Kindling

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Causes of death are many and varied...old age, illness, suicide. But out of that long, morbid list, there's one end that people fear above all others: 
death by fire.


Solar Calendar Year 179

"She's beautiful, isn't she, Arko?" Mika asked in an excited but tired voice.

"She is, Mika. You did amazingly," Arko complimented as he gently bounced the sleepy bundle in his arms.

His eyes watched his daughter when he heard a slight sizzle, then a scream.

Arko looked up in horror to see his wife, who had just given birth to their daughter not even an hour ago, was becoming victim to Spontaneous Human Combustion. Reflexively, he shielded the baby, quickly running to the door.

"Help! Please, I need help in here!" Arko cried.

A few nurses dashed over, but all halted at the door before one broke away to call the Fire Force.

"Sir, you need to step away, it isn't safe!" One nurse urged.

"But that's my wife! You have to help her!"

"We're sorry, but there's nothing we can do until the Fire Force gets here! For now, we need to evacuate you and the other patients."

Arko was shuffled outside, holding his daughter as she wailed from being awoken. When he saw the Blue Stripes of the Fire Force, and one of the priests, he called out to them,

"Please, save my wife!"

The clergyman looked over towards Arko, and was about to speak when he saw the bundle in the man's arms, which made the clergyman's own heart sink; the Infernal they were about to lay to rest never got to be the mother she dreamed to be.

"We'll make sure her soul is released to return to the Mighty Sol," The clergyman, Leonard, assured Arko, "Just keep your child, her child, safe."

Arko gave an almost hasty nod to the clergyman as he watched the Blue Stripes enter the Hospital.

What was meant to be the happy day of the birth of their daughter, Rei, had turned into the same day her mother turned Infernal. But, Arko wasn't going to let that make his daughter feel sad; she had stayed alive long enough to make sure Rei was born at all.

Even though it was just him and Rei, he tried his best to make sure she was never sad.

Rei would always be ready to laugh, her eyes bright with curiosity; until one day they weren't.

Arko was walking Rei home from school when the child asked,

"Did Mama die because of me?"

She was just over eight when she asked.

"No, of course not! Why would you think that, hon?" Arko asked, stopping walking and kneeling down in front of his daughter.

"Because some of the kids at school said that Mama became an Infernal because I was born," Rei said sadly, not looking up at her father.

"Oh, Hon, that wasn't your fault; not at all," Arko gently assured before holding his daughter, "It was sad that it happened, but by no means was it your fault. If anything, your Mother tried to make sure you were safe before it happened."

"She did?" Rei asked with tears in her eyes.

"Of course she did. She loved you so much before she ever even got to meet you," Arko complimented as he tucked a loose strand of Rei's wavy hair behind her ear.

Arko's assurances, however, did not stop the grind of the rumor mill whilst Rei was at school.

Only one child ignored the rumors; a young girl named Tsubaki Sato. Despite whatever additional rumors that were generated, she continued to be friends with Rei.

One day that they had off from school, they got to meet up at a shopping center for a chance to hang out; Arko being their chaperone.

What none of then expected, was that shopping center to become a mass Combustion site that day.

In the chaos of running crowds, Tsubaki and Rei had gotten separated from Arko.

"Come on, let's go through here. My dad always told me to meet him at the train station if I got separated from him. We can get there going this way," Rei urged, leading Tsubaki down an alley that ran between a pair of shops.

As the girls tried to make their way to the other side, two large bodies stepped out in front of them.

The next thing Rei remembers is a Fire Soldier from Company 4 carrying her, bringing her to her father.

"Rei! Oh, thank Sol you're okay!" Arko cried as he grabbed for his daughter from the Fire Soldier.

"Dad?" Rei asked in a dazed voice.

Arko grabbed his daughter's face, checking that she was okay, when he saw her eyes. Rather than her plain, black pupils, her blue eyes had white, four-point stars at the center of them.

 Rather than her plain, black pupils, her blue eyes had white, four-point stars at the center of them

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"Rei, did something happen back there?" Arko asked.

"What do you mean, Dad?" Rei asked in return.

"Your eyes are different," Arko said before looking Rei over head to toe, "And your clothes are singed, but not your skin.

Rei looked down to see a singed spot in the center of her shirt as well as by the end of her sleeves and pant legs. She furrowed her bows for a moment before her hands started to light up in fire, and she could hear a slight hissing close to her ears. She jumped back in surprise as the fire flickered out and the hissing stopped.

"A third generation," Akro muttered, sweeping his hair back slightly from his face in surprise.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"You're a third Generation, Rei. That means you can make your own fire."

Rei was quiet for a minute, but then started to look around.

"Where's Tsubaki?" Rei asked.

"Who?" Arko asked back, not quite hearing his daughter.

"Tsubaki. She was with me when we got separated from you."

Arko tried to get the attention of the Fire Soldier who had brought Rei over,

"Excuse me, um.."

"Lieutenant Pan," The Soldier supplied.

"Lieutenant Pan. Was there anyone else with my daughter when you found her? Another girl?"

"No, sir. I only saw I think two men, your daughter, and an infernal."

"An infernal?" Rei asked, her brows furrowing.

The Lieutenant simply nodded.

"No, Tsubaki," Rei started to tear up, covering her mouth.

"I'm sorry," The Lieutenant said before looking to Arko, "You said she's a third gen? She might want to consider joining the Fire Force. Company Four runs the Academy. I'll keep an eye out for her application if she submits one."

"Oh, uh, thank you, Lieutenant," Arko said before going to comfort his daughter.

"Am I really cursed after all?" Rei thought to herself as she cried for Tsubaki.

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