Passionate, dynamic, and assertive are the Ignes. Each Ignis hails from a history of vivid and powerful flame, always spreading excitement throughout the world.

Calm, dreamy, and kind are the Aquae. Each Aqua descends from a family of pure and flowing water, seeking to bring healing and hope to others.

Tranquil, intelligent, and unshakeable are the Terrae. Each Terra grows from roots of peaceful and nurturing earth, offering safety and protection to those who need it.

Relaxed, creative, and carefree are the Ventis. Each Ventus comes from distant lands of unconfined and elegant wind, telling stories of freedom wherever they go.

The fifth and strangest of the races are the humans. They lack a unique specialty, and their goals as a race are never uniform. However, these interesting creatures are filled with a combination of every personality, each with unknown yet endless potential. Crouching silhouettes, they were; ready to stand and shine at a moment of inspiration. Only time could tell the limits of their capabilities.

Such was the story that Plauhion’s father always told her before bed. He was outstanding in many ways; an unorthodox Ignis but an exceptionally caring father. He would always talk about the other races with fascination and respect, especially on the ways they gathered together to perform miracles in life.

But if this was the world that he described, then why were the humans so hesitant around them? Why were the Aquae so weary, the Terrae so stone-faced, and the Ventis so tempestuous?

“They are absolutely unworthy and insensitive to the vigorous power that is known as the Ignis!” Plauhion’s mother would retort. “Pay no heed to them for they are only squandering your time!”

Mother and Father had such opposing views, Plauhion thought. I myself don't understand why Ignes are so terribly superior. But I also lack comprehension for why the other races are so sore towards us. But at least… I have Ethapl.

Ethapl, the shy and friendly Aqua, was standing right in front of her. “Plauhion, what do you wanna have for lunch?”

“Grilled meat of grazing cows, clad within baked dough made from wheat, water, and yeast.” Plauhion said, shutting down her melancholy thoughts.

“Great! Um, what kinda sauce do you want?”

Plauhion pondered carefully. “The tomato pureé, please.”

After Ethapl placed orders for two beef hamburgers with ketchup, the two wandered into the cafeteria, heading for their usual spot by the sunny window.

It was unfortunately taken by a group of chaotic Ventis. Upon seeing Ethapl, they began to holler.

“Ay! We’ve got PE class again this afternoon!” One of them sneered. “Huh, I wonder who’s gonna evaporate this time?”

Relaxed, creative, and carefree are the Ventis…

Before they could say another word, Plauhion stormed up to the table. “Attack me with any blade and spear, but leave my dear friend out of such violence!”

The Ventus arched his eyebrows with undisguised scorn.

Looking sideways at Ethapl, Plauhion added: “In modest addition, my dear friend will dominate you pathetic slugs in swimming.”

Ethapl’s face turned a spectacular shade of red.

“An attack against my dear friend is an attack against me… I shall never let us be subject to such mockery. Leave at once, or face the wrath of fire and flame!” Plauhion commanded, and a flicker of fire danced at her fingertips.

A restless wind was starting to grow near the table.

“Oh, boohoo! Not another Ignis with a god complex!” The Ventus cried without a single indication of backing down. “We don’t want your condescending attitude, we don’t want your stupid rules… we’re free people! Ignes trash like you just won’t get it.”

Plauhion opened her mouth to teach the idiots a lesson, but felt a small tug on her sleeve.

“Hey, uh, would you mind if we eat under the shade of that tree over there today?” Ethapl was pointing to a big tree nearby, with rose bushes cluttered around its roots. Clearly, her Aqua friend wanted to leave.

“Yes, of course, but…” Plauhion trailed off.

The Ventis snickered and smirked, hurling insults and throwing taunts as Ethapl quickly pulled Plauhion away. A gust of mischievous wind tousled their hair into a mess of knots as they retreated.

“Ignore them! Don’t let them get to you, okay?” Ethapl cheered softly as they sat down under the tree.

