John hadn’t known whether he meant the real cold or the fear that was in him. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I mean.” Aidan said, “Tell me how you’re feeling. I know something’s troubling you. Do you want me to teach you how to hide your mind?”

“Is it possible for a human?” John asked, sipping and savoring the hot coffee.

Aidan chuckled, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re human, vampire, or whatever it is. It all has to do with this,” he had pointed to his head; “this,” to his heart, “and that,” he had pointed to the sky, signifying the universe.

“It’s really that simple?”

Nikolas, Varenkoff, Richard, and Liam had joined them, all holding their cups of coffee. Nick said, “What’s all this talk, Aidan? Trying to teach John something spiritual, huh?”

Aidan laughed, “No. I think it might be time, that’s all.”

Nick and the other two Rebels were shocked by this, “What!”

Liam added, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Are you really sure about this?” Varenkoff asked. “It could be dangerous.”

John’s nerves tensed. “What exactly are you talking about?”

Aidan said, “Well, I’m sure you know about the Knights of the Elders. You’re still writing the book?”

“Of course.” John said.

“What book is this?” Nikolas asked.

“It’s just a history of the Vampiric Race. Aidan suggested that I start it.”

“So, what have you written so far?” Aidan asked.

“Just about the Ardemic Prophecies. I was making some detailed commentaries.”

“Well, that would help.” Aidan turned to the other four. “Looks like everyone’s waiting for a story,” he smiled, “So let me start.” He paused for dramatic effect, then began, “Long ago, before the reign of Argos, before the Markian Empire, even before the Republic that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years before that, the very first society was nomadic. There were many tribes on Migra, about a hundred and forty four thousand.”

“Interesting; this sounds like something from the Bible,” said John.

“Yes, I know. It was the same on Earth, I guess, but the first incidence was on Migra. Now, during this time there was war amongst the divided tribes. The warring factions had divided from the original twelve tribes. That was trillions of years before. At that time, according to legend, a group of twelve beings came to Migra and created us. Like you, we are humanoids. They created our DNA and what we once were. Three and a half trillion years later, the Twelve Tribes went to war with their creators. This is all recorded in the Stones of Revelation.”

“The what?” John asked.

“The Stones of Revelation. They were recorded in a very archaic language, possibly in the language of the Twelve Beings.”

“Have you seen these Stones?”

“A long time ago, yes. When I was once in my father’s study room, I saw them. They were recorded on a hundred and forty four stone tablets. They contained the Legends of the Twelve, the Creation Process, the wisdom and knowledge of the Twelve, their secrets, and of course the War that occurred. After that, the Twelve Tribes were ruled by twelve leaders.”

John was amazed by how much Aidan’s story and the Biblical stories of the Twelve Tribes and the Judges had in common. He wondered if Aidan was just borrowing stories from the Bible.

Aidan laughed, “I told you, old friend, you need to learn to veil your mind. Don’t worry about the reliability of my story. It’s true. Ask any other vampire, and they will tell you the same. Should I continue?”

“Sure,” John said. “This is definitely going to spice things up for my book.”

“John, you don’t need to add this in your book. The second part of my story that I’m going to tell you, is what you need to know, not anyone else who will read your book.”

“But the book’s going to be a secret, Aidan; you told me that.”

“For now. But there’ll be a time when people will need to know about it.”

“What?”

Aidan shook his head. “No more of this talk; let me tell you what you need to know now.” John remained quiet. “You have been with us since the beginning. We were against Anaxagoras for many millennia. You joined us only recently. But, you have proved loyal to our cause, all of you,” he said, referring to the human race, “and of course you are fighting for your own reasons as well. That’s why we want you, especially you, John, to be initiated into the Knights of the Elders.”

“We?” Varenkoff, Nikolas and Liam said at once.

Nikolas said, “Aidan, what are you talking about? You know only vampires can be a part of the Knighthood.”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Aidan said.

“Wait a minute. How did the brotherhood originate?”

“Well, it was introduced first by my ancestor, Argos I. He learned about the Stones only after he joined the Rebellion against Markos. Fabian told him about them. They were excavated in some caves in a wild desert on Migra. After learning about the History, he decided to pay homage to his ancestors by creating the brotherhood based on the Twelve Creators, and hence those who were firm in the Rebellion were initiated into it. Now, I have reintroduced it. With this initiation comes the knowledge of prophecy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and many other abilities. So I think it’s time.”

John said, “I’m honored. But are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“But we need twelve members to do it,” Liam said.

“John will need some time, don’t you think?” Dante asked, “I mean his body will not be able to take all that energy.”

“Yes, you’re right, Dante.” Aidan said. “Liam, we already have more than twelve members and this camp is filled with potential initiates.”

“But, will they agree to it?” Nikolas asked.

“That’s something we have to wait for,” Aidan said.

“So then, will I be initiated?”

“Can I be a part of it?” Richard asked reluctantly.

“Yes, you can,” Aidan said, smiling.

“This is madness,” Nikolas said, “You really think they can go for this?”

“Yes, but only if the rest agree.”

So the reason that John and Richard were not initiated was that the Rebels didn’t agree to it. It was not out of hostility, but because they thought they weren’t ready. When the right time came, they would do it.

That right time was now.

“Unbelievable!” said Alex.

“Well, you better believe it.” Nikolas stood across from him.

They were in Alex’s designated room, where he was monitored by security and cameras. Nikolas had just explained to Alex the story of the Twelve Elders, and the twelve tribes splitting into one hundred and forty four. He told him about the initiation, the story Aidan had told John and about the coming of the humans’ initiations. Nikolas was allowed free entry in and out of the Central Command Center, as he was now trusted, or rather Daniel had given him that trust. Daniel was up to something, Nick knew, because he had never seen his son so uneasy.

The story was told an hour after they landed and refreshed themselves. By the time it finished, the sun was setting. “Now I need to know more. What happened out–?”

“Wait, Alex. Not now. I’ll explain everything to you when we are alone...completely alone. For now, get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.” He patted him on the shoulder and left.

Nikolas walked to the end of the corridor. There were twenty guards posted outside, ten against each wall three meters apart, to make sure every part of the corridor was protected. He left the corridor and entered a small hall where he waited for the elevator. They were five kilometers under the Earth’s crust. The elevator beamed down and opened. It was desolate or at least that’s how Nick felt when he left the place. He thought about this day and what had happened. Hopefully, by now, John had gotten the message encrypted in the canister. It was precious because this was one way they could defeat Anaxagoras’s army. After the Last Battle and the Treaty of New York, everything the Rebels owned was to be destroyed. The only way Nikolas could ensure the safety of the canister was to keep it where no vampire could ever find it and the only place he could think of was Antarctica. He kept it with Aidan, whose body was buried there. How he managed to get it out was another story, and a very dangerous one at that.