Fire. I am aware of the heat around me. Only this amount of heat and the thick smell of smoke could mean fire. But I am unable to move. My body is paralyzed. I am tied to a chair; somehow I am knocked onto my side, not knowing how long I have been like this. The side of my face flat against the floor. I can't open my eyes for some reason. All I see is faint moving shadows. I can't move any. I can't even cry out for help. All I can do is smell the smoke, feel the radiating heat, and think. But thinking only gets me so far. I couldn't see or move. So how am I to get out of this. There has to be a way. There just has too. I can't remember how I got here. All I know, all my brain can recall, is this moment. I am lost. I don't even know who I am. I want to cry, beg, scream out, but my pride, and the limit of the possibility to do those things, stop me from thinking about it. I am strong. I do know that for a fact. Even if I don't remember anything I do know that I don't go down easy. I don't want to die. I detest the thought. I refuse it! With this new-found confidence brimming through me, I attempt to escape this. I wiggle my wrist with what little bit I can manage. And just that action alone takes an extreme amount of effort. With the air around me - or the lack thereof- makes this task four times as hard. But still I try. I managed to get the thick rough rope loosened slightly. I breathe a sigh of relief. It seems I can get out of here! That simple thought encourages me greatly. I rock my paralyzed body using my arms onto my face and knees. I scoot and scoot, slower than a turtle crossing the road. I gauge the amount of heat I feel coming towards me. I can tell I am getting closer to the flames. I keep pressing on. Okay. I think this is as far as I can get without getting burned. I repeated my previous motion and rocked back and forth until I rolled the chair where the back was to the flames. I moved my hands as far back as I possibly could, which wasn't much, and let the fire lick the thick rope. It was a slow painful process. Even though I tried to not get burned, the fire still got me too. I gritted my teeth in the agony. I was freed after a while. The rope let go with a SNAP! My shoulders felt instant relief as they were released from their strain. I breathed a sigh of relief. With my now free hands I reached down and numbly undid the knots that attached me to the chair's legs. Another slow process, which thankfully didn't involve fire. Fire! I was still really close to the flames! I finished as fast as I could, and scooted away. During my escape, I came to realize that everything but my arms were paralyzed. Moving was painful. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. My darkened vision didn't change. All of a sudden, everything in me flipped. I lost everybit of energy I just had. What is happening to me? I don't understand. I blindly reached out my hand. I want to live! Please! I don't want to die. I will do anything! One more chance, just give me one more chance. PLEASE!!! That was the last thing I thought before passing out.
—-------- Hidden place in a cave —------
A tall malnourished boy with raven black hair and eyes that shone like the moon sat in the shadows. His clothes were ratty and he was in a disheveled shape. He was leaning against the wall dozing off. Out of nowhere he shot up, eyes wide and a thin layer of sweat forming. His breathing labored.
"The lost one. They have awakened. It's time."
He managed to pull himself to his feet and walked to the entrance of the cave. He looked up into the night sky. The stars twinkled and the moon shone brighter. The darkness seemed to gravitate to the boy.
"Our moment has arrived. It is due time to bring the five back together so we can collect our lost sixth."
—-- History of Ciphyrus —--
The kingdom of Ciphyrus was once divided into six divisions. Guatili, the left northern state; Mattricc, the northern right state; Devmin, the middle state; Sentabrim, the right low-middle state; Fenswic, the state right under Devmin; and Atqualit the left lower state. Each state was its own. They had their own way of running their state. Their own way of ruling their people. There were six years of peace. Then as the next three years went by, strife and anger among the people and the other states arose. Then the states prepared for war. Twelve long years of war happened. There were enemies and spies everywhere. No one could be trusted. Food was scarce. Water was now a dream. Instead of people dying from the battlefield, people died from starvation in the streets and alleyways. It was a horrific sight. The stench that hung in the air was revolting. The sky was always dark. Life had packed its bags and ran as fast and as far away as it could.
The world was almost ending. No one had hope. Everyone gave up. Then the six highest generals of the states came together. These six men met in secret and planned for months on how to free the people. Two weeks before the planned rebellion, the generals met for one last meeting. It was a time of great sorrow and hope. Hope for a better future. They knew that they might die, but freedom was worth it.
One the day previously planned, the generals awoke early and snuck into the main place of each state and rallied the people. They got everyone together. They rebelled. After three weeks of the rebellion, the states were freed. The generals stood on top of one of the biggest piles of rubble as the people chanted their names. As the battleworn generals looked over all of the people, a ray of light broke through the sky. Everyone shrieked as the ground shook and the sky rumbled with thunder. Six dragons came through the sky. A sunlight gold one, a midnight black one, an off white one, a brown one, a deep ocean blue one, and a crimson red one. The six dragons created a circle above the six generals and started flying in a circle around them. The people held their breath at the sight. After what seemed to be a dance the dragons landed around the generals. The dragons summoned one general to itself. As the generals kneeled to the dragons, in one voice, told them they were bestowing their powers on them. They told them that once they died their powers would choose the next person to hold the power that they held. After a chant the dragons left the way they came. That night the generals had joined the six states into one country, which they named Ciphyrus. The state was divided into six tribes, one for each general. This is how the next person to inherit the dragon's power was chosen. There was the wind tribe, originally known as Guatili. There was the earth tribe, originally known as Mattricc. There was the moon tribe, originally known as Devmin. There was the water tribe, originally known as Sentabrim. There was the sun tribe, originally known as Fenswic. And lastly there was the fire tribe, originally known as Atqualit. After one of the six passed on, the powers were bestowed on a heart worthy of the power. That person was found and brought to the capital to be raised by the other five and taught everything they would need to know to become one of the six. Many years of peace followed these events. The six became known as The Six Celestials. As generations went by, the last known fire holder died in an incident. The power of fire was never bestowed to the next person. The other five were worried. This had never happened before. So in order to keep the peace, the remaining five set up a governmental system, known as, The High Court. The High Court had a six tiered set up; The Grimiti, they were two people who had complete control. Then the Rukitli, the four who were the ones to make the major decision. The Elkit, they were the ones who looked at the laws set by the Celestial Six and compared them to the decisions that the High Court made. The Hewqual, they were the judges. The Tuntil were the lawyers. And finally The Strong Houses, they were the jury. The Strong Houses were the nobles, least to greatest. And so, with this system in place, the remaining five Celestials disappeared without a trace. Years went by, the Celestials never showed hair nor tail. And The High Court, which was meant to be a fair ruler soon became corrupted without the guidance of the Six Celestials. Although everyone pretended that it never was.
That was until an old man with no identification appeared one day and gave a prophecy to the wind tribe. The prophecy goes as follows:
Time was what made the change. Time
was what brought the new order.
The governing world gained
control. And gave peace to
the land.
One lights up the night,
another the day.
One gave land,
another made the land's grass sway.
The final two
were opposite another,
One gave nourishing liquid,
while the other burned
everything it touched.
The one that controls the dark,
controls the heart of
the people.
The one that controls the light,
controls the confidence
of those around it.
The one that controls the rock and soil,
controls the knowledge
needed to keep on striving.
The one that controls the breeze,
controls the timeless
passion of dreams.
The one that controls the ebb and flow
of the abyss, controls the hand
of shaping destinies.
The one that controls the blazing heat,
is the one destined for it all.
At its knees,
the world will bow,
giving submission to the great
power that it controls.
Underestimate this wielder not,
lest you be turned to ash in
their wrath.
What once was lost and dead,
will arise yet again.
And burning brightly will it free
the world, and join the missing others.
Be aware.
The time will come faster
than a lighting strike.
It will be too late when it does.