Mirannda stood before the stone arch which held up two studded metallic doors without the admiration they deserved. Behind the doors resided the one god she could rightly blame for everything. He was god of the heavens, speaker to the celestials above. If she could just make some sort of deal with the blasted guy, then maybe she can avoid the next new moons ailment. Her life was upside down, had no meaning in this mundane existence anymore, thus having nowhere safe to allow herself time to recuperate. What was the point of being a phoenix if one was burnt out on life so quickly?

Without thinking of consequences, which Kohaku would have reprimanded her for, the phoenix grasped the handle and pulled on it, ignoring the vibration and warmth beneath her touch. She slipped inside, the door slamming itself with a note of finality as she glared down her dark path with undirected anger. Below her, past a labyrinth, stood her destination, set aglow by flowing magma. ”I’m coming for you.” Each descending moment into the darkness brought her closer to the labyrinth until she stood before the entrance. Her fists trembled as she took her first step in, engulfed by the isolating darkness. Blinking and waiting a moment did not assist her eyes in adjusting whatsoever.

Grumbling to herself, the phoenix snapped her fingers, then frowned. She could feel the heat of her flame, but it was as if it did not exist. After snuffing the flame out, Mirannda took careful, slow steps forward, summoning her sapphire sword to keep at the ready. There was no way of telling how long she walked forward until she came upon a wall, only the sounds of her boots, her heart and her breath as her company. Memories swirled within her as her fingers trailed along the wall, forced into changing direction. Her stomach suddenly churned as she remembered how it felt Master Sin’s tendril snake into her mind, passing information into her consciousness. He made her practice it over and over within the confines of her mind, experiencing immense pain with each failure.

Mirannda stumbled with a gasp, barely managing to keep her sword in hand, pain blossoming through her as she recalled being ripped apart into a million pieces when she failed the trial Sin had laid for her. Hatred resurfaced, reminding her of how weak she has always appeared. She feared Sin with every fiber of her being, hated him for killing her, binding him to her as a slave. Ever since he discovered her, things have been nothing but a nightmare. The first eclipse made her even more pathetic, leaving her too weak for any job for weeks while her lover at the time simply disappeared on her!

"Over here…" Mirannda's head jerked, feeling a gentle draw on her consciousness, beckoning her to follow it. She staggered to her feet to follow, sword hanging limply in her hand. It was as if the darkness was no longer as oppressive, but welcoming her into their folds. "Turn here… This way…" The phoenix followed it blindly, trustingly through twists and turns of the maze until Kohaku's face flashed through her mind. When Dalanesca killed her while lost to the Eldritch, Mirannda had returned only to kill the man she believed she loved. A sob escaped from her mouth as she renewed her self-loathing. He deserved so much more than death, and while he has been brought back and they worked things through, she abandoned him when he needed her most!

The pain was intense as it happened so suddenly, as if someone had stabbed a sword through her skull and began applying pressure. Something was trying to push itself into her head, making her feel quite nauseous as she stumbled once more. Mirannda thrust her sword into the ground as she fell to her knees, her free hand pressing against her temple with a claw-like grasp. She pressed her forehead into the ground, still gripping the sapphire hilt as she screamed. "Take it away!" "Get up… Come here…" The phoenix rolled her head against the ground back and forth as she sobbed, begging for release. "Please… Make it stop…" "Stand up… Siyah."

Raith’s inner circle was expanding; first Ria and Dae, his nephew Zion to a point, Isleen and Lewis and now Dala. The Blind God had believed that his life would only ever know anger, that he would live and die for his goal - to find, destroy, and murder his mother before taking his own life. He had always believed that they were meant to die together in childbirth, that his afflictions had been a curse set upon him in punishment for his mother’s actions, alongside the Goddess of Death Liara.
Strange how things changed over time, how love could show you your true path. The rage, the wrath, the ever burning fire was his destiny; leading him to his Ascension and the lofty position he knew was meant to be his… but Alairia, she was his true path, she was the one who had shown him the way to his greatness. He was blind so that he could show her how to cope without her sight after Xyaban’s attack, she had been the catalyst for bringing his Draconic self to the surface, it was Ria who held the greatest power over the newest Deity. 

