similar with Energy Force?”

“Energy Force?” he asked in a distracted voice and looked at her in confusion. Then he asked “You mean the force which forms the refined energy into use?”

“That’s right,” she said and nodded before continuing. “Surely you should’ve understood how it’s similar in use like Weapon Force and Magic Force.”

“Um… yes… I did think, but… I think I’ll get into trouble if I don’t control my power,” Lakshman said as he sounded hesitant.

“Sure you will,” Sumara said quickly. When he did not look convinced, she added “Remember what you did a few weeks back?”

A few weeks back, Lakshman used the Water Ball magic spell and accidentally cut down the family’s mango tree.

This got Sumara into trouble rather than him, but that was mainly because she let him do the deed.

Thanks to his encouragement, she recovered from the shock of having been scolded for a mistake she didn’t make and for the mistake of not being careful.

“No, no, no!” Lakshman said as he repeated the same word three times in an exclamation. Looking at her in alarm, he said “I don’t plan on putting Miss. Sumara in trouble like last time, but… um…”

He hesitated for a moment before saying “I wonder… can I try out the Energy Force please?”

“You’ll do what?!” Sumara said in a shocked voice.

“I mean…” Lakshman said and hesitated as he tried to think of a way to support his choice. Then he said “So far I’ve had practice in applying Magic Force and Weapon Force. This leaves Energy Force, which I feel I really need to start practicing on.”

“I understand what you are saying. Indeed, you need to start practising it. However, I don’t think this is the right time for it.”

“Oh…” Lakshman said, looking disappointed before asking “Then, Miss. Sumara, can you do it?”

“Me?” Sumara asked in surprise. “You want me to use… Energy Force?”

“Yes!” Lakshman instantly said, watching her with eyes glimmering with hope and excitement.

“Um… sorry Lucky... I… I don’t really know how to use Energy Force,” she replied, sounding apologetic. “My teachers never taught me, nor have I met anyone who could use it. I know it sounds like an excuse, but without proper examples and demonstrations, it’s hard to work it out.”

Lakshman’s face fell, looking upset. His last hope, this wonderful and highly trained home tutor, did not know how to use it. Suddenly, his mind clicked as he formed an idea. He looked up at Sumara and smiled hopefully.

“Miss. Sumara… I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t you let me use it and you can take notes?”

He was hoping she would let him. He saw the doubt form in her face and mentally he praised himself; his plan is working! Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he pressed on.

“I’m sure it’ll be a good experience for you to watch someone do it. That way, you can take notes and then help me perfect them while being able to train to use it yourself!”

“I ah…”

She hesitated once more as she made a complicated expression about her decision. She obviously did not want him to do something dangerous and hurt himself. On the other hand, it is possibly a good opportunity for her to experience it.

It was like Lakshman said; she could take down notes and then help him train while, at the same time, training to control it as well.

She finally came to two options; stop it and delay it or do it and get experience from it. She was feeling more and more inclined to letting him do it, considering it will be helpful for both of them at the same time.

Seeing Sumara wavering, Lakshman fired his final shot by saying “Besides, if I’m injured, my mother can heal me easily and she’s an Advanced rank at healing type magic after all.”

Sumara bit her lip thoughtfully, but her choice was already decided. She sighed heavily and looked at him with a serious expression on her face.

“Oh… alright!” she said, finally. “However, be careful! Okay?”

“Yes, I know,” Lakshman said, cheerfully.

In that instant it was decided he would use Energy Force. Sumara will watch him from a safe distance and observe.

While observing, she will take notes on how he uses it, what takes place during the process and the materialisation upon execution.

All these observation notes were for her use during their training sessions. This way, she can notice the flaws and work on them.

She is quite confident in her ability to take down notes on something very quickly and confident that Lakshman will be fine, however, a small doubt lingered at the back of her mind.

Lakshman stood in a cleared space at the back of the house. He breathed several times to ease his excitement. He understood that rushing it would not work and it might actually cause problems. Sumara had taught him this in a few lessons back.

“Don’t rush the sequence. Relax yourself. Take it nice and easy.”

Inwardly, he smiled upon remembering those words. Now he took several deep breaths and felt the tension lighten. He opened his eyes and judged that he was ready to do it Looking over to where Sumara stood, he smiled and waved.

“I’m ready!” he shouted.

“Alright!” he shouted back and nodded with her head to say that she understood.

“Ok,” he muttered.

He closed his eyes and tried seeking the sensation of power that he had felt when performing Weapon Force and Magic Force. The sensation was similar to the breeze that ruffled his hair, but felt hotter and had a feeling of fire in it.

And then he suddenly smiled when he finally grasped the sensation of his energy. He remembered what his father and Sumara told him about Energy Force; it must be visualized to make it work. Thinking of something, he immediately thought of a ball.

Lakshman wanted to create a ball of energy that is not too small or too large. Opening his eyes, he said “Ok, here goes nothing!”

He stretched his right arm out and held it at the ready. Then his face contorted as energy began to channel through his arm and into his hand.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a small light appeared in the palm of his hand. The glow formed into a tiny ball and he knew it is comprised of energy.

The wind started to blow faster and wildly as the size of the ball slowly increased. His arm started to shake from the sheer effort of holding the energy in the palm of his hand.

A few minutes later, with a spark of light, a ball of energy the size of a basketball formed in his hand. He winced slightly as he felt his shaking hand in pain from holding onto the ball of energy. He slowly turned and faced Sumara, whose eyes were wide open in astonishment.

“See… I did it!” he shouted, feeling proud of his achievement.

The ball of energy was letting of energy that caused the surrounding wind and to blow fast and wild. He was slightly buffeted by it, but he did not care. He had eyes only for the ball of energy that he held in his shaking hand.

“What?” he said in surprise.

The ball of energy suddenly started to spark. It started to spark more and more by the moment. Then, the ball suddenly started to blow brightly and“Oh no!” Sumara said as she realised the thing that was about to happen.

She instantly held her staff tight and started to chant a magic spell very quickly.

“Spirits of earth, gather and form into a solid barrier. Earth Funnel!”

The earth all around Lakshman suddenly rose up into the air. It reached a certain height and stopped. Not a moment too soon, a loud bang occurred inside the funnel, causing cracks appeared on the earth made funnel. Then, smoke started rising from the top of the funnel high above them.

For a few moments, Sumara did not do anything. Hearing the loud bang, Indra, Lakshmi and Mariana rushed to the back of the house.

“What the?!” Indra said in shock, staring, dumbstruck, at the earth made funnel that rose into the air.

“Miss. Sumara, what happened?!” Lakshmi demanded, looking at the earth funnel in fear.

Mariana’s eyes also widened as she saw the smoke blowing out from the end of the funnel in the air.

Sumara then chanted “Spirits of earth, return to earth from whence you came and rest. Earth Funnel, out!”

In an instant, the earth-made-funnel started to lower itself into the ground. Soon, all of it sank into the ground and leaving nothing behind. It, however, revealed a smoking figure that stood frozen to the spot. Out of the smoke, the figure walked out and it was none other than Lakshman.

Lakshman was covered from head to toe in black dust and smoke continued to puff out of him from time to time. He wore a dumbfounded expression as he stared at the black smoke and then at his hand.

“What… happened?” he said as he was unable to grasp what took place just then.

“Lucky! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh-!”

Lakshmi rushed over to her son with a fearful expression on her face when, suddenly, she exclaimed. She was surprise to see his right hand which was black and burnt looking and he would wince when she touched it.

Indra saw his son’s hand and whistled quietly while Mariana and Sumara looked surprised. It did not seem that it hurt him, but the pain of having burnt his hands lingered.

Lakshmi quickly healed his wounds and, in a matter of seconds, he was good as new very soon. Then he thanked his mother, but she looked at him with a serious expression. His father, on the other hand, was smiling as if he found the whole thing a joke.

“So, Luky… You’ve found yourself some real skills; cutting down trees with Magic Force, destroying weapons with Weapon Force and self-destructing with Energy Force,” Indra said sarcastically to his son.

“That’s not funny!” Lakshmi angrily said and glared at him fiercely.

Indra simply shrugged his shoulders and made a face to say “It is the truth”. Lakshmi shook her head and turned back to face her son. Her eyes narrowed and she spoke sternly to him.

“Lucky, don’t ever do this again!”

“What?!” Lakshman said, sounded desperate. He began to plead with her.

“But mum… I need to. Otherwise, every time I use Energy Force, it’ll explode like that and hurt me. I need to properly control it!”

“That’s precisely why I don’t want you using it! I don’t want my precious son damaging himself before he sets out his own life,” Lakshmi said in a worried tone.

“Ah, chill out Lakshmi. He’s a man and failure will only lead to success from continuous practice and training,” Indra said bracingly with a smile.

“I can’t believe you’re saying that!” Lakshmi said in disbelief. Then she asked “Do you find it entertaining to see your son getting hurt?!”

“I didn’t say that!” Indra said as he became irritated by her words. Then he seriously said “Eventually he must learn to use Energy Force. I’d rather it be today than sometime in the future when he really needs to use it.”

“But… He’s just a kid!” Lakshmi said in a frustrated voice.

“Oh for crying out loud, stop it Lakshmi! How long do you plan on pampering him?! That pampering will not help him survive in this world! You should know well from experience!” Indra said, seriously.

“B-But…” Lakshman said and feeling of helplessness emanated from her.

“I will train him,” said a voice from behind.

They turned and saw Sumara walking towards them. A few seconds earlier, she simply stood rooted and watched what transpired before her. She was astonished at the argument that transpired between Indra and Lakshmi about the wellbeing of their son.

Listening to their argument, she understood the point Indra made, but she also felt that Lakshmi was not in the wrong. Indra wants his son to grow up and be down-to-earth but Lakshmi did not want her one and only son getting hurt. There was only one way out of this predicament.

“You will…? B-But… Sumara… You told me you weren’t able to use it yet,” Lakshmi said uncertainly.

“Yes, but that has changed now. Watching Lucky demonstrate, I have watched and taken notes of what he did and didn’t do. Rest assured, I will train him and myself at using it,” Sumara said in a firm voice.

“Trial and error huh,” Mariana softly said softly as she narrowed her eyes.

“Without such, it will be very difficult to master the Energy Force. There may be injuries in the future, but it’s the price of learning. After all, no pain, no gain,” Sumara replied firmly as she looked at Marian with a serious expression.

Lakshmi looked uncertain, but Indra was satisfied with what he heard.

“Alright, Sumara, I’ll leave you to handling his training with Energy Force. I take it he’s learnt to control his Magic Force?”

When she nodded, he nodded in satisfaction and continued.

“Good! Lucky, train with Sumara and focus learning to control and use Energy Force while also learning to use your Magic Force. Is that alright with you?”

“Y-Yes, dad!” Lakshman said and he sounded happy at the prospect.

Indra then turned to his wife and said “Lakshmi, there’s no point arguing over this silly matter. Anyway, he must learn to control it and you know it! There will be a lot of dangers in this world that we can never protect him from.

He must learn to do things his way from now on!”

Lakshmi looked at him doubtfully, but eventually sighed heavily. She had resigned to the reality and silently nodded at Indra. Then she turned to Sumara and placed both of her hands on her shoulders which startled Sumara.

“Sumara, if you are willing to train him to control his Energy Force, then I can feel a bit reassured.”

With that said, she turned to Lakshman and said “Make sure to follow her instructions properly, okay Lucky?”

“Ah…! Of-course, mum!” he said firmly with a bright smile on his face.

Then he nodded before turning to walk back into the house. Mariana followed suit and they soon started talking about what to cook for dinner. Once they disappeared inside, Indra sighed and turned back to speak with Sumara.

“Please excuse our behaviour,” he said and bowed in apology.

“Ah, no… It’s alright! So please… raise your head,” Sumara said quickly, feeling awkward, as he raised his head.

“It’s just that… Lakshmi’s overprotective of Lakshman. You know how it’s like? A mother protective of their son… right?”

“Yes, I understand,” she said with a nod of her head.

“Okay then, I’ll leave the two of you to continue with your training,” he said before winking at Lakshman and also walking into the house.

A few seconds later, Sumara said “You have a good family.”

She looked a bit jealous after she said that. At that moment, she clapped her hands together and looked at Lakshman.

“With the go sign from your parents, I think we’ll add in the training to control of your Energy Force. We’ll be studying that together!”

With that, she smiled at him and Lakshman happily returned the smile.

Thus, Lakshman began his training to harness his Energy Force, alongside his Magic Force with Sumara and Weapon Force with his father. For him, his life has just become busier with more training and learning to come.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 6 Become a Hero

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye and Lakshman turned ten a few weeks back. Life was peaceful in the town that Lakshman and his family, including the magic tutor Sumara, lived in.

Lakshman made great progress with his training. He was capable of wielding the sword using the Weapon Force without destroying it. In his magical training, he advanced from Intermediate to Advanced rank magic spells. Finally, his training to control the Energy Force has produced successful results.

Overall, there were still things he couldn’t do properly, but showed great progress in them.

Due to his impressive progress, he started to have spare time on his hands. Both Sumara and Indra, his father, decided it was best to give him a day or two away from training occasionally.

The reason behind this was their sudden realisation that Lakshman did not interact with anyone outside home. They felt his uprising was somewhat isolated and decided to train him three days and then let him off for another three days.

Lakshmi, his mother, actively supported this idea since she also felt that her son is growing up in a lonely environment. Thus, he began to explore the area outside the boundary of his home.

One day when the sky was blue and the wind breezed smoothly, Lakshman was walking along the road. Their home is slightly at the far edge of the town and it took him some time to reach the town by foot.

Indra promised him he will train him to ride the horse once he turns twelve.

Indra had also said he must get accustomed to walking and must not rely on comforts too much. Otherwise, he will become a slacker and then be helpless when you need to be.

Taking the warning to heart, Lakshman did not complain as he walked to town and back.

“Good morning!” he would say in greeting when he meets with the locals.

They would smile and greet him respectfully. Most of the locals were farmers, but some worked in various fields such as the hospital, weapons shop and many more.

Lakshman had a lot to remember, but he was confident he can do it eventually.

For now he simply concentrated on remembering the places and the people that he visits. Naturally, he couldn’t remember everyone instantly, one area, he was pretty normal at, but he eventually got the hang of it.

Passing by another villager couple, he stopped and greeted them. They came over and greeted him energetically. The woman was pregnant, which Lakshman only recently understood to mean; she will have a baby soon.

“You out for some walking?” the villager asked.

“Yes, Mr. Samson, I was thinking of going to the lake for a bit,” Lakshman said, brightly.

Near the town there is a forest and within that forest was a lake. Lakshman had heard many stories of the lake which was supposed to be beautiful. He had also heard that it was the dwelling place for the spirits of the water.

He did not intend to meet the spirits in particular, but his curiosity to see the lake for himself urged him to go there. Saying goodbye to the couple, he went on his way.

A few minutes later, he ran up the hill and reached the top. From there, he could see across the area below. Each time he reached the top of a steep hill, he was always amazed at how beautiful the view looked. He paused for a moment to take in the beautiful scenario laid before him.

Once he was satisfied, he came down the hill while adjusting his legs to match the steepness of the slope down. When he hit the flat ground, he sort of missed the thrill the slope down gave him. He continued onward and reached the hedges over someone’s house.

There was a sudden yell of “AH!” Five kids, slightly younger than him, were standing over the hedges. Each of them had a mud ball in their hands. Lakshman looked at them in amazement as the boys prepared to launch the mud balls at him.

A moment later, he recognised them as the bullies that constantly try to pull pranks on him, but they always ended up failing. Thinking back, he suddenly realised he had felt a strange sensation. It seemed he had forgotten to be on alert and is taken, by surprise, by the bullies.

“We’ll have our revenge!” the kids shouted in unison and launched the mud balls at him.

They threw the mud balls at him and hoped they would hit. They were sorely disappointed when Lakshman easily dodged between them. After spending his time training his footwork with his father, Lakshman had no problem evading such slow projectiles.

“It’s not over yet!” the fat looking kid shouted.

The kids bent down and, when they straightened up, they had more mud balls in their hands. Lakshman sighed when he saw their hands full of mud balls.

“You know guys... Your attack strategy is so not original anymore! Try something more energy draining or something, alright?” Lakshman said to them.

“Be quiet and take this!”

Again, the kids threw the balls as hard as they could at him. Yet again, he dodged them easily. He was also feeling sorry for them if it were not for the fact that they were attempting to injure him.

This continued for a minute until they seemed to have run out of mud balls.

They began looking panicked and asking their leader for any ideas. Lakshman could only shake his head at their silliness and decided to scare them a little.

“Looks like you’re done. Now it’s my turn! Spirits of the water...!”

He began to chant the incantation when the kids suddenly panicked and began scampering away. Lakshman felt pleased with himself, but also realised that it made him look like the real bully. He sighed and began walking away when someone began calling for him.

“Hey, you! I mean you!”

Lakshman turned around and saw a kid standing over the hedge and grinning at him. Lakshman tentatively walked over while fully aware it could be a trap.

“That was some skills you’ve got there! Do you practice dancing?” the kid asked him.

“Dancing? No, I don’t, but I do practice swordsmanship.”

“Oh. Well, dad says swordsmanship is also like dancing, but with a weapon in your hands.”

“I see...”

For a moment, they just stood there and looked at each other. The kid was grinning as he observed Lakshman while Lakshman felt a little uncomfortable since he did not know who the kid was.

As if sensing what was troubling Lakshman, the kid said “Ah! I haven’t introduced myself yet. How silly of me! Anyway, my name is Stuart Mardak. It’s nice to meet you.”

Relieved, Lakshman finally smiled and said “I’m Lakshman Reddy. It’s good to meet you, Stuart.”

“Sure is, but what are you doing in summer’s day? Shouldn’t you soak in your home bath to chill out?” Stuart asked curiously.

Lakshman laughed and said “I did think about it, but I’ve been meaning pay the forest a visit.”

“The forest? Well, be careful! I hear there some spooky stuff in there! Ghosts and strange things we’ve never seen before!” Stuart said and he suddenly looked worried.

“Thanks for the warning,” Lakshman said coolly.

“No problem and have a good day!” Stuart wished him with a cheerful smile.

“Same to you, Stuart,” Lakshman said and he began walking towards the forest.

Eventually, he saw the forest looming closer as he continued to walk towards it.

Once he reached it, he was amazed.

“Wow…!” Lakshman said in awe.

The forest trees stretched high into the sky and the numbers of them were countless. He suddenly had a feeling of Déjà vu even though it was his first time being there. He shook off this uncertain feeling and walked bravely into the forest.

The sounds of the forest could be heard, but they did not possess a warning or a threat. They were the noises the forest made in general. Somehow, listening to the noises made him feel at ease in this forest.

“So… this is the lake,” he said after a while.

A few minutes of walking and he arrived. Flowing smoothly with water, he arrived at the lake. The lake was wide and quite deep, but there was no need for fear of drowning. Somehow, he got the feeling that he will be safe, although he couldn’t explain the feeling. He crouched and stared at the water surface which mirrored his face.

Just then he heard a splashing noise and, looking over, he saw small balls of light were dancing on the water surface. He smiled widely at seeing the water spirits.

Then the spirits noticed him and moved over and started playing with him. It seemed the spirits were still young judging from their sizes.

Lakshman’s evening studies now included learning as much as he could about the spirits. He learnt that the spirits have originally looked like balls of different colour of light. After two years, they start taking shape in their respective spirit form. From there, they gradually grow stronger and their size increases until they mature eight years later.

Once they grow up, they perform their duties; become contract spirits to users and become their partners in battle and strength, or choose to become guardians of the land by protecting it with their power and there chose more but few pick them. “Hey, that tickles!� Lakshman said, indignantly.

The water spirits played with him and tickled him. It seemed they were not afraid of him. It was then that he realised their innate ability to sense their surroundings and the nature of living beings. They continued to play like this for some time.

Suddenly, they heard a blood-curdling roar in the distance.Every ounce of his body suddenly froze. The roar was heard, louder than the last it sounded like the owner of the roar was drawing closer to them.

The water spirits began to panic, their colours turning slightly dark. For safety, they dived into the water. Lakshman assumed their home must be in the lake or to hide themselves in a place they could not be found easily. Whatever the reason was, they left Lakshman and now he is all alone.

He shook his entire body to get feeling into it and stood up. He carried a small sword at his waist, a precaution his father thought necessary if he ever came across trouble. It looked like he would need them at that instance because the owner of the roar suddenly appeared through the bushes on the opposite side of the lake.

“Oh…” Lakshman muttered, dread filling up inside him as he stared at the opposite side of the lake.

Out of the bushes, a monster walked out. It had a black body, was on four legs and had two heads with a horn sticking out of each head. It was a demon dog, Twin-Headed Cerberus.

It was a monster found rarely in this vicinity. Often after work, Indra would speak about his adventures and Lakshman would listen intently. Twin-Headed Cerberus was a demon dog that lives in the outskirts of town. They rarely make their way into towns, but if they do, then there will be destruction if they are not stopped immediately.

He also learnt that particular demon dog grows stronger from eating flesh.

Remembering what Indra had said back then, Lakshman now prepared for battle. In truth, this was his first ever live battle and he was feeling nervous.

Occasionally Indra took him out to fight monsters, but at those times he simply watched his father fight. Feeling anxious, he readied his sword, knowing this battle could end in disaster.

As he finished his thoughts, the demon dog leapt towards him.

His eyes widened and he reflexively shouted “What?!”

He couldn’t believe the demon dog had jumped or the fact that it smoothly landed on all four of its legs on his end. Leaping back, he took the fighting stance. Apart from swinging the sword and daily body exercise, Lakshman hasn’t been taught any real sword techniques.

Then the demon dog pounces and it was on him in a flash and opened its jaws with razor sharp teeth. With quick reflexes, Lakshman brought his sword and blocked its advance with his sword.

“Curses!” he exclaimed as he was pushed back by its second head.

The demon dog attempted several more times to sink its jaws into him only find itself barred by the sword Lakshman was wielding. Feeling irritated, the demon dog roared once more and decide on a course of action.

It took a stance and rushed at him with its head. Lakshman was able flick the horns away from gouging him, but couldn’t stop the dog from head butting him.

He yelled in pain as he was sent flying and he crashed into the lake.He moaned painfully as he slowly sank into the lake and heard the roar of the demon dog before it headed off in the direction of the town.

“No… Stop…!” he tried shouting, but it ended up being a mutter as he felt weak.

Lakshman slowly sank into the watery depths of the lake. He felt his eyelids become heavy to remain open. A sudden fear started forming within him, a certain fear one feels when they are at death’s door.

He was still a kid who did not understand a lot about the world and did not understand that he was dying if he keeps sinking. At the last moment, before he lost consciousness, he felt strong arms grab hold of him and pull him upwards.

After, who knows how long, Lakshman finally opened his eyes. He blinked in the shimmering light that dazzled him through the treetops. He blinked and sat up quickly before wincing and clutching his side where the demon dog head-butted him.

In a wondering look, he looked around and found himself to be wet, lying near the lake. He felt sure he had fallen into the lake and was unconscious. He then reasoned that, perhaps, someone rescued him once the demon dog disappeared in the direction of the town.

“Oh...” Lakshman muttered. At that moment, he suddenly realising something and shouted “Oh no…! The town…!”

He looked around and saw his sword lying beside him. Quickly grabbing it, he rose to his feet with a grunt and sheathed it. Then he rushed off in the direction of the town.

What he did not know was that he was being watched by bright yellow eyes.

They watched him leave and it purred in relief before turning around and, tailing waving, the cat walked deeper into the forest before disappearing.

Meanwhile, Lakshman rushed to get out of the forest at great speed. As he burst out of the forest, he was shocked to see smoke rising into the air in the distance. Frustrated at himself, he ran as fast as he could towards the source of all the commotion.

As he drew closer to town, he heard loud screams and yells and the roar of the demon dog. He was horrified to see many buildings destroyed and many more burning up in flames. People running everywhere, panic in the air and safety gone with the wind.

Just then, he noticed several people fighting the demon dog, except that it was bigger than it was when he fought against it. He made his way to help the fighters, when he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder.

Sensing the familiarity in the grip, he turned and saw Indra standing here. He had a worried expression, but looked relieved once he realised I was safe.

“Lucky, where have you been?!” he demanded in a worried voice.

“I ah…” Lakshman began when the demon dog roared and sent the fighters hurtling into buildings.

“Now isn’t the time for this!” Indra said, putting aside the matter of where Lakshman was the entire time. “Sumara, please take my son and go!”

“But… Dad! I want to help!” Lakshman said, earnestly.

“No, Lucky!” Indra said and shook his head adamantly. “This is a job for adults!

Stay with Sumara and you’ll be fine!”

“B-But-!”

“No buts, Lakshman!” Indra shouted in a firm voice. Then he crouched down and ruffled his son’s hair before saying “Lucky, you’re still a kid. You’re just not

ready to fight something of this scale like us adults. So, be a good boy and go with Sumara, alright?”

Lakshman was not happy, but he understood the reason behind his father’s words. Besides, being a good boy could earn him some reward from them later.

So, he nodded and his father smiled. Stood up and spoke briefly to Sumara and she nodded wordlessly.

With that, he rushed towards the demon dog which was roaring wildly. With each roar the demon dog created a wind force that buffeted everything in sight.

Sumara took Lakshman by the arm and lead him away from the fight. Lakshman watched as his father leaped into the air and clashed against the demon dog.

Very soon, they were away from the fight and could no longer hear the clash of swords, but the roar of the demon dog was enough to tell them the fight is still going.

“What kind of demon was that, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman asked after a while.

“I think you know, Twin-Headed Cerberus,” Sumara said.

“Yes, but… why is it so… big? Earlier I saw it, but it wasn’t that big,” he said as he looked towards the battle surrounded by the roaring flames.

“You saw it earlier?” she asked, sounding amazed. “Then, you’re lucky you’re not eaten.”

“Eaten?!” Lakshman asked in shock. Then, realising something and said “Don’t tell me… it grew that big because…”

He didn’t finish, but Sumara was already nodding her head at his response.

“There were thirty casualties. It ate them all. That’s why it’s so big right now and is really difficult to kill,” Sumara said in frustration.

At that moment, someone, around them, angrily said “Those damned town guards became slack in these times of peace.”

Lakshman looked around and saw the many frightened faces. Then he turned back to Sumara and asked “Miss. Sumara, can you defeat it?”

“I… Well…” Sumara hesitated, unsure whether to answer truthfully. Realising Lakshman could tell if she lied, she decided to speak the truth. “I doubt I can since my strongest magic spells take time to prepare.”

“Couldn’t we simply use Energy Force?”

“Possibly, but I don’t want to trust my level of skill in that area. We’ve only had three years to learn it and I feel we need more time to use it in live combat.”

