Phoenix has his fist pulled back, he’s shaking but there is nothing but rage and hate in his body, his teeth are bared and his eyebrows drawn in, there’s fire burning in his eyes. His right fist is incased in flames and his left is pinning the man he hates to the wall by his neck.
The other man struggles to escape and Phoenix for the first time in his life is able to overpower him. Phoenix’s own fist almost hurts from how hot and ragged the flames are, the older man gasps in Phoenix’s grip, trying to get air in, but he’s still growling and he’s still trying to kick at Phoenix to be let go.
“I hope you rot in the claws of True Darkness themself, and if that makes me unworthy of love from the Goddess? Then so be it.” Phoenix spits out before tightening his fist to ram into the face of the man in his grip.
“PHOENIX NO!”
Phoenix stops mid swing, not looking toward the voice but recognising it as his dear younger sisters.
“Don’t try to stop me,” he hisses, sparks of fire intertwined in his breath “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
“I know but you’ve worked so hard, you’re past this, you’re beyond this!”
“I’M NOT!” Phoenix screams, stopping Eliza in her tracks.
“You don’t know how he hurt me- how he ruined my life,” Phoenix’s grip tightens around the older mans throat and he really starts to struggle to breathe “The things he’s done, they still effect me to this day.”
Eliza starts to step closer, nothing but love and care written on her face “I know Phoenix.. I can’t begin to imagine, you saved me, now I’m here to save you” she says, her voice tender.
Phoenix finally rips his gaze away from the older man and looks towards Eliza. He begins to shake more, fighting back any feelings that aren’t full of hatered. He looks back to the older man. “I need to do this- I need to I..” he begins to falter before shaking his head and tightening his grip, clenching his fist again “I need to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again!”
Suddenly Phoenix feels Eliza’s hand on his shoulder and he freezes.
“There’s other ways to make sure of that, my dear brother,,”
Hearing his sister say that, feeling her touch, he starts to choke up.
“You’re free now Phoenix,” Eliza continues “this will forever be a smudge on your person.. let the Gods decide what to do with him, you don’t need to worry about it anymore, you’ve proven your strength.”
Phoenix let’s go of the other man and the other man falls to the ground, coughing and choking and gripping at his own throat.
Phoenix feels the sting of tears at his eyes, refusing to let them fall until he feels Eliza hug him.
He feels a million miles away, he feels his legs give out beneath him and he feels Eliza grab onto him so he doesn’t fall too hard. He feels himself on his knees and then he feels himself begin to sob. Then he’s crying. Hard. And he can’t seem to stop. He folds in on himself and all Eliza can find herself doing his rubbing circles in her older brothers back.
The other man, her father, begins to get himself together and he moves to get back at Phoenix, but Eliza shoots him a glare that could kill and mouths words to him, silently telling him to stop. Phoenix may be a religious man but she isn’t. Her father instead decides to run.
“I just. I..” Phoenix truest to speak but his cries get in the way “I wanted to be truly free from him”
“You are Phoenix, you are.”
