The Calm

Karl Strauss’ army moved in loose formation through the jungles, small squads positioned less than kilometers away from one another. They operated semi independently with one goal in mind, get around the valley and straight into the heart of Haytham. A lot of them passed through the cave at which Caius and Angelica stayed on the way to the port city.

Caius was the first to notice this shifting mass of humanity. He kept still and put out the fire, he woke up Angelica and told her to be quiet, all in good time, they waited. Soon, all of the army walked past them and they both followed suit with Caius aiding the somewhat limp Angelica.

They moved as silent as a man with a limp girl beside him could be, careful not to arouse too much noise nor suspicion from the obviously agitated and angry Sakilo-Jawanians. They came across a squad who took a momentary rest, they couldn’t tell the gender of their voice nor of their body. Indeed, it was as if they blended perfectly to one another.

“Our Father, thou art in heaven…” They muttered their prayers quietly amongst themselves as they ate their food, as they cleaned their guns, as they went through their day, they prayed. They prayed and they prayed until their mouths would dry, and even after their mouths dried, they would just drink from their water and pray once more. They are fallible, still human, but there was nothing human about what they were doing, Caius thought.

They followed until they reached Haytham.

On the outskirts near Haytham was a gigantic clearing as the soldiers of Karl Strauss’ army coalesced secretly into a single point. Though as their firepit burned brightly into the night, the soldiers of Julius could not see them for they did not have any scouts nor planes to spare. Indeed, it was an ambush that only Caius and Angelica would know.

The two of them sat atop a hill overlooking the massive camp, they felt their bodies bellow to the harrowing collective prayer. From the distance, it didn’t even seem like they’d eat. Only pray, only drink water, though their movements were never weary.

In the distance, Caius saw a figure that stood in the middle of the flesh-like masses. With his arms stretched out and head raised to the sky, it seemed like a messianic figure that would be ascended to heaven. Indeed, the mass of people prayed at his feet, the feet of Karl Strauss.

With this knowledge in mind, and with the fact that they’re mere kilometers away from Haytham, Caius carried Angelica towards the port city. The port city itself was full of wounded individuals, people Caius himself met from the carrier group. Some with missing limbs, some with missing arteries, others just missing entirely. The war is cruel on both sides.

Eventually, Caius found a somewhat empty clinic tent and placed her down the mat, “I’ll be back, don’t worry,” he assured her with a tight grip on her hand, in his eyes she saw a bleak emptiness. After all, this was beyond even for someone like him.

She smiled, “I can handle myself.” Caius stood up and ran towards the carrier where he met with Agrippa. The air in the cabin of the carrier was heavy, as if every single person in there had worked overtime, the bags in their eyes ran deep. But the cyborg man in the middle stood triumphantly beyond all.

“Agrippa!” Caius ran into a hug and in a sudden, the heavy air in the room turned upside down. Not necessarily happy, they’re more relieved. Julius’ decimation is momentarily put aside.

“Caius?! Where’s Angelica?” Agrippa was surprised, of course. He just came out of the depths of the jungle, almost relatively unscathed, but he knew that the boy was different now.

“Tent A-2, but that’s not the most important part. There’s an ambush.”

*

“You’re making a mistake, Julius.” Marcus stressed in the study of Julius. He paced back and forth, thinking, thinking about the tragedy of decisions that his friend just wrought upon himself. To be in the service, willingly, known, by two of the people he so worked against.

“It is not a mistake, I have this under control.” Julius assured his most astute ally. By the circumstances presented to him, one small mistake--

“--Will kill you. Do you not understand this, Julius? You will be killed if they find out of your double crossing? What do you even have to gain for… this…” Marcus trailed off as he realized what he planned to do, “The wills…”

Julius nodded, “The wills.”

Marcus’ face shifted into a frown, only Marcus ever knew about the wills in Julius’ inner circle. Or at least, his plan with using it. From the start he knew that such a thing would only mean one thing, that Julius plans to die. But the contents of these wills were something he never really knew, just that he must keep them safe, “What is your plan, Julius?”

“Unity.” He muttered, “The unification of three empires. The Caspians, the Antediluvians, and mine.” He stood up and faced his window, seemingly contemplating his plan, “And I think you know where I’m going with this.”

“You plan to… kill yourself?”

“No! What do you think of me, a fool!?” Julius spun around and smacked his table, “I will not kill myself. Do not let anyone make you think that. No, no, I have come so far now that this plan will never fail.”

“I’m interested to hear about this then.”

“Have I told you how adoption laws work? It’s quite fascinating really, you can adopt someone posthumously, that is, after you die. And they will inherit all that you have in your name under that empire.”

“I’m not quite sure that I follow.”

Julius smiles, walks past his table, and holds the hand of his lovely friend all giddily. Marcus was surprised for a moment, indeed, this was the most excited he has seen Julius in all their years of camaraderie, “You will know friend, you will know in due time!”

Marcus gripped the shoulders of his dear friend and hugged him, he does not really know what goes on in the mind of Julius at times. Nor was he never bothered to try and know, with all the times they spent together. He knew Julius kept to himself, only ever giving orders on the spot. But he knew that despite that, he had a plan. And Marcus himself felt old and dated to be ambitious, “Then you have my word.”

“I know you do.” A single tear rolled down the eyes of Julius von Kaiser as he prepared his will, as he prepared his death.