Firebird

It had been 257 long years of death. 257 years since, as everyone knew, the Eleftherians attacked Humanity with the goal of eradicating them as the inferior race. And while things were relatively calm within the walls of Humanity, most knew that it could only stay that way for so long.

The bells echoed above the din of the destruction, a cacophony of screams and cries that haunted its instigators. Children wailed as they were stripped from their mothers, accompanied by the sound of ripping flesh and blood splattering the ground at every street corner.

September 6th, they would call it. A simple date that would strike fear into the hearts of Humanity for years to come. On that day, Humanity saw that it didn’t matter how many years had passed since the war. It didn’t matter how many walls they built.

They were nothing but mice in a maze, a toy for the Eleftherians to entertain themselves with when they had no other options.

257 years after they built them, Humanity would learn that those walls were nothing more than cages.

There was a sense of distrust that came with venturing outside the walls. After all, it was mostly uncharted territory, and there simply weren’t many places to go. Eleftherians had staked out everywhere but right up to Wall Christina herself, and leaving the outer cities was practically asking to return in a body bag.

But that didn’t stop the missions.

Day after fruitless day, Humanity would leave the walls on patrol, hoping to do goddesses know what— kill a few Elves? Make a statement? It wasn’t as if they ever truly entered Eleftheria, that would be too risky and certainly not worth it. No, Humanity patrolled the no man’s land between the two nations, the area that was technically a part of Humanity but was so utterly overrun by Elves that they could hardly claim it as their own land.

It was during one of these missions—these patrols of sorts—that we find our story starting. With the sound of horse hooves and the clatter of metal weapons, it was a sound one could only associate to one thing: the Burners.

“Lykos!” a young woman called from atop her horse, “We’re approaching a known camp.”

“Right,” Lykos responded with a nod. He held up his hand, using the other to pull on the reins of his horse. “Slow up!” he called, “We’ll likely face enemies here.”

Lykos, though not the hero of our story, was a young man of great renown, a student at none other than Humanity’s Officer’s Academy. He was what they called a house captain, a student tasked with the responsibility and honor of leading the students of their house.

But I’ll get into that.

The horses slowed as Lykos deftly stepped down from his horse in one swift movement. He crouched to the ground, holding one palm to the earth. “Tracks,” he murmured, “Did a dragon come through here?” He sighed, beginning to realize that he may face something far worse than a few angry Eleftherians once he reached the camp.

The young man that sidled up beside him went by the name of Ashe and had a matching green jacket, the hallmark of the House of the Jaguar that they both belonged to.

“I need the Uarises to scout,” Lykos muttered aloud, “If there’s a dragon out here we need to adjust our formation.”

“I’ll tell Cecilia,” Ashe replied, backing away to alert the girl of Lykos’s plans.

In any other situation a flare would be lit, but to do so so close to an Eleftherian camp would practically be suicide, notifying the Elves of Humanity’s presence. Lykos was an adept strategist and knew this well, and his voice was no louder than the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Cecilia arrived shortly after with Ashe, her metal wings clanking softly as she walked. “I can do it myself,” she said, “I can scout above and report back.”

“No,” Lykos swiftly replied, “Not alone. If you’re seen there won’t be a you to report back to us.”

Cecilia folded her arms. She did rank just as highly as Lykos, but she wasn’t in charge of this mission and had to take a back seat. She bit her lip, taking a step closer to Lykos. “Trust me,” she pleaded, “I won’t get caught.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Ashe snapped, “Just let her go.”

Lykos had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He loved Ashe like a brother, but that wouldn’t stop the two of them from butting heads on every mission they were assigned. You’re just a student, he longed to tell him, let me handle it.

But he said “fine,” and with the whir of machinery, Cecilia’s wings opened and she took off into the sky.

