Dravon watched on as the crowd around him cheered his brother’s name. At first all he could feel was shock. Everything had happened so fast. One second, he was in the heat of battle. The next second, he was in the stands.

   Medics rushed to him and put ointment on the giant burn that covered his chest. He allowed this for only a moment before he sent them away. His shock was rapidly turning to anger. Anger and jealousy. It was the Kaizo fight all over again.

   His chance at retaining his number one title was dwindling more and more. Last year he was the star of the Jhori championships at the capital. This year it looked as though he would not even be able to attend.

     “You just can’t catch a break, can you?” Chren asked as he sat down next to him.   Several Elementi were making their way down to the arena to see the new number one up close. No one seemed interested in saying anything to Dravon as they passed by him.

    “Oh well. Not like you were ever going to get to join an agency anyway. Being a firstborn and all.” Chren added.

    Dravon just shook his head. He was in no mood to mince words. He had trained harder in the last quarter-year than he ever had before. It still was not enough. Was not even close to enough. He remembered the look on his brother’s face. A look of pity. He pitied him for being weak.

    Dravon was feeling sick to his stomach. It was dawning on him that he may never be a match for his little brother. Every rumor had rung true. Jraken really was a prodigy. A legend in the making. Dravon felt that if history were to recall him in the distant future. It would only be because he was the brother of the great Jraken Ferno.

    “Going to be hard to be a respected king with all these embarrassing blemishes on your fighting record. Not to mention your old man probably isn’t going to like that the son who is to be his successor is the son who lost.” Chren paused for a couple seconds. “You should probably start working on that personality.”

    Dravon and Chren were then approached by two of King Jrax’s personal guards. They wore light gold armor with red garments underneath. 

    “Prince Dravon, King Jrax has ordered that you come back to Pyra immediately.”

    Dravon was suddenly filled with immense dread. Is he pulling me from the academy early? Is he that ashamed of me?

    “Wow! What are the odds? We were just talking about him!” Chren yelled out.

    Dravon got up and flinched as a sharp pain shot through his back. He quickly recovered and did his best to ignore it. He could not let people see how badly Jraken had beaten him. Not that anyone was paying him any attention anyway. All eyes were on the arena.

 

    When he arrived at the ship that was to take him back to Pyra, he noticed that Jraken was not on board. He was not sure why, but when the ship left without his brother, he had a feeling that something terrible was in store for him.

 

 

    Jraken was in absolute bliss. The girl of his dreams was as happy as he had ever seen her, and it was largely because of him. This was a moment he knew he wanted to make last for a long time. The arena was now filled with several people who had rushed down to celebrate the incredible victory they had witnessed.

    Jraken had been separated from Jessa in the crowd and was now trying to find his way back to her. He figured now was as good of a chance as he would ever get to tell her how he felt about her. This was his plan all along and the main reason he had been nervous all day. When he started fighting his brother, he knew he wanted to do his best to keep Dravon’s reputation intact. He had hoped to fight his brother awhile longer and somehow pull off a narrow victory. That was before he heard Jessa’s scream. He never anticipated the damsel in distress scenario and could not resist making the most of it.

    Which is why his massive fire attacks were given the appearance of dragons. If he was going to save Jessa Hardu, he was going to do it in style.

    When he finally found Jessa, she was talking to some Jhori recruiters and had a beaming smile. She briefly made eye contact with him and his heart soared as he went to make his move.

    He was stopped short when approached by two of his father’s personal guards. “Prince Jraken. King Jrax has ordered you return to Pyra immediately.”

    “Guys! Kind of in the middle of something!” He pleaded.

    “The King was very clear on what to do should you resist, my prince.” The other guard responded. “We would hate to make a scene.”

    Jraken took the hint. He gave Jessa a long longing look before he left with the guards.

 

    He followed his escorts to their ship. Much to his surprise, Skyla was waiting beside it.

    “Where are you taking my student?”

    “King Jrax wants a word with him. Move aside instructor, these are royal orders!”

    “I just so happen to be a Jhori Congressional. I have direct contact with the Jhori Leader of this sector. Just give me a moment to tell Jraken about the change in his school schedule and I won’t report you to the Jhori Leaders.” Skyla said with her hands on her hips.

    The guards looked at each other, shrugged, and boarded their ship. Once they were out of ear shot, Skyla leaned over and spoke softly.

    “I have a bad feeling about this, Jraken. Power such as yours comes at a heavy price I’m afraid. There will be those who try to use it for their own personal gain. I fear your father may be in league with such people.”

    Jraken did agree it was strange that he was so urgently being summoned by his father at a time such as this. Though, he found it difficult to believe his recluse of a father would be in league with anyone. Let alone people that were aware of how powerful he might be.

    Skyla kissed Jraken’s forehead. Making the young fire prince’s face blush.

    “Follow your heart, Jraken Ferno.” She took a couple steps back. “Jhori philosophy teaches that all sentient life is worth saving. War brings out the worst in absolutely everything it touches. Anyone who would promote such an evil upon the galaxy must be stopped at all costs.”

    Jraken nodded and ran onto the ship. He did not like where she was going with her little pep talk. He knew his father had his discrepancies with being under Jhori rule, but he did not think his father would be foolish enough to go to war with the entire Jhori Quadrant. All he could do now was find out what awaited him on Pyra.

 

    The ship broke through Elementa’s purple sky and Pyra quickly grew and took on its red tint as they approached it.

   Stopped at all costs. Jraken could not help but repeat it over and over in his mind. Stopped at all costs.

