A cosmic tale of balance. A mythology on the story behind stories. Ever since I was a kid, I was mesmerized by the movies in my local video store—studying the artwork, reading every synopsis. I even knew films inside out before I had seen them. Franchises always fascinated me. In sci-fi and horror, stories never truly ended. Even when the villain was defeated, it was only a temporary strike—a moment to regroup in purgatory before returning stronger. That idea—the belief that all stories are governed by a cosmic balance—had been forming in my mind for years. But it wasn’t until the Saturday Monster Challenge on Linkedin sparked a new train of thought that everything clicked into place. From there, The Phoenix and the Serpent took shape as a mythology built around the Charm monster theme. Today, I’m proud to share it with you. Dedicated to my grandparents (94 and 92), who took me to the cinema in the early ‘90s and taught me the magic of storytelling.