Lykos was generally not an anxious man. He couldn’t afford to be, he had a house to command and a brave face to put on for them. But in the achingly long moments between Cecilia’s take off and her returning with a report, his heart raced and his fingers tapped against his thigh. Cecilia could handle herself, he knew this, but that didn’t change the fear that coiled around his spine and gripped his chest until he felt it impossible to breathe. Maybe it was because he knew that he was the one that gave the order, the one that sent Cecilia off to what he feared was an inevitable death.

So when she returned without a scratch, the sigh of relief that overtook him nearly shook him where he stood. But he knew he couldn’t relax. Every moment the students loitered near the Eleftherian camp was another moment the Elves had to prepare.

Cecilia shook her head. “There wasn’t anyone there, but there were certainly signs of a camp. As if they were going to come back,” she says under her breath, as if despite her report there would be someone there to hear them.

“No one there?” Ashe echoed.

Lykos spoke through gritted teeth. “Then where the hell did they go?”

The boy’s eyes shot open as he jumped up in bed. He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, causing the other person in the room to turn around in surprise. He was quite a bit smaller, a chubby boy with flame-red hair whose eyes were round with concern. “Kai? Are you alright?”

Chest still heaving, Kai managed to get out, “fine,” before resting his hand beside him on the bed. “Just a bad dream.”

“Oh, okay,” the boy said with a nod, buttoning his shirt. “What was it about?”

Kai faltered, realizing that for all his reactions, he didn’t have a clue. But he wasn’t about to admit that he had such a fear of something he couldn’t even name. “None of your business.”

“Was it about your birthday?”

“I said it’s none of your business, Uriel,” Kai snapped, swinging his legs out from on the bed and sliding to his feet.

Uriel shrugged without and turned back around. “Sheesh, sorry.”

There was a long moment of silence, one Kai could have used to apologize, to say anything if he felt so inclined. But even though the moment passed agonizingly slow, it was Uriel who broke the silence with his voice. “I was hoping you’d wake up soon. I wanted to go to Uncle Vincent’s shop today.”

Kai stretched his hands over his head, his movements fluid and almost cat-like. “Can’t you go by yourself?”

Uriel waved him off without bothering to look over his shoulder. “No, it’s not the same. So hurry up and get dressed. Aunt Klaudia’s already made breakfast.”

Kai sighed, then got up to stand by the window of the room he shared with Uriel. Beyond the walls of their house the city of Caelfall was bustling with activity, horses whinnying and shopkeepers shouting about their wares to passersby. It seemed as if the day had already begun without waiting for Kai, a realization that made him bite the inside of his lip in frustration.

“What’re you looking at?” Uriel asked, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to see that the boy had his hand on the door handle, ready to leave.

“Nothing. Just looking outside.”

“That dream really messed with you, didn’t it?” Uriel’s words were playful, but his voice and his eyes seemed perfectly genuine.

Kai didn’t bother with a response. He didn’t have one.

Despite it being Uriel’s idea to head to Vincent’s shop, Kai walked ahead of him, as was the norm. Uriel would tag along clumsily behind, jogging to keep up with Kai’s long strides. He’d wave and smile to his neighbors, and nod respectfully to the guards posted around the city’s streets. It was Uriel that spoke to the military police officer at Wall Christina every time they entered the city’s Walled District.

Except for today.

“Hey kids,” the officer said with a smile, “What’re your names?”

“Uriel Aleshire and Kai Bone,” Uriel responded, gesturing first to himself and then to his cousin.

“We’ve met before,” Kai offered, “We cross in and out of the walls pretty often. You’re Aleks, aren’t you?”

Aleks’s smile only grew. “Right you are. I’m impressed you can remember that. When I was little I certainly didn’t know the names of any Military Police officers.”

“He cares a lot about the military,” Uriel said at the same time as Kai said, “I’m not little.”

“Reason for crossing?” Aleks asked, as if they hadn’t spoken.

“We’re visiting our uncle, Vincent Schwarzen. He works inside the Walled District,” Uriel explained.

