Azina Flameheart was known as such because of her fierce advocacy of the lower socioeconomic classes in the Ruby Region’s only major city, Summerkeep. She regularly clashed with the Coalition, wealthy political influencers of the city that would propose and support policies that increased their wealth and self-interests. And because of her vigorous opposition to the Coalition, no citizen suspected her of any wrongdoing. After all, a person who would take on the enormous task of being an obstacle to their corruption wouldn’t have time for anything else.

	But as she stood at the foot of her mansion’s storage vaults, she let out a shiver, hoping to shake the part of her conscience telling her to turn back. But Azina knew it was too late to undo what had been done. She gritted her teeth and opened the door. A draft blew in from the long, dark corridor. The only thing that could be seen was a faint slit of light from under a door. Despite being able to gather different food and supplies from the vault blindfolded, the hallway felt foreign and terrifying, as if it were a completely different world. But she pulled her cloak’s hood over her head and walked toward the small light.

	Her mind raced with what to do, despite preparing for this day for her entire life. All of the rehearsed conversations, all of the justice that she had been planning to enact, all of the relief that her heart would feel. It was overwhelming, so she broke everything down and instead thought of the question that had led her there.

	When she reached the light, a cold mixture of nervousness and excitement traveled throughout her body. She pulled the heavy door open, the screeching of metal against stone filling the hallway. The sound of banging against metal, as well as muffled yelling became audible from the door to her right. She first closed the door behind her and locked the many mechanisms. Then, she walked to the door and steeled herself, thinking of the injustice that had been committed against her. Then, she slid open the tiny window on the door and peered inside. Representative Glowi peered back at her with bewildered eyes.

	“Azina! I’ll have your head when I get out of here! And trust me, I’ll be out of here soon enough. You think my associates and those under my employ won’t take notice of my disappearance? Do you think-”

	“They’ve all been paid off. Scum tends to attract scum,” Azina said. Glowi gritted his teeth so hard that she thought that they might break. He suddenly crammed his fingers through the peering window and reached for her. But she pulled her face away and watched his fingers writhe and feel for anything. He shouted in frustration and pulled his hand back.

	“What do you want? A vote? A Coalition secret? More money?” He angrily asked.

	“Back away from the peering hole to the back wall,” Azina said coldly. But Glowi stood there, his angry gaze fixed on her and defiant to the words. She reached to the metal sheet and slid it closed.