Sol's Shine and the Kingdom of Fire

Chapter 1 With friends like these...

Sol was walking through the streets of Luminar with his hood up. The outdoor marketplace he was in smelled like a buffet. The small paths and alleyways were bustling with different people. An out of town orc cook can be seen slicing meat from his stall and putting it out on the grill for potential customers. A young boy can be seen entering a flower shop, maybe hoping to find the right gift for someone. Sol sees all kinds of things when he comes down here and somehow he always finds trouble to keep him occupied. Sol notices something from the corner of his eye, an empty and tight alley that no one seems to glance at. Down it was four men and a poor lad with himself backed up against the wall. The assaulters were lined with scars and the lower half of their faces was covered with a cloth. The young prince almost always catches muggers in places like this. It was obviously time for him to intervene as he weaved his way past the crowd to make it into the small alley.

"Look kid, you either cough up the gold now or we're going to have to beat some sense into you. Got it?!" One of the men said as he pulled out a knife and suddenly lined it up against the poor lad's throat. "I'm sorry. My moms just sick. I had to spend it on medication." Sweat was seen dripping down his face but Sol couldn't tell if it was actually a tear. "We'll take care of your mom! Right after we take care of you!" The second mugger said. Sol decided it was time for them to notice him. "That's fine and all fellas but if you could I would like to ask for directions." Sol said nicely. The four muggers froze and turned to look at him with confusion. The lad getting mugged moved his eyes to see Sol. "Yeah I know, it's crazy. I've lived here all my life and I still can't find my way." Sol pulled out a keychain with a compass at the end of it. It had a sunflower design to it. "My friend even made me this and I don't even know how to use it. Strange huh?" All four muggers decided to turn all of their attention to Sol. The man holding the knife pointed the weapon at him. "Get him." He commanded. The other three began to charge at Sol with punches ready. Sol immediately high kicks the first one in the chin and knocks him out. The other two try to throw a punch at the same time towards Sol's face. The young prince ducks and both miss. Sol punches the muggers in the gut and bangs their heads together, knocking them both out as well.

The other guy holding the knife took a look at his friend's unconscious bodies and looked back at Sol with fear. Sol was casually stretching his arms. "All that training from Daika must have paid off." The mugger dropped his knife and ran away. The lad that was just up against the wall came next to Sol and watched the mugger run off only to see a metal bucket suddenly drop on his head from above, knocking him out too. The two looked up to see that it was an athera from the rooftops. "Thanks Brook!" Sol gave him a thumbs up. The athera just rolled his eyes to the response and vanished from view. The young lad turned to face Sol. "Wait that voice... and those red eyes. You're Sol Lumer!" The lad said ecstatically. Sol saw a ladder that went up to the roof along the brick wall. "Yeah that's me. Legendary adopted prince of the Fire Kingdom. See ya." He said quickly as if he had better places to be. He went straight to the ladder to meet up with his friend and started climbing. "Uh... thank you!" The lad said, stunned. "Yeah sure." Sol said as he made it to the top.

When Sol reached the top he could see his friend Brook Vancott sitting over the ledge looking at a map. Brook had blue and white feathers and pretty much looked like an owl. Sol's best friend was an athera, an anthropomorphic bird race that could usually be seen in the Kingdom of Water. Sol walked over to him. "I can't believe you're still getting lost even after I made you that compass." Brook scolded him. Sol sat next to him. "Well it's not like you ever told me how to use it." Sol complained. "What? A compass? You never used a compass before?" Brook was almost dumbfounded. Sol scratched his head. "Well to be honest. I think I may be getting lost on purpose." Sol confessed. "Well that explains it." Brook said as he got up and went to his bag. "I'm sorry I'm always late. Luminar is just so huge. I can't help but explore every corner of it." Sol explained. "Well you could explore it with your best friend but I already know how impatient you are." Brook said as he rummaged through his bag to pull out a map. "Thanks for understanding." Sol said. "I actually don't understand but I'll forgive you this time though." Brook revealed to Sol what he had on his map. It was the entire map of Magnora, the world they lived in. "Someday I hope to explore every kingdom. It'd be nice to have a couple friends with me when I do." Brook was a huge fan of travelling and had a good sense of direction too. He's the same age as Sol so it was easy for them to get along, although Sol often has a hard time admitting that Brook is smarter than him. "I'll travel with you. Promise." Sol said as he got up and turned toward the castle that overlooked the entire capital like a mountain. "Haha. Don't be late because that would be a long trip." Brook laughed as he turned to face the castle with him.