Her True Form

Yvette had been wrong, she thought something had been calling her. But it hadn’t. Calling her, in this case, was just a byproduct.

Since that first day pouring rain and lightning had followed them. Something was calling this storm to them and, by extension, was calling to her. She just didn’t know how, yet. It was delaying their travels. Each day they seemed to be going slower and slower, the mud making their wagons constantly get stuck and the heavy sheets of rain chilling the humans to their core. Nautia, at least, seemed to be enjoying the rain. The phoenix part of Yvette was enjoying it as well, she had been struck by lightning a few times a day now and it was becoming quite invigorating. It had even managed to strike her once when she had turned into her human form while practicing, that had been an exhilarating but terrifying way to learn that the storm was still hers even while transformed.

Curcel was growing more angry with each day, however. Each day when she returned Gervas would try to sooth her, talking gently and trying to give her what information he could, but he had yet to learn anything of actual worth. The further they went the less anyone seemed willing to talk with him.

Honestly she didn’t mind this at all. The longer it took, the more chances they’d have to escape. More importantly, she felt like she was finally making progress on using magic when she was transformed. She’d even made a few sparks in her hands, though she’d yet to have cast an actual spell. Progress was still progress.

But the call of the storm was getting stronger and stronger with each day, just as the rain was getting heavier. It was time for her to learn just what it was that was calling her so heavily. She waited until the sun began to slowly rise on the horizon before taking off into the air, cutting through the fierce winds and powerful rain with the same ease she would have walked through a gentle breeze. She felt that soft tingling across her feathers that often warned her of an impending lightning strike a few moments before it struck her. Once more her body tingled, but she was growing more used to it with every strike and now she was better able to harness it. The electricity gathered within her body before she expelled it behind herself in a jet of flame, erupting forward with a crackling boom that scattered the winds and rain in all directions.

She was the storm.

The pull was getting stronger. More than that, she could hear something. It sounded almost like music, mixed in with the wind and rain. Fierce, angry, powerful. Like her. She flapped her wings faster, gathering the winds and rain to her with every flap of her wings. Another bolt of lightning illuminated something in the distance. A tower of some kind, standing out from the ground like a massive nail.

The source of the call. She could feel it. More than that, she could hear it now. It wasn’t a song, but it sounded like one. Powerful true naming magic. The mage part of her didn’t believe it. There was no possible way for true naming magic to be this powerful. The storm was incredible, something she’d only imagined the strongest of weather mages being able to do. How could true naming magic ever compare? It was supposed to be nothing next to the magic of the Mage’s Association.

The closer she came, however, the more she began to understand. It was more than one true naming mage could do. But this sounded like an entire choir. There were so many voices calling the storm into existence. Some called for it to come, others strengthened it, others directed it. Guiding it to impede those who traveled through their lands. But it also called her, giving her ever more strength. She could now see the tower for what it truly was, a massive black pillar that rose out from the ground high into the heavens, so high it almost touched the clouds. She could feel the pull from a hole in the side of the pillar moments before she felt the tingling warning her of an impending strike.

Yvette had only a moment to realize the strike was not accidental. It was directed at her. It enveloped her once again and she harnessed its power, flames and electricity crackling behind her and sending her hurtling into the crevasse.

The singing stopped almost instantly. A moment later there were screams. She had only a moment to realize there were at least people inside the crevice before suddenly her world was enveloped in blinding light and then lightning.

Yvette realized all too late she’d flown into a trap.

“”Envelop. Trap. Bind. Destroy the false storm.”” Yvette panicked as she heard those words of magic, directing the world to destroy her. Binding her in place. Then she felt tingling once more and lightning enveloped her again.

The panic, however, began to die down and she began to feel insulted. Not only had they imprisoned her, but now they accused her of being a falsehood? They were trying to destroy her as if she was anything but the storm. The phoenix side of her grew angrier with each strike of lightning.

The mage side of her was finally shoved aside and the phoenix rose. Yvette had had enough.

