Jack wondered if it was maybe a bad thing that he was starting to get used to the feeling of being disembodied. It seemed to be happening a lot lately and was starting to get annoying. The upside was that there was something here this time. He was in a dark room. At least that was what he likened it to. Everywhere he looked, dark vastness greeted his eyes. He had no idea if there were any walls out there, somewhere. For all he knew, the blackness just went on forever. The ground felt both hard and smooth like glass but wasn’t. In the center of the room was a fire pit with a sturdy wooden chair sitting a few feet from it. His Phoenix cloak was draped over the back of the chair acting as an improvised back cushion.

Jack knew what to do without hesitation. He reclined in the wooden chair and wrapped the cloak around him like a blanket. Then he proceeded to take a nap. Sleep was very important to him. When you’ve been to the places he had been and lived with people like the old man. A safe place to lay one's head without worry was precious indeed.

Hours passed as he dreamt. Blood pulsed and synapses sparked. A thousand bodily processes played through his dreams. It was peaceful. In the past, he had heard that listening to another person's heartbeat was supposed to be an intimate experience, a moment of trust and stillness in a chaotic world. It had all been nonsense of course. Who could he possibly trust with that level of access? No one, that’s who!

But now he saw just a bit of what those hopeless romantics were going on about. The rhythm and flow of life was entrancing. Every time something new entered the dream, it added another note to the melody that was his new form. The knowledge regarding the location and purpose of these new parts of his body would tease the edges of his consciousness, leaving only an impression. Until he started to see something strange. They were these…small passages in his body. They weren’t blood vessels, nerves, or anything else he was familiar with. Instead they were mostly empty…mostly anyways. The passages that went through his dominant hand were striking as they had been expanded and light flowed through them. The light followed the open channels to a kind of reservoir in his elbow before stopping. Once there the power was…smelted? The reservoir was somehow heating up the light till it separated into two substances. Pure red light that went inwards, towards the center of his being and a cluster of sickly gunk that condensed into small beads before also being sent to his core via his bloodstream.

Jack opened his eyes. He was still in the chair with the fire pit next to it, only difference was that the pit now had a pile of kindling and some logs stacked up. Well, nothing left but to do it. He reached down and systematically set up the logs and kindling. This was his first step down the path of power in this brand new world.

Once he had it set up in a standard chimney pattern, his favorite, it then occurred to him that he had nothing to light it with...or kindling for that matter.

Just will it to burn. A familiar, mighty voice boomed.

Sentinel is that you speaking to me? He asked mentally. It still felt a little silly to think his thoughts at someone.

Yes it is I, my Adjudicator. I see your short time in your new world Has been fruitful. It has only been a few hours and you have already begun to activate your Soulscape. He couldn’t be certain but the great voice seemed to have a touch of smugness to it.

Is that what this place is called? I just thought I was back in your… hole in spacetime… thing.

No, this time I am in your world. At least a piece of me is. That other place was the plane of magic, this is the spiritual plane, the piece of it that you control. Together with the prime material plane, where your vessel rests, they make up the three major Realms. Geometric shapes and runes started to appear out of the darkness and merged to form a rough outline of a human. It was like a sketch that walked out of a master’s canvas. Only now instead of just black on white, the lines were all the colors of the rainbow on a black background.

Does this make you feel more comfortable talking to me? Yes? I can see into almost all places, but rarely do I send out pieces of myself like so. This is a rare occasion indeed. I thought that the risk of attracting scrutiny was worth it in this case, which proved to be correct. Just focus on your Hearth and imagine it combusting. For that, you need the three elements that make up every Flame—fuel, which you have, air, which is around you, and lastly an ignition source. That is where your will comes into play. Focus on a corner and will it alight.

Having never been turned wrong by the strange entity he turned towards the pit and imagined a small Flame. Then he directed the image towards the pit. Small Flames began to pop up sporadically where he had directed with his thoughts. They were soon followed by red tongues of Flame that spread until they covered the logs. It didn’t take long for the Fire to encircle the whole pile and start to burn steadily.

Strength began to flood him as the logs began to diminish in the Flame. That’s strange. He squatted close and watched carefully. The logs are not turning to charcoal. They are just… going away. He started to carefully look for any other changes from his expectations. To his chagrin there were still more. The rising smoke wasn’t acrid black. Instead it shifted every color of the rainbow and smelled of mesquite wood chips.

This whole place is a metaphor. A reflection of your will and body.

The logs are made from concentrating tainted mana in a form that your mind can handle. Everytime you injest mana, it is separated into that which is compatible with your soul, they pointed at the flames, and the rest. They pointed at the wood pile.

Normally, incompatible mana would just enter your body and disperse without you even noticing, but the ambient mana in this world has been polluted by the residents.

