“Hey, Heating Pad! You’re needed in room 12.”

In the emergency department of the Royal Hospital of Fausto, several tents were laid out with curtains between them to provide the patients a modicum of privacy. As the planetary war raged on, soldiers needing treatment quickly overloaded the hospitals. Just like many others in the planet, the Royal Hospital was forced to resort to temporary triage stations in tents. Within one of the open tents, an olive-skinned young man with golden eyes and black, wavy hair combed back lay treating a soldier who had come in with shattered legs.

Alexander ensured the cast he had just set was dry and looked to the young soldier he was treating with a grin, “Your ankle is wrapped up now. Give it a month, and you should be ready to burn it away and walk. It seems I gotta run to another room but help yourself to those crutches on the way out.”

Speeding out of the ED, Alexander’s smile faded and gave way to a more pensive, dejected frown. At 23 years of age, he stood at both the peak and unfortunate end of his career. Despite graduating as the number one student in the Science division of the Imperial University and being immediately recruited by the capital city’s hospital, Alexander had remained a medical aid for the past two years. The cause of the stagnation of this rising star was the very same nickname the other medical aids had just called him.

“Heating pad they call me. I suppose it’s really not far from the truth.”

Although he’d grown used to similar nicknames throughout the years, whenever a fresh batch of new hires yelled out the title, it gave it a particularly burning sting.

The planet of Fausto was predominantly inhabited by fire Elementalists and ruled by the Clan of Agni. There was a certain pride in the citizens of the planet in being the chosen muses of the element of fire, and due to this culture, every infant was subject to an elemental affinity test upon birth. 23 years ago, in what must have been a sick joke by the gods, the current record holder in the category of the lowest affinity to fire, otherwise known as the Heating Pad, was born. The occasion was memorialized by a plaque although Alexander was quick to burn it, with outside help of course, as soon as he was old enough to realize its meaning.

It would have been perfectly fine to be born without an affinity to an element, as the metropolis of Insinua at planet Derapen was a haven for those who wanted to focus on science and technology, and the cost of a gate use to relocate families was waived with the birth of a Non-elemental newborn. However, with his Z ranked fire affinity, that privilege was not offered, and he instead began the journey that would be life in Fausto.

Despite his continued excellence in Academia, Alexander’s deficiency in the area the country valued the most was a burden he was unable to shake off. The commencement of the planetary war 17 years ago and the death of his parents in the first battle of what would become a decade’s long bloodshed only added to his troubles, although he decided early on to celebrate any victory big or small and err on the side of positivity.

“What’s the long face for, kid. I know you have thicker skin than most. Letting words hurt you is only letting the bullies win and, frankly, wasting your time. Think of all the patients you could have saved with the time saved from not needlessly overthinking.”

Alexander looked up to see a tall, olive-skinned man with honey-colored eyes and a graying, chestnut hair combed neatly to the side laying against the door to room 12 while sighing at him. He was a handsome, clean-shaved man appearing to be in his early fifties, dressed sharply in a button-down white shirt, gray pants, and black loafers. Atop his shirt, he was wearing a white coat imprinted with the name Iker Hernandez.

“Doctor! I apologize for my negligence. I was simply lost in thought as I hurried over to room 12 with all due diligence.”

The aged doctor burst out laughing, “Relax, there’s no one nearby. I’ve already sent the guards to retrieve your transportation to the Agni grounds so you can freely say you’re hurrying over to meet your friend. We both know room 12 is your midday break.”

Dr. Hernandez, the director of the Royal Hospital of Ignis was a powerful quadra-colored fire magician, honorary member of the Agni clan, and the closest Alexander had to a family member. It was only due to his backing and mentorship that Alexander had been able to become a member of the most prestigious hospital in the planet. He shadowed with him for all four years of university and now worked with him for two more. The man had imparted his knowledge of medicine wholeheartedly and named him his only apprentice. Although he could not advance past a medical aide, his theoretical knowledge would at least allow him to be in contention for the title of best assistant in the world.

Looking both ways in the hallway, Alexander responded, “Easy for you to say, old man. You’re not the world renown Heating Pad. Regardless, I’m not actually upset. I was just trying to understand why the title I tried to spread for myself didn’t take off with the new hires.”

“Oh, and what would that be?” mused Dr. Hernandez.

“The Gentleman of Medicine, he who defeats disease with only his humongous brain.”

