Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 — Lyra’s Past

Chapter 100 — Lyra’s Past

A young female Shadow Fox could be seen running through the forest, happily picking flowers as she went.

Her small feet carried her between the trees as rays of sunlight slipped through the canopy overhead. Every few steps, she would stop, crouch beside another colorful flower, and carefully pluck it from the ground before adding it to the small bundle in her hands.

”Lyra! Slow down! Wait for us!”

A rough voice called from behind her.

Lyra immediately stopped and turned around.

Two Shadow Foxes in human form were walking toward her, hand in hand.

Her father was an extremely handsome man with dark purple hair and a rough beard covering his jaw. Beside him walked her mother, an even more beautiful woman with long purple hair streaked with black.

Both of them were smiling.

Lyra’s face immediately brightened.

She ran toward them with the flowers clutched tightly in her hands.

”Mother! I got you something!”

She held the flowers out proudly.

Before her mother could take them, her father reached down and plucked one from the bundle.

He carefully placed it behind his wife’s ear.

Lyra’s mother smiled.

”Thank you, sweetie. You’re always so thoughtful.”

Lyra grinned and did a small spin before continuing down the path.

Her parents laughed and followed after her.

It was a peaceful day.

They did this every couple of weeks.

The three of them would leave their home and walk through this section of the forest together. They knew the surrounding territory well, and powerful monsters rarely wandered into this area.

It had become something of a family tradition.

As they rounded another section of the forest, distant yelling suddenly broke through the peaceful silence.

Lyra stopped.

Her parents did as well.

The smiles disappeared from their faces.

The voices were getting closer.

So were the footsteps.

Something was coming toward them.

Lyra’s father moved immediately.

He grabbed his daughter and lifted her into his arms.

”Papa?”

”It’s okay.”

But his expression said otherwise.

He quickly carried her toward a large bush several dozen feet away and crouched beside it.

”Sweetie, I’m going to put you in here.”

Lyra looked at him nervously.

Her father carefully pushed apart the branches and placed her deep inside the bush.

”I need you to stay here.”

”But—”

”Listen to me.”

His voice remained gentle, but there was something in his eyes Lyra had rarely seen before.

Fear.

”Whatever’s coming, your mother and I will deal with it. When it’s over, you can come back out.”

He placed a hand against her cheek.

”But until then, you’re not allowed to leave this bush. No matter what happens.”

Lyra’s eyes began to water.

”Do you understand?”

She slowly nodded.

”Yes, Papa.”

Her father smiled.

”Good girl.”

He stood and walked away.

Lyra pushed some of the leaves apart just enough to see through them.

Her father returned to her mother.

The two stood side by side.

Neither spoke.

A few moments later, five figures emerged from between the trees.

Humans.

Each one radiated powerful Spiritual Energy.

All five were at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, only a step away from Spirit Gathering.

Lyra’s parents were both Rank Ten.

They were strong.

But the moment the humans appeared, they understood.

There were too many.

And every one of them was slightly stronger.

One of the humans smiled.

”Well, look what we found.”

Lyra’s father stepped in front of his wife.

”Leave.”

The humans laughed.

Then they attacked.

Lyra’s parents transformed.

Their human bodies disappeared as two Shadow Foxes emerged in their place.

Dark energy erupted through the forest.

Shadows stretched unnaturally across the ground before shooting toward the humans.

One human jumped aside.

Another shattered an incoming attack.

Lyra’s father disappeared into the shadows and emerged behind one of them, his claws tearing across the man’s back.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

The man screamed.

Lyra watched from inside the bush.

Her tiny hands covered her mouth.

Her mother moved next.

Several shadows twisted together before striking another human from three different directions.

For a moment, it seemed like her parents might win.

Then the humans stopped holding back.

Two surrounded her father.

Three attacked her mother.

The forest erupted into chaos.

Trees cracked.

Spiritual Energy tore through the ground.

Shadow Magic flashed between the trunks.

Lyra’s parents fought desperately.

But every injury they inflicted came at a cost.

A fist struck her father across the jaw.

He crashed into the dirt.

He stood again.

A blade cut across her mother’s side.

Lyra’s father was the first to collapse.

His body struck the dirt.

”Papa...”

Lyra’s voice was barely a whisper.

Her mother tried to reach him.

One of the humans kicked her legs out from underneath her.

She crashed beside him.

The fighting stopped.

Lyra stared through the leaves.

Her parents were lying face down in the dirt.

The humans approached them.

One pulled two strange collars from his bag.

The first collar snapped around her father’s neck.

The second was placed around her mother.

Whatever those collars were, they completely suppressed their power.

One of the humans kicked her father onto his side.

”Papa...”

Tears streamed down Lyra’s cheeks.

She started crawling forward.

Then stopped.

Her father’s words returned to her.

You’re not allowed to leave this bush.

Her tiny fingers dug into the dirt.

She wanted to run to him.

She wanted to help.

She wanted to bite them.

Scratch them.

Do anything.

But she was small.

Weak.

And Papa had told her to stay.

One of the humans kicked her father across the face.

His head snapped backward.

Blood ran from his mouth.

Lyra nearly screamed.

Both hands immediately covered her mouth.

Tears poured between her fingers.

Ancestor...

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Please.

Her body trembled.

Please help Papa.

She prayed harder than she ever had before.

Please help Mother.

Her ancestor protected Shadow Foxes.

That’s what she had always been taught.

If she prayed hard enough...

Surely someone would come.

Surely her parents wouldn’t be taken.

Lyra opened her eyes.

Nothing had changed.

The humans were laughing.

One of them looked down at her parents.

”This is going to be a good haul.”

Another nodded.

”No kidding. Two Shadow Foxes? I can’t believe we found them this far out.”

”How much do you think we’ll get?”

”A lot.”

The first man laughed.

”A whole lot.”

Lyra’s mother struggled weakly against the collar.

One of the humans shoved her back down.

”Stop moving.”

He looked toward the others.

”Let’s bag them up and get out of here. We still have a long way through the forest.”

Two large sacks were pulled out.

Lyra watched.

Her father was forced into one.

Her mother into the other.

The humans tied them shut.

One man lifted her father over his shoulder.

Another did the same with her mother.

Lyra couldn’t breathe.

Ancestor...

The humans started walking away.

Please.

Her both parents disappeared between the trees.

Please come.

Lyra remained hidden inside the bush.

Waiting.

Praying.

Crying.

No one came.

The voices of the humans gradually disappeared into the distance.

The forest became quiet again.

Just as it had been before.

Lyra remained inside the bush for several minutes.

Eventually, she crawled out.

Her knees hit the dirt.

Lyra stared toward the direction the humans had gone.

Her parents were gone.

Her small hands slowly clenched into fists.

Tears continued running down her cheeks.

She didn’t understand everything that had happened.

She didn’t know where the humans were taking her parents.

She didn’t know whether they were still alive.

But she understood one thing.

Humans had taken them.

Lyra wiped her face.

One day, she would find them.

She would find the humans who had taken her mother and father.

And when she did...

She would make them pay.