Lakshman became quiet. Even his magic tutor was not feeling confident with her skills against a monster of that size. He understood the magic spells taking time to prepare, but even the thought of not being accustomed to using Energy Force in live combat depressed him.

Just then, a huge tremor ran through the ground and an explosion erupted in the fighting area. He did not know how, but he thought he heard the painful scream of his father as if he was badly wounded. He shook his head to clear the negative thoughts, thinking he might have imagined it, but his worries did not decrease.

Finally, having had enough of standing around and doing absolutely nothing but spectate the fight from a safe place, he decided he will help. He looked at Sumara and saw that she was looking around with a nervous expression on her face.

The moment he found slackness in her hand, he quickly released himself and started sprinting towards the fight.

“I’m helping!” Lakshman shouted as he ran towards the destruction.

“What?!” Sumara said in shock at Lakshman running towards the fight.

She tried to give chase, but was hampered by the mass of crowd that gathered there. He ran as fast as he could and eventually reached the fighting area.

Just as he got there, the demon dog erupted out of a building. Then it shook its head and looked at him. It growled loudly as if it came to greet him. Looking up close, the demon dog was indeed menacing and he was very nervous.

“I liked you better when you were small!” Lakshman shouted at the demon dog as he pulled out his sword.

Just then it raised one gigantic leg and held it in the air. It was obvious what it was going to do next. Lakshman widened his eyes and realised he will not be able to defend against it!

“Crap!” he muttered in resignation to a world of pain.

With a powerful force, the dog swept its gigantic leg down and smacked him to the side. He was sent flying through several buildings before coming to a crashing stop on the ground. He lay there for a few seconds before being able to move.

“Oww… My legs!” he muttered as he winced with pain.

“M-Mmm…? L-Lakshman…? Is that… you?”

At the familiar voice, he turned and saw his father hammered into the building only meters away.

Indra looked badly wounded as he remained in his stuck position. He had one eye closed with blood streaming down from the other areas on his body.

Lakshman gingerly rose to his feet and moved towards him.

“Dad…” he asked tentatively as he stared at his beaten father in shocked disbelief.

“Lucky…! I told you… to go with… with Sumara!” Indra said sounding severe, but he was hampered by the pain.

“Y-Yes, but… I couldn’t just keep myself safe and do nothing when I could!”

Indra smiled feebly at his son’s words. Then he coughed out blood before speaking again.

“As much as it pleases me to hear it, now isn’t the time for it.”

“B-But…!”

“Besides, what can a kid like you do when we adults couldn’t do a thing against that monster?” Indra said and he suddenly sounded tired.

Lakshman was looking unhappy and his father continued to say “Lucky... Now isn’t your time to die like me. You’ve got a lot of future ahead of you. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t waste it by acting the hero…”

He was shocked at hearing those words coming out of the mouth of his father.

Lakshman had looked up to his father as a man of honour and someone who is not afraid. There were times Lakshman felt like speaking his mind freely, but he decided against it. Indra had lived longer and experienced much more than him in his short ten years of life.

Now, hearing those kinds of cowardly words coming out of his words caused a wave of shock to overwhelm him.

Lakshman’s eyes widened and he hung his head in shock. Just then, the demon dog bursts into view by demolishing yet another building. Seeing the two figures, it roared maliciously and headed its way.

“Live, Lakshman!” Indra said, urgently. “I’m finished, but you live! Otherwise, my sacrifice will be for nothing! Now, go! Leave! Hurry dammit! Run!” Lakshman didn’t respond. He was looking at the carnage, destruction, felt the death in the air and the chaotic environment he was in. Then he saw corpses of dead bodies lying beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Seeing such horror, his eyes widened. Something inside him snapped. A power, so dangerous, suddenly rose to the surface.

He clenched his fists as he looked at the sky and closed his eyes before he started screaming. Following his screams, a powerful surge of power erupted from within and sent a powerful wave of wind in all directions. The wind was so strong that it pushed the demon dog back several meters.

Indra was buffeted by the powerful force Lakshman releases and he watched, in disbelief, as he continued to scream. Lakshman screams were so loud it caused the windows in the still remaining buildings to smash into pieces.

A few seconds later, Lakshman stopped screaming and looked at his father.

Indra looked back at his son and was shocked to see that his eyes have changed.

They were not black and round anymore. Instead, they had become red vertical pupils with a black dot in the centre.

Indra, at that moment, suddenly had the impression that he was looking into the eyes of a beast. Lakshman then turned and faced the monster with a dangerous expression on his face.

The demon dog roared and a tidal wave of wind was sent whooshing at Lakshman but he remained standing, unfazed by the assault.

“You… monster...!” Lakshman said and even his voice sounded beastly and he stared at the demon dog with a beastly expression on his face.

He raised his hand and quickly gathered massive amounts of energy and formed it into a ball of energy.

“For all the innocence you killed. For all the destruction you brought. For all the chaos you unleashed! Perish!”

He screamed the last word and he brought his hand, holding the energy ball, forward and unleashed it. A beam of energy erupted from his hand and it soared straight at the demon dog. The beam was so powerful it engulfed the demon dog entirely. The demon dog couldn’t even roar one last time before the beam eradicated it from existence. Once the beam energy was dispelled, nothing of the demon dog remained. In fact, everything after the demon dog got destroyed, but that wasn’t important. The important thing was, Lakshman destroyed the demon dog with powerful beam cannon.

Lakshman stood still and silent and stared straight ahead. Behind him, Indra looked on in utter disbelief. He couldn’t believe what he had seen. His son, who was just a kid, unleashed beam cannon so powerful it vaporised the demon dog in an instant.

Then Lakshman staggered and fell and, as he fell, he muttered “Peace… reigns… supreme…”

With that, he collapsed on the ground. Indra, with difficulty, pulled himself out and moved over to his son. Picking him up, he saw that Lakshman was breathing easily. Indra smiled as he realised his son had just collapsed from exhaustion.

He was astonished by the power that his son unleashed. It was not a joking matter to unleash such an immeasurable power for the first time in their life.

Later, the towns’ folk returned and soon began their reconstruction of the village. For those that died, they built a monument to commemorate their death. Finally, with the defeat of the demon dog, peace has been restored to the town.

At a certain house, however, things were as usual as they can be. Lakshman began his morning by exercising his body and training with his sword. Then he ate lunch and sat with Mariana, the family’s maid, and studies the basic subjects.

Later, he would then move outside with Sumara and commence their training with his magic and training to control their Energy Force. Finally, that night Lakshman would sit down with Sumara and study through the subjects related to magic and energy control.

Lakshman has become somewhat a celebrity within the town. His efforts to save the town earned him a name around the neighbouring villages. He was even awarded a medal for his bravery, but he didn’t take it. He told them, seeing the peaceful town and the lives of everyone are the reward for his efforts.

He instantly became an inspiration to the kids living in the neighbourhood. His efforts in saving the town and defeating the monster caused them to respect

him greatly. They even went as far as to request him to train with him he only agreed to train them only after they turn fourteen years of age.

Instinctively, he knew the differences in power and skill between him and them.

They were not like him when he began his training with Indra and Sumara.

For some reason, his body was able to handle the early training well. He couldn’t only call that being lucky and nothing more. With that in mind, he wanted to train them at an appropriate age.

Thus, Lakshman climbed another ladder in facing challenges in life bravely and taking responsibility like an adult.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 7 Exploring the Forest A few weeks passed by without any sort of problems arising. The town and its people did not face anymore threats sinec the attack of the demon dog. The guards, who were supposed to be guarding the town, were all punished severely.

A new establishment has comsissoned warriors. To ensure no attacks happen again, several warriors roamed the arera in a wide net.

During their investigation, their were surprised to discover six demon dogs wandering around. They did not know what had caused them to come so far from their homes, but they promptly defeated them.

One evening, Lakshman was eating dinner when his father, Indra, came home. He walked up to his room and promptly switched into his normal dress before coming down for dinner.

Sitting at the table, he sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.

Lakshmi, Lakshman’s mother, asked him how the day went and everyone at the table was surprised by the news.

“It’s unusual that this many monsters wandering so away from their dens,” he said as he spooned food into his mouth and swallowed.

“What could be the reason behind the recent unusual changes, Indra?” Lakshmi asked in a worried voice.

“That’s a good question. The boys in the Monster Control are investigating the issue.

However, I feel the recent monster hunting going around and adventurers carelessly might be driving the monsters from their dens.”

“Idiots… Do you know who it might be?”

“I do, but it’s not like I can just walk up to them and whack them for their idiocy now, can I?” Indra said in a sarcastic voice.

“Well, it’s a good thing our boy was there to save the day!” Lakshmi said and she patted Lakshman on the head, but he was munching and promptly caused him to start coughing.

A few days later, Lakshman was taking a day off from training again. On that day, he felt he should go back to the forest and do so some exploring. And so, he got dressed and headed out.

It took him a while longer than usual to get to the forest. The reason was not because he was delayed by saving kids from bullies. Rather, It was because of the people of the town.

Just before heading to the forest, he went to check on the condition of the town.

When he arrived in town, everyone started greeting him enthusitcally. In a matter of a few seconds, he was surrounded by a mass of people wanting to talk to him and his autograph.

Then he was hampered down by the many questions the people asked like his age to the last technique he used to destroy the monster.

Thinking of a way to escape, he remembered Sumara, his home tutor, instructing him on using a non-verbal spells. It was called the Morse code and she had shown him how to do it. Although he understood it, he was still a beginner at it, but he was confident he could pull it off under these circumstances.

While other people were talking and arguing with each other, he started drawing the Morse code on the ground. Once he finished, light appeared and the Morse code vanished. The next instant, a gigantic ball of water appeared floating high above the crown before pouring down on the crowd.

When the crowd scattered, he took the opportunity to make his great escape. He ran out of town until he reached the crossroads where the sign was pinned to the ground.

“What the heck is up with that crowd,” Lakshman said once he reached a safe point and sighing.

Ignoring the crowd, he went on his way towards the forest. Half an hour later, he arrived at the forest. Since the last time he came here, he felt nothing had changed. Calmly, he walked into the forest and instantly regretted having gone to town.

Maybe, going to town and getting all worked up was not a good thing. In a way, he felt more relieved and peaceful in the forest than in town.

A while later, he arrived at the lake and, like last time, saw the water spirits dancing above the water surface. Seeing him, they quickly moved towards him.

Once he sat down, he took off the shoes puts his legs into the lake. The cool water felt refreshing to the touch of his feet. He closed his eyes in bliss and sat there while listening to the sounds made by the cheerful water spirits.

Like this, he spent his time sitting and then lay on the ground in relaxation while he listened to the sounds of the forest. He might have accidentally drifted off to sleep and it was not a surprise for anyone to sleep in such a peaceful place.

“Meow…”

He suddenly opened his eyes after hearing the sound. He felt a little sluggish and wondered why. Suddenly, he remembered where he was and thougt that he might have fallen asleep.

Then he felt a something soft and furry touching his face.

“Meow…”

He blinked in surprise before turning his face in the direction the noise came from. His eyes made contact with the form of a cat as the cat continued to nudge his face.

Looking at the cat, he suddenly felt as if he had seen this cat before. As he finally remembered, his eyes widened because it was the same cat that had an injured leg which he healed.

“Oh, hello,” he said as he greeted the cat before sitting upright.

Lakshman suddenly felt his legs getting cold and decided to finally take them out. After shaking them off the water, he put his shoes back on. As he sat back down, the cat got close and started rubbing its head against his legs. He was surprised, but he quite liked the feeling of the cat rubbing against his leg.

Sumara told him that this forest is inhabited by one of the beast tribes, the cat people.

Apparently, they had the power to transform into their humanoid form and their cat form, although the beast tribe cat people do not usually interact with humans.

Thinking about what she said, Lakshman was not sure what to make out of this cat, but he did not think it was bad. Sumara admitted to never coming across anyone from the beast type people on her journey. All she told him was that they are a tribe that isolate themselves from outsiders.

“I wonder… Can there really be transforming cats? And if so, I wonder what they look like in a Human form?” he muttered as he looked down at the cat.

At that moment, he imagined a girl with cat ears and a tail with sharp nails. He did not know why, but from just imaging it made him feel excited.

Going with the flow of his feelings, he suddenly raised his hands into the air and shouted “Cat people are cute!”

His voice echoed throughout the forest. The water spirits stopped what they were doing and stared at him. For a moment, he was pleased with himself. Then he realised he accidentally shouted out loud.

Just then, the water spirits came over and started to circle him. He has not learned to communicate with the spirits, but he could guess what they wanted.

“Who is cute? What is cute?”

“I mean, I ah… um…”

Lakshman was hesitant to speak and made flustered movements. The cat stopped rubbing its head against his leg. He thought he saw the cat give him a puzzled look, but he thought must have imagined it.

Deciding to distract them, he began playing with the water spirits. The spirits easily avoided him and started bouncing on his head. They were light, but that was because they were still in the growing stage.

“Well then, I think I’ll go explore around a bit…” he said and got to his feet.

So he walked away from the lake and further into the forest. The cat also followed, which he didn’t mind. It almost felt like a small companion and he didn’t like to linger long since he felt slightly lonely.

“Oh my god!” Lakshman exclaimed in shock.

Several minutes later, he suddenly came to the point where the forest showed an entrance ahead. Walking towards it, he suddenly shouted in fright and quickly grabbed onto the neatrest tree to hold onto.

What frightened him was that he was standing at the edge of a cliff where the trees ended.

Down below he could see more trees and more stretch of land.

“That’s a long drop to the bottom,” he muttered as he looked down.

The drop looked very long. It was clear there was no chance for a man to live after falling from this height, even worse for a kid like him. He wanted to leave the place immediately.

The cat was sitting at the edge of the cliff and seemed to be observing the scenery below while he hung off the branch.

“Meow?”

“It would be a dumb move if I fall right now. This is ridiculous, even for me!”

Just as he finished speaking, the ground began to shake. It shook violently and a chunk of the land suddenly got torn off from the cliff. Lakshman watched, in shock, as the broken part of the cliff began to fall.

Lakshman sighed in relief to not be standing on it. At that moment, he suddenly heard the frightened sound of a familiar cat.

“Meow! Meow! Meow!”

The cat was floating in midair as it was about to fall. He realised, with horror, the cat was sitting at the edge of the cliff where the land got separated.

“Goddammit!”

Lakshman lets go of the tree he was holding on and landed on the ground. Then he moved forward and kicked off the ground with tremendous forcefully and soared towards the cat.

The cat slowly spun in the air before he grabbed it and held it between his arms.

As he rescued the cat, he realised, too late, he was was the one falling this time.

“Hold on tight!”

His eyes widened and he prepared himself. As he drew nearer to the bottom, he frees his right hand and raises it above him.

Instantly, he gathered energy and formed it into a ball in the palm of his hand. The next instant, he brought his arm forward and released it into beam energy, aimed directly at the ground below.

“Whoa yeah!” he shouted as the beam hit the ground and propelled him up into the air.

A few seconds later, the beam energy vanished and he found himself floating high in the air with the cat. Looking around, he yelled happily when he got to see the world from such a height. All worries left him and were replaced by the sheer pleasure of seeing the world stretching for miles.

“Hey, cat! That’s the dumbest move you made, sitting so close to the cliff! Still, though, if you hadn’t I wouldn’t have rescued you and if I hadn’t rescued you we wouldn’t be floating way up here and seeing the world!” he shouted as the wind howled back his ears, making it difficult to hear.

The cat was making noises, but he simply could not hear them. It looked like the cat was also excited to soar so high in the air. Then they started to drop and he realised, he had no idea how to land properly.

“If only I had learnt wind magic, I could gently land us,” he thought hopelessly.

Looking down, Lakshman saw the lake and realised they were headed towards it. He tried to whistle only to blow air out of his mouth. He had watched his father whistling happily, but was unable to replicate it, even with him explaining how it was done. It seemed like whistling is not something he could do easily.

“Get ready, cat! We’re about to have a crash dive!” he shouted and tucked the cat between his arms safely.

Lakshman prepared for the fall and braced himself. He was quite sure a fall from this height might cause some sort of concussion when he lands in the water. At the last moment, he closed his eyes and was hoping for a miracle and hoped that his body was capable of handling this kind of dangerous fall.

With a great crash, they plummeted deep into the lake. He hit the lake with his head first and instantly, he regretted it. Letting go of the cat, he slowly clutched his head. Then he wore a pained expression when his head stung painfully.

“Must’ve… hit harder than... I... thought,” he tried to say, but only bubbles came gurgling out of his mouth.

Lakshman felt himself sinking into the watery depths. He tried to move his arms, but his arms ached from falling so recklessly. Suddenly, he felt his consciousness leaving him and began to fear for his life. He accidentally gulped the lake water in and suddenly felt like he was going to suffocate.

After the incident with the demon dog, he had retold his encounter with it to his family.

They then told him to try and stay above the water. Otherwise, he will drown and die from lack of air. Remembering their words of concern, he tried to move up, but his strength started to leave him.

At that moment, he felt familiar strong hands gripping his body. He tried to tilt his head to see who it was. With the glow of the sun behind them, he could not make out the figure except that this person had cat ears.

As they broke the surface, he was able to breathe easily. A moment ago he had begun to suffocate with a lack of air, but now it was fine. Due to his rescuer’s effort, he was alive again.

With difficulty, he was pulled to the shore and was laid on the ground. His eyes were half open and his breathing was shallow.

Then he felt a powerful impact on his stomach and he lurched before spewing out the water he swalled. He turned over and let out the water, he swallowed earlier. Once it was over, he started to breathe easily and he calmed his shivering body.

The experience of life and death was not something to laugh about. Then he sat up and looked around for his rescuer. He was sure he had seen the figure with cat ears, but, because of the darkness, he couldn’t see their face. Looking around, he only saw the spirits and the cat that made its way to him. He smiled when he saw the cat in good health.

“I’m sure glad you survived,” he said as he spoke to the cat.

“Meow,” the cat said and it rubbed its head against his leg affectionately.

Watching the cat rubbing its head, he thought of something. He sat up properly and looking at the cat and wondered if it was possible. Sumara told him about the beast tribes’ capable of transforming into humanoid and cat forms. He seriously wondered if this cat was his rescuer just pretending to be an ordinary cat.

“Hey, cat,” he said and the cat looked up. Then he asked “Tell me… are you one of those… beast tribe people?”

“Meow?” the cat said, tilting its head sideways.

The cat was adoringly cute he seriously wanted to hug it. Apart from that, he got nowhere with his question. Instead, he decided to approach it in a different way.

“Listen. If you see my rescuer, could you please say thanks on my behalf? I am aware the beast tribe cat people don’t approach humans actively but I still want to see them to say my thanks personally. Since that can’t happen, can you do it for me, please?”

Lakshman felt a little stupid talking to a cat. This could just be an ordinary stray cat living in the wilderness like any free animal. However, the cat nodded and purred softly. He affectionately started to rub the cat down and the cat seemed to enjoy the sensation.

“By the way, I think I haven’t told my name to you lot,” he said, addressing both the cat and the water spirits that came over to play. “Lakshman Reddy is my name. Call me Lucky though since my parents call me that and I liked being called that.”

With that, he made his first friends with a pair of water spirits and a cat that he suspected of being a beast tribe cat. The water spirits happily danced around him while the cat lay on his lap. He has nothing to gain by forcing the matter of revealing whether the cat was really an ordinary stray or not.

After that, he played with them until evening. Seeing the setting sun in the horizon, he decided to return home for the day.

“See you later!” he said and ran out of the forest in high spirits.

The day had been exceptionally normal except for the part where he had soared into the air and almost drowned because of hitting hard against the water.

That evening he told all of his day's adventures to his family. Both Sumara and Indra, his father, were impressed at his control over the Energy Force. On the other hand Lakshmi, his

mother, scolded him for doing something reckless. She did, however, relent after hearing that he did it to save a cat.

Overall, he was happy with the day’s events. He made friends with an unlikely pair; water spirits and a cat. He still somewhat suspected the cat was a beast tribe cat masquerading as any stray cat. However, he was not interested in revealing its identity. Even so, he was glad to make friends.

Elsewhere, deep within the forest, in an area lighted by several torches hung upon tress.

There sat the people with cat ears and tails moving about from the tents. In a large tent, two people sat staring at each other with serious expressions. On one side the cat eared man looked like an elder and the other was a young girl.

“So, did you meet him?” the elderly looking man asked the young girl.

“Yes.” “Has he seen you in your cat form?”

“Yes.” “What about your humanoid form?”

“I think he caught a glimpse of my form when I rescued him from the lake today, but that’s about it.”

The elder narrowed his eyes at her words and asked “Did he suspect anything?”

“He did suspect that maybe my cat form was me, but he didn’t say anything about it,” she said a little hesitantly.

She remembered him asking her cat form to thank her for rescuing him twice. She suddenly blushed when she found his speech, about wanting to thank her personally, cool. The elder noticed her reaction and shook his head.

“This won’t do, Rasha. Remember our pledge. We are not to make ourselves known to him until the day he turns sixteen years of age,” the elder said before sighing heavily.

“I know,” Rasha said and she looked slightly disappointed.

“Remember… This is the pledge we have taken in the name of the Phoenix Titan.”

“Yes, I understand,” she said and nodded with a serious expression on her face before taking her leave from the tent.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 8 Slave Spirit “Prepare yourself to die, human!”

The owner of the voice was a girl barely his age. She was red faced and she stood over him with her sword at the ready. Her voice radiated with anger as she looked down threateningly at him. Lakshman, for his part, had a confused expression on his face as he looked up at the sharp edge of the blade.

In that instant, he thought “How the heck did things turn out like this?!”

The events leading to his predicament was an hour ago.

It had been two years since the attack of the demon dog and peace was finally restored.

The neighbourhood and its occupants no longer feared since guards patrolled day and night.

It felt safer than it did before the attack. They learnt how dangerous carelessness can be and are actively doing their best to be careful.

They finally entered winter and the weather got really cold. In the morning the sun would shine and the heat was enough to keep people just warm. They needed to wear warm pelts to keep out the cold. In the night, however, it got really cold.

There was a rush for Fire Crystals to keep their homes warm in winter. Lakshman’s home was no exception. Every morning the inhabitants of the house would be seen wearing double layered pelts over their normal clothes. Even their drinks were warm to help warm them up.

The only one oblivious to the change in weather was Lakshman, who is twelve years old.

No one, including him, had any idea as to why he was impervious to the skin biting cold.

Sumara, his home tutor, received shock to see him walking around in loose clothing. Even his parents and their maid were more than astonished by his endless resistance to the cold.

“How can you be not feeling cold at all?” Indra asked his son that morning during their morning training session.

Indra had removed his pelt after working up a great deal of sweat and finally warming up his body. Earlier, he was astonished when he saw his son walk nonchalantly out of the house and start practising with his sword. It didn’t look as if the old affected him at all. After a while, Indra did warm up, but he stilled shivered from time to time by the cold wind touching his skin.

Lakshman merely smiled and said “What can I say? I guess I’m just lucky.”

Lakshmi, his mother, however, found good use of this. She often hugged him just so she could warm up. The reason for this was simple; she was pregnant. They discovered her pregnancy a few weeks back. Their joy was more than enough to ignore the cold as they celebrated happily. Lakshman was especially happy and one day he proudly declared he will be a cool older brother.

“Do your best,” Lakshmi said and he nodded brightly.

That morning, he did his training and then got hugged by his mother to warm up. Originally, he would become flustered by this but it soon became a course of action. He somehow became the human heater his mother needed to dispel the cold.

“What will you do today, Lucky?” she would ask.

“I plan to go and play with the water spirits,” he answered.

“I see,” Lakshmi said with a smile on her face. “You know, Lucky, you should make friends with someone… normal.”

“I’ve got a normal friend,” Lakshman said indignantly. “His name’s Stuart Mardak. We often play together when he’s around. But lately, he’s working with his father.”

“Ah, growing up to be like his father, I see,” Indra said, nodding approvingly.

“That reminds me, what do you plan on doing when you grow up, Lucky?” Sumara asked.

“I’m… not sure actually…” he said, hesitantly. “I think I’ll become a warrior like dad.”

Indra, let out a hearty laugh and said “That’s my boy! Follow in your father’s footsteps!”

“Yes!” Lakshman said and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Honestly, you two!” Lakshmi would pout at seeing the father and son relationship. “Just don’t become as reckless as your father.”

“I won’t.”

“Hey!” Laughing, they finished their breast fast and Lakshman changed into his outdoor clothes.

He bid his farewell to his mother and Sumara. Just as he was about to exit the house, Sumara called him back. She had a serious expression on her face when he went to see her.

“What is it, Miss. Sumara?”

“Lucky, listen,” she said. “Be careful when you play with the water spirits.”

“Eh?” he said, sounding surprised. “Why?” Sumara folded her arms and he knew she will be explaining things to him.

“This time around, the water spirits will be at their growing stage. I take it you noticed the growth if the water spirits in these two years.”

He indeed did. Originally, the water spirits were simple lights that bounced around. In these two years, however, they grew up quickly. Now they look like seven year old kids. Initially, it surprised him, but after receiving an explanation about their fast growth rate, he was fine afterwards.

“Due to this, they will constantly be protected by the Spirit Guardians. The Spirit Guardians usually don’t show themselves around humans. However, be careful!” she said, warningly.

“They can be aggressive and can even hurt you pretty badly if they feel you are overly friendly with the spirits.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Lakshman said, cheerfully.

Sumara shook her head and said “Being fine and getting beaten to a pulp. There’s a major difference between those two.”

“I know, Miss. Sumara. I won’t do anything that will put me in a bind with the spirits,” he said, confidently.

Sumara continued to look at him with a worried expression on her face. Then she relaxed and made a smile. She doesn’t usually smile, but often finds herself smiling at Lakshman.

She reasoned that something about him was special which keeps everyone around him happy and cheerful.

“Alright, be careful and have fun.”

“I will!” Lakshman said and left the building.

In these two years, nothing major has happened. It was a blissful morning except for the cold. He would see people and greet them respectfully. Even though nothing happened in the last two years, people still viewed him as a hero. Because of this, he became well acquainted with many people in and out of town.

“Here we are!” he said with satisfaction.

After some time of walking and happily musing to himself, he finally reached the forest entrance. There was nothing that has changed the forest. In fact, he felt the forest was welcoming him.

“Even after all these years, you haven’t changed!” he said, brightly as he stared at the tall trees.

For him it felt strange, almost as though he found a place of peace and harmony untouched by people. The wind blew smoothly and ruffled his hair. He closed his and enjoyed the sensation. Then he opened his eyes, clapped his hands and walked into the forest.

