TO CUT A TURNING TAIL

37). Born from the feathers of a Phoenix

Jon, Marubi, and Connell are all on a mission. Walking talking, justifying the classic rhyme. "You took Pheoniscism because you thought it was something related to race?", Connell does a jogging action to clarify her question. "Aye.... Yeah!". [You see, he has been taught in school taught Phoeiniscm is like a younger sibling/ relates to a commotion that existed in the past, "racism".]

They are walking on a busy road, people emerging and vanishing out of nowhere, as usual (because of the teleporting rings). The road is filled with beautiful white/ cream-colored houses that are dressed with red-colored pillars and roofs. It's as if they are vanilla cakes with cherries. A box of them. The day is shiny and there can be nothing brighter than this colony. "You seriously need to explain why you never accompanied us on a mission" he queries Connell. "I was busy here, I had to prepare more in comparison to you". Jon is dazed by the answer, he just lets it slide away.

"What do you fear the most?" he asks Marubi. "..... and what is Shridgaar?", he frivolously adds. "Well, I don't know. What do you like the most?", Marubi asks in return. "Well, I don't know. But I hate one thing a lot." Marubi is intrigued, their head turns to Jon, "the times when someone really expected for a particular thing to happen to them. But because he had to do something else, or... he was destined to do something else; he is unable to achieve success in that 'particular thing'. He isn't given the factor of enjoyment in the way he desires. And neither is he given the factor of knowing what he is destined for".

Marubi had been expecting something similar but he just shakes his head in a sigh and then says, "you know what I like the most? When someone starts facing things and stops prying those unworthy thoughts; and then, they witness tables turning. I like that a lot". Jon puffs, "you're a good match".

Connell herself is experiencing the inner sensitivity, she asks with those teary eyes, "were you talking about Shridgaar?". Jon is dumbfounded to hear that question. Marubi affirms with a nod. She rapidly asks Marubi, "you didn't experience Shridgaar right?" "Nah, not back in our generation. Only the last generation has them so that they can practice their ken or people like Jon could practice other things without hurting themselves." "So, is it an illu....", before Jon can finish the question, Marubi frustratedly asks, "have you ever felt down spirited after a fight with Shridgaar?". Marubi turns at Connell for the affirmation as well, they nod. "Yeah" Jon sustains.

Their conversation is barged by a flying bullet. Its speed was only noticeable to Jon but Marubi could decipher it from the sound. An indication from Marubi let Jon on standby, a black algae-like substance covers the bullet. It vanishes......

A little black knife emerges in Jon's pockets from Neverland. He looks at Marubi who favorably signals him to use the ken. This was the fastest Jon's hand movements ever were, maybe to protect the veins view from the people. In a flash, Jon disappears. A man has camouflaged himself in the cream wall, he is flabbergasted his previous shot was a failure. Instead, he prepares another shoot at the crowd.

Rather than holding a gun, he is simply holding a chocolate ball, he rolls it on the thumb with the middle finger's help; at a precise angle, his squinting eyes fixated on the ball. From the man's foot, a bullet ricochets up in the air, but the man loses sight of it in the feeble air. Someone taps at his back, biting at the lip but pretending it was erotic to hide the tension, he turns behind. There was no one, he clumsily sighs with teeth still biting the lip. Bang! A resonating sound hangs in his ears as he witnesses himself flying in the air. He is wondering what might have happened. Is he dying? Is the god of death taking him away? A resting smile comes on his face, till he falls deep into the ground. As he falls to the ground, Jon's body appears in the air. Even if for a split second, he stands with the poise, God forbid if someone had witnessed him, they would have started hallucinating at the moment; thinking he is a Phoenix.