Once upon a time, the world had come undone. Everything that people had known about it had fallen apart and a new world had to rise. This new world was created by the people who had survived. They made new countries, cities, and everything in between from the ruins of the old world. Of course, the people themselves had gone through changes. Some of them had gotten powers unlike any other. They had the power to control one of the four elements; earth, air, water, and fire.

The elements on their own could be deadly if they weren’t controlled. It was especially awful when that power was also given to a human being. People didn’t know much about the destructive powers of nature. To give them that power meant taking a terrible gamble.

The worst of them all was fire. There was something comforting and devastating about fire. It gave light and warmth but it could also be very dangerous. Once a fire went out of control, the only thing it left behind in its path was destruction and devastation. It could end a life in just a few seconds simply with all the dark smoke it would spew out. Fires were meant to be feared even if they could be controlled. The flames alone were frightening. What they could lead to was much worse.

The world was divided between two groups; humans without powers and those who had the ability to control the elements of fire, water, earth, and air. The people with powers were known as Elementals and were considered dangerous to humans. Most Elementals loved to use their abilities to intimidate people. They would use that ability to steal, hurt, and even kill others. Anyone caught showing their abilities off was often put into jail or sentenced to hours of cleaning up the streets.

As the years went by, people decided that they needed someone to protect them. The world had already come undone and was split up into new worlds. The richest people lived on the hills where they were in the comfort of their own homes. The ones below the poverty line lived in a dark area called The Velt. The idea of protection actually came from those living in the Velt. They felt that they were the most vulnerable due to the fact that they didn’t have much to lose. For that reason, they felt the government couldn’t help them or they simply wouldn’t. After all, no one cared about the people in the Velt. They had to find a way to save themselves so they created their own group; Elemental hunters.

The hunters were especially against those who would use fire to hurt anyone. In their minds, those were the worst of the worst. Those who could take nature and use it in a destructive manner needed to be destroyed in return. For years, people in the Velt trained hard to protect themselves and others. They saw no use in keeping Elementals around. The majority of them couldn’t control their abilities, so they were already a threat. Elementals that struggled with powers had two choices; either learn to control it or die by hand of hunters. Most didn’t like the idea of dying so they tried their hardest to control the abilities. Eventually, they failed and hunters took over.

The Velt was a dark place that the poor dwelled in. They had pretty much been cast out of the bigger cities and had made home in these marshes and trenches. Everyone who came from The Velt worked hard and did their best to survive. It was usually humans that ended up here. The Elementals would use their powers to fight back and take whatever they wanted. The humans that survived these fights were forced to live here. Some of them had houses with running water and electricity but that didn’t mean anything. It was equivalent of living in a trailer over here. There were also people who made their houses out of mud and straw because they couldn’t afford wood. However, the people in the Velt were hard-working. They would not give up on anything without a fight.

Kian Ortiz-Shah had spent his entire life down here. He had come from a small town known as Drydenelle, which was slightly better than most other towns. His family always managed to have food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads. However, Kian always felt like this wasn’t enough. His family worked hard all their lives while the Elementals up in the bigger cities didn’t suffer much. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was over the whole thing.

He walked around the room and observed all the new recruits. It was a room full of fresh blood and every single person reeked of fear. That didn’t matter. He would be able to get them excited in no time. He had been in this position before. He knew what it was like to be scared right before battle. He began to pace around the room, his booted feet stepping carefully on the creaking floorboards. This was the one problem with holding meetings here. Their hideouts weren’t the best. They all lived in these slum areas and good housing was hard to find. Most of them were barely able to make enough to survive. As for Kian’s own family, they were doing all right although they could have done much better. They deserved to get much better than this. He thought about all the Elementals living up in nice towns like Calensa and it made him angry again. They didn’t deserve those nice things.

He was only eighteen years old but that didn’t keep anyone from giving him a high rank. He was a born leader and they knew it. He was also a natural killer and that made people fear him. He loved it. He loved having his own group to lead and being an example to follow. They all said that he was one of the best Lieutenants around despite the age. What he lacked there, he made up for in determination, experience, and an iron will. He could take down anyone, no matter how big they were. People had seen Kian work hard to get where he was.

