Sitting next to the window, Edward observed his surroundings with fascination. Several serious looking soldiers protected the gate from the inside. Here and there, warriors armed with swords and spears could be seen patrolling the area. As far as he knew, there were only four Marked in their generation, so those people must have been just like he used to be. Young fighters, hoping to awaken a minor legend one of those days on the battlefield…

‘My fate has really taken a turn since that day, didn’t it…?’

They passed the small but busy military zone near the gate, and soon the environment started changing. The road curved all over the place, and elegant sidewalks appeared on both sides. Edward started seeing people dressed in casual clothing. Some were walking together and chatting, others were sitting in the restaurants nearby, There was even something similar to a shopping center further away.

“That’s why they call it a city-fortress, impressive, isn’t it?” Marcus noticed the curiosity beaming from his friend’s body language.

“Are all of these people military?” Edward asked.

“Most of them, not all. Some are families that the soldiers bring with them, others are hired to run this district's shops, restaurants and so on, often the two are one and the same.”

“Districts?”

“Yeah, the fortress is separated into three districts. The outside district consists mostly of the commercial buildings. There is also a military zone near the barrier, but it’s not separated as a distinct district. Then there is the inner district and the core one.”

“Let me guess, we’re going to the core one…?”

“Exactly, to the very center of it.” Marcus pointed towards the tall spire, towering over the other structures. “We’re going to pass through the inner district soon.”

Just as he said that, the humvee slowed down, approaching some sort of checkpoint. Edward noticed an officer giving a casual glance to the convoy, and checking something on his tablet. He didn’t make the Marked wait, immediately waving the driver over and opening the gate.

The group started rolling forward once again. The scene changed once again. The buildings got much taller, and less extravagant.

“It’s mostly living quarters for everyone stationed at the base. Although there are some offices and small shops here and there too.” Marcus pointed out several facilities with his hand.

Edward kept nodding as his friend explained all the parts of Fortress Tiberius to him. Layla kept quiet on the side, but surely listened to the conversation as well.

After passing the next checkpoint, this one a bit more strict than the last, they were finally close to their destination. They drove along numerous armored vehicles, passing large turrets, hangars filled with cutting edge weaponry, and large armored windowless buildings, until finally stopping before a grand entrance to the largest structure in the vicinity.

Ed was the first to step out from the vehicle, being the closest to the door, and waited for Marcus to take the lead. Once the trio was out, the rest of the soldiers moved the vehicles out of the way, probably going back to their stations.

“So, is everyone ready to go?” Marcus took a quick glance at his friends, waiting on his sides.

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“Sure, let’s go in,” answered Layla.

Edward nodded in confirmation as well, walking after Marcus. They passed next to two serious looking guards, dressed in clean black uniforms. The tall glass doors opened automatically before them.

The air immediately felt warmer once they entered. Ed felt something soft under his feet. The entire floor was covered by a luxurious burgundy carpet. Extravagant golden chandeliers dangled from the high ceiling.

It went without saying, both Edward and Layla felt very out of place here, standing in their tattered bloodied clothes. Still, for some reason people passed them mostly minding their own business. Maybe they weren’t such an uncommon sight after all. This was a military fortress after all. Surely it wasn’t the first time someone came here in such a horrendous state.

“Pretty cool isn’t it? Come on, I'll show you something better…” Marcus didn’t wait for the duo to take in the sights, walking through the hall straight towards the elevators.

“I can imagine what it is you really want after such a journey,” he continued as the doors closed behind them.

The elevator hummed quietly, speeding up the floors until a melodic ding sounded and it came to a gentle stop. And once the doors opened, Edward decided to always trust his firiend’s judgement till the day he died…

‘It really is everything I wished for right now.’

A dark cozy interior invited the weary travelers to rest, but most importantly people dressed in white aprons walked around the room, carrying delicious looking smoking dishes on silver plates.

“You’re amazing.” Layla stared at the food with wonder in her eyes.

“I am, aren’t I? Alright I’ll let you guys enjoy this. In the meantime, I'll explain the situation to the vice commander. He wanted to see you right away, but I thought you’d prefer something like this more.” Marcus patted the duo on the shoulders, gently pushing them inside the restaurant. He disappeared once again, and the two warriors were left standing together in silence.

“Shall we start?” Edward gestured towards the empty seats.

***

Half an hour later the two warriors were leaning back on the comfortable couches. Several stacks of platters filled the table between them. One thing was sure, none of the dishes that used to be on the table involved rabbits or any of their parts…

“Hey, I’m back. I can see you enjoyed yourselves?” Marcus appeared next to the table. “Here, go to the bathroom and put this on, I got it from the supply closet.” He threw a bundle of clothes at each of them.

“Thanks man! How did the talk with the vice commander go?” Ed grabbed the gift, lifting himself up from the seat.

“Well, as I said, he’d definitely prefer to see you immediately but was surprisingly understandable.”

Edward shrugged his shoulders. “That’s good to hear I guess.” He patted Marcus on his back, squeezing by him on the side. “Alright I’ll go put this on. I assume the restaurant’s bathrooms wouldn’t happen to have a shower?”

“Unfortunately not.” The youth answered with a wry smile.

Ed came back several minutes later. Marcus provided him with a grey compression shirt, and black sleek cargo pants. Not exactly elegant, but it fit well considering all the military personnel bustling in the building. Most importantly, it was much better than the rags he was wearing previously. He didn’t really want to try washing himself in the sink, but he did at least attempt to clean his hair. Now, loose droplets ran down his face, leaving dark spots on his chest.

“Hey, you look much better now.”

“Thanks, I feel much better too,” Edward answered.

“Good. Let’s just wait for Layla and we’ll head out soon.”

They leaned against the wall together. Their friend didn’t make them wait long. She walked out in the same type of clothes as Ed, it must’ve been a standard issue.

‘But why does she look so much better in them… How unfair. Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Get a hold of yourself Edward!’

Layla approached them. Her hair glistened with moisture, she probably came to the same decision as Ed, wanting to at least wash out the dirt from the strands.

“Alright boys… Ready to go?”