 

 

   Dravon saw that the throne room was dimly lit. He could not even see the walls that he knew where behind the large pillars that lined the center of the room. The guards closed the doors behind him after he entered. Leaving just his father and himself in the room. Several years had passed since he had last seen the throne that he himself would one day sit upon. Several years before that would be the last time his father and he had been alone in the same room together.

   “Come forward, son.” Jrax said from up on his throne. “We have things we must discuss.”

   Dravon walked forward and held his head high. No matter how many times he came up short of his father’s expectations, he would never allow himself to look defeated. A true warrior persevered until they overcame their barriers.

   “Father, he caught me off guard. I assure you it won’t happen again.” He tried to explain.

   “Dravon, you are my son. The losses you have endured will feed your inner fire far more than your victories. Now you understand how pivotal it is that you must always become stronger.”

   “Yes, father!” He said while bowing.

   “Your fight with Jraken is why you have been summoned. Though, it is not due to your defeat. Rather, it is in the manner of your defeat. There are few Elementi, even amongst the top tier, that could have withstood that finishing blow. What’s more, he has obviously been holding back the true extent of his capabilities.” He stood up from the throne and walked down the steps to his firstborn.

   “He says Grandfather Locke trained him. That he had special training.” Dravon tried to keep a lid on his frustration.

   “I too was trained by Locke, and you by me. I’m sure your grandfather is just as surprised to have seen how far Jraken’s come as the rest of us.” Jrax assured his son.

   “The reason I called you here is because we are leaving the Jhori Quadrant. I sent out a transmission to all the other elite Elementi living under Jhori rule that they are welcome to join us.”

   Dravon was in shock. This was something he had never expected to happen. “Where will we go? Most of our people don’t have access to starships. How are we going to move everyone?”

   Jrax looked down at his eldest son with a stern cold look. “You’ve grown into a fine man, Dravon. Your mother would be immensely proud.”

   Dravon had never heard his father mention his mother since she had died. He had never felt like he knew his father very well. Jrax was a man who preferred to keep to himself. The more time Dravon spent around people, the more he understood why his father chose a life of seclusion. However, Dravon knew there was something strange about the way his father was acting.

   “I cannot save all our people from Jhori enslavement. At least not today. The royals who choose to leave and the wealthier elites who have the capabilities will be all that I can help. Perhaps even in this lifetime.” Jrax put his hand on Dravon’s shoulder. “We must consider the future of our race. The Jhori mean to keep our populations down out of fear of our strength. The Elementi who leave today will one day become the ancestors of a free people!”

   Dravon’s head was swimming. He suddenly realized that his life was about to drastically change, and he had no idea as to what it would be changing to. He assumed his father had a plan for where they would hide from the Jhori. Agents were well known for being able to track down rogue Elementi. Rumors had it that they even made special squads for such occasions.

   He stood tall as soon as doubt tried to creep its way into his mind. Of course, he would follow his father. King Jrax knew what was best for his people.

 

   The door at the end of the throne room opened and Jraken poked his head inside.

   “Father? You wanted to see me?” He asked. Jraken made brief eye contact with Dravon, but quickly looked away.

   Jrax then gave Dravon a brief and odd look. Dravon was not the best at reading people. However, it was a look he could not help but feel a relation to. A look of regret, hope, and guilt all morphed into one pained expression.

   “Jraken! Congratulations on your performance at the tournament!” Jrax announced loudly. “Me and your brother have some urgent things to discuss with you that are of the utmost importance.”

   Jraken walked cautiously forward. “Yes?”

   “Time is of the essence so I’m afraid I must be blunt. I know you are young, and this will be hard for you to understand.” Jrax let out a deep breath. “We are leaving the Jhori Quadrant. Everyone who is able. War is coming and we must choose the right side.”

   All Jraken could think was that Skyla was right. She was exactly right. “What war?” He asked. He really does plan on fighting the Jhori Quadrant!

   “I don’t have time to explain, my son. Please. You must leave with us.”

   Jraken looked at Dravon who raised an eyebrow in anticipation. “I’m sorry, father. I know too many people that won’t be able to leave. I won’t abandon my friends. Especially if war is coming!”

   Jrax shook his head in disappointment. “Dravon, get on the ship. You don’t need to see this.” He said coldly.

   Dravon was wrought with confusion. He could not understand why his father thought he would not want to see Jraken get his ass handed to him by a real warrior. He obediently walked toward the royal hangar, but before he got to the door it occurred to him why his father did not want him around.

   Is he going to kill Jraken?!

 

   “Your grandfather seems to have taught you a great deal. He trained both your mother and me as well. I guess he has a better knack for training than I do.” Jrax took off his long black jacket to reveal a red sleeveless shirt. “I hope you are not under the illusion that sparring with that old man will be anything compared to fighting with me.”

   Jraken knew everything that was transpiring was unbelievably bad, but as his father who had ignored him his entire life got into a fighting stance, he experienced a jolt of excitement. Ever since he realized he was an above average fighter, he had wanted to challenge his father. All the war stories about his parents he had listened to growing up had always inspired him to push himself past his limits.

   There was no way to know for certain where Jrax’s power ranked amongst the top Jhori agents. It had been many years since anyone had actually seen King Jrax fight. He was once undoubtedly the best among the Pyrans, and there were few who would argue that he still did not hold that title.

   “If I defeat you will you call off this rebellion? People are going to die! If you present yourself as a threat, they won’t have a choice but to hunt you all down!”

   Jrax reacted with a loud battle cry followed by an enormous twister of fire that surrounded him and tore through the ceiling. He threw his arms back and the fiery twister trailed off behind him destroying everything in its path. Half of the ceiling had caved in and the back wall collapsed before the twister finally dissipated. All that remained of the throne was an ashen heap of metal.

   “Let them come.”