Hooked on Phoenix
Chapter 1: The Prophecy and the Surprise
Rhythmic chanting broke through the evening silence. "Villagers!" A strong voice called. "The Holy One has been born. Rejoice, for soon it will devour the evil and sin that will bring forth turmoil and destruction!" The village shogun's name was never spoken, as he was a shaman as well, and dark magic could be used against anyone who mentioned it. The year was still two-thousand and four, but this village was well cut off from all civilization. "She is of our land's descent, and will someday return..."
The fires seemed to cease at that moment, leaving what appeared to be the formation of a young woman's body, with two jumping flames at her waist, outstretched, creating the illusion of burning hands, an appearance of claws covering the digits. This apparition quickly formed into a fighting position, the claws intricately woven together in defense. Wisps of smoke engulfed the figure, a bird's mighty caw was heard, then suddenly a flaming bird appeared for a brief second, leaving only nothingness in the dark, star-dotted sky.
Phoenixes were, interestingly enough, part of the culture of that area of Japan. According to legend, no less than six phoenixes exist, each one a different color, save for two. Fables told that five existed to protect the world from harm, one of them immortal. The other did not wish to have anything to do with the other five, and preferred to surround herself with hate and deceit, malice and cunning.
Fire can be a killer, as yet another fable told. Spreading faster than the worst plague, fire shows no mercy. Perhaps, the shogun prophesized, the Phoenix would show mercy after all.
"In the darkness is the light, surrender will win the fight..." What could have easily been mistaken as Shego's voice rang through the basement, it belonged to Syd Lipsky. She quickly strummed her electric guitar, her pride and joy. She quickly unplugged her amplifier when she realized she had been late for her job. Bolting up the stairs, she murmured a goodbye to the rest of her family as she tore through the kitchen, her hoverboard and stole through the afternoon skies.
Syd Lipsky had been receiving visions during her slumber, of a purple chested and eyed flaming orange bird, each dream cryptic and usually nondescriptive, save for a dream where there was a group of phoenixes; one blue and black, one purple and black, two red and black, one silver and blue, a lighter hue than the first pheonix, and one final phoenix, a sinister mix of lime green and black.
In yet another she saw herself, looking through a mirror as she was engulfed in flame that greatly resembled that of a bird's egg. She shook her head. She had to get this phase to stop somehow. The images seemed to flicker and dance through her mind at the most inopportune instances, such as exams, when she was on the job, or on one occasion, a mission. That vision would have cost her her life if she had not managed to avoid the laser in time.
Syd usually kept her cool and shrugged the visions off, but after the mission, she had begun to pay more attention to them, hoping if she did they would eventually go away. The mission vision had been ironic, as the clone had been in it. Then, suddenly, a great force pinned Syd to the wall, as a mighty bird war call was heard, and Syd's screaming jumbled with it. Syd's hands rapidly flared, the flames escaping from her body seemed to spin and collect into a sphere, the phoenix from the previous visions bowed her head, respecting Syd. The girl reached out as the phoenix's beak reached her grasp, and slowly stroked the flames. It was the same temperature of the flames that usually shot out of her hands. Even though it was a dream, Syd could hear, feel, touch everything as if it were really happening.
The clone gasped at the sight of the phoenix, wondering how it got there....was it an ally of Syd Lipsky's? She figured so as she ran from the mighty bird. The vision had ended exactly like that, leaving the teen heroine very vexed. She kept this train of thought going in her head as she worked delivering pizzas throughout Middleton, by hoverboard. She had noticed the clouds had taken the shape of a very large bird, the exact same size as the bird from her vision, the cloud stole through the sky. Syd knew this was unusual for clouds...she gasped as the cloud had reached the sun and a mighty yet indecipherable war cry was heard.
Chapter 1: The Prophecy and the Surprise
Rhythmic chanting broke through the evening silence. "Villagers!" A strong voice called. "The Holy One has been born. Rejoice, for soon it will devour the evil and sin that will bring forth turmoil and destruction!" The village shogun's name was never spoken, as he was a shaman as well, and dark magic could be used against anyone who mentioned it. The year was still two-thousand and four, but this village was well cut off from all civilization. "She is of our land's descent, and will someday return..."
The fires seemed to cease at that moment, leaving what appeared to be the formation of a young woman's body, with two jumping flames at her waist, outstretched, creating the illusion of burning hands, an appearance of claws covering the digits. This apparition quickly formed into a fighting position, the claws intricately woven together in defense. Wisps of smoke engulfed the figure, a bird's mighty caw was heard, then suddenly a flaming bird appeared for a brief second, leaving only nothingness in the dark, star-dotted sky.
Phoenixes were, interestingly enough, part of the culture of that area of Japan. According to legend, no less than six phoenixes exist, each one a different color, save for two. Fables told that five existed to protect the world from harm, one of them immortal. The other did not wish to have anything to do with the other five, and preferred to surround herself with hate and deceit, malice and cunning.
Fire can be a killer, as yet another fable told. Spreading faster than the worst plague, fire shows no mercy. Perhaps, the shogun prophesized, the Phoenix would show mercy after all.
"In the darkness is the light, surrender will win the fight..." What could have easily been mistaken as Shego's voice rang through the basement, it belonged to Syd Lipsky. She quickly strummed her electric guitar, her pride and joy. She quickly unplugged her amplifier when she realized she had been late for her job. Bolting up the stairs, she murmured a goodbye to the rest of her family as she tore through the kitchen, her hoverboard and stole through the afternoon skies.
Syd Lipsky had been receiving visions during her slumber, of a purple chested and eyed flaming orange bird, each dream cryptic and usually nondescriptive, save for a dream where there was a group of phoenixes; one blue and black, one purple and black, two red and black, one silver and blue, a lighter hue than the first pheonix, and one final phoenix, a sinister mix of lime green and black.
In yet another she saw herself, looking through a mirror as she was engulfed in flame that greatly resembled that of a bird's egg. She shook her head. She had to get this phase to stop somehow. The images seemed to flicker and dance through her mind at the most inopportune instances, such as exams, when she was on the job, or on one occasion, a mission. That vision would have cost her her life if she had not managed to avoid the laser in time.
Syd usually kept her cool and shrugged the visions off, but after the mission, she had begun to pay more attention to them, hoping if she did they would eventually go away. The mission vision had been ironic, as the clone had been in it. Then, suddenly, a great force pinned Syd to the wall, as a mighty bird war call was heard, and Syd's screaming jumbled with it. Syd's hands rapidly flared, the flames escaping from her body seemed to spin and collect into a sphere, the phoenix from the previous visions bowed her head, respecting Syd. The girl reached out as the phoenix's beak reached her grasp, and slowly stroked the flames. It was the same temperature of the flames that usually shot out of her hands. Even though it was a dream, Syd could hear, feel, touch everything as if it were really happening.
The clone gasped at the sight of the phoenix, wondering how it got there....was it an ally of Syd Lipsky's? She figured so as she ran from the mighty bird. The vision had ended exactly like that, leaving the teen heroine very vexed. She kept this train of thought going in her head as she worked delivering pizzas throughout Middleton, by hoverboard. She had noticed the clouds had taken the shape of a very large bird, the exact same size as the bird from her vision, the cloud stole through the sky. Syd knew this was unusual for clouds...she gasped as the cloud had reached the sun and a mighty yet indecipherable war cry was heard.