On a bare skull, he brooded. Phoenix, fiery, vibrant. Alone. Primal bone, eon-layered dust, below. From death’s echo, life birthed. Daily, he flamed, died, rose. Painful, resonant cycle. “Dasein”, he mused. Always becoming, never being. He guided others. Through life, death, rebirth. His knowledge, a guiding light. Unseen, they leaned. Skull crumbled, but phoenix, undying. Even as bone fractured, phoenix soared, unfettered. Life persisted. A testament. Fall. Rise. Existence wasn’t for the fainthearted. With this, he flew. The last fragments of skull, silent. Ashen dusk turned to cold night.