If this mana is so polluted then why am I burning them? Wouldn’t that poison me or something? At this thought, he scooted away quickly from the smoke plume subconsciously.

On the contrary, cleansing the taint is part of your nature. Do you remember when you made the decision to become Flame incarnate? What were your thoughts at the time?

I was thinking that I had nothing to lose and that hundreds of children were being hurt out there somewhere like I once was. I couldn’t do anything but run away back then! Now that he was here, sorting through his memories was effortless. No more wracking his brain for every detail. That didn’t help as images of every time he saw someone being hurt, lost, and forgotten ran through his mental landscape. The barrage of his own...failures provoked something hard and prickly inside of him. He turned sharply to face the strange being that had taken so much interest in him. Their head was tilted in question, so he elaborated. I saw those kids today! He was shouting his thoughts at the entity now. How could anyone be so cruel? Treating their own young like feral animals instead of the next generation, it was…it was...I don’t have the words!

The sentinel smiled, at least he thought it was a smile. Your passion to protect the innocent has been one of your defining features your whole life. I looked through your memories when I made your vessel. I saw a boy that despite being abused on a daily basis by a man so vile. You didn’t turn bitter. Angry and taciturn maybe, but not bitter. Whenever there was a bully you waited until he was alone and made him stop. Whenever you encountered a girl or woman that was running from a broken home, you directed them to the proper shelter.

What good is it that I wasn’t able to make their abusers stop? I just let someone else squirrel them away for a while! That doesn’t solve anything! Most of them ended up running right into the open arms of another abuser! He started pacing back and forth in front of the fire irritably.

You berate yourself for not doing more. That is the quality of a righteous man, not some hero out of a storybook. If you had taken matters into your own hands and killed their abusers, you would not have saved them. You know that all of them would have just looked for another piece of slime, just like the last one. They had to save themselves.

The entity waved it’s hand. Let’s get back on topic please. Why did you choose to become Fire?

It was hard, but he slowly unclenched his muscles and took a deep breath. Could I have become something else? He stopped pacing and turned back jerkily to face the entity again, a sinking feeling was in the pit of his stomach.

Of course, you could have become anything, you chose Fire. Not the Fire of Destruction or the Fire of Illumination, you chose that. The entity pointed towards the pit in a sweeping gesture. The Fire that warms a home. Most people’s Soulscape reflects their passion or ambition. This is your passion. Now tell me why.

Jack was speechless. Why did I choose this? He sagged into his chair and thought for a long time. An ever shifting series of impressions and half formed thoughts flowed through his mind. His head was becoming hazy and he still didn’t feel like he had made any progress. So he sluggish leaned closer to the Fire to bask in it’s cheery red glow. Proximity to the pit had an instant and overwhelming effect. His half formed ideas merged like pieces of a puzzle clicking together. Now he knew that down on that overgrown sidewalk, he had made a pivotal choice. The voices had asked him for warmth. So he became that warmth. Good thing too, If they had asked for anything else, that would have been awkward.

He turned back towards the Sentinel. How do I share my Hearth? He asked.

The entity nodded, seeming to be very pleased, even though he hadn’t even answered the question. I will show you how to use your power under one condition. It held up one ethereal finger. Swear yourself to me as your master. Swear that you will do everything in your power to act as my Adjudicator and my apprentice. This will not conflict with you answering your call as a Champion. They held out a hand with the intent to shake.

What does that entail? Do you except me to wash the dishes or something, he replied.

No, you silly child. What need have I for material comforts? I will teach you how to cultivate your soul and in exchange, you will serve as my agent in the material world. Will you accept my offer?

Jack came over and knelt surreptitiously. His good old American upbringing screaming at him to bend knee to no one but God and liberty. “ I… Jack Hearth, hereby swear to revere you as my teacher and mentor and to act as your hand in this world.” Ugh, that sounded so pretentious. Should I try again?

The sentinel laughed heartily at his cringing reaction to his own words. It sounded like the soft ringing of bells. Yes it was a bit pretentious. As it heartily wiped a... tear? It was a crystal with a runic inscription inside of it. With a brief flick of a wrist, the crystal sailed through the darkness and landed with a splash. That doesn’t matter though, because you spoke from the heart and yours, while singed, is also good. Just know this, one day you will be whole despite your harms. Now, shall we begin? They didn’t wait for him to respond and kept talking. Here’s what you need to know first.

...

Jack and the sentinel were both now seated companionably in front of the hearth, basking in the glow. Jack was reclined in his wooden chair and his master was in one made from the same geometric outlines, they were comprised of. There was a sense of peace. Like this is the way things were meant to be.

