Planet Ignis | Chapter 6

…been a valuable teaching tool partly because they are not overly specific, allowing them to fit many situations. Even so, I find the Second Truth too vague. “Fiercer a fire in the heart, than in the hand” is meant to encourage one to focus on the reason for Bursting rather than on the act itself.

Our aim is to nurture love, not pyromania. The truth will be much more precise if we change it to “Fiercer the fire of love in my heart, than in my fist.” This change clarifies that we are speaking of positive motivation, with “love in my heart” conveying that intent. Substituting “hand” with “fist” specifies that we refer to action— onw which even if it isn’t violent in its nature, is so in its effects on one’s body.

From “A Proposal for the Review of the Nine Truths” by Trother, the Wise

A week passed. Ten of his classmates would become Oranges, Zawa a Yellow, and Eli would become a Lit. Eli still didn’t fully understand why he’d be a teacher after receiving a Blue grade. Wasn’t Blue the color of kings? He wasn’t disappointed, though. He liked Trother and was eager to learn more from him.

“When the Phoenix crash-landed on Ignis, we found practically no water on the planet.” Trother’s voice had a way of making every word feel essential. Even the Orange Batteries in the classroom, who powered Zawa, Eli, and Trother, looked like children before Trother’s storytelling skills.

“However, we discovered an alien life form—a microorganism called celeria,” he continued. “One of the drones accidentally detected it while exploring a cave system in what is now one of our settlements. We were surprised that life existed here despite the lack of water.

“It wasn’t long before the original settlers uncovered the reason. Our second great discovery: a previously unknown element, ignium. As the settlers studied this strange alien metal that makes up much of this extraordinary planet, they uncovered many intriguing properties.

“For one, ignium has a peculiar effect on electronics. It reverberates with electromagnetic waves, light, and temperature, causing unusual phenomena. We later theorized that this reverberation is what causes the Flares and what fried most of the computers aboard the Phoenix, stranding us here.”

Next to Eli, Zawa raised her hand. Trother nodded, giving her permission to speak.

“Then how come we still have Faren, the Nexus, and some other computers?” she asked.

Trother nodded approvingly. “Good question. Some computers aboard the Phoenix had extra layers of protection against radiation and electromagnetic pulses and thus survived. Additionally, not all systems were active when the Phoenix approached the planet. While Flares are quite destructive, inactive electronics are more likely to remain unaffected. Those that were off survived the devastation.”

Eli tried to concentrate, listening carefully to Trother’s words. Now he understood why computers and nanites were scarce resources in the Burrows. Suddenly, a pang of pain twisted his stomach. He began to sweat, trying to take his mind off the gnawing hunger. Just focus, he told himself, you don’t want to miss a single word.

Trother’s lecture continued. “Secondly, as we studied celeria, we found that ignium interacts with organic material. It functions as a universal solvent, similar to water.” Another child raised their hand, and Trother gave them a curt nod.

“What is water?” the child asked.

“Water is essential to human life,” Trother replied. “Its only replacement, as far as we know, is polarized ignium. Believe it or not, water was such an abundant resource on Earth that it could be seen from space. You didn’t need to dig for it or process it. You didn’t even need to polarize it. It was simply there, ready to drink. From what the archives tell us, water was blue—like the flames of kings.”

Eli’s imagination ran wild as he tried to picture this ethereal chemical of legend. Another painful cramp brought him back to reality, but he steadied himself. Don’t give up now. Just listen.

Trother continued, “Most metals are toxic because they react with organic components, but our system can’t process them. They bind but don’t fit. Ignium, however, is remarkable because it can perfectly replace water in our system. The downside,” Trother sighed, “is that for ignium to be compatible, it must remain in a constant state of electron excitement.”

Trother held up a small nugget of ignium, which he had requested earlier from the Smiths. He handed it to Tritan, his Battery. “Tritan, if you would?”

Tritan’s arms sparked and heated up until they glowed a bright red. The ignium in his hand melted into a silvery, mercury-like liquid. As it dripped to the ground and the electric charge faded, the puddle re-solidified.

“In other words,” Trother said, “if there isn’t a constant energy flow to keep ignium polarized, it becomes toxic, detaches from proteins, and will quickly kill us.”

Eli struggled to follow the lesson, his concentration slipping with each wave of hunger. He wanted to absorb every word, but the relentless ache gnawed at him, clouding his mind.

Trother continued, his gaze sweeping over the class. “Now, where did we find a portable energy source to keep ignium activated and safe for human consumption? Anyone?”

Lilly raised her hand, and Trother acknowledged her with a nod.

“The human body, sir?”

