Val Vincent

On the surface, Val appears to be a mellow and casual person. While not overly outgoing, he doesn't mind starting up a conversation if others help to keep it going. He isn't the most eloquoent with his words, tending to speak with gratuitous use of expletives, but his manner of speaking is casual and relatable enough. He is self-aware of the darker, loner vibes he gives off, and often uses them to make himself seem more mysterious (or even attractive to girls he finds good-looking). Though able to show sympathy towards others, he is ultimately very self-driven, and demonstrates several characteristics of sociopathic behavior. He has a temper, and while he does not usually blow without warning, his anger can make him a very destructive person. He has no qualms about lying about his motives, endangering others or himself, and crossing boundaries/breaking rules. He also holds grudges and has a good memory for remembering those that have crossed him.

Before Arriving on Eranocta

Val was born in Chicago, the accidental son of two individuals who were heavily involved in city gang activity. From his birth, it was clear that he and his sister, Veronica, were unwanted; his mom, the primary influence in his life, did the bare minimum to parent them and was often more involved in drugs than with them. The siblings fought among each other from an early age to curry their parents' favor. Veronica was prettier, cleverer, stronger and more charismatic than young Val, but Val soon learned to make up for it as soon as he discovered his powers over darkness at age 15 and the way he could use them to make anyone do nearly anything he desired. Though he fought to make himself look like a tough guy, he felt more insecurities about his life than he dared to admit, and secretly dreamed of a life where he didn't always have to be looking over his shoulder for threats. Around age 17, some gang members reported sightings of a strange old man lurking around. They became eager to find him, figuring he'd be an easy target. But Val was the one to find him first—and he wasn't as easy to mug as expected, Val learned, after the other, younger man accompanying him pummeled Val into the wall using nothing but the earth around him. The old guy introduced himself as Lythios, his companion as Gravel, and informed Val that there was a place he could use his powers for good, far, far from Earth. Housing, meals, and all of Val's needs would be tended to, so long as Val was willing to train with the other elementals, known as Catalysts, on the planet Eranocta. This seemed so good it was unreal, but Val accepted anyway, and was pleasantly surprised to see that everything the old man said was true.

The Fire Within

Val wasn't able to start his training as early as expected. The culture shock was great; as it turns out, being popped into a utopia coming from what he considered to be his Hell on Earth comes with many disciplinary and authority struggles. He was put in Eranocta's version of therapy for about two years as he learned to reacclimate with people. While at first bitter that he wasn't granted as much freedom with his powers as he wanted, he went through with everything; after all, this was the first time people were showing him kindness (even adoration) rather than cruelty. Around age 20, he began true elemental training, and this continued as Tida and Ember arrived. Val earned his elemental partner, Wraith the raven, soon after. The three Catalysts got along quite well and excelled in training together. Val was on cloud nine; finally proficient in his powers, with two ladies at his side and a world full of people who saw him as their hero. However, another year later, Solyss the Light Catalyst arrived. There was something about him that Val didn't like. Solyss was his elemental opposite, for one. But the lad was young, showed no sign of having to deal with a childhood as harsh as Val's, and here he was, waltzing into Eranocta like he knew everything. Solyss' arrival shook things up in the three-person friend group, and Val particularly didn't like how curious Ember seemed to grow about him. When the rumblings of Kaltath's reemergence began to shake the world, Val and the others set off to give up their powers at the archapelago of Urdythsh, and he impulsively confessed his feelings for Ember, having a feeling that something bad was brewing. Though humiliated and angered at her rejection, he locked these feelings away, feeling that he could rectify things later. Unfortunately, Ember, Solyss and Gravel betrayed the group, which blindsided him—how could anyone want to throw away all that Lythios had provided for them? And most importantly, why would Ember choose Solyss' side and not his?

The Fire Unleashed

After the Seal crumbled and the other Catalysts escaped, Val became bitterly angry, a shell of his former self. They regrouped in Rathrae, but Val could scarcely concentrate on any plans made. Tida asked him out, and he accepted, but their relationship was unhealthy. While aiding a town in eastern Juvenaea, their team crossed paths with Kaltath's team, and they wound up pursuing them west and chasing them into the jungle. To smoke them out, Val and Aeran, now united behind a common goal, set a forest fire, and Val makes a plan with Aeran to pretend to turn traitor in order to feed Lythios' team information. Kaltath's team accepts him into their ranks, though suspicious, and Val attempts to persuade them to attack Lythios directly. He seeks out Ember, though the latter tries to give him as wide a berth as possible, and Val has to stop himself from giving away his secrets, or worse. Eventually, his persuasion is successful, and he leads them back east, where they are subsequently attacked by a force led by Aeran. He reveals himself and runs away with the knowledge that Kaltath plans to bring his group to the island Jhu, not knowing that it is false information. After they go, they meet Kaltath, alone. A volcano erupts on the island, seemingly killing Kaltath; satisfied, they go to raid his base and steal back the other Catalysts. In the battle, Tida is "killed," and Val is furious. They begin to head home, only to realize that Kaltath's crew snuck Tida's body away from under their noses, so they storm the base once more. Suddenly, Kaltath is revealed to be alive, and he challenges Lythios to a duel at Urdythsh for control of the Scepter of Hope that can save or destroy the world. Val participates in the fight against the others, finding that Tida was revived—sans her powers—and is now fighting with Kaltath's crew. After Kaltath wins and removes himself and Lythios from the world for good, Val finds himself angry beyond redemption. He escapes, becoming a rogue, and begins to use his powers to cause as much destruction as he can. Ember and the others are forced to track him down and "kill" him in a manner similar to what happened to Tida—when he returns from death, his powers are gone. With his element gone, a lot of his emotional extremes, which were a side effect of the misuse of his element, dissipate, and he is able to aid the others in the rebuild of Eranocta.