Zein walked calmly through one of the busiest streets on the island. Around him, the crowd raised their voices, protesting with signs held high and slogans that overlapped one another, forming a constant, dense noise. Among them, several soldiers stood firm, lined up along the sides, their weapons held rigidly and their gaze attentive, watching without intervening.
Zein observed the scene without stopping. His steps continued forward until, little by little, the ruckus was left behind and the murmur began to fade, replaced by a more comfortable silence. It was then that he remembered the card. He took it out and examined it more closely; at first glance, it didn't seem to have anything strange about it. The back was still completely blank, but the front caused him a slight discomfort. The information had changed. Not once, but several times since it had been handed to him.
He frowned.
«Is it magic?» he thought.
Moved by curiosity, he channeled a small amount of mana into the card. The object reacted immediately. On the back, a phrase began to reveal itself slowly, as if emerging from the material itself. The words stopped halfway: "divide and…". A second later, just below, the rest appeared: "…conquer."
Zein held the card for a few moments longer, not fully understanding its purpose. He found no clear answer, so he decided not to give it too much importance and put it away before heading toward the marked location.
After walking for a while, he reached the indicated spot. It was a narrow alley, wedged between tall buildings that barely let any light through. The space was cramped, uncomfortable, and at the end stood a common door, metallic and unmarked, similar to an emergency exit forgotten by time.
Zein approached and knocked three times.
He waited.
Finally, the door opened just enough to show a shadow on the other side.
—Divide and… —a strange voice said from the inside.
Zein remained motionless for an instant, searching for the meaning of those words… until he remembered the hidden phrase on the card.
—Conquer —Zein responded.
The door opened completely. Or, at least, enough to let the one guarding the other side pass. It was not a tall or imposing man, but a dwarf with a hard gaze and a thick beard, who looked him up and down before stepping aside.
—Come —he said, nothing more.
Zein followed him. They descended some narrow stairs, very similar to the ones that led to Alexander's bar: close walls, footsteps that echoed too loudly, and a heavy air that seemed to stay trapped down there. As they went down, the dwarf spoke without turning around.
—Are you dissatisfied with the regime?
Zein hesitated for just an instant.
—Yes.
«It would be bad if I told them I only came out of curiosity…» he thought. «I'll see what this is about and then I'll leave.»
Reaching the bottom, they entered a room with yellowish lighting, too small for the number of people gathered there. There were many more than he expected. Some wore government uniforms, others those of the liquidators, and several more wore common clothes. Young people, old people, tense faces, expectant gazes. No one spoke loudly.
Zein scanned the place with his eyes, attentive, measuring the atmosphere.
Then he saw her.
Leaning against a wall, slightly apart from the rest, was Naoko. Her arms were crossed and her posture rigid, as if she were trying to go unnoticed without much success. Upon recognizing her, Zein's eyes widened in surprise.
—Naoko?! —he exclaimed without thinking.
Naoko jumped slightly, completely startled.
—What are you doing here?! —she responded, accidentally raising her voice.
Several gazes immediately turned toward her. Naoko tensed up instantly. She lowered her head and walked quickly over to Zein, stopping in front of him.
—Why did you shout my name? —she whispered, her face slightly flushed—. You could have just come over and talked to me normally…
She looked away for a second, uncomfortable, before glancing back at him from the corner of her eye.
—What of it? This way I got your attention faster —Zein said, with a calm smile.
—Do you two know each other? —the dwarf asked, observing them with suspicion.
—Y… —Naoko tried to respond, but she stopped halfway.
—We're friends —Zein intervened without a second thought.
The dwarf looked at them for a few more seconds, as if evaluating the answer, and finally nodded.
—Fine. That makes things easier. Naoko, you explain it to Zein —he ordered before walking away into the crowd.
—Sure… —she responded, still a bit tense.
Zein then noticed the sword Naoko had fastened to her side. It was very similar to the captain's—same shape, same curved edge.