“Those insignificant folk have never destroyed my peace of mind,” Plauhion told her. “I was reluctant to depart because the dried white roses here are simply too poor of decorations for a leisurely luncheon.”

“I know, our window seat is much better. But since we sit there every day, we could let the Ventis have a turn, right?”

“I… I assume so,” Plauhion sighed, untangling the knots in her braids.

“Right… Uh, there is something that I need to talk to you about,” Ethapl stammered, scooting back against the tree.

Plauhion noticed a tinge of tension in the air. “Speak, dear friend.”

“So, my parents… they were wondering why I’ve been getting picked on so much lately. Growing up, I never had trouble making friends…”

Plauhion could almost hear the words before Ethapl said them.

Ethapl uncomfortably glanced in the direction of the Ventis. “My parents think all the bullying is because... I’m associating with an Ignis. They never say a word in public, but they always whisper about how arrogant the Ignes still are, from their dominant days on Earth. I know that’s not you, of course…” She added hastily at the end.

Calm, dreamy, and kind are the Aquae…

Plauhion’s heart slowed. “Ah, dear friend. I seem to have given you much trouble by accompanying you…”

Ethapl quickly looked up, panic outlining her brows. Her elegant eyes lifted and a soft mist came into existence around them. “No, no. It’s really not your fault. There is prejudice against the Ignes, even though you’ve been trying…”

“Worry not, I certainly understand why,” Plauhion sighed, a long weariness descending upon her shoulders. “It is quite commonly accepted in our family that other races are simply inferior to our power and thus should be despised. We are very unkind in that regard.”

Ethapl’s eyes were sad. The gentle mist was curving around them like a protective blanket. “I know you’re not like that! You’re really passionate about what you do, and you’re considerate of other people! You always stand up for me when I get picked on, and-”

“But it is I that put you in that situation in the first place!” Plauhion explained with exasperation, her voice rising against her will.

Ethapl opened her mouth to protest.

“Enough! I will not let you suffer a minute longer, my dear friend!”

Plauhion picked herself off of the ground and dashed away, running and running and running until she was nearly flying in a full sprint.

It is but an unchangeable fate… isn’t it? Plauhion thought miserably as she darted across streets, dodging the critical glares of everyone who passed by. I was… foolish to think she could be different.

She came to an exhausted stop in an empty alleyway. The mad dash had left her limbs burning and her lungs heaving, heaving, heaving.

With a frustrated screech that no one could hear, Plauhion collapsed to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. She buried her head. And kept the tears away.

For a few moments, the world was nothing but Plauhion and the strained rasps of her own breath.

Lose all but your pride and composure. Her mother’s lessons rang in her head.

“Uh, hello there,” a voice sounded from her left. “Is everything alright…?”

For a split second, Plauhion almost let her entire life story spill away.

The worried face of a Terra was staring right at her. And almost instantly, the concern was replaced by a mixture of fear and disgust.

A tremor was felt in the ground below Plauhion.

Fully aware of the Terra's face, Plauhion shook her head. “Yes, everything is under control. I appreciate your gesture for inquiring.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” the Terra said monotonously, avoiding direct eye contact. “If you need something, just let me know.”

Biting her lip, Plauhion said again, “Yes, thank you.”

With a sigh, the Terra handed her a tissue. “I just hope you won’t think of my help as pitying… but nevermind. It’s probably better if I leave you to your thoughts.”

Tranquil, intelligent, and unshakeable are the Terrae…

“I’m sorry…” Plauhion said weakly, barely clinging onto the tissue.

“An Ignis apologizing… huh, never thought I’d see the day,” the Terra’s eyebrows were raised with mild suspicion. “Did you hit your head?”

Plauhion had no energy left to reply. Despite the strength she had from fighting the Ventis earlier, she couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping up her heart.

The Terra grimaced at the sight of Plauhion’s silent grief. “Let me take you home.”

The earth beneath Plauhion raised up, firmly nudging her into a standing position. Guiding her as she walked on, the ground seemed to support her every step.

