“LET ME OUT,” Osiria was yelling at the metal door once more. There were hundreds of different types of wards around the room to keep her in. She was volatile and very few wanted to deal with her. There hadn’t been someone in to visit her in a few days and it was quiet. “HELLO? DO YOU NOT FUCKING HEAR ME SCREAMING?!”

“HELLO,” she screamed again and she would repeat this for hours at a time. She wanted out and she felt like a caged bird. For her own good, the people had told her. Own good? She just wanted to find Rhenakos… But he had killed her, hadn’t he? Yes, but he was influenced by something deeper than she could have been. She had known what he would do… She figured it out and yet she still stayed with him until the end.

She bit at her lip and threw her fist against the door. “GOD DAMN IT, LET ME OUT!” It would be a few more hours of this before she heard buzzing. Something had gotten in and there she was like a sitting duck. She was already out one of her many lives as it was. Orange eyes blinked steadily as she backed away from the door. Bodies came crashing through the door with a resounding hiss.

“What the fuck are you?” she growled before she noticed that the wards broke almost all at once. The trigger point for them had to have been busted when the creatures infiltrated this guild. She brought up her hands and flames shot out like hell itself had arrived. “Looks like I get to take it all out on you!” She roared as her phoenix form burst forth in spectacular flames. She left nothing alive and most of the hall was burnt to a cinder as she flew outside.

She heard bits and pieces as she flew over the city. Invasion? Didn’t matter at the moment. They were rogue ones from the sound of it anyways. The main forces were in Canelux. The half phoenix felt weak from being away from the sun for so long. Strong wings kept her going as she found out where she needed to go. Not hell nor heaven could stop her in her frantic search. It only took a few rumors to figure out where the demon hunter was. Mamlak was her destination. She was barely staying in the skies by the time she reached the battlefield.

“RHENAKOS!” She yelled his name several times. “RHEN!” She repeated herself as her fiery hair whipped around her. Wings of fire flapped strongly as she hovered. “RHEN!” People were killing the insects left and right but still, she persisted. Finally, she saw his red hair… It was the first thing she noticed. “RHEN!” She was crying hot tears now. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him…

However, the first thing he responded to her with made her angry but all of her focus when it came to her wings was gone now as her phoenix form faded and she fell from the sky onto him. Her hand went across his face with as much strength as she could muster. “I AM NOT A HALLUCINATION. You stupid fucking idiot!” She brought her hand across his face again as she started to cry more. Her head went into his chest as she held onto his shirt. "Why are you so stupid?"

Rhenakos, alongside Drake and Drae, had returned to Malmak to regroup after the near death experience they had encountered in the surrounding forests. Despite Malmak being mostly secure, there had been a few outbreaks of fighting here and there, and Rhenakos, not wanting to sit around and dwell, took it upon himself to track the disturbances down and deal with them.

“You left one back there,” a sultry voice whispered in his ear as he turned the street. “It was still alive.”

“Shut up,” Rhenakos replied as he waved through the chaos of the streets. There were bodies littered about of all races, as well as scattered remains of what looked like a marketplace. The smell of rotting food hit him hard, and he had to slow.

“Oh, hey look…something dead just laying there. Kind of like m-”

“I said shut up!” Rhenakos yelled, stopping in his tracks. The hallucinations were getting worse. At first they were almost helpful. Now…now it was just antagonizing him. He started again, running down the next side street as he heard steel crashing against steel. It didn’t take long for him to lose himself in the fight, hacking and slashing at the attacking insects until they were scattered at his feet

“Rhen.”

“Oh gods,” Rhenakos said.

“Rhen!”

“I said shut up.”

“RHEN!”

“FOR THE LAST GOD DAMNED TIME YOU STUPID HALLUCINATION, SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!”

He looked into the sky to see an angry Osiria catapulting to him. This was a first. He had never had a hallucination do thi-

She felt out of the sky, and out of instinct, the hunter caught her, only to get slapped in the process. With his cheek stinging, he furiously started to curse Osiria.

“For the love of the Gods you mad woman, why the ever fucking hell would you slap me fo-” He paused. The realization was setting in. She was here. In his arms. Not dead. Alive.

“Y-….you…” Rhenakos blinked. “How….but…you….you were….”

Osiria was ready to brawl with Rhenakos. Her face was red and her tears were hot. There was even steam coming off her body from her temper beginning to flare. However, all that changed once he realized that Osiria was actually there with him. Her vile words stopped coming and both of them sat in an awkward silence. Her orange eyes looked so pained towards him as she hugged herself to him now.

“Because you stupid idiot… Phoenixes don’t die unless they have their hearts ripped out… I was almost certain you forgot what I was. I told them that! I TOLD THEM TO LET ME GO!” She was in tears again. “But they wouldn’t let me. They just said that they would find you and make sure you would be okay until I could come back to you. They left me, Rhen. They left me in a room all by myself and then these bug things came in and broke the wards that kept me from getting out.”

