FRAMTON

Fire; the first light mortals wielded against the darkness. Upon mastering fire, mortals no longer feared the darkness. Illuminating darkness. Dispelling cold. Expelling wild beasts. As long as they had fire outside their homes, the mortals of Esperia believed evil Hypogeans would be kept at bay.

Unfortunately for them, not all Hypogeans fear fire.

Since the day of his birth, Framton craved fire. He embodies the longing for flame possessed by all Esperia's living beings, a manifestation of their lust for fire. Under Lutos' influence, the innate desire of all living beings for fire was drawn together; their greed coalesced into a single form. Thus, a Hypogean fueled by a morbid fascination with fire was born into Esperia.

In Framton's eyes, the flames were an ever-changing enigma. Flickering, waning and blazing, he was fascinated by them, his urge to reach out and touch the fiery glow sometimes too much to contain. He was mesmerized. The flames brought both pain and a terrible, intoxicating pleasure. Instinctively, he inhaled the flames, feeling the searing heat spread through his body.

Driven by unending craving, he searched high and low for more fire, any fire. Natural fire, mortal fire, magical fire... all were inhaled, drawn into his being to become a part of him. As he grew stronger, his tastes became more refined. He tested each flame's purity by letting it burn him. Only flames capable of burning his body were fit to be devoured.

Framton's standards became ever higher, so much so that little satisfied his tastes. He came to roam the world, seeking the rarest and purest of flames, desperate to sate his hunger. After prolonged research and experiments on flame, Framton realized that only a certain few very rare and special fires were capable of producing such pure flame, and that such pure flames could not be recreated or forged by any means. Thus, he turned his attention to fire-born species... the Obsidian Finch.

It is said the Obsidian Finch possess the purest of flames, a legendary fire inherent exclusively to their species - the Solaris Flare. It was only natural that Framton became obsessed with finding and devouring this legendary flame. Through years of devoted searching, his perseverance paid off. Framton found the home of the Obsidian Finch and slaughtered them one by one, with Talene's mother amongst them. However, having consumed these supposed legendary flames, he now realized these were far from the legendary Solaris Flare he sought.

Framton's hopes were crushed, he spiraled into a frenzy of frustration. He wanted that Solaris Flare, but not a trace could be found. Enraged and dismayed, he incinerated all that surrounded him, bathing the land in a sea of flames.

One night, Framton rained down destruction on a village at the edge of the Dark Forest. The buildings collapsed amidst the all-consuming flames, the sky glowing an eerie purple hue. Everything was reduced to ash. Just as he was about to leave, something at the edge of the flames caught his attention. A Phoenix Flower. It shimmered with a faint, protective magic, protecting it from the destruction of the blazing fire.

Plucking the bloom, Framton put it in his mouth, carefully discerning and assessing the lingering magical scent on its petals. A rush of excitement filled him, the simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar taste of the bloom making him shake. This was it, the Solaris Flare. Certain of its extinction, he had all but given up on ever discovering it. But now, everything had changed. His flame of desire was rekindled, he wanted that Solaris Flare. He turned towards the Dark Forest, birthplace of Phoenix Flowers, and home of the final Solaris Flare.

"All I ever wanted was to see the purest fire with my own eyes. How beautiful would that be?"

"I found these on my search. I had intended to burn them, but I suppose you need them more than me."