55

"Alright, try it if you don't want your head intact with the rest of your body anymore."
"You..." Rolandro was rendered speechless.
"Go to sleep. I'll be out soon." Phoenix did not say another word and Rolandro miserably turned around. With a sigh of defeat, he headed back to the bed and sat, still pinching his nose.
"Gosh! Phoenix, why is your poop this smelly?" he muttered.
"Rolandro, if you can't bear it, please wait outside."
"Outside the room? Phoenix, I want to sleep and you're doing this... *grunts* You just wanna frustrate me, don't you?" Rolandro said unhappily.
"So what? If you can't bear this, how can you dream of beating an Alpha?"
"Is inhaling the terrible smell of poop related to defeating an Alpha? Phoenix, you clearly wanna get on my nerves."
"I already am, Rolandro."
"Phoenix...." Rolandro gritted his teeth.
****

10 minutes later, Phoenix came out in a black bathrobe, holding a transparent bottle (containing black liquid) in his right hand.
Rolandro, who had managed to close his eyes and sleep less than a minute ago, was forced to awaken after the pungent smell struck his nose. It was 10 times worse than before!
"Phoenix, what did I do to you? Why are you intent on causing trouble?" he asked in ire after sitting up on the bed.
"I'm causing trouble?" Phoenix asked with an 'innocent' face. "I just took this out of the bathroom. Have a look." he threw the bottle at Rolandro, who immediately dodged. It fell onto the bed, causing Rolandro to get off the bed.
Phoenix shook his head in pity. "Blind. You're truly blind. This is something many would kill to get, but here you are, actively rejecting it. Ignorance!" he shook his head again.

"Thank you. I agree that I'm blind. Just find somewhere to conceal it. Where did you even get this thing from?"
"It's not a thing, Rolandro. How I got it is also none of your business." Phoenix picked it from the bed and walked closer to Rolandro, who retreated until his back touched the wall.
"This is good stuff for bathing. Don't mind its smell. Once you use it, you'll like it. Here, you can have it."
"I don't want." Rolandro looked away. The smell of this thing was too strong. He could faint any moment.
"Sigh. Guess you have to experience what I mean."
"You... What do you wanna do?" Rolandro asked in alarm. He had a bad feeling.
"Since you're so ignorant. Why don't you go bathe again?" Phoenix suddenly poured the contents of the bottle onto Rolandro's hair, face and arms.
"Stop it." Rolandro growled.
"Relax. Don't you dare faint here or you'll have to drink it. Now go and wash, then come back and sleep."
"You... I won't let you off." Rolandro said as he rushed into the bathroom.
"Ignorance." Phoenix chuckled and kept the bottle in his storage ring. "Hey, man. Don't use any of the stuff in that bathroom. You're not gonna like the results tomorrow morning. Don't say I didn't warn you." he said loudly.
"Gahh!" he heard Rolandro yell in frustration at the bathroom and Phoenix smirked.

Minutes later, Rolandro walked out with a sulky face. Phoenix was already asleep on the couch. Rolandro curled his fingers into fists and gritted his teeth. It was very annoying that he couldn't use any of the things in the bathroom coz he was afraid of looking terrible tomorrow morning. And the smell in the bathroom almost killed him. Despite showering again, he still didn't feel clean and felt uncomfortable. He's really unlucky to be end up in the same room with this man. Why wasn't he paired with Dante? Afer causing trouble, this nuisance is here sleeping peacefully with an angelic-looking face.

"Just you wait. I'll teach you a lesson when I have the chance." he swore in his heart. He headed to the bed and threw down the bedsheet in ire before lying on it. To him, the bedsheet was already contaminated since the cursed bottle came in contact with it.
He lay on the bed but kept awake coz of the smell. The air freshener in the room had done nothing to help. It was like a candle compared to a wildfire.

