In the year, One Thousand and Twenty-Three...

A young male with fare skin, a bit of a tan. He also has average neck length hair, the color of his hair was dark brown, his eyes were burning gold. There is a marking of a phoenix applied on the back of his left neck. The clothes he wore are a red buttoned shirt, dark blue pants and brown boots. The young male's name is Flare and he is sixteen years old.

Flare had roamed through the woods within the mountains for personal training. He accidentally came across a field where a large dangerous boar had lived. It was a six-foot tall and giant dark purplish-brown skin, red-eyed mountain boars with gray manes going down their backs. Its tusks were sharp and pointed towards its prey. It had confronted the young man, looking to eat him.

"You're a big one. Flare said as he faced the giant boar. The boar charged at Flare, but missed him and crashed into a thick tree. Flare had dodged by simply jumping in the air. 'I can probably make more than enough to sell this one.' Flare thought as he landed on the grass. The boar shook its head and turned to Flare again. It had made a few more attempts to tackle Flare but missed. 'Alright, enough playing around.' Flare thought prepared to counter the boar's attack as he pulled out his sword and pointed it towards the charging boar.

Five minutes later, Flare had lifted the dead Danger Beast over his head with his super-human strength and carried it back to his village. 'I gotta take this beast to the market in another village, before I head home. I wonder, how many gold coins would I get?'

St. Peter village. It is of one the small and peaceful villages on the countryside and is only known for having an Inn and a Curio shop. The village is located northeast from the Empire, many kilometers away. St. Peter village is located near a field of woods, kilometers away from mountains that sometimes snow in the winter. Everyone who lives in St. Peter village are normal people such as men, women, children, orphans, elders and retired veterans. The town estimated a total of less than four hundred people. But due to the high taxes that were caused the Prime Minister, many villages had to sell their own children to the Empire.

The first place that Flare went to was a nearby, a little more "modern" village that had a market, where meat and goods would be usually sold. People would get paid amounts gold coins for selling Danger Beasts, depending how rare the meat is. Flare had successfully delivered the large boar he killed in the mountains to the market man and had received his payment.

After selling the Danger Beast to the market, Flare had ran towards his village which was many miles away. If Flare had ran without stopping, it would take him thirty-five to forty minutes.

"I'm back." Flare muttered as he walked back into the grounds of St. Peter village. As soon as he had taken a step within his village, he was greeted and recognized by villagers who knew him, men and women. He kindly replied back to some of the villagers as he walked to his destination.

He walked miles through his hometown towards a one-storied orphanage building. As soon as he arrived to the front entrance, he was met by a young energetic girl named Fal, who was happy to see him.

"Flare, you made it back!" Fal ran towards Flare with excitement. She had shoulder length golden blonde hair, Amber eyes and fair skin. She had an orange-gold coat with matching orange boots. Her name was Fal.

"It's good to see you, too, Fal." Flare chuckled.

"So, did you catch the Danger Beast that was attacking people in the woods, recently?" Fal asked.

"I did." Flare replied.

"Awesome!" Fal's eyes sparkled as she smiled. "How much did they pay you, this time?"

"I'll show you…" Flare began.

Fal happily gasped.

"As soon as Air and Luna come out."

Fal annoyingly pouted and muttered. "But they take forever…"

"Hi, Flare."

Both Flare and Fal turned their heads to see a girl they both know named Luna. She wore neck-length short blue hair, aqua blue eyes and fair skin. She had carefully walked out the orphanage, so she won't fall. She also wore a blue jacket with rabbit ears attached to its hood matching her boots. Her name with Luna.

"Hey, Luna."

"Were you able to catch that Danger Beast that were terrorizing farmers and eating crops?" Luna smiled.

"I did."

Luna smiled. "That's a relief."

Flare looks at both Fal and Luna who were smiling, but noticed one person was missing. "Wait, where'—" Suddenly, Flare had heard a footstep from within the orphanage. He looked at the orphanage entrance, where he noticed the door was slightly cracked. He narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to see who it was behind the door a from a few yards. He then saw a pink boot, visible through the cracked door and it gave him a hint on who it was. Flare realized a girl was hiding behind the door, and he smiled. "You can come out, Air. It's me."

