Prologue. Alex

I am the Bennu, the soul of Ra and the guide of the gods in the Duat. Let it be so done unto me that I may enter like a hawk and that I may come forth like Bennu, the Morning Star.

And so begins the tale of the Egyptian phoenix. Some say the greatest tales are those that are hardly told. Before all this, I probably thought the same thing you did. But, like a lot of things in life, not everything is what it seems and sometimes there's more than one tale to be told. Hell, with all I know now, I could tell you hundreds, maybe thousands.

But I think I'll stick to mine. At least for the time being.

My story begins on a cold night in October. I was a young, ambitious college student trying to balance out my internship and school. I didn't really have time to socialize, so I had very few friends, none of which were really close. Then again, that's kinda how I always was. I did things my own way, always the loner, you know. In between school and work though I passed hours in my own world; reading various books and writing a few research papers usually just for fun or to help me remember things I'd learned.

I was studying psychology mostly, as I always believed that the mind had more potential than the physical body. It amazed me how the body and mind changed at times in a different pace. One would always expand while the other would deteriorate. It was one or the other, but there was hardly any telling which would be it.

I did my internship at a local hospital training with psychologists and learning all I could. It was my passion, and I loved it. I wanted to help people and this was the way I wanted to do that. Hey, you know what they say: Love what you do and you never work a day in your life. Now, it was normal that they had me working mostly late in the day and I was usually let out before nightfall due to my crazy schedule with my classes, but that particular night, things were different. The doctor I'd been working with had some kind of emergency and had to leave, leaving behind quite a pile of paperwork. I was told I didn't have to bother with it, but frankly, I was bored and well, always wanting to help people, decided to make myself useful. It took some time to sort the various papers and patient files and put them neatly on the desk or in a filing cabinet. At last, pleased with my work, I left the office, letting the door close with a quiet click behind me, and I journeyed out into the quiet, empty hallway. The walls were stark white and my footsteps echoed, breaking the silence the most would find unnerving. I personally though found it relaxing.

But still, I was tired. It was late, I knew, but I wasn't sure of the time. Stopping by the elevator, I waited for it to open and took out my phone. It was nearly midnight and so I knew I had to get back to the dormitories as soon as I could. Thankfully I had my student ID on me so I could show it to campus security when I came in.

The elevator was taking longer than normal, I realized and just as that dawned on me, the lights flickered. I looked up and around but didn't see anything. An uncomfortable pit formed in my stomach I felt my hands fidget, as they did when I was nervous. I stood tall, trying to keep my anxiety down. The lights flickered again, which did nothing to help. On top of that, I was starting to feel awfully dizzy and I didn't know why. Then the lights went completely out.

Cursing, I took my phone out again to give myself some light.

"Hello?!" I called, "I'm still here!".

I didn't get an answer. Turning away from the elevator, I decided it was best to just find the stairs and take them. Going back down the hall, I kept my phone on for light, as I didn't see too well in the dark. Without it, the hospital was pitch black.

"C'mon" I thought, "Where are they?"

I couldn't find the door to the stairs and I started to think that maybe they were on the other end of the hall. I cursed again, beating my arm against the wall in frustration. The hall fell eerily quiet again, but in the darkness there was a faint sound. It sounded like it was coming from a distance but it was coming towards me fast. The more I listened the more it sounded strangely like the wings of a bird.

Everything stopped then. Turning in the sound's direction, I saw a bright gold light coming fast right for me. I tried to turn, to move, something, but I was held there. I was blinded by the light and closed my eyes as I felt a painful burning and stinging sensation on my left arm. The pain spread quick, like fire rushing through me. It was so immense, I could barely hear myself scream over the loud screech I heard in my ears. I heard another eagle like scream and then everything faded to black…