Phoenix's Flame: Rise Of The Unseen Magic
In the city of Sintil, known for its radiant gardens and azure rivers, there lived a young woman named Evaline. A strange contrast to the luscious vibrance of the city, Evaline was an outcast, avoided and overlooked due to her lack of magic in a world where magic equaled power.
Her only companion was a hatchling phoenix named Ignis, fiery orange with glints of gold, who perched atop her shoulder and shared her love for ordinary things. The unusual friendship generated from a shared experience of abandonment. The phoenix was orphaned, its egg rejected due to its half size.
In Sintil, the Magus ordered magic-related tasks. The city was bedecked with enchantments, floating lights shimmering in the night and houses suspended in midair. Evaline yearned to be recognized by the Magus, to be accepted as an equal.
One day, an announcement resonated through the city. A tournament was to be held to determine the successor of the Magus. Magic-users from every corner were to gather and display their aptitude. The opportunity she'd been longing for had finally arrived.
Evaline felt a twinge of melancholy. Her chances were slim and her skills non-existent. Looking into Ignis' amber eyes, she felt an unexpected spark of courage. Despite the inevitable ridicule and defeat, she resolved to participate.
As anticipated, her presence provoked laughter. Far from crushing her spirit, it ignited a fierce determination. Evaline stepped onto the aged battleground, her eyes meeting the sneers of the crowd.
The tournament commenced. The air filled with crackles of energy, as combatants wielded their magic. Elemental mages harnessed the power of nature, others manipulated time and space, but each fell in the face of their contenders.
And then, it was Evaline’s turn. She stepped into the arena, Ignis on her shoulder. A voice echoed, a chilling laughter belonging to Derik, the most powerful among them. Evaline's lack of magic made her an easy target.
Derik wielded the destructive raw magic, throwing a wave of dark energy at Evaline. She closed her eyes, accepting defeat, when Ignis suddenly enveloped her in its wings. A bright light exploded and surprisingly, the destructive magic dispersed.
Opening her eyes, Evaline noticed fire crawling up Ignis' wings. She reached out and felt the burning energy, expecting pain, but instead, she felt alive. The bird stared at her, almost knowingly, then nudged her with its beak.
As if nudging her abilities awake too, she commanded, mimicking Derik's gesture, and a wave of fire matched the dark energy. The crowd gasped, their laughter replaced with disbelief as Derik was blown out of the battleground.
Derik's defeat echoed in the hushed whispers of the crowd. The remaining participants withdrew, some out of fear, others in respect. The Magus, with intrigued wrinkles around his eyes, declared Evaline the winner.
Shock washed over Evaline as the city bowed to her. Magic which she craved, had been within her reach all along. It was a magic unlike any other, a unique bond with a creature equally unique.
Her once ridiculed alliance with Ignis became the city's fascination. The city that once overlooked her started to view her as the one to lead them into a new era of understanding and compassion. And Evaline found herself becoming the person she was waiting for so long, a magic user, not by birth, not by studying the ancient scripts, but via a bond of love and acceptance with a creature shunned and disregarded, just like her.