There are many prosperous towns and cities in the Western Empire. Many that had the protection of the Empire. The kingdoms that served under the empire performed their duties well. There may be occasional fallouts here and there, but they served their people well. Though most warred against each other, under the pressure of looking at the bigger picture, those differences were put aside. The Western Empire was just like every other empire, and every other kingdom. Where there were thriving cities, there would be failing ones. It was but a law of life- the law of balance. One would not find the rich without locating the poor. One would not find the strong without the weak. For it is because there are poor people that one can tell who the rich are. The strong are singled out because the weak are there to make their strength stand out. Over the past few years, many of the kingdoms had signed peace treaties. Many had become allies instead of enemies. Many who swore

Frederick was just asking a question- an innocent question within which held no malice. But to Abe, to answer that simple question was to relieve the memories of a once forgotten nightmare. Years ago, the twins and Abe had been 'invited' to this training ground. They had suffered under the merciless training of their captain for two years. They hadn't been here for a year. Yet Abe still remembered the pain of the training. He shivered at the thought of having to go through it again. His brave words about catching up with Mane miles away from his mind. "Do we get to be the trainers this time?" John asked in an excited manner. The little kid didn't have Abe's perception. He was yet to realise that there was no way Mane would bring them here as the trainers. After all, they were all here to train- Mane included. The only reason the blue eyed boy usually took on the role of the trainer was because none of them posed a challenge to him- individually. 

"I don't think it's a good idea Mane." Abe looked straight at his captain as he spoke. The seriousness of his words were backed by the steely look in his brown eyes. The twins nodded their heads at his words. They were very much in agreement with Abelard. Although they believed in Mane's strength, what the blue eyed boy had in mind was a suicide request in their eyes. Although Frederick and Selina said nothing, their lack of movements displayed their stance. "So none of you are going to attack?" Mane said calmly as he began walking towards his team mates. "I wasn't asking. It was a command I issued" he continued, his countenance reeking with authority. His aura stunned the newcomers. They hadn't seen Mane in his 'captain' mode yet. It was hard to believe that a ten to eleven year old kid could command such authority when he wasn't groomed by a royal family. Then again, this was the same kid whose aura had caused mayhem for them during their

Mane's wide grin unsettled his colleagues. They clearly held the advantage, so why didn't it feel that way. The chill that went down their spines was not understandable considering the current situation. After all, no matter how one looked at it, they had their enemy surrounded, cornered. Mane stretched his arms wide apart, his legs just as widely separated. Almost in response to his actions, the winds began to howl ferociously. Although he used the winds to increase the area of his flames, it was a difficult thing to do. If he got it wrong, the winds would disperse the flames. In other words, extinguish them. Hence, he didn't use that method so often. Abe had realised that his control over wind was not as great as the others, so he had employed the strategy to have John slowly take care of the fire. They had ignored one thing though. Controlling the wind so accurately may be a problem, but recklessly unleashing it wasn't so hard. And that was Mane's goal right

A wall of fire. A magical sight. A miracle in itself. An unbelievable scene it was. Flames of gold slowly merged together, a distinct shape beginning to form. Abe and Jake could only watch in amazement. They couldn't get any closer to the flames. The sheer amount of heat it gave off was beyond anything they had ever felt. Even from this distance, the fist of earth that coated Abe's hands was melting away, like a piece of iron in a hot furnace. "Incredible. My flames are nowhere near as hot as this" Jake said whilst swiping off the sweat that had started to form on his forehead. "IGNIS DRACO!!!" Mane's voice was heard once more, the authority in them conveyed to the flames. The shape of the fire was finally made clear. "Is that a…?" Jake had barely posed the question when Abelard replied. "It is. Only one creature of legend fits this description." The figure forged by the flames was fire itself