Phoenix under the Umbrella (Umbrella Academy AU) Chapter 16: Creation and Destruction (Patreon)

[Third Person's PoV] 


Everyone was still in shock from the revelations and took a minute to process everything. Vanya turned toward Nathan. “Have you known this entire time?”


“Only about the fact that he’s an alien,” Nathan replied casually. “You know I’m someone who respects the privacy of someone else’s deepest inner thoughts. Surface-level thoughts are fair game, though.”


“And you didn’t tell us because?” Allison asked, raising an eyebrow.


Nathan shrugged. “Y’all never asked.”


They all gave Nathan a side-eye before turning their attention back to Reginald, who continued his story.


“After my late wife’s passing, I released the Marigold against my better judgment, hoping that among the children born, one might develop the power and abilities to give life to my wife once more,” Reginald revealed.


“And if I’m honest, I was most hopeful toward you... the beast inside you, the Phoenix, a symbol of life and rebirth, might be able to resurrect her. That’s why, even if I didn’t like you, I tolerated you for so long,” Reginald said, looking directly at Nathan.


The air around Nathan shifted as he assumed a more feminine posture, an arrogant look crossing his face as his eyes gained a fiery glow. The others looked confused until they heard her speak, “Call me a beast one more time, and those shall be the very last words you utter before I burn you to cinders.”


“Nathan?” Vanya asked worriedly.


“Ah, don’t worry, sweetheart. Nathan and I just switched places for a bit. He’s, as he would say, ‘chilling in the breakroom’... Wow, that was more embarrassing than I expected…” the Phoenix said, her tone carrying Nathan’s voice but with a distinct edge.


“Sweetheart?” Vanya muttered, her expression puzzled.


In Nathan’s mind, his voice echoed with laughter. *‘HAHAHAHA! “Chilling in the breakroom”? HAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD, THAT’S SO EMBARRASSING! I WOULD NEVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT! WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT FROM? HOW ARE YOU NOT DYING FROM EMBARRASSMENT?’*


The Phoenix felt her lips twitch at Nathan’s laughter in her head but chose to ignore him.


Reginald was visibly surprised to see the Phoenix had taken over Nathan so seamlessly. He cautiously approached her, his voice pleading, “Would it be possible for you, oh noble Phoenix, to bring my wife back from the dead?”


The Phoenix ignored Reginald’s hopeful gaze and, with a wave of her hand, telekinetically pushed him back, keeping him at a distance.


She then levitated the girl from the water container, bringing her directly in front of her. “Interesting…” the Phoenix muttered, extending her hand toward the girl.


“Stop! If you touch her, you’ll kill us all!” Reginald shouted, gritting his teeth as he struggled against the force holding him down.


“Father!” Luther called out, alarmed at seeing their father struggling to get up. He rushed over to Reginald before turning to the Phoenix, glaring at her. “What are you doing to him?” Luther demanded.


However the Phoenix ignored him completely and focused on the girl in front of it, The Phoenix's fiery gaze remained fixed on the girl suspended in front of her. The red glow from her chest intensified, casting an eerie light across the room. The Hargreeves siblings stood frozen, unsure whether to intervene or simply watch in stunned silence.


"This 'Durango' nonsense, as you call it," the Phoenix began, her voice carrying an ancient, almost ethereal quality, "is not what you think. It is a fragment, a mere shard of a much larger force. Durango is the essence of destruction, chaos personified, but confined and controlled within this vessel." She gestured slightly towards the girl.


The Phoenix's attention then shifted to Vanya. "And Marigold," she continued, "is the opposite. It is the essence of life, creation, and order. Marigold is what granted all of you your abilities. It is the very thing that sustains your powers, a gift and a curse that ties you to this existence."


Vanya looked both shocked and intrigued. "So... we were made from this Marigold?"


"Precisely," the Phoenix nodded. "But more importantly, Durango and Marigold are two halves of the same whole. When separated, they maintain a delicate balance. However, if they were ever to be reunited within one vessel..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the implication hanging in the air.


Reginald, still struggling to break free from the Phoenix’s telekinetic grip, tried to speak, but his voice was silenced by an unseen force. The Phoenix barely glanced at him, her disdain palpable.