A vibration through his palm alerted the God to his latest Pilgrim. Flexing his fingers he cocked his head to one side, feeling out the presence of the one lingering on his threshold. There was anger in this one! They had not even reached Raiqi, yet already they were filled with rage. A small smile flickered across his face, dark and handsome as he ran his tongue hungrily across his lips. There was such wonderful wrath in this one, and all of it appeared to be aimed at him. He didn’t know why but he did not really care, it had been so long since a Pilgrim had arrived with a rage this strong that the fire within him was fed. Maybe they could become apprenticed to him as Lewis had, or else he could devour their anger entirely and leave them a shell if they were not worthy of his attentions in that fashion. 
He felt a stir amongst the Heavens, as though one of his Celestials was calling the Pilgrim forward, ushering them faster along the correct path to Gileath. He did not mind, the Celestials were free to do as they wished as much as they were under his command. 

He reached deeper into her mind to find out who the girl was, and felt her press back. Good, she was worthy of his audience then. The girl buckled and Raith sighed, he would go to her, only because she intrigued him. Appearing in the Labyrinth, stood a foot away from the rocking child, he raised an eyebrow at her, feeling her movements through his body and the connection to his domain. ”What should I take first?” He asked, ”The raging fire in your heart? Or your entire life?”

’The floor… hums?’ the words were a distant thought, almost too far in the back of her mind to be properly noticed. ”Siyah,” the whispering attempted again before another voice, much more real sounded very close to her. His words seemed more akin to a tease as hatred was brought to the forefront of everything. Mirannda gritted her teeth as she forced herself upright, yanking her sword from the ground. Upon the stranger’s arrival, lamps set in the walls were now lit with blue flame, bathing him with an almost celestial glow. He was tall, far taller than any she had dealt with in a long time. As she took a brief moment to take in his features, his wings, the power that seemed to radiate from within him, the phoenix knew this was the god she was seeking.

”Only Angela and Serafina have that right,” she hissed at him. ”You try, time and time again, but you fail each time. Can’t quite strip me of my strength, can you?” Mirannda taunted. ”All my life the celestials and you have been working at it! I want it to stop!” Her body shook with the rage within. ”Embrace the shadows, don’t fight it, Siyah.” Her empty hand reached up to cover her ear as if that would stop the whispering. ”That’s not my name.” Everything here is by his design, it was all his fault. The phoenix must make sure he knew it.

”Siyah…”

”I am tired of your moon cycles. The sick and weakening ailment. I need it to end!” The stabbing pain from before was throbbing, stretching its tendrils across her consciousness, dragging against her strength of will. She staggered back as she gasped against it, trying to ignore the wave of nausea that accompanied the persistent increase of pressure. ”Siyah.” Her vision went red as her body seemed to relax, yet the fury in her eyes as she lifted them to the god suggested otherwise. ”My name is Jaliza Rose Sardothian,” Mirannda claimed, using the name she was given by her adopted mother. ”And I need you…” The sapphire sword swung in an arc over her shoulder. ”To get out of my head!” As she screamed, the phoenix moved to strike at Raith.

The God stood, hands by his sides, wings half furled - some might have thought it was intentional in the sense of making him look more intimidating, for Raith it was habitual and for the sake of making him look more regal. He wore his ornate blindfold; the metal like a crown, red and gold and regal. He had not use for his eyes, and he preferred to skip over the questions around his sight, the blindfold tended to help with missing that tedium. Raith felt her shift before she spoke, and he snorted with disdain at the names of the two Goddesses. Angela was a thorn (ironic given who and what she was) as far as Raith was concerned, and Serafina remained close to his shit list thanks to her alliance with Xyaban… though he had managed to persuade the Goddess to act as his spy on that account, a favour, something to get her back into his good books. 
"I know of everyone I have tried to kill before, and save for one being I have managed it, so I can assure you girl that I have never attempted to kill you before this day. Though today might just be your lucky day should you wish it," he snorted. 

