It all started in the cold winter months, in an unknown land, a
talisman arrived. On it scribed the words ``Mystical Talis of the Kißen".
Below that were an unidentified set of symbols and words. No one in
Pneuma Labs could tell what it said nor where it came from or how old
it is. The foreman of the lab took said talisman and assigned senior
researcher Ketsuta and his assistant junior researcher Veratis to
research it and see what it truly is.
Ketsuta is a researcher trusted and loved by everyone at the lab
and has done countless analyses like this before and research on a
mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean that has been found to have
some ancient civilization with an unknown language which he was able
to decipher. Veratis has started only recently but already has a decent
amount of merit with the same island research she found previously
unseen wildlife that none of the other researchers found and with other
exploits was able to reach the position of assistant to the top researcher
there. The island was later destroyed after an unknown force was
attacking any ships passing by killing an unprecedented amount of
people.
Ketsuta and Vera took the talisman to their lab, number
110010100, the room with the crest of a fig leaf. Ketsuta reads the
talisman again, " 'Mystical Talis of the Kißen', and below that it's in the
same language I found on that island. 'To whomever the wielder of
Kißen's Talis will be granted drei invocations acknowledged by the

master of curses with the expense of Beoneu.' " He goes onto saying,
"not only is it in whatever that island's language is but also German
with drei and Kissen, whatever that’s meant to mean. Then there’s
whatever Beoneu is. Do you have any ideas?"
"Beoneu... isn't that the name of a curse itself, which would make
sense because before it says the master of curses will grant three
invocations." Replies Veratis. "I don't know any details but it isn't
dangerous. But if it will answer invocations then it could be a very
dangerous artifact."
"Correct, even if it is a minor curse that doesn't do much other
than just inflict some negative luck, If someone finds it and tries to use
it for their own gain then it should be hidden."
"Knowing you I'm surprised you wouldn't try to use it to advance
on your Project Phoenix and then try hiding it."
"Well I will be but no one else will have to know, right. If you
don't tell, I can give you a go for your wish if you want?"
"No thanks, I don't like messing with my kismet. But either way
what would you even need for Project Phoenix that you can even wish
for that isn't just having everything done for you?"
"Well I've thought about that as we were talking so you'll just
have to see." He says this and as the last few words come out he takes
to talisman and reads the instructions on the reverse side.
'Take this talis and burn it in a flame at 2243k while submerged in
acid at .0002k for 3000 seconds exactly. If late it will burst into a fiery
explosion or if too early will it burst into shards of molten ice.'

"Well, let's get started."
For the next 15 minutes they are getting all equipment set up with
people coming and going, in and out, of the room.
"Do you need any assistance with anything in your experiment?"
Says one passing researcher.
Not at the moment but thanks for offering any assistance, I'll let
you know if we need any at a later time." Ketsuta replied.
As more pass by, more offer help, Ketsuta and Vera kept going
with their setup testing everything making sure it all works and keep
declining the offers. About 20 more minutes pass and as they finalize
everything and are about ready to start, the foreman returns and checks
on their progress.
"So how is everything going on with your assignment? Have you
made any new discoveries on It’s for, what it's made of, what it says, or
anything else about it?"
"Well we're unsure about what exactly it is or made from, but it
does have directions on what to do with it so we were about to start
testing what happens when you follow them. We'll let you know what
happens when we're done but for now could you leave so we could start
and get everything going since it will be getting both hot and cold so we
don't want any one in here while we're doing as it says."
"Alright I'll leave once you get it going but till then I'm staying in
and seeing just what you are doing." Once he's done speaking Ketsuta
motions to Vera to start the process of steps and once it's started they
all leave as Vera sets a 50 minute timer and the foreman leaves the
other two as they are sitting on a bench just outside the room.