"You all were never just children with powers," the Phoenix continued, addressing the siblings. "You were created as conduits, each of you embodying a piece of the Marigold. Reginald’s true goal was not simply to revive his wife, but to control both Durango and Marigold, to wield the power of creation and destruction as he sees fit."


Allison’s breath hitched. "You mean, we were just... experiments?"


"Experiments, yes. Tools for a greater purpose," the Phoenix said coldly. "But there’s more. The reason he tolerates Nathan," she smirked slightly, "is because I am the only force that could possibly control both Durango and Marigold without obliterating everything in existence. Reginald’s obsession with power has led him to this desperate gamble, hoping I would comply."


Diego clenched his fists. "And would you?"


The Phoenix turned her piercing gaze on him. "I have no desire to aid him in his schemes. But know this: the forces within you are not to be trifled with. If Durango and Marigold were to ever merge, not even I could predict the outcome. You were born into a game far more dangerous than any of you realize."


Silence fell over the room as the Phoenix released her hold on Reginald, who crumpled to the ground, gasping for air. The siblings exchanged glances, the weight of the revelations settling heavily on their shoulders.


The Phoenix gently set the girl back down, her body returning to its normal state as the glow faded. “I have no interest in meddling with these forces. I will not interfere with external powers, only help and guide Nathan in whatever he chooses to do next. But understand this: your father has only ever seen you as a means to an end. What you do with this knowledge is your choice.”


“But wait, there's something I don’t understand,” Klaus said, tilting his head in confusion. “If our father wanted to control both creation and destruction, why would he want us to blow up the girl? Wouldn't that be counterproductive?”


The others slowly turned to look at Klaus, their mouths agape, staring at him as if he were the alien.


“What?” Klaus asked, noticing their looks.


“Who are you, and what have you done with our brother? Did you get possessed by a ghost or something? Our brother wouldn’t ask such an intelligent question,” Diego said, placing his hand over Klaus’s forehead.


Klaus clicked his tongue, smacked Diego’s hand away, and began pouting.


The Phoenix chuckled at their banter. “Well, child, here’s something that applies to everyone, not just humans. When faced with the unknown, everyone has two instincts: to understand and control it, or to fear and destroy it.


“Your father has already tried the former and, if it isn't obvious, failed. So all that's left is the latter…”


They all turned toward Reginald, who was glaring at Nathan—or more precisely, at the Phoenix.


With that, the Phoenix's fiery eyes dimmed, and as Nathan slowly gained control, the Phoenix muttered, “I leave the fate of the girl in your hands.”


Nathan, with a slightly dazed expression on his face, said, “Well... that was a lot.” He scratched the back of his head, feeling the lingering tension in the room. The others could only nod in agreement, their minds reeling from the truth they had just learned.


“So what are you going to do with her?” Ben asked, his voice laced with curiosity and a hint of worry.


“You seem to care an awful lot about her,” Allison said, eyeing Ben suspiciously.


“Ooooh, maybe you looooove heeeerrrr,” Klaus teased, clasping his hands together and fluttering his eyelashes.


Ben blushed slightly and glared at Klaus. “Shut it, will you?”


“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill her,” Nathan said.


“What!” Reginald exclaimed, gritting his teeth. “Didn’t you hear what the Phoenix said? If any of you come into contact with her, it will cause the end of the world.”


“I heard her, old man, but not everything is black and white where the only option is to kill or not to kill,” Nathan retorted.


He mimicked the Phoenix’s earlier motion, causing the Durango inside the girl to glow. She suddenly looked up with a pained expression as everyone saw the Durango surfacing up her throat.


Her skin turned pale as the Durango was being extracted from her mouth.


“Wait, you’re killing her!” Ben shouted, alarmed by how pale and sickly the girl began to look.


“I’m not, you dumbass. Yes, she’s growing weak, but she isn’t dying. Now, Klaus, your flask. Empty it out and hand it to me. Controlling this is much more difficult than I anticipated, so hurry,” Nathan said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.


“What?! But do you know how much this scotch cost me?”


“Klaus!” they all shouted in unison.


Klaus clicked his tongue, then reluctantly reached into his jacket pocket, emptied out his flask, and handed it to Nathan.


Nathan carefully controlled the Durango, guiding it into the flask before telekinetically sealing it shut.


He let out a sigh of relief and gently levitated the unconscious, pale girl down to the floor. Dusting his hands, Nathan sighed, “There, crisis averted.”