Thank you to Iket45 for beta-ing this.

And thank you to all of my followers, and thank you to Angron, Artofnerdistry, Augustas Autumns, Drsquirtle, Formulaic01, ForstWolf Fenrir, Greg27, Iria Stars, Jakob Silverheart, MaidenOfTheSky334, Phys09, SomeGuyLovinLife, chaosphoenix123, kevin. , lokiwinners, and JasonWills2019 for favoriting and reviewing.

Forest For The Trees

4 Years Later; x790;

The teenage boy sprinted through the forest, leaping over every boulder and fallen tree in his way in order to evade his pursuer. But he knew he couldn't run for long. Soon enough he'd be caught, and then he was in for hell.

His bare feet slapped against the dirt at a breakneck pace, staining baggy azure pants that were tied closes around his ankles. He breathed heavily through a dark blue cloth half-mask, which covered his neck all the way down to his sleeveless, black skin-tight shirt which outlined his abs. Dragging behind him was a white trimmed azure gi that he'd tied around his waist, and his signature orange scarf.

His charcoal eyes saw that he was approaching a much denser part of the forest. He glanced backward; no sign of his pursuer, but that didn't mean they weren't close. He threw his hands, clothed in elbow-length gloves that covered his middle fingers, behind him. A blue aura formed around his body and his spiky dark purple hair began to produce little azure sparks.

His speed increases dramatically. The world around him started to turn into a blur of greens and browns, but it just as quickly came back into focus. With a burst of blue flame from his feet, he jumped up into the tree branches. Graceful as a dancer, he leaped from branch to branch, trying to create as much distance between himself and his hunter as possible.

"Your bones have lost density, meaning that you will be much more agile than the average human," the dark blue bird explained, "Paired with your enhanced eyesight, you'll be able to perform acrobatic feats no ordinary human is capable of."

CRACK!

The sound of trees falling in the distance caught his attention. Taking another glance backward, he saw a total of five azure missiles chasing after him. The first four he dodged with relative ease, but the fifth managed to hit his side, burning away the thin cloth that covered it.

But the boy hardly even noticed. Blue flames appeared around the rip, covering it before fading away, revealing the garment to be good as new.

"This shall be the outfit you train in," the phoenix stated, gesturing to a pile of torn-up blue clothes.

"This?" the child asked in disbelief.

The bird nodded. "I understand that it may not look like much, but trust me when I say that it is the best armor a Phoenix Slayer could wear. Please, try to pour some of your Phoenix Slayer Magic into it."

The child sighed. "Alright." With a reluctant hand, he summoned what little Phoenix magic he could and poured it into the clothes.

Light spread through the ripped clothes. They melded and shifted, transforming into serpents of flame that wrapped themselves around the child. He was too stunned to move, but when he could, he saw that he was wrapped in an entirely new outfit.

"This garment bonds itself to its wearer's soul and conforms itself to their will. It also possesses self-repair features, so there is no need to worry about it being damaged during a fight."

The boy knew he would reach a clearing very soon. Grinning beneath his mask, he increased his speed once again, no longer needing branches as he could just bounce his feet off the sides of the trees' trunks. Like a blue comet, he flew through the forest sky.

His final jump sent him high over the clearing. Twisting in mid-air, he summoned his weapon: a golden bow, shaped like a pair of eagle wings. He pulled the bowstring back, and three arrows like bird beaks took form. Indigo lit up the tips of his arrows, A hidden smirk crossed his face as he released them.

"Like your new clothing, your weapon will also bind itself to you, and take the form you desire it to." The Phoenix pointed his wing at a beat-up katana.

The child didn't hesitate this time. He poured his magic into the blade and watched in awe as it transformed into a bow.

"An archer, hm? Perhaps that's good. Phoenix Slayers lack long-range capabilities, so maybe becoming an archer wouldn't be such a bad idea. And with your newly enhanced eyesight and colored flames, who knows what you could be capable of with that."

BOOM!

Indigo erupted through the treetops, incinerating the forest tops and bringing down several of the mighty oaks that once stood proud. The boy felt guilty about desecrating what was once his favorite place to play, but if it meant losing the one chasing after him, he'd burn the whole forest.

However, it seemed as though his arrows did nothing but slow his pursuer down. He floated down to the ground and dispersed his weapon. He should've known running would be futile. Bare feet back on the grass, he reluctantly decided to stand his ground.

His follower burst forth from the forest, bringing down several trees in his path. Locking eyes with the boy, he dived right at him.

The boy fell to the ground, just barely dodging in time. His opponent flew right over his head, but he glanced back just in time to see him make his return. The mask around his face vanished as he sprung back up and screamed, "Fire Phoenix's Screech!"

A beam of condensed blue flames shot at his opponent, who simply glided to the right. Grunting, the boy lit his foot up in azure flame, following up his last attack with a "Fire Phoenix's Talons!"

His swift kick cuts through the air and his opponent's cheek. His adversary crashes onto the ground, forming a dent within the soft earth.

However, the beast picks himself up with ease. The flap of its mighty azure wings blows away all nearby foliage. His avian body, seemingly composed entirely of blue flames, radiates a heat that could rival the sun. Slitted eyes look down upon the boy from past his razor-sharp beak, equally razor-sharp talons primed to tear him limb from limb.

He inhales sharply, then blasts the boy with a similar jet of blue flames. But unlike Romeo's Screech, this one hits its mark, sending the boy flying into a nearby tree.

Blue flames light up around the boy's clothes and wounds. Like it does to the cloth around his body, the blue flames mend the child's seared flesh, restoring it to its original tan color. His head injury, received upon impact with the tree, seals up. The only evidence that he was ever injured was the few drops of red scattered across the boy's skin.