Dr. Hernandez stared wide-eyed at his peculiar apprentice, “You do realize that the only reason there’s only insults and not a line of people waiting to beat your ass is out of respect for me, right? Also, I thought you gave up on trying to create new names for yourself when Healing Lad got turned into Heating Pad.”

“It is because I know this that I have to take advantage of the time I have before you kick the bucket. As an optimist, I believe one day I’ll have myself a cool title rather than a parade of insults.”

Not willing to continue the conversation further, Dr. Hernandez shrugged, “I’ll cut you some slack and ignore what you just said. Anyway, you’ll be happy to know, as per the treatment I just concluded, Brandon’s legs are almost healed. I had the other aids call you over because this may be the last walk you take him on. That being said, I’ve taken the liberty of divvying up your afternoon patients between the other aids. You two enjoy yourselves on your final walk through the palace.” With that, the doctor shifted into smoke and raced down the corridor.

A smile inching its way into Alexander’s face, he slid open the door to room 12. Sitting ready to go in a wheelchair, a spirited man of about 25 years with a red-headed topknot and fair skin met his eyes. He was clean-shaven with dark brown eyes and was wearing a hospital gown, but it could not hide the well-built soldier’s upper body. A green blanket lay over his atrophied legs.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure. Could it be the divine Heating Pad has decided to grace this mere mortal with his presence?”

“Oh, come on, Brandon! Here I was misting up over the fact this would be our last meeting for the foreseeable future, and you had to go and mess that up.” Alexander exclaimed before both men began laughing.

Brandon Pascal was the youngest son of the Duke of the East, one of the pillars of the Agni Clan. Having been injured in the war, he was transported to the capital 11 months ago to undergo treatment by Dr. Hernandez. The Royal hospital was one of the only facilities with Elementalists powerful enough to aid in the regrowth of limbs, and a Duke’s son called for the utmost quality of care even in the prestigious hospital. Although initially working on the case purely as an assistant, Alexander and Brandon became fast friends. Despite fighting in the war as a commanding officer, Brandon had returned to the capital wanting peace. Together with a deep fascination for science, Brandon found a true friend in the pacifist Alexander.

“No time to waste. Get pushing squire! These past few months we really only walked along the gardens of the palace and the areas of the clan accessible to the public. Today, though, I wanted to show you something that would truly leave an impression. As a duke’s son, it’s only natural I show off to the peasants around me. Anyway, you focus on the entertainment. The guards will lead us to the destination once we enter Agni. So tell me, what have you been cooking in your lab recently, Ace?”

Alexander laughed at his boisterous friend and began recounting the particularly interesting patients he had treated since their last walk. They soon reached the Agni connection site and began boarding the private ship offered to Dukes or, in this case, Duke’s children.

The city of Ignis was actually one of the largest archipelagoes in Fausto; the majority of cities across all planets were islands. Continental landmasses were commodities he’d heard only existed in Derapen and Robusto, the earth Elementalist planet. In the northernmost section of the city, the Royal hospital sprawled along the coastline as a massive building and the closest edifice to the Agni clan. Visible from the shoreline of Ignis, the diamond shaped, man-made island that housed the ruling clan of Fausto stood dauntlessly, with its black, metal walls eclipsing the waves of the ocean and surrounding the lands of Agni. Several stone brick buildings emerged from within the walls, with four towers piercing into the clouds in each of the cardinal directions. As an added measure of security, the only way for the public to enter Agni was by boat, unless of course you could fly, but if you could fly, you would definitely be a part of Agni already. So the only way to enter Agni was by boat.

As Alexander admired the guards controlling flames to power the boat, he continued the conversation, “Back to your original question, I’ve been working on developing a medication to help offset the pain associated with body augmentation and blue magic in general. Dr. Hernandez had a lot of research on the subject, and recently, through the use of a subset of sugar and a salt, I was able to make tremendous headway. There is a slight problem, though.”

“Oh, and what could the slight problem in developing a medicine that could change the landscape of magic be?”

“It blows up…”

“Huh?!” Brandon exclaimed so loudly the guards got into defensive positions.

“It, you know, goes boom. It’s not always huge, but there have been some particularly terrible explosions. Just last week, I was sure I had been enlightened unto a yellow-colored magical technique due to the sheer size of the boom. Luckily, Dr. Hernandez was close by when it happened because golly, I don’t think you’d have seen me again had I not received emergency treatment. The good news is the medicine works… or happened to work… once.” Alexander joyfully scratched his head.