....
Next morning.
6: 03 am.
The door was being knocked hard severally by someone.
An annoyed Rolandro who just managed to get 30 minutes of sleep after staying awake the whole night woke up. He got off the bed and grudgingly walked to open the door. He saw that it was Zehelina.
"What is it? Can't you see someone's trying to get some sleep here?" he asked unhappily. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he wanted to kill someone. Still, the anxious Zehelina ignored that.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you but I have no choice."
"No choice? *folds arms* What brought you here?" Rolandro asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"It's Lavana."
"Huh? What happened?"
"I think Phoenix might be needed more after all they are mates." said Zehelina.
Hearing this, Rolandro immediately gave way and pointed behind him. "Go inside and wake him up. I'll go see her condition first." he instructed.
"O-Ok." she rushed inside while Rolandro headed to room 1709.
Opening the door, he rushed in to see a levitating Lavana with glowing eyes.
He stood in his spot with eyes and mouth open.
What was he seeing? A flying Lavana? Maybe it was because he didn't get enough sleep. Haha, that must be it. He rushed into the room's bathroom and washed his face. Then dried it up with his shirt before coming out again. He still saw a flying female!

This time, however, it wasn't the skinny Lavana that he'd earlier seen. It was a lady with much more meat on her body and taller. Her red hair was ankle length and she had really long claws. These were wolf claws, but he'd never seen anyone with those kind of claws, not even in his dreams or the records!
Just then, Phoenix and Zehelina rushed in. Zyair, Mel, Dante and Oliver came in seconds after.
All were shocked at the sight.
"Who's this? Where's Lavana?" Zyair asked.

"This lady has our pack's tattoo. Is she Lavana then?" Mel asked.
"But how come? Lavana is skinny and not that tall." Dante pointed out.
"How, then, do you explain the tattoo?" Zyair questioned.
"Gosh! This is confusing." Oliver yanked his hair.
"Phoenix, is she your mate?" Oliver asked. All turned their attention to Lavana's mate. It's easier to confirm this lady's identity with Phoenix here. Mates don't deny each other even if they're quarrelling.
"She is." Phoenix replied.
" Alright. Tell us what's going on with her then. Why is she looking like this and flying?." Rolandro queried, with arms folded.
"This... I dunno," Phoenix replied with worry. He then walked to his mate.

"Lavie honey, what's wrong? Why're you like this? What occurred? Did you encounter a powerful enemy?" he asked softly.
Lavana stopped levitating and her feet touched the floor. She looked at Phoenix, her eyes still glowing.
"Sullivan..." she whispered and started weeping bitterly.
"Come, come sit, my dear." her mate urged softly. He made her sit on the bed with his hands placed on her shoulders. Then he also sat beside her.
"Dear, tell me what happened. Who made you like this? I'll beat him for you." he whispered.
Lavana's cries increased and her body trembled. "Why? Why? Just why?"
"What happened, dear?" Phoenix asked again.
"Why both my parents had to die? They couldn't even hold hands in their death. Austin and his pregnant mom, all of my people, were wiped out and I ended up at that damn Ralton pack as punching bag for 15 good years." Lavana said with gritted teeth..
"Ralton?" the others looked at each other.

She was a slave in that evil pack? No wonder she was so skinny. This poor girl went through all that!
"That bastard rejected me. Why didn't I have the strength and courage to do the same too at the time? Pamela even had to bear the pain for me."
"Your wolf spirit? She really did that?" Phoenix asked.
"She did that. And they all helped me escape from that pack. Even though they give headaches a lot but I never hated them. But why? Just why?"
"Dear, what really happened? Did you have a nightmare?" her mate asked.
"A nightmare isn't real, right? This is more than a nightmare. I lost them all. I lost my spirits, Phoenix. I lost them. They're gone. They're gone!" she wailed.
"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked in confusion.
"Phoenix, my spirits are dead. Dead!" she shrieked and rose from the bed, levitating again. Phoenix was thankful that before he entered the room, he had secretly set up an array. Nothing happening in this room could be heard by others.
"Lavana, calm down. You just had a nightmare. Come, rest on my lap. I'll pet you. It's not real. I'll let you have beautiful dreams. Ok?" he whispered.
"Beautiful dreams. Sullivan, don't you get it? I am a being without spirits. Nothing! Why?" she yelled.
"Lavana, calm down. We'll go somewhere private and talk."
"I'm gonna kill somebody," she growled.