It took him several minutes to find the lake. Surprisingly, he went the wrong way before realising. He laughed at his own mistake and retraced his steps before taking the correct path. He eventually reached the lake and, waiting for him, where the water spirits.

“Ah~!” they said once they spotted him.

“Hello there!” he said, brightly and switching to speaking in the spirit language.

Two years back, he couldn’t speak the spirit language. It troubled him at the fact. So, he took intensive classes with Sumara doing her best to teach him the spirit language. It was more difficult to learn the spirit language than it did to learn the human language and the global language. The difficulty in learning a new language was matched by his persistence.

“Never give up!” he would say whenever he found something difficult to get his head around.

After much persistence and log hours of reading and reading, he finally was capable of understanding and speaking it. Sumara was amazed at how quickly he grasped the spirit language. It was rough around the edges, but for the most part he could now communicate with the spirits.

“What’s up, everyone,” he said when he reached them and sat down on the leafy ground.

There were six water spirits and all of them looked like seven year old kids. Lakshman could never get used to seeing them in this form. He was reminded of his first encounter with them two years ago.

“Nothing much is happening,” the tallest spirit said.

Each of the spirits had short blue hair and blue eyes. Their appearance was similar to the humans, but Lakshman was unable to tell the difference in male and female spirits. At seeing their blue hair, he asked Sumara if there is any relation to them. She simply stated that her hair shines greenish in the sunlight while their hair is naturally blue.

Lakshman and the six water spirits continued to speak about their activities. Lakshman was not surprised to hear that they were being watched by a Spirit Guardian. However, he was surprised to find that the Spirit Guardians dislike humans, especially men. The reasons were unknown, but it was something like resentment from a long time ago.

Just then, Lakshman got splashed on by two of the water spirits. They were bored and wanted to play with him. Lakshman wiped his face and looked at them with a wicked smile.

Then he used magic and poured rain drops on top of their heads. The spirits would yell and jump into the lake and he did the same. From there, they continued to splash each other with water.

“Hey, how about we play a game?” he asked.

“A game?” they said. “What will we play?”

“Bounce the ball,” he said.

He held out his hand and, channelling his energy, he created a small water ball. He was proud of his skills at controlling his flow of energy. However, Sumara had told him he was only at Advanced rank and he needs further training to advance his skills in Energy Force.

With the created ball, he threw it up into the air. As it returned, he used his other hand and bounced it up once more. The young spirits watched in awe as he continued to demonstrate on how it worked. Once the demonstration was over, they were eager to play the game.

So, the spirits stayed in the water while he got out. He didn’t think it was right for him to play and decided to play the role of the referee. He made the spirits split into two groups of three and sent them to be on opposite ends of the lake.

“The rules are simple! Whoever lands the ball on the opponent’s side, wins!” he said, loudly.

“Are the teams ready?”

“Yeah!” they shouted eager to start the game.

He formed another water ball and threw it to the left side, Team 1. The spirit jumped from the water and hit the ball towards Team 2’s side. The opponent jumped up and hit it back.

Lakshman sat at the spot that he measured to be the middle of the lake. This marked the line between each team.

“Ah!” Team 1 said as they missed the ball and it landed.

Lakshman gestured towards Team 2 and said “Team 2 is the winner!”

Team 2 celebrated by dancing in the water. Then they went back to playing, this time the ball was launched by Team 2. After some time, Team 2 was the winner again. However, the tables were turned when Team 1 finally won after a minute of desperate effort. They celebrated happily together.

Lakshman watched them enjoying and felt a bit lonely. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he jumped to his feet and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“What’s the matter?” the spirits said before going quiet after sensing his seriousness.

The reason for his sudden reaction was because he felt a deadly aura. Looking around for the source, he finally found himself staring at a person standing at the opposite end of the lake. It was a girl, around his age, as she stared at him furiously. When their eyes met, her face contorted and she pulled out her sword.

“Insolent human!” she shouted and rushed at him.

She easily whooshed over the lake’s water surface and reached him. His amazement at her skill was sidetracked when he quickly brought his sword up and blocked her. She landed and continued to push against him with her sword.

“What’s the matter with you?!” he said, sounding annoyed.

“How dare a human be so close to the spirits of the water!” she shouted, angrily.

With a mighty force, she pushed him back. Lakshman soared a few meters before landing.

He held his sword at the ready. He finally was able to look at her fully. She wore robes of high class and had blue, ruby eyes, just like the young spirits. The young spirits fearfully watched from the lake. Then, one of them spoke to the young girl.

“Spirit Guardian, Ondine. Please stop. He is our friend!”

“What?!” Lakshman exclaimed, and stared at her in disbelief. “You’re a Spirit Guardian?!”

Ondine looked at the young water spirit before turning back to glare at him.

“Yes, I am. You got a problem with that?!” she retorted.

“No, but… aren’t too young to be one?” he asked, curiously.

“I am not!” she shouted. “For your information, I am a proud twelve year old Spirit Guardian!”

Silence followed. For several seconds no one spoke. Then she looked back and forth at them with a surprised expression.

“You’re telling me, you’re the same age as me…” Lakshman said, sounding disdain. “I can’t believe this.”

She made an “Hmph!” sound and said “We, spirits, mature at a young age, unlike you filthy humans!”

“Look, you!” Lakshman said, feeling angry at her words. “What is your problem, calling humans filthy?”

“That is because humans ARE filthy!” she retorted.

Ondine misunderstood his question. Inwardly he sighed and felt a bit tired.

“I meant the reason why you call us filthy,” he said.

“Oh!” Ondine said and made a surprised expression. “That is because… um… ah…”

She began to mumble, speechless to explain why she called humans filthy.

“You don’t even know the reason, do you?” he asked dully.

“Quiet!” she shouted and lunged at him.

From there they continued to fight with their swords. He was surprised by her agility with her movements. Lakshman was feeling pressured since he didn’t want to hurt her in front of the young water spirits.

“What’s the matter?” she asked with a wide smile on her face. “Feeling like giving up yet?”

“No, I don’t give up!” he said and glared at her angrily.

He blocked another swing of her sword and quickly grabbed her face.

“Eh-!” she said and her eyes widened in surprise.

Grabbing her tightly, he threw her into the lake as forcefully as he could. With a mighty splash, she smashed into the lake’s water. Bubbles appeared at the location the girl landed in the lake. He waited with his sword at the ready, awaiting her to jump out of the water.

However, the bubbles continued to blow up the water.

“Oh… crap!” he said, realising what happened.

Lakshman dropped his sword and jumped into the lake. He dived deep into the lake and found her with her eyes closed and sinking. He cursed himself for not thinking of holding back. He grabbed her and swum up the lake and they finally broke the surface of the water.

“Help me out here,” he said.

The young water spirits came to their aid. Together, they pulled her onto the surface. She lay there, unmoving. Feeling the tension, he quickly tried to push at her stomach. She started coughing up water, but continued to stay still and silent. Finally, he gave her the CPR by mouth to mouth to forcefully keep her alive.

A moment later she opened her eyes. She was in a daze, but she quickly focused and saw his face up close. Then her eyes widened when she suddenly felt the connection of their lips.

She screamed and kicked him off her.

“Oww!” he said as he landed a few meters back.

“Prepare yourself to die, human!” Ondine said, red faced and shaking, as she stood over him with her sword at the ready.

The owner of the voice was a girl barely his age. She was red faced and she stood over him with her sword at the ready. Her voice radiated with anger as she looked down threateningly at him. Lakshman, for his part, had a confused expression on his face as he looked up at the sharp edge of the blade.

“Put your blade away, Ondine!” said a voice from behind.

Looking at the owner, he was an elderly looking man. He was bald with blue beard and he wore a serious expression. Ondine quickly rushed over to him and kneeled.

“Elder Rodrack,” she said. “Why are you here?”

“I came to see what all the commotion only to find you fighting a human.”

He sounded annoyed and she closed her eyes and looked nervous. Lakshman slowly got to his feet, looking amazed by the scene taking place right before him. Even the young spirits clung to him nervously as they watched the proceedings.

The elder, Rodrack, looked at Lakshman and smiled. It was a soft expression that Lakshman felt some sort of peace emanating from the elder.

“Sorry for the trouble this young one caused you, Lakshman Reddy,” he said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it trouble… ah?!” he said and then realised something. “How do you know my name?”

“I know, not only your name, but the names of everyone living in this area,” he said. “We, spirits, find it advantageous to know about strangers.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense,” Lakshman said in understanding.

“Elder Rodrack!” Ondine said angrily. “Why are you speaking to this human? Please allow me and chop him to pieces!”

Lakshman stared at her with his mouth half open. He was lost for her words at how easily she could speak of killing him.

“Ondine!” Rodrack said, glaring fiercely at her. “You can do no such thing! You owe that young man, your life!”

“What?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

“It is the truth!” he said. “He rescued you from drowning and even helped you with easing your breathing.”

“That… but… he’s the one who threw me in there in the first place!” she shouted.

“You reap what you sow,” the elder said. “You attacked him first and turned him into your enemy. He could’ve easily ignored you and left you to drown and die. Instead, he chose to spare your life with a pure heart.”

“But…!”

“And also, he went easy on you during your sword fight,” he said. “I noticed it when I saw the flickering movements in his fighting and his eyes. He didn’t wish to seriously harm you.

Be grateful!”

Ondine finally sank to her knees and closed her eyes. She was utterly defeated, by both Lakshman’s skills and Rodrack’s comments.

“Now choose, Ondine, what you will do,”Rodrack said with a clinched voice. “You have disgraced the water spirits by owing your life to a human.”

“It’s no big deal,” Lakshman said, scratching the back of his head.

“It is for us,” Rodrack said. “It is a total disgrace for any of us. It is like a sin on our purity to owe our lives to anybody. It’s almost like we are tainted by the cruelty of darkness.”

“I see…” Lakshman said. “So, what do you when that happens?”

“Those that were tainted commit suicide,” the elder said simply.

“What?!” Lakshman shouted in horror. “You mean, you take your own life?!”

“In severe conditions, yes,” he said. “However, I find no malice or cruelty from you. How about you take her as your slave?”

“Slave?” Lakshman asked curiously.

“No!” Ondine screamed, snapping out of her stupor. “Anything but that, please elder!”

“It is your fault,” he said. “You tried to hurt this innocent young man. Worse, you now owe your life to him. The spirits cannot allow someone like you living with them. However, I do not feel committing suicide is the right thing to do when this young man is simple and nice.”

“But…!” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Do not shed tears, Ondine,” he said. “Remember. Even if you don’t live with us, you must still carry the pride of the spirits.”

“I… I understand,” she finally said and wiped the tears off her face.

He nodded in satisfaction and turned back to face Lakshman.

“What do you say, Lakshman?” he asked. “Please accept this girl to serve you as a slave.

This way, she will retain her honour as a water spirit.”

“Sure,” Lakshman said with a smile. “I don’t see a problem.”

The truth was, Lakshman didn’t understand the difference between a maid and a slave. And so, Ondine became Lakshman’s slave. They bid their farewells to the elder and to the young spirits. Together, they walked back and returned home. When they got home, Indra was drinking water. He suddenly spat it in surprise out when he saw the water spirit girl walking behind him.

“What the?!” he exclaimed. “Lucky, what’s a water spirit girl doing here?”

“Oh! She became my slave,” he said brightly and Indra hung his mouth open in shock.

Lakshman recounted all that has happened and had Ondine explain the events proceeding with their agreement. Indra shook his head in disbelief.

“I see,” Lakshmi said with a smile on her face. “We understand your circumstances. While I am unhappy to hear that you tried to attack my son, I will relent since he is not holding a grudge against you.”

Lakshman understood Ondine’s situation, but Indra was a different matter altogether.

“I’ve always wanted a Spirit Slave since I was a kid,” Indra said, sounding disappointed.

“While we do have a maid, I still would’ve liked a Spirit Slave.”

Hearing this, their maid, Mariana’s glasses glinted dangerously. Indra noticed and hastily amended what he said.

“Oh, I mean, a maid’s cool! Mariana is the best! By the way, young miss,” Indra asked. “Are you mature?”

Ondine blinked at how quickly he changed topics before answering with a “Yes.” “Ah, I see… Ouch!” Indra said and winced when Lakshmi elbowed him.

“Well, it good to have extra hands around the house,” Lakshmi said, brightly.

“But Lucky… Don’t you dare lay a hand on her without consent, got it?” Indra said, becoming serious as he turned to his son.

“What do you mean, dad?” Lakshman asked as he tilted his head and looked at his father in confusion.

Indra went to answer when suddenly his eyes widened in shock. Then, clutching his side, he walked away. No one saw Lakshmi elbow him from behind.

“Never mind!” Lakshmi said, with a cheerful grin on her face.

With minimal resistance, the family accepted Ondine in becoming Lakshman’s slave. For the remainder of the day, Ondine spent her time with Mariana and Lakshmi. They were taking turns in explaining the things around the house. Meanwhile Lakshman informed his home tutor and was scolded for being reckless.

Ondine was amazed by how the family operated. She received a shock when she saw how happy the family was together. She seemed jealous watching the mother and son relationship between Lakshmi and Lakshman. At first she was taken aback when she met the demon clan’s men of Manjuvad. Sumara and Ondine didn’t harbour anger towards each other, but did steer clear of each other. It was obvious since a demon and a spirit don’t interact well together.

That night, it was decided Ondine will live in the room next to Lakshman’s room. Before heading to bed, Ondine sought out to speak with Lakshman. So, they stood in his room facing each other.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“Um… that is…” she hesitated before bowing her head down deeply. “Please forgive me for attacking you.”

Lakshman stared at her before shaking his head and saying “Are you still on about that? I told you. It’s fine.”

“If you say so,” Ondine said and she smiled slightly.

“Looks like we’ll be in each other’s care, Lakshman said. “So, let’s do our best together, ok?”

He held out his hand to her. She looked at it nervously. A few seconds later, she tentatively brought her hand forward and gripped his hand. She was surprised by the touch of a human hand and smiled.

“Yes, let’s do our best.”

With that, they shook hands and sealed the deal.

“Alright, let’s introduce ourselves” Lakshman said with a grin on his face. “I’m Lakshman Reddy. What’s your name?”

Ondine hesitated before saying “Ondine. Ondine Monahasara.”

They smiled at each other. Thus, Ondine became Lakshman’s slave.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 9 Training with Ondine Early next morning, Ondine walked out of the house. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

She breathed the cool air and opened her eyes to the beautiful morning sunlight. Then she heard the sound of swings coming nearby. Walking over to the location from which the noise originated from, she saw Lakshman with the sword.

Lakshman was swinging the sword at his daily training. It was a training he had begun back when he was seven years old. At that time, he was only capable of swinging twenty times.

Now, with his improved strength and stamina, he could go up to a hundred times or more.

Ondine was surprised to see him up so early in the morning. She had thought of him as someone who was slack and a lazy person. However, she did not forget about their fight from yesterday when she attacked him. He parried her sword easily each time. That was before she became his slave.

Her eyes suddenly became downcast. Then she realised and quickly shook her head to throw off the feeling. It was unpleasant.

“Crying over spilled water won’t bring it back,” She thoguht as she walked over to Lakshman.

“Good morning, master,” Ondine said.

“Ah, a very good morning to you, Ondine,” Lakshman said, brightly and stopped swinging his sword.

He turned to her and smiled. Taking notice of his full figure, she clearly saw the serious training, he underwent each and every single day. This was a training that has been done for more than a few years.

“Have you always been training like this?” she asked out of curiosity.

“I wouldn’t say ‘always’ but I did start my training even since I was seven years old,” he replied.

“What?!” she said in shock. “When you’re only seven? Are you an idiot?!”

“What!” he said, surprised by her reaction. “What’s the matter?” “’What’s the matter’ you say. No human in their right mind would start their training at the age of seven!” she said incredulously. “Humans usually end up with muscle degeneration or something similar when they get older.”

Lakshman stared at her in silence for a few seconds. Then he smiled and said “I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds as though it’s bad to train early.”

Ondine placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. Just then, Indra walked out of the house. He shivered from the cold air outside. Then he turned and saw his son and Ondine talking.

“What’s up?” he asked as he approached them.

“Ah, dad,” Lakshman said when he saw his father. “Ondine, here, was just telling me about how bad it is to start training at the age of seven.”

Indra smiled as he turned to face Ondine. She removed her hand off her forehead and gave him an exasperated expression.

“Normally, that would be the case,” Indra said. “However, we completely ignored it in Lucky’s case.”

“Lucky?” Ondine asked, looking puzzled. “Who’s that?”

“That’s our son,” Indra said in a matter of fact tone. “That’s what we call Lakshman for short.”

“Seriously?” Ondine said in disbelief with wide eyes.

“It’s not surprising after all the things he’s been through,” Indra said. “Luck just seems to love him!”

Laughing, he walked away and picked up his sword before beginning his morning training session. Ondine turned and watched Lakshman as he continued his training. She could not believe Lakshman was this strong for his age. As far as she knew about human biology, she understood that most of them weren’t as strong as Lakshman at his age.

“Don’t think about it too much,” Indra said with a smile. “Don’t question logic at this time, but with Lucky, logic doesn’t even get counted. He’s a wanted man by the laws of nature.”

“I’m just lucky,” Lakshman said, grinning broadly at what his father said.

Ondine gave up. She couldn’t make sense out of any of this. Instead, she began her own training. She carried two swords slung on either side of her waist. She would hold the swords and start swinging. First she would swing down one sword. Then lift it as she swung down with her other sword. She continued this process over and over.

“Let’s take a break!” Indra said and they stopped their swinging of their swords.

Indra said “Phew” and removed his pelt and placed it at the doorstep. They will reconvene their training as soon as they have caught their breath. This was a short break they take between their training sessions. Indra had told them it was not advisable to do training continuously. Otherwise, you would tire your muscles very quickly.

“So, Ondine,” Indra said. “Judging from your two swords, you are a North Weapon Style swordswoman?”

“That’s right,” she said and nodded in consent.

“North Weapon Style?” Lakshman asked with a puzzled expression on his face. “What’s that, dad?”

“I guess I haven’t told you yet,” Indra said, sounding surprised. “The North Weapon Style is one of the Weapon Styles around the world. Weapon Style is how you handle your weapon and skills. For instance; if you are a North Weapon Style user, you can dual wield and has more accurate thrusts. In a sense, it’s the balanced Weapon Style but it puts heavy strain on your stamina.”

“Really?” Lakshman asked, sounding amazed. He turned and asked Ondine “If it puts such a strain on your stamina, why are you using it?”

“I find it uncomfortable to wield only one sword in battle,” she said. “With one sword, I am left with being wide open after a swing with one sword. So, I switched to using the North Weapon Style. Besides,” and she smiled slightly, “if you have a problem with something, work it out.”

“I see,” Indra said, nodding in understanding. “It makes sense to work on your stamina.”

“What Weapon Style do you use dad?” Lakshman asked.

“Water Weapon Style,” he said.

“What’s Water Weapon Style, dad?” Lakshman asked. “Is it similar to the North Weapon Style?”

“Actually, it’s very different from the North Weapon Style,” Indra said. “Water Weapon Style cannot be dual wielded. That is because the sword you wield is something like a claymore, a bastard or a broadsword. It’s preferable to use it with heavily armoured and good at crushing swings and crushing defences.”

“Ah, that’s right,” Lakshman said, suddenly remembering something. “I think I saw you wearing heavily armoured equipment when you return from your missions.”

“That’s right,” Indra nodded.

“Doesn’t that lower your speed considerably?” Ondine asked. “I mean, wearing such heavily armoured equipment and fighting with only one sword?”

“Yes,” Indra said and nodded at her. “Because of wearing such armour, my speed is considerably decreased. However, I more than make up for it with sheer strength. Besides, you can equip a shield anytime you want if you feel off-guard from just one swing.”

“I see,” Lakshman said, nodding as he understood. “This way, both your defence and attack are balanced out even though your speed is reduced.”

“I don’t like how you shortcut the explanation… but that’s right,” Indra said, somewhat irritably.

“I didn’t like the idea of using a defensive strategy like that,” Ondine said. “I felt restricted carrying a shield around making me slow.”

“Understandable argument,” Indra said with a nod, “however, when you face strong opponents that are above the Advanced rank, having strong defence is advantageous.”

“If that is the case, you’d simply become stronger to face such opponents,” Ondine said, sounding annoyed.

Indra looked at her and asked “What rank are you currently?”

“I’m Intermediate North Weapon Style,” she said. “Is that a problem?”

“Intermediate?!” he said in surprise.

“What?” she asked and narrowed her eyes. “You thought I was a Beginner?”

“Not exactly, but… from your strong comments, I expected you to be a higher rank,” Indra said.

“I’m not boasting or anything,” Ondine said. “However, I will stand by what I said just now.” ”Ok, but what if becoming strong isn’t enough?” Indra said, equally annoyed. “What‘ll you do then?”

“I don’t know! I guess I’ll lose,” she said, this time sounding angry.

“Rubbish!” Indra angrily retorted. “There is no winner or loser in real battles. It’s all about life and death!”

“Then, I guess I’ll die!” Ondine shouted, finally her anger gave way.

“Words of a coward!” Indra shouted, firing up.

They continued to argue about their Weapon Styles and their applications in real life battles.

Lakshman could only watch them argue. He tried to intervene but his voice was drowned by their loud shouts.

After a few minutes, Lakshmi came out of the house and shouted at them “Will you be quiet! You’re going to wake up the neighbourhood!”

Instantly, like being hit by a bolt of lightning, they stopped arguing. They looked at Lakshmi, who had her dishevelled hair and wearing a nightgown and an annoyed expression on her face. It looked like their overly arguing shouts and ruined her peaceful sleep.

“Honestly!” she said and walked back into the house. “Behaving like three year olds, seriously!”

Indra watched his wife go into the house and turned around. Lakshman and Ondine saw him wearing a troubled expression on his face. It looked like upsetting his wife, especially waking her up from a good night’s sleep, really troubled him.

“Damn,” he muttered he looked sad.

Then he turned to Ondine and said “Let me get this straight, Ondine. Everyone has their personal opinions of what is the right choice. Ok? So, let’s not argue about this any further.”

“Ah...! Sure! I understand,” Ondine said, looking a bit surprised at him.

“Thank you,” he said.

Indra rose to his feet and said “You two continue your training. I’ll go visit my wife to… chill things up.”

“Oh…! Sure!” Lakshman and Ondine said together.

Nodding, he walked into the house. Looking at each other uncertainly, they returned to the training. Half an hour later, they finished their training and walked back inside the house.

The first thing they saw was Indra sitting next to Lakshmi at the dining table. They were happily talking together. Both Lakshman and Ondine were relieved to see this happy scene.

For breakfast, everyone ate the usual, everyone except Ondine. She simply drank large quantities of water. She even praised how delicious the water was.

“Don’t you eat… um… food?” Lakshman asked curiously.

“We, water spirits, don’t necessarily require the food like you humans do,” she said proudly.

“We live off the water, which is much better than killing live animal and eating it, like you humans do.”

“Can’t say I can argue on that,” Indra commented.

After finishing off their breakfast, Lakshman went to study his usual subjects with Mariana.

He has made great progress in learning the maths, science and history, although, he complained that history was boring. Meanwhile Ondine was going around the house and looking at things. It fascinated her to see how the humans lived and their regular needs.

For lunch, Ondine was about to have water. Lakshman thought to see if this water spirit slave of his could eat their food. He first requested her to try out some, but she refused. He tried convincing her but to avail. Finally, running out of all options, he decided to order her to eat the food.

“Ondine, I order you eat this food!”

“What?!” she exclaimed in horror. “You can’t do this!”

“Oh, yes I can!” he said with a grin on his face. “You are my Slave Spirit.”

As she looked frustrated, Indra added “He’s right. As a Slave Spirit, you have to do what he tells you to do.”

“Very… well…” she said, looking as if she was about to run out of here at any moment.

“Oh, stop that,” Lakshman said, looking uncomfortable. “I just want you to taste the food.

What’s wrong with that?”

“Eating food made from natural things like plants and animals is wrong,” she muttered but nobody heard her.

Lakshman held a spoon to her saying “Ah~” Ondine stared at the spoon of food anxiously. Then she opened her mouth and closed it on the spoon. For a moment she munched the food in distaste when, suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. Then she swallowed and made a smile while her face had a surprised expression.

“How was it?” Lakshman asked, although he got his answer just by looking at her facial expression.

“It’s… good! But… what is this?” she asked, staring at the food.

“It’s called a vegetable curry, more precisely called the Spinach Curry,” Lakshmi answered.

“Very healthy to eat and tastes good, according to everyone here.”

“Do we have to say it every time?” Indra asked.

“Mum, your cooking skills are superb!” Lakshman exclaimed, grinning broadly at his mother.

“Mistress, I have changed my cooking and taste thanks to your encouragement,” Mariana, their maid, commented.

“Spinach Curry? Do you think you can teach me that, Mrs. Reddy?” Sumara asked.

Everyone at the table praised Lakshmi and she placed a hand on her cheek and smiled sweetly at them.

“Thank you everyone!”

After lunch, Lakshman had training with Sumara in magic. Now he is Advanced rank at water magic spells. Ondine watched them at their magic training while she idly sat at the back of the house. She felt bored and watching Lakshman performing magic with such concentration and accuracy, she felt a little empty.

“Hmm…” Lakshman halted his training and looked over at Ondine. She sat idly and was poking the ground with a stick. Watching her sitting idly gave him a sense of foreboding. Ever since she became his Slave Spirit, she hadn’t asked him for anything. Now he wondered if she wanted to learn magic.

He turned to Sumara and asked “Could it be possible for Ondine to learn magic with us?”

Sumara widened her eyes in surprise. After a moment’s pause, she said “It’s possible, but… I don’t think she would want to be trained by someone like me.”

“What do you mean, Miss. Sumara?”

“I’m a demon and she’s a water spirit. Naturally, we don’t get along, even after the war ended eight-thousand years ago. Old grudges are very hard to let go.”

“That’s silly,” Lakshman said, but Sumara shook her head.

“It may look silly to you, Lucky, but it concerns an entire race. Scars of deep hatred are hard to forget as easily as if nothing had happened.”

“I see…”

Lakshman had a troubled expression on his face. He wanted to work together with Ondine, but it seems the grudges of the past have not died out yet. Even so, he wanted to change matters. Lakshman didn’t care about the history much.

“Miss. Sumara, if I can get her to train with you, will you train her with me?” Lakshman asked.

Sumara made a surprised expression and said “I… Well… If she wants to, I can set aside our differences and work together.”

“Good!” Lakshman said and clapped his hands together. “I’ll be right back.”

