Phoenix in DC

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the noise.

It was everywhere—birds chirping, leaves rustling, insects buzzing. It was like the jungle was alive, and someone had turned the volume up to max. I groaned, covering my ears, but it didn't help. Everything was too loud, too close.

My body felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Every muscle ached, my throat was dry, and my stomach growled like I hadn't eaten in days. I pushed myself up and looked around.

Green. Everywhere. Trees stretched high above me, vines hung like ropes, and the sunlight barely made it through the thick canopy.

"What the hell?" I muttered. My voice cracked like I hadn't spoken in years.

And then, something unexpected happened.

It appeared out of nowhere—a glowing blue screen that hovered in front of me. It looked like something straight out of a game, complete with stats, levels, and categories.

[System Initialization Complete]

User: Undefined

I blinked, trying to make sense of it, as text scrolled across the screen:

[Abilities:]

[Phoenix Flame Regeneration – Level 1]

[Blue Flame Control – Level 1]

[Armament Haki – Level 1]

[Observation Haki – Level 1]

[Conqueror's Haki – Level 1]

[Rokushiki Techniques – Level 1]

[Voice of All Things – Level 1]

Under each ability, a thin progress bar stretched across the screen, most of them barely filled. Below the list, a line of text flashed:

["Survive and grow stronger."]

Before I could dwell on it for too long, another realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was naked—completely bare, with no clothing to speak of. I was disoriented, but that was probably the least of my problems.

I was in a jungle. A massive one. And I had no idea where I was or how I got here. It didn't take long to confirm that this wasn't some dream. This was real. Too real.

But as if responding to my distress, a faint glow appeared in front of me, It floated in midair.

[System Update]

Gift: Enchanted Survivor's Garb

Durability: Self-repairing

Adaptability: Grows with the wearer

Resistance: Fire, weather, and minor physical damage

A soft light flickered from the system window, and before I could process anything else, a set of clothes appeared in front of me. They materialized out of thin air, almost as if summoned by the system itself.

I reached for them, skeptical but desperate. The clothes were simple—dark brown tunic and pants, lightweight yet durable, with a hooded cloak attached. It was exactly what I needed. I pulled them on, feeling the soft fabric settle around my body. The fit was perfect, almost as if they had been made just for me.

"Okay," I muttered. "Not the weirdest thing today."

I reached out hesitantly, but my fingers passed through the screen. It was intangible, like a hologram.

"What is this...?" My voice was shaky.

The memories of the character creator flooded back—the program, the powers I had chosen, and all the time I'd spent tweaking every little detail. Somehow, impossibly, it had followed me here.

I didn't have time to dwell on it. My stomach growled again, and the dryness in my throat was getting unbearable.

"Focus. First things first—water."

I stumbled through the jungle, every step an effort. My senses felt supercharged. I could hear everything—the crunch of leaves under my feet, the distant chirp of birds, even the faint trickle of water somewhere in the distance.

It didn't take long to find a stream. I practically fell to my knees, scooping up the cool water with my hands and gulping it down. The relief was instant.

But there was something oddly compelling about this stream. Maybe it was instinct, maybe curiosity, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to see myself—see who or what I had become.

the cool surface reflecting the dense jungle around me. Hesitating for just a moment, I leaned in closer, heart pounding with an odd mix of excitement and dread. What would I find? A part of me already knows what I am.

The water rippled as I looked into its depths, and then—there it was.

A child's face.

But not just any child. My eyes locked onto the reflection, and the sight was enough to make my breath catch. A small, five-year-old boy stared back at me, his features soft, youthful. But beneath that innocent appearance, something far deeper lurked. There was a sharpness to my features—high cheekbones, a strong jawline—that didn't belong on a child. It was like looking at someone who'd lived a hundred lives, not someone who should be playing in the dirt.

The most striking feature were my eyes. Golden, piercing, like an eagle's. I had always heard the term "hawk-eyed" in the anime, but this was different—these eyes held a depth, an intensity, as though I could see through the very world around me. It was as if they were looking into me, and not the other way around.

But it wasn't just my eyes. My skin, too—dark, smooth, and oddly reflective—seemed to shimmer with an unnatural glow. The shade of it was unlike anything I'd ever seen, almost volcanic in its gleam, and it absorbed the light around me like it was made of something otherworldly. The skin of a Lunarian. King's skin.

I blinked. How could this be possible? I had just been playing a game. This was... real. This was me.

I reached up instinctively, fingers brushing the soft, ethereal strands of my hair. White—no, snow white. It fell like feathers around my face, cascading down in soft waves, each strand almost glowing in the dim light of the jungle. It was almost like the plumage of a harpy eagle—fierce, yet elegant. I ran my fingers through it, feeling the texture, feeling how soft it was, yet how strong it seemed.

