Spark of Life

Chapter One: Spark of Life

In a magical world very far away, there was a kingdom called Astria.

And in this kingdom lived a boy named Elorn, who possessed a strange ability, but he knew nothing about it.

One day, Elorn went out to play near the river. He was throwing stones into the water, moving from place to place in search of something new to do.

And while he was playing, he heard a voice behind him:

"Why are you wasting your time like this?"

Elorn turned around and found a boy standing behind him, looking at him calmly.

Elorn answered him:

"And why are you watching me while I waste my time?"

The boy asked him:

"So what are you doing then?"

Elorn pointed to the stones near him and said:

"Why don't you join me and let's play with the stones?"

The boy smiled a calm smile, then answered him:

"All right, let's play."

The two sat near the river and began competing to throw the stones as far as possible. The game went on for a long time, and each of them tried to outdo the other.

But on one attempt, Elorn misthrew, and the stone hit his face instead of reaching the water.

The boy burst out laughing and said:

"You fell instead of the stone!"

Elorn looked at him angrily, then suddenly got up and began pelting him with stones, while the boy ran away from him laughing.

The two continued chasing each other until they finally stopped.

Elorn looked at the sky, then said:

"I have to go back to eat. Let's meet here tomorrow."

The boy answered him:

"All right, I'll be here."

And the next day, Elorn returned to the same place and found the boy waiting for him. They played together again, and the same thing was repeated in the following days, until their meetings became part of their day.

And after a while, Elorn remembered that he had never asked the boy his name before.

He turned to him and asked him:

"What is your name?"

The boy answered him:

"Hisu. And you?"

"Elorn."

And from that day on, their friendship grew stronger. They spent most of their time together, playing and competing, never missing a chance to embark on a new adventure.

And one day, Hisu said to Elorn:

"I will stay by your side the whole time."

Elorn smiled, then the two went back to playing as usual.

Ten years later

Elorn and Hisu were fifteen years old, but they had not changed much. They still enjoyed adventures, and they always found a way to turn an ordinary day into a day full of trouble.

That day, the two were wandering the streets of Astria until they stopped in front of a food vendor.

Elorn looked at the food, then turned to Hisu.

The two exchanged a quick glance, and each understood what the other was thinking.

And moments later, they took some of the food and ran off.

The vendor shouted angrily after them:

"Come back here, you brats! Give back what you took!"

But Elorn and Hisu kept running as they laughed.

Elorn said:

"Hurry, Hisu! He almost caught us!"

Hisu answered him:

"You're the one who came up with the idea, so why am I running too?!"

Elorn laughed, then they kept running until they were far from the market.

After a while, they entered a quiet alley and kept arguing about what had happened, until a man appeared before them and stopped them.

The man was looking at them angrily, with tongues of flame surrounding his hands.

He said to them:

"Give me everything you have, or I'll make you regret it."

Elorn looked at the man, then said:

"Looks like we're not going to enjoy the rest of the day."

Hisu smiled, but the man did not like their talk. He stepped toward them, and the flame around his fists grew stronger.

"Are you making fun of me? Hand over what you have at once!"

The man tried to corner them inside the alley, then lunged at them threatening to hit them.

And at that moment, Hisu began to step back and move away.

Elorn looked at him in surprise.

"Hisu! Where are you going?!"

Hisu did not answer him, but kept walking until he disappeared behind a nearby corner.

Elorn stared at the spot where his friend had disappeared, and he had barely grasped what had happened when the man lunged at him.

The man delivered a powerful blow with his flaming fist, which struck Elorn and knocked him to the ground.

The man said angrily:

"I'll make you regret mocking me!"

Elorn tried to get up, but the man approached him, ready to deliver another blow.

And suddenly, Hisu appeared behind the man, holding his stick.

Before the man could turn to him, Hisu raised the stick and struck him on the head.

A sound of an explosion rang out in the alley!

The man staggered and fell to the ground, while Hisu stood behind him as if nothing had happened.

Elorn raised his head and looked at him in amazement.

"Didn't you run away?!"

Hisu smiled and said:

"I was looking for the right opportunity."

Then he took out another stick and tossed it to Elorn, who caught it in the air and quickly got up.

Elorn looked at his friend and said:

"I'll make you pay for leaving me alone!"

Hisu laughed.

"Talk about that after we're done with him!"

At that moment, the man got up again, his anger having intensified. Flames ignited around his arms, then he attacked them with all his might.

Elorn and Hisu moved together. Elorn faced the man from the front, while Hisu moved from the side and tried to catch him off guard with strikes of his stick.

And whenever the man tried to hit one of them, the other intervened to stop him.

Hisu raised his stick and struck the ground with it, and the sound of an explosion rang out that disoriented the man for a moment.

Elorn seized the opportunity and dealt him a blow with his stick, then quickly moved away.

The confrontation continued until the man lost his balance and fell to the ground again.

Elorn approached cautiously and grabbed the man's arm so he could not attack them again.

But the moment his hand touched the man's arm, something strange happened.

The flames surrounding the man's body began to move in an unnatural way, as if something were pulling them away from him.

Elorn stared at his hand in astonishment, while Hisu's eyes widened.

Threads of fire began to flow from the man's body toward Elorn, until the flames completely disappeared from around the man's hands.

The man stared at his palms, then shouted:

"My power! Where did my power go?!"

Elorn raised his hand before his face and saw a small flame dancing above his fingers.

He looked at it in disbelief, then said:

"What just happened?!"

Hisu approached him and kept looking at the flame for a few moments.

"The fire is with you now!"

Elorn answered quickly:

"I know that, but I don't know how it happened!"

Elorn tried to understand what had happened, but he could not explain how the man's ability had transferred to him as soon as he touched him.

After a few moments, he closed his hand, and the flame went out.

Hisu looked at the man, then turned to Elorn and said:

"I think we should leave before another problem arises."

Elorn looked at the man who had lost his ability, then at Hisu.

"For the first time, I agree with you."

The two left the alley, while the man remained on the ground looking at his hands, unable to understand what had happened to his power.

As for Elorn, he kept looking at his hand from time to time along the way, trying to figure out what he had done unintentionally.

Elsewhere...

Inside a palace far from the streets of Astria, an Advanced Mage stood before Zervius and told him what had happened in the alley.

Zervius listened to the report without interrupting him, then asked him:

"Are you sure of what you are saying?"

The mage answered:

"Yes, my lord. The man lost his ability after the boy touched his arm, and the Flame Ability transferred to him."

Silence reigned for a few moments.

Then Zervius rose from his place and said:

"Find that boy. I want to know who he is, and how he was able to do that."

The mage bowed and left the hall, while Zervius remained thinking about the news that had reached him.

And in the Kingdom of Astria, Elorn and Hisu went on with their day without realizing that what had happened in that alley had attracted Zervius's attention.

And thus began Elorn's true story, without him yet knowing what his mysterious ability held in store for him.