Chapter 1: The Fire Inside

It was hot.  The scorching sun rained down upon the seaside city of Helios, its rays pouring down as it rose over the eastern mountains.  Even the cool sea breeze could not quash it completely, nor the sounds of the waves crashing if one lived near the beaches.  Today was definently a hot day, beating down any energy one might have in the early morning.

Remember, you can always call for help.

Those words in his head caused a red haired boy to stir, rising from his messy futon bed.  His bedroom was a bit small, so a regular bed would have taken up a lot of space after all.  As for what he was wearing, it was so hot last night the boy did not wear anything.  Judging by his height and body, he appeared small and petit, but had clearly some matured features.  A short eleven or twelve year old, the latter being more likely.

In fact, he was twelve year old Shinku Rouge, a boy with red hair and red eyes.  He looked over at the alarm clock besides him, which appeared to have fallen over and broken.  Judging by his sheets, he probably kicked and moved around a lot in his sleep.

However, while his room was hot, it was not too hot to where he was getting heat stroke or such.  Perhaps because he had slept in the nude, but he was not suffering from it so bad.  Although, there was a strange burn mark on his left arm, fresh and recent, and also one on his lower left calf.  His hair however was fine, and was long enough to cover his ears and reach down close to his shoulders.

"What a weird dream" he said to himself, getting out of bed and heading to his dresser.  He pulled out some boxers, some black shorts, and a red T shirt with a black stripe running down the middle.  He carried them over to the bathroom, and before getting dressed he quickly sat down and rinsed his body before drying it with a towel.  Once that was done, he proceeded to get dressed, and went to the mirror to brush his teeth.

"Woah!" he said, for a moment reacting in shock to the mirror.  For a moment, he thought he had seen animal ears on his head, or maybe a different person entirely.  But it appeared to just be his sleepy behavior.  Shrugging it off, he brushed his teeth, and headed towards the kitchen.

The place he was living in was small, to say the least.  Definently not set up for a large family, or even large sized people.  There was a single hallway, with five doors, that led to a room that was basically a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room conected to each other.  The five doors in the hallway that went from this went to his bedroom, the other bedroom, the bathroom, the closet, and a place with a desk and a computer that was clearly multi-purpose.

No one else seemed to be around, nor did Shinku look for any.  Instead, he went and made breakfast for himself, getting out a bowl, some milk, and cereal, quickly putting it all together in a bit more of an awake fashion.  Rinsing himself not only freshed up his body a bit, it also helped invigorate his mind.

He had a weird feeling he was forgetting something, but he figured it was probably his dream.  He had a restless night, but he didn't recall any of his dreams.  Besides, as he checked the time, it was already seven AM.  School would be starting soon, and he didn't want to be late since they were taking a field trip.

It was rather hot, but they place they were taking a field trip to was the Neogate Science Center, set up by the Neogate Corporation.  They were making advanced in various fields, including robotics.  Even security and police robots, as well as janitorial robots on the street.  Even if it was the year 2046, it was all quite revolutionary and advanced.

There was even talk of space travel becoming more common.   

Either way, he had to get going, so he got his backpack, put on some socks and shoes, and after making sure he had a lunch packed, he headed out the door, locking it behind him.

"Yo, sleepyhead boy" a grizzled voice said to him.  Shinku turned around, and saw a man standing right there, looking down at him.  He was a tall man wearing a trench coat, with a grizzled face and voice and a sharp look in his eyes.  That sharp look was staring at Shinku, as if it was sizing him up.

"...are you stalking me now?  Did your inner shotacon awaken?" Shinku retorted without fear to the man.  "I seriously doubt a police detective like yourself has the time to be hovering outside of the door of an innocent boy.  Shouldn't you be catching criminals?"

Although Shinku spoke to him without any politeness or reserve. the detective did not seem to mind the backtalk.

"Actually, I am here to drive you to your field trip.  The school called, everyone is meeting there".

"...my teacher called you?"