There are many forms of life in creation. As many different types of life exist as there are stars in the sky. You and I are one of the rarer forms that life can take. Constructs of an ideal. At this they created a red triangle of light, tip pointing up. This is one of the simplest ideals, Fire. It represents the chemical reaction that ignites. All Fires start with this ideal as a foundation, but like all things Fire grows when it consumes the source of ignition. The three points represent the three components, fuel, air and a heat source.

A small rune appeared inside the blank space inside the triangle. This is a Campfire. The rune inside indicates the fuel and purpose of the ideal. It is not alive, but has the potential to be should it grow enough, life may bloom from it.

The triangle disappeared and his master pointed to the hearth. This is you. At least, your interpretation of the Ideal you have adapted your soul to. It’s true form is beyond you at this point. You first need to learn how to control your being and properly exercise your power.

Jacks master turned to face him. This is your first exercise. It will serve as the foundation of your future growth, so follow my instructions closely. Place your hand in the pit. No, it is not going to burn you. They said preemptively when Jack flinched.

Jack placed his hand towards the Flame. It wavered right at the edge for a bit. He forced a breath and plunged his hand in. Red tongues of energy danced across his skin. Suddenly, he was aware of every part of his body. He knew where everything was and what it did in the body. That’s when the realization finally came crashing down. I’m not human!

No, you are not a human anymore. The flesh body I crafted for you acts more as a biological machine or a vessel to hold one's soul than a body of flesh and blood. It was designed to hide, protect and amplify your true nature. Along with that. They casually pointed to the Phoenix cloak. That is where I placed the majority of your soul. It was a compromise of both necessity and function. The details are too complicated to explain in a single sitting. Suffice it to say, It will remain here until you can learn to summon it to the material plane.

Why? He asked distractedly, trying to shake off all the impressions and newly gained knowledge. Sure it looks nice and all but other than turning into a chicken… He stopped to give his master an embarrassed glare. It does not seem to do much more than a blanket would.

His master seemed to expect this and answered with a question. Do you remember the red cat on the fool's shoulder?

He pondered on that for a second. Yes, it seemed to be calling out to me. As if it thought I was like it or that it knew I was different. There was a… connection between us. His attention was pulled off to the side. It felt like an itch he hadn’t noticed, but was slowly growing more intense. There’s still something… THERE! A dark red cord became visible in the air. One side was tied to a corner of the hearth and the other went in a straight line off into the distance.

That was a Jann, the least of the Djinn. Beings that are somewhere between Magi, like your friend Casper, and pure constructs like us. Jann are usually infants but sometimes, in the case of that one. His master gestured to indicate the red string. It is a shame that sometimes their Fire goes out. The absence alters them dramatically. They become beasts without intellect, only hunger. If I had just given you access to all of your power, your vessel would have overflowed and you would have ended up as a beast. That is, if you did not explode first.

This empire has a tradition of restoring and then enslaving the Jann for their personal uses. I had no desire to see you reduced to such a state, so I intervened in

your development and set safeguards.

Jack’s fingers brushed against the crimson cord. His fingertips sizzled from the brief contact as a barrage of impressions assaulted his mind. Darkness! Fire! Pain! Each one was a vast concept of which he could only grasp the edges. These were overwhelming enough as is but it was the last impression that left Jack completely speechless. A beam of untarnished light that flashed down and struck the air. In that spot, a Flame kindled to life, one that existed with no fuel and made no smoke.

What was that?

That was contact. She is calling out to you, but you cannot answer her yet.

Jack turned back angrily. Why not?

Because you will die!

Silence fell as the Sentinels' words echoed into the distance.

This practice has been institutionalized for nearly a thousand years. Because the Djinn are a long-lived race, nearly every powerful noble family in the Empire and beyond has been able to acquire at least one Jann slave by now. Do you understand what that means? The most powerful of the Magi will willingly line up to kill you in order to maintain control of their slaves. That fool from before, the one with the silly hair, was far from powerful and he would have easily been able to kill you if that soldier had not stepped in to save you.

Jack deflated. Is there anything I can do?

His master placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. Your courage and willingness to stand between victim and abuser are commendable traits, ones that I wholeheartedly wish for you to cultivate, but you must fight one battle at a time. You must first gather your power and entrench yourself into the Empire's affairs. Gain a benefactor and learn how Magi gather power. I will assist you in maximizing your potential but you must define your own path. Such is our way! Do this and none will be able to stand in your way as you hold those in power to account for their sins.

The world shook a bit around them. It looks like you are waking up. Try to gather as much mana as you can before you fall asleep. Fire is best for now, but you can absorb any form of power you choose once you acquire the right knowledge. I will draw you in for another lesson tonight when you rest. Goodbye Jack.

Then the world faded as he opened his eyes.