286 Shall we go hunting ?
She then said to him, ‘Thanks to your father I was able to become extremely powerful, the fact of having absorbed all these lava stones and all these particles of fire and light allowed me to evolve into a divine creature, but nothing is free and in return he wants me to protect you, not the other way around.’
Axel looked at Kevin and told him what Willow had just told him and Kevin could feel that Axel was sad after her rejection so he asked her again : “Willow, when the God of Destruction entrusted you to us I wasn’t yet able to use my powers freely, and neither was Axel, but now it’s different we’re strong enough to offer you our protection and we would really like you to be able to think of us as your family.”
Willow fluttered her wings gently, she could feel the pain she had inflicted on Axel with her words, it wasn’t her intention though, and they both seemed sincere so she asked Axel, ‘Do you really want me to think of you as my family, as if I had two daddies?’
Axel’s mood that had been rather dull after their first exchange changed dramatically, his smile became dazzling and he simply nodded to confirm that this was what they both wanted and Willow then said to him, ‘If the God of Destruction agrees then I will be happy to be part of your family, I will be a good girl I promise.’
She added then quickly, ‘But as soon as I’m able to use my powers I want to come and fight by your side.’
After hearing this, Axel felt so relieved that he hurried to tell the good news to Kevin who was waiting for her answer : “Kev, she’s willing to let us be her parents, and she just warned me that she wants to come and fight with us as soon as she’s able to.”
Kevin smiled at her and then he asked her with concern : “Willow, tell me sweetie, what kind of food to you need, how are we suppose to feed you?”
Willow clicked her beak and she rubbed her head against Axel’s palm again and she said to him, ‘I need meat, and if it could come from magical beasts it would be even better.’
Axel’s eyes widened and he gave this information to Kevin who was also surprised because Willow was so tiny and she already wanted to eat meat, so he asked her doubtful, “Can you already eat meat… and how much do you need?”
Willow answered through the link that she had managed to create to communicate with Axel, ‘I need a lot of meat and yes I am already able to eat it, phoenixes are carnivores and what we prefer is to feed on magical beasts, the more powerful they are the more tasty they are and the more their meat help us to strengthen our body.’
Axel smirked and then he said to Kevin : “Our baby looks hungry and she said that the more powerful the magical beasts are the better for her… So, shall we go hunting Kev?”
Kevin smirked too and he said to him : “Let’s go to the Wildlands it’s the best place to find magical beasts right?”
Axel nodded and he contacted his father because he wanted him to reassure Willow and he wanted to ask him something before they left to hunt, ‘Dad, can you please join us?’
Mykael immediately appeared in front of them and he gasped when he saw the phoenix in his son’s hands, he then said to them : “Damn, this phoenix is unlike any other I have ever known and his power is far beyond what it should have been after he was born.”
Kevin then explained to him : “That’s because she is a divine creature and not a legendary one, and apparently it was you who allowed her to become so powerful.”
Mykael frowned when he realized that this phoenix could already communicate with them and that the ‘he’ was finally a she… And then before he could asked them how she communicated with them, Axel told him that her name was Willow, and he asked him hesitantly : “I asked you to come to see if you could allow Willow to come to our dimension, there will be more space for her there if she needs to exercise and Kevin said that this dimension is charged with spiritual energy so she will also be able to continue to absorb fire and light particles to become stronger.”
Mykael still couldn’t believe it, this phoenix was the first of her kind that evolved into a divine creature, he knew that the phoenixes of her home world were more powerful than any he had met so far but from there to become a divine creature… He didn’t even know that it was possible.
He said as he saw the hopeful look on Axel’s and Kevin’s faces : “Well, I think it might be useful for her, but I’ll only do it for her and your future children, not your friends that’s clear, it must remain a safe haven for you.”
He saw the relief on their faces and so he conjured up a ring in his hand that he connected to their dimension, then he showed it to Kevin and asked him to use the Chain of Restraint to create an unbreakable necklace for her like that she could wear it on her, and once it was done he held his hand out to Axel saying : “I just need to connect this ring to her energy and she will have access to your dimension.”
Axel only hesitated for a second, he knew very well that his father wouldn’t hurt her and when Willow found herself in the hand of the God of Destruction, she rubbed her head against his palm and then he heard her voice that sounded like a teenage girl in his mind, ‘Mykael, God of Destruction, or should I call you the Guardian of Worlds, that title suits you much better. Thank you for saving me, I saw in my parents’ memories that you were their friend and that you tried to save them too. Thank you for allowing me to keep their memories and all the knowledge of my ancestors, I promise to watch over them when I will have access to my powers.’
Mykael smiled and said to her, ‘Actually I’m afraid that grandpa is a more appropriate term now that my son and son-in-law have decided to adopt you.’
He then said sincerely to her, ‘Welcome to our family little phoenix and don’t worry about protecting them, they don’t need a bodyguard anymore. They had become much more powerful than I had expected and they will become even more stronger in the future, you’re safe with them.’
He added looking her in the eye, ‘You know, they both grew up in an orphanage with no family and they were really looking forward to having you… You will be very happy with them believe me.’