"No, you'll not. Get down." Phoenix requested.
"No. That stupid Alpha and his pack have to go down today," she shouted.
"Stubborn," Phoenix muttered before levitating, causing the onlookers to gasp. He'd decided that since they'd seen his mate was capable of flying, letting them know he could wasn't that much of a big deal.
"He can fly too?" Dante asked in shock.
They'd seen many things today. Lavana's eyes can glow, her hair can lengthen and change color, her claws are very long, she is not skinny as they thought, and Phoenix can fly just like her. And there were more secrets to unveil. As far as they knew, werewolves cannot fly or do any of the things Lavana just did. What the heck was going on?
"Guys, you must not worry too much. Go to the competition grounds. We'll be back soon. Then I'll explain to you all." Phoenix said before holding his mate's right hand and a golden light covered both of them. In seconds, both had vanished!
Zehelina fell to the floor in shock.

"B-Both of them vanished just like that?" she asked with trembling.
"This is unbelievable. Those two are actually power couples!" Zyair exclaimed.
"Rolandro, were her claws that long when she transformed in the training room?" Mel asked.
The latter shook his head. "Nope. Although her wolf is bigger than most Omega wolves, actually the size of a Delta wolf, her claws were normal."
The others were stunned.
They'd been wondering how why this weak-looking Lavana was allowed to join their group to compete when she was an Omega. The fact about her wolf being the size of a Delta wolf already proved she was special.
"If her claws weren't that long then, why now they're that long?" Zyair asked in bafflement.
"Phoenix promised to explain when he returns. He is in the best position to help her right now. So we should do as he said. Focus on securing a spot for our pack in the competition today and when we return, we can get answers. Is that ok?" Rolandro asked with hands in his pockets.
"Noted." the others replied. Oliver helped Zehelina to stand and then they all left the room.
....
Rolandro had returned to room 1715. He hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. The competition was gonna start by 10:30 am. They were 1 hour away from the venue and they were supposed to arrive there at least 30 minutes earlier.
He sighed. He'll probably have to sleep in the jeep. That's the only way to get some sleep.
His phone rang and he picked it from his bag.
It was his wife calling.
"Baby girl, how are you and my kids?" he asked affectionately.
"We're doing great. What about you, honey? Did you sleep well?"
"Yup. I did."
"You're lying. I know when you slept well or not. Forget that we're miles apart. I didn't call last night coz I thought you must be super exhausted."

"Dear, it's alright. I'm the one who's supposed to call. I must have made you really worried too. Sorry hun."
"That's fine. How about the others?"
"All good. We met Lavana and Phoenix on the way and they joined us.,"
"Haha, my preparations for them didn't go to waste then." Carmelia's laughter could be heard.
"Is Pedro with you?" Rolandro asked.
"Yup. Pedro, come talk to daddy."
Soon, the little boy's voice could be heard.

"Daddy?"
"Oh, my dear son. How are you?"
"I'm doing well, daddy. There's something I wanna tell you."
"What is it, my boy?"
"We were attacked yesterday. Thankfully, there were no losses."
"Attacked?" Rolandro became anxious.
"Dad, don't worry. We're safe. A little wizard helped us beat them."
"W-Wizard?" Rolandro's eyes widened.
"Yup. He was very powerful, daddy."
"Really?" Rolandro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. The rogues who attacked were killed in a few minutes. You know the rogues numbered well over a 100. But they were all killed. The wizard promised to protect us from danger. However, he said we shouldn't use his promise as an excuse to be lazy."
"Alright. I want you to be a good boy and don't give mummy a headache. She's gonna give you a sibling soon. If I find out you made her stressed out, you'll be toast."
"Noted, daddy. You know I'm a good boy."
"Yup. I do. I'm just reminding you in case you forgot."