With that, he ran over to Ondine. Ondine looked up when he reached her and she wore a puzzled expression on her face. Catching his breath, he asked her if she wants to learn magic with them. She made a surprised expression on her face and it clearly told Lakshman what she was thinking.

“I… I would like to, but…” and she looked at Sumara.

“You don’t want to train with Sumara, a member of the demon race, right?” Lakshman asked.

“Well… yes…” Ondine said hesitantly and looked down.

“Look Ondine,” he said as he sat next to her. “It’s not right to hold a grudge against someone just because of who they are or what they are.”

“I am aware, but… you won’t understand,” she said and sighed.

“Yes, I won’t understand,” he said with a nod of his head. “I indeed won’t understand considering I didn’t live in that time. But you didn’t live in that time and nor did Sumara.

None of us were alive eight-thousand years ago!”

Ondine widened her eyes in surprise and she looked up at him.

“What I’m saying is… why should we carry on a grudge or something so silly from so long ago? Don’t you think it’s pointless since we’re now living a peaceful life together? Wouldn’t it be best to let go of the past and move on? Holding onto old grudges will only make it awkward for everyone.”

“Are you ordering me to let the grudge my race harbour towards the demons?” she asked after a moment’s pause.

“No!” Lakshman said, firmly. “I’m not ordering you to let it go. This is a request!”

Ondine looked at him and then at her feet. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Then she looked back at him and nodded.

“I understand,” she said. “If this is to strengthen the connection between our races, I am willing to put aside our differences.”

“Good!” Lakshman said, sounding relieved.

They got to their feet and walked to where Sumara stood. She had an uncertain expression as they finally stopped before her. Sumara and Ondine stared at each other and Lakshman felt a spark run between them. Then, Ondine bowed deeply and surprised Sumara.

“I am sorry if I judged you by what you are,” she said in an apologetic tone.

“Ah, no… it’s alright,” Sumara said and she looked towards Lakshman for help. “Please lift up your head.”

“Very well,” Ondine said and she straightened up. “Now, can I please learn magic from you, Miss. Sumara?”

Ondine hesitated before using her name. It seemed she didn’t know how to call Sumara.

Sumara smiled and said “Yes, you can. By the way, just call me Sumara.”

“Then I shall call you Sumara,” Ondine said and she finally smiled.

And so, Sumara and Ondine have set aside their differences and decided to work together.

Lakshman was pleased to have someone else to train with and the lessons won’t be boring anymore.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 10 Monster Dungeon Mission (Start) A week passed by without troubles. The Reddy family welcomed Ondine into their family, who had recently become a Slave Spirit to Lakshman. Although she was a Slave Spirit given away by the water spirit tribe, they treated her like a family. Lakshman was happy about the arrangement, especially the good treatment she received from everyone in the family.

This day he, Indra and Ondine were travelling on horseback. Earlier that day, Indra packed his gear and got Lakshman to go along with him.

“We will be going to a dungeon for a mission,” Indra had said during preparation.

They were actually going out-of-town to fight some demons. Indra decided to bring Lakshman finally on one of his missions. Ondine, curious, tagged along.

“Now remember, we’re to kill them, but not destroy them,” Indra said. “Our client won’t be happy if we return with nothing by the end of the day.”

Yesterday Indra had gone into the Adventure’s building to update his recent activity. Then he decided to check the counter for any new missions. He walked up to a free counter and asked the lady behind it for any missions. He even specified the range of the reward money.

The lady told him to wait and left her seat. After a few minutes, she returned with a request paper. She read out the details of the request: To the Adventurer/s, I have a request for you. It is to collect 15 Twin-Horned Rabbit bodies. Please return the bodies to the Alchemy Warehouse.

Sincerely, Alchemist Saint, Madran Liviand.

The lady also stated the reward which was within the range he was after. The mission seemed easy enough and the reward was reasonable. So, Indra took the mission off the notice board and walked out of the building.

“Why would he need 15 Twin-Horned Rabbit bodies?” Lakshman asked out of curiosity.

“Beats me,” Indra said with a shrunk of his shoulders. “Alchemists are strange people who experiment with potions and stuff.”

“I hear they spend most of their time inventing new things,” Ondine said thoughtfully.

“They do?” Lakshman asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes but I have never met one before,” Ondine said, sounding disappointed.

“Well, you’ll be meeting one once the mission is finished,” Indra said with a smile.

Ever since their argument about their choices of using a different type of Weapon Style, they got along well. Now they are conversing without sparking tensions or straining anything. Lakshman was somehow jealous as he listened to their conversation.

For several minutes Lakshman stayed silent and continued listening to them. Finally, having had enough of staying silent, he decided to pose a question to his father.

“Dad, where exactly are we going?”

“We’re going to the Monster Dungeon,” Indra said.

“Monster Dungeon?” Lakshman asked in a wondering voice.

“That’s correct,” Indra said. “Monster Dungeons are places where most monsters appear, although there are monsters that live outside the dungeons. Take that Twin-Headed Cerberus for instance. It lives in caves and doesn’t stray too far from its home unless it’s desperate for food.”

“Is that why the demon dog attacked us two years ago?” Lakshman asked. “It became desperate for food?”

“Possibly, but it was also for another reason.”

“There was another reason?”

“Yes. The reason could be other adventurers going around and killing them at their lair.”

“Which means...?”

Lakshman made a puzzled expression as he spoke. Indra smiled and answered for him.

“Which means, they no longer had a home to go back to,” Indra said. “Not a good thing since they become downright desperate once that happens.”

“I see,” Lakshman said.

After a while of trekking, they finally reached a dungeon. Written in bold letters was a name plate that reads “Monster Dungeon”.

“How many dungeons are there in the world dad?” Lakshman asked.

“I’m uncertain about the count,” Indra said uncertainly. “There are countless monster dungeons around the world with their own monsters.”

“You mean, the dungeons are different from each other?”

“Yes, they are. That also includes the monsters varying from dungeon to dungeon.”

“Wow...!” Lakshman said in awe.

They got off their horses and tied them up to the trees loosely. Their horses were well-bred

by Indra and knew when to run away if strangers, and when to return at the call of their master. Indra loved them very much; they were his and Lakshmi’s companions for a long time.

“Now, put on this armour, Lucky,” Indra said.

He gave Lakshman a set of armour while he put on his own. Compared to Indra’s heavily armoured body, Lakshman’s was plain and simple. It was obvious to keep him from getting injured.

“Good, it fits you perfectly,” Indra said in a satisfied tone.

“Did you buy this dad?” Lakshman asked as he patted himself experimentally.

“No. These are from when I was a kid.”

Indra smiled when Lakshman’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he pulled out another set of armour intending to give it to Ondine. Before leaving, he asked her if she had any armour and she denied it. So, he rummaged through the storeroom and found a set that fit her perfectly. That armour was Lakshmi’s old set when she was an adventurer.

“Ondine, here’s your armour... Ondine? What’s the matter?”

At Indra’s questioning, Lakshman turned around. Ondine was looking at the dungeon curiously. First she would touch the walls, tap them with her hands and rub them to feel them. Then she walked several paces away and stared at the dungeon as if she saw something unusual.

“What’s up Ondine?” Lakshman asked as he joined her in staring at the dungeon.

From his point of view, he could see nothing strange about the dungeon. It was simply the building into the entrance to the dungeon. He doubted there was anything special about it.

“Oh! Nothing...” she said, finally realised they were staring at her. “This is my first time being at a dungeon, I was curious.”

“I see.”

Lakshman wasn’t sure what to make of this, but he guessed she never ventured far from her tribe.

“I take it this is your first time outside your water spirit tribe?” Indra asked.

Ondine clenched her fists and nodded.

“Yes, this is my first time venturing so far away from home,” she said and looked down at the ground.

Indra smiled and looked at Lakshman. For some reason he winked at his son before turning back to Ondine.

“No need to look so glum,” he said, “but it does seem you are rather... sheltered.”

“I’m sorry,” she said and she looked upset.

“Ah, not that there’s anything wrong with it,” Indra said, realising his words had the opposite effect. “I just thought it made sense to why you don’t have armour.”

“Oh!” Ondine said and she looked up. “There was no need for us to wear one since we lived within the forest.”

“I see,” Indra said and smiled. Then he turned away and muttered so none of them could hear “Not like that makes it any better.”

Once all of them suited up with their gear, they stood, ready to enter the dungeon. Indra did his last check on their gear and found no faults.

“Alright gang! Let’s begin our adventure!” he said brightly.

“Yay!” “Yes.” Together they walked into the dungeon. When they entered, they noticed a plate nailed to the wall to the side that read “F0”

“What’s ‘F0’?” Lakshman asked curiously.

“F0 also stands for Floor 0,” Indra explained. “Each floor that we visit will have these name plates hammered into the walls. Gives us an indication about the floor we are on.”

“Who put them there?”

“God knows...”

They ventured further into the dungeon. Soon, they arrived at a dead-end and on the floor was one circle with strange designs drawn all over it. Lakshman took a glance at the circle and then started looking around for a door.

“A dead end?” he asked, looking puzzled. ”There are no doors inside monster dungeons silly,” Indra said, smiling.

“But... How do you go to other floors without a door?”

“You use the Magic Circle.”

“The... What now?”

Lakshman blinked in confusion when he looked at Indra. Indra closed his eyes and began to explain.

“Magic Circle. In dungeons, they are the things that teleport a person from Location A to Location B. They work both ways; taking someone from Location A to B or returning them from Location B to A.” “I... see...” Lakshman said. “What would happen if the Magic Circle failed to teleport you?

What happens then?”

Indra blinked a few times at Lakshman’s question. Then he turned away and said “if that happens... well... how should I put it? In simple words: you’re screwed.”

“What?!” Lakshman exclaimed and stared at Indra’s back in horror.

“But you shouldn’t think the un-pleasantries!” Indra said, turning back and clapping his son on the back. “Nothing happened in the history of adventuring. So, let’s stop it at that, ok!”

“O-ok!” Lakshman said.

From the fierce glare Indra put him in Lakshman had no choice but to agree.

“Alright, now that that’s settled... let’s get on the Magic Circle and go to F1!”

“Sure, but... where is it?”

Lakshman was looking all over the place and, for some strange reason, ignoring the circle with strange designs on it before him.

“Silly. Look over there.”

Indra turned Lakshman’s head in the direction he indicated. Lakshman finally saw what he had at first thought it was simply a drawing carved into the ground. Looking closer, it didn’t look that special. Suddenly, the circle started to glow faintly in bluish.

“That’s... a magic circle?” Lakshman said in surprise.

“Indeed,” Indra nodded and smiled. “Now, go into it.”

“Um... ok.”

Lakshman nervously walked up to the circle. It began to glow brighter once he neared. He suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder. Indra was smiling widely while Ondine was wearing a sceptical expression on her face. He turned back and, closing his eyes, put one foot into the circle.

Nothing happened. He tentatively opened his eyes and saw his right leg standing set inside the circle. Feeling braver, he completely stepped on the circle. For a moment, nothing happened. He looked up and smiled in relief.

“I did it!”

Lakshman was seriously relieved that nothing happened. The Magic Circle shined brightly but there wasn't a problem. Indra gave him a thumps-up while Ondine had a surprised expression on her face.

“Well done!” Indra said, grinning broadly.

“Yay!” “Now listen, Lucky!” Indra said, and he suddenly had a wicked grin on his face. “Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times! Otherwise... well... you might end up with missing limbs.”

“Ok... Eh? What?”

Lakshman said. A second later, he blinked and then his eyes widened in shock at realising what Indra had said.

“Hold on a second! That sounds like a terrible-” Just then, the light engulfed him and he disappeared in a veil of blue light. Then the blue light vanished and Lakshman was gone.

“You’re nasty,” Ondine said, looking sternly up at Indra.

“I like doing that. It’s fun,” Indra said, half laughing.

Then they also stepped into the Magic Circle and were transported away in a veil of blue light.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 11 Monster Dungeon Mission (Middle) “-idea!”

Lakshman finished just as the veil of blue light, surrounding him, vanished. He froze once he noticed where he was. The entire area before him was like an underground cavern. There were lights that were hovering magically above. The whole place gave off a strange aura that frightened the inexperienced Lakshman.

He started to scream and his voice revibrated from the walls. A few seconds later, he suddenly got hit on the head and he winced.

“Ouch!”

“Stop screaming, you’ll wake the dead!”

Rubbing his head, Lakshman turned around and saw his companions; Indra and Ondine.

Ondine wore a surprised expression but Indra was smiling broadly. It seemed he enjoyed seeing his son screaming like a little girl.

“What was that for?!” Lakshman said in annoyance. “First you trick me and then hit me out of nowhere.”

“What do you mean, out of nowhere?” Indra asked. “We got teleported here like you.”

“Oh...”

Lakshman was surprised to discover that. Then he started looking around for something.

“What are you looking for?” Ondine asked.

“Just wondering what floor we’re on,” Lakshman replied and continued looking around.

“Look behind you, you goof!” Indra said and pointed behind Lakshman.

Looking behind him, he realised they were standing at a dead-end. Nailed to the wall the name plate read “F1”. He nodded before widening his eyes slightly.

“We got teleported here, but... is there a way back?”

“Of-course there is,” Indra said and pointed at the floor beneath the name plate. “That’s our Magic Circle that’ll take us out of here and back to F0.”

“Ah, I see,” Lakshman said and nodded after seeing the blue circle.

He paused for a moment, thinking about something. Then he nodded and said “Ok, I’m leaving. Bye!” He tried walking quickly to the Magic Circle but his father caught him. Struggling, he was forced back to the front.

“You’re not going anywhere but this way, mister!” Indra said and seemed to be enjoying himself.

“No! This is dangerous!” Lakshman said, breaking free of Indra’s grip.

“Which is why I’m here,” Indra said brightly. “Besides, this is for you to gain experience by fighting against monsters. Quitting now only means you are nothing but a chicken.”

“Say what?!” Lakshman said in disbelief.

“Of-course, feel free to walk out, but I will stop you,” Indra said and he smiled.

Lakshman gritted his teeth and closed his eyes before saying “Fine! Let’s go monster hunting!”

“That’s the spirit!”

With that, they set off. They walked down the winding path while all around them were rocks and spiked rocks surrounding them. It really did look like a place like an underground cavern.

“Where exactly are we?” Lakshman asked after a while of silent walking.

“We’re underground,” Indra said. “Isn’t that quite obvious just by looking around?”

“What? No! That’s not what I meant,” Lakshman said indignantly. “I meant, why are we underground?”

“Oh,” Indra said, sounding surprised. “Well, dungeons are underground.”

“But why?”

“That’s just the way it is,” Indra said.

Lakshman wasn’t convinced by Indra’s answer. Then he realised his father didn’t exactly care about the particular details like the dungeons and where they are located.

After some time of walking in silence, they finally arrived at an entranceway. It leads them into a room that was quite wide. Then they noticed the monsters lurking in different parts of the room. The monsters looked towards them once they noticed their presence. Then they suddenly charged at them.

Lakshman, Ondine and Indra readied their weapons to battle.

“Five One-Horned Rabbits,” Indra said. “Shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat... Ok! Well, do your best you two.”

“What?!” Lakshman and Ondine said just as Indra winked at them before disappearing.

“What’s the?!” Lakshman said and he quickly looked around to find Indra. “Where’d he go?!”

“You two fight them to gain experience in fighting real monsters!”

Looking behind, they were startled to see Indra standing outside the entrance. He calmly sat down and watched them as if he was watching a battle.

“What are you doing?!” Lakshman shouted.

There was no time as the One-Horned Rabbits drew closer. Lakshman pulled out his sword and parried the monsters. Ondine did the same with her two swords. They quickly edged and were soon back to back while the monsters surrounded them.

“This is a hopeless situation,” Ondine said.

“You don’t say,” Lakshman said.

“You got any plans?” she asked.

“Well... Dad wouldn’t have left these things to us if he didn’t think we could defeat them,” he said. “I think for now we need to DODGE!” He shouted the last word and they both leapt into the air. At that very moment, the five rabbits charged at them like a team. They avoided getting stabbed by the horned on their heads. Up in air, Lakshman and Ondine pushed each other away and landed separately.

“Take this!” Lakshman shouted and charged at the nearest monster.

He was quick and just his sword was about to cut down the monster’s body, another horn intercepted his sword. His eyes widened in surprise before he felt a heavy impact in his stomach.

“Gah!” He jumped away and clutched his stomach which hurt painfully. Looking over at Ondine, he noticed that she wasn’t having much luck as well. She was flourishing her two blades quickly at the monsters but their horns keep getting in their way.

“We need to do something about those horns...” Lakshman thought.

His eyes widened when he suddenly thought of something. He focuses on his sword and applied Weapon Force to it. His sword emanated a dim yellow light as energy flowed through it. Then he took a stance and targeted another rabbit.

“Here goes nothing!”

He charged at the monster rabbit and aimed at its horn with his blade.

“AAH!” With a mighty force, Lakshman cut off the horn on the monster’s head. Then he jumped into the air and sailed before landing next to Ondine.

“Wow,” Ondine said, looking surprised at what he did.

“Now, THAT’S how you do it!” he said proudly.

Ondine smiled and nodded.

“Got it!” she said and she also applied Weapon Force into her blade. Together, they quickly cut down the monsters.

In a short amount of time, all five One-Horned Rabbits were lying on the ground. They were pleased with the result, especially Lakshman when he finally remembered to use his Weapon Force.

“Good job, you two,” Indra said as he walked towards them with a wide grin on his face.

“That’s unfair!” Lakshman said, rounding on his father. “Leaving us to fight those things without warning!”

“In real combat, things can happen just as easily as how I separated from you,” Indra said.

“You should be capable of working under such situations. When a hairy situation becomes a complete mess, you must fight on regardless of whether you have companions or not.”

“I see,” Ondine said and she nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Maybe.”

Lakshman wasn’t happy at the thought, but he understood such situations can happen anytime. It’s why they are called the unexpected occurrences. Just then, an entryway appeared before them which led them into another winding path.

“Once you defeat monsters in a room, a passageway opens up to let us go through,” Indra said.

“Good!” Lakshman said brightly.

Together, they moved on. After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at a dead-end.

Like usual, name plate was nailed to the wall stating the floor they were on. This time, however, they found two pair of Magic Circles on the ground.

Lakshman looked at them in surprise.

“Why are there two?”

One was emanating blue light and the other emanated green light.

“Ah,” Indra said. “Looks like further explanation about the Magic Circles.”

“Excuse me?” Ondine asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

“You see, there are several different types of Magic Circles you can find in a dungeon,” Indra explained. “Those colours range from Blue, Green, Yellow and Red.” “Blue, Green, Yellow and Red,” Lakshman muttered.

“Each of these coloured Magic Circles work differently. Take for instance the Blue Magic Circles which are also referred to as the Two-Way Magic Circles. They work as a two-way transport system connecting between rooms. Then there’s the Green Magic Circles. They return the people to the original floor or F0 if you want to call it that. Yellow Magic Circles are slightly different to both Blue and Green. Among the adventurers, we call the Yellow Magic Circles as the Trip Magic Circles.”

“The Trip Magic Circles?” Lakshman asked. “What’s that mean?”

“This particular one acts as a trap,” Indra said. “Teleports people, unfortunate enough to lad on it, to random areas in the dungeon. You may end up in a room crowded by monsters.

You might end up in a room only to find another Trip Magic Circle. Lots of people got lost and most of them never survived it.”

“Damn...” Lakshman said quietly. “That’s horrible.”

“It is,” Indra said and he suddenly looked away.

For a few seconds, they remained silent. Then, Ondine realised there was one Indra didn’t answer.

“What are the Red Magic Circles?” she finally asked to break the silence.

“Ah,” Indra said and smiled. “Red Magic Circles, also called the Boss Magic Circles, are ones that teleport you to the Dungeon Boss.”

“Dungeon Boss?” Lakshman and Ondine asked in unison.

“That’s right,” Indra said and nodded. “They are the strongest monster to exist in a dungeon. Their strength can rival those above the Saint rank. That’s why you should never EVER dare to enter into the Red Magic Circle unless you are absolutely certain you can handle it!”

“I... see...!” Lakshman said, startled by the sudden seriousness his father spoke to them in.

“Is it that dangerous?”

“It is,” Indra said. “Most Dungeon Boss areas allow players to return back to their previous floor. However, there are some that will allow you to return only after you defeat the boss.”

“So, it becomes a life and death situation,” Ondine said, looking slightly shaken.

“Yes...”

A tense atmosphere hung over them. Then Indra smiled and broke the tense air.

“Today we’re not going to do that though,” he said with a grin. “However, keep that in mind for the future. Make sure you are really strong and you have companions. Otherwise, you will end up regretting it.”

“I understand!” Lakshman and Ondine said together and nodded their heads.

“Good! Now, let’s go get our Two-Horned Rabbit bodies for our mission.”

They stepped into the Blue Magic Circle and, in a veil of blue light, vanished.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 12 Monster Dungeon Mission (End) “AAAAAH!” “TEEEEEH!” Lakshman and Ondine cut down more monsters within the zone they had entered. Indra also fought but he was paying more attention to them than really fighting. Watching them, he smiled at seeing their proficient skill at taking down the enemies.

“Impressive,” he would mutter.

“Dad, behind you!”

At Lakshman’s shout, Indra quickly swung around and cut down the monster. The monsters they fought against were Black Wolves. They had high speed and sharp fangs that could cut their skin and bone with little effort.

“Phew!” Lakshman said and he cleared the sweat off his forehead.

All the Black Wolves lying on the ground and blood gushing out of their wounds. Lakshman, Ondine and Indra gathered once they checked to make sure all the monsters were dead.

Then the passageway to move forward opened up to them.

“That was tough!” Lakshman said as they continued onwards.

“It sure was,” Ondine agreed. “They had strong bodies and they tend to tackle us a lot.”

“They do that, it’s their speciality,” Indra said.

“Dad, you seemed to watch us more than fight them,” Lakshman said.

“Ah, I was just impressed by your progress,” Indra said with a grin. “This is already F4.”

It has been some time since they entered the Monster Dungeon. Since entering, they have defeated every single monster that got in their way. It turned out; each floor had different type of monsters for them to face. Lakshman and Ondine fought against these monsters and developed their skills.

“Now that you mention it, it does seem like my fighting skills sort of... improved,” Lakshman said, as he looked at his sword.

“Me too,” Ondine said, glancing at her two swords at her side. “I somehow can move more freely with the sword.”

“Exactly!” Indra said, grinning broadly. “Live combat helps improve your weapon skills.

Practice is good but constant combat helps improve skills.”

“I guess that’s true,” Lakshman said.

“There is no guessing! It’s the truth! Take it from me, an experienced warrior!” Indra said and thumped himself on the chest.

While talking, they arrived at the next Magic Circles. They stepped on the Blue Magic Circle and they were teleported in a veil of blue light. Then the blue evil vanished and they found themselves standing in another underground cavern.

“How many underground caverns are there?” Lakshman asked out of curiosity.

“Countless,” Indra said before asking “Would you believe me if I told you that?”

“It’s hard not to,” Lakshman said and Indra smiled.

“I am curious about one thing though,” Ondine said.

“Curious about what, Ondine?” Lakshman asked.

“At each floor we defeat monster, right?” she asked.

“That’s right,” he said. “We’ve been doing that in all the floors up till now.”

“Well, I wonder... do the monsters return?” she asked.

“Do they return?” he asked with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“What I’m asking is... do the monsters resurrect after some time?”

“Yes,” Indra said. “After a certain amount of time, the monsters in each floor resurrect. As for how it happens... I have no clue at all.”

“Oh, I see,” she said and nodded in understanding. “So, if we go back up the floors, we will find new monsters?”

“Not immediately, but yes, you would find monsters,” Indra said with a nod. “You won’t even find the corpses of the monsters we defeated earlier. It is quite intriguing, but that’s not something adventurers care about. There are monsters to be killed and we kill them.

That’s all there is to it.”

“So simple minded,” Lakshman muttered.

“It’s to not complicate things,” Indra said, looking sternly at his son. “You should remember to not mix complicated stuff when you don’t need to.”

“Ah, right, sorry dad,” Lakshman said in an apologetic tone.

Then they reached another zone and saw Two-Horned Rabbits inside it. These were the monsters they originally came to collect. Their mission was to collect 15 Two-Horned Rabbits and deliver them to an alchemist by the name Madran Liviand.

“Alright, this is it!” Indra said in a business-like tone. “I count around twenty. Ok! Let’s defeat these things and return home without prize!”

“Dad, we’re supposed to capture their bodies, right?” Lakshman asked.

“That’s correct,” Indra said.

“Should they be alive or dead?”

“Well... it wasn’t clear in the request the alchemist made,” Indra said and doubt formed in his face. “Hmm...”

“What do you normally do normally?”

“Normally we would just kill them. It’s become a default for the adventurers to do on regular basis.”

“Then, we should kill them?” Ondine asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Perhaps, but... what if the alchemist needs them alive?” Lakshman asked doubtfully.

“Good point...” Indra said then he shrugged his shoulder. “You know what? Let’s just kill the darn things and go on home.”

“But-!”

“There’s no point in thinking too deep about this kind of silly thing,” Indra said. “Besides, my brain is starting to hurt.”

“Dad, you’re too simple,” Lakshman muttered.

“Simple is good!” Indra said crossly. “Simple keeps you from getting distracted!”

“Ok, I got it.”

And so, they decided on killing the monsters. As soon as they stepped into the zone, all the monsters turned around. There was a moment’s pause where they simply stared at the intruders. Then, making loud noises, they charged at them.

“Here we go!” Indra shouted as the horde of monsters drew nearer.

Lakshman and Ondine jumped into the air and landed in different parts of the zone. Indra struck out his sword and five rabbits got skewered by their heads. He swung his sword around and threw the limp bodies aside. Then he resumed stabbing and slashing at the monsters.

Lakshman was having a harder time fighting the monsters. The Two-Horned Rabbit was quick and had an agile body. To matter even more complex, the two horns on its head made it difficult for him to stab at it. Each time he went for the kill, the deadly horns caused him to jump out of the way.

“This is... tough!” he shouted after several minutes of continuous jumping and dodging around the monsters.

While he jumped once more, he caught the sight of Ondine. She was wielding both of her swords expertly. He saw her block the horns with one sword and stab with the other. In a short while, she had killed several rabbits. He thought she made it look easy.

“Damn,” Lakshman muttered.

He jumped into the air and saw his father cutting down more rabbits. As the rabbits read near him, he would jump, just high enough to avoid the horns. Then bring his swords down and cut the veins at their necks. Watching Indra perform clean cuts and kills, Lakshman suddenly got an inspiration.

Lakshman landed and stood at the ready. Then he started to yell while he and channelled energy into his legs. Once the rabbits drew nearer, he lifted his right leg and stopped as hard he could onto the ground.

