Cherreads

chapter 0 : The burning world

Optional: Read to understand the world of fire, ash, and the soul. Skip ahead if you prefer to learn the hard way.

🔥 THE GIFT OF FIRE

Long ago, fire was given to humans by Su Long, the Dragon God. It became their salvation — the first and only divine blessing ever bestowed upon their kind. It allowed them to mold energy, shape flame, and defend their place in the world.

But another god, the Phoenix, sought to outdo Su Long. It gave humanity a second gift: the power of rebirth.

It was not a gift at all.

When humans began to die, they did not pass peacefully into rest — they returned as cursed things, hollowed and burning: the Dead.

That gift destroyed the world.

🧟 THE DEAD

The Dead are not zombies in the traditional sense. They are twisted, intelligent, and burning. Their strength is determined by how powerful they were in life — and sometimes, they come back with more than they had.

Forms of the Dead:

Burned – Scorched humans with claws. Fast. Animalistic.

Sparked – Retain their pyrokinetic powers from life.

Twisted – Inhuman in shape. Horns, fangs, tails, hollow eyes. The more alien they look, the stronger they are.

Only dragon-gifted fire can truly destroy them.

🌫️ ASH ZONES

Wherever the Dead linger, the land dies.

Not rot. Not decay. Erasure.

Soil turns to soot. Stone crumbles. Water disappears. Forests vanish.

Over time, the world was reduced to a single livable continent — the rest swallowed by what came to be known as the Ash Zones.

Ash Zones are permanent.

The land they touch cannot be healed or reclaimed.

Exposure to Ash Zones for too long leads to soul rot, madness, or death.

To hold back extinction, the pyrokinetics built the Great Flame Wall — sealing the last continent off from the rest of the world.

🛡️ THE RED ORDER

With the world collapsing, humanity turned inward — and upward.

To survive, they forged the Red Order: a militarized force trained to push into the Ash Zones and hunt the Dead wherever they appear.

The Order's foundation lies in its Academy.

🎓 THE ACADEMY

A four-year crucible designed to forge soldiers, strategists, and aerial units into a single, burning engine of survival.

Students are divided into three divisions:

🕊️ WINGS – The Sky Riders

Trained in mounted combat and aerial flame warfare.

Begin with Pegasi in Year One.

May attempt to bond with permanent mounts (griffins, wyverns, or dragons) in later years.

Dragons are rare — granted only to elite riders.

🧠 BRAINS – The Strategists

Serve as researchers, tacticians, and loremasters.

Study fire mechanics, soul theory, undead behavior, and global corruption.

Often deployed to uncover truths buried in the Ash.

🗡️ TALONS – The Flamewalkers

Frontline combatants. Masters of the Five Fire Techniques.

Trained to kill the Dead up close and survive long missions in the Zones.

Highest casualty rate. Highest respect.

All three divisions are considered parts of the same being —

The Red Phoenix, a mythical creature said to be the only thing capable of killing the god who cursed the world.

None have ever seen it.

But all believe.

🔥 PYROKINETIC FIBERS

Fire is not summoned. It is shaped.

To create flame, humans combine two fundamental energies:

P.E. (Physical Energy): Strength, speed, toughness.

S.E. (Spiritual Energy): Sensory perception, intuition, soul.

These two form Pyrokinetic Energy — a single pool drawn from the soul.

P.E. + S.E. = P.K.E. (Pyro Energy)

The more balanced your P.E. and S.E., the wider your control.

Uneven combinations unlock specific flame styles — called Fire Techniques.

🔥 THE FIVE FIRE TECHNIQUES

1. Basic Fire

Balanced P.E. + S.E.

The standard flame: simple, versatile, safe.

2. Explosion Fire

More P.E. than S.E.

Creates concussive flame bursts and shockwaves.

3. Soul Fire (Blue Fire)

More S.E. than P.E.

Damages the body and the soul. Bypasses armor and defenses.

4. Absolute Burning

High P.E. + High S.E. (charged slowly)

Creates an unstoppable, unquenchable flame.

Must spread through contact — cannot be thrown.

5. Star Fire

Supercharged P.E. + S.E., fused rapidly

Contains forces beyond normal fire — potentially unstable.

If mishandled, can collapse into a singularity and consume the user.

Only elite pyrokinetics are allowed to train with Star Fire.

💀 EMBERS

Embers are pyrokinetics who cannot separate P.E. and S.E. once fused.

For them, creating flame is a death sentence.

Their Pyrokinetic Energy burns until nothing is left.

No recovery. No reversal.

Each flame cast shortens their life.

They are seen as tainted — as if the gift of fire was never meant for them.

Many are pitied. Some are aided. Few are accepted.

Most are barred from the Academy entirely — though exceptions have been made.

They are reminders that fire is not free.

CLOSING

The world is dying.

The Dead rise in waves.

Only the gifted — and the burning — hold the line.

This Codex is for those entering the story of fire and ash.

As the world grows darker and the truth uncoils, you may see new concepts, creatures, and revelations emerge.

If anything new appears in the story, this Codex will be updated accordingly.

Read freely. Burn wisely.

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