Chapter 9: Fire

I grew up on a convoy in the dark reaches of space. My parents told me we were leaving behind a place called Earth. I am not sure what went wrong there. It seemed to be a mix between bad politics and human arrogance. The governments were either being too harsh, or too weak, or too stubborn to do what was right for their peoples. In any case, the tragedy of Earth led to this saying, “Pride goes before the fall.”

Just like in one of those action dramas that he loved watching, Ryan charged at the Preservers, bellowing like a maniac.

Perhaps screaming wasn’t the best Idea!

As soon as Ryan started yelling, the Preservers finally became aware of his existence.

Hannah kept saying, “SHH!”

Ryan ignored her as all sense of self-preservation had been abandoned. Though initially taken by surprise, The Preservers quickly recovered their wits and tackled him from all sides.

Shaver Creed sneered in delight. “Ya stupid lil’ punk! She gave ya a chance to run and ya botched it.”

Shaver began his campaign of cruelty by mercilessly pummeling Ryan as his men held him down. The pain was excruciating. Ryan could count every pimple on Shaver’s face as his fist rose and fell to deliver blow after blow. Bam! Another kick to the ribs. Thwack! The feeling of steel-toed leather boots to the face was not a pleasant sensation. Blood trickled down from Ryan’s forehead and stung his eyes. Despite the pain and the blood, Ryan noticed that Shaver Creed’s broken wrist had completely healed, either that or at least he didn’t complain about it as he kicked and punched Ryan with both fists over and over again.

Then suddenly, the bully stopped. Shaver leaned down and whispered in Ryan’s ear almost sweetly. “Ya know wha’ would be even sweeter, is if ya watched us have our way wi’ yer adopted alien lovin’ mother. She may be a bitch, but she’s not bad-lookin’.” Shaver then stuck out his tongue crudely, swinging it back and forth above Ryan’s face.

Ryan looked towards Hannah in terror as his mind contemplated Shaver’s intent. The other Preservers laughed and jeered in unrestrained cruelty. They relished the pain they would soon inflict as they licked their lips hungrily. Despite everything that Ryan had put her through, every mean word he ever said to her, Hannah Lioness defended him with her last breath.

“I don’t care what you do to me!” cried out Hannah. “I’ve earned it. Just spare the boy and I’ll make it easier for you, I swear. Please leave the boy alone or I promise you by whatever God that created the stars, I will have my vengeance in this life or the next.”

Shaver sniffed, unimpressed by Hannah’s bravado as he slowly walked towards her with murder in his eyes. Ryan felt hot tears mix with the blood on his face. Hannah had told him that it was her fault that his parents died. But seeing her now, he could hardly believe it to be true, and even if it was, Ryan knew her to be a kind person worthy of a second chance.

Ryan admitted to himself in shame how very selfish he’d been lately. Ever since his parents’ death, he thought only of himself, wallowing in self-pity. But from the moment he met her, Hannah had gone out of her way to see to his wellbeing when she didn’t have to. Most people wouldn’t have thought him worth the effort, and they were probably right. But she believed him worth it.

As Shaver hovered over the wounded Lioness with no intention of showing mercy, Ryan received a brief feeling of déjà vu. Suddenly, an image flashed into his mind. It came and went faster than lightning, but it left an impression nonetheless. The image involved Ryan’s mother being held down by several dark figures. More than the terror that this image provoked, it also brought to the surface something much deeper than fear. Rage! More anger than Ryan had ever felt in his life.

As Ryan bore witness to Shaver Creed in all his cruelty and prejudice, he let the hatred wash through him ... he let it consume his doubt. This man felt perfectly at ease with hurting anyone he wanted, alien and human alike. Ryan had spent most of his life around nonhumans; in fact, his own father hadn’t been completely human, but he knew them to be no better or worse than anybody else. This man was so stupid and ignorant that he would put his own hatred and lust for power over things like common sense or moral decency. He needed to be taught a lesson ... he needed to pay. Shaver Creed needed to pay!

All my life, bullies like Shaver have pushed me around simply because they have power, and I don’t! How dare they?! I have just as much right to live my own life as they do! If only I had more power! God, why won’t you give me the power I need to live my own life?!

