Chapter 7: Project Phoenix
"Project… Phoenix?" Rohann muttered as he observed the diagram depicted on the large roll of parchment that Zorenn unfolded.
The diagram showed an orb inside a body that will burst into something like flames and burn the body. After the flame grows bigger after burning the body, it will shrink down once again into an orb. The orb will then be transferred to some container and some sort of magic will activate and build a new body around the orb.
"A phoenix… the ability to be reborn? The soul will stay the same, but the body will be different?" Yurem asked Zorenn when he understood what the diagram showed.
"Yes. Death is the result when a body has been thoroughly eroded by the passage of time. Religions always speak of our souls going somewhere after death. And I figured, why not be the one to dictate where our own souls will go?" Zorenn shared her thought process with a tinge of arrogance.
"My, how bold! Are you not afraid of a deity's wrath? We can't say for sure if gods are real, but if they are?" Yurem asked Zorenn to test how deep her thoughts went in creating this undeniably groundbreaking project.
"My methods are clearly feasible and can be done by anyone if they are capable enough. If gods are real, and they rule over all of us, why did they give us the power to do something like this?" Zorenn answered with clear conviction.
"Have you tested this project?" Rohann asked Zorenn after he was satisfied by the strength of Zorenn's conviction to complete this project.
"Of course. But only on rats. This project will be too costly if I tested it on any other larger living organism." Zorenn said with a bit of regret.
"And you are positive it will have the same result when done on humans?" Yurem asked Zorenn. Rats and humans are two entirely different creatures and this project may work on rats, but not humans.
"Yes. After all, the fact that it worked on the rats proves all my theories and their applications to be correct. Now, I just need to upscale all my measurements so that it will work on humans." Zorenn answered as simply as possible.
"Alright, I'm listening. How will this work?" Rohann asked with curiosity.
"The main concept of this project is to transfer who we are into another body. The first step is to turn ourselves into a "soul" for this to happen. Eventually, I was unsatisfied with the initial results. Purely preserving just our memories will be a waste. So, I included our original body to be a part of the soul as well. With this, our "talent" with magic and battle will be carried with us when we inhabit a new body." Zorenn shared the first step of the project with pride. Rohann and Yurem were very impressed with the genius of Zorenn. It seems, she really took everything into consideration.
"So that's what the burning body in the diagram meant. We're turning the capabilities of our original body into a part of our soul!" Rohann realized. This means that they will still remain as strong as they are now when they transfer bodies.
"But what about the new body? How will it be formed?" Yurem asked.
"The "soulification" process will occur inside a magic circle that serves as protection from any outside force. With this, everything that happened inside the circle will not be influenced by anything else. After we turn into a soul, the body creation will occur inside a glass container that I personally designed. When the body is formed, the soul inside the magic circle will be teleported inside their respective containers to assimilate with the newly created bodies." Zorenn narrated the next steps.
"Discussing the exact details of how the new body is formed will take us a week, probably. The gist of it is, the new body will be created entirely of mana." Zorenn revealed. The information she shared shocked Rohann.
"A body made of mana… Like the demons?" Rohann asked.
"...yes. Exactly like the demons. We learn the most from our enemies. Demons are formed by the amalgamation of residual mana and negative human emotions. Human wars bred their most terrifying enemy. Rather funny, honestly. Anyway, I won't deny that demon biology inspired me in this project." Zorenn admitted.
"This project is like the purified and controlled form of demonic birth. Instead of just emotions, our whole identity will be the new body's identity. Like the demons, the new body will be made of mana as well. Mana is the most powerful and most malleable element in the world. With this as the main ingredient of our new body, we can be whatever we want." Zorenn said.
"...whatever we want?"
"Yes… whatever we want." Zorenn said with a nod. "I CAN FINALLY BE A HANDSOME MAN! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Rohann and Yurem laughed with Zorenn. Seeing her so happy made the two of them very happy as well. This woman in front of them has always been attracted to other women. With the project she created, she can finally have the body she wants.
"Renn, don't tell me this was actually the main purpose of your project?" Rohann asked between his laughs.
