So that's why…
Why Zeke was so nervous when he saw Merlin. Why he pushed me so hard to join. There were obvious signs—signs I would've picked up, signs I would've seen, signs I would've noticed—if they just hadn't come from a friend.
They say you won't survive if you're alone. But here I am, dying because I'm not alone. Then what's the answer? What should I follow? What an exhausting place…
…
Maybe they're right. I just chose wrong. I trusted a person I couldn't trust.
…
A lot of time had passed since he was devoured by the phoenix. Solomon was currently inside its stomach, lying atop a pool of molten magma. He raised his arms slowly with great struggle, revealing charred skin and bone peering through his flesh. He was constantly steaming; the immense heat vaporized the water from his eyes and entire body as fast as his regeneration could replace it.
Every single second was torture. Normally, his body would dissolve in an instant, as he couldn't regenerate well against fire. But thanks to the massive amount of mana inside the creature, his ability was siphoning it, working in overdrive to keep him in a state of equilibrium.
As his nerves burned, his body continued to rebuild itself. They say that burning is one of the most painful deaths possible. Now it proved true, as he experienced the pain of constantly burning and regenerating simultaneously.
"S…h…i..."
He gasped for air, but no oxygen existed inside the phoenix. Every time he tried to breathe, his lungs simply burned up. He wanted to die—just like the mountain of corpses that fell from the phoenix's throat down to where he lay. He envied those who could die. He envied them as they instantly melted into nothing.
How long had it been? A month? He could barely speak. His pain tolerance had spiked, but it was not enough to ignore this.
…
Has it been a year?
He was deathly silent, not moving an inch. His eyes were closed, his mouth shut. The natural instinct to breathe had been completely erased. His only lifeline was the rich mana the bird oozed. The intense pain from the magma was the only stimulation left.
How long has it been? He didn't know. Thoughts filled his head: thoughts of revenge, longing, sadness, and rage. But what was the purpose? He was as good as dead. He knew that when the bird died, he would be dead too.
Then, in a cruel twist of events, a rumbling sound echoed through the surroundings. Thanks to the time spent inside the bird, he knew its every movement. He knew when it was fighting, signaled by the corpses that followed the sounds of battle. He knew when it was resting, as the drumming of its heart would calm.
Solomon moved his head slowly. He was frail and scorched. Moving even a fraction caused immense pain. But despite this, a subtle change came with the rumble. The pool of magma, which usually balanced itself perfectly regardless of the bird's flight, was slowly leveling down.
Solomon raised his right arm. He stared as it slowly fell apart, turning into ash. He wasn't regenerating.
The mana was dissipating. The phoenix had died.
'What a cruel world…' He couldn't help but laugh at the irony. When he was at the edge of death, hope showed its face. Aren't you too late? I may survive this, but then what? I'm crippled for life.
As the pool leveled out, a massive gash in the stomach revealed itself. Light peered through, blinding Solomon as he dragged himself through the wound.
"Ah… the sky. Since when did it turn so… dull?"
Solomon stared at the grey sky, covered in smoke and dust. The scent of blood lingered everywhere.
"Oh, I thought you'd be dead by now." Standing on a small hill in front of him was a familiar silhouette. Zeke stood there, his clothes weary, one of his arms missing.
"..." Solomon remained silent, observing him. His face was completely burnt off, but Zeke knew there was a mountainous amount of rage inside.
"You know… I once thought we had something going on. That maybe by following you, I could've become someone great…" Zeke reached into his tattered pocket for a cigarette. He walked toward the pool of magma and lit it against the heat. The cigarette immediately turned to char. "Wow, that burnt up fast." He smiled, glancing at Solomon. "Ah, you're no fun. I can't even see your reaction. Your face is all… burnt."
Zeke turned and climbed back up the hill, laughing as he nearly slipped into the magma. "It's been five years, by the way. Who would have thought you'd still be alive? As a reward, I'll answer your questions. You're dead anyway."
As Zeke was about to speak, a handsome, bloodied man limped over the hill. James Cho. Solomon raised a hand, calling out for help, still wanting to believe it was all an accident. Zeke just laughed and tossed a stone into the magma, watching it vaporize.
"Wow, you truly are a magnificent human host," James said, stretching his arms. "If only you had something stronger… maybe there'd be someone to challenge that man."
Everything started to make sense. Why Zeke was so confident—he had the backing of the Rankers.
"We actually scouted this area already, a week before the main party," James explained, sitting down on the burnt floor. "I mean, Merlin made it a little obvious. Some people caught on to the plan, but they won't be alive to talk about it."
James stared at Solomon's broken form. "But with you as the main character, we needed to ensure you wouldn't catch on like the others. We had people constantly messing with your brain so you'd remain clueless. Though, it seems your intellect was quite high; you still somehow picked up small signs, even with ten people constantly messing with your head."
James added with a grin, "There are only about 15 people capable of attacking a thought process like that, so it wasn't cheap."
James explained how they had seen the phoenix and Merlin earlier and felt threatened by their strength. " Humanity's survival worried me," he said, though Solomon could see the lie.
"Do...n't… kid… yourself," Solomon wheezed. "You're just… afraid… you met… someone… stronger."
James's kind expression turned sadistic. "You're right. They were actually really friendly. I told Merlin it was a surprise, then we held a party. But in the guise of making friends, we found the perfect opportunity to progress. As Merlin and Arthur's guards were down, I took the girl's life—Guinevere."
James smiled with a calm, disturbing joy. "And although that bastard Isaac turned on us after finding the truth, we managed to take care of him too. He did take Ron's arm, though, so that's a headache."
James continued, "But you're probably wondering: why you? Well, that phoenix was absurdly strong—Ranked at the 90th floor. It doesn't die; it just regenerates. It was an impossible task, until we considered a certain factor: a man who regenerates like a monster and siphons mana. You. Feeding you to it ate up its mana, keeping it in a permanent state of weakness."
"A parasite. I guess that's what I'd call you," James said, looking bored.
"I…" Solomon stretched his hand out. "I'll kill you!" he shouted with what was left of his vocal cords.
"You'll die today."
Solomon released the remaining mana in his body. The shockwave knocked James and Zeke back. Thanks for letting me borrow your mana… I'll be returning it now, Solomon whispered to himself.
A massive screech erupted from the "dead" phoenix as its body reacted to the sudden mana surge. Solomon's regeneration ceased. Seeing the panic on James and Zeke's faces, a smile formed on his charred lips before his consciousness finally faded.