"Believe it or not, people actually worry about you" he said jokingly.  "Anyways, they said since its a pain to go to the school, and then ride a bus there in this heat, everyone is just going to meet there in the lobby since its air conditioned".

He began to walk to the car, and Shinku begrudgingly followed.

"I do hope your not hostile to everyone like that by the way".

"Its just you, Failed Detective Ivarson".

"You know, why dont you just stay with friends more?"

"The apartment would get dusty then".

This sort of conversation continued as they reached the car, Ivarson getting into the drivers side and Shinku the passanger's side.  After making sure it was clear, he started to drive them there.

"...so is there any new leads?"

"Unfortunately, not" the detective said, and after that, the two sat in silence the rest of the way there.

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"Ahh!  Shinku, there you are!" a boy shouted at him as Shinku walked over.  He was wearing a nametag provided by Neogate to help keep track of everyone, reading as Yuuto Katori, but Shinku just called him Yuu.  There was also a girl there, Emily Rose.  She seemed to blush a little though, and looked around the building.

"Hey, you know what is up with her?" Shinku asked Yuuto.

"Erm, well..." Yuuto replied, becoming a bit flustered.  Although Yuuto could get energetic at times, he was actually a bit timid and emotional.  However, he was also kind, loyal, and outright stubborn, which made him a good friend to have.  To be exact, the two were best friends, although Yuuto still had some sort of secret or two still.

"You dont know?"

"I can guess...I think she has a crush on you".  

"Eh?  Really?  Well, whatever.  Just dont go wandering off".

"I-I dont wander off!"

Shinku gave him a look of disbelief.

"N-not that much anyways".

"Anyways, just stay close.  We are even going to be able to see the upper floors today, where they do research and development".

As he said that, he looked around at everyone else and watched what was going on.  However, that was when Yuuta accidentally tripped on his own foot and knocked into him from behind, knocking them both down.

"...you will really need to watch where you are going, in various ways".

"Sowwy" he said as Shinku messed with his face as punishment.

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Either way, the field trip proceeded as planned.  The students were divided into groups of three and began to be lead by a guide around the building.  Shinku and Yuuta chatted a bit, as the girl with them, Emily Rose, watched them from behind with blushed cheeks.

After all, she had been given a group several of her classmates, female ones to be specific, would have dreamed to get.  Shinku Rouge, and Yuuta Katori.  To the girls of the school who had begun to gain feelings and crushes on boys around them, these two had garnered a lot of attention.  Both had cute and charming looks for sure.  But their personalities were also very popular.

Shinku was known for being a hard worker, very dilligent, and also good at sports.  He even learned something about metalworking, and apparently occasionally worked part time for an actual blacksmith.  Furthermore, there was the tragic incident that happened to him a little over a year ago....while visiting a shrine with his mother, they had been attacked by some sort of psychotic killer.  His mother was murdered protecting him, who barely escaped with injuries.  Apparently he was living on his own now, since his father was never in the picture.  That sad story gave him a feeling of needing hugs and support, which drove interest up.  His red hair and red eyes also seemed to synergize well.

And then there was Yuuto.  The quiet, shy, awkward boy who sometimes was absentminded and wandered off to places.  He was timid, but he was always there when it counted and he was very loyal.  Even though he was the kind of boy whose cheeks could get red very easily, he was often able to muster up the strength to speak.  His silver-white hair seemed exotic, but his red eyes seemed full of hope and passion.

At the moment, they were on the twentieth floor, looking at some of their robotic development facilities.  A lot of advancement had been made in robotics, as well as artificial intelligence, and due to that, they were already starting to dip into those fields in not just middle school, but elementry school as well.  And while Emily did think it was fairly interesting, she was often lost in thoughts about her group mates.

It was like she was on a date with both of them!

"Emily, are you okay?" Yuuto asked.  "You seem to be spacing out a lot".

"Ah, yes!  I am fine!" she quickly responded.  Following behind them, they headed towards the next room, which currently showed what appeared to be a museum exhibit of ancient relics and technology.

