PHOENIX

When Phoenix regained her senses, she could feel the back of her head pressed against a soft surface. The subtle scent of fresh lilies and the warm breeze washed away any tension in her system. Cold fingers ran through her scalp, enticing her to rest for longer. 

When the strokes stopped and the hand trembled against her skin, Phoenix came out of a daze. She opened her eyes and sat up. Per usual, Lilianna had laid her on her lap and played with her hair. It seemed this was becoming a hobby for her.

“What happened to the ring?” Lilianna asked.

As her mind sharpened, Phoenix quickly recalled all that happened in Galathia.

“The ring wasn’t with Lily Bianca,” she didn’t beat around the bush, “it’s with that prince from Astor kingdom.”

“Alastair?”

“Yeah.” Phoenix had already forgotten his name, but that sounded right. 

With her current situation, it would be difficult to get a hold of that ring. Should she ask Lilianna to help her control Lily Bianca’s power? Her eyes searched through Lilianna’s ocean-filled pupils, deliberating if she should divulge what happened.

“What’s wrong?” Lilianna asked.

“Can you teach me how to use Lily Bianca’s abilities?”

“Why?”

“So I can get the ring from that prince,” Phoenix said.

“What do you mean? Can’t you just ask him directly?” 

Phoenix kept her gaze on Lilianna, not responding any further.

“Did something happen again?”

“Yeah.”

Lilianna cast her eyes downwards, her eyelashes flickering nervously. She inhaled deeply, but her breath quivered. After some time, she glanced back up and smiled.

“How about we switch back for now? Everything might turn back to how they were supposed to if I return as Lily Bianca. If not, I may at least be able to move freely and fix what went wrong.”

“No.”

“Why not?” Lilianna dropped her smile.

“I thought you were saving me from Damon first? Why don’t you do that and then change places with me?”

Lilianna stared at her for a while before sighing. 

“We can switch back for a day. I’ll still be able to help you after. I need to know what’s going on in Galathia and you obviously won’t tell me. This is the only way.”

Before Phoenix could reply, Lilianna’s translucent form glowed brighter. Phoenix felt as if her soul was being sucked in like a vacuum, stretching and being pressed through a narrow opening. The pressure of the pull stopped at a certain point, unable to fully release. She was stuck.

Lilianna’s light dimmed. “Huh?”

It seemed the ability didn’t work.

Lilianna tried again. Her soul shimmered for a brief moment before dissipating through the dreamscape. It took even less time to dull out her light. When she turned to Phoenix, her face was as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine!” Lilianna screeched. 

“Aren’t you scared? You don’t know where you are, you don’t know what’s going to happen. There are so many strange things around you. You can’t even communicate with me.”

“I’ll be better equipped if you taught me how Lily Bianca’s abilities work.” Phoenix reasoned.

“What? So you could put yourself in more danger?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I told you not to change anything. Why won’t you listen to me?” Lilianna’s foot stomped against the hard floor. A needle pricked Phoenix’s chest. She wasn’t trying to change anything.

Phoenix placed her hand on Lilianna’s. “You don’t want the Dream to collapse again. Take deep breaths.”

Lilianna dropped herself on the bed and Phoenix followed. They watched the movements of the sky and listened to the birds’ melodious songs along with the splashes of fish in the pond. 

Phoenix peeked to her side and witnessed Lilianna’s breathing slowing down. They lay spaced out on the bed, but their hands stayed firmly connected.

This time, Lilianna didn’t really have any other choice. Her eyes zeroed in on Phoenix, and she scooted over to grab her cheeks. Lilianna’s grip was stronger than Phoenix expected to feel in a dream state.

“You have to prioritize communication with me, okay?” 

For a moment, Lilianna’s eyes reflected the amber glow of the sky, appearing like a spark of fire ignited within turbulent waves.

A strange feeling pinched Phoenix’s throat. Again… 

Before the accident, Phoenix had never seen Lilianna this serious before. Even if she had been upset in the past, her emotions always had a tinge of playfulness mixed in. Unlike now.

Yet Phoenix couldn’t peel her eyes away.

“Okay.”

