Prologue: The story of Yōso no Tōitsu

Long ago, when there was nothing but darkness, there existed the Mother, Kei, and the Father, Kurayami. To impress each other, they created and manipulated the elements of fire, wind, water and earth. Time passed and they grew weary of the darkness and only each other’s company.

So they had four children, and bequeathed an element upon them. The first, Karentenzen, took the power of flames from his father. The fire proved too much to control in his youth, so to balance the fury and heat of the fire, Mizatora, the first daughter and Karentenzen’s twin, was endowed with her mother’s water spirit.

The next set of twins, Kazense and Han, completed the cycle. Han took the strength of earth from his father, and Kazense absorbed the breath of wind. As the siblings aged, they began to grow as restless as their parents, and so Kei and Kurayami encouraged them to use their elemental prowess to create and craft a playground for themselves.

Karentenzen decided that his powers would only damage the new creation, and so excluded himself from his siblings, worried that he might alienate them. Without the balance of his sister, the fire within burned bright and hot, risking Karentenzen’s life. For fear of losing their brother, Han, Mizatora and Kazense began to construct a neutral area for the elements to be balanced. Han led the way, creating the land itself. The winds of Kazense wore down the land from a perfect sphere, making the peaks and valleys of the mountains. She went further and sealed in the atmosphere. Mizatora begged her twin to join the ventured, but Karetenzen was burning too hot for her to approach. Her tears at her sorrow flooded the surface, forming the seas and rivers. The presence of the water fought the heat from the burning Karetenzen, and brought him under control. He fell to the newly formed land and left most of his fire behind, thus the sun was created.

Once Karentenzen had recovered, the four siblings were reunited on an island later known as Elementas. Overjoyed at his survival, Karentenzen saw how the light and heat from his fire was protecting the new planet, and agreed to leave his fire in place, adding the further heat source of the volcano created when he crashed to the planet.

Following his example, the remaining siblings chose a land to be the source of their powers and to maintain balance. They called each island to their own liking: Karentenzen named his island Hentoru; Mizatora’s became known as Metaku Island; the wind of Kazense rested on Phoenas; and the earth of Han created the continent of Hantobu. The creation of the continent irritated the other three, but Han calmed them by pointing out the influence the other elements had over their collaborative creation, which they had named Chikyū. To placate them, Han raised the mountains for the winds to dance between. The heat from Karentenzen caused part of the continent to crumble to sand, and therefore a desert was made. Only Mizatora was content with her lot, the calmest of the four, unless disturbed. To try to prevent a future war, for the water was least predictable element, the winds of Kazense froze the water, and the Great Northern Continent was formed.

Astonished by the combination of elements, the four godlings began experimenting. Heating water over fire, moving the vapour with wind, and letting it fall over land let rain reach each land and plants began to grow. They prospered in the light and heat and the gods were amazed! They mixed elements further and animals, and later, humans, rose, all across Chikyū. The Parents were heartened to see their children working together, and decreed Chikyū as a true sign of Yōso no Tōitsu, the Unity of Elements.

The beginning of creation saw the gods work with the new life and as rewards for worshiping and aiding the gods, they passed their elements to certain animals.

Keen to grasp the god’s power for themselves, the humans aided the animals in their tasks for the gods. Eager to encourage the bonds, the gods united the elemental beasts with certain humans of bravery and valour, teaching man and beast to tame the elements. A new form of Yōso no Tōitsu was forged, the Teimā Genso: the Elemental Tamers.

For a time, the gods were content to see the Tamers to patrol the lands, protecting animals and humans alike. The most devoted of worshipers of the gods settled on Elementas Island, and for their devotion, the gods gave the monks of the Shizen Kami order, or Nature Deity order, the power to choose the next generations of tamer.

However, human nature is not as certain as the gods believed. The changeability of a person as they aged reminded the gods of the water. They decided to withdraw from the world and retire to their islands and temples constructed by their followers. They observed the Tamers and decided to let the world be, beginning their long slumber, along with the original elemental beasts, waiting for the time their powers would be needed once again.

