Edward entered the elegant interior of an empty elevator. The button for floor eighty lit up when he pressed it. He checked himself out in the mirror lining the side wall, adjusting his hair a bit with his hands and brushing off the dust from his shirt.

‘That’s as good as it’s going to get for now…’ he thought, turning towards the door. His left foot bounced up and down. He brought his hand onto his thigh, stopping the fidgeting.

The doors slid open. The facility was clearly well attended to, since the mechanism made no noise whatsoever. A cozy marine blue lounge revealed itself to him. On the opposite side of the room stood a tall double door made out of some kind of dark wood.

Ed assumed that’s where the meeting would take place, but since he got here rather early, he took a seat on one of the leather couches. He looked around, seeing a couple other people waiting patiently as well. Shrugging his shoulders, he crossed his arms, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

His mind was blank. The only thing that existed to him were the weird shapes of light and color, dancing under his eyelids. The sound of an elevator bell, followed by numerous footsteps brought him back to reality. He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness.

He recognized Tarquin’s figure. His grey robes fluttered because of his rapid movement. He made a passing nod towards Edward, and pushed open the tall doors. The wings opened with such force, that a gust of wind rushed through his long hair. Behind him followed several officers, and at the end of the group, Ed noticed two familiar faces. He nodded upwards towards Marcus and Layla, who already noticed his expression. The duo shook their heads slightly.

‘So they don’t know anything either…’

He stood up, waiting until everyone entered the room, before joining behind his friends.

A large oval table took up most of the room. Everyone spread around, taking a seat in one of the large office chairs. Master Tarquin walked all the way to the end of the room, taking a seat at the very center of the group.

“Let’s get started. Pull up the map.” He turned towards an older officer sitting on his left.

The man nodded and started clicking his fingers on the table. Edward brought up his chin, leaning over the table slightly. Turns out, there was a control board outlined on the table. The interface was perfectly flat with the table’s surface, so most people wouldn’t notice it from a distance.

After a couple seconds, the lights around the room dimmed, the way theater lights dimmed when a movie started, and a 3d image of the surrounding area started hovering over the center of the oval table.

“Show us the forest,” vice commander Adam spoke up from Tarquins right side.

The map scaled up, rotating itself and focusing on the thick carpet of trees. The image was made up of only white light which made the forest look like a cloudy sky in Edward’s eyes.

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“We discovered a previously hidden enemy battalion.” Tarquin’s words were followed by a large dot appearing on the map. “They’re traveling slowly, trying to conceal themselves from our scanners.”

Ed exchanged a quick glance with his friends, sitting on the opposite side of the table.

“If that force joins the main group before the last wave of our reinforcements arrives… It won’t look good for us.” The vice commander shook his head.

“That’s why I’ll be leading a small team to eliminate them.” Tarquin tightened his fist. “It’s a risky plan. We need to destroy the enemy quickly and come back to the fortress before anyone notices. Edward, Layla, Marcus. I want you three to follow me.” He looked at each of his students, holding his gaze on Ed at the end.

“Yes sir.” All the heads turned towards Layla.

“Of course.” Marcus and Edward followed in turn.

“Good. We’ll be leaving this evening. Meet me by the south gate at ten.” Finished with his students, he looked at all the officers gathered around the room. “As for all of you… Monitor our opponent’s forces closely. If they show any signs of movement, inform me immediately.”

Everyone nodded.

“Is that a confirmation?” Tarquin inquired.

“Yes sir!” They spoke up in unison.

“Good, you’re all dismissed. Go on high alert and stay ready for battle.”

The holographic map disappeared, and the dimmed lights got brighter again. When the first officer started to rise up, the rest followed. Since Tarquin got engrossed in a private conversation with Adam, Edward got up as well. He followed the crowd, but stopped at the side of the door when leaving.

A moment later the two people he was waiting for walked out.

“So, what do you think guys?” Edward asked.

“Seems like something serious…” Marcus scratched his chin.

“Wow, thanks for the input Mr. Obvious, what would we do without you…” Layla rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall with crossed hands.

Marcus looked at her from under his brows, but stayed silent.

“Alright guys, let’s go already. There’s not much time left before ten and I don’t know about you but I need to prepare. It sounds like we’re going into some deep shit…”

Marcus and Layla looked at each other with serious eyes. They nodded, and Layla pushed herself off the wall, leading the trio towards the elevator. “Let’s go then.”

***

Edward walked out from a small opening in the thick gate. Marcus and Layla stepped alongside him. The trio’s breaths turned to mist in the evening air. Warm black bodysuits clung tightly to their bodies, covered only by black shorts. Marcus and Edward each carried a sword on the harness along their waist, while Layla’s went all the way around her shoulder, accommodating the imposing greatsword.

While their eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, they noticed Master Tarquin staring right at them. His black robes fluttered in the wind, hiding the outline of his figure. This was also one of the few times they trio have seen their teacher arrive before the agreed upon time.

“Good. You’re here.” He looked them over from top to bottom and nodded. “We sent out a small patrol from the north gate. The enemy’s attention should be focused on them. We’ll go around until we reach the treeline. Follow me.” His body moved before Edward registered the last sentence.

The old man’s steps somehow left no traces in the thick snow. Ed followed quickly after him, along with his companions, before Tarquin disappeared in the darkness completely.