Name: Malik Najim
Gender & Age: Male, 23
Concept: Fire-Bender, Uses a multitude of colorful fire at different heats. Uses his weapons (a pair of brass knuckles) for helping him to concentrate fire around his fists (Isn't the brightest bender).
Appearance:
Malik stands at around 1.70 meters and weighs approx. 70 kgs. He is nimble and not very muscular, with tanned skin and short hair.
Personality: Friendly and outgoing to others around him, Malik learned he always has to smile to get that extra copper coin. He reveals very little of himself when he meets others and refrains from getting to know many people. He does spill more than expected when he is under the influence, but he remembers to keep certain aspects of his life a secret. Due to his travelling nature, Malik is easy to like at first but later he pushes people away. Malik is a rather disturbed young man who found relative peace in the art of fire and the formation of different colors, painting a picture on a canvas of flames to sooth his temper. He loves his work but he sometimes hopes for a companion he could share his thoughts with.
Equipment: Two brass knuckles, iron shin and arm protectors (small plates tied to the body by leather strips).
Fighting Style: Malik's fighting style is up close and personal. He tends to use his hands more than his feet when he attacks and goes on unrelenting charges that only stop when either opponent is down.
Bio: Born to an affluent family, Malik lived with an older brother and one of his parents at home. His father, being a famous fire-bender in the area was the headmaster of a boarding school dedicated to teaching young fire-benders the art of bending. He rarely came back home to see his wife and two children, burying himself in his work.
When his brother showed signs of fire-bending, his father was overjoyed. Malik's brother then moved to the boarding school and as a result both of them came home more frequently so that Malik's brother could see his family. Growing up besides his mother, Malik grew jealous of his older brother for spending so much time with the father he adored and frequently lashed out at his mother.
Malik received the finest education money could buy and received almost everything he wanted, but he couldn't awaken the fire-bending from within. Fed up with growing up in his small cocoon, Malik ran away from his home and joined a gang in the nearby city. In the gang he absorbed the city culture and learned a fighting style utilized by the gang members. By masking their combat training as simple street games, they managed to avoid the watchful eyes of the city guards and keep an upper hand at the brutal war over territory in the city.
Malik was injured in a fierce battle against a rival gang which the local city guard had stopped. Those still alive were arrested and put on trial, with punishments ranging from death by hanging to death by boiling being passed around. Malik's father learned of the matter as he was one of the city's most esteemed judges and decided to spare his son's life. Instead of simply returning him to his home, he brought him back to the boarding school so he could keep a more watchful eye on the brat.
Malik's father tried awakening his bender abilities for months, the training often ending with his father standing on top of him with bloody fists and shouting at him for not being like his brother. Malik hated his brother ? he was a better son than what he could ever offer to his father. After several months of constant failures, Malik's father was ready to kick him out and disown his son for being a no good criminal.
What stopped Malik's father was his brother begging him for another chance. His father accepted and allowed Malik to stay under one condition ? that he would defeat his brother in an agni kai. Before the fight ensued, Malik's brother ensured him he will let him win. His father had other plans.
Moments after the fight began, his father interrupted it and informed Malik's brother that if he were to lose against his Malik he would then have to leave the boarding school in shame and never come back to his home. The battle which followed was brutal. Both sides fought against each other for a chance to stay in the boarding school but more importantly, for their father's love and acceptance.
As the fight continued, Malik seemed to be losing. He barely managed to avoid his brother's fire-bending and strike back with his brass knuckles. In the flurry of flames, Malik's hands ignited and hit his brother, landing a fire fist on his face. His father, unable to stop the fight before his son had his face burnt, quickly ended the fight and then went to beat his criminal son for his crimes against his brother.
Malik was exiled in shame and he returned to the city, not as a gangster but as a fire-bending student. He would use his skills to travel the Fire Nation and find suitable tutors to help him learn the true nature of the flame.
The fate of Malik's brother wasn't as grim as death. His face deformed, he was forced to wear a mask over a portion of his face to hide his scarring. He still remembers his brother and his actions, the once strong feelings of love for him turned to hatred for ruining his life.
Malik scoured the lands for more fire-bending masters and stumbled upon a semigly abandoned hut in the wilderness. In the hut, Malik was somehow put under a hypnotic trance, one so strong that the next time Malik returned to reality was a week later. He laid there in the clearing, a hooded figure standing above him. It told him that it had picked him to be its new test subject and that, with Malik's help, he could finally find what he was looking for.