A NOBLE LADY:

Stina was chosen by the Council to be a member of Team Valiant—a move that came as a surprise to many (particularly given Stina’s strained relationship with Sophie and her friends). And while Stina seemed less than thrilled about who she’d be working with (and the feeling was clearly mutual), she also eagerly accepted the title—which was surely a huge cause for celebration for her family. Particularly for her father, who’s tried many times to be appointed to the nobility and always been held back by his Talentless status.

FINAL NOTE:

Stina will likely never win any popularity contests. But she’s a powerful Empath and a fearless personality, and when she puts her differences aside, she can be a valuable ally. The test will be whether she can handle the hardships that come with her new role, or whether she’ll crack the first time she’s truly put under pressure.

REGISTRY FILE FOR Marella Adene Redek

KNOWN ABILITIES: Pyrokinetic

RESIDENCE: Fluttermont

IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Durand Redek (father), Caprise Redek (mother)

MATCH STATUS: Registered with zero lists received

EDUCATION: Current Foxfire prodigy

NEXUS: No longer required

PATHFINDER: Not assigned. Restricted to Leapmasters and home crystals.

SPYBALL APPROVAL: None

MEMBER OF THE NOBILITY: No

TITLE: None

NOBLE ASSIGNMENT: None

SIGNIFICANT CONNECTIONS: Fealty-sworn member of the Black Swan; training in pyrokinesis with former Councillor Fintan Pyren

ASSIGNED BODYGUARD(S): None

AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ILLEGAL ABILITY:

Marella’s special ability is a somewhat recent development (or the Council’s knowledge of it is, at least), but it’s such a tremendously rare, incredibly complicated issue that her file must begin here. Reports indicate that several months ago Marella arranged for a meeting with Mr. Forkle (the same member of the Black Swan who triggered Sophie Foster’s abilities) and convinced him to try triggering hers, since she still hadn’t manifested. Evidently, she’d been hoping to become an Empath, because reading emotions could prove helpful with her mother’s (Caprise Redek’s) condition. But manifesting isn’t a process where anyone gets to pick or choose what happens. And unfortunately for Marella, not long after Mr. Forkle filled her mind with energy, she felt feverish and later woke up surrounded by flames after manifesting as a Pyrokinetic—the only illegal ability in the Lost Cities. The rare elemental talent causes an insatiable craving for flame, which has resulted in numerous tragedies—the most notorious of which was Fintan Pyren’s failed lesson on Everblaze several millennia ago. All five of the Pyrokinetics that Fintan had been training were killed in that inferno, and the Council was left with no choice but to ban the ability. Their new law forced any already registered Pyrokinetics to be reclassified as Talentless (including Fintan, who had to resign from the Council) and be put under supervision in order to ensure that they weren’t sparking any flames. Efforts were also made to prevent others from manifesting the ability. (For instance, anyone directly related to any of the registered Pyrokinetics was labeled as a bad match to halt the spread of their genetics, and the ability detecting session at Foxfire now specifically forbids any exercises that might make a prodigy detect heat.) Aside from one exception (the now infamous case of Brant [LAST NAME REDACTED FOR SECURITY]), no other Pyrokinetics have manifested since the ban. Until now.

EXPOSED:

Given the complications that come with being a Pyrokinetic, it’s not necessarily surprising that Marella opted to hide her ability from the Council. But she did reveal her pyrokinesis to a select few. Both of her parents seemed to be aware (and most likely helped cover up several accidental fires that happened after she first manifested). And Mr. Forkle was evidently informed and did his best to train her (even though he doesn’t share her ability). Marella was also brought in to assist on a few important missions for the Black Swan—which of course means that Sophie Foster and her friends were aware that Marella was a Pyrokinetic (and possibly some of their families were aware too). But everyone “in the know” kept the information secret—and likely would still be doing so, if the Neverseen hadn’t exposed Marella during the last Celestial Festival. The battle with the mutant trolls at Everglen was broadcast for our whole world to witness, which meant that everyone watched Marella call down flames and use them to defend herself and her friends. And while the crowd’s initial reaction was shock (the collective gasp was loud enough to make many ears ring), the discovery wasn’t met with the level of fear and mistrust that most would’ve expected. Perhaps it was because Marella maintained excellent control. Or perhaps it was watching her bravely stand and fight in the face of such horrors. But after the broadcast, the Council wasn’t met with outcry calling for Marella’s banishment or exile. And the Councillors have since surprised everyone further.

TRAINING PERMITTED—WITH A TRAITOR:

In a decision that surely no one could have predicted, the Council did not ban Marella from using her pyrokinesis. In fact, they’ve even gone so far as to allow her to take pyrokinesis lessons with Fintan—on a provisional basis. The situation is far from ideal, but given the rarity of the power, there simply aren’t many options for Mentors. And the Council seems to have decided—possibly because of what happened with Brant—that forcing Marella to suppress the ability could end up causing larger problems in the long run. A Pyrokinetic’s craving for flame seems to be too strong to ignore—especially without training. So the Council appears to be seeing if there’s a middle ground that allows the ability to be used within specific limits. Only time will tell if there is. Until then, Marella’s lessons take place at the special prison where Fintan is being held for his crimes, and are, of course, closely monitored to ensure that Fintan cannot use the situation as an opportunity to escape or harm anyone. Linh Song also attends most of these lessons, using her hydrokinesis to extinguish any flames. And rumor has it that Marella and Linh do additional training together on their own. There are certain similarities between their abilities, given that they’re both controlling an element, and it appears they may be attempting to combine their powers. It’s difficult to imagine how that might work, but if the events over the last several years have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected—particularly when it comes to any of our powerful youth.

A TRAGIC FAMILY ACCIDENT:

As already briefly noted, Marella’s mother (Caprise) suffered a traumatic brain injury when Marella was three years of age. For reasons still unknown (though some have claimed that fizzleberry wine might have been involved), Caprise fell off a balcony at their home and hit her head. Elwin did all he could to help, but some injuries cannot be completely healed, and Caprise was forever changed by the experience. Her symptoms seem to primarily affect her moods, and certain elixirs do help her manage them. But she’s known to have good days and bad days. And Marella seems to shoulder a heavy amount of the responsibility in caring for her, oftentimes running late for things or looking slightly disheveled. (And of course, there was Marella’s hope of becoming an Empath to better assist, which was already mentioned.) Naturally, Caprise’s situation has lowered the family’s social standing. Most are sympathetic to the Redeks’ plight, but still aren’t sure how to help or what to do, since these kinds of challenges are so rare in the Lost Cities.