October, Year 483
Forest of Lacau
State of Nicia
North

. . .Come with me, or your brother dies.

On hearing those words Edythe suddenly felt like screaming. But every word she could think of choked her.

The unsaid sentences stabbed into her lungs and drew numbness into her limbs. She shook from a mix of hate and rage. Unspeakable profanities danced around her mind, but before she let loose Edythe took a second to consider what her mother would say.

She would tell me to. . . The nine year old took in deep breath. She would tell me to think and stay calm.

Think.

Edythe tried, but she couldn't picture it—a world without her brother. It just didn't make any sense. It never did.

It didn't seem possible that there could be a time when she would lose Esau forever. She had never thought of that.

He could be dead already.

Until now, Edythe had always linked her future—any future that she could ever live in—with her brother's. Marriage, school, jobs. . .  Why had she always thought that they could be together forever?

Why had she been lying to herself all this time?

Why can't I protect him? She would rather have the man kill them both than have to choose. There was no choice to make in the first place.

But, how dare he? Edythe glared into the fog below then at the gloves clutched between her fingers.

"What if I can't choose?" Finally, she set her eyes on the man in white and he flashed her a slow, dashing smile.

Ignoring his obvious satisfaction, she continued, "what will you do?"

He let out a quiet and restrained laugh then played with his ivory cufflinks as though his actions were an answer of their own. Without haste he turned his hands over and preened himself, letting Edythe understand that he was toying with her.

He was the one in control now, he showed her.

"You really don't value your brother's life, do you?" His voice was filled amusement, and she flinched.

Edythe seemed to have lost the upper hand—if she ever had it.

Maybe you don't appreciate your life. A small voice in her head hissed in reply and Edythe was reminded of her experience moments ago, when the man had predicted her actions—almost as though he had seen into her mind.

A trickle of sweat burned down her cheek. It traced a path in blood along the wound that had been slashed into her skin when she had been too concerned about Esau to notice. With the pain came realization. Edythe finally accepted that she wasn't in peak condition anymore. She was injured and her wounds were exposed to the fog.

She couldn't fight off the man, much less kill him. Not anymore at least.

For the first time in a long while, she was outmatched—and it showed with every moment that passed.

"You're threatening me with his death?" She got up cautiously and shook her head. Her eyes shimmered blue with all traces of amber gone. "It's like asking someone if they preferred suffocation to drowning. It's the same difference."

"Should I assume that you have made your decision?" The wind ruffled the man's platinum hair and he took a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe away the blood that remained on his fingers.

Edythe winced, a part of her acknowledging the fact that some of that blood was hers.

She restrained herself from reaching to the spot on her neck that burned like a fresh brand. Instead she let all her anger fade away in accordance with her mother's teaching. "I have."

The most important thing right now wasn't her, and it wasn't Esau either. It was this man that had been watching them, the man who knew their mother. If she and Esau managed to find their parents then everything would be fine. They would be complete again—as a family.

But Edythe couldn't afford to go with the man that had no name. Doing that would destroy Esau on the inside, he would blame himself until he did something stupid. And being the reason for his pain would kill her.

But she couldn't not go with the strange man. That would also kill Esau. . . literally.

What should I do?

Deep down she really hoped Esau could handle himself, but she also didn't want to be the reason he would be in danger. Nothing seemed to be a solution, both decisions ended in the same result but she couldn't sacrifice her brother just for a chance to see her mother.

"So, what do you choose?" The man seemed to have regained his patience now but Edythe didn't know yet if that was a good thing or not.

"I'll go with you," as she spoke, she rubbed her wrists and lowered her eyes, hoping the man would buy the act, even if he could read minds.

As much as she loathed telling lies, Edythe would do anything to see Esau against . She couldn't leave him alone and she couldn't die either. If she didn't kill this man then the one person she cared about would be sad.

Esau would cry. . . She could almost taste his tears and they already stung her eyes.

Edythe tried to hide away her plan, burying it in the midst of her other depressing thoughts.

When she felt a hand brush her cheek, she stayed still. Contrary to how she truly would have acted, she didn't move or jump away. Instead, she focused on settling her galloping heart. It hammered against her ribs and pounded in her ears.

Blood rushed to her face and suddenly Edythe was filled with a strange bubbly energy.

"Good girl," the man whispered above her head in an almost fatherly tone. "I knew you would do the right thing."

"The right thing," she repeated quietly and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. The gold in his irises had faded back into it's usual crimson and Edythe felt emboldened, brazen enough to do what she knew could get her killed. "What will happen to Esau?"

"He would be spared." he answered simply and she tried to smile.

"That's good."

Edythe let out a breath of relief and fiddled with the objects in her hands, the little pebbles that she had slipped out of her sleeves unconsciously, like she had been taught. They were pellets of poison, toxins that her mother had concocted before she had. . . left.

The dose in her hands complimented the one she had coated her daggers with. If the man in white inhaled just a breath of it he would die.

The only problem was. . . Edythe wasn't immune to the poison, and she didn't have an antidote.

†〰†

Two a.m
October, Year 483
Auro, Capital city
North

In under a second, two thousand and eighteen feet had arrived and fallen into formation at the two towering pillars that served as Auro's gates. The soldiers started a march towards the capital building the moment their boots met concrete. They made their way past abandoned buildings to the the center of the city.

Leading the battalion up in front were Corey, Richard, Edward—and the six armed guards that watched  them like hawks.

The two lords and the minister were dressed in reflective armor that not only served as a protective layer but as camouflage. The silky material glittered faintly under the moonlight, reflecting sparkling hues of soft blue before consuming the light completely. The three men blended with the dark like they were made of shadows themselves.

With no incidents, they reached the spot that had been indicated on the map of the capital. There was no difference in the environment, no signs of a battle or a military base. The soldiers were faced with nothing but darkness.