"Hahaha, I have an excellent memory, daddy. You can rest assured."
"Alright Pedro. Is mom still thete?"
"No. She went into the kitchen... oh, she's back now. She is carrying two glasses of milk. I'll give the phone to her. Bye daddy. I gotta find Sherlene. I promised to give her a toy of mine today. Is miss Lavana nearby. I'd like to say hello."
"No, she's quite busy at the moment. But I'll let her speak to you when she's done. Okay?"
"Ok, daddy."
"Be careful, my son."
"I will, daddy. Love ya."
"Love you more, son."
Soon his wife's voice could be heard.
"Honey, did he blabber anything to you?"
"Something about the pack being attacked. Yeah." he heard her sigh.

"Yeah. That really did happen. We seriously thought we're finished coz we were outnumbered and the rogues were so strong. Coz of our pregnancy, me and Regina couldn't shift either."
"Oh dear. I seriously feel like ditching this damn competition and just go over to you guys."
"Shut it, moron. Don't you dare come back until the competition ends. I'm gonna make you wish you were dead." Carmelia barked.
"Geez. Don't use up so much strength in talking. I was just joking. And besides you're pregnant."
"And so? Apart from shifting, I can literally do anything. Rolandro, no matter the result, come back here only after the competition's done. Ok?"
"Yes, honey."
"And don't you dare speak like that again. I'll be watching you on tv. Make sure you don't wink at anyone, not even a man."
"Wow! You're turning possessive. That's how you were while pregnant with Pedro." Rolandro laugh.
"Don't laugh, mate. I'm dead serious."
"I know. I know. I promise I won't even wink at a ghost."
"Fine. And by the way, how are you coping with Phoenix?"
"Well, for starters, Lavana already got the pack's tattoo. Phoenix will get it either today or tomorrow, as he won't be competing today anyway."

"Ok. So is he giving you a headache? Did he and his mate sleep in a room?" she asked in curiosity.
"Nah! You know Zehelina's female. So both shared a room. I'm thankful I booked the rooms down long ago or else we really would have to sleep in tents in some random location. I bet that's the state of many packs right now." Rolandro sat on the bed and crossed his legs.
"So, who did he end up with? Dante or Oliver?" his wife asked again.
"Your husband!" Rolandro said unhappily.
"Geez! I can't imagine how big your dark circles are right now. Did he talk throughout the night?"

"Nah. He had this bottle containing a foul-smelling liquid. It smelled worse than poop. Honey, I almost died. The air freshener was no match for it. Even hiding under the blankets did not help. He even poured the damn liquid on my body. If I had regenerative ability, I'd have torn off this skin."
"So sorry, honey. When you guys all return, I must punish him for you."
"Ok. But for now, your husband's gotta freshen up and maybe get a few minutes of sleep."
"Right. You must sleep. But don't be late."
"I won't, dear. Be careful over there. If you feel uncomfortable in any way, please don't hesitate to notify me, alright?"
"Yes, sweetheart. Be careful too."
"I will, honey. Love you, Mimi."
"Love you too, Andro. Muah!"
The line went off and Rolandro sighed as he lay sprawled on the bed.
"It won't hurt to have just 10 minutes of rest, right?" he muttered before closing his eyes.

******
Hydla forest, Jygane city.
The couple were seated opposite each other on majestic chairs.
"My dear, can you please explain to me what you mean by lost spirits?" Phoenix asked gently. His eyes showed how worried he was.
"Does that need an explanation? I don't have any spirit."
"You mean Thora, Pamela and Oceana, you can't see them anymore. Like they no longer exist? You're unified with no spirit."
"Phoenix, there's a new spirit that I saw. She told me her name's Cephina. I asked who she was and where my 3 spirits were . She showed me what happened during the tribulation. My spirits had always told me about the merging of all three forms. Now I know what they meant. They would expend themselves and perform a ritual that fuses them together. Hence forming an entirely new spirit being that possesses their memories and has a name all three chose before the ritual. Why wasn't I aware? Why did they not tell me beforehand? I won't accept it."
"Honey..."
"You know what happened after Cephina showed me all the things there is to know about merging and how it benefits me?"
"What happened?"

