"Ah-choo!"
Ughh, it seems like I've caught a cold or something.
I really dislike the cold. It's not that I mind having a fever, but dealing with a sore throat and forcing food down is just unpleasant.
Ironically, my favorite season is winter, mainly because of the snow and cozy sweater hoodies.
"Kriek!"
Oh, right.
Now is not the time to dwell on my likes and dislikes.
In front of me, there sat a red baby bird on the table, chirping energetically. It almost felt like she was urging me to feed her… because she was.
Oh, yes, in the past few weeks, I managed to determine the gender of the Phoenix.
She's a she!
...I mean, she's a girl!
You see, I was under the illusion that Phoenixes and Dragons were genderless because I read somewhere that they could reproduce asexually.
However, my master informed me that they can also reproduce through normal means. So, I decided to check the gender of my Phoenix, and yeah, she's a girl.
In just three and a half weeks, she has already grown to the size of my hand.
At this rate, in the time of one month, she will be the size of my arm. Her growth rate is astonishing.
Upon doing some research and asking about it with my master, I found out that the most significant growth period for Phoenixes is during their youth.
Essentially, they mature rapidly. Once they reach their youth, their aging slows down considerably.
They remain in their youthful state for years, only growing in size and power, gradually approaching adulthood until their aging process comes to a halt completely.
If a Phoenix is killed, they rise from their ashes and are reborn— hence they are said to be the symbol of immortality.
The only way a Phoenix can be hurt or killed is either by another Phoenix or if they willingly choose to end their own life.
"Huaaa!" As all these thoughts flashed in my mind, a tired yawn escaped my lips.
Damn, I was sleepy.
"Kriek! Kriek!"
Her chirping snapped me back to reality, pulling me out of my drowsy state.
"Right, right," I let out a sleepy sigh and pushed a spoonful of berries towards her. "Here you go."
As she pecked at the berries with her beak, I observed her actions, feeling myself gradually drifting back into a doze.
I knew she would wake me up again with her loud chirping or a gentle poke in no time.
Now, don't blame me for not taking proper care of her. I assure you, I'm doing my best.
It's just that I don't have any experience with pets.
Besides, it's currently 4:56 AM. It's barely morning, and here I am, sacrificing my precious sleep to feed her!
It's only natural that I feel sleepy!
"Kriek!"
"Yeah, there you go."
As I watched her gobble down the berries, I felt as if a sudden urge to pet her had overcome me.
Without any particular reason, I gently started stroking her cute little head.
"Krieekekek~"
She seemed to enjoy it, as she rubbed her head against mine in response.
"Aww, you're cute," a smirk formed on my lips.
However, my expression quickly shifted to a pensive one as I rested my chin on the hand that was previously petting her.
When I took my hand off her, she let out a sad cry but my mind was somewhere else as I let out a sigh and muttered, "It feels weird."
"Kriek?"
"No, not you," I squinted my eyes as I looked at her, deep in thought. "Referring to you as 'you' or 'baby bird' feels weird. I think it's time to give you a name."
Not bothering to listen to my drowsy rambling, she continued to stuff the food in her mouth.
"But what should I name you?" I pondered aloud. "You're probably the last of your kind alive in the world right now."
A name for the final phoenix, huh?
Or perhaps a name for the first phoenix in years.
As I observed her, noticing the subtle fiery glow emanating from her, only one name came into my head.
"Seraphina," I whispered quietly, then nodded decisively and declared it out loud. "From this moment onward, I will name you Seraphina."
"Kriek~"
"Aww, you like it?" I grinned, my smile widening as I lovingly stroked her head again. "How cute."
After feeding and petting Seraphina to my heart's content, I rose from my seat and began to put on my tracksuit.
I had plans to meet up with Leo. The semester exams were finally over and we had a two-day break.
During this time, the instructors would be grading our exams and determining our scores based on both written and physical evaluations.
Leo had already set plans for the next two days. He wanted me to perfect Mirage Walk and work on my techniques.
So yeah, I'll be training day and night again. Of course, I'll come back from time to time to check up on Sera and feed her.
When I asked Leo when he was going to evaluate our scores for the weapon arts exam which he had overseen, he said that he had already done it.
I was once again left speechless.
That man is a monster, I'm telling y'all.
While the rest of the instructors had not even begun to grade us yet, he was already done with it!
Haaa.
Moving on, only the cadets with a high academic ranking and high scores on the semester exams would be eligible to participate in the main event of the King's Tournament.
The tournament would run seven days and it would be broadcasted live on news channels worldwide.
The main game, which would determine the next in line for the King's throne, or simply, the next Cadet Council president, would occur on the final day– the seventh day.
Only those with the top 200 academic rankings or higher would be able to participate in the main game.
Other cadets could only participate in side games if they so desired. The side games would offer various rewards, by the way.
Since I was confident that I would easily secure a spot within the top 200, Leo said that I should be focusing on nothing but growing stronger.
Sighing softly, I once again caressed Seraphina's head. "You stay here until I return, alright?"
"Kriek!"