But there should be a camp around here. Corey held up his gloved hand to stop the halt the men behind him.

He glanced around then sighed. There was no hint of light anywhere, and if he didn't know any better he would have thought that he had received the wrong coordinates.

"Well," Lord Maudlin clicked his tongue and slicked back his hair as his eyes danced around the empty area, "I was expecting a battlefield."

Corey shot the man a warning glance. "Well, you're not exactly taking a stroll in your garden, are you?"

Edward returned the look and stepped between the minister and Richard. "Is there a difference?"

Corey glared at the older man but held his tongue. Despite having the highest rank in this group he was still one of the youngest present—and only one hundred men in the battalion, the soldiers he personally trained, were okay with that.

He couldn't afford to have Lords Maudlin and Estell against him right now. They were the only other people that had the power to subdue the men if a riot were to break out.

He was aware that despite the urgency of the situation this was the perfect opportunity for his enemies to discredit him, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

Deciding to end this entire affair as fast as possible, he walked forward a few steps.

"Lord Balfour, bring down the shields. . ." he squinted at the spot in front of him for a moment. He had noticed the flickering wall the moment it had appeared and had to pause to confirm it's existence.

"Corey?" A quiet voice asked from behind the wall, and he let out a sigh of relief.

So the camp is still there.

"Yes, it's me."

The wall came down at his words, lights bursting out into the night from the sudden reveal. The sudden illumination nearly blinded the troops that stood behind him.

Corey starer at the camp—the temporary housings and structures that blocked off the rest of the road he stood on—and held his hand over his eyes.

He knew that it was impossible for this area to be so dark, especially when a man like Alex Balfour was the one in charge. This sort of over the top planning was just like him. Everything he did reeked of careful planning and extravagance.

"Corey! Corey!" an excited voice shouted as he walked through the shield, and Corey tried to hide his smile at the sight of the short bundle of clothes that ran at him.

"Alex," he fell to one knee and greeted the girl that came to a stop in front of him, "how is your father?"

The girl pouted and threw her arms around the minister's neck. "I came all this way just for a chance to see you and you ask me about my father."

"My apologies," Corey began what he knew would be a long string of compliments to appease the girl, but then a cough broke his train of thought.

"Would you care to introduce us?" Richard asked with the corners of his mouth creased up in a playful smile. "Just who is this stunning young lady?"

Alexandria laughed and detached from Corey briefly to give him a quick salute. "I'm Alex Balfour, and you are?"

"Alex Balfour is the Lieutenant General in charge here," Edward stated with narrowed eyes. "Impersonation is a criminal offence."

The girl turned a blind eye to the Lord and focused on Corey. "Here's your package," she took a step back and held up a large envelope, "you can set up your office in the third tent by the right of mine."

Corey flashed her a smile and took the envelope. "Thank you."

Alexandria beamed at him then scampered away, but not before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"What was that about?" As the Corey stood up, Lord Maudlin raised the question that was probably on all the minds of the men waiting behind him.

"She and I were almost engaged last year," Corey said quietly and tore open the seal on the envelope.

"What?" the lord gaped at him. "She looks ten!"

"She's twelve." Corey said and after a moment of thought shifted his attentions to Lord Estell. "Why so quiet?"

"What's in the envelope?" The Prime Lord asked back, his gaze hard.

"Nothing," Corey chuckled and poured the contents of the package onto his palm, "see?"

He held up the closed pocketwatch in his hand by the silver chain that looped around it.

"What is that thing?" Edward narrowed his eyes at the device. He sounded in between disgust and curiosity.

"A watch." Corey answered but was only met with blank gazes.

"A timepiece." he clarified with a smile and closed his palm around the artifact.

Richard snorted. "Is it a present from your little lover?"

Corey let out a dry laugh then turned to the rest of his men. "Settle in boys, you're welcome to feel a home. And yes, that is an order."

"Come on, Edward," Lord Maudlin walked around the minister and pulled his friend along with him, "let's find a bar. . . and some girls."

"Richard!" Lord Estell did not resist the younger man's tugging but still chastised him with a frown, "I am married."

"Then you definitely need a drink." Richard laughed, and slowly the conversation was drawn far away from Corey, disappearing behind the walls of what could have been a club.

In a matter of minutes he was left alone. All the soldiers he was meant to command were now scattered across the camp. With a quick glance around Corey confirmed that there was no one left with him—even his bodyguards had vanished.

So he gave himself permission to relax, knowing that soon—before the sun would rise again—there would be a war to fight.

When all the chatter around him dissipating into nothingness, he finally turned over the silver watch in his hand. He used his thumb to brush over the two letters that had been engraved into it's paint—Cc.

Corey couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. Finally, things were going to change.

He was going to do the one thing he had set out to do ever since he took up his position as minister.

He was going to decipher the very thing that scholar claimed kept the earth running. He was going to break the Code.

With a wide grin he flipped open the cap that closed over the face of the watch.

Operation Cipher is complete. In Dawn's barely legible scrawl, the words had been stamped onto the inside of the lid.

"So now, after the Code's destruction," Corey reached into the envelope and pulled out the book he had left inside, the book that would save humanity from complete annihilation, "is Revelation."

He traced the words along the top of the book's cover.

The third and final instalment of the sacred books, the missing part of the scripture, the Book of Revelation had been recovered at last.

He now had the book that spoke of time before, time that is and time to come. What war could faze him when he found out what the future held in store for Earth?

†

So, yeah. This chapter was a bit boring, but look at that—Corey is the reason for this book! Cipher Code is obviously book one in the Code series (guess how many there would be?)

And Edythe. . . there are a lot of death flags going off around her.

Question of the chapter

What do you think is inside the Book of Revelation?