As Chase set the fire down, using his energy to continue to keep the wild flame at bay, Poppy took a deep breath.
Then she slowly told her story.
Not like the three of them had anything better to do.
They were all injured beyond comprehension, and had just endured the inner world of a mimic that had evolved to the point of eating its own brethren.
Chase and Neo learned that Poppy had not truly been treated like a princess, even though she still carried half of the royal bloodline in her veins.
In fact, she had been treated quite poorly in her life.
He learned that The Ivory Princess had indeed only been sent to The Phoenix Academy in order to end his life.
"Not that I'd kill you of course, I already tried and didn't work..."
She said, while her crimson eyes reflected the vibrant fire within them.
Chase shrugged.
"I'm used to it..."
He said, trying to turn it into a joke. But of course, no one laughed.
"Sorry, continue."
And so she did.
So in the end, it was the queen of the continent who had wanted him dead.
Having such a big bounty on his head, for being a "Stray" made him feel quite conflicted.
Part of him felt quite good about it, because it meant that he was worth a lot more than he could have ever dreamed.
The other part realized just how much danger he had been in since birth.
He was grateful for Blaze's protection, and his heart ached for one last conversation with the man he had wished to have gotten too know.
After Poppy told her story, the three of them chose to remain silent for the remainder of the night.
The stars were shining beautifully above them.
However, Chase couldn't help but stare at the sigil resting on the back of his wrist...
He realized just how intricate the design of the phoenix truly was.
Questioning why the sword that him and Gemini had forged in the academy classroom, had decided to mark him with that of his family's crest, he decided to say screw it.
He started to pour energy into the sigil, not intending to summon his blade. Just purely out of curiosity for what it would do.
As the mark began to burn, he realized just how much energy he was using.
His vision started to blur, and his very soul began to ache.
"Hey!"
Poppy and Neo called out to him, but it was too late.
The last thing he seen was the stars of the night sky, as his back hit the grass below him.
.
.
.
'What...'
When Chase woke up, he found himself sitting in the familiar hospital bed.
Swiftly sitting up, he looked down at the rune on the back of his wrist.
His heart was racing, and he felt like he had forgotten an important dream.
But before he could lift his hand out from under his blanket, he spotted The Ivory Princess...
Who had fallen asleep in the chair next to his bed.
'How long...'
Before he could finish the thought, his heart started to race.
The rune on his wrist was glowing with a vibrant orange hue.
In fact, his entire body had been glowing a faint orange hue.
His veins were tinted the color of flame, and spread across the entirety of his visible body.
He turned to his left, where a cracked mirror was resting on the bedside table...
His eyes were burning...
Litterly.
He went to scream, until a growl resounded within his soul.
Behind the cracked curtain, the morning sun could be seen creeping into the healer's ward.
Chase pushed himself out of bed as quietly as possible, trying not to wake The Ivory Princess.
He limped out from the curtains, and had to cover his flaming eyes at first.
But once they adjusted to the bright lighting, he glanced outside of the window of the long hospital hallway.
Both the Pyrothar and the real sun were aligned into some sort of double eclipse.
'What is this...'
The sight was so beautiful that he questioned if a mere mortal could actually bare the sight without burning their eyes out of socket.
His jaw was tightly clenched.
Then he felt pressure on his left shoulder.
His eyes slowly moved to the left.
Out of the corner of his eyes, the only thing that he could see was a hand made of the very stars that made up the night sky that he had gazed upon last night.
The man behind him said something that didn't sound like it was from the common tongue, and then he felt it.
Pain radiated throughout his very body, his bones snapped, and a silent scream escaped his lips.
Collapsing to the ground, he let out terrible gasps for air.
Nothing entered his lungs, but pure dread.
Then as his vision once again returned to darkness.
He heard something that he could understand.
The man of stars spoke...
"I've finally found you... Son of Lilith..."
The man said, in a voice that sounded like it had been cast down from the heavens, like some sort of god who had taken the form of a mortal body.
Then he died...
.
.
.
Chase woke up gasping for air, surrounded by a group of people.
He couldn't tell where he was, but it seemed like the surrounding people had been trying to calm him down.
His throat seemed to reject the air that he was trying to breathe.
He was in a full panic.
The only thing that he could get out was a pained- "Help..."