uccellodifuoco | 1st Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Action

[Ikki raises an eyebrow at her apologize.]

Unless you are one of the Malnosso there's no reason for you to apologize, woman.

[Why do people have the feeling to apologize even if they have no reason for it? He rarely feels the need, even when he has reasons to.]

[It's a habit of hers. She couldn't help it since he had gotten upset.]

I'm not one of them. I know it isn't my fault. I do wish you luck if you do intend to contact them.

[She looked out toward the forest now. He could find find out more too through the Guide in the journal.] Are we nearing the location you first arrived at?

Contact them isn't exactly what I have in mind.

[Unless she means the contact of his fists against their faces, in which case there will be a lot of contact going on. He stops for a moment before nodding forward.]

The lingering Cosmos leads a bit further in this direction. I don't remember if I saw it close to me or while I was already moving towards the village.

[He scans the ground.]

Still, I wish you luck on your endeavor.

[Not that she would promote violence, but justice is justice. She helped look for the journal, but was also curious about what he had just mentioned.]

The Cosmos? Is that part of a power you possess?

[Any sort of spiritual power interested her. The people who arrived here or who were here were much more open-minded about that sort of ability, unlike many of those from her home.]

[Ikki hopes that this deal of having to pick up things he has never seen before doesn't repeat itself. What kind of person goes around and picks up a random book they find and have never seen or owned before?]

The short explanation is that the Cosmos is the energy that grows inside us and supports our lives. Athena's Saints are trained to make full use of it since early age, but every living being has it.

It receives other names, thought, even in my dimension.

[After all Athena's Saints are a secret from the world, thought even if they weren't many people wouldn't believe them. The civilians who do so have been involved in their fights and lives for too long to be allowed to deny their existence, but for the rest of the world... Not to mention that humans can be quite close-minded about that sort of thing.]

[Iris herself did not have any spiritual powers, but she knew that in some form or another that power existed in the world.]

I see. Then you are skilled with using it for any specific purposes? It must have taken some time to train and perfect it.

You are considered a Saint and revered as one?

[She thought back of the training sessions and spiritual training others had undergone at the temple dojo. The only time anyone visited the temple was for training, and if not that, it was a reporter covering what was considered abnormal or odd. She never did appreciate the stigma the non-believers placed on them.]

Saints start training at a very young age anyway, we grow up with it. But in all cases we are forced to go through a living hell to master it.

[He says it so casually it does drive in the idea that a living hell is a normal thing for him. He snorts at her next question thought, she has a point in asking but still the idea of that type of saint is ridiculous to him.]

I'm not that kind of Saint. I'm an Athena's Saint, it's just how Athena decided to name the warriors in her army. [He shrugs, why they are called that way has never picked his curiosity.]

I'm a warrior, I've fought and killed the enemies of Athena and who tried to destroy the world. There's nothing to revere there.

[She couldn't imagine what sort of training he had undergone, and the training of acolytes at the temple might not have compared, but she had seen how much work was needed, difficult or arduous as it may have been. But it was to be expected. And he was only a Saint by name, given his answer.]

Were you not were given a choice in becoming a Saint?

If you were indeed fighting to save the world, isn't that noble cause enough to be revered or in the least respected? Those who sit idle or indifferent are the ones who are undeserving of such honor.

[He chuckles, however there's no amusement or happiness there, only disdain.]

Yes, I was given a choice. Become one or die.

[He... Just looks at her quite plainly. No, there's nothing to revere in him, neither has he any wish for it.]

Look, I just do what I have to do. I'm an Athena's Saint and my duty is to protect her and fight for her against any enemy she may have. She wants to protect humanity's right to live, and so we fight for that. I don't see what's noble or worth to be revered there, it's all based just on selfishness.

[Warriors of justice... That's something Seiya and the others would have said and approved of. Ikki, however, doesn't have such a bright vision of the world or of himself.]

[It doesn't please her at all to hear of that so-called choice or how someone could propose such a scenario to others. How much context did she need regarding it, she wasn't sure, but she did feel that it hadn't been fair.

But he had his set of values, and she could understand how he could come to that conclusion. It also wouldn't be right for her to convince him or judge him otherwise.]