Raising an eyebrow he reached out to the Celestials in his command, feeling for them, searching their memories for this child. None of them knew her, they recognised what she was and felt something akin to themselves amongst her aura but she was neither one of them nor one they had touched the life of. So, madness it was then. Pure insanity at it's rawest form, nothing more than a delusion thanks to misplaced rage and pain. Either way it mattered little to Raith, let her blame him if she wished, she could do him no harm…. but he could do a significant amount of it to her. 

He did not see the blade, but he could smell the minerals that made it up and felt the shift in the air where the girl swung it, as well as the shivering vibrations of her movement on the floor of the Labyrinth. His smile turned wicked as he stepped back, leaning his head away from her attack, hearing the whistle of the sword as it passed by his face. Clever girl, she was strong and well trained, she would be worth taunting a little while longer - if he could cause her wrath to escalate he could devour it and he would be fuelled for days by it… how delightful that would be! No need for a sword of his own, he would fight her by hand before he burnt her alive, he would release her from this delusion just as he had Hacesh. 
"Would that I could little girl, but I'm not in there," he chuckled, taunting her. 

The phoenix was not surprised that he dodged her attack as her anger was just fueled by the action. Can he not sit still?! She used the momentum of her previous attack to spin it into an overhead strike. Mirannda knew she was losing control over her own magic as flames began to dance across the blade, too busy with the arrogant god to realize the dark shadows within them. How could he stand there, smugly as he lied to her? "Don't lie to me!" she screamed at Raith as she staggered, one hand suddenly on her belly. A mantra was repeated over and over, a plea to her stomach not to be sick.

The pressure on her mind was overwhelming. It was quite different from when the cycles strip her of her strength, leaving her defenseless as a wee babe. This was something else entirely, like an entity trying to force itself upon her conscious, breaking free from her mental walls which were already shredded like tissue paper. She was dizzy, her knees threatening to buckle while her stomach dared consider expelling its contents. Still, she stood, glaring at the blinded god who dared grin at her, enjoying himself at her pain. 'Siyah, stop resisting it. Embrace it.' "That's not my name!" Mirannda shouted as she unleashed a volley of attacks, slicing the air around the god but never touching him.

Fury only grew as she roared in frustration. Raith must die! It was the only way to regain a normal life. The only way to stop the sick days of weakness. Mirannda lifted her blade, readying a charge. With a mighty battlecry, she began to run at the god, fully intent on impaling him.

The rage surging within the girl was delectable, Raith was relishing it. She truly believed that he had done something to harm her, on a personal level, as if she were worthy of his attention in that respect - he had no clue who she was, nor did he (in fact) care - she was an insignificant insect who had wandered into his lair looking for someone to blame for her own inadequacies, it just so happened that he was the best candidate for her misplaced anger it seemed. Not that he minded, her anger merely amused him and he was always happy to feed off another's rage. 

There was something in the air, as though another being lingered in the darkness - he wondered if that was who she kept shouting at, he had heard no voice but at this point, it was perfectly reasonable to believe the voices to be in the girl's head… it would fit with the fact that she was so very clearly delusional. Her fury made her movements easy to read even with his lack of sight, leaning back away from her blade he let her try and cut him as best she could only to fail time and time again. 

As the girl readied another attack Raith snorted, he grew tired of this game, he would end her suffering - it was the least he could do. He stood still, one hand placed behind his back, the other lingering by his side. He turned his body as she attempted to impale him, his loose hand grabbing her wrist tightly, the other whipping out to take hold of her throat as he slammed her into the wall opposite, holding her up off her feet with just one hand. "Pathetic, you are angry at the wrong person girl but have no fear for I shall end your suffering here and now as you so desire," he snarled, devouring her anger as his fingers tightened around her windpipe, flames flickering across his arms… moving toward the girl who would soon become consumed by them. 

Flames continued to dance across her blade, flaring with her frustration as her attacks were halted. For once, instead of merely dodging, the god finally reached out and grasped her wrist. Mirannda barely had time to register the strength of his grip when a matching one wrapped around her throat, chasing the air from her lungs with the ferocity of which Raith slammed her against the wall.

She clawed at his hand with her free hand, gasping as she tried to find some leverage on the wall she could lift herself up with by her feet. There were no flashes of memory as he promised to end her life, a feat she already told him belonged to another pair of goddesses. As she choked, unable to breathe, Mirannda glared defiantly at Raith, silently promising to return as many times as it required to destroy his hold over her.