"Finally, the Phoenix's most useful survival mechanism: our healing. With your newfound healing factor, you'll be able to restore entire limbs in mere moments!" the Phoenix screeched, but then turned serious.

"But be careful. Though you can heal yourself significantly better than the average human, that doesn't mean you can't be fatally wounded. You are still very much mortal."

And Romeo was starting to feel that mortality right now. Staring down the massive fire beast in front of him, he knew his time was limited.

"Romeo…" his ancient voice spoke, and the boy gulped.

Even with miles upon miles of forest for him to escape into, Romeo found himself unable to run. Exhaustion and fear had long since turned his legs into jelly. Now he was nothing more than a sitting duck in the beast's crosshairs.

"P-please…" the boy begged, getting onto his hands and knees and groveling.

"Please! No more training today, Pyris! I'm begging you!"

Pointed eyes glared into the boy's soul. After what felt like an eternity to the child, a reluctant sigh escaped Pyris' lips. "Very well." He smiled.

Romeo collapsed on the ground. His body spread out across the dirt, heavily enjoying the sensation of the cool earth on his skin. "Oh thank gods!" he gasped.

The giant bird chuckled, flying above the boy and shrinking down to the size of a parrot. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

The boy lifted his head up to glare at the phoenix. "You made me run around the perimeter of Magnolia Forest! Fifty times!"

"You survived, didn't you?" Pyris laughed, "Besides, with the exception of this little skirmish, you did quite well."

Romeo groaned. "Yeah, well you try fighting after dealing with all that bullshit."

"I never said that this would be easy for you, did I?"

"No…" Romeo let out an exasperated sigh.

"Exactly." The phoenix nodded. "You knew from the start that learning my magic wouldn't be easy. You're the one who chose this path."

Romeo frowned. "Yeah, yeah." His back thumped against the tree he crashed into. He balled his hands into fists, and his hair cast shadows over his eyes.

"Hm?" the phoenix questioned, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" the boy sighed, "It's just… I have this magic, but I can't actually use it!" He threw his hands in the air. "I have to keep it a secret from everybody. Even my family, the people I wanted to learn this magic for."

"I understand that it may seem pointless," Pyris admitted, "But trust me when I say that there will come a time when you'll be able to use that magic as you please. I simply wish for you to be prepared for anyone who may hunt you down for using it."

Romeo raised an eyebrow. "What? Like the people who locked you away?"

Pyris nodded. "You never know who you can trust in this world, so it's best to be prepared for the worst."

"Yeah, alright," Romeo groaned as he began his long trudge back to Magnolia with Pyris flying behind him. Along the way, he grabbed a drink from within a running stream. For as well as his healing could take care of his injuries, it did little to nothing for his exhaustion. He had to take a break several times when walking back simply because he was too tired to keep going.

Roughly an hour later, the boy and the bird made it to the edge of the forest. Romeo was relieved to finally get back home and rest, but Pyris wasn't as excited as he was. The phoenix visibly tensed, and Romeo, being linked with him, sensed it. Pyris quickly flew at the boy, phasing and seemingly disappearing into his body.

"What's up?" the boy asked.

"There's someone standing just outside this forest" Pyris answered from within the teenager's mind, "I'm unsure who, but it's possible that they've been spying on us this whole time. Stay on your guard."

Heeding Pyris' warning, Romeo carefully inched towards the forest's exit. He caught the silhouette of someone leaning up against a tree, outlined by the light of the setting sun. The figure was hard to make out at first, but as he moved closer, he realized exactly who he was looking at.

He wasn't sure if he should've been surprised or furious about it.

Leaning against the tree, clad in her usual long sleeved yellow top, jean shorts, thigh high black stockings, sneakers, and the large green beanie she used to cover her short, ash brown hair was his old best friend. She must've heard him approach because her golden eyes were locked right onto him.

The two said nothing for a while. An awkward silence permeated the air, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves and the slight pitter-patter of forest creatures running across the ground. They were as still as statues, unable to move for fear of making the wrong one. Until finally, Romeo spoke;

"Lindsey?"

The girl looked like she was gasping for air. What she wanted to say was right on the tip of her tongue, it just wouldn't make that final leap into being spoken words. So instead she groaned, clenching her fists and aggressively turning away from him. "Yeah, yeah, big surprise!" she said through clenched teeth.

"I mean, considering how you haven't spoken to me in four years…" Romeo drawled, putting his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, kinda is."

"Well…" She frowned before grimacing. "Well, it's not my fault you won't let go of your failure of a guild!" She turned back to glare at him.

A tic mark appeared on Romeo's forehead. "Oh, really?!" He glared back. "Wow! You're right! Twilight Ogre is just soooo much better," he yelled, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Who wouldn't want to be in a guild full of extortionists?!"

Lindsey gasped. "They're not- They-" She gripped her bangs, groaning to herself before exploding at the boy. "We're the ones helping your guild stay afloat!"

"Wow, you joined Lamia Scale?" Romeo asked, "Gee, when did this happen?" He batted his eyes.

Lindsey growled. Face red, her body was visibly shaking. She let out a sigh like it was a breath of fire. "You're still just as annoying as ever," she said, as she started to walk away.

"This was a mistake," she whispered.

"What was a mistake?"

Lindsey turned her head back to see a genuinely curious boy. "Nothing, I…" She fidgeted with her arms a little and only then did Romeo notice the slight bruising hidden beneath her sleeves. "I gotta go." And she took off.

"Lindsey, wait!" Romeo called after her, but she was already gone.

And here we go, a nice little training/battle thing to outline some of Romeo's skills, powers, and tools. He does obviously have more spells and tricks under his sleeves, but I think those will be better saved for something I have planned in the future.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, and Review!