Two lovers met in secret.

The man presented to his love, his flaming heart. The woman took it as her own, the lively scarlet flames cooling to a calm purple in the palm of her hand. In an act to kindle their love they danced. Like two flames meeting to form a blaze, fire followed their feet and flittered through the air with them. Their love burned fast and fierce and just as quickly was extinguished. They held each other a moment before parting.

From the shadows, arrived a company of masked men and their leader. They followed after the oblivious man and pounced on him at once before disappearing with him in a plume of flames and smoke.

Every moment the man was gone his love tended to his heart, never knowing what had become of him. But when the man's heart turned scarlet as she passed the company of the masked men she now knew he had returned for his heart would only burn scarlet for him. She hurried after him but lost him to the indistinguishable lot.

She refused to despair however and danced through the crowd, presenting his heart to every men she met in hopes that his heart would recognize its owner. But the heart remained purple for many, then most and almost all as the woman grew more and more despondent.

As she stood before the very last man, she hoped and prayed that it would be him. Slowly, the flaming heart flickered scarlet and he revealed himself to be the man. They embraced as his heart blazed big and bright between them.

But far off in the distance, the leader of the masked men knotted a flaming arrow and aimed. The arrow struck the woman from behind. The masked men surrounded them as the man wept over his love's dying body. With the last of her strength she reached into her chest and gave him her heart. But he refused it. 

Instead he took his own, now a fierce amber that burned so intensely, he struggled for control of his own heart as it burst in a blinding display of light. When the blare faded the masked men had been defeated and the man now laid heartless beside his love.

Crowds cheered and applauded as the performers came together and bowed.

The sun rose over Drait, stretching its rays from the green pastures in the east to the plains and finally to the shore and the deep blue in the west. Nestled between the ruins of an old city in the south and a dense forest at the base of the mountains, laid the thriving civilization. Here the sun lit up cobblestone streets and glinted off of the tiled roofs, inviting the people of Drait outside to bask in its warmth.

The streets buzzed with men and women, children and old, bustling to and fro. Market corners were the busiest and most vibrant with a wide array of crafts and creations. While the humid air carried the smell of spices  and meat, perfumes and medicines twisting with the usual bargains and bickering.

In the midst of the lively market sales, a performance was put on by expert fire weilders who made fire out to be more than just its blaze, but an art form, a poem, a tragedy.

"Make way! Make way!" A voice shouted over the crowd. "Drait's warriors must pass!"

The performers and crowd parted as the astonishment for the performance lingered and grew into admiration. Many bowed their heads, others fell to their knees, but all remained silent in respect for the protectors of Drait.

Tall as they were mighty, brave as they were strong, skilled as they were fierce, the warriors of Drait, led by their leader Lua, assured the safety that kept Drait thriving.

The warriors moved through the Drait capital onwards, towards the edges where the ruins from the old world stood. Once a prosperous city, whose name has since been lost to the flames that burned the world. Buildings of the old world rose high into the heavens but now stood vacant save for the plants that grew in or along their heights and the animals who only returned from where they had been pushed out.

From afar Lua spotted Zaki, one of Lua's most trusted men, and the other warriors who had been patrolling overnight.

"Anything to report?" Lua asked.

Zaki yawned. "Just the usual, rodents fighting in the sewers, snakes making babies in the ceilings and crows crapping on the window."

"Sounds blissful." Lua smiled.

Zaki scoffed. "You guys take over from here then, I'm going home and finding myself some booze and a sparring buddy."

The men exchanged goodbyes with one another before Zaki and his group of warriors left and Lua took charge.

"Alright, listen up," Lua said. The attention of the dozen warriors fell on their leader. "Everything is routine, patrol where you are assigned, report back anything that seems out of place and remember: stay on our side of the ruins. Is that clear men?"

"Yes sir," the warriors affirmed before dispersing themselves through the ruins.

Lua and his longtime friend, Makapa, went their way, past fallen towers and blocks of empty buildings and through a darknened alley, when Makapa suddenly froze. Lua's hand fell to the knife at his side. But Makapa had stopped in front of a hunk of junk, gazing at it with wonder.

Makapa had been like this since they were young. Always wondering, always crafting. His head worked faster than most people, Lua couldn't deny that, while that was vital in strategy it was awfully irritating to every other discussion that involved either Lua's safety or machinery.

Lua scowled. "What is it now?"

"It's a vehicle," Makapa gushed. Flames burned in the palm of his hand, lighting the dark alley and the old relic he'd stumbled upon.