“Well done, Lilly,” Trother said approvingly. “Humans naturally generate energy within their cells. The Celer mutation allows us to accelerate our metabolism, producing more heat and electricity. Mastering this mutation enables us to keep the ignium we ingest polarized, preventing our life-giving friend from becoming a deadly foe. Ignium is our food, our water, our fuel. But it’s also our cancer, our death, our curse.”

Trother paused, his eyes lingering on the ignium in Tritan’s hands, his expression somber. “Ignis itself teaches us: every blessing has its burden. Respecting this balance is how we survive.”

Eli grimaced at the mention of the word “food.”

After a pause, Trother continued. “By combining ignium and the Celer mutation, we can produce impressive, superhuman effects. Sending our bodies into overdrive allows us to resonate with the ignium and generate tremendous energy. The downside is that pushing our bodies burns away Longevity, reducing our lifespan. In other words, we can trade lifespan for survival. We can exchange Longevity for strength.”

During this explanation, Eli felt his thoughts drift, imagining himself shooting flames from his hands or lifting boulders with ease. But his daydreams were interrupted by another sharp twist in his stomach. He clenched his fists, trying to ignore the relentless hunger.

“We will spend our time together learning to precisely control these effects,” Trother continued. “We’ll practice the three types of Burst: Perception, Emission, and Enhancement.”

Trother’s voice grew sterner. “But remember this—it is imperative that you never Burst unless absolutely necessary. Each time you Burst, you eat away at your lifespan. I intend to drill into your skulls a series of questions: Is Bursting necessary? Will I gain more time by Bursting and finishing this quickly, or will I live longer by doing it without Bursting? What’s the most efficient way to do this? How hot do I need to Burst to get through this ore?”

Eli’s stomach rumbled loudly, clawing at his mind. By the flames, it hurts, he thought, feeling as though something were tearing him apart from the inside. Steeling himself, he forced his attention back to Trother’s voice.

“To learn Longevity efficiency and sound judgment, we’ll use this.” Trother gestured to one of several chess sets arranged around the room. Each set resembled the chessboards Eli had seen in the Nexus simulator, but instead of traditional pieces, each piece was a simple disk. From afar, it might look like checkers, but closer up, each disk bore a small symbol identifying it as a chess piece.

Trother held up one of the disks. “Each player has sixteen pieces, as in standard chess, but the pieces are marked by symbols instead of shapes. Look closely, and you’ll see pawns marked in red. The rooks, identified by orange towers, are on either side. Knights are marked with yellow...hoarse...or horse symbols—whatever the animal’s name was,” he muttered, earning a few chuckles from the students. “Two bishops in silver lines, a crown in sapphire blue for the king, and one green disk marked ‘AI.’”

“This is a basic Longevity Chess set. As we progress, we’ll add new layers of difficulty. For now, each piece moves as it does in traditional chess.” Trother demonstrated the movements, slowly showing how each piece operated, pausing occasionally for questions.

“However, there are key differences. First, each player starts with Longevity Stones.” He shook a small pouch labeled ‘fifty,’ the contents rattling softly, then poured a few small pebbles into his hand. “Each of you will begin with fifty Stones. With each move you make, you lose one Stone.” He placed a knight on the board, then slid one Stone across the chessboard to illustrate. “One move, one Stone. Don’t forget it.”

Trother then held up a disk and flipped it over. “Additionally, each piece can Burst if flipped over. When a piece Bursts, its colors reverse. You’ll see the crown change from white on blue to blue on white, like this.” He turned a bishop piece to show the color shift.

“When a piece Bursts, it gains three special abilities. Each Burst can Emit, Enhance, or Perceive. For example, when a pawn Bursts, it can Emit—destroying a piece two squares away. It can Enhance—moving an extra square. Or it can Perceive, revealing your opponent’s next move in exchange for sacrificing one of your own pieces.”

Trother pointed at the chessboard, setting the pawn back in place. “These actions come at a price. For pawns, Enhancement costs one Longevity Stone, Perception costs two Stones and requires a sacrificed piece, and Emission costs four Stones. The first player to run out of Longevity Stones or lose their king loses the game.”

Eli looked at the chessboard in front of him, momentarily freed from his pain by the thrill of discovery. The additional rules opened up a whole new layer to the game he thought he understood. The options felt infinite—especially with the cost of Bursts factored in. Every move had consequences, some immediate, others more gradual.

Trother gave a thin smile, observing the fascination on Eli’s face and the focused looks on the other students. “Remember, this game isn’t about conquering or showing off your strength. It’s about Longevity and strategy. To win, you must make each move count. Think not just of your next move, but of your next ten.”

As he paced, Trother looked over the room, his tone softening. “I want you all to play against each other. Today, we’ll keep it simple. You each start with fifty Stones, and only pawns can Burst. Begin.”

Chapter 7