After organizing his thoughts, Zen spent his time gliding along the colossal Tree of Life, scanning for another peach fruit.
After what felt like an hour, he finally spotted one.
It radiated heat.
Not the gentle warmth of ripeness, but blistering, unbearable heat, like a forest fire trapped inside the fruit.
Why is this fruit so hot? Zen thought, nostrils flaring. Am I near… a firestorm?
Curiosity—and a spark of ambition—rose in him.
What if I forcefully enter this fruit and devour the liquid inside?
The idea was dangerous.
But Zen had never shied from danger.
He coiled his golden body, muscles tensing, and struck the fruit with all his strength.
The upper shell groaned under his claws… but did not budge an inch.
He tried again. And again. Still nothing.
Hmph… perhaps brute force isn't enough.
Just as he prepared to move away and continue exploring the void, the heat around him spiked violently.
Without thinking, Zen curled into a defensive ball, protecting his head and chest.
The air shimmered, flames licking around him, scorching the branch beneath.
He stumbled backward a hundred meters, then forced himself to stop.
He looked up—and froze.
A magnificent, terrifying creature hovered above the fruit.
Its feathers glimmered in shades of electric blue and silver, shimmering like living lightning.
Its eyes burned like sapphire flames.
Unlike the mythic golden Phoenix he had read of in stories, this creature radiated pure elemental danger.
Zen's mind raced.
So that's why the fruit was burning…
The Phoenix.