Knock. Knock. Knock.
The young man who answered the knocks was Tyler. He's short, with a plain, forgettable face if not for the cut scar on his left cheek. Like Thomas, Tyler came from a mining family, one of the wealthiest professions in Eucadia.
"Wanna go mining together?"
It was an abrupt invite, but Tyler didn't have anything else to do anyway.
———
CLANK
"OOOH! That sounds like something good!" Thomas cheered as his pickaxe struck something metallic.
The mines of Eucadia weren't exactly mines. They were more like vast, torch-lit dungeons stretching beneath the entire island, a maze only partially explored. Though the dungeon had been discovered long ago, huge boulders and dirt piles still hid valuable resources waiting to be dug up.
It's not a safe place for miners to explore alone, they usually go in pairs or groups. The reason being various monsters of different strengths lurks in the ginormous maze, only purpose of their existence being to kill.
"What'd you find?"
"A key! YES!" Thomas almost bounced.
Scattered throughout the dungeon were keys buried in random spots. These keys unlocked massive gates, hidden chambers, and unexplored corridors.
"A red one! Any red gates nearby?" Thomas spun his head frantically, one would assume he snapped his neck.
Tyler looked around too, then pointed, "There. Down the hall."
"YESS!" Thomas skipped ahead enthusiastically. "I can feel it! There's gonna be a book behind this gate."
"Probably just an attribute book."
"Oh, don't be such a fuckin' downer, man, it's gonna be an ability book." Thomas pointed a finger at Tyler.
"That only happens once in a blue moon." Tyler crossed his arms.
Thomas shoved the key into the lock, turned back to Tyler, and grinned. "Wanna count it down?"
"I thought you hated work. What's with this enthusiasm?"
Thomas's smile faded immediately, replaced with exasperation, "Usually I don't get this lucky, alright? Normally it's just boring fuckin' ores. This, this on the other hand is exciting." He waved the key in hand.
Then Thomas added, more softly, more quiet, almost wishing Tyler didn't hear it, "And besides… you're here. Makes it less boring."
Tyler caught it and smirked. "Aw, you're sweet."
Thomas shot Tyler an irritated look before unlocking the gate.
With a loud groan of stone on stone, the red gate opened slowly, revealing a puzzle room.
"Argh... another puzzle." Thomas sighed.
Inside, blocks with letters carved into them lay scattered across the floor. The puzzle was simple but somewhat tricky — arrange the blocks to spell a word on the podium.
"I've got an M and an E. You?" Thomas asked with two blocks in his palms.
"G, T... there's an A over there too," Tyler said. Some blocks were hidden in corners, so they split up to search.
While they worked, Tyler spoke up. "Hey, Tommy."
"Yeah?"
"You uh..." Tyler hesitated a little bit, "... hear about the election yet?"
"The election?" Thomas asked while searching for more blocks. "What election?"
"It's happening the day after tomorrow. Flyers are all over town. Not that you'd notice..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Thomas always got offended at being called clueless, even though it was undeniably true.
"Nothing." Tyler shook his head with a smirk.
"So what's the election about?"
"Someone in New Angeles wants to unite the Three Lands Around the Lake. But each town has its own leader now, so they need a vote. Everyone votes, majority decides who'll lead the new Eucadia."
"Who's this 'someone'?"
"Some rich guy named Schwartz from New Angeles. All the voting's happening there too. People from Xelz City, Saisei — here, anyone who can travel is encouraged to vote."
Tyler gathered a few more blocks onto the podium. Then he psyched himself up for what he'd say next.
"My family, the Windows, you know we're one of the richest in Saisei, right?"
"Yeah, because your parents do nothing but mine, mine, mine, mine, mine..."
"Yeah… so I'm leaving for New Angeles the day after tomorrow... Not to vote, but to run."
"Run? You're running to New Angeles?"
"No! What? No! I mean... I'm running for president. To lead the Three Lands."
Thomas turned to Tyler, eyes wide, then burst into laughter, "HA HA HA HA HA HA! YOU?! LEADER?! YEAH RIGHT! HAHAHA!"
