Year 687.
The Second Great Elemental War had ended seven years ago.At least… officially.
Since the invasion of my village, the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom had lived in a rotting peace — a fragile ceasefire eaten away by resentment and lies. Rumors spread of territories never returned, negotiations manipulated behind closed doors, agreements broken in the shadows.
They claimed the Earth Kingdom was the victim.
Bullshit.
The ones who died.The ones who burned.The ones who were forgotten…
That was us.
Now I lived with my uncle, Elëv.
He had taken me in after the massacre. Fed me. Protected me. Forged me.
A former Fire Warrior, he had fought alongside my father. They had both survived the beginning of the Second Great Elemental War. But their past was a wall — a wall of silence I had never managed to break.
We lived in Valen, a city in the northwest, not far from the capital of the Fire Kingdom: Pyrrhès.
He was the one who enrolled me in the Academy of Pyrrhès.
At first, I refused.
Then slowly… doubt turned into impatience.
"It's the perfect place to grow stronger," he had told me.
"Stronger how?" I asked.
"Strong enough to survive."
He had saved for seven long years to send me there.Seven years of deprivation.Seven years of sacrifice.
Sometimes, I wondered what I would have become without him.
Elëv was the one who taught me how to wield a sword. How to strike with my fists. How to control the fire burning inside me.
That morning, I called out to him.
"Hey, Uncle."
"Yes, Aydan?"
"When are we leaving for the capital?"
He gave me a calm look.
"Soon. Be patient."
I clenched my jaw.
Patience was never my strength.
A few weeks later, he woke me before dawn.
"Aydan… Aydan, wake up…" he whispered.
I groaned.
"Aydan!" he suddenly shouted.
I shot upright.
"Yes!"
He sighed.
"We're leaving. It's time to head to the capital."
I looked at him.
He looked tired… but happy.
Then his smile faded. His gaze hardened. Determined.
"Alright," I said quietly. "Let's go."
Elëv took the reins of the horse. A cart loaded with supplies followed behind us. I sat in the back, silent, watching the road stretch endlessly ahead.
Hours passed.
Then Pyrrhès appeared.
The capital was alive. Merchants shouting. Children laughing. Families walking side by side.
I looked away.
"I miss you…" I whispered.
Elëv had heard.
He said nothing.
The grief was his too.
The Academy of Pyrrhès stood before us.
Gigantic.
Massive walls. Majestic architecture. Towers of stone and metal engraved with the symbol of fire.
I had never seen anything so large.
Before I stepped inside, my uncle stopped me one last time.
"From here on… you'll be alone."
"I know."
"I won't be there to guide you anymore."
"I know that too."
He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Become the best. You carry the blood of the Arin. The blood of warriors."
I smiled.
"Thank you, Uncle… for everything."
I grabbed my bag and walked forward.
When I turned back one last time, he was still there.
Standing tall. Proud.
Inside, the Academy was even more impressive.
A man with a powerful voice stepped forward.
"Excuse me, dear students! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Solan de Valbraise, headmaster of this wonderful institution — the greatest academy in the Kingdom! Welcome to Pyrrhès."
We stood gathered in the main hall.
"I will now give you a brief tour of the Academy."
He guided us across the grounds alongside several professors: the campus, the dormitories, the classrooms, the sword and magic training halls, the laboratories.
I didn't miss a single detail.
"It's… incredible," I murmured.
Everything breathed wealth. Nobility.
I still wondered how my uncle had managed to gather such a fortune.
At the end of the visit, we were led to the dormitories.
They handed us our student uniforms.
My room was enormous.
Larger than the house I had shared with Elëv.
I froze.
"Seriously…"
I put on the uniform. It fit perfectly.
I lay down on the bed.
It was already five in the evening.
Tomorrow, introductions would begin.
I would meet other students. Allies. Rivals.
But my goal had not changed.
To grow stronger.
And one day…
To take my revenge.