Every flame is born from a spark, they grow wildly until they consume or encompass whatever surrounds them, like a virus or an army until they eventually diminish. In the streets of Lincoln, Direwind the people once knew this and prided themselves in the warmth of flames as they harboured one of the few remaining fire elemental families on the continent. The Lanix family. Currently the streets of Direwind lay destitute after years of neglect and impoverishment, its owners failing to spread the wealth of their country wide enough to look after its entirety. Lincoln was one of the many cities in Direwind that found itself struggling to maintain what structure it held and over the years found itself ravished by criminality and violence, an image that when viewed by neighbouring countries left Direwind looking incapable and ripe for the taking. These facts were known by its citizens who had resigned themselves to the bleak existence that they held. A country without hope for better days can be like a sky without a sun, vulnerable to the torrents of the weather, and this country hasn't had hope for years. Ken Lanix, a child of ten who was small for his age, with blonde hair that ran down his back and covered his face, leaving a golden glow spattered across it as the weak sunbeams forced their way through it was currently walking down Lincolns dirt streets on his way home after a day of meandering about. Contemplating what the point was after a morning of self-training. In his ten years of life he hadn't witnessed anything that had stuck out to him as a reason to live, wherever he looked he could only see desolation and lethargy; be it in the buildings that had decayed over the years, that yearned to be renovated but had resigned themselves to their rotten visage or the people who lived around him who had succumb to the grey atmosphere that hung over the civilian consciousness. The more Ken wondered about what purpose was and if he or his country had one he couldn't help but rue the news of revolution in the neighbouring country of Faltochi that had happened years before. A revolution that seemingly catapulted the country out of subjugation and into modernisation and prosperity, a revolution born of strength and cunning yet opposing the exact same things. 'How bright their sky must be.' Ken thought to himself as he gazed upwards to the grey clouds that had blanketed his own sky. Lost in thought, Ken hadn't realised that he had made his way back home. Home being a modest, two building estate that housed his family. His mother and father were home, dilly-dallying around the house until his uncle returned from his training. His uncle Zanuma; who was a fighter by trade; was training in preparation for an upcoming fight that he had booked later in the week. In Lincoln and Direwind as a whole ignited fights or 'Ig-fights' were the main source of entertainment for the masses, an unregulated and unsafe pass time that hundreds across the country partook in. It acted as one of societies biggest cultural interests as well as the financial backbone for many who lived in the country. When it came to Ig-fighting Ken's uncle Zanuma was one of the best in his city, their family's specialisation of fire manipulation was rare nowadays and had helped Zanuma progress through the pre-existing ranks which awarded its winners with battle profits that kept his family out of poverty. Ken had distanced himself from Ig-fighting as a way to distance himself from his uncle but would still find himself training, bettering himself and his fire manipulation. These times of practice were the only times that Ken felt truly free, released from the arid life that his family and city assume he wanted to share. “Ken, did you see your uncle on the way back? He should be heading home soon and he'll probably be tired from training... It'd probably be best if you went to your room before he gets back”, Cammie-Li, Ken's mother said to him as he walked through the door. Ken's mother was a tall woman, her hair and features were lovely, and her presence was known as soon as she entered whatever the situation was. Being the youngest daughter of the Lanix family she was hoped to be a great asset to the family but when she failed to ignite in her formative years the family poured all of its attention into her brother, leading her to lack belief in her own worth; which Ken thought was very obvious; as she became an attendant to Zanuma and later to Ken's father, another unignited who specialised in tapestries and textiles. A slender man with pretty facial features that were distorted by his gaunt image, his visage formed over many years of living within his brother by partnerships shadow. Ken looked passively over as his mother and father waited, inactive until their 'sun' returned. Zanuma had ensnared Ken's parents with his strength, a strength that Ken doubted every second that he had lived. Listening to his mother; mainly as a way to appease her obvious worry over an argument erupting between the nephew an uncle; Ken made his way through the small living room, walking over the beautiful maroon and orange coloured rug that his father had made; its pattern resembling many smaller flames gathered round a larger flame; towards the stairs