The girl gasped surprisingly, as she realized she had been discovered. She was girl with long pink hair, pink eyes and fair skin. She had a matching pink hat, pink coat and pink boots. Her name was Air. She slowly opened the door where she had begun to slowly show herself.

She happily gasped when she saw him grinning towards her. "I'm so glad you're okay, Flare."

"I'm glad that you're okay." Air let out a slight blush.

Fal can see the small blush on Air's face from the side. "Air has a crush on Flare." She teased and snickered. Luna did not respond to it.

Air squealed and her face turned pink. She quickly turned and to Fal and tried to deny it, while feeling embarrassed. "N-no I'm not!"

"It's alright. I don't mind at all." Flare gently patted the pink hat on Air's head.

Air slowly turned to look at Flare in his golden eyes. "R… really?"

"Sure. I care about you girls very much. I mean After all, we're family." Flare smiled.

Air lowered her head and kindly smiled. She blushed after hearing Flare call her, Fal and Luna family.

"Flare… how much money did you make, this time?" Fal asked.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me." Flare pulled out a pouch from his pocket.

"A pouch?" Luna responded as she took the pouch from him and held it. Air and Fal moved their heads close to see what was inside the pouch. Then she opened it up to see what it was.

"Six gold coins." Air counted in her mind.

"Just six!?" Fal was surprised at the small number of coins.

"Uh, yeah. Two of six coins are for each of you." Flare said.

"Thank you, Flare." Air and Luna kindly replied.

"Come on, Flare! Why didn't you demand more coins from them? You caught and killed a huge beast! If I were you Flare, I would've demanded a lot more coins than this."

"I tried to ask more gold from the market, but it was all the gold they had. They tried to offer me dozens of bronze coins in exchange, but I turned it down and stuck witht the gold." Flare told the girls.

"It's better than nothing, Fal. Flare was nice enough to give us our first gold coins. Let's just be grateful for that." Luna said.

"Pfft." Fal quickly brush off Luna's comment. "Whatever, I can't wait to grow up and become a hunter. That way, I'll hunt as many Danger Beasts as I want." Fal fantasized growing up as a young adult and killing Danger Beasts.

"You won't have to worry for long, Fal. As soon as I make more than enough money from the capital, I will finally teach you how to hunt. That's a promise from me, to you."

Fal gasped in happiness. "Alright!" She threw some jabs at the air. "I'm gonna be able to hunt!"

"Hey Flare, were you able to find anything else while you were away?" Luna asked.

"Well… I did find a few shiny stones by the river and I thought you would want it." Flare took out a single round shiny blue stones from his pocket.

Luna gasped as she takes the stone. "Thank you so much!"

"Um, Flare? Is there anything for me?" Air asked.

Flare checked his pockets to and his bag to find nothing valuable. "Sorry, Air. I don't have anything else on me, right now. But I promise that next time, I'll find something that you'll like.

"Okay." Air replied. Then another question had hit her mind. "Flare, is it true you're going to the capital?" Air asked.

"Yeah. I'm thinking about going soon, to get money and do what I can, so you won't be sold off." Flare answered.

Air gulped and paused. "Um… In that case, Can I-"

"Good day to everyone." An elderly man, known as Father Christopher had appeared out of nowhere. He had gray hair on his head and a few wrinkles. And a cane.

"Father," Air, Fal and Luna greeted.

"Hey, old man." Flare joked. He was soon met with a cane to the center of his head. "Ow!" He grunted. "What was-"

"Call me Father! I've worked hard to earn that title!" Father Christopher comically yelled at him. "Eh-hem. Sorry about that." He then cleared his voice. "So how is everyone doing today?"

"Father Christopher. Flare just came back from his trip in the mountains, and now he says he's planning on going to the capital." Fal said.