Chapter 1

Kerin opened his eyes and grinned. He looked up at his attic rooms ceiling, and felt the warmth of the sun on his body. One of the many advantages of living on the southern side of Hentoru, he had decided long ago was the warmth, the long days and the bronzed skin he and the others of his village had gained from hours of being outside. Today, though, was a significant day for Kerin. His 16th birthday, and the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, was to be celebrated by the whole village. For today was the day he joined the Teimā Genso and was partnered with an elemental beast.

He’s debated long and hard what sort of animal he would hope to be intertwined with by destiny. A bear, perhaps, or a lion. Or, if he was truly lucky, a dragon. The truest of fire Tamers and the most respected throughout the world were the dragon riders. They were the best, the smartest and strongest of all tamers, and many a war had been stopped by the presence of one dragon. Legend had it that the mighty dragons made their partner immortal, and the pair were blessed by the fire god, Karentenzen.

He looked at his birthmark, the peak leading to a spiral on his right forearm, marking him as a fire tamer, and so elevating his status almost immediately after birth. It would’ve been immediate had his father been present.

Kerin’s mother, Sasha, was a widow. At least, that’s what she claimed publicly. In private, she told Kerin that his father, Alporete, was a tamer of Wind, and rode a giant eagle, Ometrous. He rescued her as she fell from a cliff, a fall that cost her her left arm but gained her a lover. They had planned to be married when Sasha fell pregnant, but Alporete was called into battle and never seen again. The dubious nature of their relationship caused doubts in the Five Flames, the council of elders that held power over the villages of Hentoru, but once Kerin was born, no doubts could be made to the validity of his mark. By the treaty created by the Elementas monks, those chosen as Tamers were of elevated status. They and their direct families were taken to a section of the village, created for the young Tamers to train and learn to control their powers. They were still educated with the other children their age, but there were risks to this method. Should a Tamer find themselves in a situation of conflict, or danger, their powers would activate prematurely. This is how Kerin learned of his powers.

Ten years before, Kerin had been walking home when a gang of teenaged children confronted him. They threw insults at him, mocking his red hair, and size, pushing him around. As he’d been taught, Kerin did nothing to retaliate, until one of the boys, Ashte, called him "the bastard son of a crippled harlot." Kerin cared for his mother more than anyone, and he saw red.... Literally. The rage he felt invoked the fire within and he directed the emotion at the bully. Ashte suddenly found his clothing ablaze, and his friends fled, leaving him rolling on the ground alone with Kerin. Fortunately, a healer was nearby, and she immediately set to work on the burns, after seeing the glowing mark on Kerin’s arm. She wrote a letter to Sasha, and gave it to Kerin, telling him he wouldn’t be in trouble but he must go home right away.

The letter read: "Sasha, it’s time for training to begin. Do not punish Kerin, no matter what you hear. You know how unpredictable fire can be." Sasha took Kerin to the elder, who read the letter, and nodded wisely.

"Kerin," he said in a deep voice that betrayed his relative youth on the council. "Kerin, you know the stories and legends of the Teimā Genso. Now you, Kerin Son-of-None, are to begin your training to become part of the legacy."