"All I see is dusty scrap metal." Lua rolled his eyes and kicked the thing.

"Hey, hey!" Makapa blocked his friend and caressed the thing. "Be gentle with it, you might break it."

"It's probably a thousand years old."

"Thousand?" Makapa shook his head. "No, a few hundred perhaps."

"Really?" Lua faked excitement.

"It's just an estimation. A single, personal vehicle must've been a dime a dozen among the prevailing public vehicles that were built to reduce production. I've read about—"

"I really don't care," Lua sighed. "We don't talk about the old world, Makapa. We don't wonder what it was like. All we need to know was that the technology the old world so revered was what led to their demise."

The light in Makapa's palm dimmed. "And yet here we are, alive and thriving and still at war."

In the very next second a great blast reveberated through the air. The two friends didnt waste a moment, racing off towards the source till they were standing before the Dreel river, on the otherside of which, was the towering masses of buildings quickly being consumed by flames.

Lua and Makapa watched horrified at the sight.

Soon they were joined by the rest of the warriors but they were just as confused as them.

"Who went to the other side?!" Lua demanded.

"We were watching the bridge and the banks," Daba answered. "No one went over and no one came here."

Thick black smoke rose into the sky, it's stinging fumes choking and it's source a raging gold that swallowed buildings whole. Fire was a beast once unleashed, ungovernable. Which gave the Cadits every reason to blame the Draits.

"Makapa and I will return to Drait," Lua announced. "We will inform the chief of what has happened and return with his orders. The rest of you will stay back and keep watch. The people of Drait have put their faith in us, let us not forsake them."

But as Lua and Makapa made their way across the ruins back to Drait the tension tightened around their throats as fears arose.

"Lua," Makapa said.

Lua shook his head and kept moving. "Don't try to convince me."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Lua felt the same but he'd never admit it. He halted and took Makapa by the shoulders, holding his friend's gaze. "You know you're like a brother to me, I trust you more than anyone. But when do not have a bad feeling?"

"I haven't been wrong yet, you know that Lua. Every single time those bad feelings kept you safe."

Lua had never once doubted Makapa's intuition, and hadn't yet. But he'd never let his warriors fight alone. "You mean every single time we worked together to find a way through."

"I really can't convince you to sit this battle out, huh?"

Lua started off again. "Nope. But you can join me if you'd like."

Makapa sighed and followed after Lua. "You don't even have to ask."

~~~

Drait's chief, like those before him, was once a warrior who understood the fragility of peace and turmoil of war. A warrior's only role was to protect.

"Lua," Chief Shan's voice edged dangerously on a growl. "Surely you had nothing to with this?"

The warrior stood straight and tall keeping his gaze glued to the wall behind the gray-haired Chief. Anywhere but the amber-eyes that bore through him. "The fire was no Drait's doing. We patrolled the ruins and eyes were on the river and bridge the entire time. Nothing was out of place."

"I'd like to believe you." Shan's tone eased but was far from forgiving. "But five buildings on their side of the ruins exploded into flames and the first people they suspect is us. The Cadits are of a brute kind who act upon instinct. To them this signals war."

"Is there no room for compromise?"

"We can't afford to be optimistic." His words struck down Lua's confidence. The Chief was an aged man, with enough years to be as wise as he was skilled. "Watchers have spotted Cadits gathering along their side of the ruins. They are not covert in their intentions. They desire control of our territory, each day growing more and more aggressive as a show of power. And now they will seek to use this spontaneous fire as an excuse to attack. What will you do to solve this quandary?"

Lua suppressed the curses that bubbled up his throat as he thought through every possible outcome. Dealing with the Cadits required as much effort as dealing with feral beasts. "I'll talk to them. Stall till sundown. And if conflict erupts it shall be because the Cadits initiated it. And when that happens I promise to confine all conflict to the ruins."

"Surely you don't believe it to be all that simple?"

Lua finally met the chief's eyes, a determination set into his features. "Do you trust me Chief?"

The chief's eyes narrowed as he regarded Lua. "You're a fierce warrior, so much more than your brother ever could be. But I've already lost your brother and I refuse to lose another son to those barbarians. And I certainly won't lose Drait territory to anyone. Fight bravely my boy."

~~~

The sun neared the horizon at a pace that made one bite their nails, with its fleeting last rays coloring the sky bittersweet.