"Oh?"

"Isn't that great?" Fal said with excitement.

"It must sound wonderful, though." Father Christopher smiled, then looked over at Flare. "Flare. Would you mind following me into my office?"

"Alright."

Flare had followed Father Christopher into his office inside of the orphanage. He locked the door behind him, so that no one could sneak in or eavesdrop.

"Now that we're here, I want to ask you something." Father Christopher sat as his desk. "Have you ever been caught using… "that" power in public?" Father Christopher asked.

"No." Flare said.

"Have you revealed your power to anyone, such as Air, Fal or Luna?" Father Christopher asked.

"No, I don't think so. I never told or showed anyone. You told me not to use my powers in front of other people, because people will see me as a monster or a devil. Then the Empire would seek me out."

"That's correct. Now let me ask you another question." Father Christopher put his hands together.

"What is it?"

"You said you that you will be leaving the Empire, correct?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And are you aware of the current situation from the Empire?" Father Christopher's eyes had sharpened.

"Yes. That's where the Imperial Army is from, right?" Flare responded.

"No. I asked you if you were "aware" of the current situation from the Empire?" Father Christopher asked again.

"No, not really… I don't know what actually goes on in there." Flare answered.

"Good. That's why I'm here to tell you. Listen, there's something you must know, before you go." Father Christopher was getting ready to spill a hard truth. "The Empire is no ordinary land. The place is filled with humans with the hearts of monsters." He pressed his glasses back to his face, as they almost fell off.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that there are people inside the capital who act like complete monsters. They are gruesome, cruel, they do things to others for their own sake of entertainment. You can't trust anyone inside the Empire, unless the ones you come across is hoping to change it for the better."

"Wait, why is the Empire like that?" Flare asked.

" The Empire is living through terror because of a man named is Honest. He is the current Prime Minister and the more reason the Empire is on the brink of self-destruction, and most of all..." The room was in silence for a moment. "Flare... this might be hard on you, you might get frustrated and all-"

"You can just say it." Flare was ready to hear the truth.

"The man has been pressing heavy taxes on this village." He added before drinking a bottle of water that came from nowhere.

"T-that's it?!" Flare asked shocked.

"No. Because of the heavy taxes that he's been pressing, numerous villages—including ours were forced to sell children as slaves to the Empire. Do you remember some of the kids you grew up with, such as Sarah, Daniel, Nicholas, Marco and Brian?"

Flare gasped. "You mean…"

"That's right. The mayor of our village was forced to sell them all to the Empire so the village could maintain its shape." Father Christopher said.

"So, they're all in the Empire, then? Are they alive?" Flare asked, curiously.

"I do not know. But to tell you the truth… due to the corruption and the high crime rate within the capital, the survival rate in the capital is really low." Father Christopher sighed, pityingly. "They're probably…"

Flare paused and had a sad moment. "No way… they're dead?"

Father Christopher did not answer that question. "Again. I don't know. But. there's more. Right now, there is a child that the Minister is manipulating. His name is Makoto. And he's the Emperor of the Empire."

"A child… emperor?" Flare asked in concern.

"Yes. He chose a child to become an emperor, because he knows that children are impressionable and can be somewhat of naïve, and they don't know what waits for them in the outside world. In other words… The Emperor is being used a puppet to rule the Empire, under the Minister."

"Has anyone tried to stop the Minister?" Flare asked.

"From my perspective, yes. But many have tried to warn the Emperor. Many have tried to assassinate the Minister. But they have all, but failed. Everyone that lives in the Empire are living in fear and terror. If the Empire even suspects that a little rebellion is starting, they will be executed by the Empire on the spot." Father Christopher explained.

"Oh. So, what do you want me to do about it?" Flare asked.

"You're going to the capital, soon. I thought it'd be great if I gave you a heads up."

"Do you want me to kill the Minister?" Flare asked.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" The Priest asked after comically smacking Flare square in the head with a thick book.

"Ow! The heck!?" Flare asked as he kept rubbing the top of his head.