Selfishness is unavoidable, I won't argue with that. It's only natural for living beings. Despite it, however, I find your dedication to your duty and your diligence already admirable.

Speaking of which, I should have asked for your name a while ago. My name is Iris. What's yours?

[Even with the full context the situation hadn't been fair and in fact it could even go into the realm of being cruel. A man getting women pregnant just to kill them once the kids are born in order to take them and send them off to a survival contest, all to form an army for Athena. The intentions were good, maybe, but the execution and decisions are the main fuel for Ikki's anger.

Anyway Ikki's somewhat grateful to not have to listen to a pretty speech to get him to agree that they act for justice or some other crap.]

Well, if you want to find that admirable I won't stop you. Anyway it's not like I know what else to do in life, so even how much of duty and diligence I have, is also questionable.

[Yeah, excuse him for finding funny to be considered admirable even on that. He just can't understand it.]

Hn, I'm the Phoenix Saint, Ikki. You can call me Phoenix or Ikki, I'm used to both.

[There is always something positive about someone in her eyes, even if they don't believe it or see it.

It was refreshing too to listen to his perspective. As much as she did like someone who was positive and a bit idealistic, he reminded her to be realistic.]

Then I shall continue. As I mentioned before, it's better to do something, be occupied with, and be dedicated to something than to not do anything at all.

[When she heard his name, she did pause for a second. Not that she was surprised that someone out of all the different worlds would have the same name as someone she knew, but she did take that second to reminisce about home.]

Oh... It is a pleasure to finally know your name. But do you prefer one over the other?

Hn, I'll give you that. Thought I still doubt it can be applied to me, lack of action from the humanity is part of what brings problems to my dimension.

[How many times has he heard a God claiming that humans were destroying themselves and their world and did nothing to stop it, just sitting idle and waiting for the end? How many times has Athena claimed that, even if it may take them a long time to move, at the end humanity would act and fix everything?

He knows it's just a small piece of the whole puzzle but maybe if things weren't like that the Gods would have been more inclined to see things from Athena's point of view. And that would have saved them from a lot of fighting.]

Not really. Those who know me since little call me Ikki, but others call me Phoenix. I'm the only Phoenix Saint so it's just as unique and close to my person as Ikki is. Some even go as far as to call me Phoenix Ikki.

[He shrugs, well he should return the courtesy, right?]

It's nice to meet you, thought, Iris.

[Her training had taught her that life is suffering and that everyone was so flawed. But there had been a way, albeit difficult, to eliminate as much of the suffering as possible and to become a better person, but it took work. She could sympathize with the lack of action.]

It seems no world or dimension can escape any problems with humanity. It's the lack of action, and also perhaps the lack of positive actions that is the cause, although what is positive in one person's eyes can be drastically different from someone else's view.

Even in a place like this that is a seemingly artificially-made world, there are still problems.

[It sounded pessimistic, but it was true. Luceti did have its share of problems besides the scientists.]

Oh, I see. Then Ikki it is, and it is nice to meet you too. You were given the Phoenix title at a later date, I assume?

[Ikki just nods as she talks about how something can be positive in one person's eyes and different in someone else's view. He has been there too. He stops and reaches down to pick up a book, his name imprinted on the cover.]

Is this the journal?

[Her next words, pick his interest again. Is she referring to the scientists or something else?]

What problems?

[A nod at her decision to call him Ikki.]

Several months ago, actually, barely a year since I got the Phoenix Cloth and with it the title of Phoenix Saint. There are others who got their titles and Cloths at a young age, thought, I suppose that in a way I'm one of the oldest when becoming a Saint.

[She nodded once he found his journal, glad that he found it.]

Yes, that is the journal. The Guide to Luceti is also in it if you have further questions we haven't discussed. For anything extremely private, it is better to discuss it with someone in person. The Malnosso monitor the journals. That is my understanding.

[This would be a good way to begin talking about the other potential dangers in Luceti.]

There are also a few dangerous individuals or criminals that have been brought here. Because of the difficulty to contain them since death is not a permanent solution, it's best for one to be aware of them. Two names so far are Aku and Yuber.

The residents here are also recruited to fight a war that is happening outside the barrier as well.