With a band, the ground around him cracked and the rabbits were suddenly lifted into the air. Taking this opportunity, he moved quickly and started slicing and cutting at their necks.

Very soon, he had killed off most of the rabbits.

“Nice move!” Indra shouted and gave a thumps-up to his son.

Ondine looked at Lakshman with amazement. She had not thought such a method was possible. With her two swords, she was able to kill the rabbits simply by blocking with one and slicing with the other. She had wondered how Lakshman would fight with only one

sword. Watching him efficiently killing the rabbits with little resistance after he stomped on the ground surprised her.

“This is great!” Indra said, cheerfully gathering up the corpses of the dead Two-Horned Rabbits.

“The number of monsters just seems to increase at each floor.”

Ondine cleared her sweat off her face with her shirt sleeves. Then she sighed and looked at Lakshman. He breathed easily and used his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. She watched him with a curious expression as he helped gather the bodies.

After a while, they gathered up the bodies and headed out of the zone and into the passageway that opened up once all monsters inside the zone were defeated. They walked for a short while in silence, each tired in their own way to speak. Feeling the urge to ask, Ondine finally gave in.

“By the way, what did you do back there, master?” she asked.

“What I did?” Lakshman said and gave her a blank stare.

“Ah, come on Lucky,” Indra said. “Remember? You kicked the ground and caused those rabbits around you to lift into the air.”

“Oh, that!” Lakshman said, finally understanding what she meant. “I just applied Energy Force into my legs and released it into the ground. Using this, I caused the energy to spread and erupted in the ground, causing the monsters to soar into the air.”

“Ah, I see,” Ondine said and she nodded in understanding.

For a moment, she looked deep in thought. Suddenly her eyes widened and she turned back to Lakshman.

“You can control Energy Force?” she asked, sounding shocked.

“Yes,” he said and smiled at her.

“No way...” she said, looking at Lakshman in astonishment. “You mean to tell me, you are capable of using Weapon Force, Magic Force and Energy Force, all three types of the Force?!”

“That’s right!” Lakshman said and grinned at her.

Ondine simply stared at him with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

“Don’t be so surprised,” Indra said, smiling at her. “We were even more surprised when he could use them on his first try.”

“He was able to use them on his first try?!” Ondine said loudly. “That’s... unbelievable.”

“It’s the truth,” Lakshman said and he looked slightly embarrassed.

“That’s right,” Indra said and suddenly grinned. “Reminds me of the time he couldn’t control them. On his first try, he used Weapon Force and shattered his sword, using Magic Force he cut down our mango tree and applying Energy Force which exploded in his face.”

“Dad...” Lakshman said and he smiled slightly in embarrassment.

“Considering from back then, you’ve made great progress!” Indra said, sounding proud.

Ondine didn’t speak. She simply listened to them talk while absentmindedly walking on. She was shocked to discover her master, Lakshman, was capable of using all three Force types.

Remembering the stories she grew up listening to, only the most powerful warriors across the world are capable of wielding all three Force types.

“Look out!”

Indra suddenly shouted and he pulled her towards him. She blinked and staggered slightly as he forcefully pulled her towards him. For a moment, she was confused. Then, the ground light up in yellow light and a Yellow Magic Circle appeared. Her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

“That was close!” Indra said before looking at and asking “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes!” she said and stared at the Yellow Magic Circle.

The magic circle appeared from the spot she had been about to put her leg on. If it weren’t for Indra, she’d have been teleported to a random location in the dungeon. After that, many things could’ve happened and she probably might have died.

Ondine shuddered at the thought of dying in such a miserable way. Lakshman put his arm around her shoulder and, for some strange reason, she became relaxed. Being with her master, Lakshman, somehow eased her uneasiness.

“Take this lesson to mind, you two,” Indra said. “In a dungeon, never stop being on your guard! Otherwise, nasty surprises like that could be the end of you.”

“I understand,” Lakshman and Ondine said and nodded in unison.

“Now... let’s return home and cheer up after a job well done!” Indra said and he suddenly grinned.

After walking for some time, they arrived at the next Magic Circles. This time, they stepped on the Green Magic Circle. Ondine finally relaxed as she stepped in after Indra. She knew it was finally over. She caught sight of Lakshman and she smiled disappearing in a veil of green light.

Lakshman was the last. Just before he stepped into the magic circle, he looked back at the Yellow Magic Circle. It was still glowing and, for some reason, he furrowed his eyes. It seemed something about that magic circle gave him an ominous feeling.

He shook his head to shake away the feeling and stepped on the magic circle. It turned green and he soon disappeared in veil of green light.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 13 Mother History With their mission complete, Indra, Lakshman and Ondine returned from the Monster Dungeon. They let out a sigh of relief and breathed in the fresh air once they stepped out into the open.

“Good to be back in the living world!” Indra said and he smiled slightly.

“Dad, we’ve been alive the whole time,” Lakshman said.

“I know, but when you go deeper into those floors, you’d think you left a part of yourself behind.”

“Like what?”

“You know... your humanity or something similar...” Indra said vaguely. “... I don’t get it,” Lakshman said after a moment’s pause.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re still young and inexperienced. When you spend more time fighting monsters like me, you’ll understand.”

“Ok...”

They walked to where they tied their horses. The horses were grazing the grass but looked up upon hearing footsteps. Their ears twitched and they turned out to see who it was.

Upon noticing them, the two horses whinnied in welcome.

“I’m back,” Indra said softly and hugged both of his horses.

Lakshman and Ondine stood back and watched him snuggling his horses. It was a strange sight for a man to love his horses as much as Indra. As for the two of them, they were tired.

The expedition into the dungeon lasted for several hours. Fighting hordes of monsters on each floor took its toll on their energy and stamina. Secretly, they made plans to get good rest once they returned home.

“Alright gang, let’s go,” Indra said brightly.

Their eyes widened in surprise. It amazed them to see him have so much energy left in his system. During their battles, he fought and defeated more monsters than them. It was then they seriously thought of him as a powerful adventurer.

“What’s the matter you two?” he asked, looking back at them with a puzzled expression.

“Ah! Nothing...”

Lakshman and Ondine hastily replied and got on their horses.

“Let’s go!” Indra called and they set off.

It took them some time to reach the town. During their journey, they were silent. The horses moved steadily and seemed to have no trouble with the silence. Lakshman slightly leaned forward, but he was in no way tired enough to suddenly collapse. Ondine, on the other hand, leaned on him tiredly.

“Wow... Look at all those people,” Lakshman said quietly.

They arrived in town and the place was bustling with people. There were people walking in and out of buildings or walking along the streets while chatting animatedly with their companions. Most of them were walking in groups. Ever since the demon attack two years ago, the people in town made a habit of walking in groups for safety reasons.

“The attack two years really opened their eyes to the potential dangers the monster pose to our community,” Lakshman muttered.

Behind him, Ondine moved and he thought she agreed with him. It did not surprise him when they found out the water spirits tribe knew of the monster attack. When Lakshman questioned her about why they did not assist, she simply shook her head and answered flatly.

“Why should we spirits fix the problems you humans created yourselves?”

It was a fair comment and Lakshman did not have an answer to give. Past problems between races continued to cause them to view each other with animosity. He had found out when he saw the distance Ondine and Sumara maintained. He had thought he cleared up their issue when he asked her to study magic under Sumara. Ondine obeyed to learn magic, but it was not enough to quell the deep dislike she had for Sumara.

Lakshman sighed when he suddenly remembered about their previous magic learning session. It turned out Ondine was not proficient at using magic. She was, however, capable of encasing her swords in water and uses them as water blades. When Sumara tried giving a helping hand, Ondine declined the offer and walked away.

He wondered if there was something he could do to make them get along. It was looking like a hopeless effort. Then he realised, he could ask his mother or father for the exact reason behind the Ondine’s dislike of Sumara.

Just then, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Indra’s loud call.

“Halt!”

He brought his horse to a stop and the horse they rode on also came to a halt. Lakshman looked towards his father just as Indra turned his horse around to face them.

“Lucky, you and Ondine go on home. I’ll catch up with you once I’ve done with my business with the mission request.”

“Ah, ok dad,” Lakshman said and he nodded.

They separated and took their horses in the opposite directions; Indra into the heart of town while Lakshman towards the left exit of town. Once they exited, they continued to travel in silence. Lakshman wanted to talk a bit with Ondine but he wasn’t sure if he could being how tired she was.

So he tentatively said “It’s been a long day.” “...”

Ondine didn’t reply but simply made a sound with her throat. He understood this to mean she was listening. It only made sense that she didn’t have that much energy to speak. He felt very tired himself but he wanted to break the silence. Then he realised something that he never seriously thought of before.

“Tell me, Ondine... Do spirits have... gender differences like humans?” he asked nervously.

Ondine suddenly sat upright and gave him a startled expression.

“Of-course we do,” she said with her eye brows raised. “What made you think we do not?”

“No, ah... well...”

“Were you thinking I am genderless?” she suddenly asked, and he thought she fixed him a serious stare.

“No, no, no! That’s not it! It’s just ah... um...”

He was struggling for words. Then he remembered the young spirits and realised some things he did not learn with his lessons with Sumara. He made a mental note to ask Sumara for further details on it at a later time.

“You see... I was just curious since... I couldn’t tell whether those young spirits were... you know... male or female.”

Ondine made a “oh” with her mouth, looking quite surprised.

“It is indeed difficult to identify spirits of their gender during their developing stage,” she said. “Soon, however, characterises soon start materialising and that’s when you identify them.”

“Well... when humans have a baby, it is easy to identify whether the baby is male or female,” he said.

“Ah, I’ve heard something similar from our tribe elder. Something about how many other races, except for the spirits and few others, share their reproduction method similarly with the humans.”

“What do you mean by ‘except for spirits and others’? You mean... spirits and other races don’t need to reproduce or do anything similar?” he asked, sounding amazed.

“Don’t tell me... you haven’t learnt about this yet?” she said, looking quite surprised.

“I’m only twelve years old,” he muttered and looked a bit upset.

Ondine looked at him for a moment in silence. Then she closed her eyes and, for some reason, smiled.

“I understand. You’re too young right now for a human, but you will learn the biology of the different races once you grow old enough to learn about them,” she said.

“Ah, that’s fine,” he said in relief.

After that, they remained silent. Lakshman was deep in thought about what he heard. He couldn’t believe what he heard. Except for spirits and some races, all other races share the similar biology like the humans in reproducing.

As Lakshman continued to think about this, they soon arrived home. Ondine jumped off the horse and staggered a little. She grabbed her and helped her sit at the entrance while he led the horse into the side. Upon returning, he saw her leaning against the walkway frame.

“Come on, Ondine. Get up,” he said and sighed heavily as he lifted her.

“I’m... okay...” she muttered in a tired voice.

“Yes, yes.”

Together, they walked into the house. Lakshmi and Mariana greeted them upon seeing their arrival. Mariana took over in helping Ondine walk to her room. Lakshman, on the other hand, was hugged by his mother in a tight embrace.

“Well done,” she said proudly. “I’m glad to see you come back.”

“Thank you, mum,” he said and smiled happily.

While being hugged, a sudden thought came to his mind.

“Mum,” he asked tentatively.

“Yes, Lucky?” she asked.

“How old were you and dad when you went out to adventure?”

Lakshmi looked at him in surprise. Then she smiled and brought him into the living room.

Once she got him to sit, she sat next to him. Tiredly, he leaned on her shoulder and she softly patted his head.

“It was back when your father and I were kids. Let’s see... it was around the time when he and I were twelve years old.”

“You and dad were out in the wild fighting and living when you were only twelve?!”

She laughed and said “We weren’t alone. We had our respective masters.”

“Who was your master, mum?”

“My master was a woman and she was a retired adventurer. Her name was Rita Montague.

She was a retired Fire Sage. She let me accompany her on her travels around the world and that’s how we ran across your dad’s adventuring group.”

Then she went onto explaining the details of her life of the adventurers to Lakshman. When her parents died, she was left alone and no relative wanted to look after her. Moving from place to place aimlessly, she ran into Rita Montague.

Lakshmi, ten years of age, knew Rita as a Fire Sage and looked up to her and idolized. She was called a woman that shares knowledge and wisdom to wherever she travels to. Rita heard of Lakshmi’s circumstances and decided to take her in. After that, they travelled across, helping people in need and passing on teachings. They eventually ran into Indra’s adventuring group and his master.

Upon meeting Indra’s master, Darian Ronald, Rita and Darian had some time to talk to each other. It looked like these two old people had a history together. Meanwhile, Lakshmi

paired up with their group. Indra didn’t want to go and his apparent was that he disliked being with girls.

Their group entered a monster dungeon to fight some low ranked monsters. However, they accidentally ran across some strong monsters. It might have become a tragedy if Indra had not appeared. He came to their rescue and quickly vanquished the monsters cornering them.

It was then Lakshmi fell head over heels for him. His skills, strength and how he acted cool while defeating the monsters mesmerised her. Later, they continued on their separate journey, but Lakshmi and Indra promised to meet again in the future.

Afterwards, upon turning sixteen Lakshmi bid farewell to Rita and started doing various part time jobs. It was then she discovered the magic training school nearby. Attending it, she learnt about the healing type magic. Studying there, she soon became capable of using Intermediate Healing type magic spells. With an appropriate level achieved, she thought to test her luck in the adventurer’s world.

After leaving school, she went looking for an adventurer’s group to join. Most of them rejected her with remarks that she was a woman and how useful a woman can be with only healing type magic spells. Just when she was feeling like giving up, luck struck her in the form of Indra. They met, once more, when she got attacked by a demon beast and he came to her rescue once again.

“A knight in shining armour to rescue the princess,” she said and her eyes suddenly looked dreamy.

Lakshman watched his mother in surprise. A few seconds later, he shook his head in wonder.

“Mum...” he said and she started in surprise.

“Oh... sorry... I must’ve started to envision that fateful day,” she said, smiling in embarrassment. “So, where was I before I... ah... drifted off?”

“You were up to the part when you and dad met up again.”

“Oh yeah! Well, I joined his adventurers group and became their trusty healer. Three years later, he finally confessed his love for me. We finally got married another two years later.”

“Huh?” Lakshman said then made a puzzled expression. “Why a two year gap between confessing and marrying?”

“Well... Indra went off to a Monster Raid battle in the Demon Continent. It took him two years to return. It was a long journey to travel to the Demon Continent.”

“I see.”

Lakshman remained silent as he mulled over what his mother said. He remembered Sumara being a member of the demon race and wondered how long it took her to reach the Human Continent.

Just then, they heard a whinny of horses outside.

“Speak of the man himself, it looks like he’s home,” Lakshmi said brightly.

“I have another question to ask mum,” Lakshman said.

“Go ahead.”

“Um... I just wondered... why do the demons and spirits dislike each other so much?”

Lakshmi suddenly looked seriously at Lakshman. Her eye brows contracted slightly and she closed her eyes. Lakshman wasn’t sure why, but it looked like she was checking to see if he was at the age to hear it out. She finally sighed before reopening her eyes and answering.

“Now isn’t the time, Lucky,” she said. “That’s a very... serious matter. You aren’t old enough to learn about it. I don’t want to get mixed up with opinions. When you grow older, when you can make your own choices freely, when you are ready, I and your father will speak to you about it. Okay?”

“Um... Well... Okay,” Lakshman said finally. “I guess I’m not old enough to learn about serious stuff yet.”

He resigned to the fact that he was indeed not at the appropriate age to learn anything serious. It looked like Lakshmi wanted to give Lakshman growing up chance before speaking the serious details to him.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 14 Diet A few weeks have passed. The days have passed quietly, but the weather remained cold.

It has already been several weeks since Ondine became Lakshman’s Slave Spirit. Ever since she became a slave spirit she and Lakshman along without problems. She hasn’t raised any complaint on him. However, that changed one day when he wanted her to eat food other than just constantly drink water.

“I am not eating it!” she said firmly.

“Ah, why not?” he said in exasperation. “You can’t constantly drink water, it’s boring.

Besides, you said the food tasted good the last time you ate a bit.”

“Yes, it did taste good, but I’m not interested!” she said adamantly one day after Lakshman tried to convince her into eating a spinach curry. “We water spirits are pure by nature and, as such, we prefer to rely on the substance that gives us great strength.”

“I don’t get it...” he said. “How can water give you strength and health?”

“Lucky, leave her be,” Lakshmi said after a while. “It’s no good to force someone into doing something they don’t want to.”

“But mum... she won’t be healthy if she doesn’t eat food!” Lakshman said.

Everyone around the table turned to stare at Lakshman in surprise. Then they looked at Sumara with a quizzical looks on their faces. Sumara merely shrugged her shoulders and said “I never got around to telling him about the spirits.”

Sumara then turned to Lakshman and started to explain about the spirits and their diet.

“Lucky, each individual type of spirits depend on the source of their elemental type,” Sumara said.

“I don’t... understand,” Lakshman said hesitantly and Sumara sighed.

“What I mean to say is... the spirits cannot take food like the rest of us. They can only eat what is best for them. Humans eat food because they need it. Other races have different biology than humans.”

“Really?” Lakshman asked curiously.

“Yes. Think of it like this: Ondine is a water spirit and, as a water spirit, her diet will be nothing, but water.”

“Eh?” Lakshman said with his eyes widening in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Sumara said and nodded.

Lakshman looked at his plate of food thoughtfully. Then he looked, looking a bit concerned.

“If that is so, how come you can eat our food Miss. Sumara?” he asked.

Sumara raised an eye-brow and said “That is because, unlike Ondine who is a spirit, I am a demon.”

“Oh!” Lakshman said and nodded as if he understood. “I forgot you are a demon, Miss. Sumara.”

For a moment Sumara simply stared at him. Then her eyes returned to being half-open and a cold expression appeared on her face.

“Yes, I am a member of the demon race. More precisely, I am from the demon tribe Manjuvad. Our biology is similar to that of humans and we can eat their food.”

“Wow...”

“However, that isn’t the case for the individual demon tribes,” Sumara said. “Take for instance, the demon tribe Serprad. They love to eat meat. They mostly feed off the monsters inhabiting the Demon Continent.”

“They dislike the vegetables?” Lakshman asked and he looked at his mother. “I thought they were good for you.”

Lakshmi smiled and patted her son before saying “Vegetables ARE good for you, but different races have different preferences and diet.”

“Yes,” Sumara said, nodding at Lakshmi. “Another demon tribe, called Gigatros who are comprised of giants. They live off rocks and boulders which is why they live up in the mountains.”

“What?!” Lakshman exclaimed in shock. “They eat rocks and boulders?!”

Then he made an “Hmm...” noise with his mouth as if pondering before saying “I wonder what rocks taste like.”

“You know what? That was my exact reaction when I told out about that particular tribe!”

Indra said and he grinned at his son. “I couldn’t believe it. So, as a kid I tried eating rocks, but I ended up getting sick instead.”

“That’s because you were an idiot,” Lakshmi said.

“I was not!” Indra said, but he smiled for some reason.

Laughing, Lakshman turned back to Sumara.

“How can they digest such... unusual food?” he asked.

“As for how... nobody knows,” Sumara said with a shake of her head.

“You mean-“ “We don’t have the slightest clue about them. They live so far up in the mountains that it is difficult to reach them. They do their best to seclude themselves from the rest of the world.”

“Besides, their savagery towards intruders is also another reason everyone stays away from them,” Indra said.

Lakshman raised his eyebrows after hearing his father’s comment on the Gigatros tribe.

“Have you seen them before dad?”

“Seen them? That’s an understatement!” Indra said and he suddenly looked serious. “While I was on a monster quest with many other adventurers, we ran into a few of them. They were huge, strong and sometimes I thought I might get crushed beneath their gigantic feet!”

“Unreal...” Lakshman said softly.

There was a stunned silent in the dining room. Everyone looked at Indra, looking alarmed at his words. He was a Water Style Sword Saint and a very powerful one at that. Lakshman had observed his father fight several times and came to respect him. Hearing such shocking words from such a man really drove fear into Lakshman.

Feeling the mood of the room, Indra decided to change the topic. They were straying from the main topic in any case.

“Anyway, I feel we are side-tracking the subject” Indra said, attempting to change the topic by returning it to its original course.

“Oh... right... it’s about the eating habits of the spirits, right?” Lakshman said distractedly.

After a moment’s pause, he looked back at Sumara.

“So, the food of water spirits is water. Correct?”

Sumara nodded at his statement.

“Then tell me... if it was the fire spirits, what would they eat?”

“They don’t eat,” Sumara said. “They drink the magma produced from the lava.”

“Wow...” Lakshman said softly with wide eyes. “That’s... insane...”

“Master?” Ondine asked with a puzzled expression.

Lakshman was having a hard time coming to face the reality of the situation. Fire spirits drinking magma and water spirits drinking water. This sounded bizarre for him, but he knew this was nature.

“Okay... do as you please,” Lakshman finally said and Ondine smiled happily.

“Thank you, master!” she said and she beamed at him.

Since then, Ondine drank nothing but mineral water. Lakshman, although he understood this, still couldn’t believe she lives off nothing, but water. The main problem for him is how human-like Ondine’s appearance was.

The next day Lakshman was out training in the morning. After a while later, Ondine walked out of the room. She stretched her arms wide and yawned. Then she turned and caught sight of him training.

“Good morning, master,” she said as she walked over to him.

Every early in the morning, she would join Lakshman in their morning training. At first she was downright appalled Lakshman, at the age of twelve, was capable of doing adult-like training. Soon, however, she got used to it and trained alongside him. Sometimes, they even would spar with one-another.

“Ah, morning Ondine,” Lakshman said, smiling when he saw her.

“You are up rather early master.”

“Yeah... I don’t really know why either” Lakshman said and laughed.

He returned to his training and Ondine watched him for a while in silence. After a while, Lakshman suddenly realised he was being stared at. He turned around and saw Ondine staring at him intently.

“W-What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing...” she said. “I... just wanted to apologise about... uh... last night.”

“What?” he said. “What’s there to apologise about...?”

Then his eyes widened as he understood the meaning behind her words. He became flustered and started making gestures toward her with his hands.

“No! You’re not the one who should apologise. In fact, the fault is mine!”

Then he turned around, looked at her before bowing deeply to her.

“I am truly sorry to make you do something you didn’t like,” he said.

Ondine was startled by his actions and she made gestures in a fluster.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t know the other races had different diet. It’s just... you look like a human, I got... you know... carried away.”

Hearing his honest words Ondine couldn’t help, but smile.

“Ah! No! It’s alright master, I understand. So... please... raise your head. This is becoming... awkward.”

With that, Lakshman straightened up and saw her smiling at him. He didn’t know why, but it felt like she was smiling more warmly towards him than before. Somehow the thought made him feel relieved.

“By the way, why do you keep calling me ‘master’?”

“I am your Slave Spirit and, as such, that is how I should address you, my master.”

“Oh... right... well... why don’t you just call me like everyone else? `Lucky` will do me if you can’t do `Lakshman`.”

“No!” she said loudly and startled him. “I am not calling you ‘Lucky’. You are not... Lucky!”

“Um... okay,” he said and he looked slightly disappointed. “Then, how about... Lakshman...?”

“Laksa... Laksha...”

Ondine struggled slightly to get it working. Lakshman watched her struggle to call him by that name. That was when he truly felt his parents gave him a ridiculously difficult name that other races just have a hard time pronouncing.

“Oh, forget it!” he said a few seconds later.

He was tired of watching her struggle to pronounce his name. He wondered whether he should just make up a name that the other races could pronounce. Perhaps later in life, when he has to deal with them, he will make one up.

“Just call me like you usually do.”

“Ah...! Yes, master!” Ondine said and smiled.

Inwardly, he sighed, but he felt somewhat happy. For some strange reason, whenever she called him ‘master’ he felt a fluttering sensation. It almost felt pleasing to hear it from Ondine’s mouth. So, between Ondine and Lakshman she addressed him as ‘master’.

Lakshman then wondered how she would use his name to speak to others in the future. It was a worrying thought as he did not wish to get caught up in the name ‘master’. It could spark more trouble than necessary.

“Ah, it’ll be fine. Ondine isn’t stupid enough to do that... right?” he thought and worried slightly.

After training, they walked back inside. Ondine disappeared walked up and stairs and headed towards her room. This reminded Lakshman that he hasn’t visited her room yet. He thought he should probably visit her occasionally.

“Lucky, the bath’s ready!” Lakshmi called.

“Okay mum!” he called back.

He headed upstairs where their bath was located. In their fairly large home, they have two bathrooms and toilets; one located at the bottom floor and the other location at the top floor.

“Sigh...”

Lakshman sighed. It was a daily basis that he has shower after training. Lakshmi demanded that he take a shower after training because he stunk like a bad odder. Lakshman understood since he disliked how he smelled after training. After working up a great sweat, it is no wonder he would stink.

“Time for a shower... yay,” he said and smiled.

When he reached the shower, he opened the door.

“Eh?” Standing inside, with her back turned and butt necked, was Ondine.

Time froze for a while as they stared at each other. Then, her surprised expression soon became a fluster and her face turned bright red. Lakshman’s mouth hung open as he stared at her with wide eyes.

“Ah... ah...”

He continuously made those noises. It was almost like he had lost the ability to use words.

Ondine’s face flushed even redder and she glared at him with tears forming in her eyes.

“Kyaaa!”

She started screaming and the next instant, she kicked him. He felt a painful impact in his chest as he soared into the air. As he landed with his back to the floor, he heard her stop screaming and shut the door.

“Oh... man...” he muttered before fainting.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 15 Punishment of Ondine Questioned “W-What happened?” Lakshmi said.

“What’s with that screaming?” Indra asked.

“What’s going on?” Sumara asked.

Lakshmi and Indra came rushing up the stairs. Sumara opened her door and walked out.

They turned and looked towards the bathroom. Lying on his back with his eyes closed was Lakshman.

“Lakshman!” Lakshmi exclaimed and her eyes widened in shock.

She rushed over to his unconscious body and gingerly lifted him and placed him on her lap.

Indra and Mariana followed and knelt beside her and looked at the unconscious Lakshman. Sumara walked over to them and stood while observing the situation.

“How is he, Lakshmi?” Indra asked in concern.

Lakshmi did not respond while she continuously caressed his head with a worried expression on her face. Mariana moved over and checked on Lakshman. A moment later, she looked at Indra and nodded.

“Young master is fine, but he is unconscious.”

Indra closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Then he turned to look at Lakshmi who seemed to have become frozen. Chuckling to himself, he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly.

“Lakshmi... Hello...? Anyone home...?”

“Ah... Hm...? W-Who is home?” Lakshman asked, blinking confusedly.

“I take that as a yes,” Indra said and he laughed.