My gaze flickered down to my hands, and I froze. Talon-like fingernails had replaced normal nails. I flexed my fingers, and the sharp, jagged edges glinted in the light, like claws that were made for tearing through the air, or something far more primal.

And then, I felt it.

A shift. A burning heat. From somewhere deep within me, a warmth spread, igniting my back, my shoulders, and I felt... wings. Not just any wings, but dark, leathery wings, stretching wide from my back. They were massive, folded for now, but the flames at the tips of them—the same deep blue as the ocean depths—flickered to life, crackling with heat and power. These weren't the wings of a bird or a plane. No, these were the wings of destruction and rebirth, burning bright with the very essence of my being.

I flexed them experimentally, feeling the weight of them, the heat radiating from the edges, yet never hurting me. The flames danced across the feathers, alive with a primal power I couldn't quite understand, but that I felt deep in my bones.

This wasn't just a body. It was power. It was a fusion of two legendary races: the Lunarian, whose fire could consume everything in its path, and the Harpy Eagle Mink, whose wings could soar above any enemy. And now it was all mine.

I couldn't help but smile as I stared at the reflection, my golden eyes burning with a new understanding of who I was. This was me. A child's body, yes. But everything else? A being forged from flames, flight, and ferocity. A creature of destruction and rebirth. A creature who had only just begun to awaken.

But just as I was starting to relax, I saw something move in the water.

A shadow. Long, thick, and unmistakable.

An anaconda.

Before I could react, it shot out of the water like a spring, wrapping around me in seconds. Its scales were cold, its body an unrelenting vice squeezing the air out of my lungs.

I thrashed and struggled, but it was useless. Its strength was overwhelming.

That's when the warmth in my chest flared up.

The blue flames erupted out of me, engulfing the snake in an instant. It hissed and released me, slithering back into the water. I gasped for air, my body trembling as I watched the flames flicker and fade.

The panel flashed again.

[Phoenix Flame Regeneration – Experience Gained: 5%]

I stared at the screen, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"This... this is real," I muttered.

Nights in the jungle were a nightmare.

The first two nights, I barely slept. The sounds of predators filled the darkness—growls, screeches, and rustling that could have been anything. I huddled against the base of a tree, clutching a rock for protection.

By the third day, I knew I needed something better.

Using vines and thick branches, I built a platform high up in the trees. It wasn't pretty, but it kept me off the ground. From up there, I could see the glow of yellow eyes prowling below.

To keep warm, I summoned a small flame in my hand. The blue light flickered softly, casting shadows across the trees. It didn't hurt, didn't even feel hot—just warm, steady, and safe.

As I leaned back against the trunk of the tree, the panel appeared again.

[Blue Flame Control – Experience Gained: 10%]

I smiled faintly. At least I was making progress.

Food was becoming a problem.

The fruits I found were sour and barely edible, and the hunger gnawed at me constantly. I needed meat, but I had no weapon.

Remembering the powers I'd chosen, I decided to test Rokushiki. I started with Geppo.

I focused on my legs and jumped, kicking the air as hard as I could. For a split second, I hovered, but gravity won, and I crashed back to the ground.

"Ow." I groaned, rubbing my side. "This is going to take a while."

Hours of practice later, I managed to stay in the air, hopping from one invisible platform to another. It wasn't perfect, but it worked.

The next time I spotted a group of wild pigs, I used Soru to close the distance. My speed was insane—I was on them before they even noticed me. My hand, coated in a strange black energy (Armament Haki, I realized), slammed into one of the pigs, taking it down with a single hit.

The panel popped up again.

[Rokushiki Techniques – Experience Gained: 15%]

[Armament Haki – Experience Gained: 10%]

I grinned, dragging the pig back to my makeshift camp. For the first time since I'd arrived, I felt like I was in control.

By the end of the week, I wasn't just surviving—I was thriving.

My senses had sharpened even more, and I'd started to understand the jungle. The sounds, the smells, even the way the wind moved through the trees—it all made sense now.

One evening, as I sat by the stream, I closed my eyes and just... listened.

That's when I felt it.

It was like the jungle itself was speaking to me, not with words but with feelings. The flow of the water, the rustling of leaves, the distant cries of animals—it all formed a rhythm, a pulse.

The panel appeared, but this time, it looked different.

[Voice of All Things – Experience Gained: 20%]

Ability Unlocked: Jungle Awareness

I opened my eyes, staring at the screen. Whatever this power was, it felt... important.

Looking at my reflection in the stream, I barely recognized myself.

The scared, confused kid from a week ago was gone. My face was harder, my eyes sharper, and the blue flames flickering across my hands felt like a natural part of me.

This jungle had tested me, pushed me to my limits, but it hadn't broken me. If anything, it had made me stronger.

I clenched my fists, determination burning brighter than the flames in my chest. Survival was just the beginning.