The Elemental Relics

Rubbing his aching head, Ali looked around the room. There were a dozen beds covered in white sheets with only his bed occupied. The walls were painted a bland white while the floor and ceiling were light gray. The room had a single door that he almost missed due to it sharing the same color as the walls. With no one else in the room, the teenager felt no need to get permission to get out of bed. Except for his headache, the rest of his body felt fine.

I need to find out where I’m at.

As he stood up, the door opened. A tall man in a silver colored uniform walked in with several armed soldiers in tow. The uniform looked similar to those worn by Dalcis’ soldiers but the color and the emblem were all wrong. The nation of Usnana had dark brown as its national color to symbolize its connection with the earth itself. The silver color was sleek and would draw a lot of attention from the locals who were proud of their national color. Then, there was the emblem which, instead of representing an ore, resembled a hammer and chisel. The man had a face similar to what Belen described as handsome but Ali never understood the concept. However, he didn't feel unsafe with the man approaching him.

“My name is Thomas. I apologize for getting you involved in all of this,” said the man with a slight bow.. “I sincerely hope you will accept my apology.”

When Ali asked for clarification, he was told that the man pursued by the soldiers worked under Thomas. Out of desperation, the man activated the explosive he carried which leveled the shop where Ali was in. When Thomas’ men were on the scene, they found him in terrible condition and brought him over to the infirmary. The man claimed that he didn’t want any civilian casualties in the struggles between his faction and the government forces.

Are they the ones labeled as terrorists by the Usnana government? What have I gotten myself into?

“I assure you that we are not criminals or terrorists,” said Thomas sternly. “We are no different from you, fighting to survive in this cruel world.”

“No different from me?”

“Yes, I am aware of the elemental relic in your possession. I too carry one myself.”

Ali hastily reached into his pocket and felt relief when it was still there. He then looked up to see Thomas' relic in plain view.

“I assure you that we are on the same side.” Thomas sat down on the bed opposite Ali and gestured to him to do the same. “Everyone in this room was never gifted with magic so, with elemental relics, we will create a better future with our own two hands.”

In the next hour, Ali learned about the birth of the Worker’s Resistance Group led by Thomas. The man explained that, since the birth of Usnana, there was a hierarchy for society. The ones with magic made up the top half of the hierarchy while those without were stuck at the bottom half. For the majority of the magicless in Usnana, life was difficult due to them being treated as second class citizens. They worked in horrific conditions for little pay. Since their lives were so cheap, they were seen as expendable by the state. Due to the lack of their representation in the government, the suffering of the lower class went unnoticed.

“I envision a day when all the people in Usnana are treated fairly and one’s status isn’t based on whether you were born with a gift.”

Thomas then went into a diatribe about how the Usnana government put into motion a plan to destroy all elemental relics. They, like all the governments around the world, deemed the relics to be harmless at first. Over time, the government started to realize what the relics were capable of and took action. The Usnana government was one of the first to take the drastic action of destroying any known elemental relics and executing anyone who had come in contact with a relic.

“They want to keep the status quo so they can remain in power. They would do anything to crush those who just want a brighter future. I won’t allow it! All the citizens of Usnana deserve better!”

What Thomas said resonated with Ali. The teenager had seen how poor the people in his village were and he was told his entire life that, if he wielded magic, he would be living a much better life. Magic was the main factor for one’s social standing. For people like him, the fact he was born without it meant he was at a disadvantage from birth.

Where was Thomas when I was a kid? Life in the village wouldn’t be so tough.

“I have a proposal for you,” said Thomas as he stood up with a hand reached out. “Will you join us in our fight for a better Usnana?”

The proposal caught Ali by surprise. A part of him wanted to accept the hand that would guide the nation to a brighter future. Only the thought of Belen and Kurata made him hesitate on the decision. To fight alongside Thomas would mean he would give up his life with the Dark Cult, the first place that accepted him despite the teenager possessing nothing. Given the conflict within him, Ali looked down, unsure what his best option was.

“I got carried away. I realize that you still have your life to return to and I was selfish to make such a request.”

Thomas led Ali out to the streets where he shared a spoken code with him. He stated that, if the teenager made the decision to join, he could return to this exact location and share the code with one of the staff members. They would get him ready to join the fight against oppression.

"The Worker's Resistance Group accepts all those who had seen the evil in the status quo and wished to take part in the change."

“Thank you, Thomas! I will think long and hard on this. I do want to see the future you envisioned!”