The barbarian the Cadit tribe had chosen was a lean young man with eyes the color of storm clouds. Lua had seen him several times in battle and another several times during cease-fire meetings. And remembered his name to be Wasu or as Lua liked to call him Izuchi's bitch. Wherever the Cadit chief went so did Wasu. Wasu always steamed with a bloodlust whenever Lua was near. But Lua deemed Wasu beneath him and paid the Cadit dog no heed.

Lua and Wasu approached the bridge's center. While as unaccompanied as they seemed, both understood that they hadn't come alone, their enemy's tribesmen were hidden behind them in plainsight.

"Lua," Wasu drawled, a smirk playing at his lips. "To show your face to a Cadit you must have no shame at all."

"I didn't realize Cadits knew what shame was," Lua bit back. "I come here without shame nor guilt to clear the good name of my tribe. The fire on the Cadit's side of the ruins was no Drait's doing."

"You dare deny it even when one of your own confessed."

Lua bristled but quickly veiled his bewilderment. "A confession you coerced them into, no doubt."

Wasu enjoyed watching Lua squirm. "If you won't take my word, then take the word of your fellow tribesman."

Off in the distant, under the dim lighting of dusk, arrived a limping figure who Lua immediately recognized to be Kakaito.

Every nerve in Lua's body yearned to pummel Wasu's face into the concrete. Kakaito was close enough to Huo that he could have been Huo's brother as well. Kakaito was evidence that Huo lived, when Lua would so easily forget.

"What did you do to him?" Lua seethed.

"Just after those buildings erupted into flames, my men found him along our shores. Whatever we did to him was appropriate action to achieve the truth."

Bruises lined Kakaito's arms and his foot twisted an odd direction. Appropriate action by Cadits was as good as torture. Dread filled Kakaito's eyes. And though weakened his voice was heavy. "I did it, Lua. I started the fire."

"I don't believe you Kai, tell me they're making you say this." Kakaito and Huo were always the odd ones out, rarely engaging in combat practice, never caring for war. Lua knew for a fact that Kakaito wasn't capable of such.

"They're not making me do anything. I started the fire. I wasn't thinking straight. I was so consumed by rage that I didn't care for the consequences. Forgive me Lua."

"This isn't you Kai. I know you didn't—"
Kakaito wavered and fell face first to the concrete. "Kai!"

"You heard him," Wasu jibed. But he never finished his next words, "you see—"

Lua's fist met Wasu between the eyes knocking him onto the concrete. Lua climbed onto Wasu and rammed his fist into Wasu's face, not stopping till he couldn't see Wasu's face beneath the blood. And only then did he realize his mistake. Lua fell back, his gaze swinging from Kakaito to Wasu then at the Cadit's side of the ruins.

Wasu erupted into a fit of laughter, very much satisfied with this outcome. He sat forward, spitting up dark globs. Eyes bright with zeal and teeth awashed in blood as he grinned. "Be prepared to die, you just started a war."

An arrow originated from the darkness and headed straight for Lua. He noticed it a moment too late. But just before it met it's target another arrow intercepted, cutting it down. Makapa.

The temperature plummeted. Lua grabbed Kakaito and retreated. He heard the ice picks whistle through the air and felt the coldness bite the back of his neck. But only for a moment before a wall of fire exploded into existence behind him.

Someone took Kakaito off of Lua. His men fell in place beside him. The sun's last light vanished and so did the wall of fire. The Cadits charged and the Draits met them half way.

Lua knew whatever was to come next was fully his fault. Everything fell apart the moment his fist met Wasu's face. But he silenced the voice in his head and stabbed a Cadit through the gut. Swiped his knife across another's eyes, deflected blades and took down as many Cadits as he possibly could. Spears drove towards him but their owners fell. Arrows flew his way but snapped in two before it reached him. Lua was untouchable and unforgiving, but he knew things wouldn't go his way however hard he fought.

The battle dragged on as more and more Caditis fell by Drait hands. But many Drait lives were lost to the chaos as well. And Lua knew many more would be lost after that night.

Lua first felt it when he was driving his knife through a Cadit's throat. The bridge wobbled. He stepped back, steadied himself. The Cadits were retreating. They had won this battle.

But in the next moment the screeching sound of metal cut through the air. Then the bridge fell.

Pain erupted from Lua's side then water filled his lungs. This would be the end of him and soon it would be his tribe's.

A/n: this is the new and improved 1st chapter of Thy Brilliance, ik its really long and I hope it didn't bore u😞 but ofc it did. But don't worry most of the other chapters are shorter.