~~

Lilianna finally taught Phoenix how to use Lily Bianca’s abilities. 

Phoenix had already learned how to manifest Lily Bianca’s powers, albeit on a smaller scale. The key lay in visualizing the power as part of the body. 

To spark a fireball through one's hands, for instance, one must feel the heat bursting from the core, traveling through the arm, and then flowing and concentrating in the palm.

If she wanted to generate water, she must feel the fluidity of water coursing through her body. 

Phoenix understood what Lilianna meant. After all, she had witnessed Lily Bianca do it herself. 

Every single element had a distinct sensation. The feeling of summoning hot water slightly differed from generating cold water. 

They both stood on a never-ending field.

At an angle, Lilianna shot out a gush of liquid from her palm towards the sky. Then, an explosion of fire, then sturdy vines. Lilianna’s eyes never parted from Phoenix as she showcased her abilities. 

“Hold my hand.” Phoenix nodded and held Lilianna’s hand. The intense heat transferred through their palms, feeling slightly ticklish. “That’s how you should be feeling when you use her power.” 

“Hold your hand out.” Phoenix complied. Lilianna’s soft palm pressed against the back of her hand. Eventually, a surge of heat erupted from her palms and created a ball of fire. The trajectory of the fire went far but immediately dispersed.

Lilianna’s feverish hand slid between the space of Phoenix’s fingers. Phoenix grew tense as the heat from their touching skins dropped to lukewarm. Then, Lilianna whispered:

“This is how you make water.” A soft soothing sensation flowed through Phoenix’s hand. Soon after, through the gap of her fingers, water shot out from all sides and swirled into a giant torrent. Phoenix shifted from an awkward position and accidentally pressed her back against Lilianna’s chest. 

“Now, hot water.” 

Lilianna didn’t stop instructing. Her arm brushed against Phoenix’s skin as she manifested the same flow of water, but steamier. Phoenix’s ears heated up as if she had been dipped in a hot jacuzzi, feeling sensitive against Lilianna’s warm breath. This was just a dream, but how did she feel so hot?

Phoenix couldn’t help but think this woman was doing this on purpose.

“Do you need to hold my hand like this?”

Lilianna pulled away and started lecturing, “Yes? This is important so you can feel the subtle shift in sensations and evoke the specific ability you need. If you manifest an ability and it’s slightly off, it can result in something strange.” 

Phoenix didn’t press the issue further. Before Lilianna grabbed her hand again, she spoke:

“Are you still mad?” 

Lilianna’s head tilted slightly as she looked at Phoenix. 

“Huh?”

“You can’t switch back with me. You’re not mad?”

“I’m not.”

Phoenix didn’t respond.

“But what can I do about it? You’re right. This is my fault to begin with. I’d rather you be fully equipped than let you walk around blind.”

Wow. As far as Phoenix could remember, she had always thought of Lilianna as a spoiled golden child of the Earnest family. 

Her parents and brother had always given her what she wanted. She also had a personality that could control people at her fingertips if she wanted. On a rare occasion she didn’t get what she wanted, she had always sulked for days. 

Years ago, when her parents told her to stop seeing Phoenix for a while, she even traveled all the way to Phoenix’s house with her luggage and told Phoenix she was going to live there instead…

How much had she changed in the past five years?

Phoenix’s mouth moved on its own before she understood what came out of it. 

“I’m stuck in Astor Kingdom.”

“What do you mean?”

“Astor’s goons caught me in a shop when I bought a ring similar to Lily Bianca’s. I lost to them.” Phoenix's voice lowered. 

It was humiliating. She hated admitting when she was wrong, much less when she lost in a fight. 

“Now, I’m trapped in a prison.”

Lilianna didn’t speak for a moment. 

“Are you okay?” Phoenix prodded. Lilianna opened her mouth, closed it, and sighed deeply.

Lilianna wasn’t able to answer, but the dream spoke for her. 

She wasn’t okay. 

The world exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors and crumbled. In the darkness, her stomach dropped as if someone was siphoning her soul out. Phoenix tumbled down and down until she could no longer make anything of Lilianna.