Women of the Phoenix Clan possess divine essences, born to elevate their partners beyond the mortal coil.
In our youth, the Empress presented two chalices of mystical waters for my sister and me to choose between.
Desiring a fairytale union, my sister chose the Chalice of True Love, aimed to wed the human prince for an eternal bond.
Fate left me the Elixir of Endless Remedies, binding me to a doomed and lesser beast king.
Unbeknownst to us, beneath his royal veneer, the prince harbored a beastly heart. He awaited my sister's full bloom, only to cruelly clip her wings.
Nightly, he thrashed her with a whip forged from golden wolf teeth, all to extract her divine essence and fuel his draconian aspirations.
Meanwhile, my elixir mended the broken spirit of the beast king, empowering him to reach celestial heights and achieve enlightenment.
Tormented and broken, my sister barely clung to life, her flesh marred and spirit waning.
Recognizing my contributions, the beast king crowned me his queen, entrusting me with boundless authority.
Envious of my ascendancy, my sister, in a twisted act of desperation, seized my phoenix heart when I attempted her rescue.
In this new life, she preempted me, consuming the Elixir of Endless Remedies.
Prostrate before the Empress, she declared, "Mother, I choose none but the Beast King as my consort."
***
Upon awakening, I found the Empress with the mystical chalices ready.
"The time for your trials is nigh, and these elixirs shall define your paths to immortality," she proclaimed.
"Elara, the Chalice of True Love is potent and pure, much like your innocent heart, blind to the deceit of others," she advised.
In an effort to appear impartial, she summoned the entire clan, yet her favoritism for my sister was palpably clear.
Just as it was in my previous life.
Born simultaneously, yet she was the cherished daughter of the Empress, while I was but a reminder of the king's indiscretion with a servant.
The Holy Order once commanded that a member of the royal lineage ascend as a celestial noble.
Thus, the Empress arranged for my sister's betrothal to the human prince.
Their successful trials would guarantee divine ascension.
Amongst the plethora of courtly women, only the Chalice of True Love could assure the prince's undying loyalty to my sister.
The Empress's references to "deceitful tactics" were thinly veiled jabs at my humble origins.
She pledged me to the Beast King, handing me the Elixir of Endless Remedies as my dowry.
Her warning me to stay compliant and avoid making waves.
Given that the beast tribes were regarded as the lowest and faced impending extinction by the humans, she placed me directly in harm's way to ensure my struggle.
For Phoenix women, born with bodies that mend and revive, the Elixir was nearly superfluous.
My sister fancied that the Chalice of True Love would secure the prince's heart solely for her.
Yet, they underestimated his ambition; his love was merely a facade.
On their wedding night, he mercilessly severed her wings.
Confined and scourged daily in the dungeons, all to harvest her celestial core.
But the Elixir I possessed healed the Beast King's fragmented soul.
With my aid, he ascended swiftly to enlightenment.
In gratitude, he bestowed upon me the title of queen, granting me dominion over the beast realms with unparalleled power.
When I discovered the extent of my sister's torment in the human realm, I sought to save her.
Yet, in a moment of vulnerability, she ruthlessly extracted my phoenix heart using her own feathers.
2In that instant, Elara eagerly gulped down the Elixir of Endless Remedies, casting a triumphant glance my way.
The grotesque visage she bore as she ripped out my heart remains vividly etched in my mind.
I lowered my gaze, veiling the tumult of hatred brewing within.
Elara, still kneeling before the Empress, implored with a hint of coquetry, "Mother, please, hold not your ire. I've merely realized that no man truly harbors undying fidelity. Better to refine the healing powers of our Phoenix lineage and mend the world ourselves."
The Empress's brows unfurled, only to knit together once more as Elara resumed her plea.
"Thus, I resolve to wed the Beast King and aid his people, elevating him to immortality, and securing his rightful place in the Three Realms!"
"Audacity!" The Empress thundered, her wrath unleashed.
"Are you aware of the lowliness of the beast tribes? Our illustrious Phoenix Clan cannot be compared to such base creatures, on the brink of annihilation by the humans!"
Elara's expression was resolute.
