"How many cycles has it been for you….Mother?" A tired voice spoke out, ragged with age and exhaustion. A silver haired elderly man stood atop one of the tallest peaks of the rainbow hued Welayta mountains. His body was old, wrinkled, scarred, and weathered. A phoenix hovered in front of him, cocking its head curiously as he continued to speak.
"Of course, I doubt you would remember me at this rate. It has been quite a few for me. I do not…no I can't remember. " His aged voice cracked with sorrow, and tears began to flow down his golden eyes.
" I did horrible things, to people I loved, that I hated, that I was envious of. Tortured, killed, scarred, consumed by my rage." The phoenix stared curiously as the old man sobbed his words. Then with what looked to be a sorrowful gaze the phoenix flew into the cold night sky, and began to circle the old man.
Suddenly an orange light began to glow underneath his tanned skin, tracing through his veins all over his body. The glow grew more intense, as heat waves began to emanate from his body, causing the air to shimmer. The old man looked to the skies, the tears in his eyes disintegrating from the heat radiating off his body.
" Maybe this time it will be different. He won't remember what I did, he will be free from my past ." The look of regret and sorrow lifted from his face, as his own body began to turn to white ash. Slowly starting at the tip of his extremities. Then as if a powder keg ignited his body burst with an intense amount of energy. Sending a loud explosion of heat energy outwards, that lasted for several minutes.
All that was left of the elderly being was a pile of ashes, a robe, and within the robe a small baby no more than three months old. The infant shivered in the cold night air, his tan skin covered in goosebumps, and his blood red hair speckled with the same white ash he was "born" in. Within the robes was a letter written in a shaky hand.
His name is Rez, teach him to be kind.
———————————————-
The original writer was Naki and his thread can be found
HEREThis post is amazing because it deals with the concept of nature vs nurture in a compelling way in the fantasy world of Revaliir. Let's first look at the symbolism. The phoenix represents rebirth and a fresh start. But it does not guarantee a better life. The last sentence “His name is Rez, teach him to be kind” is asking for Rez to be raised to be kind, but there is no guarantee this will occur. Is he doomed to repeat his tragic/terrifying life because was always meant to be evil? Or was it how he was raised that led to his previous actions? These are the questions the quote evokes.
The language is also incredibly beautiful. The description of his transformation is vivid and filled with emotion from the character. The beginning starts with an orange light glowing underneath the skin as this character finally finishes his life and ends with a massive explosion as white ash covers the newborn baby. This part would be more than enough to be included alone but the ending sentence really finishes this piece off perfectly.
The photo was made by: Nikos Patsais(The photo was made by: Nikos Patsais)