"Tsk. I'm literally the Wearer of Wind. Give me those blocks!" Tyler snapped, blasting Thomas's hair a mess with a gust of wind from his palm.
Still laughing, Thomas dropped his blocks onto the podium. Tyler arranged them carefully until the word NIGHTMARE spelled out.
"Done," Tyler said, stepping back as a lectern rose from the floor in the center of the room.
Atop it sat a book, surrounded by a faint purple aura.
"YESSS! Told you!" Thomas whooped. Tyler clapped in shock as Thomas danced around the lectern.
But Tyler frowned at the aura. "It's tinted more red than blue. Could be a curse, not a blessing."
"Who cares! I'm just gonna trade it off." Thomas pulled on a pair of gloves, which are necessary when handling dungeon relics.
"Yeah, yeah... be care—"
"WHOA! ARGH!" Thomas slipped on the stairs. His face slammed straight into the book. The purple aura vanished instantly.
"Tommy!" Tyler rushed forward.
"Oh… fuck…" Thomas groaned, face still buried in the lectern. "Whatever!" He whipped himself up with a grin. "At least I've got a special ability now!"
"Dude, the aura was more red than blue. That's not good." Tyler said gently, concerned. He gently inspected Thomas's face with slow fingers.
"Relax," Thomas pushed Tyler's hands away from his face, "I'm not cursed, I don't feel cursed."
"Do you feel blessed?"
Thomas tapped his chin, pretending to think. "Hmm…"
Tyler sighed, "Let's just get someone to decipher it."
"It'll be good, trust me." Thomas winked.
Tyler picked up the lifeless book with bare hands, its magic gone now that it had poured all of it into Thomas.
"Let's hope so."
———
Sun was setting.
Back in town, they walked through Saisei's peaceful streets, illuminated by the evening's orange. Kids played tag nearby. Friends laughed over beers. Couples strolled arm in arm. A simple, content, idyllic place... at least for most people.
"Leader of the Three Lands, huh?" Thomas snorted. "You're only nineteen."
"They want someone young! The guy who pitched the idea was twenty-two."
"Meanwhile our leader's, what, a hundred and twenty?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.
"Seventy-one."
"Sheesh."
"It's a big deal for me, Tommy. I was chosen to be one of the protectors in the prophecy. I want to do something. I want to matter." Tyler's voice brimmed with passion.
"Why bother? I don't even know what the other three are doing. So what if you can move wind? Doesn't mean you gotta fuckin' run the world."
"I don't want to be like the other three," Tyler said with quiet conviction. "The nameless Wanderer of Waters. The ghost-like Elite of Earth. The non-existent Forger of Fire. They hide but I won't. I'll protect us when Doomsday comes."
Thomas gave him a sideways look. "You really believe that prophecy crap?"
Tyler glared back. "Yeah, I do. Plenty does."
"Fine, fine." Thomas waved it off, "But moving a breeze doesn't make you king. You can barely push a wheelbarrow." He gestured at a nearby wheelbarrow.
Tyler knew Thomas was half-right. But he'd made up his mind. Someone had to do something.
"Back already?" Tyler's father called when they got home. He was an expert at deciphering ancient texts, so it was perfect timing.
"Tommy found a key, opened a gate, solved a puzzle, got this ability book." Tyler explained, holding out the book.
"Oh you should know this, Tyler. This is a fake, an ability book would emit an aura even visible to the—"
"No, it's definitely an ability book, Tommy touched it." Tyler said while pointing at Thomas.
"Tommy..." Tyler's father said disappointed.
"What?"
Tyler's father adjusted his glasses and flipped through the pages. "Was the aura more blue or red?"
"Red," Tyler said.
"Tommy..."
"It's still an ability man! Can't be that bad."
The old man sighed and closed the book. He looked Thomas straight in the eye and said, "The ability to see the future."
Both boys gasped. That was absurdly powerful.
"GUYSSSS!" Wilhelm's voice echoed from down the street. "WE GOT A DEER! DINNER AT OUR PLACE TONIGHT!"
"HA! Today just keeps getting better!" Thomas said, grinning wide.
"Go get your grandma," Tyler's father said gently.
"Yeah. Alright. See you, Tyler."
"See ya."