"What of their simplicity and brawn? Far preferable to the humans, with their deep-laid schemes and manifold treacheries. Mother, my heart is set; I shall wed no other than the Beast King!"
Before the Empress could levy further rebuke, Elara deftly extracted a betrothal scroll from her sleeve.
In a panic, the Empress exclaimed, "Elara! Cease this folly at once!"
Yet before she could intervene, Elara had already signed her name; the scroll transformed into a beam of golden light, dispatched to the Beast King.
Overcome with fury, the Empress struck me sharply across the face.
"Villainous child! Why did you not intervene? Surely, you must have incited her, did you not?"
"You too shall not marry the human prince. Upon your coming of age, you will join Elara in the beast tribes' domain!"
Historically, whenever Elara erred, I endured the consequences.
Though Elara delighted in witnessing my punishment, the prospect of me joining her in the beast tribe swiftly altered her tune, leading her to plead coyly.
"Mother, surely not all of the Phoenix Clan should marry into the beast tribe? Perhaps let my sister wed the prince, would that suffice?"
The Empress, unable to harden her heart against Elara, relented slightly in her persuasion.
"Naive child, do you not recall the divine decree from the Holy Order? One royal must rise as a celestial sage. You need only stand by the prince as he matures; post-nuptials, your joint cultivation will surely lead to enlightenment."
"How befuddled must you be to desire union with the ignoble Beast King..."
Unperturbed, Elara countered, "And how can you be so certain, Mother, that the Beast King cannot reach enlightenment? He is, after all, my destined consort. Let us not belittle him so—it rings of mockery."
I stirred the pot further, "Indeed, Elara speaks wisely. The Beast King possesses a spiritual root, affording him a finer chance at immortality than any mere mortal."
Her conviction deepened with my endorsement.
"Mother, as you well know, mortals lack spiritual roots, making their ascent akin to scaling the heavens—an ordeal I cannot endure. My sister, ever so boastful of her unique talents, let her face the trials then."
Elara's eyes gleamed with barely concealed glee as she emphasized her point.
She eagerly anticipated my facing the same brutal fate she endured in her past incarnation.
The Empress, defeated by Elara's persistence and with the betrothal irrevocably sent, resigned to fate.
Casting a weary glance my way, she declared coldly,
"Phoebe, since this marriage is Elara's doing, show some gratitude. Descend with the prince, and persuade him against warring with the beast tribes. Remember, peace in the Three Realms is the divine mandate."
"Regarding the Chalice of True Love, if you must face trials, eschew the Elixir's aid. The beleaguered beast tribes have little support; reserve it for Elara's coming of age."
Were it not for the elixir's singular rule against simultaneous consumption disrupting their spiritual trials, the Empress would have had Elara drink it forthwith.
Elara feigned kindness as she helped me to my feet, whispering ominously in my ear,
"Do well to survive by the prince's side, sister. Live long enough to witness my coronation as the queen of immortals."
Her eyes sparkled with unabashed triumph.
Internally, I sneered.
Did she truly believe the Beast King to be a paragon of virtue? Little did she know, she was sending herself into a realm far more fearsome than any mortal prison—
The beast tribes were a formidable force, far more daunting than the humans...
3In the Phoenix Clan, women set off at the century mark after choosing their sacred elixir, destined to face trials alongside their chosen mates.
The Empress lavished Elara with ten carriages of lavish attire and necessities and included rare palace herbs like the eternal frost lotus and millennium dragonroot—treasures mundane within the palace walls but miraculous to the impoverished beast tribes.
Each herb held the potential to heal scores of their people.
To exert her dominance, the Empress demanded the Beast King himself fetch Elara, a move meant to remind him of his fortunate fate in securing such a noble mate.
Elara was the jewel of her eye, the direct heiress of the Phoenix lineage. For the Beast King, being chosen by her was a fortune he could not have earned in many lifetimes.
My destiny was cast in far grimmer terms than in any past life.
Previously, the Empress, fearing boredom from my premature demise, had grudgingly granted me a fragment of herb to cling to life amidst the beasts.
Now, she handed me nothing but a worn sack and hastened my descent from the mountain.