She turned and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. In the space of a few seconds, she returned to the present situation.

“Why are you laughing as if this doesn’t concern you? Your son was attacked!”

Lakshmi looked cross as she stared seriously at Indra. Indra raised his hands at her and made gestures intending to calm her.

“Of-Of-course I am!” he said, but he did not sound very convincing. “Anyway, how did he get attacked? I didn’t feel any presence of evil intentions in the house.”

“Ah yes... I did hear someone screaming a moment ago,” Sumara said, finally speaking up.

They looked up at Sumara upon hearing her words. Then they concentrated their stares at the closed bathroom door. As if in response to their stares, the door suddenly opened. To their surprise, Ondine poked her face out.

“Sorry... I ah... sort of... um... uh... kicked him for seeing me... ah... naked... haha.”

Indra, Lakshmi, Mariana and Sumara blinked their eyes several times before shouting “WHAT?!”

Several hours later, Lakshman tentatively opened his eyes. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling. Beneath him, he felt a familiar soft sensation of a bed. He realised he must be in his room.

“What the...?” he muttered.

As he sat upright, he clutched his chest with his hand. A pained expression crossed his face and he stared down at his chest.

“Why... does it hurt?”

“Ah! You’re awake, master!”

While examining himself, Ondine enter his room. He looked up and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. Ondine was wearing a maid’s outfit. Upon closer inspection, he realised it was the same uniform worn by Mariana. Seeing her in a maid outfit suddenly made his heart skip a beat.

“What’s wrong, master?” she asked when she reached his bed side and saw his red face.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah...?! No! I-I’m fine!” Lakshman said as he quickly and he shook his head to shake away the feeling. “More importantly... Why am I in bed?”

“Master?”

“Last I remember, I was on my way to the bathroom to have shower before breakfast,”

Lakshman clutched his head trying hard to remember the events leading to him being in bed.

“So... What happened next, master?” Ondine asked and she sounded nervous.

“Next... um... I’m not sure actually,” he said and he sounded confused.

“Pardon?” she asked. “You mean, you don’t remember?”

“Oh, I remember opening the door, but... I feel as though I saw something unbelievable,” he said hesitantly. “Next thing I knew, I was hit painfully in the chest and that was it. That’s as far as I can remember before finding myself in bed.”

“Oh...” Ondine said and she had a complicated expression on her face. “I’m sorry, master.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?” he asked, surprised by her attitude.

“Well... you see... I was about to have shower when you opened the bathroom door,” she said. “I reflexively hit you hard in the chest thinking you were peeping on me. I am really sorry!”

She bowed deeply while apologizing to him. He was surprised by this and he made vague movements with his hands.

“Ah! Now I remember!” he said and his face brightened. “You definitely kicked me in the chest. That explains why it hurts so much.”

“I am really sorry,” she said and she hung her head.

“Ah, don’t be!” Lakshman said. “My chest doesn’t hurt much. Besides, I’ll accept this as my punishment for forcing you to do stuff against your will.”

“Oh no-!”

“By the way, do you know why I feel as if I saw something unbelievably shocking before getting knocked out?”

Lakshman made a curious expression as he looked at Ondine. Ondine’s eyes widened and she blushed before turning away from him.

“I don’t think you saw anything, master,” she said hastily.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I am certain master!” she said, but her face blushed ever deeper.

“Okay then since you are so certain,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “It must’ve been the shock of getting kicked by you I guess.”

“Yes! That must be it!” she quickly said.

While he continued to pat himself, she sighed with a complicated expression “I don’t know if I should feel relieved or upset that he forgot what he saw,” she muttered.

“Did you say something?” he asked, turning back to her.

“Oh, no!” she said quickly. “It’s nothing, nothing at all.”

She then laughed half-heartedly. Lakshman looked at with his eyebrows raised, but he made no comment about her strange behaviour. Instead, he had something else to question her about.

“Ondine, why are you wearing a maid uniform?”

“Eh?” she said and looked down at her clothes. “Oh... this... It was something that Mariana lent me to wear.”

“Oh, I see... Wait! That’s not what I meant!” Lakshman said and he narrowed his eyes. “I am asking you... why are you wearing it in the first place? What happened to your other clothes?”

Ondine made a sad face and said “This is my punishment for hurting you.”

“Punishment?” he asked in surprise.

“Yes. A few hours ago, your mother was furious about me hurting you. She wanted to punish me severely, but your father intervened.”

“Dad did?”

“That’s right,” she said with a nod of her head. “He said the perfect way to punish me would be to make me wear the maid uniform.”

“Huh?” he said in disbelief. “He said that?”

“Yes, and he also said it would cheer you up.”

Saying so, she swished her skirt and twirled in a circle.

“So... Are you feeling better now, master?” she asked in a worried voice.

Lakshman’s face slightly turned red and he felt a flutter in him that he couldn’t explain. At her asking him, he decided to reply honestly.

“I am happy; those clothes look good on you.”

“They... they do?” she said uncertainly.

“Yes... In them you are suddenly cute.”

“C-cu-cute?! Me?!” she stammered with wide eyes.

“Yes, you,” he said. “Who else would I be talking about?”

Ondine did not reply. She simply turned red in the face and fidgeted with her clothes. A few seconds later, she said “AH!” and suddenly became serious and turned to stare at him with a serious expression on her face.

“You...! Seriously! I thought you were a nice person, but I see now. You are sweet talking to me, weren’t you?!”

“What do you mean ‘sweet talking to you’?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” she said.

Ondine looked serious as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Men are always like this! They sweet talk girls and then, when the right time arrives, they become beasts on instinct!”

Lakshman blinked at her several times before he said “... What?”

“What?” she said, looking at him with an annoyed expression on her face.

“Um... Ondine. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said honestly.

Her eyes widened at his words.

Then she brought her face closer to him and asked “Master, please tell me. How do you view girls?”

“How I view... girls?”

“Yes! Please answer truthfully!”

Lakshman was taken aback at her serious attitude.

“Well... I treat the boys and girls around me like brothers and sisters. I don’t have siblings after all, not yet anyway,” he said and suddenly smiled.

“Oh... my... god...” Ondine muttered as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“Is there something the matter?” Lakshman asked her nervously.

“No... No there isn’t...” she said, but she was astonished by what she heard. “Anyway, in the future remember this! Never sweet talk a girl! If anything goes wrong, they will kill you for it!”

“T-They will?!” he said in disbelief. “But... girls are gentle and nice though.”

“Yes, but girls do not like it if someone tricks them by sweet talking to them!” she said in a serious voice. “So, you better not trick anyone by sweet talking to them! Got it?”

“I-I got it!” he said and nodded several times. “I’ll be nice to girls, but I won’t trick them.”

“Good boy!” she said and made a wicked smile before realising what she said. “I mean, that’s good master!”

“Okay...” Lakshman said and he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Anyway, I’ve accepted to wearing these clothes as my punishment,” she said.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “Why must you pay the penalty for my mistake?”

“But-” “I’ll go speak to mum and dad.”

With that, Lakshman got off the bed and walked out of his room. Ondine stared after him in surprise. Then she closed her eyes and muttered “You are such an innocent bumpkin.”

Then she followed him out of the room and closed the door shut behind her.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 16 Punishment of Ondine Accepted A few hours later, Lakshman, Ondine and Sumara were on horseback. They were riding the two horses Indra and Ondine used last time when they were with Indra. That time, they visited the Monster Dungeon to fight some monsters and gain experience in live combat while working on a mission Indra picked up.

“It’s strange,” Sumara said.

“What’s strange, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman asked.

“How the weather is cold in the early dawn of morning, but warms up during the middle of the day.”

“Wasn’t the weather always like that?” Ondine asked. “I mean, always changing randomly?”

“It may be, but I don’t believe it is random,” Sumara said. “There must be a pattern to all of this.”

“A pattern?” Lakshaman asked. “You mean... something like a puzzle?”

“No Lucky,” Sumara said as she shook her head. “A puzzle is putting pieces together from their matching elements. A pattern is the recurring events that have similar elements in them.”

“But... isn’t that the same thing as a puzzle?” Lakshman asked tentatively.

“Hmm?” Rana’s eyes widened slightly at his response.

“I mean, with a puzzle we’re looking for matching elements to put them together. Aren’t we doing the same thing with the pattern of the weather?”

Rana’s eyes slightly widened. Her mouth opened slightly as if she wanted to say something.

For a few seconds she remained like this. Finally, she closed her mouth and looked down at her horse.

“I see...” she muttered. Then she looked back at them and said “Now that I give it a thorough thought, it does seem the case. Well done, Lucky. I’m impressed by your deep thought.”

“Thank you, Miss. Sumara,” Lakshman said and smiled proudly.

Ondine stared at them before saying “Don’t get full of yourself just because you got something right than Sumara didn’t.”

“I know,” Lakshman said, but he smiled all the same.

Lakshman and Sumara were wearing their usual clothing, but Ondine was wearing the maid outfit. He turned to stare at her clothing and she blinked in surprise.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

Correctly guessing what he was talking about, she responded by saying “I am fine. Besides, I somehow feel lighter in these clothes than my usual. Mariana seems to have picked the right choice of clothes for me. I now am able to fight unburdened and restrained like my own clothes would.”

“I see,” he said and sighed in resignation.

Earlier he had barged into his parents’ room to speak about Ondine’s maid clothes. She wore these clothes intended as her punishment for kicking him when he walked in on her about to have shower.

“Mum, dad, can I talk to you about something?”

He walked in and saw his parents on bed split from each other’s arms. They made startled noises and turned to look at the entrance to their room.

“What are you doing?” Lakshman asked, puzzled by their actions.

“Ah? Nothing! Nothing at all!” Indra said and he laughed hastily.

“Yes, we were just... um... resting,” Lakshmi said hastily before saying “So... uh... what did you want to talk about?”

It was obvious they were hugging before they separated when the door suddenly banged open. Lakshmi attempted to divert her son’s attention by asking about his question.

The unsuspecting Lakshman simply looked at them curiously before saying “Okay. Well, I wanted to talk about the punishment you gave out to Ondine.”

“Oh, it’s about that,” Lakshmi said. “Well, alright. Let’s talk. So come over and sit on the bed.”

Lakshman walked over and sat on the bed facing his parents. They looked at each other before turning back to face their son.

“Mum, it wasn’t Ondine’s fault,” Lakshman said. “It was my mistake to not check whether the bathroom was under use or not.”

“Ah, I see,” Indra said and he smiled at his son. “That did indeed seem the case.”

“Even so, I cannot condone her hurting you just because of that,” Lakshmi said.

Then she turned and spoke to Indra.

“What if he got injuries because of her actions?”

“Lakshmi, she only kicked him in the chest,” Indra said. “He wouldn’t have sustained heavy injuries just from that.”

“You wouldn’t know!” Lakshmi retorted angrily. “He could’ve been bleeding internally from that attack.”

“If that were the case, you can easily heal him,” Indra said.

“Are you saying you don’t care what happens to your own son?!” Lakshmi asked in disbelief.

“Are you truly fine if the outcome was something terrible?”

“Oh, stop that will you!” Indra said irritably. “I don’t want to make the situation any worse.

Besides, he’s a lot stronger than me at his age. So, I don’t believe he will get badly injured from just that level of attack. Believe me... he is unbelievably stronger than me at his age.”

“But-!”

“Don’t forget, you used to kick me around whenever I accidentally walked in on you changing.”

“Wha!!”

Lakshmi’s face suddenly became bright red at his words. Lakshman turned to look at this dad in amazement.

“Dad, you used to do that?”

“Well, that was back when we were still kids,” Indra said and he looked like he was reminiscing the past. “I was careless and used to get into a lot of trouble. Your dear mother used to kick me around because of it.”

“W-What are you doing saying such things in front of your son?!” Lakshmi said.

“Oh geez,” Indra said and sighed. “Let’s get back to the point already.”

“What? ... Oh... Right...” Lakshmi said as he realised what he meant.

“Look Lucky,” Indra said. “The fault may be on your end, but it was her fault to forget to hang the ‘In-Use’ sign outside the bathroom door.”

“Eh?” Lakshman said sounding surprise. “She did not?”

“No, she did not,” Indra said. “If you don’t believe me, ask the person in question. She is behind you after all.”

“Huh?” Lakshman said and he turned to see Ondine standing behind him. “Oh... Ondine.”

“Tell us, Ondine. Did you or did you not forget to put up the ‘In-Use’ sign on the bathroom door?” he asked. “... Yes,” Ondine said. “I am sorry that I forgot to put it up.”

“Oh...” Lakshman said.

“There,” Indra said, turning back to Lakshman. “That would explain how you didn’t know the bathroom was occupied.”

“You still didn’t need to kick him,” Lakshmi said crossly. “He is your master after all.”

“Oh? Look who’s talking!” Indra said and turned to Lakshmi. “You used to kick me each time that happened and that was also after we got married! Remember?”

“That’s because, unlike my brilliant son, you were an idiot!” Lakshmi retorted.

“Give me a break!” Indra said and he sighed heavily. Then he turned back to Lakshman and said “I am surprised though, you are concerned about the clothes she wore. Why were you worried when she didn’t particularly mind?”

“I ah... um... well...” Lakshman stammered for words.

“Oh...? What’s this?” Indra said and he smiled cheekily at Lakshman’s stammering. “Don’t tell me... you’ve developed ‘that’ sort of feelings for her?”

“Huh?” Lakshman asked in bewilderment. “What do you mean?”

“OUCH!” Lakshmi elbowed Indra in his side. He yelled in pain and bowed his head down, clutching his side. Lakshmi turned back to Lakshman and she wore a smile that somehow had a cold expression mixed along with it.

“My ribs...” he muttered.

“Never mind what this idiot said,” she said.

Then her expression became serious as she looked at Lakshman. He was surprised to face his mother wearing such a serious expression he had never seen before.

“Lucky, the fault might have been yours, but it all started because she forgot to hang up the sign. On top of that, she accidentally attacked you which could have led to serious injuries on your part. So, wearing the maid outfit is a fitting punishment for her.”

“But mum...”

“No buts, Lucky,” she said sternly. “I had intended to punish her severely for hurting my one and only son, but Indra convinced me otherwise and I relented. Besides, she has no problems wearing it. Do you, Ondine?”

She aimed the last question at Ondine and Ondine shook her head.

“I humbly accept my punishment,” she said. Then she turned to Lakshman and said “Master, please. This will be enough.”

“Mmm...”

Lakshman wasn’t convinced by the agreement of the sort that occurred between his mother and his slave spirit. However, he recognised the understanding that took place between them. In any case, he was glad to hear Ondine only received this minor punishment for kicking him.

“Fine, I understand,” he finally said with a sigh.

Remembering those events, he sighed as he rode on his horse. Behind him, Ondine drew closer to him.

“What’s the matter, master?” she asked.

“Oh? It’s nothing really,” he said and he smiled.

They continued to ride on their horses in silence for some time. After a while, Sumara brought her horse to a stop.

“This will do,” Sumara said as she looked around the fields of grass and the tress to their left.

Lakshman brought his horse to a halt. Then he and Ondine jumped down off their horse.

Then, he and Sumara brought their horses to the nearest tree and tied them up with ropes.

Once done, they patted their horses and gave them an apple each. The horses gratefully ate the apples.

Sumara turned and walked some distance away from the horses and trees. Lakshman and Ondine followed behind. It looked like she was taking safety measures in keeping a distance between themselves and the forest.

“Okay, this will do,” she said a while later.

They stopped at her command. Lakshman was curious, but Ondine was slightly nervous as she hid behind him.

“It looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Ondine said as she looked around.

“Middle of nowhere?” Lakshman asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Master, just look around for yourself and you’ll see what I mean,” Ondine said.

Looking around, he realised they really were standing in the middle of nowhere.

Surrounded by fields of grass while the shadows of tress in the background. It did indeed feel like they were the only ones alive.

“This is the perfect place to do it,” Sumara said in satisfaction.

“Do what, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman asked with a puzzled expression.

Sumara turned and smiled at them. Lakshman thought he saw a hit of excitement in her expression.

“For a sparring match!”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 17 Being Stuborn “A practice battle?” Lakshman asked with a curious expression.

“That’s correct,” Sumara said. “I would prefer to call it sparring battles but practice battle sound better. Now, we will be holding practice battles every week from now on.”

“Hmm...” Ondine said in a pondering voice. “So, it’s to improve my master’s training and skills?”

“Lucky isn’t the only one included in this training,” Sumara said. “You will also receive training.”

“Eh? Me?” Ondine said, sounding surprised. “Why though? I’m not a student.”

“It was Indra’s decision to hold the practice battles involving both you and Lucky,” Sumara said.

“It was Dad’s decision?” Lakshman asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Sumara said and nodded. “In fact, it was supposed to be the two of us supervising your practice battles. However, he had... ah... urgent matters to do and told me to supervise instead.”

She suddenly narrowed her eyes and muttered “That cheap stick! Wanting to have ‘fun’ with his wife instead of helping train his son and co...”

“Um...” Lakshman said uncertainly.

Lakshman was quite surprised to hear Sumara insult his father. It looked like Indra really annoyed her by leaving everything to her. Sumara sighed irritably and turned back to them. Ondine, on the other hand, had a complicated expression on her face.

“I am still confused though,” Ondine said.

“What are you confused about?” Sumara asked and she turned to face her.

“Why am I training with master?” Ondine asked. “I am fairly strong as I am.”

“Hmm...”

Sumara furrowed and nodded as if she understood something. Lakshman suddenly felt a strange aura floating in the air between them.

“I’m impressed,” she said.

“Oh? Are you impressed by my skills?” Ondine asked, puffing her chest.

“No, my impression wasn’t towards you,” Sumara said.

“Eh?” “I’m actually impressed at how accurately Indra predicted your response.”

“What?”

“I said I am impressed with Indra accurately predicting your response just now.”

“What?!”

“Like I said-” “I know what you said!” Ondine said angrily. “I want to know what this ‘predicted response’ is all about!”

Ondine crossed her arms and looked seriously down at Sumara looked up at Ondine with half-open eyes and a cold expression on her face. He did not know if he imagined it or not but he thought he saw sparks flare between them.

“Um... Miss. Sumara...? Ondine...?”

He exchanged glances between them. He wore a worried expression on his face. Somehow, their stances gave him a chill that ran down the back of his neck and made his hair stand on end.

Sumara said “Indra said you are stupid to believe your Intermediate North Weapon Style skills are strong enough. He even said he and Lakshman could easily beat you if they took the fight seriously.”

“Oh...?! It’s quite surprising to hear such words coming out of the mouth of a demon!”

Ondine said.

Sumara sighed and said “Don’t look at me like that, young water spirit. It was Indra who said those words, not me.”

“And...?! You’re saying you aren’t thinking the same about me?”

For a moment, Sumara didn’t respond. Then, she suddenly smirked and she looked at Ondine.

“Ah! Was it written all over my face?”

“Damn you, midget!” Ondine shouted furiously. “What is up with your attitude?”

“Oh? Losing your temper after something this small?” Sumara asked. “You’re really proving how accurate Indra was about you.”

“Seriously and here I was having a better opinion of you, Sumara. I started to believe you were different from all those Manjuvad tribesmen our elders spoke off.”

“What?” Sumara asked looking puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Manjuvad people are proud of who they are, have an inferiority complex and take great pleasures in putting down others!” Ondine said.

Sumara had her eyes wide open and started to fidget with her hands. Ondine was breathing slightly quickly and she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“See!” Ondine said and she pointed her forefinger at Sumara. “I’m right, aren’t I?!”

“Look here you...” Sumara said. “Don’t involve my tribesmen in this matter.”

“Ah, so you dislike it when I talk badly about your demon tribe, but you want me to accept what you think off a pure and holy water spirit like me?!”

“What is wrong with you?” Sumara asked in frustration. “Why do you not realise your weakness?”

“If Indra wanted to speak about my skills, I’m sure he would’ve said so in front of me!”

Ondine said.

Sumara didn’t respond, but continued to look at her sternly. Lakshman, on the other hand, had an idea. He remembered a few weeks ago how intense the argument between Indra and Ondine raged. Watching Sumara and Ondine argue, he suddenly realised this was probably the reason Indra avoided coming.

“Um... Ondine...” he said, trying to speak to Ondine.

“Master, please stay out of this!” Ondine said, literally pushing him away.

Then she turned back to face Sumara. They were practically throwing daggers into each other with their eyes. He suddenly imagined a wizard and a knight bearing their weapons at each other threateningly.

“Ok then!” Ondine said. “If you think my skills are terrible, then let us duel!”

“What?” Sumara and Lakshman said in unison.

“Like I said, I challenge you, Sumara Manjuvad, to a duel!” Ondine said. “I’ll show you how skilful I am!”

“Um... Ondine? Is it really necessary to... um... fight each other?” Lakshman asked in a worried voice.

“I’m sorry master, but it’s the only way!” Ondine said. “She has insulted my skills. I must prove myself and show this demon midget, that I am indeed skilful at my level.”

Lakshman opened his mouth and closed it several times in a fluster. Not waiting for his reply, she immediately pulled out her two swords and stood at the ready.

“Well? Demon! Will you accept my challenge?”

Sumara stared at Ondine with her usual expression. Then she sighed and looked seriously at her.

“I would prefer to settle this without violence,” Sumara said, “but if it’s the only option I am left with, so be it. I accept your challenge, Ondine!”

So, Ondine and Sumara agreed to duel. They agreed only to defeat each other, but not to inflict serious wounds on each other. Nodding in agreement, they walked several meters away from each other. The intent was to space themselves away from each other for a fair start.

“Um...” Lakshman said, feeling somewhat left out.

Unable to stop them from arguing, unable to stop them from fighting, feeling completely useless, he decided to sit down and watch how things play out. He dropped to the ground to sit on the ground to watch the two ladies fight.

“Are you ready? Sumara asked.

“You bet!” Ondine replied excitedly.

Sumara wore her usual look on her face, but Lakshman thought it was cool as she stood holding her staff in her right hand. Ondine, however, was radiating with excitement.

Lakshman was surprised to see her smiling and he thought she might be smiling without realising it.

“Oh boy...” he muttered. “This could get ugly.”

“Alright... DUEL!!” Sumara shouted.

In the instant after hearing the call, Ondine kicked off the ground and rushed towards Sumara. Not hesitating for a moment, Sumara immediately started casting magic.

“Spirits of the earth, block the enemy with a wall of strength. Earth Wall!”

Ondine was a few meters away from reaching Sumara. Suddenly, the earth in front of her rose a few meters.

“What?!” Ondine shouted in shock.

She was headed straight for the earth wall and there was no stopping. Lakshman’s eyes widened.

“Oh crap...” Lakshman muttered as he anticipated what would happen next.

Ondine smacked her face against the wall. The impact was so hard cracks appeared on the point of impact. Then she slid and fell on the ground.

“Ouch!” Lakshman said as he winced when he saw her crash. “That had got to hurt!”

He jumped to his feet and rushed over to Ondine. Just before he reached her, she slowly rose up and sat upright, holding her face.

“Oww...” she said. “My face, my nose... Wuu...”

“This is pretty stupid of you Ondine,” Lakshman said, kneeling down and checking her.

“Not you as well, master,” Ondine said.

Just then, the earth wall sank back into the ground. Turning around, they saw Sumara approaching them. Sumara wore a worried expression on her face as she reached them.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a concerned voice.

Ondine didn’t respond. Instead, she turned away. Lakshman eyed Ondine and sighed.

“She’s fine if she is still this defiant,” he said.

“I am not!” Ondine said. “I just tripped, that’s all!”

“No you didn’t,” Sumara said. “I clearly saw you smack hard into the earth wall I created.”

“I-I was just testing how strong it was,” Ondine said stubbornly.

Rana’s eyes widened and she said “I don’t believe you. How stubborn can you be before you realise your own weakness?”

Ondine didn’t reply, but continued to clutch her nose. Then she looked up at Sumara and glared at her. Lakshman watched them and he finally sighed.

“Mind your own business- ouch!” Ondine said and winced.

Lakshman had just karate-chopped her on her head. Clutching her head, she turned to look at him. Her eyes widened she saw the expression on his face. He was wearing a serious expression as he stared at her.

“Ondine, stop it,” he said.

“Eh? But master-” “I seriously am annoyed now,” he said. “You were clearly defeated even before the match began.”

“Master, if it weren’t for that wall I would’ve won!” Ondine said.

“What are you saying?” Lakshman said sternly. “In any battle, you have to be prepared for the unexpected. That’s the first lesson I learned when I fought and lost against monsters.”

Ondine lowered her head and looked upset. Sumara, however, looked at Lakshman in surprise.

“Ondine... please, listen to me,” Lakshman said beseechingly.

Ondine gingerly looked up and faced him. Her eyes widened, this time seeing his warm expression.

“You have skills. You are skilled with your two swords. I doubt I can wield them like you do.

Then, there’s my dad who is a Saint Water Weapon Style. He has far more experience in combat and skills, right?”

“Y-Yes,” she said hesitantly.

“So then,” and he turned to face Sumara. “Miss Sumara, did my father call her current skills ‘weak’?”

“He didn’t exactly call her skills ‘weak’, but he did say she was lacking,” Sumara replied.

“I see,” Lakshman said with a nod of his head. Then he turned back to Ondine and asked “Do you know why he said that?”

“I... I don’t know,” Ondine said honestly.

“I do,” Lakshman said and her eyes widened.

“You do?”

“Yes.” “W-What would be the reason then for him to say that about my skills?”

“It’s fairly simple actually,” Lakshman said and he smiled slightly. “He, like me and Sumara, noticed your skills in your sword were good, but not that great. If it was a serious fight, you would lose to someone of my skills and you know it.”

“Oh... Well... I suppose that’s true...” Ondine said and she had a sad expression on her face.

“However, dad wants you to become strong like me,” Lakshman said with a grin on his face.

“He could see your potential and he wants you to cultivate it.”

“R-Really?” Ondine said, sounding amazed. “I really do have such potential?”

“Of-course!” Lakshman said firmly. “Otherwise, why would he want to waste his time training you along with me in these sparring battles?”

“Oh...” she said thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it, it makes actually sense.”

“Yes,” Lakshman said with a smile. “By the way, Sumara didn’t word it properly when she informed you about dad’s decision in training you in combat.”

“Ah!” Sumara said in surprise at the mention of her. “Oh... yes... I’m sorry. It looks like I have created a great misunderstanding.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lakshman said and he looked up at her. “This misunderstanding caused the two of you to fight which revealed Ondine’s lack of fighting skills.”

Then he heard a depressing sound and, looking around, he saw Ondine wearing a slightly sad expression on her face. He quickly amended his words.

“I mean to say, this fight clearly showed Ondine has a lot to learn.”

“I understand,” Ondine said abruptly.

