INTRODUCING NAM JAEHWAN, OUR NEWEST STUDENT WITH THE POWER OF PYROKINESIS
WELCOME TO GUMI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR THE POWERED.
WHO ARE THEY?
PERSONALITY
(+) intelligent, logical, resourceful (–) aggressive, ambitious, stubborn
BACKGROUND
5: orphaned; his name came from the nanny who found him by the doorstep. there had been strange occurrences that were seemingly beyond his control. the exhibits: melting ice cream cones at alarming rates, often been told his hands were uncomfortably warm to hold during morning prayers, sporadically reddened skin like a sunburn. the outcome: wary adults, unwarranted gossip, distanced kids ––– quickly realised the initial isolation wasn’t by his choice, but internalising it was.
7: they came donned in black, cliche but necessary, trudging into the premise like an army of soldiers, carrying with them weapons meant for a different purpose and a prominent state of dread. it was a swift process, barely 5 minutes in the principal’s office and the deal was sealed ––– a well-established business relationship over the years that kept the kids blindsided. jaehwan was amongst the group ( yet another batch ) of kids to be adopted, first name off of the roll-call sheet. ( they were afraid of anything that was different. ) some sort of underground faction, some kind of criminals, some form of brotherhood. they were put through training, a sick semblance of survival games ––– to eventually be of use and value ( for what? for who? for why? ). jaehwan found out the hard way that they wanted an heir, a victor, a survivor; someone they could control, something they could weaponise.
11: warzone, blackened scars, broken ribs ––– jaehwan harnessed the extent of his capabilities best in times of desperation. they pushed him to the limits, constantly redrawing boundaries but the gist of it remained: the only way out is through ( winning ).
12: his first impression of the man: he was not what he seemed. all jaehwan remembered of him was polished oxford shoes. don’t look him in the eye was the only instruction he received. the eye contact was completely accidental, heart squeezed tight in throat and he couldn’t breathe ––– a learnt behaviour, yet no one told them why it was so. the man held his gaze, brief but powerful, and frankly jaehwan had never been able to shake this since.
13: they promised a kind ending for the boy. jaehwan reckoned if the boy had been born into a proper family, he would’ve been a sweet summer child, radiant all around and loved. except the fragility of trust and bond was taught in practicality, a concept they’d smashed and grinded into powdered little pieces, pathetic and ever so present. they were pitched against each other ––– an expected scenario though utterly foul ––– either one claimed victory or double the loss; there was no leg room for negotiation and hesitation. it was a battle won but a war lost for jaehwan, sense of achievement crushed with the boy’s bones and jaehwan watched him break. ( “this is no place for failures.” )
15: he bagged the top grades through high school because he was promised a better prospect on things if he did as told. words didn’t mean shit but he bought it all the same, chewed it all up like the hard-to-come-by halloween candies ––– a crooked sense of motivation, an ingrained sense of ambition.
16: it was a gruesome sight. the rest watched in horror as men lifted the boy’s lifeless, crusty body out of the scene, eyes melted out of sockets and the scent of burnt flesh festered ––– to be disposed of, to be marked as another failure, whichever fed their revolting sense of gratification. the man stood from a distance, looking at jaehwan with something akin to admiration, perhaps even pride ( he learnt this: blood is thicker where one so chooses ). brotherhood was a fickle abstraction in the face of an over-glorified honour.
16: his impression of the man was as it had always been: he was not what he seemed. a tender tone with an underlying ambiguity, indecipherable, unpredictable; a man of few words, but the sole mastermind behind the organisation. they held him in high regard, in part fear and in part respect, and jaehwan learnt as he saw. there were changes made following his victories ––– jaehwan was elevated to a different position, possibly for the better, though more likely to be a valuable spawn within a grandiose scheme.
18: he was hailed as the heir, but the bloodbath continued on in another form, elsewhere. the brutality of monster games played right into his cards, stacking odds against opponents and leading them right into their own demise. alpha fed his insatiable ambition, and the rusty taste of victory had never been nearly as fulfilling. if nothing else, the years had hammered into him the realisation that power dictated everything. the incessant pursuit for it should never end, not until he’d reached the crown with his own hands ( heavy on the neck, but it wouldn’t be him that it’d crush ).
22: they thrived on aggression ––– blood-bound, sharp-toothed, rough-edged, building a home amongst young wolves who would swallow the sky; full of vigour, full of strange hope. perhaps there were more to it after all.
WHAT CAN THEY DO?
DEFINITION
fire manipulation / pyrokinesis ––– ability to manipulate fire and its properties in various ways. user is able to create, shape, absorb and manipulate the element, the rapid oxidation and combustion process of such, heat and so forth.
applications:
fire generation ––– jaehwan’s able to generate fire (with the right elements present), with control over intensity and temperature. depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the colour of the flame and the fire’s intensity will change accordingly. heat manipulation / incineration ––– able to generate / manipulate variations of heat, utilising high temperatures to melt or incinerate through palms, reducing things to ashes. essentially, he’s able to burn / scorch / scald / vapourise / incinerate objects or beings by touch. (see limit) pyrokinetic attacks ––– able to manipulate fire to attack, generally mixed into melee attacks or infused into projectiles. currently he’s capable of fire infusion, fire blasts and fire bullets, and he’s working into other forms of attacks in the meantime. pyrokinetic constructs –– able to solidify fire into objects / weapons / shields / etc. essentially jaehwan’s able to create items out of flames — as long as these are things he’s seen or can imagine, with a good idea of how it functions. (see limit) fire negation ––– able to negate fire and most fire-using attacks, stopping their effects via deoxygenation. (see limit) fire immunity / thermal resistance ––– jaehwan’s immune to his own fire, and under normal circumstances, external flames as well. (see limit)
WEAKNESSES
oxygen is crucial as a comburent, and there (preferably) needs to be sufficient heat in the environment for fire and heat generation to be possible. intensity of flames is also dependent on these two. in an environment where there’s an exceptionally low oxygen supply, this power would be rendered useless.
water / ice elements could weaken his power and under certain circumstances, overpower him, especially if the users of these elements are stronger / the intensity subdues his. goes without saying that he might be rendered useless in extreme cold environments, i.e. north / south poles.
immunity is limited to 1200C temperature wise. anything higher or more intense than that could result in burns and / or other collateral injuries unless flame retardant gloves are used. he also risks being burnt if he comes in contact with any foreign flames (or his own) that exceed the limited temperature.
emotions and adrenaline rushes could result in a surge in intensity and escalating the flames beyond his control. these usually stem from aggression and the overwhelming desire to win in battles / games, or when provoked. keeping himself level-headed during these situations is practically improbable. damages done could exceed his normal capabilities but they’ve almost always backfired on himself as well.
pyrokinetic constructs: mostly restricted to constructing weapons / shields / small objects or structures out of flames, nothing too complicated.
fire negation: depends on the intensity and scale of fire that he’s dealing with. for example, he’ll not be able to do much for a high-rise building that’s been set on fire. this can be trained, however, but it will require a much more refined level of concentration, coupled with control and skills.
incineration: vapourisation is currently a work in progress, unstable and doesn’t always prove effective.
time limit: depending on the scale and intensity, in 1-on-1 combat situations he could go for 2-3 consecutive hours before being physically drained. recuperation periods vary depending on damage done.
firing range: in an ideal / under normal circumstances, fired attacks could reach up to a maximum of 43m (141ft) of distance from him. radius wise he’s able to create a ring of flames that spans up to a maximum of a 5m (16ft) radius.
DID YOU KNOW?
he’s prone to sunburn.
