douluo dalu: Dark Phoenix

Chapter 16: The Source of Strength

The campfire crackled softly, casting long, flickering shadows across the forest floor. The aftermath of their clash with Canghui Academy still hung heavy in the air. Though they had emerged victorious, the confrontation left an unmistakable tension lingering between the Shrek Seven Devils.

Ayanokoji sat slightly apart from the group, back against a thick tree trunk, his golden Spirit Eyes reflecting the flames as though seeing something far beyond the forest.

Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar chatted quietly near the fire, trying to unwind, while Tang San and Xiao Wu sat close together, their bond a silent reassurance.

But Ayanokoji… he was elsewhere.

---

A Quiet Storm

"Hey."

The soft voice broke through his thoughts.

Ayanokoji glanced up, finding Ning Rongrong standing there, holding out a cup of hot tea.

"You've been quiet," she said, offering him a small smile. "Even quieter than usual."

He accepted the tea without a word, the warmth grounding him for a moment.

"Just… thinking," he murmured, his voice distant.

Ning Rongrong hesitated, sensing the weight behind those words, but before she could press further, Grandmaster's voice cut through the stillness.

"Ayanokoji… walk with me."

It wasn't a request.

---

A Familiar Coldness

The two of them walked in silence, moving deeper into the forest.

The moonlight filtered through the canopy, painting the ground in silver and shadow.

Ayanokoji knew this conversation was inevitable.

"You held back against Canghui's dean," Grandmaster said finally, his voice calm but probing.

Ayanokoji didn't respond.

"You could've ended that fight far more decisively. Instead, you let him think he stood a chance."

"I didn't see a need to kill him," Ayanokoji said quietly, his tone emotionless.

Grandmaster stopped walking, turning to face him.

"That's not what concerns me," he said, his eyes sharp. "Your strength… I've seen powerful spirit masters. But your precision, your control—it's beyond your years."

A long silence stretched between them.

Ayanokoji's golden eyes, so often cold and unreadable, flickered… with something darker.

"You want to know where it comes from," he whispered.

Grandmaster didn't speak. He didn't need to.

---

The Flashback: A Cage of Perfection

The memories surged forward, unbidden.

A cold, sterile room.

White walls. No windows.

He remembered the faint hum of fluorescent lights, the rhythmic tapping of footsteps against polished floors.

A place that was neither home nor school… but a cage.

Ayanokoji's life before Douluo Dalu was not one of warmth or family.

It was one of control.

Training from a young age—not for strength, but for perfection.

Taught not to feel, but to calculate.

The constant presence of instructors, their cold voices drilling tactics, strategy, and combat into him, until his mind became a machine… and his body a weapon.

There were no friends. No family.

Only expectations.

---

A Human Machine

"I wasn't… raised like most people," Ayanokoji said, his voice soft but hollow.

Grandmaster watched him closely, sensing the raw truth behind his words.

"I was trained to be perfect. To never lose. To see every possibility, every weakness… and exploit it."

A pause.

"I was a tool. Nothing more."

The wind whispered through the trees, as though carrying the weight of that confession away into the night.

Grandmaster's expression softened, though his mind raced.

"Is that why you're so… detached?" he asked quietly.

Ayanokoji's lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Feelings get in the way of winning."

---

The Dark Phoenix

"Your Dark Phoenix Spirit," Grandmaster continued, changing the subject with the precision of someone who knew how to navigate emotional walls.

Ayanokoji's posture stiffened slightly.

"It's not a natural spirit, is it?"

"No," Ayanokoji admitted.

The Dark Phoenix was… different.

It wasn't born from lineage or fate.

It was awakened through force, through the breaking of human limits.

A creature of shadows and fire, but unlike normal phoenix spirits, its power was cold, consuming, and relentless.

It didn't offer rebirth—only destruction.

"I didn't choose it," Ayanokoji whispered. "It chose me."

---

The Cost of Power

Grandmaster studied him, understanding dawning in his sharp mind.

"Your strength… came at a cost."

Ayanokoji's golden Spirit Eyes gleamed, reflecting more than just light.

"It always does."

There was a silence that spoke louder than words.

A lifetime of isolation.

Of being strong… because there was no other option.

---

A New Resolve

When they returned to camp, the fire had died down to embers.

Tang San looked up, sensing the shift in the air, but said nothing.

Xiao Wu, asleep against his shoulder, stirred slightly before settling again.

Ayanokoji sat back in his original spot, the warmth of the cup of tea long gone, but he held it anyway.

Ning Rongrong, now curled up beside Zhu Zhuqing, gave him a curious glance… but didn't ask.

And for once, Ayanokoji felt something unfamiliar.

Not cold calculation.

But… acceptance.

---

The Strength That Endures

As he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, the memories of that cold, white room still lingered at the edges of his mind.

But tonight… they felt farther away.

And in their place, the distant warmth of this strange, chaotic group of misfits — the Shrek Seven Devils — began to take root.

For the first time in a long time, Ayanokoji thought…

Maybe strength wasn't just about winning.

Maybe, just maybe, it was about protecting what you didn't want to lose.