After about 48 minutes they enter the room again and get ready to
take it out. Just as they do That the foreman comes back and opens the
door to see what is happening. Just as he tries coming in Veratis runs
to the door and starts talking to him and leaves the room with him and
locks the door so no one else can interrupt just as the lock clinks the
timer goes off and Ketsuta stops the process and takes the talis back
from the now dying flame and frost.
As he blinks instead of seeing the lab he now sees a vast sea of
nothingness. Then a voice, "Congratulations intrepid one for taking the
risk of near certain death and accepting the curse Beoneu, and for such,
you will be granted your greatest aspirations. For you I can already tell,
you want The Phoenix but want to do it yourself, so for that you will
gain the knowledge necessary to make it a reality. State any more
desires you want from this once great God?"
"God hmm? I guess I'll take the power of alchemy."
"Your wish has been granted and as such you are now the only
mortal with the power of what you call alchemy. And I can already tell
what your third wish is and as such I will grant it but think properly
before using it as it can only be used once and don't use it because of
emotion."

Just as it started, the next blink Ketsuta took, it was all gone.
Back to the lab laying on the floor with Vera now looking over him
donning a worried expression on her face as she asks, "What
happened?"

After the encounter Ketsuta had with the so-called god, he
explains it all to Vera and how the talis was telling the truth about
granting aspirations.
“So, what did you end up wishing for anyways?” Veratas asked
Ketsuta.
“The first wish was to have any knowledge related to Project
Phoenix be revealed to me. The second, for reasons I’m not delving
into, I wished for alchemy and to know how to do it, of course
bio-alchemy as well. As for a tertiary, well, I’ll unveil that one with due
time.” Replied Ketsuta.
“So what are you going to do now that you know what you need to
do for Project Phoenix?” She responded. “And I’m assuming that the
alchemy is going to be needed for something with it as well.”
“Well, most of what we need for it have already been put into
play. Now? I don’t think we need to worry too much, just do as I
instruct and it should be fine and we should be able to do it.”
”Alright. And just to make sure nothing has changed about the
plans for it once it’s finished, right?” She asked hesitantly.
“No, nothing has changed, everything is still the same. We will
create The Phoenix and it will destroy this facility and everyone in it. It
will guide us to the lost islands connected to that one and then, well we
can’t be too sure what will happen after, but I assure you that none of
the plans for Phoenix has changed.” Assured Ketsuta.
As they continue to talk the conversation deviates from the initial
plans to what they will do once in the new land. As they converse the
foreman suddenly comes back into the room. “So, how did the
experiment go?” He asked, “any new developments on the talisman?”

“Everything is going fine, although nothing happened, it seems
like it’s just a fake or is meant to deceive anyone who tries to use it.”
Ketsuta replied. “However it is still perfectly fine after even all that we
did to it, so whatever it truly is, we don’t know nor can we tell.”
“Well, it’s now getting pretty late and I will have to be closing the
labs soon so you’ll have to leave in the next about half an hour. If you
want you could continue the experiments tomorrow or give it to
someone else.” The foreman said. “But I’ll see you then, auf
wiedersehen.”
After the foreman left both Ketsuta and Vera followed suit. Then
three grueling months pass without anything of note happening. Some
new studies, some new researchers with some old ones left, just the
same as normal. Then one day Ketsuta had a vision, from it he heard a
voice, the same voice of that god, say to “take the materials and
resources from which you obtained on the island of which is unknown.
From there you will know what you must do.”
So as Ketsuta heads over to the storage lock-up in where the
items he received from the island during his research ventures. When
he arrives he notices that somehow he already knows exactly what it is
he needs from storage and grabs all of it. He then makes his way back
to his lab without any problems. When he arrives just outside the door,
he hears an all too familiar voice. The disembodied voice of the god,
“Your assistant has yet arrived, you are fine to do your work unseen
and unbothered. Although I guess it doesn’t matter about your assistant
more than the other people since she already knows everything and also
just arrived. But don’t worry this won’t hurt anybody who is near as it's
being made so you’ll be fine.”
“Alright if you promise that it won’t hurt anyone that’s fine, if it
does, well, that would still be fine as why would I care about any of
these people, they all only use me for my mind anyways it will be good
to finally be rid of them once and forever.”

