Re: (Pha-Hu) The Lesser Temple-of-Twenty-Seven-Stories
The Sword of Bale flashed, and Max felt a single twang of pain as the blade cut him clean. He felt his soul free his body, and felt the presence of the Fierce God waver - but no -
In his death, the Fierce God was there.
Max knew, with a sinking heart, that the Fierce God would be with him in his next life.
As Max was reborn, within Xi, he felt a strange despair. He was not a fluid creature, not anymore - he could not take the wings of the eagle, the claws of the tiger, the instincts of the wolf.. no. No. He was Max. That was all. He could not transform. The power had been ripped from him, stolen and devoured by the Sword of Bale.. he would never know the Sacred Beast. Never again.
The last image before he died was of Pha-hu weeping uncontrollably over the corpse, finally mourning for an entire people.
But Max had paid the price. He'd repented. Once reborn, he could once again start the long walk to becoming a true hero..