From The Ashes - 004 (Patreon)

Chapter 004 – Ascending

[2012]

The young mother turned around instinctively when she noticed the sudden bright glow behind her as well as the absence of explosions and attacks, though what she saw made her come to a halt, her eyes widening in disbelief while her limbs trembled in shock.

The dozen aerial vehicles on which the aliens had approached her daughter and her, as well as dozens of other fleeing people around, were suspended in midair in the flaming grip of a gigantic blazing bird.

The seemingly blue and yellow flames that made up its wings and tails had captured the gliders and their alien passengers, and with a hauntingly beautiful cry, they were reduced to ashes and crushed pieces of hot metal.

Nora couldn't quite believe her eyes at what she was witnessing, even after the horrifying events of the day that had led to this point.

A long graceful neck seeming similar to a crane extended into a flaming head and a slim sharp beak, three glowing yellow tails that shone brighter than the sun itself entangled with a single fluid feather that was made up of blue fire, and a pair of huge blazing wings that covered the sky.

The young mother couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing but inexplicable relief washed over her as her hope was reignited fully.

She had never seen something comparable to the flaming avian in the sky, its beauty and majesty simply otherwordly. But the fact that it didn't seem human at all made her place her trust in it, feeling as if everything would be okay now that it had appeared.

After all, it was a battle between humans and humanoid creatures that was causing destruction all around them.

Naturally, it was easy to discern that those few extraordinary individuals were fighting back the attackers to protect the city, but Nora had seen the people being buried under masses of concrete as a consequence of their clash, so her trust in them was limited at best.

Not to mention that her daughter and she had nearly shared the same fate while they had been fleeing.

She knew that it wasn’t a fair assessment as she could tell that they were trying their best but emotions rarely followed rational excuses.

Still, in this desperate situation, finding something or someone that she could place her hopes in, something greater than a human, was also a way for her mind to find some peace and rest as the constant fear and panic had started to whittle down her mental defenses.

"CYAA!", the gorgeous mystical creature cried out again as it flapped its wings, raindrops of condensed blue fire raining down on the streets below while it tore through the sky with incomparable speed.

Nora though just stood there with her daughter in her arms, still in somewhat of a daze from what she had just witnessed as the fire rain touched her figure and a pleasant warmth seemed to spread through her body, relieving her of her pain and exhaustion while causing the wound on her leg to close up slowly.

…

Even immaterial as my body was in my phoenix form, I still had a 'form', which was a strange contradiction, but it also allowed me to exert physical force through my flaming body.

And considering that Marco's powers came from a Mythical Zoan Fruit, the physical strength that this fruit had granted him, and now myself, was simply titanic.

Crushing a dozen gliders in my grip was a minor effort at best as even the alien alloy seemed as fragile as rotten wood to me.

Added to the enhancement granted through the spiritual energy that flowed over the surface of my fiery form, I felt as if a single blow of mine could bring down even the highest and sturdiest building in the city with ease.

My fire though had much less destructive power than I wished it had. It wasn't hot and didn't burn as well as a normal fire would without imbuing a considerable amount of Haki.

It made me remember that Marco's fire was primarily a source of healing and restoration which would allow me to survive and regenerate even if my limbs were ripped off or in case parts of my skull were crushed.

The regenerative powers that I now possessed were truly ridiculous even if they required a lot of stamina, or even my vitality if I overdid it, which would result in a reduction of my lifespan.

Still, this was to be expected as endless regeneration without a cost was but a pipe dream. There was no free meal in this world, nothing that was purely advantageous without any downsides.

In reality, everything had a price, every debt its debtor. Even if one couldn't see those downsides clearly sometimes, only a weak man would deny their existence.

Life was never easy. Instead, it was a constant struggle for but a few moments of peace and happiness.

I wasn't sure if there existed something like a cosmic scale that kept everything in balance but whenever I thought back to the bright days that I had spent with her and the pain that her absence caused me, I was inclined to believe it.

It was as if my happiness had tipped the scales too much in one direction, which had required correction from some kind of higher power.

Thus my joy and love had been taken from me in a cruel twist of fate, and I had been powerless to stop it.

But as I tore through the sky and slaughtered every Chitauri in my path, I started to realize that I wasn't powerless anymore. Nor had I reached the limit of individual power that existed in this Universe, not by a long shot.

So maybe, there was a way to escape this loop and truly be happy when I reached the peak of personal strength.

Maybe this was something that I could strive for with the second chance that I had been granted.

I wasn't sure about all this but a tiny seed had already started to sprout in my heart, signifying the revival of my will and determination to forge ahead.

Suddenly though, my attention was drawn elsewhere as my Observation Haki seemed to warn me with a faint premonition of danger, my inhuman senses informing me about the happenings around me.

…

Looking at the row of monitors that showed the situation in New York through traffic cams, a multitude of security cams, and satellite pictures, Fury silently listened in on the communication between his two agents, the Captain, and Stark, a deep frown on his face.

“I can close it. Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!”

Agent Romanoff's statement caused him to inwardly sigh in relief, even though he knew that things weren't over yet, not with a missile heading for the city center. Not to mention the unknown flaming avian creature that had suddenly appeared and started to massacre the Chitauri.

The missile though was without a doubt the thing that occupied his mind the most, its threat level even greater than the portal, considering the devastation that it would certainly cause if it hit, as opposed to the 'potential' destruction that might ensue if the portal couldn't be closed.

“Do it!”, the Captain urged without hesitation, knowing that they were helplessly outnumbered in this invasion.

"No wait!", Stark interrupted as Fury followed the genius inventor's flight path on the monitor, seeing him approach the nuclear warhead.

“Stark, these things are still coming!”, Rogers called out in response to Stark's objection.

"I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute.", Stark revealed before pausing for a few moments as he caught up with the missile and stated, "And I now just where to put it."

Fury understood the implications behind Stark's words as well as Rogers did, so he wasn't surprised as the Captain asked him if he was sure about what he was attempting.

Though as he watched with clenched fists as Stark carried the missile in the direction of the portal, his frown got deeper and deeper because the images clearly showed that his suit was damaged, which caused his thruster output to be lacking.

Looking at the sharp curve that Stark would have to make to avoid crashing into his tower, the dim hope that Fury had held onto, which had made him believe that they might be able to divert this catastrophe, died out almost entirely as he gritted his teeth.

Dread rose from the bottom of his heart as he thought about what was going to happen next.

…

"Jarvis, more juice to the chest thrusters!", Tony called out urgently, trying his best to steady his flight path despite the failing leg thruster.

And even though he felt the extra boost pushing him upwards, he knew that he wouldn't make it, the facade of the Stark Tower expanding rapidly in his vision.

Shocked outcries and hurried calls came over the com as Rogers and Barton called for him to correct his course but Tony was as helpless as them at the moment.

A hint of fear and despair caused his eyes to widen as he exerted every ounce of strength that he could muster, despite knowing that it would be futile.

And just when he was only moments from crashing into the building, the nuclear warhead still in his grasp, he felt a strong grip around his waist pulling him upwards along with the weapon of mass destruction that he was carrying.

Looking down in shock, Tony's sight was greeted by a massive flaming talon gripping his waist.

His head snapping back as he looked up, he caught sight of a man that was enveloped in raging blue flames whose legs had the appearance of a bird's legs, his feet replaced by huge sharp talons.

One of which was carrying him while the other held onto the missile.

Tony couldn't really react to the happenings around him before the hybrid creature let go of him, a storm of fire erupting from the wing-turned arms that enabled the man to cut through the air and approach the portal in the sky like an ascending phoenix.