All of the sudden, Ryan felt like his whole body was on fire as a wail of agony escaped his lips unbidden. Shaver Creed yelled at his goons to shut him up, but Ryan hardly even noticed as they tried to beat him into submission. A deep energy resonated in his body, and if it didn’t find a way out, he felt like he would implode.

As Ryan rolled, writhed, and drooled from the burning sensation that had engulfed him, he suddenly remembered the flash of light that had left the big Black Dragon without a hand. Ryan faintly recalled that the flash of light had come from his mother, and that the power had originated from her hands.

As if someone had instructed him on what to do, Ryan held out his hand and mentally ordered the energy within him to come forth at that point of origin. Red flames as bright as a sun sprang out of his fingertips. They were unlike any flames that Ryan had ever seen; they looked vibrant and changed form in various shades of red. The fires danced from left to right between his fingers like they had a mind of their own.

The Preservers holding Ryan suddenly dropped him and fled in terror screaming, “He’s an Elemental! Run for your bleeding lives!”

Ryan was just as surprised and frightened by the flames as the Preservers. He screamed in a strange, high-pitched squeal that sounded very similar to a five-year-old girl. In an effort to keep himself from burning up, Ryan ran around in circles while waving his arms in the hope that the wind would put the fire out. When that didn’t work, Ryan put his hands in a puddle nearby. It seemed to put the fire out for a little while, but every time he brought his hands out, they would spontaneously combust once again. It took Ryan a few moments to realize that even though his hands burned, he felt no pain; in fact, he had never felt better in his life. Ryan turned back at the Preservers, who stood stiff with fear. Even Hannah seemed surprised.

Shaver Creed came to his senses first. “He’s jus’ a runt! He don’t know wha’ he’s doing! What ya waiting for? Get him!”

Having heard such inspiring words from their ‘fearless’ leader, the Preservers came at Ryan with all manner of deadly weapons. The flames moved towards the assailants as if eager to fight. This time, Ryan was ready. Just like an action star, Ryan dealt blow after blow with his fiery fists of justice, or at least that’s what he had decided to call them. It looked even cooler than the virtual games Ryan played as a kid.

He ducked, dodged, and weaved as the flames did the rest, blasting any tattooed freak dumb enough to get close. He even made some weird ninja noises to intimidate his enemies, but it mostly just confused them. Ryan’s movements changed as well as he moved faster with more fluidity. The strange, mystical flames seemed to act of their own accord, blasting any enemy that drew near. Within seconds, all of his attackers lay unconscious while smoking on the wet pavement. Ryan had single-handedly incapacitated almost the entire Preserver gang until only Shaver Creed and the men holding Hannah were left.

So, this is what it’s like to have power. The power of an Elemental. Sweetness! I like it!

Shaver seemed scared as he swallowed down his spit and took a step back, but then one of the men behind him whispered something in his ear. Then Shaver smiled smugly, and said, “Ya don’t scare me, freak. Today, Shaver’s invincible, baby!”

Ryan had no idea what the fiendish man meant by that, but it soon became a moot point. As soon as he said it, the electric knife appeared in his hands, and he ran at Ryan with surprising speed. At the last second, Ryan grabbed Shaver’s knife hand, and for a moment he was tempted to think that Shaver would relent after being touched by red pyro.

But the man seemed to ignore the fact that his hand was on fire. Ryan couldn’t understand how a normal man could put himself through so much pain. He thrust the knife inches from Ryan’s left pupil. Little by little, Shaver used his superior size and strength to bring the knife closer to Ryan’s face. Ryan knew from experience that if the blade made even the slightest scratch on his skin, he’d be paralyzed, and then Shaver could kill him at his leisure.

In desperation, Ryan mentally directed his flames to concentrate on Shaver’s knife instead of his hand. The knife seemed to be made from some pretty tough material, but Ryan kept up the pressure. He felt his power slowly fading and he realized the magic must depend on the reserves of his stamina. Willing the flames to do his bidding, Ryan poured every ounce of his remaining strength into destroying the weapon.

Finally, his efforts paid off! Shaver looked down as his weapon melted, and then he suddenly noticed his burnt hands. With a scream of agony, Shaver went to his knees holding his smoking flesh beneath his armpits. The bully was beaten and completely at Ryan’s mercy. He looked back to the other Preservers for support, but they silently stood their ground and watched. Apparently, they had another agenda.