The next bolt of lightning struck her, but this time she pulled it in. The winds, rain, lightning were all drawn to her and her furious shrieks filled the air. The chants grew only stronger, but they were nothing to her anymore. She compressed the storm within herself, spreading her wings wide and gathering all of her might and the might of the storm.

Before finally unleashing it in a single, powerful eruption. Only in that last moment did she allow the mage side of her to give her any direction and she directed the majority of the blast up, away from the humans who so foolishly demanded she be bound.

Then there was nothing but an awed silence. The clouds above were now gone, parted by her might into a perfect circle. The top of the tower had been scattered, small chunks of black stone still falling from the sky, though much of it had been disintegrated. Ash and embers flowed around the air, illuminating her radiance before the pathetic creatures that dared to think they could bind her, trap her. They were speaking, but she cared not what they said. They were but insignificant insects that dared to attempt to bind her.

Now they would suffer the consequences.

“”Wait, please!”” a voice called. One of the humans, their body covered in burns, slowly limped towards her. They could barely stand, but she didn’t care. They would all perish. They would--

Yvette shook her head, once more the argument between mage and phoenix over her body and mind beginning.

“”Please, oh divine bird of the gods,”” the human said before collapsing before her, kneeling. “”Please forgive us our transgression. Had we realized what you were, we would not have dared to ever raise our songs against you. The fault lies with me. Please, if you wish to unleash your divine retribution, cast it on me for this impertinent act.””

Yvette turned her eyes on the foolish mortal who dared to assault her. Very well, if he--

She stopped again and felt the argument beginning again. Once more of two minds. Destroy them all. Show mercy. What was she? WHO was she?

Finally, her mage side won out. She stared down at the human. She had but one question.

Why?

Unfortunately, that required her phoenix side to ask the question.

“”Oh, great divine, a thousand apologies. We believed you a falsehood bound by the traitorous prince,”” the figure said. “”We had heard of his coming, but were unable to find proof of your divine visage. We believed you a falsehood, please, forgive us our foolishness. We can see now our powers are insufficient to view your divine form from afar.””

Yvette glanced around. Some of them were shaking themselves free from the rubble. Bleeding. Hurt. They thought she was a fake? Why would--

The mage side of her had the answer. The ring. It was still within her. She couldn’t be scryed on. She supposed she should just be grateful that their trap wasn’t capable of harming an actual phoenix. If anything, she felt stronger than she ever had. Far stronger, actually. She glanced down at her wings before spreading them out. The embers around her turned a soft, gentle purple before flowing out over those around her. An incredibly powerful healing spell. Were she still a human, a spell like that would have exhausted her. But even now she could still feel the power coursing through her body.

She turned her head back towards the kneeling human.

For a long while she was silent, measuring. Considering. Maybe this could be an opportunity. But she’d need to speak to him. Not as the storm. But as a human. She glanced around. Before giving a loud, powerful shriek. Telling them all to leave. However, when he moved to leave, she held out a wing to stop him.

This was a gamble, but their trap was broken. Worse came to worse, well, she supposed she would cast him from this tower. It was a long way down, after all.

------

Yvette more than ever wished she had studied phoenixes in her time as a student. Maybe she wouldn’t have died. However, now that she was alone with the true naming mage she supposed it was now or never. She spread her wings and gathered the winds around her. Electricity crackled from her, erupting out and casting the ruins and rubble from pillar. Leaving just her, the man and the stairs that they had taken to come up her.

Yvette let out another cry and the man let out a yelp, once more kneeling. The phoenix said that it was an order to kneel and not look upon her, but she would be much more comfortable when she no longer had to speak through the phoenix. She would love to discuss the concept of translating for and with herself with another mage one day, should she ever have the chance.

The ground seemed to rise up towards her when she began to shift again, shrinking down to her human form. However, when she did it she felt that power quaking within her. Trying to find a way out, compressing itself. She growled and unleashed it, electricity crackling off her body as she released the phoenix’s storm around her. It took her a few moments to realize what she was doing.

Even though she was human, the lightning flowed off and around her as if she was still the phoenix, the magic enveloping her nearly as easily as it had when she had been the phoenix.

Of course.