before he went up to his bedroom. “Apparently, a stranger has been asking around the town for a strong flame wielder.”, Ken heard his mother say to his father -“A stranger, it's not often we get anybody new in these parts.” his father replied, a slight interest rising in his voice, “Well, if he's looking for a fire wielder, I'd say the only one around would be Zanuma right? Unless he thinks you're up to the job.” his mother continued, laughing as she finished her remark. Ken's father, Balryu Lanix who had joined the Lanix family when he swore a partnership with Cammie-Li, was a skilled designer and his tapestries were wonderful, but in this country where people couldn't afford food for their families, decorative materials weren't in high demand and the few he did manage to sell didn't bring in that many marts which lead them to rely on Zanuma as the family head, a position that left Ken's father suffering in a state of inadequacy from which Ken could see him crumble under every now and again. Ken didn't pity his parents or have any sort of disdain for their shortcomings, he simply didn't understand why they accepted such a life in the first place. Even with his uncle being a successful Ig-fighter, Ken couldn't see him as much more than a large fish in a small pond who enjoyed using his flame to burn and subdue others, a practice that Ken doesn't appreciate as much as the crowds of fans that attend the battles that his uncle thrives in. His own flame that he had nurtured into structures and armour seemed more practical as well as being in accordance with his family's lineage. 'Surely life isn't this restrained', Ken thought to himself. The door to the estate quickly slammed open as Ken was lost in his thoughts at the bottom of the stairs, the noise startling him as Ken immediately sensed his uncle walk in before he turned his head to see him. Zanuma Lanix was a tall, well built-man whose attitude and confidence could be felt across the room, with short red hair and a weathered face, his presence engrossed the people around him until they were forced to subdue to his warmth and revolve around him as they got caught up in his orbit. “Cammie, I got this from the centre.”, Zanuma stated as he threw down a beast leg onto the table, “Burn it while I get some rest.” he continued, before shooting a glance towards Balryu who was sat at the head of the table. “Brother Zan, sit here whilst you wait.” Ken's father muttered as he scuttled out of his chair and went to help with the food preparations. Zanuma grunted as he sat down and began to rest his eyes, leaning back on the chair, pushing it back making its legs drag, pulling at the flame carpet underneath, ripping it as it did. Ken watched for a second as his parents were waiting on his uncle, embarrassment crept up into his chest but was quickly quelled by his understanding, Ken knew why his parents succumb to Zanuma's heat as he understood that power isn't bestowed upon everyone and that the weak usually cater to the strong, it was their patience and continued acceptance of the fact that he didn't understand. How could a country like Faltochi revolt against their whole existence but his parents couldn't rebel against one man? He would ask himself this constantly but would often fall short of an answer. Resigning himself once again to ignore his family's fealty Ken began to make his way up the stairs before he heard his uncle's voice. “Heading to bed already? You should be out training like me, unless you want to grow up to be a weakling like your father.”. The words hung in the air for a second and Ken looked towards his father who had pretended he hadn't heard what was said, anger bubbling in his chest he was about to turn before he heard his mother reply. “Well not everyone can be as strong as you brother, Ken will probably follow in his father footsteps you've seen how he cowers from the flames when you spar.”. His mother said, in what he thought might've been a misguided defence for him and his father, but the words burnt more than his uncles had previously and as his uncle grunted in acceptance to his mother's words Ken continued up the stairs .As he arrived in his room Ken's heart felt heavy, he looked around to see that his room reflected who he felt he was, the walls patterned with pages from books he had read; displaying images of people from faraway lands living carefree; stuck beside large tapestries of flame like patterns, a mixture of beauty and passion parading as a bright flame posturing with confidence whilst lacking any actual independent identity. Ken began to wonder what strength was, who it was for and what its purpose was. He didn't feel that it was for subduing others or for the entertainment of others like how his uncle used it or that it was for personal gain over the detriment of others. Ken kept finding himself falling into the selfish belief that strength was for oneself, and that it was purely for helping yourself to live the best life you could, to attain whatever you wanted and to protect whatever you wished to hold dear but these thoughts felt superficial the more he pondered them. Hours passed and he began to hear his uncle and mother talking downstairs, something about how his father wasn't bringing enough