Gareth (Alexander) strode purposefully toward the stairwell leading to Level Four; behind him, five guards of his followed.
One of the guards, a younger man named Reth, broke the silence.
"Captain Gareth, I just wanted to say... we’re glad to see you’re well."
The other guards nodded in agreement. Another, a stocky woman with a scar across her cheek named Vyra, added,
"We were worried after what happened. Erick and Armen were good men. Their loss... it’s heavy on all of us."
Gareth slowed his pace for a moment, turning to face the group.
"Thank you, all of you. Erick and Armen gave their lives for a noble cause. They faced the enemy bravely, and their sacrifice won’t be forgotten."
The guards nodded solemnly, murmuring their agreement.
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As they reached Level Four, Gareth’s sharp eyes caught sight of a figure in the distance—a hunched old man with wispy white hair, shuffling along the corridor.
The man’s hands were trembling as he clutched a stack of documents, his gait unsteady. Gareth’s gaze lingered on him for a moment,
"Wait here," Gareth ordered the guards.
The group exchanged glances, but they complied without question, standing at attention as Gareth began walking toward the old man.
The elderly man noticed Gareth approaching and froze in place, his shoulders hunching further as if trying to make himself smaller.
His eyes darted nervously from side to side, and his grip on the documents tightened.
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When Gareth reached the old man, he leaned in close,
The man’s breathing quickened,
"Captain Gareth," he stammered, bowing his head slightly.
"Is... is there something I can do for you, sir?"
Gareth tilted his head,
He stepped even closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Blue-Eye," he murmured into the man’s ear; his words and tone showed that he knows the old man like the back of his hand, and any faking would not go unnoticed by him.
Old man, Blue-Eye was not inexperienced enough to not recognize such tone and behavior.
"Go to Clidhna. Tell her the words, Red Rise. She will know what to do."
The old man’s eyes widened in confusion, and he stumbled over his words.
"I... I don’t understand, sir. Clidhna? Red Rise? I..."
Old man, whose known name "Blue-Eye," shocked to hear the words coming out from Gareth.
He never expected the captain of the Blue Hope to know the name of Clidhna. That was unexpected news for all of the people, not just for the Distantias.
Gareth’s gaze hardened.
"You don’t need to understand. Just deliver the message. Now."
The old man hesitated for a heartbeat before nodding frantically.
"Y-yes, sir. I’ll go at once."
Satisfied, Gareth stepped back, watching as the man scurried away down the corridor, clutching the documents to his chest.
Gareth turned on his heel and walked back to his waiting guards,
Reth raised an eyebrow.
"Something wrong, Captain?"
"Nothing you need to worry about," Gareth replied smoothly.
"Just a minor matter to attend to."
The guards exchanged glances but said nothing further.
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As they walked, Gareth’s thoughts churned.
The name Clidhna and the phrase Red Rise were signals—coded messages tied to a network Alexander had built years ago.
Stolen novel; please report.
Alexander, now in Gareth’s body, smiled inwardly.
The old man, though clueless, would serve his purpose.
And once Clidhna received the message, she would set events into motion that would further Alexander’s control over Blue Hope.
The guards around him saw only the stoic captain they respected,
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Blue-Eye moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors of Level Three,
His steps echoed faintly against the metal floor; the hidden path he’d taken was empty, as not many people knew about it.
He reached an inconspicuous door at the end of the hallway.
The surface was scratched and weathered, the paint chipped in places, but it served its purpose well—it was easy to overlook unless you knew exactly what you were looking for.
Blue-Eye paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
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Inside, the space widened into a dark hall.
The air smelled faintly of oil and metal.
Blue-Eye’s eyes darted around as he adjusted to the change in lighting.
Rugged men, five to ten of them, were scattered across the space, lounging on crude chairs or sharpening makeshift weapons.
They noticed him immediately.
One of them, a tall, scruffy figure with a scar running down his cheek, raised his head and locked eyes with Blue-Eye.
There was no exchange of words, just a subtle nod of acknowledgment.
Blue-Eye returned the gesture, his face unreadable.
He continued forward, weaving through the group.
None of them moved to stop him.
At the far end of the hall, two guards stood in front of a brown door.
Unlike the others, these men were equipped with real weapons—sturdy blades that gleamed faintly in the low light.
The guards regarded Blue-Eye as he approached, their expressions neutral but alert.
One of them gave a slight tilt of his head, a silent question.
"Message," Blue-Eye said simply.
The guard nodded and stepped aside, opening the door for him.
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The room Blue-Eye entered was modest but well-organized.
A large wooden table dominated the center.
Shelves lined the walls, crammed with books, scrolls, and vials containing substances.
Blue-Eye didn’t care to identify.
He stood in the center of the room, his hands clasped in front of him, waiting.
A moment later, a side door opened, and a woman stepped into the room.
She was tall and slender, with sharp features.
Her dark hair was tied back tightly, and she wore a long coat that gave her an air of authority.
This was Clidhna, the figure Alexander had referred to.
She didn’t greet him immediately, instead studying him in silence for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Blue-Eye," she said finally, her voice calm.
"What brings you here so urgently?"
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Blue-Eye straightened,
"I was sent by Captain Gareth," he said, choosing his words carefully.
Clidhna’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
"Gareth? I wasn’t aware he had any dealings with us."
Blue-Eye hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
"He told me to deliver a message to you. He said, Red Rise."
At the mention of the phrase, Clidhna’s entire demeanor changed.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her posture stiffened.
She quickly masked her reaction, but not before Blue-Eye noticed.
"Red Rise," she repeated, almost to herself.
For a moment, she seemed lost in thought, her gaze unfocused.
Then she snapped back to the present, her sharp eyes locking onto Blue-Eye’s.
"Did he say anything else?"
Blue-Eye shook his head.
"No, ma’am. Just the phrase, and you’d know what to do."
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Clidhna paced the room for a moment,
The phrase Red Rise was no ordinary signal—it was a call to action.
"This changes things," she murmured, more to herself than to Blue-Eye.
She turned back to him abruptly, her expression hard.
"You did well to deliver this quickly. You may go."
Blue-Eye hesitated,
But when she gave him a pointed look, he nodded and turned to leave.
As he reached the door, her voice stopped him.
"One more thing," she said. He turned back to face her.
"Did Gareth seem... different to you?"
The question caught Blue-Eye off guard.
He thought back to his encounter with Gareth earlier,
Nothing about him had seemed unusual—at least, not to someone who didn’t know him well.
"No, ma’am," Blue-Eye said after a moment. "He seemed like himself. It is just that it is too much of a big surprise for him to know my code name and know the fact that I know you well enough to deliver you a message."
Clidhna nodded slowly.
"Very well. Go."
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As Blue-Eye left the room and retraced his steps through the hall, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just become part of something far larger than himself.
The rugged men watched him as he passed.
Once he was back in the corridors of Level Three, the weight of his task began to lift, replaced by a gnawing curiosity about what Red Rise truly meant.
But he knew better than to ask questions. His role was to deliver messages, not to understand them.
“I survived until now because I did not put my nose into the things that I had nothing to do with...”
“I shall keep doing what I have done...”
Blue-Eye thought and closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself.
Clidhna remained standing by the table, her mind racing as she considered the implications of Gareth’s message. Whatever Red Rise signaled.
“It is going to be a bloodbath, it seems.”
Clidhna thought and smiled...