She was a phoenix now. The spark spell was a human way to use magic. She wasn’t a human anymore. She used magic like a phoenix. The electricity crackled off her form in resounding bursts, causing the pillar to shake beneath her. Whatever they had unleashed on her put even the natural lightning to shame, she’d never felt so powerful.

She then turned towards the man. He wasn’t looking up at her, merely kneeling and cowering with his face flat on the ground.

“You did attack me, however,” Yvette said. “You called me and then attempted to trap me.”

“”I-I did, I am--”” The words froze in the man’s throat. He lifted his head and looked at her.

Yvette gathered electricity around herself, lightning crackling from her. “Did I tell you to cease your kneeling?”

He yelped and lowered his head. “You… you’re a… a… impossible, you can’t--”

Yvette took a deep breath. Oh, she could do this. In fact, the phoenix side of her said it would be incredibly easy. The mage side of her, however, was wary and concerned. There were stories of those who went down this path. To go too far invited destruction. But the phoenix side of her said nothing could destroy her. “Does me being able to take a form akin to such a lesser creature frighten you? Or perhaps that I can understand and even speak your inferior language?”

“N-no! I-I merely--”

“Perhaps you desire to try and bind the storm once more?” Yvette asked. She held out her right hand and electricity crackled from her fingertips. This felt nice. This power. She was the living storm. The true phoenix. Could she even be killed like this? Or if she was, would she just be reborn again from the ashes? “Go ahead and try. Though we will not be so merciful on your next attempt. To mistake divinity for falsehood one I will barely tolerate. To make such a mistake a second time will not be forgiven, mortal.”

“N-no, your divine radiance,” he said, though he trembled. “P-please. It has been many generations since one such as you has graced our realm with your presence. I am your loyal subject. I only wish to serve you.”

“Good,” Yvette said before clenching her fist. The electricity disappeared and a small wave of flame washed off her for a moment. “The prince. You believed I was a falsehood crafted by him?”

“Y-yes, your--”

“Cease your tiresome platitudes,” Yvette said, though she barely suppressed the urge to grin at how quickly he went back to cowering. The phoenix felt this was only natural and right. After all, everything should kneel to her. “You aimed to destroy me.”

“W-we believed you only a falsehood. Please, we would never have struck against a messenger of the gods. We--”

“Oh, I am aware,” Yvette said before walking towards him. “Do you believe me still a falsehood?”

“N-no,” he said. “Please, if you desire to destroy me for my--”

“If I did, you would be dead,” Yvette said. “Continue to delay the prince. Call the storm as you have.”

“W-what? I do not understand,” the man said.

“The prince has… stolen something of mine,” Yvette said. “For now, I fly with him. But the storm cannot be guided for long. As you well know by now.”

“S-stolen? Then please! Oh Great Divine Messenger of the Gods, allow us to aid you. We could send--”

“You will not,” Yvette said. “What has been stolen cannot be replaced if it is destroyed. If it is damaged all in your empire will learn what it truly means to have the storm turn against you.” The words came out before she could stop herself, the rage of the phoenix dripping from them. If anything happened to Gervas, she’d never forgive them. Or herself. “For now, continue to impede the prince. Delay him. But do not strike at him.”

“As you command,” he said.

Yvette gave a soft sigh. Well, at least this would likely mean that Gervas and Nautia would be safe from any sudden assaults. At least from them. But how many others might be plotting to attack the prince and unleashing who knew what else on them? How many times would she have to prove she was the phoenix? How much would she be able to push using this power? Would it actually protect Gervas and Nautia if they found out her true origins? More importantly, would Curcel hurt them if he was pushed hard enough?

“Oh Divine Messenger,” the man said softly. “May I, err, inquire, I mean--”

“Say it, human,” Yvette said.

“Your, err, garments,” he finally said. “Do you intend to, well…”

Yvette’s cheeks turned scarlet. She had been trying not to think of that. There was a reason she wanted him to kneel and not look at her. “Very well. Have garments gathered for us. Ones truly worthy of our radiance.” With those words she let her human form fade away, her body growing as she became the living storm once more.