The Summoning…
"Move!" someone shouted behind me.
But I couldn't. My gear weighed a thousand pounds. My boots refused to step forward.
A hand grabbed my collar, yanking me back hard.
"Eli! People are dying!"
Their hazel eyes glared, its voice belonged to my brother… Jared. He threw me aside, my new uniform skidding across the gravel as he bolted toward the blaze.
His hood flew back, revealing that same spiky blond hair I used to mimic when I was a kid. Without a second glance, he vanished into the fire, axe in hand.
My older brother. The one I idolized. The one who always knew what to do.
Why isn't he afraid?
Why isn't this what I envisioned?
My first call as a firefighter, and it just happened to be the worst wildfire in our town's history.
The sky choked with smoke. Every block, burning. Sirens wailed, mixing with the crackle of flames and screams for help.
More trucks slammed to a halt on the gravel.
"Eli! Let's go, you're with me," shouted my father, jumping from the nearest rig.
His face was already smeared with ash.
I jumped to my feet, breathing unsteadily as I rushed to catch him.
I trained for this…
I've waited my whole life for this.
We quickly approached a nearby home, ash seeping from the doorstep. My father glanced towards me, his voice low and empathetic,
"Eli… Be careful."
Without hesitation, he kicked the door open and ran inside. I followed him in, the smoke burning my eyes as it escaped through our exit. Flames devoured everything around us, over eight feet tall, spreading across walls, ceiling, even the stairwell.
I could barely breathe as smoke forced its way into my nose and lungs. My chest heaving as my skin burned under the protective gear.
"Anyone inside?" my father shouted, his voice muffled by the popping of fire and crumbling of walls as we stepped further into the inferno.
A crack split through the ceiling above us as someone screamed. Floorboards groaned, glass shattering nearby.
"HELP!"
The voice was from upstairs. High pitched, panicked. A child.
Not again.
I took a step toward the stairwell. Flames engulfed the railing. My boots crunched broken tiles.
"Stay close!" Dad barked.
But I didn't move.
I couldn't.
My lungs seized, my vision blurred. I could hear them, the cries from that other fire. The lives that took her life and almost my own.
At ten years old, I cried for help over and over; until my father appeared from the flames. It scars our family, the one fire we failed to fight.
I remember wrapping my arms around his neck as he picked up my unconscious mother, lifting her in his arms. His tears fell, sizzling as flames swallowed the room.
He got us to safety. But, my mom died on the way to the hospital. Smoke inhalation they said. Now, there's a kid screaming… Just like I was.
I clenched my fists. I had to move. I had to—
My father's open palm slammed against my back,
"Eli! You can't afford to freeze! Not with lives on the line!" His voice was barely louder than the crackles and pops of the fire. "He's not upstairs…Sound travels, don't always believe what you hear…"
He quickly looked around, kitchen to our right, living room and corridor to our left.
"Take that room, I'll search the one beside it, after the kitchen."
He gestured towards the long corridor with his axe, two rooms on either side.
I nodded, despite my wobbly legs.
Each step down that narrow, scorched corridor felt like dragging cement blocks. Burning, singed, cement blocks. The heat pressed down on my back, my arms, and the smoke clawed towards us.
But, my father was right. The sound of cries were getting louder.
I reached the first door. Paint peeled from the surface, bubbling from the heat. My glove slipped slightly as I turned the knob, of course it's locked.
"Kicking it!" I shouted, more to convince myself than warn my dad.
Just like training…
My boot slammed into the wood once, then twice as the door burst open, slamming into the opposite wall.
A wave of heat hit me harder than before. The room was a bedroom, half-consumed. Embers seeped in from the walls. Ignitingmore flames which ate through the bunk bed set and mattress.
"Anyone in here?!" I called out.
Nothing.
I scanned low, checking under the bed, half-consumed curtain. Then I saw it, the closet cracked open.
Nothing…
Smoke poured in thicker now. My mask couldn't keep it out. My lungs were fighting back, my breath shallow and desperate.
Another pop. The ceiling groaned above me again.
I stepped back into the hallway, my voice trembling.
"Room's clear!"
"Same with the kitchen!" Dad called back, entering the corridor.