Wiping away a tear from the laughing, Brandon replied, “You mean to tell me the medicine you and Dr. Hernandez are attempting to make to sooth the pain for augmentation just explodes the patients? Next time my father asks me about the quality of the staff at the Royal hospital, I’ll tell him the future of the land is in good hands.”

By this point, the guards had escorted them off the ship and past the usual gardens Alexander had wheeled his friend through before. Leaving the gardens behind, the guards led the pair towards center of the island by the shrine of Ra, the flaming dragon who was rumored to have been the original founder of the Agni clan. Seven heavily fortified temples surrounded the shrine in all directions of the compass except for one, and the guards ushered Alexander around the shrine towards the north of the island- the only side without a building. Instead of a temple, there was a 100-foot statue of the ancestor dragon with its coiled tail ending in a tunnel. The entrance and surrounding perimeter were filled with sentries, and from the mana waves emanating from everyone, Alexander was sure they were much more powerful than Brandon’s personal guardians. After going through the security checkpoint, the party finally entered the tunnel and began the descent into whatever lay below. The only source of light a series of torches following a specific pattern of colors.

“Well, I’m certainly confident enough to admit there’s some kinks in the process, but I remain optimistic about our chances of success. Anyway, care to tell me where the hell we are? I mean I trust you unconditionally as a brother in arms, but this tunnel makes it seem like you’re leading me to my death: not even a normal death, but a horribly gruesome one. I’ve heard rumors your dad raised a giant lava gorilla, and I will tell you right now I will haunt you for the rest of your life if you feed me to him.”

“Relax, this is all a part of the surprise. Plus, don’t tell me you don’t have even the slightest clue where we are headed. The hint is in the torches,” teased out Brandon.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, and White.

Wait no, thought Alexander. There’s a color between violet and white. It’s just very hard to make out. Then it should be: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Black and White.

“Hey, Brandon. I don’t get it. The torches just signify the colors of magic. How is that even a hint? This is one of the 9 noble clans. I imagine every single one of the other clans probably has some symbolism regarding them. Hell, I might even say the other clans probably display it in better ways like some type of cool mural rather than some stupid torches.”

Alexander noticed several of the guards shudder at his disrespectful remark towards Agni, but they let it go as Brandon said nothing of it. In the distance, he could see light much brighter than in the tunnel along with what seemed like trees.

“It looks like we are about to arrive at the surprise so last chance to guess. Think about something that has to do with the colors of magic, but that would be unique to Agni.”

Alexander’s eyes shook as he stopped moving entirely. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying are you?”

Brandon clasped his hands as he exclaimed, “Finally! I really thought for a second there you weren’t gonna get it. Got scared your explosive medicine may have permanently injured your brain.”

“Rude.”

Once again, laughing, Brandon continued, “In all seriousness, the friendship you have provided me with these past few months is something invaluable to me. I tried to think of a way in which I could give back to you and thought of this. It is the dream of all citizens of Fausto to visit the 9 colored flame. And as it so happens, as the son of a duke, I can actually bring you in to meet the flame. This is a privilege only true members of the noble clan ever get to receive. This is where members come to test themselves, to see if they are worthy of receiving the most precious fire magical technique in the galaxy.”

Brandon signaled at one of the guards to move him away from the entrance as Alexander remained stunned. Finally regathering his wits, Alexander began, “Brandon, there was never any need to give me some type of gift. This is certainly an incredible opportunity, and words themselves cannot express how thankful I am to you. But as your bro, I have to say I’m a little confused. We both know I have the absolute lowest possible fire affinity. I don’t think I could ever appreciate this opportunity the way anyone else would.”

As he spoke, Alexander stepped into the magical room at the end of the tunnel. It was large enough to fit a stadium while filled with nothing that belonged in an underground tunnel. There were tall birch trees making up the walls of the room and a grass so soft it felt like clouds covering the floor of the room. The leaves were constantly rustling, as if there was a private breeze just for this room. As Alexander looked deeper inside, the grass gave way to daisies, becoming a flower field. It was then he laid eyes upon it. A beautiful ring of light made up of interconnected flames: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black, and white. It was the 9-colored flame.

“You’re reading way too much into it. This was the best gift I could come up with. Rather than trying to thank me or talk about how others deserve it so much more, why don’t you just try to enjoy it. I didn’t bring you here to accept the technique or anything like that. With your affinity you may as well be an earth Elementalist so just take this as a sightseeing tour. After all, you are the…”

A dazzling ray of light pierced out of the 9-colored flame, through the cave, and into Alexander’s heart.

“Heating Pad?”