Observing the Empress tearfully clinging to Elara, their reluctance to part palpable, I remained unmoved.
When informed of my death in a past life, the Empress had coldly remarked, "Phoebe was nothing but a cursed child, unworthy of being a queen. That Elara claimed her heart was only fitting."
"Her death was well-deserved. Let us speak no more of her; she brings misfortune."
Labeled as a misfortune, I vowed to no longer grovel for their paltry affection in this lifetime.
Raised in opulence, Elara had always been ensconced above the common fray, unaware of the harsh realities awaiting her among the beasts.
I left the mountain alone, unaccompanied and unmissed.
Fate, however, led me straight into the procession of the Beast King, coming to collect Elara.
He appeared in human form, his dark robes accentuating his unnaturally pale complexion, greeting me with a nobleman's bow.
"Excuse me, lady, might this be the abode of the Phoenix Palace?"
His smile was a warm breeze, yet it sent shivers of ice through me.
Despite rebirth, he was still the specter of my deepest fears, a perfect pretender to virtue.
In my previous life, he had not waited for my coming of age before he chained me to the nuptial bed, tortured me with steel needles, and drank my blood to enhance his own dark powers.
His strength increased, and he fed my flesh to his soldiers, heightening their ferocity without end.
He would harvest my flesh periodically, careful to spare my heart to allow for my regeneration.
Eventually, he tapped directly into the heart's blood for his vile rituals.
Born of the Dragon Lord's second son, Zagan, the Beast King, was inherently cruel and quick to anger, a lover of strife.
Disdaining his own beastly heritage, he despised all realms alike.
Only the sacred blood of a Phoenix could facilitate his ascension; he sought enlightenment not for peace, but to bring ruin.
As I pondered this, a forceful magic swept me aside.
The Empress and a radiantly dressed Elara approached; Elara glanced at me warningly before shyly meeting the Beast King's gaze.
"Forgive this lowly one for obstructing your path, my lord," she said with a demure air.
Despite her demureness, she could not resist admiring the Beast King—handsome in form, yet utterly false.
Zagan studied Elara with a feigned gentlemanly smile, his eyes barely concealing a predatory satisfaction.
"Legends of the Phoenix heiress's beauty did not overstate; to have Lady Elara's favor is a fortune across my many lives. She alone shall hold my heart."
I scoffed inwardly. His heart's allegiance might be questionable, but his side was already crowded.
To him, Elara was merely a divine draught on his path to godhood.
Previously, he scorned my lesser status, surrounding himself with beastly mistresses.
Although I was born with divine essence, empowering his spiritual ascent, his foundation in divinity was precarious. To stabilize his celestial authority, he exalted me to a prestigious station.
He aimed not merely to garner the Phoenix Clan's blessings but to assert his dominance over them, fortifying his divine status through their subjugation.
Unwittingly, Elara, after consuming my heart, sought to bind herself to him as queen.
A divine vessel freely given, Zagan was all too pleased to accept, especially since she could summon the entire Phoenix clan.
A naive girl and a brutal butcher—locked together by fate.
As I started to walk away, Elara blocked me.
"Phoebe, I recall in our past life, the Beast King did not personally escort you down the mountain, did he?"
Pretending ignorance, I replied, "Whatever are you talking about, dear sister?"
Elara looked down on me with scorn, her tone dripping with smugness, "Nothing really, just noting how lonely you looked descending alone. Unlike me, accompanied by the Beast King himself—clearly, he holds me in high regard."
I smiled thinly, "Indeed, so valued that upon learning he'll marry you, he rushed to take a rabbit demon as a concubine. Quite the measure of his esteem."
Elara's complexion turned ashen. "The Beast King assured me, once I come of age and we marry, he will dismiss those concubines!"
"Didn't you once claim no man could ever be truly loyal? Why the surprise now?"
Elara, incensed, raised her hand to strike me, but the Empress intervened, reminding her to maintain her composure before the Beast King.
Elara glared venomously at me. "Phoebe, should misfortune befall you, don't dare beg for my help."
I turned away, struggling to contain my laughter.
This life promises quite the spectacle!