Late at night an almost regular looking man was traveling slowly through Little Whinging.

Eski walked slowly down the street, glancing at the horribly plebeian houses. The 'ifrit was looking for the One That Changes. So far, he'd had no luck. The magicians of the Light had many powerful wards that inconvenienced beings like him. It was quite frustrating. However, it was slightly amusing that they thought the wards could actually keep someone as powerful as him out.

The ancient 'ifrit knew that the Light's time of ruling was over. Light and Dark each had to have time to rule, or the Balance would be thrown. Light had ruled for too long. Dark needed it's time on the throne. Kâhin had seen the birth and rise of the One That Changes. However, the 'Dark Lord' stood in the way of Siyahlι, meaning the Dark Beings had to step in and... help.

One of the weaker wards surrounded the dwellings in this town. Passing through it, he compared the feeling to walking through seaweed covered in troll boogers.

Eski snarled at the bland hovels surrounding him. He dearly hoped that the One That Changes didn't live in any of these dwellings. Taking a deep breath, the 'ifrit closed his eyes. Reaching into his core, he grabbed the magic buried inside of him. Pulling the power into his eyes, he adjusted the way his eyes saw the world. He had hoped he wouldn't have to use this ability, because there was a chance he might see another Dark presence, and mistake that for the One That Changes.

If he mistook someone else for Siyahlι, doing what was necessary could kill any normal mortal. If a human died because of the power resting in Eski, the Light would be warned, and the element of surprise would be lost. That would be the best case scenario. In the worst case, the mortal would survive, and be revered by the Dark, when they weren't supposed to be. And then they would begin a campaign in the name of the Dark that would further their own goals, ruining the very Balance that the Dark was trying to preserve.

Opening his eyes, Eski gasped. He needn't have worried. The whole street was saturated in pure Dark. One house in particular was dripping in the sheer shadow of the One That Changes' power. Eski hesitated. The only other being he had seen with such raw Darkness was Karanlιk, the Dark One himself. He wasn't sure he could actually do what was necessary. Growling at himself, Eski shook the doubt from his mind. Kâhin wouldn't have sent him if he couldn't accomplish this.

Stalking over to the house covered in Dark, the 'ifrit crept to the door. He scoffed. Mortals were so foolish. Sliding one clawed hand to the side of the door, he slipped one claw into the thin space. Pulling his hand up, he felt the lock separate like the finest silk around his claw. Once the locks were sliced, he gently pushed the door open. Some of the lock pieces fell out of their designated holes in the wall. Gliding silently into the hallway, Eski looked around, trying to find Siyahlι.

Following the Dark to a small space under the stairs, Eski found his blood begin to heat and burn. The magicless mortals put the One That Changes under the stairs?! Like an old pair of shoes one doesn't bother to throw out?!

Eski could feel a feral snarl unfurling in his throat. Choking it down, Eski forced himself to calm down. Reaching out, the 'ifrit slid his claw through the lock again, and opened the door, preparing for the worst. To his immense relief, there was only an oddly shaped chest in the tiny space. The chest was covered in Dark though, so Eski knew the chest belonged to Siyahlι. Grabbing the chest, Eski pulled it out, closing the door after. Looking around, he decided to leave the chest in front of the main door.

Once he'd done that, he began to explore the first floor. There wasn't much to see, unfortunately. So he approached the stairs. Placing his feet lightly on the steps, he climbed the stairs slowly. As he got further up, he could hear loud snores coming from down the upstairs hall. At the landing, he walked slowly down the hall. The Dark was almost radiating out of the last door on the left. Reaching the door, Eski had to bite back another snarl. There were several locks on this door.

Forcing himself to move gently, he slid his claw through the locks for a third time that night. pushing the door open, he walked into the room. The owl in the corner looked at him with indignation. However, all of Eski's attention was riveted on the small boy sleeping on a dirty mattress.

He was far too small for being supposedly fourteen, almost fifteen. He was also very thin. His pale skin almost glowed in the moonlight coming through the window. However, Siyahlι's hair was like the pitch black of the deepest caves, or the dark of the moon. It was enough to make Eski want to ignore his orders and just take the boy back to the Palace. However, he had his orders, and the 'ifrit knew what would happen if he disobeyed them.

Walking to the boy, he reached out and placed one clawed hand on his head. Gently, so as to not hurt him, Eski placed the other over his heart.

Murmuring in another language that not even Eski truly understood, he slowly pushed all of his magic and power into the boy, gently giving Siyahlι's own power direction. He watched as the boy's magic pulsed and swirled. Feeling his eyes widen, Eski gaped as the One That Changes slowly began to morph into something else.

Eski watched as feathers slowly erupted over the boy's skin, just as black as his hair. His nose and mouth hardened into a beak, as his hair was quietly replaced by more feathers. With a soft swishing sound, his bones hollowed and shifted position. Eski felt his breath catch in his throat as the One That Changes shrunk, feathers sprouting, and bones rearranging. Within moments, where a mortal human boy once lay, a brilliantly beautiful bird now slept. The Dark that had radiated from the human now blazed from the phoenix.

"Karanlιk tarafιndan!" Eski breathed. He gazed at the small bird with awe. He knew that Siyahlι meant 'Black Phoenix', but he had thought it was metaphorical rather than literal! Eski felt tears gather in his ancient eyes at the sight of the black phoenix in front of him. Running a shaking hand gently down feathers, he caught a sob from escaping.

It felt like millenia since he had last seen a shadow phoenix. The last one had been killed by cruel mortals that thought the birds were omens of destruction. However, despite their reputation, shadow phoenixes were no more evil than flame phoenixes. They simply hailed the Dark. Eski bit his lip to keep sobs from bursting out of him. Siyahlι was truly the beacon of hope for the Dark. Stepping away from the bird, he looked one last time at the precious creature. Turning, he picked up the cage the owl was in, swiftly walking from the room. Almost running down the stairs, he winced as the white bird began to screech. He guessed that the power in the room was what had kept her silent until now.

With violent screams echoing around the house, Eski bent down and picked up the chest at the main door. Walking out of the dwelling, he could hear the mortals waking up. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought that he was leaving the One That Changes in that horrid house. However, Kâhin had been adamant. He was to find the One That Changes, help the boy's magic to find its way, and take all traces of the boy back to the Palace, leaving Siyahlι there. Gagging on his sobs, Eski dragged the screeching bird and the odd chest as far from the house dripping in Dark as he could. Once he felt the wards from the Light fall away from him, he wrapped the shadows around himself and allowed the Dark to pull him back to the Palace, leaving the only shadow phoenix on the earth in a hovel in a bland town.

~o*o~

Legacy Undying, here. Hope you enjoyed the first bit of this story. I'll be switching between How to Live and Siyahlι for a while. No garantee which one I'll update next, but I'll try to be semi-reguar about it.

DISCLAIMER: Last I checked, J. K. Rowling didn't need to write fanfiction. I mean, she could if she wanted to. But I doubt it.