The world watches as the treaty was signed on Global Broadcasting. A World Allied Resistance Treaty which will defend and protect Upper Gaia from the terrors of Lower Gaia’s massive military force, Phantasm.

No one was told of any plan or strategy the treaty entailed. Everyone was simply told the same.

“The strongest of men from each country would be activated to protect us.”

No one else knew the exact definition of ‘strong’. It was Top Secret X-classified. No one cared anyway. The treaty was effective. As the months passed, victories were broadcast around the world. Upper Gaia was regaining control of their land.

Soon after, the treaty was better known by its acronym, WAR.

But behind the masks of victories and triumphant waving of the WAR flag was another reality for the soldiers…

[Approximately four months after WAR was signed]

“Di¹, are you sure? Remember, this is not simulation any more…” the worried princess asked her brother. Her eyes brimmed with concern.

As the prince of the Kingdom donned his battle armour, he assured his older sister, “Jie², don’t worry about me. Just stick to the plan. I’m old enough to be operational.” His eyes were fired with resolve. “It’s time to spill some blood for my land.”

Wang Xin saw a different sight of her younger brother. Suited up in a cleverly modified traditional Chinese armour, the lightweight silk-aluminium vest protected him from knife cuts and bullets. She was in a navy-blue, slim-fit jeans and an oversized white collared, button-up shirt made of silk, tucked out to look overly casual. Her satin-like, black hair fell down to her shoulders with parted bangs to each side. Her eyes were glistering with concern, yet at the same time, they brimmed with pride. She said, “my brother’s finally all grown up.” As she fought back her tears, she walked up to her brother and hugged him tightly.

The shorter boy tried to squirm his way out of his 1.62 metres tall sister’s embrace. “Ok… Ok… It’s not like I won’t make it back… Anyway, there’s no better person to execute the mission,” he said, “Jie, I’m fifteen and you’re hugging me in front of all the everyone like I’m a little child…”

“Oh… Sorry…” Wang Xin realised that she was embarrassing her little brother in front of their high ranking officials. She released him from her embrace and took a step back. She looked up at General in full battle armour.

“Look after him, please.”

“I will, my lady. I will protect him with my life,” General Xue Wu assured Wang Xin in a low and solemn tone.

“This is a mission I feel inordinately uncomfortable about…”

“We’ve been planning this for months. Nothing must go wrong,” Urbs stressed.

“Urbs, this is war. All hell breaks loose over here…” Husker replied.

Wang Xin flashed a dangerous glare at Husker. After all, her younger brother was the only one capable of executing such a mission. The entire atmosphere sank. Every soldier in the operations room stared at Husker uncomfortably. After all, he had just cursed the heir of the Kingdom, suggesting that the mission might fail. It was a bad omen. The Kingdom did not appreciate such remarks.

Husker shifted his eyes awkwardly. “Did… I say something wrong…?” he asked timidly.

It looked as if the princess of the Kingdom was about to explode with annoyance. However, the first to speak was the Kingdom’s most decorated strategist, General Xue Wu.

He spoke in a low and calm tone, despite being offended by Husker’s remarks, “Colonel Husker, it is utterly disrespectful to make such negative remarks regarding the heir’s capabilities, especially to even suggest that he would fail in battle.”

“Oh…” Husker muttered. He was lost for words. He silently reprimanded himself for his insensitivity and frequent mistakes.

“Please do not undermine the Kingdom’s sovereignty simply because we are in your borders,” Wang Xin warned with displeasure.

“Jie, there’s no need feel insulted. We need to put away our differences and work as one unit. That is the whole point of WAR, isn’t it? I believe Colonel Husker was merely pointing out the unpredictable nature of war.”

Xue Wu nodded and added on, “that is right… The prince is indeed correct about this. We should not argue over trivial matters such as pride. We have a bigger issue at hand. I apologise for being momentarily blinded by our differences…”

“Let us proceed on with the briefing,” Urbs directed.

