The Agni Empire was one of the great kingdoms in the land of Grand Gaia. In the kingdom resided the beings who were born to wield the powerful rage of fire. In its time of peace, the people wandered about in the bustling markets and near the molten hot lava lakes. The city was built with hardened magma, glazed over with a sleek, strong glass.
Half of the population consisted of human beings. The other half were of a variety of different creatures. Although the two groups were vastly different in many ways, they were able to maintain peace and tranquility. However, in recent days, a certain prophecy foretold of an unknown chaos that was going to unfold upon the land of Grand Gaia, and that six great kingdoms would fall to the hands of gods. There weren't very many civilians who believed this story, but there wasn't a day that went by without them thinking about it.
The one who thought about it the most was a young, energetic lad. He had flaming red hair, which was natural for the human populace, donned his late father's old armor and great sword, and wore a purple cape that was given to him by his mother. He was running through the streets of Agni, late for his spar with one of the knights of the Order of Agni. This boy was young, but he was a formidable opponent. He had a brave heart, burning with the courage of fire. He was fearless and also a bit rash. Nonetheless, he was considered as a grand knight in the Order of Agni.
"Ahh, Fencer Vargas. And I thought you would keep me waiting forever," said the knight of the Order of Agni once Vargas arrived to the arena.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir!" Vargas panted, saluting as he entered.
"Do not worry. I will enjoy having this little spar with you. After all, the other knights tell me you're the most fun to fight against," the knight chuckled.
"Oh, is that so? Well, I hope you enjoy this battle," Vargas grinned in excitement.
Vargas drew his great sword from his back and went into his battle stance. His opponent, noticing that Vargas was already getting ready for a good fight, did the same. Vargas analyzed his enemy. The knight wore the normal Order of Agni armor and uniform, which meant that Vargas would have to hit pretty hard to deal some damage to his opponent. The armor of the Order of Agni was no joke, but neither was Vargas' strength.
"Gryaaaah!" Vargas roared as he charged forward, flames dancing behind him.
The knight held up his shield in response to Vargas' charge, but Vargas was ready for that and dashed around the knight, catching him off guard. Vargas then took his great sword and swung in an uppercut-like fashion, propelling his enemy upwards. The knight flew into the air rather high and fell towards the ground.
"Heh, that was too easy!" Vargas taunted.
"Tch, I'm not finished with you yet, boy..." the knight grumbled, struggling to stand back up.
Vargas smiled in response and dashed towards the knight once more. Vargas swung his sword using a powerful overhead swing. However, the knight guarded with his shield in time and blocked the attack, making a loud ringing sound throughout the arena they were fighting in. The knight counterattacked with his slim longsword by attempting to slash Vargas away. Vargas was struck in the body, thankfully where the armor was covering him, and flew to the side. He recovered quickly; his opponent was approaching him to deal the finishing blow.
Vargas built up all the strength he could muster within himself and unleashed an inferno-like attack that left almost all of his foes singed.
"Flare Ride!" Vargas roared at the top of his lungs.
He performed an uppercut slash and flames swirled around his foe, blinding the knight and burning him. Vargas, unaware of the damage he was causing, laughed before his burning opponent.
"Stop! You fool!" yelled a different voice.
Coming back to his senses, Vargas snapped out of the heat of the battle and stopped his attack. The Agni knight remained on fire and ran around in a panic, frantically trying to put it out.
The Emperor of the Agni Empire stood behind Vargas and the burning knight. He sighed and held his hand out in the direction of the knight. With some concentration, he was able to pull the fire off of the knight and hurled it into the heavens.
"Fencer Vargas, don't you ever learn to go easy on your opponents?" the Emperor asked him.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Vargas apologized, kneeling down in respect, "It seems I may have gotten my hot head in the heat of battle."
"You seem to do that almost every time you spar with your opponents."
"I am still a very inexperienced warrior, but I shall continue to train with great zeal to become the best I can be!"
"Ha ha ha... Very well then. All I ask of you is to refrain from burning any more of my people," the Emperor chuckled.
"Yes, my lord. I'll do my best."
Vargas bowed and left with a rather large grin on his face. Another victory! Was there nobody out there who could stop him? His goal to becoming much like his father was getting ever closer. The Emperor of the Agni Empire had acknowledged Vargas and had seen his skills. Although he had trouble stopping himself in the heat of battle, Vargas was definitely one of the best warriors in the Empire.
The only people who could best him were the ones who were from the Sama Kingdom, the water users. News of a young girl who mastered the way of the longsword at her age had spread even to the Agni Empire. Although Vargas was itching to have a battle with her, he knew he would lose in a heartbeat. It was common sense: water put out fire. Even if he was in the Order of the Agni, he still wouldn't have a chance.
Months later, a civil war broke out in the Empire. The two sides that fought were the humans and creatures who believed in the Emperor and the others who did not believe that how he ruled was just. The poor citizens of the Empire became poorer and the rich grew richer. Vargas, being loyal to the Emperor, fought for him. However, Vargas did not believe in killing his own kinsmen, so he did not burn them all to crisps. He merely gave them the scars to remember that the Emperor was powerful and had a loyal guard.
Although he was a loyal warrior, he did have his own doubts. Was what the Emperor doing right? Was this the start of something even bigger and more horrible? Thinking that, the great prophecy eventually came across his mind. Was the Agni Empire one of those six kingdoms? But the prophecy told of gods taking down the Empire, not the Emperor himself...
The war ended in a few months, with the Emperor's guard forcing the rebels into submission. The representative of the rebels wanted to negotiate with the Emperor. And so they had a rather long talk, lasting nearly one week. In the end, the Emperor agreed to a few of the rebels' demands. The representative was a bit upset after it was all over, but he had at least accomplished something rather than nothing.
It was after all this that the Fencer title was revoked from Vargas' name. He was bestowed with a different, higher title. He was now Burning Vargas, and was invited to the Order of Agni. Realizing his dream, Vargas immediately accepted.
Father, I hope you are watching me, and guiding me on my path to greatness, Vargas silently prayed to the stars several nights after receiving his new title and position. I will be sure to make you and mother proud. I'll become the greatest warrior that the Agni Empire has yet to see!