marts into the estate but before he could hear any more Ken was already climbing out of his bedroom window and with a flicker of energy, he jumped down onto a small block of flame that had been solidified and from there he jumped down onto the street in front of his house. This practice of energy manipulation was an example of the Lanix family's speciality in fire manipulation being that of structural and armament manipulation, a practice that Ken had near perfected in secret, hidden within the alleys of Lincoln due to fear that his mastery would fuel a jealousy in his uncle that he hadn't had to confront since he stopped sparring with him seasons ago. These thoughts spurring him to get as far away from the estate as possible he conjured up another bout of energy infused flames and formed it into the shape of a board hoisted by small wheels that lifted it inches off of the floor, a board that Ken stepped onto and with a slight burst of energy, localised in his feet, he propelled the board forward down the street. Cruising down the street at high speeds Ken felt free as the wind brushed past his face, blowing his hair backwards, allowing cold air to reach parts of his head that it rarely ventured, cooling him down as his energy forced his body to heat up, especially his shoulders which burnt with scalding heat whenever he manipulated his energy causing him to often burn through his tops. Looking around, Ken lamented as he saw the setting of his city, awash with the brightness of his own flames but still hampered by the depressing smog that spanned throughout the streets and alleys. As he got to the end of the street Ken balanced his weight into his back leg, using his front foot to lightly turn the board before he bent down, pressing it to ground and with a spin pushed off the floor whilst changing direction and turning the corner of the street. The tricks he performed whilst on his board gave him the feeling of control and of being free at same time which Ken thought was contradicting, a thought not enough to diminish the pleasure it gave him. After turning the corner of the street, before he could continue observing his cities state he was tickled by a light brush of energy which caused him to stop and upon inspection he caught glimpse of some dust on the ground being blown away from him and when he looked back up there was a tall man standing in front of him. The tall man stood in front of him, looming over as he leant side to side observing Ken and his board. “You got a problem?” Ken asked the man, his green eyes tracing Ken's entire image and after a few moments the man replied. “You wouldn't happen to be Zanuma Lanix would you?”. The question instantly aggravating Ken, he quickly dispersed his energy and his board fizzled into the atmosphere before Ken replied. “No, I'm not, why? How come you're looking for Zanuma?”. The man's eyes sunk a little when he heard Ken's reply which Ken didn't really understand at first but believed was disappointment. “Well, I've been asking around town because there's rumour of an impressive fire manipulator in these parts. A lovely lady a couple of streets down swore that it had to be Zanuma Lanix and shortly after I picked up on your energy and came to check it out. You sure you're not Zanuma?”. The second time of asking Ken's frustration got the better of him as he replied, in a slightly raised voice-“I told you I'm not him! And if you're looking for a strong fire wielder, you're better off looking somewhere else-” Ken told him but was cut off by the man's quick reply. “I said impressive, not strong. And the Lanix family are the only fire manipulators around so I doubt somewhere else would be good. You know him right...? Zanuma?”. Ken stopped for a second before he replied, calming himself whilst attempting to gauge the man who was stood in front of him. A man who stood taller than most with dark skin, seemingly washed in the sun's splendour, his long black hair sheening like silk in its sparse rays. As he was doing this, he could feel the man was doing the same to him.“I know him, but he's not strong he's just loud... and rude.”, Ken explained but as the words left his mouth, he saw a light flicker in the man's eyes as the sides of his mouth curved into a slight smile. “I knew you knew him, you're a Lanix as well, right? You, his son? Bro-”, “I am not his son!”, Ken said sternly, cutting the man off mid-sentence. A couple of seconds passed as the defiant response hung in the air before the man continued. “Okay not his son, but definitely his family, right? So, you could introduce me? I'm looking for an impressive fire manipulator to help out my company with... Let's call it image assurance.”, the man let out a chuckle as he finished. Ken remembered his mother's words earlier mentioning a man looking for a strong fire wielder, this man must be him, but Ken didn't want to connect this man with his uncle if it meant that he would shower him with more prosperity, so he repeated. “I told you he's not strong he's just lou-”, but before he could finish the man responded- “How strong are you then?”, his eyes wide and a smirk on his face as he asked. Ken could feel the man's eyes engulf him, accepting his response but challenging him with his own. The words stirring up confidence within Ken that he hadn't felt before, a confidence that egged him to face the man's challenge head on and with bolster in his voice he replied. “I'm strong, or skilled either way I'm better than my uncle...”, the provocation bringing forth all of the frustration that Ken had felt towards his uncle, parents and city, causing it all to flood out of him as he vented-“His strength's shallow, used only for force and combat... my fire's more than that, it's free, able to take the form of anything I want it to and hot enough to protect against anything that would attempt to quell it. This city, my uncle, my parents they aren't warm enough to break themselves out of this lethargy but me, I'm hotter than the sun.”