Husker smiled weakly at the short prince, but his eyes filled with gratitude. The prince returned a cheeky wink and mouthed the words, “she’s like that all the time…”

“Why does it seem like she’s only making life difficult for me…?” Husker thought.

The computer beeped once again, prompting for verification.

“Three Codex verification required.”

The three colonels took turns to type in their designated Heaven’s Command identification. They then slotted their almost transparent jadeite slab into an intricate device. The machine gave a distinct lock sound, verifying the authenticity of the Jadeite slabs by a two-prong approach – certifying the quality of the jadeite and the exact imprint of the ankh symbol on the imperial jadeite.

Each Jadeite was handcrafted, made to be one of a kind. The interior of the machine was specially designed out of silicon, with the ability to detect the slightest curves and edges of the precious gem. When the jadeite was placed into the cradle, the silicon would mould itself around it to verify the exact dimensions of the object. This way, no one could replicate the shape and design of any jadeite if the machine was stolen.

The machine gave off red lights on its sensors. After thirty seconds, the machine blinked green.

“Jadeite verified. Colonel Harrold Husker of the Hustlers, Colonel Arnold Urbs of the City Hunters and Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Footes of the Rangers present.”

The small room they were in was pitch black. Monitor screen flashes were their only source of light. With the device planted in the middle of the room, the three commanders lined up horizontally behind the machine, facing a large screen propped up on the wall.

They called the room “The Codex Lockdown”, meant to be totally isolated and impenetrable. Only Heaven’s Command could utilise this room for communications and operations.

“Establishing secured network.”

After ten beeps, General Warrington gazed back at them through the large central monitor.

“Status report.”

“Final phase of Operation Turnover will commence at twenty-two hundred hours. Since the uncoding four months ago, we have laid the foundations for this final battle.”

“The Rangers would be the main force this time, heading for Opolla’s main gates. My troops are well-prepared for the onslaught,” Footes reported confidently.

“As Tian Long is covertly inserted into the dropzone, my Delta Squad will provide cover and urban intelligence for them. According to our intelligence, we believe the central stocks exchange and central bank are in the far south of the city. We need the prince of the Kingdom to pierce into their heartlands for him to do his magic.”

Warrington nodded once before saying, “what do you know about Prince Wang Xia’s powers?”

“The prince himself explained that his power would cause Phantasm to enter a depressive state. They didn’t want to share much, but they are confident that it would cripple the enemy forces enough for us to take control of Opolla once again,” Footes reported.

Warrington observed that his two prised commanders were unusually silent.

“Husker, Urbs. Anything else you might want to add?”

“The reason why Phantasm chose to invade Opolla bugs me… I’m worried we might already be too late…” Urbs commented.

Warrington remained emotionless.

Urbs continued, “Opolla is a habour. I approved the blueprints sixteen years ago. It’s location is extremely strategic. I can’t help but wonder why Phantasm required a central harbour. They might be planning something. It’s been six months since Opolla fell to them. They might have already achieved their aim…”

“Which is why we need to take control of it as soon as possible. I took a hard time convincing parliament to approve this mission myself. I too fear that it might be too late.”

Husker was still deep in thought.

“What about you, Husker?”

The scrawny bespectacled man gazed at the screen. He paused for a while to organise his thoughts.

“Sir, another thing has been troubling me as well. We’ve heard rumours that many camps along the west coast have been eliminated by a rogue force. I’ve sent my best scout team to gather intelligence regarding this for fear that our mission might be compromised by this unknown resistance. But they concealed their identity and movements extremely well. Intelligence from my sources claims that these ‘ghost combatants’ are extremely skilled and ruthless, exterminating everything in their way. Even my best scouts could only get hold of one name. They call themselves ‘The Nightstalkers’.”

“Husker, that’s worrisome news… When was this discovered?” Footes asked.

“Approximately four months ago… If we have plotted their route correctly, I believe their next target would be nearby. This is what worries me…” Husker explained nervously.

The General brushed his worries away.

