Chapter 29

During the night, I had the strangest dream. My village was still alive and thriving and I am the age I am now. It appeared that I was helping my father with his potions. This dream is in third person.

"Phoenix, could you get me the pufferfish?" I went over to the ingredients chest and rifled through it until I found the pufferfish. I brought it over to him and he put it in the potion. Water Breathing, huh? Once that was brewed, father asked me for redstone and gold. Hmm, the Infinite Loop clock, huh? He must be working on Infinite Water Breathing. He must have figured out how he made Infinite Lava Breathing and Resistance. But wait, there's such a thing as a conduit. Has he never heard of a conduit before? I desperately want to tell them they don't need Infinite Water Breathing, but I can't make any sound. I just stood there, watching, frustrated. The scene then changed.

Father and I were being awarded a plaque. I looked closer. It was for 'Master Potions work'. Hmm, it seems I might be seeing what may have happened if I had never met the gods, the heroes, and the Priest. Interesting. I'd have had a normal life. Well, as normal as one can get, being a Potions Master. After, father and I went over to mother and hugged her.

"I'm so proud of you both." We all went home. Huh... no one else came up to me? Do I even have any friends? Or even a lover? The scene changed again. "Phoenix... I'm getting worried. You never go out of the house, only to get supplies for your potions or groceries. Why won't you make any friends?" mother asked.

"I'm not interested. I just want to help father be the best Potions Master ever."

"You can still make friends while doing so. Maybe you'll even find someone you'd want to spend the rest of your life with, who knows?"

"Yuck... I'm definitely not interested in that... love just isn't for me." Well, there's my answer. Do the gods, heroes, and Priest even show up here? Or is this just an alternate reality? Something in me told me to look out the window. I went over to the window and peered out. I could see a couple boats pass. In it were Sparky, Tom, and Karl! Sparky and Tom were in one boat while Karl was in the second. They seem to be talking to one another. They were focused. They paid no attention to my island. Writing appeared above the window in midair. I stepped back to see what it said.

"You'll never have met them. They'll never have come to your island. This is your alternate reality," I read aloud. Hmm... It was after that that I woke up. I groaned and looked at the clock. 4:12 AM. Not terrible, I suppose. I went out of the house quietly and sat on the hill that Ianite and I have watched the sunset on twice before. I looked out to the horizon, thinking about my dream. Was it really a dream though? Or could it have been a vision? Then could my dream with Gandus being good have been a vision? Ugh, I wish I knew how my psychic powers worked... I laid back on the grass and stared at the night sky. Soon it'll turn to light. I let my thoughts drift across my mind. Before I knew it, daylight started to break through the horizon. I stood back up and went back inside. Ianite was just coming out of her room.

"Oh, good morning Phoenix. How long have you been up?" she asked, yawning.

"Since 4:12."

"Wow, why?" I told her of my dream. She was very surprised. "So, you'd never have met us if your village never got zombified... well, your dream told us what we suspected all along, I suppose." I nodded.

"I was all alone in my dr... vision. All I had were Mom and Dad. I don't know how to feel about this... after meeting you guys, I couldn't imagine life without friends or a lover. I really don't want to say I'm glad the tragedy happened, but without it, I wouldn't have met everyone..."

"I understand how you must be feeling Phoenix. It must be really hard feeling like that, so conflicted." All I could do was nod. Ianite embraced me for a bit. After she let go, we got something to eat. I was feeling pretty hungry. As I ate, Ianite telepathically got a hold of everyone to meet at Adventure Island. "You nervous about telling everyone your name?"

"Kind of, and kind of excited as well. They finally get to know my real name." I stood, ready to go. Ianite teleported to Adventure Island, then teleported me. Most the guys were there already. We were missing Tom, Orion, and Karl.

"What's this about?" Sparky asked.

"You'll find out when the others get here," I replied. It took a few minutes, but the last guy finally arrived and I stood in front of them, Ianite at my side. "I have a name reveal. My name really isn't Lucky Fire, as much as I preferred to be called that. My name is actually Phoenix. I was named Phoenix because of the deep red of the sunset that was visible when I was born. Lucky Fire is just a nickname that my parents came up with when I was little. My parents came up with Lucky because of my luck in basically everything. Fire because of my fascination with fire. Then I made Lucky_Fire1991 my full nickname after my village got wiped out in honor of my parents. I figured now I don't need a nickname to honor my parents' memory, I just need to remember them and keep them in my heart. So from now on, I'd like to be called Phoenix." They were definitely surprised, I could feel it in their presences. Sparky, as usual, recovered first.

"Phoenix is a very nice name. I like it." I smiled.

"Phoenix is an epic name, what you mean Jordan? Have you never heard of the bird, phoenix? Those birds are amazin'. When they die, they catch on fire, then they get reborn from their ashes. The fact she's named after the bird makes her cooler than ever," Tom remarked.

"Thanks Tom. That's... really nice." He grinned.

"I am very well aware of the mythical bird," Sparky retorted.

"Hey, if she's named after the bird, does that mean she's reincarnated?" Karl joked. I chuckled.

"Nah, I don't believe in reincarnation. That's a myth as well as the phoenix bird," I stated.

"Actually, reincarnation is real. I've seen it," Mianite said. Us non-gods looked at him with amazement.

"Who?" we asked.