"It's called acting careless, if someone hear you say that from inside the capital, even in a remark of a question, you will be instantly beheaded!" Father Christopher yelled in a quieter voice. "But if you can, do it. But the job won't be easy. He has followers within the capital, who will defend him at all costs. Be careful. Never let your guard down."

"Alright."

"There's also another topic I want to bring up. Have you ever heard of Teigu?"

"Not really..." Flare said honsetly.

"That fire power you possess. The one I told you not to use in public. It's not something an ordinary person carries. It's something that came from the blood of a Danger Beast. It's called a Teigu."

"T…Teigu?" Flare questioned.

"Yes. They were created a little over a thousand years ago, by the First Emperor. There are forty-eight Teigu in total. There are different types of Teigu. There are Support-Type Teigu, Armor-Type Teigu, Weapon-Type Teigu and Elemental-Type Teigu. You possess an Element-Type Teigu. Just like another person the Empire knows…"

"Wait, there's another person that can control fire, like me?" Flare asked.

"No. She can't control fire. But like you, she does possess an Elemental-Type Teigu. Her name is General Esdeath and she has mastered the ability to control ice." Father Christopher imagined Esdeath in the back of his mind.

Flare jumped up. "Wait, what! She can control ice?"

"Yes. But she's extremely dangerous. If you can, try to keep your distance from her. You currently possess one Teigu, just like I possess one as well."

"Wait, you possess a Teigu, too old man?"

Father Christopher annoyingly sighed. "Yes. I do. But, it's not like yours. It is called..."

The Child of God : Stripeless. It is a Support-Type Imperial Arms, a golden crucifix that has the ability of infinite regeneration. It can regenerate any part of the body, healing and restoring all injuries including broken bones, punctured organs, gouged out eyeballs, a ripped out tongue, a severed spine, a demolished heart, amputated arms and legs, even a mushed brain, but it would take time to heal. As long as they are still clinging on to an ounce of life, they will recover. If a person received the Teigu and already has a removed limb or organ, it will not work because it cannot heal what's already gone. The Teigu cannot restore a decapitated head, unless you connect the host's head with the body.

In order to possess the Teigu, you need to be pure of Heart and kind soul. The Teigu will merge with the user's body. If a person were sadistic or evil, it will not work. If a kind person were to turn cold-hearted, Stripeless would reject them and automatically. If the user were to remove Teigu from his/her body and pass it onto another host… they would have to make up a password that no one knows.

When the user is severely injured, the Teigu will automatically heal the user's injuries. This is the only exception when using two Imperial Arms. If the user were injured and while fighting with their second Teigu, the healing process will take longer up to weeks for complete healing.

Father Christopher had finally explained what his Teigu does. "And that's what my Teigu does. As long as I have it and don't sustain any fatal injuries, I'll be fine. I also came up with a password that only I know. If I were to pass my Teigu onto you, I would have to give you the password."

"What is it?"

"I'll tell when you finish training. But first…" Father Christopher then searched through a drawer and pulled out a dictionary of Teigu. "This book will tell you everything you need to know about Teigu.."

Flare took the book and looked at a few pages. "So, everything that I want to know is all in this book?"

"Yes. Study it."

"And another thing I should tell you. In the capital, there is a group of Assassins who roams the night calling themselves Night Raid."

"I think I've heard of them before, I thought it was some kind of Danger Beast. So, they just murder people?" Flare asked.

"Yes. But it's only certain people. It's not like people at random. I don't have the full details. Maybe they're doing it to cause war, or they're doing it to cause peace. Their objectives are unknown. If you encounter Night Raid, fight to live. If you have to kill in order to live, so be it." Father Christopher gave Flare permission to defend himself.

"Ok, I'll take your advice very seriously. But, how do you know all of this?" Flare asked.

"I have a few connections within the Empire that deliver information to me."

"You have people working with you in the capital? How?" Flare questioned, trying to pressure Father Christopher.

"I used to work for the Empire. But that was a long time ago."