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"Here is one of our inspiration rooms.  We have documented various ancient technology here so that we may draw inspiration from the innovators of the past" the guide told them as the three of them walked closer to one of the displays.  It seemed among them, there was even a metalworking display that attracted Shinku, featuring some finely crafted metal eggs.

"Ah, so you noticed?  These were in a vault sealed in the 800s..."

"Wait, what?" shinku reacted with surprise.  "But, judging by the metalwork, it incorporates techniques that were not thought of till much later then that".

The guide reacted with surprise, but smiled as she looked over at the colorful eggs.

"Indeed, you have a good eye.  We dont know who made them, as the vault was unmarked, but clearly they were done by a prodigy ahead of their time.  And thus, by having them here, we hope to draw inspiration from that prodigal mind.  When they hear about such things, some even think they can feel a sort of power or brilliance radiating from them".  

Shinku looked back at them with amazement, rubbing his own forearm.  

...want to live...awaken...

That was when for a moment, he thought he heard a voice in his head, and began to get a headache.  The guide, who thought he was just deeply entranced in the display, went over to him.

"Do you have an interest in metalwork?"

"Well, yeah.  I am interested in a lot of htings right now, but I have actually been working as a blacksmith's apprentice.  Most people think that smithing is a lost art, but there are plenty of people who still do it".

"Indeed.  The tools may have changed, so a lot of it is just manufacturing and refining done in factories, but there are plenty of blacksmiths still in the world.  Its where people can get specialized parts from, such as artists or inventors, after all".

Emily couldn't help but notice Shinku smile, and Yuuta smile as well at how happy his friend was.  Shinku wasn't so dark and lonely that he never smiled, but he sure did not do it as much since his mother passed away.  However, his smile was so bright and cheerful, it could light up the night's sky with its brilliance.  Both of theirs could.  

"Anyways, I do need to finish the rest of the tour, but if we have some extra time, we could come back here" she said.  Yuuto then realized something.

"Ah, where is the bathroom by the way?"

"Ah, there should be one up ahead" the guide told them, smiling.  Yuuto started to walk ahead of the group, seemingly desperate to make it there, when suddenly an alarm blared and a security shutter came down rapidly and suddenly, cutting Yuuto off from the group and stranding the three of them inside the exhibit room.

"What the?  What is going on?"

"I dont know...this was not part of the tour for sure" she said, taking out a tablet and checking things out.  "It looks like its just for our floor grouping.  For some reason, a lockdown was triggered for everything between the eighteenth and twenty fifth floors".

"Yuuto, are you alright over there?!" Shinku asked, but he couldn't hear a reply.  Judging from the metal, it was probably too thick perhaps.  At least, he hoped that was the case.

"He was far enough away that the emergency shutters shouldn't have hit him, although I dont think they are supposed to go down that fast normally".

Shinku tried to make it budge, but leaving aside the strength of a child, not even a single adult would be able to make it budge.  It seemed to be locked down tight.

"Ahhh!" Emily's voice screamed from behind.  Shinku and the guide turned around, just in time to see Emily collapsed on the floor unconscious, and for a woman riding or wearing some sort of strange robotic like contraption to move to them.  However, it looked rather weird, and there were parts of it that were floating on their own, yet moved as if they were fixed to it.  This woman immediately brushed aside the guide, knocking her into a wall while deploying a blade from her right gauntlet.

It was like it was some sort of exo-skeleton, but several parts of it looked weird as if they were defying science and physics.  And most importantly, it was coming right for Shinku with a blade.  Shinku quickly rolled to the right and dodged, as he saw one of the passages from this room seemed to have been forced open.  Emily was on the ground, not moving but probably alive, and the guide also appeared to be knocked unconscious hopefully.

Is it only trying to kill me?

Thinking this, Shinku quickly used the opening and fled.  He had no idea what was going on, but he had to escape.  Because right now, it looked like someone was trying to kill him.