[She decided it would be better to call him Ikki than Phoenix since she knew of a Phoenix already, and his name seemed more personal than a title, even if that title was very much a part of his identity.]

Is there any special significance to the Phoenix Saint title? In my home world, one belief is that the phoenix is a mythical creature that, after it engulfs itself in fire, is able to be reborn from its ashes.

[He opens the journal and checks some pages as she talks to get a better idea of what it is. He raises an eyebrow at the voices that filter through the pages and nods at the part of the Malnosso monitoring them. It would make sense, no point in allowing the people locked to communicate without at least one way to keep an eye on them.

Iris' gets his full attention again as she mentions death not being a permanent solution.]

What do you mean with that death is not a permanent solution?

[Ikki chuckles at her question, a special significance? That's a tricky question.]

The phoenix is the same in my dimension, and so I am. [Which means that, yes, he is basically immortal as after death he revives by himself.] It's also significant to my attacks and powers, I suppose, I've never really stopped to question it. And it means that the Phoenix Cloth is mine, but besides that I don't think there's anything special on it even among the Saints.

[Other than the fact that he's the first Phoenix Saint in... What? More than two hundred of years? To the point where no one really ever expected to see the Phoenix Saint ever again.]

Death here works differently than in most worlds. If someone were to pass away, that person would eventually return in approximately a week, revived. However, as a price to pay for their return, they lose something, whether it be the loss of a sense such as sight or loss of memories.

Those who have passed away in their home world can also be brought here to Luceti alive.

[The story of the phoenix was the same in his world? How interesting, all the worlds were again connected in more ways than she had expected.]

The symbol of the phoenix is one that is well-known and respected in many cultures, and most have to do with fire and rebirth. If it is the same, perhaps what I mentioned of death may not so easily apply to you due to the powers you possess.

You also mentioned the name Athena. She is a goddess or powerful, spiritual being in your world? It is known that one deity by the same name was revered as the goddess of valor, wisdom, and war in some ancient civilizations.

[So death isn't eternal here, interesting. He wonders how that would affect him, he can revive by himself in a short time, thought the amount of time depends on the wounds and general condition of his body upon dying. Will he too lose something by reviving by himself? Will he be capable of reviving by himself at all?]

It may not apply. I suppose we won't know until I die, which I have no intention to do anyway.

[He frowns at Iris, this is starting to be more than a curiosity, not that he cares much thought.]

Athena is a Goddess, known to the world as a Greek divine being thought by now many believe that her and the rest of the Gods are just old myths and legends. She's real, the Goddess of valor, wisdom and war, but one that has reasons and helps the world progress, not the senseless war. That would be Ares' territory.

Athena became the protector of the Earth when Zeus, the leader of the Gods, left for a journal, where and why I don't know, neither I care, but it happened in the ancient times. Since then Athena has been fighting the other Gods who have tried to take control of Earth or have tried to destroy humanity. The Saints are her army for those holy wars, thought she despises seeing us die for her so she prefers to sacrifice herself if it can bring the war to a peaceful end.

What else fits with how things are in your dimension?

[She did wonder how death here would affect someone's cycle of rebirth and karma. It was strange to think that one could come back at all by what seemed to be scientific means. What other sort of technological advances have the scientists discovered?]

No, I hadn't wanted to test the theory either or any intention to test it.

[There were more names he said that were familiar or that she had heard before. Earth was definitely the planet she lived on, and the Greeks and Romans did believe in Athena, Ares, and Zeus. Different names, but still essentially the same deities.]

The belief in Athena parallels what you have said. She was believed to be the daughter of Zeus, and emerged from her father's forehead as a young woman in full, military regalia. Her brother Ares was the god of war, but was much more reckless and violent. A famous temple was built in her honor and still stands to this day, and her image is used symbolically to represent wisdom and strategic war.

Yet the similarities diverge from there, as I do not believe she has been associated with Saints or an army, although it is not uncommon to hear of myths of the gods and goddesses quarreling and initiating wars that also involved humanity.

If she has the Saints as her army, do the other Gods also have armies of their own? Does she not have any allies who are gods or goddesses?

[He starts to walk a little, stopping to see if she'll follow back to the village now that they've found the journal.]