"So, what now?" Flare asked.

"Flare. I'm telling you this now because you need to know what the capital is like. Even though you think you can take it head on, you can't. You need to be ready for this."

"I'm already in the best shape I can be." Flare said.

"Sometimes strength, talent or determination alone isn't enough to survive in the real world. You're gonna need more than that. I'm gonna also teach you to sense aura."

"Aura?"

"It is the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person or an object. Everyone has aura, but not all has unlock them. You can sense aura to try and predict your enemy's movements and in enhance. For example… "Father Christopher held up a finger. "The five senses which consist sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell..."

"Wait, why are you teaching me this now?" Flare asked.

"Because you're planning to go to the capital, and you need to know how to survive. I've taught you how to fend for yourself ever since you were a little boy. Now I'm going to train you to withstand the capital. Your real training starts tomorrow."

"I was real young when I learned about aura. I learned it from a monk from the Imperial Fist Temple. He taught me how to fend myself from the capital. Now I'm going to teach you how to use your powers to help others."

"And so on the next day, Flare had started his harsh training in the woods. He took his training with Father Christopher seriously, who promised to not hold back during their training sessions. During their time together, the Teigu users had also spent time together training in other activities such as combat, swordsmanship, sensing aura sensing aura, learning how to navigate and cooking." Narrator speaking.

Six months had passed and it is now the year, One Thousand and Twenty-Four.

Flare had said goodbye to most people in his village, hours before his departure towards the capital. Everyone, except Air for some reason. It was the late morning around eleven, and Flare had withstood at the front of the village gate of St. Peter village and was preparing to depart. He was now seventeen years old and had grown a few centimeters tall. He had a bag that he carries on his back and had also worn a brown jacket for the winter.

"Thanks for everything, old man." Flare told Father Christopher.

"You did a fine job these past months. Now it's time to for you to head to the capital." Father Christopher said. He ha worn his original attire, with a long blue scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Alright, I'll make sure I'll bring back more money than you and this village could imagine." Flare chuckled.

"I'll be holding you to that. And make sure to protect the Teigu that I gave you." Father Christopher chuckled.

"I will. It's time for me to get going." Flare said, then turned away and started departing from his village towards the capital.

"Flare!"

Flare paused for a second and turned around to an upset look on Air's face. She had worn their natural attire, added with black stockings covering their legs and knees.

"Hey, Air. What's the matter?"

"Are you really leaving... right now?" Air asked as her voice was a little shaky.

"I am." Flare kindly replied.

Air twiddled her fingers and blushed a bit. "Then... can I come with you..."

Flare lightly sighed. "As much as it pains me to say, but I can't do that to you." He denied Air's request to join him.

Air gasped at the denial. "But, why not?" Air asked as bubbles formed in her eyes.

Flare bent a knee to face an upset Flare. "Because, Air... It's too dangerous for girls your age. I'd be only endangering you, if you came along."

"Oh... I must be really weak." Air let a few tears out and sniffled.

Flare could see the pain of look on her face. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, Fal or Luna. Listen. I'm going to make lots money and send it here, so the Empire won't take you. Right. As soon as I make enough money and clear the capital from corruption, I'll come straight back here." Flare said.

"You... you really mean it?" Air asked.

"I do mean it."

Air wiped a few tears and smiled. She then hugged Flare, wrapping her arms around his neck. Flare hugged her back.

"Please come back in one piece." Air muttered as she hugged Flare.

"I'll do my best." Flare responded before breaking apart. "Now I'll have to go! There are innocent people in the Empire waiting for me to save!" He said while taking off running towards the capital at top speed.

'That boy. I believe he will save the capital.' Father Christopher thought as he watched Flare depart from St. Peter Village.

'Please be safe, Flare... Everyone is counting on you. Including me!' Air thought as she watched Flare run off. She wiped off more tears and smiled ahead.

Flare continued running towards the capital.

Author's Note: Flare will arrive to the capital, a week before Tatsumi and his friends venture to the capital.