Her tears were hot again as she clung to him. “I’m so tired… I haven’t been out in the sun in months. But… I forced myself to fly until I found you because you needed to know that I wasn’t dead Rhen. I am not mad at you for what you did because I knew it was going to happen… I could have run but I chose not to.” Her orange eyes looked into his. “Also, you look absolutely stupid with that new eye.” Osiria poked him in his chest hard.

Amidst all the fighting, death, and overall absurdity of the assault happening, Rhenakos had caught Osira falling from the sky. Despite the destruction and loss all about him, he suddenly felt as if everything would be okay. The world around him mattered less and less as he continued to stare in utter disbelief into Osiria’s eyes. She was alive. Then there was a spew of ranting from the poor half rosenite as she seemed to have a complete breakdown.

She was a phoenix. Rebirth. Being held by Drake. That part, in particular, made his blood boil, but that was something he would deal with later. But she was here now, and exhausted from her search. The hunter cradled Osiria for a moment longer, holding her tight.

“My eye looks just fine,” Rhenakos snapped back as he released her and glared at her. “And despite the pain it causes, it does have its benefits.”

The sounds of combat rolled back into focus, and Rhenakos looked around them. “It isn’t safe here. We need to get back to the fortifications. Here…” He held out his hand. A strange thing happened, as he waited for Osiria to take his hand. He smiled. With the blood that he was covered in, and his usual demeanor being that of a crazed berserker, the smile felt almost wrong. But it was genuine.

“I’ll keep you safe till you get some rest….”

Rhenakos was warm. He was always warm. Like a sunny day after months of cold, cold rain. Even when she had despised him he had been warm to her. The more she ranted at him the more his eyes were more in disbelief than before. Os clutched at his shirt as he cradled her. His strong arms were around her tightly. It felt oddly safe despite the fact that it was he who had killed her to begin with.

Finally, he snapped back at her and she tilted her head. “I suppose so. Maybe it does.” She stated with what little bit of sass she had left in her at that moment. Osiria took his hand without hesitation as she tried to get up. However, it wasn’t so easy as he had to pick her up and carry her.

The half phoenix’s body was completely exhausted from the amount of flying and the months without the warm sun. Osiria returned the smile to him and snuggled up to him. “I almost don’t want to rest… I think you’ll dis–” She passed out in his arms once the adrenaline had passed through her.

The phoenix fell into an odd sleep. Her body had always been rather warm but it was more lukewarm at the moment. How she had stressed her body out to get to him. The spider webs of black across parts of her skin where she had drained most of her mana to get to him. She was in rather rough shape.

Osiria hoped that he would be there when she woke up. “Rhen…” She groaned as she rolled in the comfortable bed. However, Rhenakos had managed to get her such a thing there and then was surprising. She wouldn’t be surprised if he knocked someone out to get her this bed. She pushed herself up slightly on her side though shaking caused her to fall back.

She had to have been out for hours but still, she wasn’t just yet recovered all the way. It would take a long time. “Rhen?”

The room itself wasn’t much. It was small, and bare bones at best, but it was a real bed and it had a working door. Rhenakos had wanted to ask for more, but he knew the reality of the situation and was, at best, grateful that the refugee guards could allow Osiria this comfort. After getting her situated and taken care of, Rhenakos sat down on the ground next to the bed, his back against the wall so he could see her.

She was alive. Breathing softly. The poor girl must have pushed herself far past her limit.

“Idiot,” the hunter muttered. He had little room to talk.

Rhenakos was still in complete shock. There were a wild mix of emotions coursing through him at the moment, and processing them was…hard at best. He felt numb, and confused. How long had he thought she was dead? Long enough that his mind had tortured him to the brink.

Time passed as Rhenakos wrestled with his emotions. He was ecstatic to have her back. But did that change everything that he did to redeem himself? Did it make it less so? Her supposed death had been a catalyst of change, but now that she was back….did that change the meaning? Was the reward for killing her a second chance? Or was the second chance because he had changed? His own core had completely been shaken.

I don’t even know who I am anymore, he thought to himself.

“Oh, but Rhen, my boy…” a sinister voice replied. “You’re the very same scared little thing that I came to that day. Do you remember my promise?”

Rhenakos’ eyes shot open, his heart racing. He looked around the room. Nothing but the soft sounds of Osiria’s breathing. The sun had started to go down, and the room was basked in the fading orange light.

Rhenakos clutched his chest, feeling his heartbeat start to slow. Just a nightmare. He took a deep breath, and exhaled.

Osiria stirred, calling out his name. Rhenakos stood up, and looked down at her. He started reaching for her hand, and paused. Do I even have the right?

“I’m here,” he said as his hand fell to his side. “Take it easy. Are you okay?” he asked.