“Look at Ortiz-Shah!” People would exclaim when they saw Kian working out. “That kid is foaming at the mouth!”

“That kid is a machine! I haven’t seen him stop once!”

“How could anyone’s parents let them go through what he went through?”

While that wasn’t completely true, Kian did feel like a rabid animal when he was fighting. He would grit his teeth as he threw punches and kicks in the air. He was a machine all right. He moved back and forth like he had been built to do one thing; to kill Elementals. As for his parents, they already knew what he was up to. They knew they could not change his mind when he chose to be a hunter. He knew he had the skills to be one and he proved it on the first day. Once he started getting the praises, he was sure this was what he wanted to be. He would be the best hunter that anyone had ever seen.

Right now, the meeting room was starting to fill up and he could hear whispers all around. He saw people staring at him, giving him a small smile, and then hurrying off to their seats. To prove that he wasn’t so harsh, he would smile back at them. He wasn’t an ogre and he wanted people to know that. He caught bits and pieces of conversations as people walked by.

“Aye, he is so cute! It’s hard to believe that he’s our age!”

“Quiet! He might hear you!”

“I heard he once fried about twenty Elementals in one blow. Give that kid a flamethrower and he’ll take anything out. There’s a reason they call him The Dragon of the Velt.”

It was true that he had been nicknamed The Dragon of the Velt for that reason. He didn’t think that he was a horrible person but Elementals always brought out the worst in him. It was their fault that he was dwelling down here. It was their fault that people feared them. If they knew how to control their abilities, he wouldn’t have to get rid of them. He also knew that he was good-looking and people admired him. Everything about his appearance was something that he could use to his advantage. Men wanted to be him, women wanted him, and everyone desired to have everything that he had. The only thing they didn’t want was to live where he lived.

Everyone took a good look at their leader. He was dressed from neck to toe in black. His boots were laced up perfectly and tucked under his pants. Everything on his body fit perfectly. His waist was trim and firm. The belt around it was tight and held every weapon and tool he needed to fight the enemy. He scanned the room and saw how full it was. This was perfect. He liked it when he had an audience. It made him feel like he had power over something.

A few more girls were giggling in the background, complimenting how beautiful he was. Kian had gotten the green eyes from his mother and the rest of him came from his father. He had a caramel colored complexion without a blemish in sight. Most people thought he was young and delicate. However, that appearance was only on the outside. He could be a downright monster when he wanted to be one. He usually kept calm until it came time for the hunt. Then he turned into the predator. His youth didn’t cover up his experience. The lines had formed on his face over the years.

“This world is going to be overrun by them if we don’t stop them first,” he told everyone in the room. He spoke clearly but rapidly. If the rookie hunters couldn’t keep up, that wasn’t his fault. They wouldn’t be great on the field to begin with.

“They strike quickly so you have to be fast,” he went on. “Anyone caught slowing the group down is likely to die. Remember that when you are out there. Now are there any questions before we go hunting?”

There was a hand raised in the back. “Kian, how can we tell them apart from humans?”

“Very simple. They are more powerful than a human being and they will show off that ability,” he explained. “If there’s one thing these creatures like, it’s trying to prove that they are more powerful than us. However, with the right tools, we can overpower them. Are there any other questions?”

“Is it true you burned them alive?” Someone else asked.

Kian couldn’t’ help but smile at that. “That was a one-time thing. I know they call me the Dragon of the Velt because of that, but I don’t kill with fire. I personally prefer to do things clean and silently.”

That memory was one that played in his mind all the time.
There was nothing more beautiful than many Elementals screaming in agony as they burned to a crisp. He had been so brutal that they immediately gave him that nickname. It wasn’t the most lethal nickname out there though. Dragon of the Velt made him sound like a mythical creature that protected the Velt. He knew that he was so much more.

“They got what they deserved!” Someone yelled from the back.

“That’s right. They got everything that they deserved and then some,” he tapped his booted foot against the floor. “We’re going to take back what is rightfully ours. They’ve been taking our land and our lives for the past few years. It’s going to stop now.”

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