"Particle Cannon Charged" a monotone female voice mentioned.  "Firing".

Shinku heard that, and dodged the moment he heard charged, darting down a side hallway.  It was good too, because the moment he heard firing, a powerful beam of energy blasted where he used to be, doing a lot of damage to the surrounding walls and ceiling.

....live....

As he thought he heard something, or remembered something, he continued to run.  His heart was beating faster, as he was running for his life.  Just like before....just like the day his mother was murdered protecting him.

He had to get away, somewhere safe, or at least isolated.  He wanted to live, but more then that, he didn't want anyone else to die for him.

He didn't want to run either, but...he wasn't an idiot.  How on earth could he fight that?

"Target located" he heard from above.  He looked up, and saw the woman...or maybe it was just a girl, in that thing, with a blade out, coming at him.  As it slashed down though, something white seemed to fly out from behind the corner and strike her, knocking it away.  An object, which appeared to be something that resembled a large fang, prevented her from landing a lethal blow and saved him.  However...

...awaken...

What appeared to be a floating cannon above her shoulder was pointed right at him, and was already charged with energy.

"Firing".

The weird drone thing moved to block the attack, but as it fired, the force of it was great.  It destroyed several walls and most of what was behind him, and the pressure made from the force was also enough to blast Shinku back.  Being blown through the holes made, he was not just knocked into another room, but knocked outside the building itself...twenty stories up, and began to fall to the ground with countless other objects and debris.

Time seemed to slow down, as his short life flashed before his eyes.  Unfortunately, it seemed he was not the only one caught up in the blast, as he spotted his classmate Emilia above him.  Things were moving at almost a standstill as he fell...

No wait, isn't this way too slow?

"Do you want to live, Shinku Rouge?"

The moment he heard those words, this world in which time seemed to slow down had weirdly less color, but there was one thing that caught his eye.  The metal red egg from the display, still had its brilliant shade of red.

And then, on one of the falling pieces of wall, a red fox hopped down from somewhere onto it, not affected by the time dialation.  Furthermore, the moment it landed, it turned into a human boy...sort of.  The boy had red hair and eyes like himself, and was completely naked except for a metal collar around his neck, shackles on his wrists and ankles, and some bits of chain connected to it.  He also had red fox ears on his head, and a red fox tail coming from behind.

This boy sat cross legged on the wall, looking at Shinku.

"There is a way you know.  To live, to save Emily, to find Yuuto...as well as other things you may want to do.  Call on me, summon me out, create a Compact with me".  

"...who are you....what are you..."

"You already know my name, and as for what I am...I can explain the rest later, but the most popular term is...Armor Spirit" the boy told Shinku.

"...I...I dont know your name...this is the first time we have met".

"Look within yourself.  Deep down, inside your spirit, your passion.  The fire inside you.  Dont think, but call it out with all of your spirit.  Its there".

"But..."

Suddenly, the time dialation started to fade.  Not fully, but he could feel himself falling faster.

"Just trust me, and yourself!  Bring forth all of your spirit!" the boy told him, as the woman from before was seen starting to fly out of the building, after them but also slowed by the time dialation.

Shinku was confused.  He didn't really get what was going on...but, he didn't have a choice either.   He was starting to fall to his death, as the dialation seemed to be ending.  And so, as he began to plummet...he didn't think in that moment, and just called out on instinct.

"Lets go, Akamaru!"

The boy smiled, as his body turned into a red energy.  The metal egg disappeared entirely, turning into flames that flew down and wrapped Shinku's body.  It was in that moment that space seemed to shatter, as a massive red sphere burst out, growing from where Shinku had been.

Shinku meanwhile felt himself wrapped in flames, as he was floating in the center of a glowing sphere.  The flames and red energy burned all of his clothes away, and a glowing red flame symbol appeared on his chest, right over where his heart would be.  The flames then formed new clothes.  Black shorts with red stripes, black sporty boots that looked easier to run in and strong, a red T shirt with a black flame symbol on the front and back, and a metal collar around his neck and shackles around his wrists and ankles.   But even more then that, a red fox tail came out of his rear, and fox ears out of his head.

"What the...what just happened?  Did my clothes get burned off?!"

"Oh no, dont worry, they are fine.  They were just stored in a spiritual storage space while you inhabit a spiritual body" Akamaru's voice said inside his head.  Shinku quickly jumped over in the next moment, grabbing Emily out of mid air and then landing, setting her down on the sidewalk.  However...

"Where is everyone?"

"Due to the conflict between two active spirits, along with the sheer amount of spiritual energy released from your first transformation, it appears a Spirit Zone was created.  A Spirit Zone is basically a re-creation of a normal zone, although there are various exceptions and differences.  Here is where most supernatural battles take place".

Suddenly, the strange exo-suit wearing woman landed on the ground without any difficulty.  And yet, she had to dodge as multiple lasers were fired down upon her from above, as a boy wearing a white and grey T shirt, black shorts, white boots, and also had a collar and shackles impacted the ground without any issue.  The moment he landed, he and Shinku looked at each other...

"Shinku?!"

"Yuuto?!"

"Ohohohoho" a strange voice echoed through all their heads.  "This is a pressence I have not felt in so long...Akamaru, is it?"

"Is that you, Lumius?"

As for Yuuto, he had no ears or tail, and looked like a normal human.  

However, they then turned to face the woman who had been trying to kill Shinku all this time.

"We should probably talk later".

"Yes...this situation is bad..."

"What is that thing?"

"It feels like some sort of artificial spirit...it certainly is not a Gobli..."

Shinku was curious about that word, Gobli, but now was not the time.

"Why are you trying to kill Shinku, you damned robot!" Yuuto shouted out, clearly upset.  He was even crying a bit right now.

"Unauthorized User.  Question will not be answered".

"...well, I guess it wouldn't be that easy" Shinku muttered, as it charged at them.

"Shinku, look deep inside yourself...use the power of my magic...the power of Flame Arts!"

Shinku listened to Akamaru, and acted quickly.

"Flame Arts: Flashfire!"

Suddenly, Shinku seemed to throw out a fireball right into her face.  It appeared to do some damage.  Yuuto meanwhile brought all of his strange floating pod things together.  They all began to spin in a circle.

"Dragon's breath!"

Suddenly, some sort of energy cannon was fired right at her.  Disrupted and caught off guard by the fireball, she immediately took a direct hit.  She attempted to raise a barrier, but Yuuto's attack blasted right through it.  But not before she made one last attack at Shinku, launching the blade in her arm at his heart!

"Shinku!"

"Flame Arts: Burning Barrier!"

And just in the nick of time, he put up a barrier which stopped the attack.

"Ah..." he said, looking at the blade which was one inch from his chest.  "That was...close..."

But, it appeared the battle for his life was finally over.  That said, it certainly did not go unnoticed.

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In a mountain hilltop overlooking the city, rested a large shrine temple that was bigger and more notable then others.  And inside the center of the temple, in front of a stone tablet with six gemstones in it, each one a different color, two people were meditating.  One of them had black hair and green eyes, a man in his late twenties or early thirties who wore glasses.  And the other appeared to be a young girl of eight or nine, but quite notably she had fox ears on her head, as well as a fox tail coming from behind.

Both of them were wearing outfits that indicated they worked at and ran the shrine.  

And suddenly, both of them shot their eyes open the moment the red gem began to glow.

"It appears your brother, Akamaru, has awakened".

"How did that happen?  He should still be sealed away as punishment for what he did".

"...it seems like something is going on in the city.  Could you check it for me?"

She nodded as she stood up, her bare feet taking to the wooden floor.

"Of course, Master.  I will also make sure to check that Kimaru or Kuromaru had nothing to do with this".

And then, just like that, she disappeared into a flash of green light.

Little did anyone know at the time, that this would only be the start of what would be a grand tale.  A tale of magic, of action...and of Armor Spirits.