. The words lifting a weight from his chest as they left his mouth Ken could feel his energy coursing through his body and the smile of confidence that had spread across his face. His wondering about what strength was revealing itself to be a shackle he had entertained, distracting himself from feeling and expressing his own belief in his own fire. His own strength.The man who had just ignited this confidence stood with a grin on his face and Ken couldn't figure out if it was a grin of entertainment or belief which immediately caused his newfound confidence to waver and after a few moments the man replied.“Well take me to your uncle then and I'll be able to tell if you are stronger. I'm Yin Malik by the way what's your name?”. The name Yin Malik instantly sounding familiar in Ken's mind as he realised that this was the great revolutionary from Faltochi, the man who had saved a country from its despair, the man who Ken knew would understand his lamentations. Realising that he hadn't replied Ken forced the words out of his mouth and could feel his lips part as he introduced himself.“I'm Ken, Ken Lanix.”, another chuckle from Yin before he replied with.“Okay Ken let's go see your uncle, I wanna see if he's emblazoned with passion like you are or if your strength truly is that of the sun, I guess they'd call you the Sun knight if it were.”. The words hitting Ken like a wall he let out a small laugh as he muttered the words back to himself.“Sun knight, I like the sound of that.”.The two walked back to Ken's house in near silence, Ken stealing looks at Yin as they travelled, he noticed that he was constantly observing the area they passed through, his eyes alight with energy tracing every inch of the environment, his presence oozing out of him dominating the space as he passively walked down the alleys beside Ken. It didn't take them long to get back to Ken's house and even though they had barely spoken Ken felt comfortable beside Yin, so much so that he forgot the anxiety he usually felt before entering his home when he knew Zanuma was there. As the door opened Ken heard his mother's voice begin to lecture him -“Kenny, I've told you not to leave the house out of your window, you're gonna end up falling one of these -”, but before she could finish, she noticed the man who was standing beside Ken as they walked through the door. Zanuma; who was still sat at the head of the table; also seemed to notice as his energy flared in response to Yin entering and his eyes had crept open, now fixed on the revolutionary who after shooting a look of amusement at Ken in response to his mother's nickname began to greet the house.“Hi, I'm Yin Malik director of Sin industries. Kenny here was just helping me; you see I'm looking for Zanuma Lanix.”. His words clear and annunciated, Ken twitched at the use of the name Kenny but felt that Yin's words lacked a playfulness that he had when talking to Ken before and that his stance was firmer than before, as he noticed this, he heard his uncle begin to reply,“Sin industries... They don't have much standing here, what does the Faltochi army want with me?”, Zanuma said as he began to sit upright on his chair, his eyes set upon Yin who was meeting his gaze.“Sin industries isn't a part of the Faltochi army, no Sin industries is an independent group with one goal. The defence against the inevitable demon invasion.”. The words settled for a moment before Zanuma smiled, Ken hadn't heard much of demons other than the few attacks that had happened whilst he was growing up, the beasts that were wild around the cities and towns of Direwind seemed more of a problem to him. “Okay so you want me to fight off demons, does it pay well?”, Zanuma grunted in reply, his voice showing a disregard to whatever position Yin held, a disregard that was noticed by both Ken and Yin evident by the tone in Yin's voice as he replied.“Oh no, you wouldn't last a second against a demon.”. He said with a cool confidence that Ken couldn't help but admire-“I'm simply here to see if your fire manipulation will help Sin towards its goal. But as much as I've heard that you're strong I've heard some contrasting beliefs as well “, he continued, flashing a glance at Ken as he finished his statement. A glance that was mimicked by Zanuma who shot up at the challenge towards his strength.“If you want to see how strong I am I'd be happy to show you, let's step outside.”, the aggravation stark in his words, words to be received by a calm, confident smile as Yin agreed and began to walk out of the house, Zanuma following behind and passing Ken, grunting with an attempt to barge him as he did only to be dodged. The two men now stood in front of the Lanix estate, the streets were empty but Ken could see people looking out of their windows to spy what was happening. Even the unignited folks could feel the pressure building in the atmosphere, the dormant energy in the space lightly sparking to life, ready to be utilised in combat. Zanuma, who stood across from Yin smirked as he removed his top to reveal his body, forged in many battles it was layered in muscles and patterned with scars which the women of the city were amazed by, but Yin didn't seem phased.“So, we gonna go a few rounds then? First to land a hit win or something?”, Zanuma asked, his confidence apparent as he did. Yin, whose confident smile hadn't faltered furrowed his brow for a second before replying.“You want to go a few rounds with me? Oh, that's not a good idea.”, he said chuckling after the words left his mouth, a chuckle that Zanuma took great offence to which he showed by flaring his energy, light flames appearing to flicker off of his body only to be subdued by a heavy ceiling of energy forced pressure quashing his animosity followed by another smile from Yin.“See, not a good idea. Instead, how about this...?” Yin started as he began to raise his hand and seconds later a large shield was formed from the dust and dirt around him, standing as tall as a person and with a heavy compression that sent a small shock wave thudding through the air it stood finished in front of him “Destroy this shield and tag me, you can do anything and utilise your energy in whatever way you see possible, but you must go through the shield.”.Zanuma was silent for a second before he snickered to himself, sizing up the shield that stood in front of him. Ken could feel the energy emanating from his uncle and before he knew it Zanuma had dashed forward, his arm sparking a fire that coated it as he did and inches before the shield he stopped, his momentum causing him to slide for a second before he throw his punch toward the shield. The flames burning bright around his forearm and fist before colliding with the shield creating a blast that nearly reached the estate and houses across the street, singeing the roof edges and flinging dirt into the air.As the dust settled and the flames dispersed Ken didn't notice the shields condition but first saw his uncle's face, which was still alight with aggression but now had a slight look of defeat on it which was due to the fact that when Ken looked toward the shield, he saw that it stood undamaged from the strike, only being ashened by the flames. A moment passed before Zanuma began striking again and again at the shield, his confidence slowly morphing into desperation with each strike as Yin stood safely behind the shield his face unchanged in response to Zanuma's attempts. After minutes of trying Cammie-Li grabbed onto Ken's shoulder as she asked Zanuma to stop, slightly hiding herself behind her own son as she did so in fear of his retaliation only to be screamed at.“I'll do this! Just stand and watch as I burn the smirk right off of this guy's face!”, he stated but Ken could see that his once eruptive energy was now diminished, his breathing was unsteady, and his strength was on display for everybody to see and Ken couldn't help but allow a smile to creep across his face. Seemingly also noticing his uncle's fatigue Yin poked his head around the shield,“I think that's enough...”, he began; Ken expected his uncle to bark in response but before he could Yin carried on.“You know it as well, right? You're not strong enough to break through this shield no matter how long I give you?”. His green eyes piercing Zanuma as he asked and after a few moments Ken saw something that he didn't think he'd ever see, the unwarranted confidence that puffed up his uncle's shoulders had deflated as he saw his uncle's head slightly nod in agreement, succumbing to the authority Yin had displayed in his last words.“Good. Now it's your turn.”, Yin stated as his gaze snapped across to Ken, his demeanour changing rapidly as he did so.“What? No. You're not going to embarrass this family anymore”, Cammie-Li began but her words fell upon deaf ears as Yin continued to look at Ken who was currently dealing with the excitement and anxiety he felt towards the challenge. This was the opportunity that he had wanted, a chance to show that his uncle's way of using his fire wasn't as great as everybody believed, a chance to test his own flame and a shot at avenging his family who had been enamoured by an inflated flame parading as a sun, a chance to prove that he was a star himself. These feeling mixed with the encouraging look from Yin spurred Ken to walk forward but as he approached the shield his uncle stood in his way.