“Ah, Vincent Schwarzen! I know him. Good man, he is. You two are lucky to have him as an uncle.”

Kai tapped his foot impatiently. Most Military Police officers weren’t this chatty.

“What do you boys want to do when you grow up?” Aleks asked, looking up from his log.

“Huh?” Uriel said. This wasn’t a standard question, not one they needed to answer to gain entry inside the walls.

And that man knew not the floodgates he had just opened.

“I’m going to be a Burner,” Kai jumped in immediately, “I’m gonna fight elves and make sure we win the war.”

Uriel sighed, staring at the ground. Not that he hadn’t heard this before.

“Is that so?” Aleks smirked, “Don’t worry, kid. Elves haven’t invaded Humanity since goddesses know when. You’d be of more use doing this.” He patted his chest with a triumphant smile. “Military Police get much more done.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. Uriel swallowed, knowing exactly where this was going. “No, I’m going to be a Burner,” Kai insisted, “I don’t mean any disrespect, sir, but joining the Military Police is a waste of time.”

“Kai!” Uriel shouted, before Aleks could articulate his surprise. Uriel turned to Kai, horrified, knowing they certainly wouldn’t be let into the walls now.

“We Humans just live at the Eleftherians’ mercy,” Kai continued, “The only way to retake our freedom is to fight. How can you be happy with yourself just being lazy and living a cushy life inside the walls? How can you live knowing you’re just a pawn in the Elves’ game?!”

“Kai, stop it!” Uriel cried.

But Aleks only kept that same smirk on his face. “You’ve got a lot of fight in you, kid. The Burners will appreciate that.” He stepped aside from the entryway into the Walled District. “Go on, kids.”

Uriel and Kai looked to each other, then took off inside the walls without another word. But Kai’s voice echoed in Uriel’s head as the boys ran. The only way to retake our freedom is to fight. Was that the truth?

Humanity’s trust in the walls was unshakable, and the world inside Caelfall’s Walled District felt like a different nation than the part of the city outside the walls. There weren’t many cities in the position Caelfall was in, with a part of the city completely outside the walls. It was dangerous, certainly, but Caelfall was very heavily patrolled. It was a highly sought after city to live in, at least in the Walled District, what with its closeness to the Officer’s Academy.

If Caelfall’s Outer District was bustling, the Walled District was overcrowded, completely overrun with horses trotting down paths and people hurrying to their next stops. The walls around the city blocked out the sun in the early and late hours, but the streets were alight with lamps that were lit at each sundown. These flames flickered and danced in the night, casting the city in a golden hazy glow. Uriel had always been mesmerized by the city at night.

But today he wasn’t focused on that, instead struggling to keep up with Kai as he ran, swallowing back the anxiety that rose in his throat. “Kai?” he called.

Kai stopped, narrowly avoiding colliding with a horse-drawn carriage. “What?”

Uriel sighed, shifting in his spot and fiddling with his fingers. “I think… I want to be a Burner too.”

Kai stared at him for what was easily the longest five seconds of his life. “…What?”

Uriel, having used those precious moments to steel himself, nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to be a Burner too.”

“Uriel, that’s ridiculous. I mean— that’s impossible. Just look at you!” Kai barely held back a laugh. “You’d never be good enough to be a Burner, you just don’t have it in you.”

Uriel’s little hands balled into fists. “That’s not true.”

“Oh yeah? I could beat you in a fight any day. How are you going to fight elves if you can’t even take me on?”

Before Uriel could fire back a retort, the overwhelming sound of hundreds of horse hooves interrupted them.

“OA’s patrol is back,” Uriel murmured, having almost forgotten what they were talking about.

“Let’s go see if they caught any Elves!” Kai laughed, running back toward the wall. Uriel followed closely behind, his heart racing with excitement from the possibility of seeing the Burners. Just you wait, Kai. Someday, that’ll be me.