"Well, I would be lying if I said it's not one of the main reasons." Zorenn admitted. "Well, how about it? Wanna do this with me, Hann?"
Rohann pondered Zorenn's invitation for a few moments. He has seen how much Zorenn dedicated to this project. It was no exaggeration to say that she must have poured her blood, sweat, and tears for this massive project that was not even in the list of the people's imagination.
"Alright. I'm in." Rohann said with a nod. Hearing his reply, Zorenn flashed a big smile.
"Great! Let's meet at the top of the Ivory Peak an hour later! You come too, Yurem. We should be finished before midnight." Zorenn excitedly said as she started walking away to prepare for her and Rohann's "rebirth" as a whole new person.
"Wait wait wait! What's with the rush?" Rohann asked in confusion of Zorenn's eagerness.
"You didn't know? Today is a special day for wizards and astrologists. The stars literally aligned! All wizards were more powerful than usual today. It's also my lucky day today! It's the best time to initiate this project. Let's not waste today!" Zorenn shouted as she went away.
"How rare. To see her this excited." Yurem said with a chuckle seeing the baffle face of Rohann.
"Honestly, when did she become so lively? Did I infect her with my young stupidity?" Rohann said.
"HAHAHAHA! The two of you managed to stay the closest of friends your whole life. You two would not have stuck together if you did not share some kind of similarity deep inside." Yurem shared his wisdom with Rohann.
"...I guess so." Rohann agreed as he started walking out of Zorenn's study. Yurem followed him out of the academy.
"Listen, I have some things to take care of. I'll see you there, Yurem." Rohann said when they got out of the academy grounds.
"As you wish. I'll be going ahead, then. The breeze at Ivory Peak is refreshing at this time of the year." Yurem said before he flew up, slowly turning back to his dragon form in midair. Rohann watched the figure of Yurem fly away before walking to his destination.
Half an hour later, Rohann was in front of the manor he owned. He entered and went to a specific room in the big property.
He opened the door slightly and peeked inside to see his seven children sleeping soundly. A smile formed on his face after seeing them so peacefully sleeping. No matter how much they grew, they were still the little children he picked up all those years ago in his eyes.
'Rebirth, huh? A longer life… What was I even afraid of? This is Zorenn we're talking about. She is the most capable person I know. I'm sure her project will work.'
Rohann closed the door after strengthening his courage. He may be the strong pillar that supported the growth of his seven children, but it goes both ways. The seven children he adopted also became a source of strength and courage for him.
Rohann walked to his room to get things he needed to prepare for the project of Zorenn. These mostly consisted of lucky charms and clothes for his new body.
Rohann was about to head out when he stopped at the door. He looked behind him to stare at his table. With a sigh, he went to it and sat down to write something on a piece of paper.
He wanted to believe that the project would be successful because it was Zorenn that would facilitate it, but Rohann was no longer that headstrong young man who faced everything with no reservations.
Throughout the years, he learned to think more and plan everything ahead. He learned to expect failure and plan what to do when it happens.
Because of this, he decided to write letters for each of his children if ever the project goes horribly wrong. These letters contained everything he wanted to say to his children. He imagined a scenario of him dying unexpectedly and the emotions his children will go through when they learn of it.
As a father, he didn't want his children to suffer as they grew up just because their father stupidly left them without saying anything.
'What am I doing?... Ah, whatever. I'll probably just tear these letters up when I get back, anyway.'
Rohann thought with a smile as he downplayed the slight anxiety he felt. They will be treading on unexplored grounds, so he figured feeling this way is natural.
Satisfied with his letter, Rohann sealed each of them before getting up. All of his backup plans are now in effect. No matter what happens now, he will not regret a single thing.
Rohann walked out of his manor and stood in the training grounds where he fought his children earlier today. He looked up at the clear night sky to see that the stars really are aligned, just what Zorenn said.
With a smile on his face that clearly resembled the fearlessness of his younger self, Rohann gripped Morh Vius in its dormant form. His red eyes glowed with a powerful glint up the heavens as if he's defying them before soaring up to fly to the mountain peak where the beginning of a true miracle will happen.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone