The next day.
Since it was Saturday, Hawk made his way early in the morning to an apartment across from Queensboro Bridge Park.
This was his new place.
It didn't take him long to find it. After all, affordable and decent apartments were rare gems. Cheap ones, though? Those were everywhere.
But even the cheapest landlords typically wouldn't rent to a minor, especially one without a guarantor.
Fortunately...
When Hawk explained that he had already filed for legal emancipation through the courts, the landlord finally relented.
So here he was.
At the crack of dawn, Hawk arrived. The landlord, upon seeing Hawk's official court documentation confirming his legal independence, didn't waste time. They signed the lease agreement right away. Hawk paid six months' rent in advance, and with that, the landlord handed over the keys.
Deal done.
Once the landlord left, Hawk closed the door behind him and took a moment to look around his new home.
It was small. Really small.
If he were to exaggerate, it looked like a box that had been flattened under the weight of life.
Old carpet. Peeling walls.
The living room was so cramped that with a second-hand sofa and a foldable dining table in place, even turning around required careful navigation.
The bedroom wasn't much better. Once the bed was in, there was barely any space left to move.
Still...
Tiny as it was, it had everything he needed.
Most importantly, like his old place, this apartment also had a fire escape ladder just outside the window that led directly to the rooftop.
That was the main reason Hawk had asked the landlord to wait while he handled his legal paperwork. That rooftop access was non-negotiable.
And let's be honest — for seven hundred bucks a month, what more could he ask for?
Over the next two days, Hawk cleaned and set up the apartment.
"Set up" might be a stretch. He bought a new mattress and replaced the old, yellowed showerhead in the bathroom.
He also opened the windows wide and let the place air out for two full days. Only then did the strong lingering smell of curry finally fade.
Of course...
He didn't forget the important stuff. Late at night, he snuck back to his old stash spot and brought home his "trophies" — five Chitauri weapons. He wrapped them up in a bedsheet from the old place and shoved them under his bed.
That evening, like he'd done before, Hawk grabbed a burger and a soda from the corner shop downstairs. He climbed up the fire escape and sat on the rooftop, looking for a clean spot to sit.
There, under the starlit sky, he ate his burger and gazed up at the constellations.
As the night sky sparkled overhead, the stars within his own Microcosm began to shimmer as well.
Hawk had already made his choice about which constellation he would awaken first.
Not Pegasus.
Not Cygnus.
Not Dragon.
But...
Phoenix.
Constellations weren't just sources of power for Saints — they were legacies in themselves.
A Saint who awakened their Microcosm and gained a constellation could inherit its core traits.
And in Hawk's eyes, none of the 48 Bronze Constellations had more powerful traits than Phoenix.
Because Phoenix had something that even the Zodiac's Gold Saints didn't possess.
The Phoenix does not die. It is only reborn.
If Dragon's core essence was "unyielding might" and "protective strength," then Phoenix's essence was "immortality" and "rebirth."
The bad news?
Because the Phoenix constellation was so overpowered, the requirements to become a Phoenix Saint were notoriously high.
From what Hawk remembered, ever since the first Holy War, when Athena designed the system of 88 Saints, the Phoenix Saint never even appeared — not until much later in the SS arc.
The good news?
This wasn't the Saint Seiya universe.
Which meant the Phoenix constellation here wasn't quite so... aloof.
If he could light up the Phoenix constellation within his Microcosm, he could claim its core trait right away.
The Phoenix does not die. It is only reborn.
His vitality would surge to terrifying levels. Even if someone did manage to kill him, as long as the Phoenix constellation remained, he would return — reborn in fire.
So...
Unless he'd completely lost his mind, there was no way Hawk would skip over Phoenix just to awaken another constellation.
His goal had always been the same.
Survive.
If possible, survive comfortably.
If luck allowed, survive for a long, long time.
With his decision made, Hawk didn't hesitate any longer. He summoned the twelve stars in his Microcosm — the ones ignited by killing those Chitauri — and began aligning them into the Phoenix constellation.
The Phoenix constellation required one second-magnitude star, two third-magnitude stars, and six fourth-magnitude stars.
All the stars he had so far were fourth-magnitude.
Two fourth-magnitude stars could merge into one third-magnitude.
Two third-magnitude stars could merge into one second-magnitude.
So...
"Just two more stars."
"Not bad."
"Looking good."
Hawk sipped his drink, smiling as he watched the nearly complete Phoenix constellation glow above the cosmic plane within his Microcosm.
Just then...
The shadows of the remaining 47 Bronze Constellations shimmered in his Microcosm.
Strangely enough, Hawk could sense... complaints. As if the other 47 constellations were grumbling in protest.
But amidst their collective whining, a phoenix's cry rang out. And with that, the complaints vanished.
Hawk blinked, raising an eyebrow at the glowing Phoenix constellation.
Partially lit, it hovered above the others like a regal, untouchable bird, looking down on the remaining 47 with undisguised arrogance.
Clearly...
As the first constellation Hawk chose to awaken, Phoenix had inherited his pride — and then amplified it.
Because let's face it.
Phoenix is just built different.
Hawk gave a crooked smile, shrugged, and withdrew from his Microcosm. He climbed back down the fire escape and returned to his apartment.
A while later...
Lying in bed, still not quite asleep, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander.
He began thinking about the Cloth.
Awakening Phoenix would grant him the core of immortality.
But forging the Phoenix Cloth, and wearing it, would unlock the constellation's unique powers and skills.
For instance...
The Phoenix Phantom Fist, a technique that attacked the mind rather than the body — shattering an opponent's consciousness into pieces.
Or the Mind Shatter, which let him invade an enemy's mental realm and tear their spirit apart with sheer force of will.
And then... there was the ultimate move.
Transforming into the Phoenix itself.
Summoning a scorching windstorm with wings of flame.
An annihilating blaze that could reduce everything to ashes.
The Phoenix's true finishing move—
Flames of Rebirth!