Ketsuta and Veratas are in the lab with the insignia of the fig
leaf. They are waiting, waiting for Ketsuta to come out of his thoughts.
As he does, he starts talking about what needs to be done so they can
move on. As he is giving these instructions to Vera he goes over to the
door and makes sure that it is locked and that no one is able to come in
and interrupt them.
“Move that table here to the middle of the room so I can use it.”
He says. “I’ll also need everything that has been put in that cabinet,
could you put them on the table once you’ve moved it? I’ll work on
making sure everything has enough power to run and function
properly.” He says this last bit as he’s heading over to the room’s power
terminal on the far wall from them.
After that, Ketsuta returned to Veratas who laid an assortment of
different materials on the long table. Then Ketsuta starts guiding Vera
around the table and what to do with all of the materials and where to
put them. After they’ve all been put into the correct position, Ketsuta
starts doing some of the alchemy that he wished for earlier.
With all of the preparations complete and all steps needed to start
the process of awakening the Phoenix have been achieved. With
everything done that needs to be, Ketsuta starts the final step necessary
in the awakening. As he is doing this a pillar of flame erupts from the
table before swiftly vanishing and leaving just some smaller flames in
its place floating in the area. As all this is happening the air around the
2 starts slowly heating up. With the air gradually rising in temperature,
Ketsuta starts getting minor burns along his skin.
For Vera, this is nothing new, although you wouldn’t guess by
how well she can fake her surprise.

The room starts heating up even more than before and the
amount of floats flames is increasing, which means that the procedure
is working. But with all the flames, the walls of the room soon start
burning until the inside walls of the room just catch on fire altogether.
Then the flames engulf Ketsuta. But they quickly go away again. Then
they engulf him again the same end. But now they go and try again, but
not no Ketsuta, now the flames engulfed Vera.
Now, all that Ketsuta can hear is his assistant’s screams as the
flames take over and eventually kill Vera, then, silence. With that, the
flame engulfes Ketsuta once more, but this time, they actually did more
than just dissipate. They merge with him and he becomes one with the
Phoenix, and his goal of Project Phoenix has been reached. Alas, “what
is the use for this power if the one who was meant to have them shared
with is no longer there.” He thought to himself as the realization that
his new found power just killed the only one in that lab important to
him.
“You will have retribution.” he muttered to himself under his
breath to his fallen comrade.

“You will have retribution.” He muttered after sitting down.
‘Retribution’

, he thought to himself,

‘how should she have retribution?’

He now hears the same voice as before, that god,

“So... You now
have the power in which one such as yourself has been searching for.
What do you feel now, after the sacrifice needed to enable said power.
Why don’t you test them out? But whether you choose to or not. The
price for what you have done is the curse of Beoneu as is said when you
obtained the wishes. The amount of Beoneu that you have is the same
as the severity of the wishes that you were granted. With what you have,

you will feel 3 stacks of Beoneu. With that, that is all.” Immediately
after, the god disappears.
After the encounter, Ketsuta feels a strange sensation on his wrist
and when he looks down what he sees is two lines crossing through a
third, which unbeknownst to him is the level of Beoneu that he had
received.
He thinks to himself,

“yeah why not go test these new powers.” As
he says the last line, he extends his arm out a pillar of flame even hotter
and brighter than the one before bursts out instantly burning through
the wall exposing the lab next door, which luckily was empty and he
enter it and he starts to leave,

“I guess this is how I can have

retribution.” He says as he exits the new lab.
Fifteen minutes later and the whole site of Pneuma Labs is up in
flames with all the researchers trapped inside but with the flames not
spreading anywhere but the walls.
Then Ketsuta’s voice can be heard in the distance,

“This. Is. My...
RETRIBUTION.” As a giant spheres of fire spreads through the labs and
explodes leaving the entire lab in ruin with everyone inside now
submerged under liters of still rubble. All that is left is the charred body
of Vera, which swiftly is gone in the blink of an eye, and a collection of
flames around one point in all of it.
At that point the stone starts shifting until a hand emerges
followed by a body as it just stares into the sky as the winter storm is
blowing its freezing air everywhere. The body remains unfazed just
staring into the stars or what would have been stars if it weren’t for the
blizzard taking place. It is staring into the sky because