"She vanished. She vanished, Phoenix. Now you know what I mean? I have no spirits. Yes, by this means I have become very powerful but sacrificing 4 spirits just for it, against my will. No..." she shook her head. "I can't accept it. I can't accept it, Phoenix."
"Yes, you can."
They heard a voice but couldn't find its owner. Both immediately stood and looked around.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Phoenix yelled as he took a peacock fan from his storage ring.
"I am Cephina."

"Cephina?" Lavana asked in confusion.
Wasn't this Cephina gone, just like the other trio?
A figure materialized before their eyes- a translucent, beautiful female clothed in red gown that showed nothing but her hands. The gown was adorned with pearls. A silver crown was on her ink-black shoulder-length hair. She levitated while wearing a smile as she looked at the stunned couple..
"You.... You can materialize in real life?" Phoenix asked in disbelief.
"Only you two can see me since you are mates." Cephina replied. Her voice was quite soothing.

"This is unbelievable! It's not even in the records." Phoenix exclaimed.
"Not everything is on the records, young man. Not all races are also known. There are some races in the universe that are never mentioned in the normal records. The records can be found in the Ackron santuary."
"Ackron sanctuary?" Phoenix asked with a raised eyebrow. He'd never seen that name in the records or heard someone speak of such a place.
"Of course, you won't know about it, young sorcerer. But before you can go there, Lavana, you need to exact your revenge on the bastards who hurt you, Lavana. I will tell you further details on any other questions you have after that. I apologize that you couldn't say a proper goodbye to your three spirits. In a sense, they are still with you. But just as a different being, which is me. I function as an assistant in battle and a companion. Lavana, before the merging, Thora and the others recorded something." Cephina raised her left hand, which glowed. She launched a ball of golden light upwards and it exploded. Soon, a large mirror appeared and slowly descended until it was an inch away from the ground.

A face appeared in the mirror, smiling and waving.
"Pamela..." An emotional Lavana wanted to run to the mirror, but Cephina signaled her to remain where she was.
"Hello there, kiddo. If you're seeing this, then we must have been merged."
Another female, a dark-skinned lady, could be seen wearing a pink crown made of seashells and a long, sequined purple gown.
"Oceana..." Lavana whispered emotionally.
"Chap, she's right. We should have merged by now. The new being's called Cephina. We agreed on this a day before the tribulation. You know we never expected that your tribulation would come so fast. Well, we're glad that you made it still. Cephina will accompany you from now on. I know you miss us a lot but I promise, Cephina will be fun to be with to."

"And don't you dare forget about us."
A short girl stood in front of the other two with arms folded and then continued her speech. "My regret is that I didn't get to see you and Phoenix mate. I didn't get to see you accept him as mate nor how you'd look on the wedding day. But eh, at least we saw him nude when he came to the ancestral island. I can assure you he possesses the most premium quality body. Hehe. Well, this is how far we can accompany you. Now that I think about it, I think we all should have been nasty to you so that you won't miss us at all, right? But we can't help being ourselves." Thora laughed.

"Well, this is our fate and we gladly accept it. Please accept Cephina. I know it's gonna take some time but yeah, you'll come to love her. We did this in your best interests. You'll find out later. Well, we don't have much time left. I have to say this... Be careful out there and remember us in a good way- as heroes. We all love you and wish the best for you, Cephina and Phoenix." said Oceana.
"And Phoenix, if you're with her currently, then this message is for you. If you mistreat my girl in any way, the part of me in Cephina won't let you go. Do you hear me?" said Thora.

"I vow to never mistreat my beloved mate. The day I do so is the day of my death." Phoenix swore out loud with his right hand on his chest. Lavana and Cephina looked at him.