Following the Terra as if in a trance, Plauhion soon found herself on the porch of her mansion. A familiar Ignes insignia stared back at her.

Plauhion mentally prepared herself, curling her hands into fists. I have returned to a house... but not a home.

Without a warning, the door exploded open as sparks and flames erupted from inside.

Her mother’s face, carved with sheer rage and blatant disgust, was twisted into a snarl as she screamed, “WHAT IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!”

The woman whipped to face the Terra, who was already backing away. “Get your lowly hands off my daughter at once!”

Flames grew and danced upon Plauhion’s mother as she grabbed Plauhion by the shirt collar and yanked her inside.

“Relying on that trash of a Terra… fleeing from jabs of the brainless Ventis… cowering like an infant because of a useless Aqua… and losing your superiority as an Ignis?!”

Passionate, dynamic, and assertive are the Ignes…

Tendrils of fire reached from her mother’s mouth as she spat out each word as if it were venom. Somehow, she already knew of the events that happened.

“Why have I received such a disgrace to the family?!”

Plauhion was unmoving and silent. Her guilt from hurting Ethapl, her anger at the bullies, her gratitude for the stranger that gave her a tissue… she felt nothing.

“All these years of priceless teachings… all to turn you into a respectable Ignis. And yet, you dare follow the footsteps of your father?!”

Her mother knew the right salt for the right wounds.

“Just like you, he trusted the Terrae. He allowed the Ventis to roam. He became close with the Aquae. And where did he end up?!”

Plauhion clenched her teeth.

“That’s right! Extinguished and murdered by the lowest scum of them all: humans! Firemen! And heroes, they were called. Can you believe the audacity? Our centuries of crimson flame, ruined by powerless animals! Because he was soft, your halfwit of a father brought dishonor to our entire race!”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” she muttered, her chest feeling suffocating and unnaturally warm. Her father was not a coward.

“Hah! You’ve even fallen to speaking in their plebeian terms! All these parasites clinging to us like zombies… they know their downfalls and deaths are imminent, that’s why they want to bring us glorious Ignes down with them! Your pathetic ‘friend’ of an Aqua is exactly one such demon!

Plauhion’s body soared and sang with heat. Ethapl was a kind friend.

“All of these bloodsuckling leeches… I should exterminate them myself!”

She’s going to… kill Ethapl…?

All the tension in the air, taunt as a bowstring, finally fired as Plauhion’s own rage detonated. Vicious blue flames erupted from her back, biting and swallowing the room.

“WHY?!” Plauhion howled her desperate question to the world.

“Why is it that we have to oppress the Ventus when all they want is to be free?!” Plauhion screamed as she flung an explosive heatwave from her hands into the dining room.

The windows shattered, glass shards raining down like knives onto the dining table.

Her mother was taken aback, but Plauhion didn’t give her a chance to speak.

“Why do we hate the Terrae for looking down on us when they’re only trying to help?!” An enormous ball of magma emerged from her left hand, and Plauhion slammed it into the ground.

The walls of the house shook and collapsed, as if they were a house of cards.

Teetering on the broken floorboards, her mother stared at her with fury, fear, and betrayal.

“Why do we call the Aquae weak when they’re just being kind?!” Blazing steam leapt from her right hand, ravaging the trees and flowers in their garden.

The soft, white roses were instantly destroyed under the flames.

Plauhion’s mother was standing in the midst of it all, frozen and horrified.

“And why do we destroy others, when we’re supposed to light the torches in this world?!” Plauhion screeched, more and more flames erupting from her veins.

With a sickening crunch, the beam holding up the roof snapped.

A bone-chilling scream ripped itself from her mother’s throat as the flaming beam fell right on top of her, crushing the woman beneath. The rest of the ceiling groaned and collapsed, pieces of the shattered home collapsing upon the flaming grave.

As if ice water was poured right down her back, Plauhion’s flames vanished instantly with a wisp of dying smoke.

Wait… no…

Endless flames were still devouring the mansion and ceaseless fire were still dancing a terrifying waltz through the sky.

