To start with, long ago, the Sirix Angels locked away a powerful artifact (the Phantom Crucible) with five keys. To keep it locked, they kept one of the keys, and gave the last four to the Genasi, one to each tribe. The Phantom Crucible grants you any wish, so the stories go, so clearly it's sought after. Things were bound to go wrong eventually.

Vulpix grew up in the Cinders tribe of Fire Genasi, joining the tribe's army, where he learned to fight and also learned about and met those from the other Genasi tribes (Including General Galeon Atmos of the Air Genasi, who he came to admire and look up to. I think I've posted him before, he's the blue guy in past Vulpix posts).

Then the Elemental Schism struck, a war between the four tribes over the keys to the Crucible. It wasn't long before the Water and Earth Genasi pulled out, the war becoming too much, leaving the Fire and Air to battle it out. The Air Genasi outnumbered the Fire Genasi and slowly began to take them out, but the Cinders kept fighting.

One battle that young (now Captain) Vulpix took part in grew a bit too close to a phoenix's nest. Despite the severity of the battle raging, Pix stuck by the nest, driving the enemy away till the battle was past it, saving the eggs from certain doom. He didn't know this act of compassion would have grave effects later. That battle ended at more or less a draw, the army of the Cinders retreating to Torchtop, home of the tribe... But they weren't expecting the Air Genasi to attack again so soon.

It was a very onesided battle. Through sheer numbers and a ...strange other advantage, the Air Genasi quickly broke through defenses. The Cinders were dropping like flies. They fought against hope itself that something would turn the tides of the fight.

Vulpix had been separated from his squadron, and was facing a group of Air Genasi on his own. He was not doing well. If he slashed at one with his sickle, another would be right there with a sword of their own. Blasting a fireball would only result in it being blocked, leaving no apparent effect. Vulpix knew this was the end here.

Then it happened.

There was a shrill cry of a bird somewhere overhead, followed by a burning sensation deep in his chest. He’d been burned before, of course; living among pyrokinetics it was inevitable. This, though, was different. So much stronger, so much more painful. He thought for a moment that this moment of vulnerability would be his downfall, but it only took a second to realize the flames licking at the ground around him, the attackers running away. Pix only held a few more seconds of his own volition before the phoenix’s powers took flight

The flaming Genasi made short work of driving the rest of the attackers from the encampment, but the damage was done. When the phoenix’s aura finally dropped, Vulpix quickly realized he was the sole survivor of the attack. He wasn’t even given a chance to mourn them, the phoenix ushering him away before the enemy returned.

Pix searched desperately for the few other Cinders that had escaped the slaughter, each time realizing he was too late. Each disappointment, each failure only further broke his heart, and there was one thing he knew with more and more certainty: