"Xerxez, calm yourself." Perlend, in a panic, tried to soothe Xerxez, whose reaction to the ashes scattered near the infant was one of terror. She calmed him while preoccupied with cleaning the remnants, yet the stain remained etched on the white linen of their bed.
Xerxez, desperate, resolved to investigate his surroundings, peering out the window, beyond the door, and even behind the massive cabinets. Perlend could not help but laugh. "The Phoenix of Peronica has approached our child!" Perlend exclaimed with joyous fervor, causing Xerxez to halt and sink onto a seat beside the infant. Xerxez gazed tenderly into Perlend's eyes.
"The Phoenix?" Xerxez questioned, the word seizing his mind. "Is it not merely a legend of your country?" His eyes were clouded with a deep sorrow, a stark contrast to his wife's elation. "Did you sleep well last night?"
