The One of Fire

Fire was spilling out of the sky, and the wind was screaming my name as it rushed passed my ears. It was so cold that the snow as too compact for me to run through. Yet, I could feel the heat of the flames lick at my head as I tried to rush towards cover. My heart was practically leaping out of my throat, and I could barely think to even catch my breath.

As I was nearing the building I was trying to seek cover in, the fire in the sky was beginning to consume the entire heavens above me. I could hear children scream and other people call out for loved ones. The scene all around me was full of devastation and terror. Buildings were burned to ash, homes were looted and abandoned. People were missing and assumed dead, while others needed no assumption to back their fate.

I was only several feet away from the door when the ground below my feet began to shake. I stopped, and regrettably looked towards the hellish sky above me, and gasped in agony. The flames had fully conquered the celestial sphere above, and was starting to slip down towards the earth below. Everything around me was burning and dying. And for some reason, I felt as though it was all my fault.

I fell to my knees and began to weep. I could feel the infernal heat blaze above my head, while the frozen apathy of the snow contrasted through my bones and the wasteland around me.

And with a sudden jolt, I woke up.
****
Hidden in the Alps between Germany and Switzerland, is a city older than the European countries surrounding it. It is protected by old wards and spells that have been passed down by many generations. The city is full of color, magic, and curious people who have the ability to do curious things. The name of this village is, Geisterstadt. The English translation is something along the lines of Spirit or 'Ghost' town. Ironic, right?

This ancient land practices the art of anima link Index, or the act of finding one's true soul mate in the animal kingdom. But rather than just identifying this connection, the citizens have the ability to transfer the animal's soul into their own and shape themselves into the image of that said being. The anima link Index usually takes place around three weeks after a child is born. The parents of the babe will begin to notice physical changes to the eyes of the infant first, which only last for around a few seconds at a time. And as the child grows older, they will begin to grow stronger in their transformation state. Until they are fully able to sustain their ability, which is usually at around age 8.

I am from this world. I was born into a very successful family within the society. My mother is a very well respected teacher, and my father is the president of the Council of Peace. They were also chosen by two of the six leader spirits recognized by the city, which is rare to see within a family setting. My mother, Pallas Day, was chosen by the Great Horned Owl. This spirit represents wisdom and grace, which my mother represents well to say the least. She is easily the smartest person within the city, and even holds the record for the youngest person to fully sustain their animal transformation. My father, Theodore Day, was chosen by the Grizzly Bear. He is an interesting case, because he is nothing short of courageous nor brilliant like that of a bear. Yet, as a human, he might be slightly deceiving. He is very tall as well as lanky, with a narrow face and smart mouth. Even so, the spirits do not make mistakes and choose their matches on purpose and perfectly. Just because my father's physical form does not match the ideal body of a bear, his soul is the perfect fit to the pair.

Unlike the other children and my parents, I was born with a curse rather than blessing. I know that my story is beginning to sound like all the other dystopian stories where the female protagonist comes out on top, or whatever. But I can tell you now, that is not necessarily the case.

My name is Idris Day, and I was born on the day of the summer solstice. In our culture, the days of the solstice are very important according to ancient traditions. It takes weeks of preparations for these events to commence. Both of my parents are always deeply involved with the preparations, as well as all the other big parties within town. So, for their child to be born on the solstice, the coincidence would be nothing short of perfect. Children who are conceived on these day are usually chosen by extremely powerful and well respected spirits; such as lions, tigers, and wolves, etc. Well, most of the time at least. So, it would only make since that the daughter of the president of peace would be born on this day with a warrior spirit by her side.

The moment I was born, my father claims there was a comet that shot across the sky and the air felt like it was full of vibrating energy. He could sense I was a very powerful presence, which made him burst with love and pride. This is the reason why he named me Idris. The name translates to lord or god, and the masculinity usually makes it a male name. However, my father claimed the name fit the energy at the time, and knew I would carry the name well. And when he held me in his loving arms for the first time in either of our lives, he came face to face with the creature that carried the energy he was feeling. My once newborn blue eyes were shifted into amber with cat like pupils. He gasped, and hid my face from the rest of the company, including my mother. He waited until they shifted back into the normal blue eyes newborns usually have before he gave me to my mother to hold, yet he was still afraid. For you see, normal infants do not usually show any signs until they are around 3 weeks old. And here I was showing signs of my spirit right out of the womb.

However, this was not just any normal spirit. This was a sprit killed off five thousand years till the day I was born, purposely, for reasons based on devastation and terror. Which made my birth not something to be celebrated, but something to be feared. For me being born marked a new era of dragons.