"Part of the legacy..." Kerin said aloud, reflecting back on the ten years that had followed. Tamers had trained together, and were generally born on the same day of the year. The only variation of the day came with the element they could tame. Children born on the summer solstice were like Kerin, fire Tamers. The opposite element, water, chose its Tamers on the winter solstice. The spring equinox, the midpoint of the solstices, brought forth the earth masters, and the children of the autumn equinox could summon the wind. Each of these days were most powerful of their respective elements, and Kerin felt the power of the sun and the fire within. Now sixteen, he had grown to over six feet, and gained strength from swordplay as part of his training. His red hair had darkened, but the tips of the messy style were red as they were when he was young. His eyes were brown, and his skin tanned. Kerin looked in his wardrobe and found his smartest hose and shirt. He looked at his sword, the training blade given to him at 12, and belted it on for what he knew was the last time. The master smith had observed his fighting style and taken measurements the week previously and had forged a sword as his graduation present. It was a practise he had agreed with the elders when the Tamers were of age, but it had always been his intention to forge a blade for Kerin. He had been wounded in an accident and could not have children of his own. He had not married, and no woman saw him worthy. Only Sasha had seen Farren as the man and role model he was. Old childhood friends, she and Farren had an agreement that Farren would raise Kerin as his son, and teach him to be a man and take responsibilities. In return, Sasha would cook Farren meals and help him with house work when the smith was bogged down with work. The arrangement had worked and Farren was proud to call Kerin his son, and Kerin call Farren his father. All in the village knew the relationship was fake, but they could not deny the bond between man without a son, and boy without a father. So Kerin became known as Farrenson, a name he was proud of. After all, for a fire Tamer to work in a forge was an ideal way to perfect control over the flames. The exact temperatures that iron, steel, silver and gold required tested the skills of his flames, and his ability to manipulate the liquid metal quickly. Often had he been chastised for cheating, for attempting to reheat the metal after not working fast enough. He’d learnt self-restraint through the punishment, and respected his surrogate father for it.

Once he’d dressed and washed his face, Kerin descended the stairs and was not surprised to smell bacon and sausage cooking. Sasha was humming to herself whilst she cooked her son’s breakfast. When she heard Kerin enter the kitchen, she turned and beamed at her son.

"Well, look whose up!" she said, reaching up with her one arm to hug Kerin and kiss his cheek.

"Good morning to you too! You didn’t have to do all this." The table was laden with bread and fresh fruits, gathered from the nearby forest. Apples, melon, pineapples, grapes, bananas and even a pair of coconuts sat on the small dining table, and eggs were nestled in a basket.

"Of course I did, my only son becomes a man today... No, he becomes a Tamer. Now sit, dig in, I’ll make some tea."

Sitting at the table, Kerin helped himself to a sweet melon slice and looked around.

"Dad’s not here?" he asked.

"No, he’s busy with preparations for the ceremony." Sasha brushed her red hair back away from her face, determination in her eyes. Kerin and Farren had had a long discussion when Kerin was five about how he was to help his mother whenever she needed it, and even when she didn’t ask for it. Kerin had understood this, but as he grew older, he recognised the look in his mother’s eyes that meant "I am fully capable, I am a mother, and I can do this myself. If you offer to help, I will not be happy," so on this day, he sat quietly with his fruit.

"And what did I say about swords at the table? If you need to cut food, you have a knife. I like my table whole, thank you!" Sasha said, placing a plate of meat and eggs in front of her son. Kerin blushed, remembering when he’s run into the kitchen waving his sword about when he was 13. He’d tripped and cut a chunk from the table. He ran his finger along the damaged wood and smiled at the memory of youth. A knock came at the door.

"That’ll be Jarred" said Sasha, heading to open the back door. Jarred was the closest thing to a brother to Kerin. Although similar build, Jarred was younger by exactly a year, and was a striking young man. His family were of the less common dark skinned lineage, and so his black hair and eyes were easily noticeable. In his youth, Jarred was often referred to as Coal during training, due to his habit of covering his whole body in flames when he became overly emotional.

"Happy birthday, my friend," Jarred said, slapping his friend on the back. His accent was thick but soothing.

"And to you, Coal," mumbled Kerin through his mouthful of sausage, as Jarred fell into a chair and reached for a banana.

"Eggs, Jarred?" asked Sasha, waving her spatula towards the pan.

"Yes please, Sasha," Jarred replied. "I’m jealous, man. The village will recognise you as a man, and you’ll get to go to Elementas! That’s so amazing!"

"It’s only another year though, and then you can rise to the lofty ranks to the le-gen-dary Tamers!" Kerin teased.

"Oh yes, and I’m sure you’ve got everything ready for your travels, oh mighty Tamer? Even your little teddy?" scoffed Sasha. Jarred sniggered, as Kerin flushed scarlet.

"Everything’s ready, mother," Kerin said stiffly.

"Good, now finish your breakfast, it’s almost..." The village bell rang out across streets. "Forget that, it’s time for the ceremony."