It was a particularly windy day on the city of Cremeria, capital of the Crimson Empire and home of the three great volcanoes. Behind one of the volcanoes, near the border of the city to the ocean, is the grounds of where the brightest children of the empire learn about the art of fighting, or "Arts" as they call it. One of them is a young, fit girl with skin color typical of those of Crimson descent with light-red skin and hair as brown as the bark of a Sakura tree that provides the leafy cushion for her leather boots. She's wearing a hard leather armor with her wheeler, a double-sided glaive - in contrast to the older man in front of her, whose attire is nothing but a robe who bears no weapon. They've been standing for a good minute just staring at each other.
"Good luck Celosia!" a boy screams from the sides, watching them meditate on what do to in this decisive battle of wits and reflexes.
"You can do it!" cheered another girl of her age in this final battle against their master. Yes, this was the test on whether Celosia was prepared to leave the city.
"…Here we go." The master swiftly charges and holds up his two fingers and chants, "Art of Red: 1," and a small fire emerges from his fingertips. The student was unfazed by the sudden attack and blocks the fire with her wheeler. Immediately jumping, the master sweeps his hands, "Art of Red: 2."
Celosia rolls to dodge and tries to stab the master in mid-air. This battle is also a battle of control, where despite all the flammable materials surrounding them, nothing burns.
"Clack" goes the wheeler as the master steps on it, jumps, and casts, "Art of Red: 5!" and a radial flame spreads from his mouth but Celosia dissipates the flames with a spinning deflection and chants "Art of Red: 1!" towards his face but poof goes the flame with a simple flick of the master. Suddenly, a metallic object was within his face!
"What the-" and after avoiding it, he immediately knew he lost. He looked at the bottom of his robe and indeed… it was on fire. His student threw her only weapon just to accomplish her goal - to get a single flame to hit her master.
"Well done, Celosia." The master conceded and acknowledged the young girl while patting the flame off his robe.
"Only someone like you can think of the most outlandish things, like seriously who throws their only weapon?! You are ready for 'Favi'."
"Thank you so much, master. It was an honor." With a customary bow, the fight has officially ended with Celosia winning.
"Celosia!" the girl who kept cheering on her approached her. "Cherry…"
"You are bloody amazing! That was the fastest I've seen someone win against the master!"
"Heh, of course!" she says as her grin conquers her face.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch you, I have to go somewhere."
"It's something with Chroma again, isn't it?" Celosia shrugs as Cherry nudges her.
"Cherry! Your turn!" the master shouts as he becomes impatient.
"See you later and good luck!" Celosia waves and rushes into the heart of the city.
"N-nooooo! Don't leave me!!!!" Cherry cries in fear.
________________________________________________________________
"He's probably there again."
Before she knew it, her hair fluttered with the wind, sweat flowed through her body, and her legs moved with the rhythm of her heart. Stepping on the path carved with the pink, luminescent Tugtupite crystals, carpeted by rosy-tinted petals from the flowers of the Lapacho trees beside the road, she rushed with the shadows of the creatures of the skies. She looks behind to see the ongoing fight of her friend against the master as roars and bursts of magnificent flames engulf the area.
"Casters are always so showy."
She keeps on running until she stumbles upon, a huge 2-story villa made of the finest concrete and surrounded by a wall covered with beautiful black-colored paintings depicting the intricate history of the empire.
"Fitting for the master."
Each step makes her go lower and lower as she descends on a slope until she's at the mercy of the smallest volcano, Puella. It spouts only a tiny amount of its lava from time to time into the ocean, which is why it was turned by the Royal Family into its home. The whole base of the volcano is bordered by pearly white walls, as if proudly saying that "This entire area belongs to my master." She continues sprinting along its contours until she stumbles into its main gate. A quick peek is a sight that most commoners covet.
"A palace! A palace on the top of a volcano!" She thought. "His family is as wack as this place. Like what insane minds would build their home that requires 476 steps to reach?!" Celosia's mind wanders even though she sees these everyday, running before she bumps into someone… or "something" as they call it.
"Ahhh, Mistress Celosia! Why are you in such a rush?"
A female servant, in a red plain dress, approached her. It was Chroma's personal servant. Her absolute subservience is apparent in the subtleties of her countenance while she does the customary curtsy.
"Finding Chroma." Despite knowing her for ages now, Celosia still sees Apoy with disgust. The reason is not because Apoy is half her size nor her servant status, but simply because she's orange. "They're just simply inferior," she thinks to herself as her deep red eyes vindicates her birthright in this velvet land. Why there are even orange-skinned slaves here perplexes her, "Surely Crimson slaves would be infinitely better than these!" No need to think deeper though, as she is only inferior to those of the Royal family, and only they know why.
"Maybe Chroma knows."
"Hmm?"
"Huh?" finally realizing that she unknowingly muttered her inner thoughts, she coughs and quickly leaves.
She moves on and enters the center of the city. It is truly the heart of the lands, keeping the city alive with each caravan arriving from their long journey, soldiers patrolling the streets, commoners going on with their daily lives, and hopefuls setting up wooden stalls as the long awaited Day of the Ashes comes near. Each stroke of the sun disappears as her own mansion shades her delicate body. It is only second to the Royal Palace, as Celosia is the daughter of the Great Hero Igni. Only a person of great honor can have such a home between the steaming flux of molten rocks . After a bridge that crosses the lava rivers, she's finally in the vast open field of blood grass. There are some farms and some hills here and there, but there is a subtle path here that only she and Chroma knows. Walking through the endless meadows and skipping on some lava tributaries, she finally sees her goal in sight. A lone hill with a lone prince.