A Chance

“Ember!” A voice screamed at the woman lacing up the boots of her armour.

Ember looked up; her crimson eyes swept the area and saw no one. Ember sighed as her gaze returned, and she continued with her boots. Despite the lack of a presence connected to the voice that sounded, Ember did not seem not surprised.

“Don’t Ignore me!” The voices thundered, “you can’t go through with this!”

“Then, what do you suggest?” A soft but firm voice answered back.

“Ember, two wrongs don’t make a right…” A silence descended in the tent.

“If you go through with this, you’ll just prove everything they said about you was right,” the voice continued desperation growing in its tone. Ember grabbed a roll of bandages and started wrapping her callous and scarred hands.

“You’re giving them a reason to attack!”

'Bam' a fist slammed down, and silence ensued.

“They were attacking before this! Don’t for one second pretend, you didn’t see what was happening before.” Ember scowled before walking towards a black spear mounted on the wall. It was an exquisite spear- its entire body black even the blade. The only other thing on it was a hard to make out inscription on its shaft.

“Law, Order, Equality?!” Ember scoffed as she grabbed her spear.

“You can live in that lie all you want, but you have no right to question my actions until you understand why I’m taking them.”

"That's the problem! I don't understand why you are doing this," the voice sounded exasperated, which earned a sigh from Ember.

“You can’t even face me.” Ember chuckled as a sadness reflected in her eyes “You talk like you’re on my side, but you stay in your world and never step into mine.”

Ember waited, but there was no reply. She looked down at the blade of her spear. In it a woman with silver hair and black skin. Her crimson eyes that showed signs of wavering soon turned firm.

Ember looked up again and started walking toward the tent flap. Suddenly, a sprout sprung up in her path right before the entrance. The sprout grew and morphed at a shocking pace, until it turned into a beautiful woman with Ivy green skin, and even more beautiful emerald flowing hair.

“Ivy…”

“Ember, the other forest elementals are too powerful, they control the land you stand on! Don’t you get it- you’re fighting a losing battle.” Ivy grabbed Embers shoulders tightly as if afraid she would slip out of her grasp and disappear forever.

“Ivy- “

“Listen to me, your home is in my part of the forest. You can stay there, and I can keep you safe.”

“Ivy!” Ember clasped her face as she stared into Ivy’s trembling eyes, her own were clouded with grief and disappointment. "If I don't hide in your world, then what?”

“But, but-” Ivy stammered out with a shaky voice.

“Your clan never wanted us to all be just elementals: there's a mould, and unfortunately, we don't fit." Ember turned around and reached for the tent flapped but paused.  Someone had grabbed her wrist.

Ember looked back and saw Ivy’s face covered in tears. “How can you say that? When have I asked you to be anything but yourself? Stop acting like you have no place in the forest!”

Ember removed the hand, grasping hers and said “Ivy, you were born into a land that was made to give you an advantage. Your powers only help further that advantage but the rest of us? We were also born with talents no less than yours, but this land your clan has moulded doesn't tolerate the basic existence of our power!" Ember responded with a hoarse voice.

“That’s not true. How does my clan live any different from yours?” Tears continued to drop out of Ivy’s eyes.

“Stop acting like you don’t see it. This forest was made to shun us, be wary us, fear us! We’ve had enough. Your clan acts like the forest would be better off without us!” Ember’s eyes had turned red at this point, “but can the forest thrive without the warmth of fire elementals or can life thrive if the old does not give way to the new?”

“Your power is dangerous, and your clan has used that power wrongly before. You can’t blame them for being a little bit wary.” Ivy’s voice grew weaker, and her eyes looked lost.

“This has gone well beyond wary. Fire elementals only seek to burn and destroy? Dark elementals are a living plague? It's in our nature? It's in our history? They use the same excuses to justify our deaths but look at each situation. Did it have to come to that?”

“Ember, I would never think that of you, I know you. Whether you’re a dark elemental or not doesn’t change anything.” Ivy reached out her hand again, but this time Ember avoided it.

"You know me, but what about the others in my clan?” Ember’s voice was cold as she said this, but her reddened eyes betrayed her sorrow.

“I don’t think about any of them that way.” Ivy looked at her empty hand and felt a loss.

“You don’t, but there are many that do.” Ember looked away.

“Ember you can’t change the way people feel about you.”

“So, I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing. Would you be able to say that if the one that died was me?” Ember retorted.

“Ember that’s different- “

“How?! Tell me how that’s different?” Tears finally slid out of Ember’s eyes.

“I, I- “

“Ivy, dark and fire elementals are being killed for no reason at all. The glass was full a long time ago, it was just a matter of time before it cracked.”

Ivy paused. She had felt something hit the ground, and it left her frozen in place. She was facing Ember’s back, so she hadn’t noticed, but she finally realized; Ember was crying. Ivy had never seen Ember cry before, so much so that when she saw Ember’s eyes redden, she assumed it was from anger. Ivy looked at Ember’s back that had always seemed so large, but today, it felt so much smaller. Finally, she sighed.

“You’re really going?” Ivy’s voice was bleak.

“It’s not just me. Light, Water, Fire, Dark and even some Forest elementals are joining the cause. Too many people know that this is not right. And deep down, I know you know it too.”

“Ember.”

“I won’t ask you to fight this battle with me but, stop making excuses and see the situation for what it is.” With that, Ember exited the tent.

A voice travelled into the tent after Ember had left, "If I see you again hopefully, it would be in a better tomorrow.”

Ivy felt the warmth of the words tickle her ears, and her legs gave out as she crumbled to the floor.