"Lavana, even if they are no more, but together they make Cephina. I'm just seeing how your spirits were. They are beautiful and kind. I don't know how to console you about this. And I know you can never forget about them."
"Sullivan, don't worry. I have heard their goodbyes and their blessings." she turned to look at Cephina. "Although, I really wish that my spirits were still here, but I'll accept the fact that they've become you. I won't let their sacrifice go to waste." Lavana sank to her knees and kowtowed 7 times.
"Thora, Pamela, Oceana.... I'll never forget about you. And if there's a way to bring you back, I will do it even if it means losing invincibility. I will let Cephina accompany me until then." she swore in her heart before kowtowing 14 more times.
Lavana's spirits in the mirror waved.
"Make sure to kick that bastard Chase's ass. I want him to become a eunuch." said Thora.
"I want him to become crippled." said Oceana.
"Hehe, I want his stupid luna cut in half. Dear, this is no time to be that soft-hearted. We had access to your memories 3 days after we became unified with you. His luna's dad's the one who caught you to ex-Alpha Blake. Make sure he sees his precious daughter's death. And you, decide how to punish Blake coz he's the one who took everything from you." said Pamela.

"Sigh. We're giving you some tips here. Harden your heart and make sure to teach him a lesson during the competition. Don't let him know who you are until the ultimate moment, girl." said Thora as she ruffled through her hair. "Oops, our time's almost up."

"Remember. Don't forget that we once existed, that we're heroes and we love you. Bye-bye, Lavana. Wish you and Phoenix a wonderful, loving marriage and of course, children as many as the stars." they said in unison, smiling as their eyes glowed with white light. Soon their bodies glowed and they flew around each other at an incredibly fast rate, invisible to the naked eye. Bright golden light covered them all and soon a new figure appeared in place of them. The light slowly dimmed and Cephina could be seen in the mirror with a red half moon mark on her forehead. Her eyes opened, glowing with a white light as she sat in a medicative pose.

Then the mirror crashed and vanished.
"You've heard their goodbyes. And saw how I came to exist. I'll give you some space. Call me when you need me, Lavana." Cephina said with a smile, before vanishing.
Lavana sighed and her mate helped her stand.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She immediately hugged him and then tip-toes to kiss him. They broke the kiss after some minutes to catch their breath.
"Phoenix, I am sorry for stressing you out."
And I guess the others must have seen me flying, right?"
"Yup. They know I can fly too and we even vanished in front of them."
"Geez! Mate, we've got a lot of explaining to do." Lavana exclaimed.
"Yup. But there's an easy way out." Phoenix said as he put his hands around her waist. "Wanna know?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yeah."

"Okay. The easy way out is to wipe their memories."
"What? No way. I don't agree. Phoenix, you can't do that." she exclaimed.
"It's just a suggestion. I didn't say I'd follow through. The other way is to tell them enough to satisfy their thirst but they must take an oath not to spill the secret. You know this choice also means that the rest of the pack members back in Bloostar will also know about your current look but as to how it happened, they aren't entitled to know."

"Okay, Phoenix. I choose this option. I've been feeling guilty towards Rolandro and co for a while now coz we lied to them about your looks and wolf rank. I won't tell them about my identity as a tribrid though."
"Yeah, that's top secret. Mine too's a top secret."
"Agreed! Um... What's the time now?" she inquired.
He looked at his watch.
"It's 8:04 am." he replied.
"You think they'd still be at the hotel?" she asked doubtfully as her mate put the two chairs back in his storage ring.
"Let's go check first. If they've left, we'll meet them at the venue then." Phoenix answered.
"Okay." she nodded and they both held hands.
"I want to take us to the hotel first. You can do your thing if they aren't and take us to the venue." she requested.
"Fine by me, mate."

"Okay. Here I go. Er... What's the name of the hotel again?" she asked with a red face.
"I like this look of yours. Wonder how it will be on the wedding night." he commented,
"Stop playing, mate."
"Okay. I'm serious now. It's Blackville."
"Alright. Blackville hotel, Jygane city. Teleport!"
She yelled and light covered the both of them. In seconds, they'd vanished from their spots.
Not long after they left, a white bird that was on a tree staring at them all along flew from the tree, emitting dark mist with red eyes that glowed.