The Code Chronicles

Ah, come in, come in. I see you brought your bible. Good, good. You best get used to keeping it with you wherever you go.

Let’s do away with formalities. If all goes well, by the end of the day we’ll be much too close for handshakes.

Please have a seat. Would you care for some wine? I Turned it just this morning. Excellent. No, I insist. I’m quite capable of pouring a drink. I don’t feel nearly as old as I am. …There you are.

Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I know everything there is to know about you. I know your past, and I can see your future. I can hear your thoughts and look into your heart. And I invited you here today to prepare you for your destiny.

Please don’t interrupt me. I know you have many questions about The Code. All in good time, all in good time. Time, you will soon find, we have in plenty. No, let us not begin with the question, What is The Code? And begin instead with a simpler question. Who am I?

I have been known by many names. In the year of our lord, 890, I went by the name Formosus the Good Looking, Keeper of the Code, but in this day and age, I much prefer to be called Mo. To my knowledge, I was the first Apprentice of the Code, and remain to this day the youngest, Chosen at the mere age of seven. On that day, I died and was reborn a new person.

Shortly after that, my Master was killed on a cross, and I was left to stumble on my own, in search of the Code. Luckily, after three days, my Master returned to teach me the most important Lines of Code—Eternal Life, Salvation, and Divination. He showed me how to find hidden Lines and Decipher them. And he warned me never to Transcribe the Code or it would surely be stolen. Then after three days, my Master died again, for the final time, and I was truly on my own.

For 800 years, I searched for Lines of Code. Each discovery was an exciting and mysterious puzzle that sometimes took years to Decipher. You see, finding a Line was the easy part. Then, with no clue as to what would happen, my task was to Translate the Code. Sometimes I was lucky, and I found a Line that required no Components. Simply Translate. But more often than not, the Line needed Components, some material—water, dust, fire, breath—something solid to complete the Alchemy.

I see you’re eyeing my robes. Yes, as you are clearly wondering, each pocket holds a Component. There are over a hundred pockets here, and each has the potential to create or destroy. You need only speak the correct words and offer the correct Component. I soon learned to keep the Components close when I was Translating. Imagine my reaction when, after five years of attempting to Translate a Line of Code, I finally thought to add water. I had been expecting something truly spectacular, truly powerful, but instead, when I offered the water and Translated the Code, I Turned water to wine for the first time.

Where was I? …Ah, yes! 800 years. Finally, after 800 years, I discovered the Line of Code I had been seeking. For you see, ever since my Master had Chosen me, I had been truly mesmerized by the thought. What had compelled him to Choose me? Why had he broken the Laws of the Code and brought me back from the dead to be his Apprentice? Surely he had used some Line of Code, perhaps related to the Divination Equation which allows the Translator to see into the future. And so, finally I discovered that Line. Providence, the Equation of Fate.

At the time, I was living in Rome, studying my bible in a quiet corner of town. I Spoke the words and instantly saw what can only be called the Threads of Fate. They shoot out of people, interweaving with each other in complex patterns, holding us together. And the stronger the Thread, the stronger the Fate. Imagine my intrigue to behold the strongest Thread came from my own chest, the other end disappearing into the distance. I had to know with whom I shared this powerful Thread of Fate.

I was off at once, following the Thread as if it was as ordinary as any other path through the park. The Thread led out of town. The quest to discover my Fate would be quite a journey indeed. It took me through many towns, across many countries, into feuding lands that might now be called France. I was lead to the royal palace.

Come now, don’t look so bored. This has more to do with you than you think.

At this time, it seems pertinent to share some things with you. Until that moment, I had believed Providence to be a Line of Code needing no Components. I had Used the Line many many times in my long journey, and upon arriving at the royal palace, I was shocked to discover that I no longer resembled the young boy that had been brought back from death over 800 years past. I had aged for the first time, with each utterance of the words that kept the Threads visible. What only amounted to days with each Use had accounted for years of time. I now resembled a young man of perhaps eighteen years. Never had I imagined that my youth could be a Component. Alas, I was naïve. I proceeded, ever the more determined to glimpse my Fate, convincing myself that it was fitting to appear older, wiser, to no longer resemble the child I had once been.

Using the Code to deceive for the first time, I ventured into the palace unseen. It did not take long for me to locate my prize—a royal prince of perhaps eleven years. I allowed my Cloak to dissolve, and our eyes met instantly, much the same way you and I shared our own meeting earlier today. At once, the boy knew that there was something special about me, something powerful drawing us together. Powerful indeed. I had journeyed far for this moment. Eager to begin and too foolish to consider the consequences, I made the young prince my apprentice.

What happened to my princely apprentice, you ask? That is a long story. Charles was his name. At first, Charles was amazing. Only a boy, he was curious, eager to learn, and moldable. But as time passed, Charles began to change.

For Charles wanted to be king. He was the youngest of three sons, and the political scene at the time was unpredictable. The country was often on the brink of revolution. At first, it was only simple Lines of Code, harmless really, and always in secret. Our safety depended on the secrecy. But as time passed, Charles began to use the Code for political gain, against my wishes. For you see, it was not enough for Charles that he would live forever, never go hungry, and had all the knowledge of the world at his fingertips. He wanted power over people.

I can remember the exact moment I began to regret choosing Charles. The day he killed his own brother and made it look like a freak hunting accident. I asked him to repent, to abandon his mad plan to take the throne, but he would not.

Against my better judgment, I left Charles. I could no longer stand to look at him, and he would not heed my words. I took what I could from him and returned to Rome, but I knew in my heart that Charles was no harmless boy. He had become a man, and he knew much of the Code. I took comfort in knowing that I did not teach Charles the three most powerful Lines of Code, and I did not teach him how to find and Translate new Lines. Charles would grow old and eventually die.

In fact, I had kept many things from Charles out of my own pride. I alone knew that the Code was hidden in the pages of the Bible, and I remain to this day the only one who knows how to find it. I truly believe this is the only reason why I am still alive.

Why did I tell you that the Bible holds the secret, you wonder? As I said before, I can see into your soul. Never have I met someone with such pure, good intent. By the end of today, I intend to show you how to find the Lines of Code.

If all goes according to what I have Seen, by the end of the day, you will be the Keeper of the Code.

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~ACSutliff