“What?” Lakshman said.

“I said I understand, master,” Ondine said. “So, you can stop now.”

“Eh?” Lakshman said with a surprised expression. “Okay, sure... I got it.”

Ondine rose to her feet and stood facing Sumara was unfazed by the seriousness in Ondine’s face. Lakshman also rose to his feet and stood, ready to stop them from frighting further.

“I am sorry!” Ondine said and she bowed deeply.

Sumara and Lakshman looked at her in surprise. Then, Sumara started making flustered movement with her hands.

“Ah... no... It’s alright, Ondine,” Sumara said hastily. “As long as you understand, it’s fine.

So please... raise your head, this is embarrassing.”

Ondine raised her head and smiled at Sumara was a little startled, but she smiled in return.

Watching this warm scene unfold before him, Lakshman smiled happily. For a few seconds they remained in silence. Then, Ondine rubbed her hands and spoke eagerly.

“So, when do we start the ‘real’ practice battles?”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 18 Energy Charge “Okay, let us start our practice battles session,” Sumara said.

Lakshman and Ondine stood side by side. They were wearing smiles on their faces and radiated with excitement. Sumara looked at them with her usual expression of half-open eyes and cold expression. Normally this would give off the wrong impression, but they understood it being her normal face.

“So...? Are we going to fight each other?” Lakshman asked.

“Isn’t that obvious, master,” Ondine said.

“That’s right. You will be sparring with each other,” Sumara said and nodded her head. “However, you must first warm up.”

“Warm up?” Lakshman and Ondine asked in unison.

“What do you mean, Miss. Sumara?” Lakshman asked.

“Yeah, haven’t we warmed up already?” Ondine asked.

Sumara nodded and said “Yes, you’re already warmed up. However, that is only your physical condition.”

“Eh?” “What I meant was for you to warm up your energy condition.”

“What?” Lakshman asked, sounding puzzled. “Warm up our... energy?”

“That’s right,” Sumara said.

“I know about warming up our bodies before a long exercise, but... energy? I don’t understand,” Ondine said, looking confused.

“Ah, that is normally the case,” Sumara said. “However, for those like us who constantly fight, it’s different. We constantly need to warm our energy before fighting.”

“Really?” Lakshman asked in surprise. “Why is that, Miss. Sumara?”

“Let me ask you... when you went with Indra on a mission to the Monster Dungeon... did you feel slightly dizzy after killing the monsters?”

“Hmm?” Lakshman made an expression like he was thinking about something. Ondine did the same, but she came to a conclusion quicker than him.

“Oh?” she said, sounding surprised.

“Yes...” Sumara said, nodding at her response. “Indra had forgotten to tell the both of you to warm up your energy.”

“Oh, I see,” Lakshman said with a surprised expression. Then he looked slightly confused and he asked “Why was that?”

The question was not clear, but Sumara understood the meaning of his question. She took a deep breath and answered.

“People tend to feel dizzy or even feel sick after some time of consecutively releasing large quantities of energy. With your fight with the monsters, you needed to do it repeatedly and it caused you to feel that dizzy sensation.”

“Oh!” Lakshman and Ondine said in amazement.

“It won’t just create side effects after some time. You would feel totally drained afterword.”

“Ah!” Lakshman said and he nodded in understanding. “It makes sense... Ondine, remember? We were so drained at the end of it.”

“You’re right, master,” Ondine said, nodding in turn.

They understood the reasons for warming up their energies. Suddenly, Lakshman furrowed his eyebrows looking concerned about something.

“Miss. Sumara...?” Lakshman asked. “How do we warm up our energy?”

“Ah, yes. I should demonstrate,” Sumara said.

Nodding, she walked a few paces away from them.

“Watch closely,” Sumara called to them.

“Yes!” they both said and they watched Sumara perform.

Sumara stood still and silent as the cool wind rustled her clothes. A moment later, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as she breathed out, light started emanating around her. The light soon encircled her and it caused the wind to blow faster.

“Wow...” Lakshman muttered in awe with wide eyes.

This was not his first time seeing her emanate her energy. Many times during their training in magic and energy he had he had seen her execute her Magic Force and Energy Force. He liked the colour of her energy light which was light blue.

“That is... amazing...” Ondine muttered in awe.

Lakshman turned and saw Ondine and he was surprised by what he saw. Her eyes were wide open and he thought he saw her mesmerised by Sumara. He couldn’t blame her, he felt something similar whenever he saw Sumara demonstrate.

After some time, the light encircling Sumara slowly dissipated and soon vanished. Then she opened her eyes and smiled as she turned to face them.

“How was it?” she asked once she reached them.

“It’s amazing!” Lakshman said excitedly.

“That’s... cool,” Ondine said, although she was reluctant.

“BY channelling your energy and releasing it for a short amount of time, your energy gets warmed up."

“Wow!” Lakshman exclaimed excitedly. Suddenly, his expression changed to concern and he asked “Miss. Sumara, you didn’t warm up your energy when you fought against Ondine.”

“Ah, that was different,” Sumara said. “I only released a small amount of energy to execute the magic spell, Earth Wall. If it was anything more, I might be feeling unsteady right now.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Lakshman said. “Earth Wall is an intermediate level magic spell.”

“Hey, are you making fun of my current skill level?” Ondine asked crossly.

“Ondine...” Lakshman said heavily and Ondine widened her eyes in realisation.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to... it just... came out like that by accident.”

“Really...”

Lakshman shook his head, but Sumara smiled at Ondine.

“I’m not looking down on you or anything, Ondine,” she said. “I simply wanted to avoid hurting you with Saint rank magic. I am a Water Saint after all.”

“Oh, that’s right...” Ondine said in understanding the logic.

“Now, it’s your turn,” Sumara said clapping her hands together.

“Great!” Lakshman and Ondine said excitedly.

They walked a few paces away from Sumara and kept some distance between each other. Once they reached a certain spot, Lakshman and Ondine were ready.

“Just relax and channel your energy and release it smoothly,” Sumara called to them.

“Got it!” they called back and nodded.

Lakshman was about to do it, when he suddenly had an idea. He stopped and decided to observe how Ondine does it. It was not for acquiring knowledge on how to do it. He already got the picture of how to do it.

Ondine prepared do it and noticed him watching her. She smiled at him before closing her eyes. For a few moments, nothing happened. Lakshman was observing closely with his eyes narrowed. Then, blue light started emanating around her like it did for Sumara.

“Heh, should’ve known...”

Lakshman raised an eyebrow when he saw the forming of her energy. Rana’s energy appeared to be cool and smooth, but Ondine’s was different. It raged wildly and felt a bit challenging.

For some time her energy encircled her while she stood still, looking relaxed. Then the line slowly died and vanished in time. Her eyes opened in a flash and she looked excited.

“How’s that?!” she shouted excitedly.

“Well...” Lakshman muttered. He pondered for a moment before he said “It was crazy!”

“What?!” she said in disbelief.

Then Lakshman laughed which caused Ondine to make a frustrated expression on her face.

So he decided to take his turn and closed his eyes. It took him a moment, but he felt it. He felt the energy flowing within him. First time he tried to grasp this, he was unfamiliar with it.

By now he has become accustomed to

“Right...” he muttered as he prepared to channel his energy.

Lakshman surged his energy. For a moment, he felt the wind around him blow faster.

Feeling the sensation, he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see light red colour encircling him. Somehow, the colour gave him a strange feeling, but he couldn’t explain it.

“Wow...” he exclaimed in surprise.

It had been a while since he used his energy like this. He looked at his hands and then all around him. The light encircling him felt warm and, somehow welcoming. Then he looked towards Sumara and Ondine. Ondine was watching him in disbelief, but Sumara was watching him in surprise.

Then the light encircling him started to grow brighter. Lakshman looked down in surprise when he saw the light suddenly start flashing dim and bright. Having had previous experience in this situation, he realised what was going to happen.

“Oh crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!”

He quickly tried focusing his energy. It was not like four or five years ago when he struggled to control his energy. His face contorted as he struggled to supress the energy that suddenly started to increase. Then he felt a snap and realised he was about to face the bang!

“Damn...” he muttered and he closed his eyes.

“Oh no... Not this again!” Sumara exclaimed in disbelief.

“What?” Ondine asked fearfully as she took note of Rana’s worried face and tone. “What is it Sumara?”

Instead of replying to Ondine, Sumara quickly activated her Magic Force to execute her magic spell.

“Spirits of the earth, form a barrier of strength and encircle this person. Earth Wall!”

At that moment, Lakshman was suddenly covered in a glow of red light. Just then, a wall of earth forms around him and raised some height.

“Wow!” Ondine exclaimed in surprise.

She had understood something was wrong when Lakshman was suddenly covered in red light. Seeing the fast reaction of Sumara impressed her, but she had something to complain about.

“Can you use nothing, but Earth Wall?!” Ondine asked incredulously. “Is that the only magic spell you know?!”

“Don’t be picky!” Sumara said sternly as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Earth Wall is the simplest magic spell I can use and it becomes powerful when a Saint rank like me uses an Intermediate rank magic spell.”

“Oh... fine!” Ondine said reluctantly.

They stared at the formation of the earth wall surrounding Lakshman. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the next moment, a flash of light suddenly emanated from within the earth wall.

“Oh.... crap!” Ondine said with widening eyes.

With a mighty explosion, the earth wall was blasted away. A shock wave of dust and wind blew in every direction. Both Ondine and Sumara grabbed each other and fought desperately to not get blown away.

After a while, the wind slowed and the dust slowly dispersed. Ondine and Sumara coughed as they cleared away the dust that settled around them. Clearing their eyes, they straightened up and looked towards where Lakshman stopped previously.

For a moment, the dust covered the scene, but soon it dispersed and Lakshman came into sight. They were not surprised to see him smoking, but were amazed to see his hair strangely standing up. He had a confused expression as he moved over to them.

“That was fun,” he said once he reached them. “So? How was it?”

“What?!” Ondine said in shock. “You’re seriously asking us how it was?!”

“Well... it won’t harm to know how it was... right?”

“Oh... fine! Here’s my honest opinion...! THAT... WAS... INSANE!!”

She practically shouted at him, causing him to cover his ears. Sumara quickly patted her on the shoulders. Then she turned and faced Lakshman with an unimpressed expression.

“Lucky, what did I tell you the last time something like this happened?” she asked sternly.

“Um... try not to release too much energy too quickly,” Lakshman said.

“And...? What did you do instead?”

“Miss. Sumara... I didn’t mean to,” Lakshman said. “I released only a small amount of energy to what I felt flowing in me. I never would’ve thought this might happen at all!”

Sumara sighed heavily and placed a hand on her forehead.

“Son like father,” she muttered. “Both know how to cause me more trouble.”

“I’m sorry,” he said in a quiet voice and he hung his head.

Ondine watched the stern expression on Sumara and the upset expression covered on Lakshman’s face. She sighed and decided to ease things up. She felt it was a good opportunity for her to return the favour when they cheered her up earlier for her misunderstanding issue.

“I think its fine,” Ondine said.

They turned to face her and she continued.

“Yeah! Just look around! Not a lot of damage except for a lot of smoke. Although, I don’t think we should count in self-destruction of my master. He brought this on himself anyway, recklessly releasing more energy than he should have.”

“Yes, my bad,” Lakshman said apologetically.

“Hmm... I don’t know,” Sumara said thoughtfully.

“Sumara, this is a learning curve for us all. It’s right to train them to control it rather than just give up on them.”

Ondine continued and spoke to Sumara. It was clear she wanted her to go easy on Lakshman’s punishment. She had heard from Lakshman about this happening several times in the past.

Knowing that Sumara must be worried about that, she wanted to encourage her to move on.

“I suppose,” Sumara said.

The she sighed before turning to face Lakshman.

“Lucky.”

“Yes?” “... Be glad I understand and sorry I scolded you. It was just taken by surprise by this sudden... explosion.”

“Ah, yes! I’m sorry! I absolutely did not mean to cause this to happen!”

Then they looked at each other and smiled. Ondine watched them and suddenly realised something. Lakshman behaved more openly with Sumara than with her. For some reason, she felt a bit jealous as she watched them.

A few seconds later, she coughed and asked “Shouldn’t we get started on our sparring fight?”

“Oh... yes!” Sumara said, gathering herself. “Very well, let’s get started!”

“Yes!” Lakshman said brightly.

“Yeah!” Ondine said, becoming excited and forgetting her uncertain feelings from earlier.

Phoenix Rising Chapter 19 Let the battle begin “Okay! Let’s get this sparring match underway!”

Sumara said and she smiled, excited despite herself. Nodding in agreement, they turned to look at each other in the face.

“I won’t lose!” Ondine declared.

Lakshman’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Ondine, in turn, was taken aback by his reaction.

“What?” she asked. “Surprised by my words?”

“Yeah,” Lakshman said and he smiled. “You surprised me there a bit.”

“Hmph!” Ondine said. “You shouldn’t be, master. We are going to have a sparring match between us. I expect you to fight to your fullest abilities and not hold back.”

“I guess,” Lakshman said and smiled as he scratched his head.

“So then?” she asked. “You got anything to say to me?”

“Well...” he said hesitantly. “I had intended to wish you ‘good luck’, but... looking at your confidence, I doubt I need to.”

“What?!” she exclaimed in surprise.

“So... I’ll just say: Let’s have fun!”

With that, he smiled and turned to walk away. She furrowed her eyebrows and called after him.

“Sure, if you can win!”

Lakshman sighed and shook his head as he walked away from her. Then she also made her way in the opposite direction. After moving a certain amount of distance away from each other, they stopped and turned around.

“Alright you two!” Sumara called to them. “Listen to the rules!”

Just as Sumara was about to speak of the sparring rules, she suddenly realised something.

She sighed and muttered “Maybe I should’ve told them while they were still with me. Now I have to raise my voice unnecessarily...”

Sighing again in discontent, she began to explain the rules in a loud voice.

“That rules are simple. Fight each other with your skills and strength. Weapon Force, Magic Force and Energy Force are allowed.”

Hearing Sumara say the last statement, Ondine suddenly smiled. Lakshman narrowed his eyes slightly to see the change in her movement. Although he couldn’t see her expression, he guessed she must have smiled. He made a puzzled expression, not understanding why.

“To win, deal your opponent a single blow. It could be to shatter their sword, knock them out or make them give up. However, poking them in the eye or hitting below the belt is plain mean and not allowed.”

“What?!” Lakshman and Ondine shouted in unison.

“Miss. Sumara, where did you come up with such an idea?” Lakshman asked.

“Yeah! Why such a ridiculous rule?” Ondine asked.

“Those were the rules I know off from a fantasy novel I read,” Sumara said with a smile. “Why? Did you plan to poke each other in the eye or something?”

“No...!” Lakshman said and he had a strange expression.

“Ah... I wasn’t planning on it,” Ondine said, but her tone betrayed her.

“What?!” Lakshman shouted in horror. “You were planning on poking my eyes?!”

“I... No! I wasn’t!” Ondine said desperately. “It was just a backup- ah!”

Her eyes widened at realising what she just said. He staggered backwards after hearing her words. Even Sumara was looking at her in surprise. Ondine wore a flustered expression on her face.

“It was just a backup... in case I couldn’t beat you by normal means,” Ondine said in a fluster.

For a moment, they stood still and silent except for the wind. Then Lakshman looked at her and shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re not helping your case!” he bellowed.

“Ah?!” Ondine said, suddenly realising at his words.

“Okay, okay!” Sumara shouted. “We got it. In any event, poking in the eye or hitting below the belt grounds to disqualification!”

“Fine!” Ondine yelled and she wore an annoyed expression. “I don’t need such an underhanded method anyway!”

Ondine glared at Lakshman, but he simply sighed and hung his shoulders tiredly. Sumara sighed, but smiled for some reason as she watched the two of them. Then she cleared her throat before issuing orders.

“Okay! We get it!”

At Rana’s shout, Ondine stopped glaring. However, she still appeared to be annoyed at Lakshman. Lakshman, on the other hand, could not help but laugh out loud. He probably should be used to this by now, but it never ceased to amuse him.

“Not funny!” Ondine bellowed, glaring once more.

“Lakshman...”

Lakshman stopped laughing immediately. The reason was simple: the use of his full name. Sumara would ever use it whenever she began to feel impatient or annoyed at him.

“I’m sorry!” he called and waved at her.

She nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Now, prepare your weapons!”

At her command, Lakshman unsheathed his sword and Ondine did the same with her two swords. Holding their weapons at the ready, they eyed each other in anticipation.

Sumara looked towards each of them before raising her hand into the air.

“Ready!”

The tension started to build up as the battle was about to start. The wind stopped blowing, the creatures stopped to look. All eyes were on the two figures standing at opposite ends of each other.

“Begin!”

Ondine prepared to rush at him. Her plan was to take him off guard with her speed.

However, she saw a cloud of dust rise into the air where Lakshman stood. Then she saw something race towards her at an incredible speed.

Then the silhouette disappeared. For a moment, she lost track of things and became distracted. The next instant that very same person appeared before her. He had his sword raised in the air above him. Her eyes widened in shock at seeing who it was; it was Lakshman.

When Sumara issued the command, he made the first move. He instantly dropped to a position and kicked hard off the ground. At that very moment, Ondine had prepared to do the same, but he beat her to it. In less than three seconds, he reached her and took her by surprise.

At that moment he appeared, Ondine looked up and her eyes widened. She could not believe her eyes, nor at the fact that he beat her to the punch. Then she took notice of his sword held above his head. He smiled as he swung his sword down.

The sound of swords clanging could be heard as it resounded around the area. In a split second, she brought both of her swords up and caught Lakshman’s sword. The impact was so forceful that the ground beneath her cracked. She widened her eyes in shock and disbelief.

Her face contorted as she struggled to fend off Lakshman. Then, Lakshman forcefully swung his sword down at the ground and she rushed away from him. As the dust cleared, Lakshman stood up and held his sword at the ready.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, sounding surprised. “You took me by surprise there, master.”

She was glad she applied Weapon Force to her swords. If she had not, that previous attack would have shattered them.

“Thank you,” Lakshman said with a smile.

For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other. Then he charged at her again, but this time she was ready for him. As he swung his sword at her, she used her left sword to block the attack. Then she used her right sword and aimed at him.

Lakshman lets go of his sword. Then he brought his hand underneath the hilt and grabbed it.

Currently he held the sword as if it were a dagger. Then he moved his body leftward and brought his sword along with him.

There was another sound of swords clanging as both his and her swords clashed. Then he swept her sword away as he spun around and did a complete one-eighty. As he spun

around, he switched his grip on the hilt once more. Holding it like a sword once more, he brought it to his left while instantaneously moving towards her.

Lakshman swept his sword forward very quickly at her. Ondine brought both of her swords forward and clashed against his sword. Upon impact her eyes widened in shocked disbelief.

The next, he swept her away by the force behind the swing.

Ondine flew a meter away and straightened up. She stared at him in disbelief.

“Wow...” she muttered. “He is far stronger than I realised.”

Then she charged at him. This time, his reaction was slowed because of his powerful swing.

“AAAAAAH!” she yelled as she charged at him.

His eyes widened as the swords neared him. Then, they clashed as he blocked her swords by holding up his sword horizontally. He held his two hands and his face contorted as he struggled to fend off her.

“I got you now!” she shouted.

“Yikes!” he said in a panicked voice.

He was actually not panicked, but he was astonished by her skills. She started swinging her swords at him. She was fast and she accurately delivered blows on him. Fortunately, he was slightly faster and was able to deflect most of her swings.

“I’m not done yet!”

She dashed a few meters away from him. Then she started gathering large amounts of energy and poured it into her swords. His eyes widened as he watched the swords glowing in radiance.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Oh, you should be worried!” she said with a grin on her face. “I’m about to win this fight!”

“What?!” he exclaimed in surprise. “I’m still standing and you haven’t scratched me yet!”

“Not yet anyway,” she said as if to correct him. “I’ll soon fix that as soon as I’m ready.”

“And... you think I’ll just stand here and wait for you?!”

“Oh, would you believe me if I say yes?”

“Not a chance!”

With that, he rushed at her. She didn’t even blink when he reached her in the next instant.

She simply ducked his sword and kicked him away. He made a pained expression as he clutched his stomach where she had kicked him.

“Why did you kick me?!” he demanded.

“My hands are full,” she said and smiled.

“Miss. Sumara, is kicking even allowed?”

Lakshman turned around and asked Miss. Sumara simply nodded and he sighed in resignation. Then he turned around and saw Ondine smiling. Her swords are now fully glowing with a radiant blue light.

“W-What the?!” he exclaimed at the sight.

“Sorry for the wait!” Ondine said with a smile.

“Who was waiting?” he asked incredulously.

She made a puzzled expression and said “I thought you were.”

“No I wasn’t!” he retorted.

“Then, why didn’t you attack me again?”

“Because... I was talking to Miss. Sumara about you kicking me in the stomach!” “... Did you really waste precious time over something that silly?” she asked him in disbelief.

“I... maybe I didn’t need to,” he hesitated before saying at the realisation.

“Oh well, in either case, you’re going down!” she said and smiled once more.

Ondine took the stance and readied her glowing swords. Lakshman “Get ready cause’ here I come!”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 10 Don’t break the sword "Aaaaaaah!"

With a loud yell, Ondine lunged at Lakshman. The two swords she held in her hands were glowing brightly in blue light. His wasn't sure why she lunged at him like that. He brought his sword up, intending to block it, when a sudden realisation dawned on him.

"Wha-!"

He moved his sword away from her swords and jumped out of the way. It turned out to be a good move. A moment later, the swords struck the ground. With a tremendous force, the ground got smashed. His eyes widened when he saw what the swords did to the ground.

"W-what... was that?!" He shouted.

"Tch! I missed," Ondine said in a disappointed tone.

"Of-course you did, I dodged you!" Lakshman said in an annoyed expression on his face.

"Seriously! What were you thinking using so much force suddenly on me like that?!"

"Oh... I didn't intend to hurt you master," Ondine said reassuringly. "My aim was at your sword."

"My sword?!" He said incredulously. "Whatever did my sword do to you?!"

"No, no! This’s not it!" Ondine said, waving her hands in surprise. "I only wanted to win the match without hurting you." "...what?"

"Master, I only intended to break your sword. That way you will be weapon-less and I will automatically be declared the winner!"

For a few seconds, Lakshman stood frozen to the spot. He could not believe what he just heard. Then he looked down at his sword and shuddered when he remembered her previous attack.

"Why... why destroy the sword? Couldn't you just... um... scratch me up or something?"

He was obviously shaken by the thought of his sword getting destroyed.

Ondine sighed and said "No master. I do not wish to bring harm to my master. Besides, it is allowed to break the weapons of your opponents to win a fight."

"What?!" He said in disbelief. "There is no way that could be allowed!"

“You don’t believe me? Then ask Sumara over there. I’m sure she agrees as well.”

He blinked at her suggestion, startled. Then he looked over at Sumara, who was sitting on the grass watching them.

Sumara sat on the grass, got tired after standing for some time, and watched them. She was impressed by the level of skill both Lakshman and Ondine showed. Both possess incredible speed and strength. However, the difference could easily be told.

She noticed Ondine was slower in reacting than Lakshman, even though she had accurate attacks on Lakshman with her two swords. However, it amazed her at seeing Lakshman’s lightning fast reflexes and movements. Secretly, Sumara was actually voting for Lakshman to win.

When they stopped fighting, she thought she heard them talking. Wondering what they talked about, she noticed raw energy suddenly flowing around Ondine. She watched, as Ondine’s two swords slowly glowed brighter in a blue light.

“Wow...” Sumara muttered as she watched blades glow. “Maximum Energy Blades...?”

She was surprised by Ondine’s weapons glowing, but she didn’t have time to ponder on it. The next instant, she saw Ondine lunge at Lakshman with her blue glowing swords.

Sumara watched, fearfully, as Lakshman raised his sword to parry Ondine’s swords.

“No...” Sumara muttered in a desperate voice. “Get away... Get away!”

In an instant, Lakshman broke his stance and had jumped out of the way. The two swords swung down and struck the ground. The ground erupted, causing great cracked rocks to rise into the air and splitting the ground in the process.

“Incredible...” Sumara muttered. “What power...”

Sumara was amazed at the power the two swords had. She was even more surprised at how quickly Lakshman had gotten out of the way. She knew if Ondine’s swords made contact with his blade, Weapon Force applied or not, his sword would have broken into pieces.

Then Sumara heard them arguing, but she was still unable to make out the words they were saying. Just then Lakshman turned around and looked at her. Then he shouted a question at her.

“Miss. Sumara, is breaking the weapon of your opponent allowed?”

Sumara raised her eyes in surprise. For a moment, she was speechless. Then she looked down and wore a depressed expression on her face.

“I thought I made it clear in my rules,” she muttered. “Stupid Lucky...”

She then closed her eyes and sighed heavily. A few seconds later, she raised her head and looked in his direction.

“Yes!” she shouted back.

“YEAH!!!”

“NO!!!”

At hearing Rana’s response Ondine let out a hearty cheer, but Lakshman screamed in dismay. Rana’s judgement, it became evident that destroying the weapon of the opponent is allowed. This meant, his weapon is a sacrifice for the sake of Ondine winning the battle without hurting him.

“There you have it, master!” Ondine said grinning broadly. “The verdict is in!”

“No!” Lakshman said in disbelief. “I can accept this!”

“Oh... Well... Too bad, but I will!”

Ondine suddenly gathered large quantities of energy and poured it into her swords.

However, this time she did not apply a lot of energy. It seemed she learnt from her previous attempt to be careful with her energy which was released in the previous attempt.

“Here I come, master!”

She lunged at him and Lakshman jumped out of the way. As he landed back on his feet, he suddenly saw her appear before her. She swung her swords around, but he quickly moved his feet and dodged her. Once he dodged the swords, he jumped away from her only for her to follow him.

Getting frustrated, he tried taking the offense. One time after a dodge and escape, she suddenly appeared before him bearing her swords ready at him. He made a quick move and tried to aim his sword towards her shoulder. He was attempting to cut her.

Lakshman’s eyes widened when, with a loud clash, his sword diverted up and away from her shoulder. That was when he saw her holding her sword with her left hand. It appeared

that she used her left handed sword to bring it from the bottom and made his sword miss her.

“Close call,” she said with a smile and he gritted his teeth in frustration. “But, not close enough!”

At the exclamation of the last words, she moved at him. She moved her shoulders down and shoved against him. He tried to keep his balance, but the force she applied was too strong to hold. As he toppled backwards, he saw her bring her right handed sword in the air.

“With this, I win!”

Yelling in triumphant, she swung her sword down. He watched the swung and noticed where it was aimed at. At that moment he understood her plan; it was to shatter his sword against her own which was holding it still from the bottom.