We both turned toward the door which was now singed across the edges.
I kicked, no budge. Then my father… the door flew open.
The room was huge, half office, half gym. A couch smoldered in the corner. The far window had already shattered, glass strewn across the floor. Fire crept across the walls, encasing the ceiling as it consumed an oak desk and office supplies.
"Wait!"
I froze.
Behind the closest… movement.
I stepped forward slowly, squinting through the smoke.
A figure. Small. Coughing. Curled up with their hands over their ears.
"We got a kid over here!" I yelled.
I crouched low, crawling under the worst of the black smoke.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here."
The boy was maybe seven. Face streaked with soot, sobbing too hard to speak.
"What's your name?" I asked, heart pounding. "Are you hurt?"
They shook their head hesitantly, cowering in the corner.
"It'll be okay…" I whispered, reaching out. They took my hand as they lunged forward, wrapping their arms around my jacket. I scooped him up, turning back toward the hall.
That's when I saw him.
Past the overturned weight bench.
A man… crumpled, unmoving. My father peered over him.
Smoke rolled around them, making it hard to see what was happening.
I couldn't move, my heart stopping as the kid tugged my sleeve.
Just like Mom.
"Dad!" I shouted.
He turned towards me, his face shifting as he noticed my arms.
"Get the kid out!" He yelled furiously.
"But—"
"NOW!"
I turned, shielding the child with my body as I sprinted through the hallway.
Behind me, burnt floorboards and ash flew as wood groaned. I watched as the kitchen wall collapsed inward, flatting the kitchen.
"Almost there!" I shouted, maybe to reassure the boy or for myself.
I burst through the front door, my knees crumbling as I stumbled outside.
Someone grabbed the child from my arms. Another firefighter. His voice faded out from the ringing and sound of sirens.
I turned back…
And saw it.
The doorway collapsed. The second floor split, spilling debris."
Fire engulfed the entranceway.
I froze. I can't go back there…
"Dad…?" I yelled.
Then I saw him. Through the flames. Carrying the unconscious man over one shoulder.
"Eli! Move!" he shouted, coughing hard. His eyes watering from smoke.
Without thinking… I listened.
He hurled the man forward. The body skidded toward the exit, and I grabbed him, dragging him away.
"I'm coming back!" I screamed.
But another support beam fell, blocking the entrance completely.
No, no, no… Dad!
His pale eyes met mine through smoke and debris.
And for a moment, I saw it.
The same expression he wore that day he carried Mom out of the fire.
A hand grasped my hood, yanking me back.
"Out of the way!"
But it was too late, the fire had latched on to me. Flames attached to my suit as I kneeled along the concrete.
Then…
The house collapsed and I collapsed with it. Laying behind the former entrance.
My vision blurred as I coughed ash, my lungs struggling to breathe.
Is this how mom felt?
The world dimmed, then lit up again. Everything came in and out of focus as I faded from consciousness.
I screamed, but no one answered. Only fire.
Tears streamed down my face.
I failed, I only got in his way again…
[SYSTEM DETECTED.]
[CRITERIA MET: Courage Through Fear]
[Summoning Initiated…]
[ELIJAH VALE CHOSEN]
Chosen?
Sudden pressure yanked at my feet. The pain stopped.
I was being dragged.
No…
[CLASS: VANGUARD]
I was being pulled. Downwards. As if I was falling…
"Vanguard?" I whispered. What is happening…
"Dad?"
[SUBCLASS: AEGIS GUARD]
The flames roared, then went silent. No blistering heat. Just motion.
Smoke turned to light. Screams to static.
Then…
BOOM.
My back slammed into something solid and unmoving… something cold. I forcefully groaned, gasping for breath, clean air, not smoke.
Gasps echoed around me. No sirens… no screams. Just nearby groaning and hushed whispers.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Stand between the flames of death and mercy. Guilt becomes your shield. Fear becomes your weapon. Protect by enduring their pain. Redeem Yourself.]
"Redeem Myself?" I scoffed to the darkness.
Jared and father gave me a second chance… I don't deserve a third.
My fingers twitched. Smooth stone. I was lying on cold stone.
My eyes flew open as I shouted,
"DAD?!"