"Someone named Aidan in this time. His past life name was Percy. I noticed when you had your Priestess ceremony Phoenix. Percy was a follower of mine hundreds of years ago. I happened to talk to Aidan and the way he talked and his body language was just like his past life. He also felt very familiar to me, that's when I figured it out. I didn't want to say anything to him about his past life because I didn't want to freak him out. I did tell Dianite and Ianite afterward though. Dianite vaguely remembers Percy, but Ianite had no clue who he was, even though she knew him before. Ianite's had some hard times in the past. Recently though it looks like Ianite's been cheering up more and more. I have Cap and Phoenix to thank. Cap for being an all around general nice guy, and Phoenix for being a great other half, despite some of her actions." I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, but I've learned and hope to do better, for Ianite." I had also felt Mianite's presence as he was telling his story. He's hiding something, from me and Ianite specifically. I wonder if Dianite knows as well? I'll ask him when everyone else goes. Orion, Hermod, Tom, Mianite and Karl all left first. They had things they wanted to get done today. That left Dec, Sparky, and Dianite left, alongside Ianite and I. I decided Sparky and Dec could be here as I asked. "Dianite, Mianite's hiding something. I think he knows more people who are reincarnated than he's letting on. Is someone from our group reincarnated as well as this Aidan fellow?"

"I know nothing about that Phoenix." I felt it, he's telling the truth. I sighed.

"Ok, thanks Dianite."

"Why do you ask Nix?" Ianite asked.

"Because I wanna know. Shouldn't I know? I'm the Priestess. Don't I have the right to know?"

"I think Mianite might want you to figure it out for yourself. I think he wants you to use your powers. I think this is a training exercise," Dec mentioned. He's being extremely vague. He knows. Dianite, Mianite's own brother and fellow god, doesn't know, yet the Priest knows. What is going on here? I'm starting to get frustrated. Ianite must have felt it, as she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Phoenix, please." I took a deep breath.

"I might also need to tell you of my vision last night. That'll be for another day though. The others need to be here too." The guys were confused, but said nothing. They left Ianite and I as well, they wanted to do other things themselves. I turned to Ianite, "Do you think one of us could be reincarnated?"

"I dunno. If what Mianite says is true, then I suppose."

"Hmm, I wonder who though? I shall not rest until I find out."

"Bad idea Nix, you need rest. Especially if you want to find out who's reincarnated." I sighed.

"Fine, you're right. I need to bright eyed and bushy tailed to be able to focus. That means I need rest." 'Bright eyed and bushy tailed'? Where the heck did that come from?

"Yes, and maybe try meditating. That could help. It could also help your visions too." Meditating? Why does that sound familiar too? What's going on here? I took on a very focused look, furrowing my brow. "Phoenix?" I started pacing. The word and the phrase... they sounded so familiar... but why? Could it be? Am I the one that's reincarnated? I looked at Ianite.

"Ianite, I might be the one of the group that's reincarnated... the phrase 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' and the word 'meditating' were so familiar, but I had never heard them in my life... at least... not in this life."

"You? You're reincarnated?" She sounded so unconvinced. So skeptical. So... not trusting. Does Ianite not believe in reincarnation?

"Do you not believe me? Do you not believe in reincarnation?"

"I... I don't know what I believe in anymore to tell you the truth..." I frowned. I felt her presence and it felt so pitiful. She's very lost. I embraced her.

"It's ok. We can figure it out together." She relaxed in my arms and laid her head against my shoulder.

"Thank you Phoenix. You're the best." I smiled softly. We stayed like that for a couple minutes, then she was ready to go home. After she teleported me to her, the foxes came up to us.

"Hello A, B, C, D," we said together.

"Hello! Lucky, you look lots better!" A observed.

"I am, I only have a patch covering the front of my shoulder now. Also my name is actually Phoenix. Lucky is just a nickname."

"Ooooo! Phoenix is a cool name!" D exclaimed. I smiled.

"Can you play tag now Phoenix?" B asked.

"I'm sure I could. The wound is small enough, it hopefully shouldn't open again due to physical activity." The foxes were happy to hear that. So tag commenced and it was so much fun, I'm so glad I was able to play. It was refreshing to see my Lady smiling and giggling after she was so lost on what she really believed. Toward the end, I was 'it', I chased my Lady and successfully caught her. I came right up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her left shoulder. "Gotcha," I commented softly. She laid her head against my shoulder and smiled at me.

"You did." Her voice was so soft. "Phoenix, could you bring your bed in my room just for tonight? I don't want to sleep alone."

"Of course." She leaned against me and I held her tighter.

"Thank you..." The foxes left for their burrow. I held her a little longer. As the sun set, I reluctantly let go of her, but took her hand as we went into the house. I went to my room, grabbed my bed, and brought it to Ianite's room, setting it beside hers after she moved hers over one. I laid on my bed and Ianite laid on hers. I held out my arms and she cuddled against me. I wrapped my arms around her protectively. She laid her head against my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head then laid my cheek on the top of her head.

"Good night my love. Have a peaceful rest."

"Thank you Phoenix, thank you." My heart ached for her. I hated hearing her sound so lost and confused. I had a feeling that she can be helped when I figure out the reincarnation mystery. I had a feeling that it's me. Tomorrow I'm taking her advice of meditating. That might help me. I held her closer as I fell asleep, ready for tomorrow.