“No... you haven’t!”

As he slowly fell backwards, he smiled. Seeing him smile, she was stunned realising what he planned to do no.

“No you-!” she said, but he did not stop to listen to her.

At that moment, he moved his body leftward and lightly pushed his legs off the ground. He soared in mid-air as he rotated leftward. Using the spinning movement, he forcefully moved his sword away from her sword.

It was just in time. The next moment, her right handed sword clashes loudly with her left handed sword. Her eyes widened in surprise at his unbelievable feet. He continued to rotate in mid-air, he thought of something.

When his mid-air turn was about to turn upward, he brought out his sword.

“Ah”!

Realising what he intended to do, she tried to avoid him. She successfully avoided him from cutting her shoulder. Instead, his sword clashed against her swords.

“AAAAAAAAH!” he screamed as he tried to use his sword to push against her two swords.

Then he suddenly felt no resistance. Ondine realised her disadvantage and jumped out of the way. Surprised, but not out of the loop, he continued to rotate in mid-air. Upon his next mid-air rotation, he used his left hand to touch the ground.

Lakshman was successfully in stopping himself from rotating. Immediately, he pushed off the ground and flew into air. Spinning wildly in the air, he landed back on his two feet. Then he spun around and looked at Ondine, who had an astonished expression on her face.

“How was that?” he asked while smiling.

“That was... um...” she hesitated.

“Well...?” he pressed her in questioning.

Ondine suddenly sighed and said “I don’t know master.”’

“What?”

“You, doing those crazy moves to get back to your feet, are great! However, putting yourself in that disadvantageous position is not... advisable.”

“Disadvantageous position?!” he asked in disbelief. “Oh! Fine! I’m hearing it from the person who’s the REASON I did that!”

“If you just had let me break your sword, all of this would’ve ended peacefully. “ “As if!” he shouted in frustration. “Do you have any idea how many swords I broke when I tried to control my strong Weapon Force?” “... Should I care?” she asked quizzically.

“Argh!” he shouted.

“Master?” Ondine said, alarmed by his reaction.

“I broke over fifteen wooden swords and three bladed swords!” he said angrily.

“Wow... That’s an impressive count,” she said.

“It’s not a joke!” he said. “But, dad was furious with me the last time I broke it. The next time... argh!”

He suddenly shuddered at the thought his punishment. Ondine sighed, realising he was imagining some things that might not even happen. She decided to press on, believing Indra is not the type of person who would punish his son for something as simple as breaking a sword.

“I don’t think your father would hurt you, master.”

“I don’t know...!” Lakshman said fearfully. “He had a very scary expression the last time and scolded me severely.”

“That’s because you were clumsy at controlling your powers,” she muttered.

“What?” he said, looking confused at her.

“Oh, nothing, nothing...,” Ondine said hastily. Then she looked seriously at him and said “Well... we can simply explain the situation.”

“No, that won’t work,” Lakshman said in a worried voice.

“Oh well, we can worry about that when we cross that threshold,” she said casually.

“What?” he said, sounding confused.

“I’m bored talking. I'm going to attack,” she said almost lazily.

“Ah-!”

Lakshman had barely enough time to react to her sudden movement. Without warning, she moved very quickly and reached him while his guard was down. He looked up at him and smiled.

“Now, I’ll be breaking this sword!”

She tried to swing her swords to shatter the blade, but he kicked off the ground and moved away from her.

As he did, he shouted “No!” Her swords clanged loudly upon impact against each other. She then straightened up turned to look at him in exasperation.

“You’re not escaping from me, master!” she shouted and she lunged at him once again.

After that, they continued to clash, although it was one sided. Ondine continued to do her very best at destroying his sword, while Lakshman dodged her attempts successfully. She even started to plead with him to let her destroy his sword.

“Master, please let me destroy it.”

“No!” “Don’t worry! Indra will make you a new one!”

“That won’t stop him from punishing me for letting the sword break!”

“Then, I can make a sword for you if you like.”

Ondine was obviously bluffing and Lakshman did not believe her “As if I can believe that!”

“We can use healing magic to put the broken blades together.”

“Healing magic doesn’t work on non-living things!”

Watching them continuously clash and dodge, Sumara yawned. She rubbed her eyes and watched them with her eyes half-open and a sleepy expression on her face. This fight has dragged on for nearly ten minutes and she was feeling bored.

Fed up with Lakshman continuously dodging around Ondine, she raised her voice and bellowed “Lucky! Fight back already!”

“Eh?” Lakshman said in surprise. ”Fight ... back?”

He stopped and turned towards Sumara.

“But... Miss. Sumara, I don’t think I can win!” he shouted. “I’m just a kid and her skills are far greater than my own!”

“What?!” Sumara said in disbelief, getting to her feet and she walked over to them. “Did I just hear you put yourself down?! Lucky, tell me. Who was it that taught you the way of the sword?”

“Um... my dad,” he said reluctantly.

“And...? What rank is he?”

“He’s... a Saint ranked Water Weapon Style swordsman.”

“Good! Which means... you, as his son, can do it!”

“I... ah...”

Lakshman was hesitant, but Sumara forced the point home.

“Lucky, you’ve been training with him for nearly five years! You had five years of training and you are just twelve years old! He believes in you and so do I!”

“You... really think I can do it?” he asked nervously.

“Yes I do!” Sumara said confidently.

Over the years, Sumara watched him train and was impressed by the level of skill and the potential he possessed. It always amazed her when he did something that took her far longer to do the same.

Watching him now, nervously contemplating about a real battle, she realised the crucial point. He may be a warrior, but mentally he’s still a kid. He may have fought against monsters and rushed into danger to help others, but he never had intentions of fighting other living beings like him.

When fighting monsters, there was the need to survive. When he rushed in to save his father, it was to save his father and everyone else. He did spar sometimes with Ondine in their morning training, but it was never serious to hurt each other. Always fighting to save and protect.

Inwardly she cursed herself for not realising this fact. She never thought about this because of his eagerness in training regularly. However, she finally realised the reason behind it.

Unlike herself and Ondine, he did not fight just for the sake of fighting and winning.

She sighed heavily and turned away to hide her face. She did it to hide her expression from them. A few seconds later, she heaved a huge sigh and turned around to face them once more. Then she put on a smile on her face and faced him.

“Go and defeat your Slave Spirit!” she said encouragingly. “I know you can do it!”

“You... think so, Miss. Sumara?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes. Use your Weapon Force and Energy Force and win this thing!”

“Um... sorry?” Lakshman said as if he missed something in what she said.

“I said, go and defeat her using either your Weapon Force or Energy Force if you have to.”

“I-I can use them?” he asked in a surprised voice.

“What?!” she exclaimed in shock. “You mean to tell me, throughout this whole time, you had no idea?!”

“Well... I did hear you speaking about them, but... maybe I misunderstood?”

“Okay... Then, why didn’t you speak about it when Ondine used Weapon Force on you so many times?”

“Um... no...” he muttered in a low voice.

Rana’s eyes widened in astonishment and even Ondine was looking surprised at his words.

Sumara placed a hand on her forehead and sighed heavily. A few second salter, she removed her hand off her forehead and looked at him with a serious expression on her face.

“Listen Lakshman,” she said. “You are allowed to use both Energy Force and Weapon Force in this fight. Did you get that?”

She was making sure he understood.

“Yes!” he said, nodding vigorously at her serious face.

“Good!”

“I’m sorry!” he said and he wore a depressed expression on his face.

She turned and made to walk away. Then, she hesitated feeling slightly guilty. She thought that her behaviour with him was slightly overstrict. Thinking of how to cool him down, she suddenly had an idea. She turned around and gave him a thumps up.

“Good luck!” she said and smiled.

Lakshman’s eyes widened. Looking at her smiling face and the thumps up she gave him. It rendered him speechless. An unfamiliar feeling washed over him and. This feeling was something he had never felt before.

He remembered his mother, Lakshmi, telling him about an idol during their time together.

According to her, an idol is someone that gives strong belief and willpower to their followers or worshippers. Thinking over her words he felt like, at that instant, he had seen his idol. That was how he felt about Sumara smiling at him in encouragement.

For a moment, he stood there in a daze at the realisation. Then, he shook his head and returned to the present. He saw Sumara smiling in his direction him and pointing a thumps-up gesture at him. He smiled in return and returned the thumps-up.

“Don’t worry Miss. Sumara!” he said. “I’ll win!”

She nodded and walked away. Lakshman watched her go and then turned to face Ondine.

Ondine wore an uncertain expression on her face. She had felt a strangeness come over Lakshman, but couldn’t explain what it was.

“I’ll win this battle, Ondine,” he said and smiled at her.

She widened her eyes in surprise. Then she grinned and looked at him expectantly.

“Oh? Sounds interesting...”

With that, they squared off against each other. The final round of this fight was about to begin!

Phoenix Rising Chapter 21 Explosive Victory They stood staring at each other with their stances and weapons. Lakshman suddenly smiled.

“Ondine.”

“Yes, master?”

“Dad always told me to let the girls make the first move.”

“Huh?” Ondine said in a surprised voice.

“Apparently, it’s something do with ‘girls first’ or something,” he said vaguely.

Instead of responding, she simply stared at him. Then she closed her eyes and chuckled.

“Don’t mind if I do,” she said.

She flashed her eyes open and prepared to make her move.

“Here I go!”

She kicked off the ground and rushed at him. She quickly covered the distance separating him and her. In a few seconds, she reached his position and swung her right handed sword down at him. There was a loud clang as her sword clashed against his sword. For a moment, they locked together with their swords struggling to push forward.

“Ah! Not worried your sword might break?” she asked.

“No need to, when I will win!” he said firmly with a smile.

“Oh? But I wouldn’t be so sure!” she said smiling widely.

At that moment, she brought her left handed sword from underneath. Weapon Force was visible as the sword was glowing brightly in blue light. Clearly she aimed to snap his blade by hammering her sword from the bottom with her top sword.

“I am sure!” he said confidently.

“What?!” she said and her eyes widened in surprise.

In that exact moment, Lakshman’s sword suddenly started glowing bright red.

“AAAAAAAAH!” he screamed.

With great force, he pushed her swords away. His force was so strong, he actually pushed her away. She moved some distance away from him and finally stopped. She straightened up and stared at him in surprise.

Lakshman straightened up and held his sword, which was glowing brightly, at the ready.

“When your will of fire lights up, there is no stopping you!” he said smiling brightly.

Ondine blinked at him in surprise.

“Great words, but... whom exactly did you hear those words from?”

“Miss. Sumara of-course!” he said brightly.

“I see,” she said and nodded in understanding.

He had a look of confidence on his face that somehow caused her to shiver slightly.

Realising this, she gritted her teeth and stared at him seriously.

“Well... you seem confident with your words... but! Let’s see how good you are with your actions!”

In an instant, she rushed at him. She reached him and swung her right handed sword at him, but he blocked her sword with his. Not pausing in her movement, she brought her left handed sword at him. He easily swung her right handed sword aside and brought his sword forward to block her left handed sword.

“What?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

Then he deflected her left handed sword.

“Ah!” she said in shocked disbelief.

Lakshman did not move from his standing position. He simply moved his sword and blocked her swords. Both of her swords were parried and she suddenly found herself wide open.

She saw him smile as he looked at her.

Ondine realised what was going to happen before it did. She saw him raise his sword and was about to make the move to attack her. Gritting her teeth firmly, she twisted her body and successfully brought her swords around.

With a loud clang, both her swords and his sword clashed. The force of the impact of blades suddenly pushed them away from each other. They landed back on their feet, but Lakshman quickly made his move by disappearing.

“What?!” she shouted.

She started looking around to see where he was. Just then, he appeared right in front of her.

She instantly reacted and swung at him, but he suddenly disappeared. Then he appeared to her right. With her other sword, she swung at him only for him to disappear once more.

“You...!” she said in frustration.

She continued to fight him off several more times. Finally, she was fed up with him continuously disappearing and reappearing somewhere else.

“Stop it!” she shouted angrily. “Stop this hide and seek game!”

“It’s not a game, Ondine,” he said as he appeared behind her.

She instantly reacted and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw his sword high above him. She quickly brought her own two swords together and just in time. At that very moment, he swung his sword down and clashed against hers.

With a loud clang, his sword collided with hers. Her eyes widened by the sheer amount of force behind the sword. The force of his swing was so strong the ground suddenly caved in and cracks appeared all around them.

“Wow!” Ondine shouted as she held her ground against his sword.

“Good, you blocked it well,” Lakshman said and he smiled at her.

“Of-course, master,” she said. “I am strong!”

He nodded and said “Yes, you are strong, but let’s see how strong you are against THIS!” He shouted the last word. With his shout, he quickly released her and jumped a few meters away from her. Then he rushed at her again and started swinging his sword very quickly.

“Wha-?!”

She was taken by surprise. She stated swinging her swords each time to block or deflect his sword. The speed at which he swung his sword completely took her by surprise. It soon became a speed battle of the swords between them.

“This... is... insane!!” she yelled and rushed away from him.

“Not so fast!” he shouted.

Lakshman quickly followed her and reached her position a moment later. From there, their speed battle continued.

“AAAH! You’re not the only one who can fight fast with your sword!” she shouted.

She started to increase the speed of her swings. The battle soon escalated into a two way speed battle involving swords. At one point, the battle suddenly turned against him as he fought hard against her two swords with only one sword.

Lakshman then jumped away from her and they stood, breathing fast while looking at each other.

“This is... good!” he said happily.

“Yes... I would’ve never thought you could... move so fast, master!” Ondine said, smiling at him.

“Yes, but you’re not bad yourself.”

“Thank you master, but... I did tell you... I am strong!”

“Yes! You are strong! I’ll give you that!” he said cheerfully. “But! Let’s see how you can hold up against this!”

“Eh? Against what?” she asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

He raised his sword and held it horizontally with his right hand. He then moved it to the left and held it at the ready. The sword began to flash in red and the flashes slowly became faster. A few seconds later, his sword glowed bright red.

Ondine observed his sword. The colour was the same as his Weapon Force applied.

However, she felt there was something different about his sword. It felt strange and she did not understand why.

“Here it comes!” he shouted excitedly.

Then he screamed as he swung the sword in a wide arc in her direction. As he swung, something emitted from the sword. Then a blade of pure red energy was suddenly released from his sword. The blade of energy rushed at her at an incredible speed.

“What...?” Ondine muttered as she watched the energy headed her way.

She did not have any more words to say. In actuality, she did not have the time to say anymore. Just then, she suddenly realised something about this attack. With that, she jumped high into the air and successfully dodged the blade of energy.

The blade of energy sailed beneath her. As she landed back, she saw the energy blade sail into the distance. Then she turned and looked at Lakshman with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Master... what was-” she said, but was suddenly cut off.

At that moment, there was a mighty explosion in the distance behind her. In shock, she turned around just to get buffeted by the force of the explosion. The force of the wind was so strong, she struggled to keep her footing.

“What the?!” she exclaimed in shock.

Just then, she tried looking at the source of this wind. Her eyes widened by what she saw. A great cloud of dust rose into the air in the distance where the explosion took place. She could not believe how powerful the explosion was and realised, with horror, it was originally intended at her.

As the dust cleared and the wind settled, they saw a great cloud rise into the air in the distance. It was as high as the eye could see. Ondine looked up at it, still having difficulty believing what she saw.

“Awesome!” he shouted. “It made a big explosion!”

She turned and stared at Lakshman in horror.

“Master, by any chance... was that... your attack just now?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah, it was,” he asked with a smile on his face.

Her eyes opened wide and she stared at him, having difficulty believing his words. Then she recovered by shaking her head and placing a hand on her forehead.

“Master... were you... trying to kill me or something?” she asked hesitantly.

“Kill you?” he said, sounding surprised. “No, I wasn’t. I only wanted to knock you out.”

“Eh?!” she said in shocked disbelief. “No master... that’s way too much power to knock someone out!”

“I’m sure you will survive,” he said brightly.

She could not believe his attitude as she said “What is with your overconfidence in my survival?!”

“Whatever! Here we go!” he said.

This time he raised his sword above his head. Just like before, the sword started flashing red until the brightness became solid. Then he swung his sword down in an ark and aimed it at her.

“If you can’t handle it, just try dodging it!” he shouted as the energy was released.

Another blade of energy was released and it whooshed at her at an incredible speed.

“Eh?” she said, blinking at him in disbelief. “There’s no way I can dodge it... it’s too fast!”

“Then...! Good luck blocking it!” Lakshman said.

Ondine gritted her teeth, but prepared to stand against the blade of energy rapidly approaching her.

“I’ll show you, master! I can handle this!!”

She started gathering large quantities of energy and poured it into her two swords. The swords glowed brightly and the flow of energy around her became wild. The wind started blowing faster and she readied herself as she faced against the blade of energy.

As the blade of energy rushed at her, she crossed her swords and aimed at it. The blade of energy reached her and she suddenly found herself struggling hard against a force of energy beyond imagination.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”

She screamed as she fought hard against it. Then a flash of white light erupted around them, followed soon after by an explosion. The eruption of the explosion was so strong the entire area was buffeted by strong winds and covered by great clouds of dust.

For a few seconds, the dust and wind covered the entire area. It soon settled and the area came into clearer view. Just from one glance could easily tell what happened. A great crater took place where the energy cantered at.

As the dust cleared, Ondine suddenly came into view. She was standing still and looked battered after the explosion.

“Wow!” Lakshman exclaimed in surprise. “You’re still standing!”

“Yes...” Ondine replied in a tired voice. “I did tell you... this... is nothing.... to me~.”

She trailed away as the light disappeared from her eyes. She fell forward and hit the ground with a dull thud and did not move. For a moment, everything stood still and silent. During this time, Sumara rushed over to check on Ondine.

Sumara muttered “Phew,” and let out a sigh of relief when she found Ondine to be fine, but unconscious.

Sumara then rose to her feet and pointed at Lakshman.

“Ondine is out cold! Which means Lakshman is the winner!”

Lakshman was stunned and he did not move nor respond for a few seconds. Then, as the realisation settled in, a wide smile spread across his face. He let his sword drop to the ground and he punched his hand into the air.

“Yes! I did it!!”

Phoenix Rising Chapter 22 Explosive Boy Sometime later, Lakshman opened his eyes. For a moment, he was confused. He was lying on top of a comfortable bed as he stared up at the ceiling. Then he slowly sat up and realised where he was.

He was in his room and the bright sunlight poured in through the open windows. The wind whooshed in and had a cooling effect on him. He closed his eyes and let the silence envelop him. Then he opened his eyes and got out of bed.

Walking down the stairs, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his backside. For some unknown reason he felt pain, but he couldn’t understand why. Just then, he reached the ground floor and walked into the living room.

“Ah! You’re awake!”

Looking up, he realised the living room was filled with people. It was only five people, but in his drowsiness he thought he saw many people. In confusion, he walked over to a spare an empty couch.

As he sat, he felt a soft hand pat him on the head. Looking to his left, he saw his mother smiling at him. He blinked several times before rubbing his eyes to focus them properly.

Turning around, he saw his father, Sumara and their maid present in the room.

“Um...” he muttered, looking around at them all.

“You are quite the sleepy head, aren’t you?” Sumara said.

“I ah... um...”

Lakshman stuttered for words when he turned to face her. For a moment, he couldn’t understand the proceedings. Then something clicked in his mind and he realised. He turned to Indra and Lakshmi with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Wait... why was I in bed?” he asked them.

Indra and Lakshmi looked at him and then at each other. A message seemed to have been passed between them. They suddenly smiled and turned to look at Sumara who shrugged her shoulders.

“At-least your brain is functioning again,” Sumara muttered.

“Eh?” Lakshman said, turning to face Sumara. “Did you say something, Miss. Sumara?”

“Oh! It’s nothing,” she said. “Anyway, to your question: you passed out after your battle.”

“I-I did?” he said, sounding surprised.

“Yes...” she said in a tired voice. “You’ve been asleep for quite a while.”

“Oh... how long was I was out for then?”

“To be exact: four hours and fifteen minutes!”

“Wow! Four hours...! Mmm...” he said, looking surprised by the length of time he was asleep for.

“Yes Mr. Explosive... you drained your energy firing off ridiculous powerful attacks!”

Sumara said severely.

“I’m sorry, but I was trying to win the fight quickly,” he said and he scratched the back of his head.

“Yes, quickly... quick to drop unconscious is more like it!” she said with displeasure, but she did not look too annoyed.

Lakshman laughed and scratched his head distractedly.

“Well, I must have had a good time sleeping,” he said as he touched his body.

“I’m sure you did. Even falling off the horse wasn’t enough to wake you up.”

“What?”

“While on our way back, you kept falling from the horse,” Sumara said with a stern face.

“Oh...”

Lakshman did not know how to reply to that. He simply hung his mouth slightly open. Then, he smiled and moved his left hand to touch his back.

“I see... That explains why my back is so sore...” he said, patting himself on the back.

“Obviously it would be, you kept falling of the horse,” Sumara said in annoyance. “It gave me quite the trouble, unlike Ondine.”

Lakshman smiled in embarrassment. Then he realised the last words Sumara said.

“Ondine...” he said and he looked around for her. Not finding her, he asked “Where is Ondine?”

“She’s upstairs in her bed, sleeping,” Lakshmi informed him.

“Oh...” he said in surprise. Then he remembered how the fight ended and he said “Oh yeah!

That’s right! She collapsed right after the fight, didn’t she?”

“She certainly did,” Sumara said with a nod. “Anyone at her level would be knocked out if they suddenly tried to fight against an overwhelming amount of power!”

“Haha... but the aim was to knock her out,” he said.

“Good aim! However, there is no point to it if you, the winner, collapse within ten-minutes after winning the fight!”

“Yes... my bad...” he said and scratched the back of his head.

“Still, I am impressed by what I heard,” Indra said.

He looked at his son proudly. He then leaned back and smiled.

“I’m quite surprised and impressed at your level of skill.”

Then he looked back at his son and grinned at him.

“You unleashed two massive Energy Force attacks by the way of swinging your sword.”

“Oh, that,” Lakshman said, finally understanding what Indra meant.

“So... how did you come to realise you could use Energy Force together with your Weapon Force?” Indra asked curiously.

“Well... I thought they might be able to work together, but I didn’t know anyone who could do it,” Lakshman said.

“Ah, I see,” Sumara said, nodding her head and Lakshman continued.

“So I thought that maybe I should experiment with it. Since we were fighting, I took the chance and used it. That is probably why my first swing had too much power in it.”

“Too much is an understatement,” Sumara said in exasperation. “That was excessive amount of energy!”

She then recounted what had happened. How Lakshman unleased the raw Energy Force.

Then the massive explosion followed by the great surge of wind. She even stated how she feared she might be blown away by the strong winds.

“I now have come to a puzzling conclusion about you Lucky,” Sumara said.

“What about, Miss. Sumara?” he asked curiously.

“Explosions... they constantly happen whenever you unleash your powers!”

“Ah... ah... ah...”

Lakshman was speechless. Even Indra and Lakshmi were surprised by her statement.

“What do you mean that, Sumara?” Lakshmi asked.

Sumara turned to her and said “Please think about it. His Weapon Force was very strong to control and he destroyed many swords. His Magic Force was exceptionally strong that his incantations had a powerful effect. Even his Energy Force was no exception, constantly exploding in his face!”

“AH!” she suddenly said, looking surprised as if she realised something. “Which reminds me... your Energy Force exploded on your AGAIN when you were charging your energy.”

“Again?!” Lakshmi exclaimed in shock.

“Yes, it did!” Sumara said empathetically.

“Miss. Sumara, that was an accident,” Lakshman said defensively.

“No way is it an accident!” Sumara said seriously. “By this time, you should have full control over your force.”

“Yes I do, but... that was my first time Energy Charging,” he said.

“Ondine did not have any sort of trouble,” Sumara said and he looked uncertain.

Indra folded his arms and looked as if he was thinking. Then he clapped his right fist in the palm of his hand while making a “OH” sound with his mouth. They turned to see him grinning broadly.

“I got the perfect name for this!” he said. “Explosive Boy...! That’s your official nickname, Explosive Boy!” For a few seconds, silence ensured

“Dad...!” Lakshman exclaimed, looking unhappy at his father’s words.

Lakshmi, on the other hand, was not impressed. Looking seriously at her husband she said in a deadly voice “Indra!”

“W-what Lakshmi?” Indra said, turning and fearfully looking at his wife.

“Stop it with your stupid quips!” she said firmly. “It’s annoying!”

“Eh? What?”

“Like father, like son,” she said and Indra opened his eyes in shock.

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked indignantly.

“It’s bad enough that you are stupid! I don’t want our son turning into someone like you!”

“What did you say?!”

Indra rose to his feet and Lakshmi did the same. It looked like a battle of words was about to be launched between them. They stood and glared at each other fiercely.

“I dare you to say that again!” Indra said angrily.

“I dare say, I don’t want our son to become stupid like you!” Lakshman said.

She even smiled at Indra. He suddenly let out a yell and they began arguing. Their arguments suddenly ranged from their past to the present which also included the future plans.

Lakshman stared at his parents uncomfortably as his parents verbally argued with one another. He looked around and saw Sumara indicating him to leave the room with her.

Grateful, he rose to his feet and quietly left the pack of arguing couple behind.

Both he and Sumara sighed in relief once they were away from the noise. Then they looked at each other.

“Today, we’ll be cancelling your practice,” she said. “You’re still tired. So, go back to bed and get plenty of rest.”

“Ah, thank you Miss. Sumara,” Lakshman said and smiled at her.

Sumara nodded and said “It’s obvious you need to practice releasing your energy.

However, perhaps we should do it away from people... probably in a deserted field.”

“What is that, Miss. Sumara?”

“It’s to make sure the power you release doesn’t cause a massive explosion,” she said curtly.

“Remember my earth wall? It got blown away by the sheer force of your energy.”

“Oh yeah,” he said, remembering that he saw his unleased force of energy destroy the earth wall and create an explosion.

“I would need to use my magic constantly to create an earth wall powerful enough to contain your explosive energy.”

Then she stopped and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“You know what...? Calling you ‘Explosive Boy’ does make sense.”

“Miss. Sumara!” he said indignantly.

Sumara chucked and patted him while he looked unhappily at her.

“Rest assured Lucky, I won’t call you that... unless you annoy me!” Sumara said.

“Miss. Sumara!”

Laughing, she walked upstairs and he followed her. Once they reached the landing, she waved him goodbye and walked into her room. He watched her go and sighed when she shut her door.

It had been a long day and he decided to rest. From below, he could still hear the angry shouts of his parents as their argument continued. Suddenly, it was shut off when he walked into his room and closed the door shut.