Initially, Ali heard screams as the two sides engaged one another. The battle cries soon turned to screams of pain before all went silent. He waited several seconds as the footsteps grew louder until the man in a black robe was outside his cell.

“Let me ask you once more. Are you ready to serve the Dark One?”

“What will I gain in return?”

“The Dark One grants his followers power and, with power, you can acquire anything you want.”

Ali thought back to the days when he struggled to get a single meal. The powerlessness he experienced made him sick, both literally and figuratively. For the first time, someone offered him a solution to his problems.

“I shall serve the Dark One then.”

Moments after Ali said it, the man reached out to grab two of the cell bars and effortlessly bent them apart. The man waited for the teenager to get through the new opening before gesturing to him to follow.

“Welcome to the cult! I’m Dhad. I look forward to working with you!”

The other prisoners demanded to be freed but Dhad paid them no attention. Ali didn’t want to be left behind so he stuck close and said nothing. They soon joined the other man in black robe who was finishing off a few more guards. The narrow hallway was filled with corpses but there was no sign of blood. The lifeless bodies showed no signs of wounds either but Ali didn’t get a chance to study the matter further. The two men suddenly quickened their pace, forcing the teenager into a jog.

“Kill those three right now!” shouted someone as soon they entered a larger section of the airship.

There were dozens of guards standing on catwalks built along the walls. Projectile abilities flew through the air and Ali fell to the ground to make himself smaller. When he looked up, a metallic wall surrounded the three of them. While some abilities simply rattled off the wall, other abilities pierced or took large chunks out of the wall. Despite the chaos, Dhad calmly put up smaller walls to fill the gaps. Meanwhile, the other man exploited the brief moments of the gaps to fire his own abilities back at the enemy. With him lying low, Ali couldn’t tell if the abilities hit their target or not. Watching those two fight, it was clear they not only trusted one another but they also achieved a level of synchronization through hard work, practice or both.

“Alpha, show them how you got your name!”

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The creature known as Alpha broke through the main metallic wall and swiped at the two men. The creature was relentless, forcing the two men to separate. While the creature took on Dhad, the woman went after the other man. Both sides fought too fast for Ali to discern what was happening. He simply kept his head down while the battle raged on. A couple minutes later, Dhad was bloodied while his partner was on the ground in a pool of blood.

“Surrender now and we’ll be merciful towards you! Unlike your kind, we are-”

The woman never got to finish due to an explosion shaking the entire airship. Ali looked up to see several men in black robes drop down from the sky. Three of them fought the woman and her creature while the rest engaged with the others on the ship. Using the opportunity, the teenager crawled over to Dhad who leaned against the railing with his left hand pressed against his wound.

“Don’t look so downcast,” said the man. “This is the world we live in. The strong survive and the weak die. I was merely too weak.”

The man slid down along the railing until he was in a sitting position. He reached into a pocket and pulled something out.

“Take this!” Dhad dropped the item into Ali’s hand. “Consider this a farewell gift from me. Keep it safe!”

As soon as Ali placed the item into his pocket, Dhad’s head dropped. Ali lowered his head, saying the only prayer he knew of. Then, he found himself picked up by a big man in black robe. The man said that, if Dhad trusted him, then he was on their side. Next, the big man pulled out a gadget and pointed it upwards. Once he clicked the trigger, he and Ali were pulled into the air towards another airship. After the initial shock, Ali opened his eyes to see a dozen or so men in black robes all heading towards the airship. He also caught sight of four men carrying a box with stranger markings on the lid.

“Defensive abilities!” shouted one of the men in black robes.

Seconds later, projectile abilities came flying at them. Those too slow to activate their abilities were turned into mincemeat or ashes. Some dropped to their deaths when the projectiles hit whatever was pulling the men to the airship. By the time Ali was on the airship, the big man, the four individuals carrying a box and a handful of others made it alive. Recalling the size of the strike force that descended onto the battle earlier, the teenager could tell the casualties were high for the cult or whatever organization these men in black robes belonged to.

“Take the jewel to the safe!” shouted the big man. “We won’t let the death of our brethren go in vain!”

So many lose their lives for a jewel?

“You must think we’re crazy to sacrifice so many lives for a jewel, right?”

Ali looked down, unsure how he should answer. He then looked up when the big man burst out laughing. A minute later, only the two of them were left in the ship hangar. The big man knelt down.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Ali.”

“Where are your parents?”

“I was an orphan since I was a baby. I never knew my parents.”

“You have no family back home?”

The teenager shook his head.

“Welcome to the Dark Cult! All of its followers are your family now!” The big man offered his hand. “I’m Kasym.”