—It seems those kinds of swords are quite common —he commented, pointing toward it.
—Not really —Naoko corrected—. They're called Katanas, by the way.
—Wow… —Zein murmured—. Still, it really surprises me to see you here.
They stood talking for a while, away from the center of the room. Naoko spoke in a low voice, explaining that this meeting belonged to a group directly opposed to the Empire, a movement seeking to overthrow it. While she spoke, Zein noticed how she avoided looking at people for too long, how her hands moved nervously before going still again.
In the last decade, she explained, discontent had grown without restraint. Poorly made decisions, covered-up accidents, an economy that suffocated the majority. All of it kept building up until the dissatisfaction finally exploded. That was how the movement was born. And over time, it began to attract all kinds of people: government employees, liquidators, soldiers, common civilians. People who were tired.
It had grown so much that more than half of the island now sympathized with the cause or was part of it. That was the resistance.
—Honestly, I never thought you'd join something like this, Naoko —Zein admitted—. I think I'm going to have to change my perception of you a bit.
He let out a small laugh—not mocking, but rather sincere. Naoko lowered her gaze and clumsily brought her fingertips together.
—So… I've already changed the way you see me, huh? —she murmured to herself, her voice barely a thread.
—Did you say something? —Zein asked, tilting his head slightly.
—No, nothing —Naoko responded quickly, looking away.
Zein didn't press the matter.
—By the way… why did you decide to join the resistance? —he asked shortly after.
Naoko looked down. Her fingers interlaced slowly, as if searching for something to hold on to.
—Well… you could say the Empire took my loved ones from me —she murmured—. And I just want revenge against them.
—Then we have something in common —Zein said, tracing a soft smile.
Naoko looked at him for a moment too long. When she realized it, she turned her face away awkwardly, the gesture betraying a slight blush.
At that moment, the dwarf guarding the door came running down the stairs.
—The Schatta is here! —he shouted.
The atmosphere shattered instantly. Voices rose, people began to move, searching for exits, bumping into one another.
—Calm down! Calm down! —one of the organizers ordered, raising his voice—. Some of us will stay here and make it look like a meeting of friends. The rest of you, leave through the back door.
—Schatta? What's that? —Zein asked, leaning toward Naoko.
—The Empire's secret police —she whispered—. They look for traitors… and they kill them.
Without giving him time to respond, Naoko took Zein's hand and pulled him.
—Come, this way.
They went up narrow stairs, through long and poorly lit corridors, until they finally came outside. The main street greeted them with shouts, banners, and the constant murmur of the protest. They continued moving through the crowd for a while, Naoko not letting go of him, pushing through with quick steps.
It wasn't until they stopped in the middle of the street that Naoko realized. She looked at their hands, still interlaced with Zein's, and let go immediately.
—Uh… you know? —she said, hurried, seeking to change the subject—. Alexander and Mei are also part of this.
—Really? —Zein responded—. That's strange… I never noticed.
The noise of the protest enveloped them again, as if nothing had happened. Then Naoko, with a playful gesture, stood in front of him and put her hands behind her back.
—Welcome to the revolution —she said with a smile.
Zein returned the smile without thinking. In that same instant, the murmur of the protests changed. The shouts became sharper, closer. Further ahead, the soldiers guarding the street began to scuffle with the protesters; shoving, shields clashing, commanding voices rising above the chaos.
—Wow… we should leave —Naoko pointed out, watching the scene with concern.
—Yes, you're right —Zein responded.
He turned to leave but stopped dead. Across the street, amidst the agitated crowd, something caught his attention. A white flash that didn't fit with anything else. Hair as light as his own, motionless in the middle of the movement, standing out even among flags and armor.
Zein narrowed his eyes. For an instant, an impossible idea crossed his mind. Maybe… just maybe… he wasn't the only "blessed child" on the island.
And before he could react, the figure disappeared into the crowd.