Axel Nikto [Finished]

The Flames of Betrayal

Last Name: Nikto (No one)

First Name: Alex

Title: Ignis

COMA Type: Elemental

Nicknames: Axel, Lex

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Date of Birth: Unknown (marked as September 14th)

Place of Birth: Sterlitamak, Russia

Quote: “The only ones you can ever really trust are family. I don’t have a family. Not anymore.”

Gift: Axel is capable of creating and manipulating fire. For the moment, that power is constricted to his hands and arms. He is also totally immune to heat, as well as burns, at the places where his power manifests.

Weakness: Axel’s gift is also his greatest weakness. He has a very severe case of pyromania, and is easily mesmerized by fire, leaving him not only distracted, but completely open and even in danger of getting burned by his own flames.

Physical Description: Axel is thin, lean, and quite good looking according to himself. He is an average height, about five foot eight, though he insists it's more, and originally a redhead, even if his hair is always dyed to hide it's original color. He has light grey colored eyes and a charming smile. A few sparse freckles tint his nose and cheeks, though he usually hides them with a hint of foundation. He likes to dress casually, graphics tees and skinny jeans being his go to look, but with a bunch of accessories; jewelry, pins, and others are always a welcome touch.

Mental Description: Axel likes to have fun, to live his life as he’s always done; without rules or restrictions. He hates following orders and having big responsibilities. Instead, he loves to fool around, play pranks and defy authority. Axel is charming and fun to be around, but he is also a huge player. He will flirt with anyone a minimum of attractive in a ten mile radius, and he usually succeeds, or at least that's what he likes to believe. He even refuses to use the name he was given; thinking that it was horribly boring and needed a little more effect, he changed it to Axel.

However, Axel, under all his foolishness, optimism and charm, is actually a very tortured person. His past looms over him as guilt and betrayal eat away at him. No matter how cheerful he looks, Axel will never allow himself to be truly happy. He seems to have given up on trust, love and real friendship, but he hides those feelings with a smile. He thinks he was lost a long time ago, but he continues living on for those who perished by his fault.  

Other: Axel has an amazing talent in the domain of thievery. He is capable of stealing just about anything, a talent he usually uses to play tricks on people, or more seriously, to feed the Institute’s small black market. He helps to steal from the teachers’ monthly supply a variety of things, including the forbidden energy drinks, junk food, alcohol and more.

Some would say that I didn’t have the best childhood. Others would even call it sad. Personally, I don’t think I could have asked for any better. Sure, maybe I didn’t grow up in your average two parent household, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy.

I’m an orphan. I’ve always been an orphan. Abandoned as an infant barely able to walk by parents I’ve never known. I was left at the door of a tiny little orphanage in Mtsensk, Russia. The small carriage I was found in was barren of any hints or clues as to who I was, or where I came from. I was no one. The orphanage was called the Dom Poterjannyh Detej. It was fitting I guess, considering I was as lost a child could get. The caretakers took me in and raised me. I was named Alex and my birthday was marked as September 14th, the day I arrived there. The caretakers and the other orphan kids, they were my family. They will always be my family.

When I was young, I was a troubled kid; always throwing fits, causing problems and playing tricks. I was even diagnosed with a severe case of pyromania after setting my bed on fire and watching it burn. But that was something else entirely. Anyway, because of that, I was never adopted. I didn’t mind though, I didn’t want to leave. It was my home.  

Our little orphanage wasn’t the richest place ever, so, even at a young age, I found my own way to get what I wanted. At the age of 9, I was already sneaking out and playing pickpocket with the people out in the streets. I got pretty good at it. I even taught myself how to pick a lot, just for the fun of it. I never thought those would be become some of my best talents.

As I grew older I quickly became a sort of big brother figure to the little ones. Hey, I might not look it, but I’m actually pretty good with kids. And since already at the age of 11, I was the oldest, I helped take care of them. I was their role model, and they looked up to me. I still remember it as being the best feeling in the world.

I was almost 13 when I first discovered I was special. I remember it like it was just yesterday. It was a late august evening, the building had gone quiet and I was already half way out the second floor window. I snuck out without a sound, using the old oak tree as a makeshift ladder. I remember being so sure that no one had seen me, so certain that I wouldn’t be caught. However, I hadn’t taken into account the discretion of a seven year olds tiny feet, or the amount of curiosity in a little girl’s eyes.

I crept through the abandoned alley ways, towards the center of town for my weekly plunder. It was a Saturday night, everyone going out, their pockets filled with money. A sly grin had appeared on my face: Saturdays were always good nights.

I was only a few alleys away from the town square when I heard it: a muffled cry. I spun around just in time to see a shadow turn a corner. I remember thinking that I shouldn’t get involved. But that hadn’t been just any cry; that had been a young child. My protective instincts instantly took over, and I ran after the shadow.

