Kallai - Suzaku, The Phoenix
So, we’ve got concept art for Suzaku for the big Immortality revamp and a little bit of information to go with him. This is Kallai, one of the acting Saint Beasts and the replacement for the fanfic’s Marco. In a lot of ways, he’s similar to his predecessor, but there are some differences in personality. Anyway, here’s a little bio for the blue chicken!
Name: Kallai, Kai - Familial name used by family and close friends.
Species: Phoenix.
Physically, Kallai is the second eldest Saint Beast in the current timeline, with Byakko the tiger being the eldest and Genbu the tortoise the youngest. There is no currently acting Seiryu and the dragon clan is waiting for one to be named. However, Kallai has had the most rebirths out of all of the Saint Beasts, so if past lives are to be counted, he’s by far the oldest. This is his 4th rebirth and 5th life.
Kallai’s last rebirth occurred at the end of the last war shortly before the last Seiryu died. He was raised by Enoch, a giant of great renown known for holding up the sky when it fell. Being the last of his kind, Enoch has a penchant for adopting strays from other clans who have nowhere to go. This is how Kallai comes to know the tiger, his natural enemy, as his brother.
Kallai is a very stoic man. He does his best to put duty before everything else, but phoenixes are known to be easily swayed. He has a dislike for humans, in part due to their role in the war, and has kept a comfortable distance from them since childhood. Kallai was named Suzaku partway through his first life. During that first life, he had no one from his own clan willing to care for him and was sent to live with harpies in a land on the very edges of the mythos realm, right by the human world.
Once known as the most powerful predatory bird mythos in the realm, the phoenix clan has become more ornate in the advent of the Saint Beasts and Suzaku in particular. When the mythos realm came together, a lot of predatory mythos lost their primary prey. The phoenix clan was no exception. Today, they’re a far more docile creature than their ancestry shows. Kallai is old enough to remember how the clan was before, though.
Not every species of mythos is immortal. The phoenix is one of the few. Their average rebirthing cycle is 500 to 1,000 years, but any number of circumstances can shorten that timeframe from sickness to unnatural death or even stress. After death, the phoenix’s body turns to ash. Through their ashes, a new egg is formed from which their new form will emerge. After emerging from the egg, the hatchling is vulnerable. It must rely on others for food, water, shelter and safety until reaching maturity after 100 years. During these formative years, phoenixes risk a true death. They heal slowly and can’t rebirth if killed. After reaching maturity, the phoenix young will come into its power and with it, will recall its previous lives. There are also instances where the eldest phoenixes will not be reborn after death. No egg will be born from their ashes, and they experience a true death.