As the flames of the god began to consume her, the clank of metal echoed as her sword fell, her own flames diminishing until it snuffed out entirely. Mirannda managed to draw a ragged breath, tilting her chin to the starry sky above. If it had been only on her skin, or flame not of his control, she would have been fine. But it was Raith's flame and it ate at her flesh from within as well as from the outside. She released an agonizing scream, sounding more like a great avian than a burning woman. Her body soon disintegrated to dust, easily dispersing with the faintest of breezes.

Just like that, her rage was consumed and Mirannda Sinopa was no more. Raith would not care how many lives would be affected by this loss.

'Rise, Siyah, and know true freedom.'

The dust at his feet began to gently swirl, collecting itself a safe, respectable distance from the god of wrath. It coalesced until a woman stood before him. The dust that was had retained her magical connection to the Mother Flame, but it was the purity of Raith's rage that overpowered the lock upon her mind, the lock which was the true cause behind all of her problems she laid at his feet.

As the phoenix opened her virid gaze to peer at the god, the sound of an avian cry was released for all to hear, signaling her rebirth, her release from a thirty-year prison. Clothed in tangible shadow, the woman who was once Mirannda smirked at him. "I told you, only the deities of life and death may kill me." She then turned her now confused gaze to her palms. Something was different. "What did you do? I feel… Whole. But… I wasn't broken before… Was I?" Her tole was calm as she inquired about something far deeper than a mere lack of rage and feeling serene.

As an opponent the child was pathetic, he’d hoped for better out of her but truthfully he had expected it - she was too young, too inexperienced - even if he’d been mortal she wouldn’t have been a threat which just made her attacks all the more exasperating. Her wrath was misplaced and uncontrolled, she wasn’t able to harness her rage in an effective way. 

He heard the sword word fall and drank in the rage she positively vibrated in. Her body disintegrated beneath his fingers and he smiled as the ash of her body trickled between his fingers and caught in the breeze. He lifted his hand to his lips and blew the remaining ash from his fingers, sneering at the touch of it upon his skin. Foolish child, as if she could ever have hurt him. 

The God turned to leave the pile of ash to the wind in his Labyrinth when he felt the breeze shift in a way not of his making. An eyebrow twitched upright and he cocked his head to one side, twisting slightly to ‘face’ the remains of the girl. He took in a deep breath, drinking in her scent, both eyebrows raising as he recognised the familiar smoldering scent of a Phoenix. Interesting. 
Raith snorted as he turned to face her, a dark and terrifying smile upon his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. ”All the more fun for me, a toy that cannot die but is reborn over and over and over again,” he snarled. A scowl took over his expression as she continued to speak. ”You are a Phoenix yes? Name your origin, you are unlike the others of you kin I have com across.”

He had ignored her question. Still, the phoenix gazed at her hands as if the answer lay there. Something was truly different than before the god had killed her. There were whispers around her that she had not been conscious of before, making their presence known. It spoke of darkness, mystery, stealth. Even the whispers of the flames upon the walls seemed a bit louder. Raith spoke, a scowl across his face.

”I am from Dae Luin,” she stated as she picked up her sword. ”To most of my kin, I am but a child. Orphaned, I was raised not knowing the truth until I was murdered.” ”There is more, Siyah,’ the voice from before whispered in her mind once more. It seemed to fill the air around her as well as coming from within. ’Remember that day.’ Her sword was dismissed, sent home, while memories drifted into her conscious thought.

’Your parents feared that which they did not know. Feared losing you as your shadows were called forth too soon. Bound you were, free you are now. Spread your wings, little Siyah.’ Mirannda frowned. ’Spread your wings and fly proud as a shadow phoenix.’ ”Shadow phoenix?” Mirannda repeated questioningly. ”M’lord, I apologize for my behavior. I wrongly accused you due to your influence with the celestial heavens. It is by your intervention that I hope my ailment no longer affects me.” She gave a deep bow to him. ”While my death was your original retribution, circumvented by my birthright, I am ready for whatever your divine grace wills.”