The Awakening

CHAPTER 4

Eric had no idea who his mother was since he never got to meet her. He grew up with his father and had no memories of who his mother was or what she looked like. 

Every time Eric tried to ask his father about her, he would always reply by saying she was beautiful and had died a natural death. 

Eric noticed that if he tried to go deeper with the questions concerning his mother, his father would always find a way to change the topic.

Eric didn't think too much about it since he couldn't imagine his father lying or hiding something from him, so he chose to never ask again.

However, what was going on right now made him want to know more about his family's background and who exactly his mother was. "I never met my mother. My father said she died when I was only a child, and her death was natural and not something painful." Eric finally replied after a few minutes of silence.

"I see. And you do not have any memories of her? A photo, maybe?" The elderly man known as Ali inquired.

"No, I don't have anything relating to her," Eric responded. "Wait, this bracelet." Eric then slid his hand into his pocket and took out a silver bracelet with the marking of a phoenix on it.

"My father said this bracelet belongs to her. He said that she left it behind for me on her dying bed, and when I come of age, I will learn the truth about it." Eric informed, while stretching forth the bracelet towards Ali.

Ali retrieved the bracelet and took a closer look. "This marking belongs to the Magical Phoenix goddess. A magical goddess who was able to conjure fire out of nowhere, a very powerful magical goddess who was feared by all. If this bracelet belonged to your mother, then your mother was the magical phoenix god, and you are a descendant of her!" Ali explained in a serious tone.

Eric stood there in silence as he struggled to digest what he had just heard. He has heard so much about the magical phoenix goddess. 

A goddess who had the power to wipe out a whole planet with a snap of her finger. A goddess who could make a whole world go down on its knees and worship her.

Her power was on another level, and even the rest of the magical gods feared her.  "So, you are saying the goddess was my mother?" Eric muttered after a few minutes of silence.

"Most likely. The goddess must have had an affair with your father during her stay on Earth. Some rumors say that magical gods shouldn't get attached to humans, and if that should happen, the god would lose all power and evaporate into thin air."

"That must have been what happened. The Phoenix goddess must have had deep feelings for your father that were impossible for her to let go, even when she knew the risk. She must have evaporated into thin air right after she gave birth to you; that's why no one heard about the goddess again, and you never met your mother." Ali enlightened in an audible tone.

Eric went mute once again after hearing the words of Ali, as he began to digest the new set of information. 

The fact that his father kept something this huge from him made his blood boil, and he couldn't wait to confront him and ask him the reason why he did it.

All his life, he had thought he was a mere commoner from a poor home, but he wasn't a commoner after all. In fact, he was a descendant of a powerful goddess.

Seeing that Eric wasn't saying anything, Ali spoke further. "You said you heard a feminine voice call your name from this temple, correct?" Ali inquired, and Eric gave a nod in response. "That was your mother calling you."

"She must have sensed you were close by, and since she knew you were old enough to learn the truth, she directed your path to this very temple. Any god who finally passes away after centuries, their souls would always remain here, so it means your mother's soul still dwells in this temple; that's why she brought you in here. A place where you won't leave until you gain enough information and awaken the power that resides within you." He added.

"Wait, what?" Eric blurted out. "What do you mean I won't get to leave until I awaken my powers?"

"The door is shut, Eric, and the only way to leave is if you open it with your fire ability," Ali replied.

"How do you know my name? You know what, forget it, just let me out of here. All that you've been saying has been nothing but bullshit. You don't know a thing about me! I am no descendant of a god, man. I am only the son of a man who cleans houses and toilets, and my mother was probably a maid and not a goddess!" Eric's voice reverberated throughout the place, and his face was already bright red in anger.

"Give me my bracelet, I am leaving this place even if it means I have to knock down the damn door!" Eric then yanked his silver bracelet from Ali and began to walk towards the door. 

The information Ali bombarded him with was too much to handle all at once, and it ended up making him lose his cool and see it all as a lie.

"Eric, the door won't open unless you open it with your magic!" Ali informed him as he watched Eric walk towards the door hastily.

His words fell on deaf ears as Eric kept walking forward and was now arriving closer to the door. "I said the door won't open!" Ali voiced out, and finally, Eric halted his steps and turned around swiftly.

"Shut up!" Eric shouted as he threw out both of his hands with his palms wide open, and what looked like a round fireball shot out from the palms of his hands and headed towards Ali.