“You really think you can do it? Your flames are weak, you can't properly project and your physical strength alone isn't enough to break through that.”, he stated as he pointed to the shield that was now only a few inches away from the two of them. It was now that Ken noticed that the shield was slightly cracked, damage from his uncle's continuous attacks had built up and left a small crevice just off centre on the shield. Ken swore he saw Yin grin as he noticed this and continued past his uncle to stand in front of the shield, he knew that his strikes weren't enough to destroy the shield and that his uncle was right, he couldn't project a fire strong enough to blast through it either, but he could feel it, his desire to succeed and prevail where his uncle had failed. A desire to be free from the shadow of his uncle and as he stared at the shield, he caught glimpse of his father who was watching from the window in the estate. His eyes filled with hope, hope that he had never seen in his father's eyes before which fuelled Ken's confidence and desire as he walked toward the shield stopping inches in front of it. Placing his hand on the shield, covering the small crack that he had noticed Ken began to whir the energy inside himself into a frenzy, resulting in small flickers of fire to begin covering his body which grew into large flames and within seconds his arms and shoulders were coated in raging flames. All the while Ken was focussing, his eyes closed, trying to garner control over the inferno that he had sparked to life in his plea of freedom and once he felt that it was all under his control his eyes opened and he forced the fire into the small crack. Pushing it forward into the shield causing a flood of flames to spill back towards him defiantly as the shield stood strong. Bathed in flames Ken could feel his own warmth balance out the burning heat from his fire, his energy instinctively reinforcing himself in defence and with this brief moment of balance Ken realised what he needed to do. As his uncle and mother watched in disbelief and panic as Ken stood covered in a blanket of flames they felt a shift in energy as the blanket suddenly dispersed and was sucked into the wall before exploding into a large cube structure that blew away the shield from the inside, the explosion letting of small flames, one of which licked Yin's cheeks as it passed him by, before slowly fizzling away into the atmosphere leaving Ken and Yin standing face to face.“So, this is how strong you are?”, Yin said in a friendly voice, a light smile on his face.“This is nothing, I'm as strong as sun don't forget.”, Ken replied, returning the smile only his was filled with confidence mixed with a slight fatigue.“Okay Kenny, I'll take your word for it.”. Yin said playfully before he turned and walked towards Cammie-Li.“This is abrupt but he's the Lanix I was looking for-”, Yin stated, pointing towards Ken with Zanuma's disapproval radiating into the air only inches away from the conversation.“So, the offer is I take him and train him, he'll be looked after and you can even come visit if you want, Sin is welcome to everybody. We could even use a weavers work if you and your partner would be interested, I'll have my friend Harvey contact you with some designs and ideas?”. There was a silence in the air for a moment before Balryu walked out of the estate towards Yin before taking his hand and bowing his head.“Thank you, that would be an honour. Look after him, he's a lot and his radiance was more than we could ever nourish. I look forward to working with you but please just guide him well.”.Ken heard his father's words and faltered for a second, a wave of anguish flooded inside of him for a moment before he looked at his father, whose eyes were fixed on him partnered with a smile that communicated everything that needed to be said and with that Ken steeled his resolve.“So, I'm going with you then? Let me grab some things and I'll be ready as quick as possible.”, he said, his excitement apparent in his voice as he rushed into the house to begin packing his things. The encroaching freedom exciting him more than he had ever been before causing him to stuff his belongings and decorations into his bags and a singular box as he could hear Yin appeasing his mother who was contesting the decision but when he returned downstairs he could see that his father and Yin had managed to win her over. His uncle had now scuttled away after his embarrassment. Ken imagined he had run away to one of his training centres to refuel his confidence with the praise of others who knew no better.“Come on then Flame boy.”, he heard Yin say as he was thinking of his uncle's departure.“I'd prefer Sun knight over Flame boy thanks.”, Ken replied as he went to his mother and father, hugging them both and squeezing his father a little tighter than he ever had before and then broke into a slight jog to catch up to Yin who had begun walking down the street already.“Okay Kenny, Sun knight it is.”. Yin said as the two began walking side by side-“What's Faltochi like? What does Sin even do? Are there any other fire wielders?”, Ken asked as his excitement began to get the better of him which caused Yin to snigger before he replied.“Faltochi is a work in progress, and we have some flame manipulators, but they aren't really combatants. We'll work on the Sin stuff later but if Free asks you want to join, okay?”.“Who's Free?”-“Somebody who I'm sure will understand my acquisition of another stray”.“I'm not a stray. I'm free.”, Ken replied, as the clouds that had covered Lincoln's sky began to disperse, revealing the sun shining bright in the distance.