“Husker, just focus on this last mission. This ‘rogue force’ you have mentioned is not your priority.”

“Yes, sir,” Husker muttered dejectedly.

“I wish you all success. HQ Command will be observing the operation as well.”

After he finished his sentence, the three colonels saluted the Lieutenant General. The secret status report from Heaven’s Command had officially concluded.

His digital watch was precise to the very second. The inexperienced Wang Xia could not conceal his apprehensiveness. He could not keep still. Beads of cold sweat trickled down. Clasping his trembling hands together would not warm them up.

But of course. This was Wang Xia’s first official battle. He could not fail his first mission, nor his country. Out of all the reasons Wang Xia could think of to justify his trepidation, one would suffice — the prince was only fifteen years old.

Back in the Kingdom, boys his age were skipping school for LAN³ gaming centres and going out on their first dates. No normal child would be trapped in battlefields discussing war strategies. At a young age, he was educated in politics, humanities, sciences, social sciences and war tactics. Despite all the knowledge the best scholars tried to impart to Wang Xia, he excelled most in finances. This young boy had a bright future ahead of him. An accountant or an analyst. Best of all, he was the heir to the Kingdom’s throne. No one would have thought that the prince, born with a silver spoon, would volunteer to be on the battlefield to protect his land.

Yet here he was, despite the Emperor and his advisors’ fervent reluctance. He had studied war strategies intensively for the past year and practised in countless simulations.

The time on the digital watch changed. It was exactly 9.45pm. He exhaled, sprung up and exited the commanders’ preparations room.

It was time.

“Shen⁴, smile upon me,” he chanted.

Wang Xia had requested God for power as equals. In the Kingdom, the emperor was worshipped as God on earth. Prince Wang Xia was due to inherit the throne. In the Kingdom, only the emperor and his children had the right to address God as equals. But currently, he was revered by another name. The Kingdom worshipped him as the God of Wealth.

Prince Wang Xia was a living god with powers commoners could only wish of in their dreams. The God of Wealth was an apt title for the one who would inherit the land of gold.

In the basement which became his living quarters ever since he was confined,

Cardinal Kolv’ka slouched on a cushion couch. He was in a conversation with another gentleman, also sitting down, right leg crossed to his left stylishly, his black top hat placed on the coffee table and his walking cane leaning on the arm rest he was in.

The brightly lit basement was nothing like its original furnishing. The underground cell had been revamped into a cozy living area topped up with a forty-five inch Blu-ray Television set plastered to the wall and a portable air-conditioner to cool down the room.

“Whatever plans you have for Opolla, you are going to fail…” Kol’ka cautioned his acquainted aristocrat of British descent as he stared at the porcelain cup in his hand.

Edward Elliot raised his cup and took a sip of freshly brewed English tea from the finest china. His hands were still covered by white gloves.

“Oh? Why do you say so?”

“Because Phantasm and her Overlords are stronger than you can ever imagine…” Kolv’ka revealed, “Overlord Slandarma’an was merely playing with you. He enjoys it.”

“He is one sadistic man.”

“Sadistic is an understatement…” Kolv’ka scoffed, “he’s a maniac…”

Elliot did not seem surprised by the news. He took another sip of tea.

“Hmmmmm…” Elliot hummed, “how do you defeat a maniac?”

“You can’t.”

A pompous smirk replaced the serious expression on his face. Elliot looked at Kolv’ka straight in the eye. He leaned forward and whispered very softly, so soft that the secret would be blown away by the slightest wind, “you lock him in with another maniac. Or the worst of all, with the epitome of all evil…”

The prisoner-of-war locked eyes with Elliot.

The last phrase floated past his ears and disappeared the next second as Elliot completed his sentence.

“The Devil…”

Elliot’s words struck Kolv’ka hard, though it was just a mere whisper. With the cackling of fire at the fireplace, they continued to drink their tea in the comfort of a military protected camp in Odina Zone Two, far from the Central Forward Operations where the Heaven’s Command were preparing for war.