It was the annual harvest festival in Junji, a time when even the most pessimistic ones pranced around, albeit less than those who really had something to celebrate. The village, while not huge, was mostly farmland. The city center, however, was densely packed with occupants. For the vast majority of the villagers here, the things a person might find at every corner in another city were just fairy tales. While the vast majority of people here knew the general idea of the world they lived in, they rarely got to see it with their own two eyes.
But that didn't matter to them. The villagers held pride in having very few "powerful" people in their populace. In fact, the harvest festival was celebrated because a village managing to be mostly self-sufficient without the help of Flux users was a rare case, Junji being one of them.
A boy, about 15 years of age, walked through the town square, a place now filled with people, decorations, and stalls offering food and games. The boy's hair and eyes were so dark that it felt like they couldn't reflect any light off them. His build was lean, but not too muscular, while also being slightly taller than the average 15-year-old. The boy walked by a stall, a pleasant smile on his face. He watched as a family of three tried to shoot targets with water guns. It was no secret that festival games like these were scams, but this family, and almost every other family in Junji, played them nonetheless.
The sight of a happy family… irked him. He had grown up with no one to call his parents, and was raised by nearly every person in the village, despite having a guardian. His guardian, the mayor, was too busy to spend too much time with him, but that didn't matter to him. He was mature enough to not think it was unfair.
"Hey Alan! Wanna try your luck? You aren't helping them by staring into their souls, you know," the person running the stall, Tyler, called, beckoning him over.
The boy, Alan, smiled as he walked towards the stall and picked up one of the guns. "Mr. Tyler, this is free, right?"
Tyler laughed. "Of course it is! But only the first 5 shots. If you get four of them, I'll give you a prize."
Alan watched as the family that had previously tried hung their head low in defeat. They had not hit a single one. And yet, they couldn't hide the small smiles they wore.
Alan aimed the gun and shot. The water landed…quite off the mark. The family had been watching Alan, hoping he would be able to do what they hadn't, but their heads hung low.
Alan lined his shot up once more before he fired it. And again. And again. None of the shots hit their target, and yet, it was clear that he was getting closer. And on the final shot, he hit the target.
Tyler chuckled. "If anyone could do it with just four tries, it's you, Alan. I forget how you are, sometimes."
"You flatter me too much. Besides, my hand was shaking too much at first. That's why I missed so many shots."
"Well… Since it's you, you can choose a prize. I think you deserve it," Tyler said, taking the gun back.
"If you insist," Alan said, laughing, as he picked a small stuffed bear. "See ya, Mr. Tyler."
Tyler smiled back. "See you. And have fun."
The family of three had turned to leave after seeing Alan hit on his last try, so Alan had to jog a bit to catch up to them. "Wait!" He called.
All of them turned to him, and the mother smiled, "Yes, child?"
Alan held the bear out for the girl. "Here. You looked like you really wanted it," he said, panting slightly.
The girl, who was now beaming, squealed as she hugged his leg. "Thank you, mister! I love it so much!"
The parents thanked Alan, their faces holding the unmistakable expression of admiration. Alan sighed happily as he saw the three of them leave with the girl parading her new bear. Alan really did envy them. 'I wish… No. I'm happy to be here.' Checking his watch, he flinched. He was going to be late for his meeting with her!
Alan walked through the city and into the farmlands. He quickly made his way up a hill. The hill, though not steep, was far enough from where most of the people stayed that very few knew of its existence, and those who did rarely ever visited it. Thus, Alan decided to make it his 'spot' of sorts. It was also the place where he usually met up with the person he was about to see.
As Alan made his way up the hill, he saw it. The 'Tree of Life,' as the village elder called it. It was a tree, about three meters tall, and stood firmly in the center of the hill. From the tree, one could see almost all of Junji.
However, contrary to its name, the Tree of Life had no leaves. And yet, it never withered or weakened. And standing by it, gazing at some flowers on the hill, was Lyra Ferris. Her hair, which was a royal gold, fluttered with the wind from where it was tied back. And as he came closer, her bright blue eyes landed on him.
Smiling brightly, she waved. "My, my. You're on time."
Alan stopped next to her as he looked at the flowers on the hill as well. "I'm just 4 minutes late." He looked at her and smiled. "I'm guessing you reached here 20 minutes ago?"
Lyra huffed, "Of course! I didn't have much else to do after training." She looked at the village, now bustling with festive activities.
Alan looked at Lyra, leaning against the tree. "Why don't you join your parents? They should be there, no?
She nodded, smiling. "They probably are, but they know I deserve a break from training. Besides, if I leave, who'll keep you company?"
Alan's gaze fell towards the village hall, where the voice of his guardian boomed. "I wonder if the mayor's power is just the ability to make his voice reach further. And isn't his speech too long?"
The promises and encouraging words of the mayor carried all the way to the hill, even though it was several kilometers away. The mayor was one of the very few Flux users in Junji, which was a well-known fact among the people.
Lyra shook her head, stifling a laugh at one particularly strange promise. "He just wants to feel important."
Alan smiled softly. "He cares about the village. I know it. Our village is his life's work, and he'd do anything to make it better."
Just as Lyra was about to respond, a sonic boom interrupted their conversation on the hill. Alan could barely register what happened next.
What he saw was two figures flying just above the village, launching what seemed to be attacks at each other. And before he knew it, a stray spell landed right at the village square. The village square instantly burst into flames, but the fire… It was not normal. It was white.
Neither Alan nor Lyra could scream. They couldn't move their mouths, either. But they could see. As the fire started to spread throughout the village, Alan remembered one of the stories the village elder used to tell the kids to scare them a little. The Soul Flame, the fire that painlessly burns everything in its path.