When the pilots started lowering their altitude, Edward looked out the window. They were surrounded by numerous mountain chains. Covered in rich vegetation, the colorful leaves on the seemingly infinite number of trees made for a truly mystical sight.

Ed brought his head closer to the window, trying to position himself in a way that would allow him to see below the chopper. There, he managed to catch a glimpse of a rectangular building blending between the trees, it was covered by some kind of dark reflective surface.

As they descended further, the trio heard the rumbling sound of a large mass of land moving. They saw trees move past them upwards, and when they thought they reached the ground, the pilots kept going even lower. They passed through some sort of a large circular hole in the ground. In the small windows they noticed thick metal plating on the walls, just below a thin layer of dirt.

Finally they felt the slight tremor of landing. The team heard the hum of engines quiet down, and when it seemed to stop, Marcus reached out, and slid the door open.

Their leather boots stepped on the hard surface of the landing pad. The underground hangar was lit by strong flood lights mounted on the walls. Ed only managed to catch a glimpse of the blue sky above, when the giant doors closed back up, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

As they looked around the room, a middle-aged officer approached them.

“Gentlemen, Lady, can I assume you’re the Marked assigned to our outpost?”

While Ed was shocked by such a revered welcome, Marcus took the reins of the situation.

“Yes we are, I assume you’ll be leading us throughout the facility, officer…?”

“Thompson sir, officer Thompson.”

“Well then officer Thompson, lead the way.” Marcus gestured forward in encouragement, a charming smile flashed on his face.

The group walked through the long empty hall. Since the room was underground, and only accessible from the air or from inside the facility, there was no need for it to be guarded.

The lights mounted on the walls buzzed slightly and the sound of hard soles hitting the ground echoed throughout the space. When they got to the other side of the chamber, the small door opened on its own. Ed looked towards the top-left, noticing a tiny round bump on the wall, much smoother than the jagged surface of the rocks around it. A camera no doubt, there must be a security room where they monitor everything that happens inside the base.

Edward followed after the others, and was blinded by a white reflective hallway. The bright modern corridor, with the padded walls and large LED lights couldn’t be further apart from the dark but cozy hallways of the House of Alexander that Edward was used to.

They soon reached the elevator, which was already open, seemingly waiting just for them, it was as if the building itself was leading them.

Thompson stepped inside, pushed the button for the top floor, and moved aside to make space for the others. The door closed without making a sound. The elevator hummed quietly as it sped up. Soon the door opened again, and the three Marked were greeted by a wide dark room. Some ambient lighting managed to enter through the tinted glass that made up the walls. A figure, partially obscured by the darkness, was standing in front of several large monitors. The person was conscientiously writing something down in a small notebook, while speaking with somebody on an earpiece.

The doors closed automatically behind the group, the trio noticed the absence of officer Thompson, this must be the place then…

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The figure must have heard the noise of their footsteps, because for some reason it turned around, touching the device on the ear and putting it aside.

“Welcome!” As the person walked closer, he revealed himself to be another middle-aged man, he held the notebook in one hand, and stroked his black-grey moustache with the other. The man approached Edward, reaching out for a handshake.

“I’m commander Alvis, It’s an honor to meet all of you.”

Edward squeezed his hand, and was surprised by the strength of the man’s grip. While it was nowhere near what Ed was capable of now, it was perhaps a bit too high for mortal standards in his opinion.

Alvis seemed to notice his interest, showing a friendly smile in response.

“What, did the old man manage to surprise you?”

“You’re definitely not a Marked, a warrior from the bloodline then…? If so then why did you become a commander in the military unit?”

“Hmm? What are you two talking about?” Marcus asked. He and Layle were squinting their brows in confusion.

Before Edward could say a word, the commander tensed his whole body, bringing out a sliver of golden aura. Almost imperceptible, but it was not something that could escape the heightened senses of the Marked.

“Hmm…how interesting,” Layla and Marcus said in unison.

Alvis exhaled loudly, relaxing his muscles.

“It’s nice to show off once in a while, but I’m not made for this. To explain your earlier question…” the man turned towards Ed, “...yes I can technically be classified as a warrior. But I barely survived my first and last battle as one. Unfortunately my inherited abilities were very weak. Since I couldn’t keep up with the other gifted fighters, I decided to join the military company. Overtime, when I proved good at my job, I managed to advance far enough to stand here before you.”

“Impressive story, no shame in knowing where your limits lie. And it seems to have gone rather well for you.” Marcus put on his rare serious face.

Edward and Layla nodded in acknowledgement as well.

“Thank you, it means a lot to hear that. Now let’s get to the crux of the problem…”

He turned around for a moment, and brought up a map of the surrounding area on one of the screens with a wave of his hand.

“The army of Han is supposed to arrive in about two to three days, not long I know. They’ll most certainly approach from the east…” Alvin pointed to the map appropriately. “...since the terrain is very irregular all the way around, we don’t have to worry about heavy machinery. It’s been reported that there will be two Marked leading their force.”

His face took a grave expression.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t figure out their identity, that’s the big unknown. Hopefully they’re not as powerful as you three. But just in case each of you will get an elite squad to back you up. They’re equipped with heavy caliber rifles, maybe that’ll be enough to at least distract them a bit…”

“What’s our formation and goal?” Marcus stepped closer, studying the diagrams showing on the screen.

“Are we supposed to simply hold the fort, or eliminate the enemy?” Layla looked directly towards commander Alvis.

Edward kept quiet during the ordeal. He was not yet used to such high profile discussions, at least he could understand what they were talking about, thanks to Tarquins lessons. Unsure about his standing, he decided to keep listening carefully, as to not miss anything crucial.

“Hold the fort, those are the orders we were given. But of course if you see an opportunity to eliminate one of the Marked, you should go for it. Just don’t take more risks than necessary.”

Alvis brought out his notebook, opening it somewhere in the middle.

“Marcus, you’ll be leading team Bravo, Layla team Six, Edward team Echo.”

“Ugh…why does he get the cool name?” Layla muttered silently under her breath.

“That’s all I have for you for now, thank you for your help. You’ll meet with the teams tomorrow morning. For now take a look around the place, familiarize yourself with the area. Thompson is waiting for you on ground zero. We'll talk more right before the fight.”

The commander bowed lightly, before bringing his attention back towards the earpiece on the nearby table.

In the meantime, the young warriors left towards the exit, thinking about the approaching battle.