I wouldn't say that the similarities diverge, as I said nowadays in my dimension Athena is considered just a myth. Not many believe in her existence and certainly the existence of the Saints is a well kept secret. Very few not related to us know about our existence. It could very well be simply that that's the same case in your dimension.

[He nods briefly.]

Yes they have, in fact that was the reason why Athena, who didn't wish for humans to be involved in the Holy War, was forced to create an army despite despising the idea. One of the biggest armies I've seen was Hades', he had 108 humans serving him willingly. And his army wasn't limited to that actually.

[Her last question... Ikki gives it some thought before answering.]

No. Since Zeus left her in charge of the Earth no one has raised voice in her favor, on the contrary, they remain neutral or oppose her. Well, Nike has always been on her side but that dates from before she become the protector of the world.

[She did indeed follow and walk with him back to the village since she was still unsure if he still needed any help. But she knew that, judging from his character, that he was completely capable of taking care of himself.]

Yes, you bring up a valid point, I don't know if there exists the same or similar Saints in my world. It is something that I should research when I do return. [It would already line up with her interests of religion, beliefs, and myths, being a nun from a temple and needing to study those subjects.]

If I may ask, how many Gods and Goddesses inhabit your world? Based on the myths which you are also familiar with, there is a rather large pantheon of holy or supernatural beings. This war is still continuing in your time before you were brought here?

[A war involving gods and goddesses, it was really something out of the books or texts she had read, only it was now real in another universe or world. The only parallel she could see for her own home were all the wars fought by those of opposing religions. No easy end for conflict anywhere.]

[Ikki's now heading to where he senses his Phoenix Cloth is. And more than being capable of taking care of himself it's that he's used to have to do so alone.]

Do whatever you want.

[Which means that despite the Saints being a secret he's not going to go to try to stop her from researching, neither he thinks anyone would. There's not a law to keep them being a secret, it's just that some people wouldn't accept their existence and others would try to become ones for the wrong reasons. Aside from that no one has ever had problems talking about them to others so long as they believe them.]

I will advice you to be careful thought, the areas where the Saints reside are dangerous places even for us. Many people have tried to reach them being careless and ended dying by falling from a cliff.

[Again Ikki takes a moment to answer her question before he shrugs.]

I don't know the exact number, neither I care. But since so far you're familiar with what I've talked about... The Gods and Goddesses aren't limited to the ones from the Greek myths, I know that Egyptian and Nordic deities are or were around at some point.

And yes, the war is still going on. Thought after the complete defeat of Hades the situation is at a peaceful balance of sorts, some deities have started to move already in preparation for another war.

[Even though she never heard of Saints in her world didn't mean they didn't exist. It was the same way with any sort of belief or religion.]

I will be, thank you. If I do any research, it would be through texts first before actual fieldwork. I don't often have the opportunity to leave my place of residence. [Or where she would be if she were home at the moment, and that would be in prison.]

Oh, I see, other deities from other civilizations existed too. Yes, there are myths about them as well. When you do return to your world... I pray that peace comes quickly.

[She saw that as they were walking toward the village, he was headed to one of the shops.] If you are in need of any items, you can find it in the shops. But if you do have further questions, I will do my best to answer them for you. I do thank you for sharing so much about your world with me.

[He has had his own share of experiences being unable to leave somewhere, not the prison thought, in comparison that would have been better at some times.]

Hn, then research in ancient texts, the older the better.

[After all there was a time in his world in which the Saints weren't a secret, if only because people believed in the Gods and Goddesses. It was as people abandoned those beliefs that their existence became a myth.]

To be honest I doubt the war will end soon. We might have in fact spurred it further by feeding it, two of the three great Gods have been defeated by Athena. Poseidon and Hades, our actions are now in the level of rebelliousness against the Gods, they won't let it go without punishment.

[He looks at Iris and shows a confident smirk.]

We aren't going to give up anytime soon thought.

[He nods at her last explanations.]

I'm going to retrieve my Phoenix Cloth. Since you're already interested in researching, you could accompany me and see it yourself. It would help to have a clearer idea of what you're looking for.

[Who knows, due Mitsumasa Kido many people in his world know of the existence of the cloths but many assume they are just remainders of the ancient past.]

1st Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Action

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