Completely extinguished and drowning in horror, Plauhion fell to her knees.

What have I done…?

The small spark in her heart was fully dead; reduced to a pile of ash.

She fell to the blackened floor, tears finally swelling up in her eyes.

Plauhion felt something choking her. Her face was half-frozen in shock. Her limbs were filled with lead, as if invisible shackles chained her to the hellish disaster around her.

In the distance, sirens wailed and people screamed.

Unfeeling, Plauhion stared into the void with dead eyes. Her sense of touch faded away from her fingertips, no longer feeling the fire surging all around, nor the splintered floor digging into her palms.

She didn’t know how long she sat in the flames.

Footsteps thumped across the burning inferno.

A broken thought appeared in her mind. They’re here… the firemen.

Great big boots thundered into view as humans wearing fire-combat uniforms flooded the scene. Water gushed from an enormous truck, clashing with the howling, restless fires. As soon as they touched, both turned to steam and rose slowly into the heavens.

Her own tears matched them, sizzling and vaporizing as they rained onto the flaming ground.

Voices shouted and wood crackled. The humans were beginning to move something behind her.

Mother… Plauhion could barely think straight.

A figure emerged from the crimson abyss, headed straight for her.

This is the end… isn’t it? Just like my father…

Plauhion closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

Something sat down.

Confused, Plauhion cracked her eyelids open.

The figure was a human, and an old one at that. His beard was gray with age, his face wrinkled with weathering, and his eyes shining with wisdom.

“Hey there, little Ignis,” he said with a grandfatherly voice. “You seem to have something on your mind.”

Bewildered yet strangely comforted, Plauhion asked, “Why sit in this hellfire, sir?”

“Because an old man needs some warmth! He wouldn’t want his toes to freeze off, would he?” He joked with a friendly, gruff laugh. “Oh, and please drop the formalities! We are friends, just having a good ol’ chat!”

Plauhion sighed, her breath long and dull, filled with her life’s worth of exhaustion and loneliness.

“I’m really tired,” she admitted, her lips cracked and dry. “I just… I just don’t understand why we’re so cruel to each other when we’re all living in the same world. I… I don’t think I have the energy to find out why anymore.”

The old man hummed empathetically. “Aquae, Terrae, Ventus, Ignes, and humans… we are all such different creatures.”

Plauhion’s eyelids fluttered.

“Young Ignis, such differences drive us apart, but they’re also a part of the story that makes each living being unique,” the old man continued. “Each of us is a protagonist in our own story, and we all have our share of conflicts to overcome.”

“I failed to overcome my own, it seems.” Plauhion laughed shamefully. “Will… will my mother be okay?”

“Your mother is being treated by wonderful caretakers.” The old man leaned closer. He paused for a moment, as if seeing something in Plauhion’s scorched face. “And actually, I think you did a great job defeating your conflicts. I saw you alone in this fire… and I feel your anguish, I know your pain. But that very pain you felt allowed you to see something about yourself, you know?”

“I don’t think I saw a thing back there,” Plauhion closed her eyes again.

There was another pause before his voice began again. “Well, you certainly saw more than most. From what I’m hearing, it looks like you saw yourself and the other races beyond the concept of race itself. You must’ve looked down and saw all of us as living beings, did you not?”

“Mmm,” Plauhion’s voice was fading away.

“You know, I think the Ignes have it tough. Outsiders dislike you because you’re the Ignes. And in this very race, the Ignes dislike the outsiders.”

Plauhion didn’t reply.

“Haha! Back when I was a kid, we used to tell stories to each other by a warm fire at night.” Here, the fireman’s voice cracked. “Young Ignis… I will carry your story with me, the same way you seem to carry so many stories of others.”

The last ember in Plauhion’s heart drifted away like ash on a ghostly wind.

“I will make sure your story is told. It will become another legend whispered over the campfires,” the old man told the remnants of Plauhion’s last few breaths.

The fifth and strangest of the races are the humans…. Plauhion thought as she fell softly to the blazing earth.