Cipher Code {complete}

Chapter Forty One: The Plan •EDITED•

October, Year 483
Battlefront
Auro
North

Corey had started to wonder what the point of it all was—the fear, the planning, the anticipation—when everything could be decided by the turn of a hand. His father's hand, the hand of a man-made god.

He still remembered the panic that had seized him a month ago when he had gotten news of Nicia's annihilation. His world had come crashing down. Five years of work rallying the people to his side, reduced to ashes in just one moment.

He had been on verge of loosing his mind. He had nearly cried.

Then to make things worse, The Order had dismissed his request for them to send priests to placate the masses and had instead encouraged those infidels preaching about 'the new end'. The information was sourced out of nowhere, and despite it being neither scriptural nor factual it was enough to whip all who heard it into a frenzy.

It took Corey all he had not to storm the New Order residence and track down his father. Instinctively, he knew that there was no way the brewing rebellion had nothing to do with his father. The tired old man seemed to have nothing better to do than to toy with his children's lives and watch the world go up in flames.

Knowing that damage control was not one of his strong suits, Corey had decided to ignore public opinion about his indifference. Instead of starting what could have been the beginning of the end for him and his career as minister, he wisely chose to transfer all the load, as well as all the blame, to his very willing vice minister.

Till now, Corey was surprised that Gideon had been the first to see through his facade as an incompetent ruler. He had always been sure of the general's capabilities both on and off the field, but he still had confidence in his own acting skills.

Logically, Gideon was too proud to take time to analyze his behavior and come to such a conclusion even if he had a hundred years to observe him.

He had to have gotten help.

Corey had no doubt his father had provided it but the why of everything still confused him. His father had set plans in motion to destroy North yet he also gave Gideon a reason to interfere, why?

The vice minister had handled the situation with The Order like he always did—with the practiced ease that came with experience. Till now the remnants of the populace were unaware that they were all that was left of North.

Missing friends, spouses and relatives were readily accounted for, excuses given when contact was attempting. The civilians were either too trusting or too gullible to not believe it.

Deceit was the only thing about Gideon's methods that rubbed Corey the wrong way, but he couldn't deny that it was effective. At the very least, it wasn't something he could have done himself.

Any other situation, he could handle. Not just that particular one. Not just Nicia being wiped out.

The way his calm had slowly crumbled the moment he started to process how to tell Dawn that the man she loved was probably dead, buried under the rubble of his own research, still scared him.

He was the minister of North, a single death shouldn't affect him to the point that he couldn't carry out his duties, but even now he couldn't help but wonder.

Had Elton been in Nicia when it ceased to exist. If he hadn't been, where was he now? Was he still alive?

Corey didn't want to think that he was dead. He couldn't.

If Elton was dead what was the point of all this strife and manipulation? What would the future look like without his best friend secretly guiding his hand?