It didn’t take me to long to catch up, but when I did, he had already pushed the girl into a corner, and his hand was up her little pink nightdress. I looked the scene over and after a moment, I came to recognize the little girl. Her name was Anna. She had only arrived at the orphanage a little over a week ago, but she was already family. I had to save her.

I didn’t know what to do, I was on the edge of having a panic attack, but I couldn’t let him hurt her. So I did the first thing that came to mind: I yelled.

“STOP!! Don’t you dare touch her!!”

The guy turned to me, terrified at being caught. It only took him a second though, to realize that I was just a kid. That’s when he pulled out the knife.
“Go away kid, before someone gets hurt.”

My first instinct was to run away. I mean, this tall, dark, and probably 5-times-stronger-than-me man pulled out a knife and was pointing it at me. I was so scared I almost shit my pants. But I couldn’t leave her alone with him. I was old enough to realize what he was going to do. So I, very shakily, stood my ground.

“Let her…” My voice wavered, but I didn’t give up. “Let… Let her go.”  The man simply raised an eyebrow.  

“Or what?” When I didn’t answer he just chuckled. “Why don’t you just forget about all of this and run back home to your mommy. That way, everyone’s happy.” He looked back at the little girl with wanting eyes that seemed to sparkle with malice, as if to show just how happy he would be.  

“No. You are going to hurt her. I won’t let you.” That time, my voice didn’t shake. I would save her. No matter what.

“You know, you’re really starting to piss me off,” the guy said between clenched teeth. “Beat it. Before you regret it.” It was stupid to stay there. Someone would get hurt and that someone was probably going to be me. But at that time, I was reckless. Hell, I still am. So I wasn’t going to move. “Okay. That’s it.” The guy got up, pushing Anna to the side. She fell down hard, but it didn’t seem to have hurt too much.  

Suddenly, a fist hit me across the face. The thought crossed my mind that I should probably be more worried about myself at the moment, but it didn’t have time to register as I fell back onto the hard asphalt. I must have hit my head, because my vision was a little fuzzy. I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position before being immediately kicked back down. Another kick came, this time to my stomach. It hurt. A lot.  

I tried to get up again, but this time, something cold rested on my neck.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The blade pressed down into my skin, and I felt a small trickle of what must be blood drip slowly down my neck. “Lay back down.” I did as he said, not that I really had a choice. “And don’t get back up.”

At that point, I could barely see or hear anything. I was just a shivering mess sprawled out on the ground. However, if I have even one good, honest quality going for me, it’s that I’m stubborn as hell, even as a kid. And because of that, I tried, no matter how much it hurt, to get back up again and help that innocent little girl. Though that was easier said than done. All I managed to do was lift myself up just enough to try and see what was going on.

He was about to do it. I reached a hand out to help her. This couldn’t be happening. No…

“NO!” As the word left my mouth, something completely different left my hand: fire. Actual red hot fire. I was stunned, but not as stunned as the man standing over that little girl, the man who suddenly cried out in pain. He screamed, his hands desperately trying to reach for where the pain was coming from. The back of his coat was burnt to a crisp, the layers around it still flaming. If you looked closely enough, you could even see bits of burnt flesh underneath.

The man turned to me, his face a mix of horror and excruciating pain. Then he left. He left, running and screaming words I couldn’t quite understand seeing as my ears were still ringing from the bad shape I was in. All I could make out was the silhouette of a little girl coming towards me, before it all went black.

Fire. I could make actual fire. How awesome was that? Or, at least, that's what I thought at the time. Two years passed. I practiced my ability, took care of my family and... I met someone. At the time I thought she was perfect. Beautiful, smart, funny... but it was all a lie. I trusted her, and she betrayed me. Sold me out to some mutant hunters for cash. I was such an idiot back then.

That's when it all fell apart. Everything and everyone I loved, was taken from me. All because of that selfish bitch. But then again, I can't put all the blame on her. 'Cause I... I just... I just stood there. I couldn't move, frozen in time as they burned. I could've done something! I could've put out the fire, I could've saved them, but I didn't. See, when they came for me at the orphanage, I wasn't there. Maybe it was anger, or maybe it was just to make sure I had no place to go back to, but when they couldn't find me, they burned the place down. I saw the smoke from a while away, ran as fast as I could to get there. When I finally did... I could hear their screams as the bright light of the fire danced before my eyes. Authorities arrived, ambulances and fire trucks, but they couldn't save anyone. They were just gone, all gone.

And so I left. Dyed my hair, couldn't stand the color anymore, and hitchhiked to the coast. Once there, I stowed away on a boat and ended up in the United States. Spent a couple years there before I accidently burned some guys face off when he caught me stealing. Word went round and the professor found me. He offered me a place at some mutant school/hide out. I thought about saying no, but if he could teach me not to hurt anyone else...

And that's how I ended up here, at the Institute of Ethyre.

Name: Ressa

Age: 19

Do you have any experience with forums: If I didn't, we wouldn't be here.

How did you end up here: I had to get this thing started somehow, so maybe I made more than one character...