6AM November 8th, 1587 - Horb, Holy Roman Empire But I am writing this for you. This introduction will serve as a summary of everything we have learned since the Beans first attacked. Much of this information may be common knowledge to anyone who finds this, five, ten, one hundred years from now, and therefore worthless. If that is the case, I am sorry I was unable to assist you.

Krause was pulled from her dream by a frantic knocking at her door. As she opened her eyes, she saw her husband getting up to answer the door, lit by the faint early morning light. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she heard a woman at the door. “Good morning Henry, is Jules there— I need to speak with her.”

Her daughter was crying in her crib.

“Loretta?” Henry replied. “What’re ya doin’ here so early?”

“I really need to talk with Jules. It’s important.”

“Hey, Jules, ya awake?” Henry called into the cottage. “It’s Loretta, she wants ta talk ta ya ‘bout somethin’… ‘portant.”

Krause groaned a reply as she got out of her bed. She noticed Loretta in the doorway, outlined by the sky behind her; a deep shade of purple, the rising sun providing the countryside with just enough light to see. Krause yawned, stretching. “I’ll be right there.”

Henry moved towards the crib. “I’ll get this lil devil back ta sleep while you ladies talk.”

Loretta remained in the doorway. Her voice was tense. “I think it would be best if we went for a walk. We might— we might be talking for a while.”

“What’s this ‘bout?” Henry asked, returning to the doorway with Annemarie in his arms. “The sun ain’t even up. If something’s wrong, we can—”

“It’s—” Loretta interrupted him. “It’s about one of our friends. That we meet on Wednesdays. It’s about something private— I don’t want to say any more about it to you, Henry. Sorry— I just have to talk to Jules.”

“Are ya sure I can’t do anythin’ ta—”

“Yes, Henry, I’m sure. Thank ya, but it’s alright— Julia will know what to do, I’m sure.”

Krause had gotten her shoes on and was standing behind Henry. Their daughter had stopped crying, but she still wriggled restlessly in her father’s arms. He moved aside. “Don’t go too far. It’s dark, ya could hurt ya ankle in the cabbages.”

“We’ll be careful,” Krause replied, following Loretta outside. She closed the door behind her, glaring at Loretta’s back as she led them deeper into the countryside.

They walked east from the cottage in the general direction of Horb. The nearest neighbor was a kilometer away, so once they were out of view of Krause’s cottage, they would be completely alone.

The dark purple of the sky was getting lighter as the sun rose in front of them, accented by wispy, deep blue clouds. Krause could faintly see the stars as they began to fade into the early morning sky. It had been a long time since she had been outside this early, probably before her daughter was born. The air was chilly, but not quite cold enough to be uncomfortable.

She took a deep breath, the crisp air filling her lungs.

She realized that she was wearing the necklace Henry had given her. She must have forgotten to take it off before she went to sleep the night before. She ran her finger over the ruby in the center, which calmed her down, but only a little.

Loretta was silent. She glanced anxiously back towards the cottage every few moments, as though she was afraid of being overheard, which Krause found amusing. It wouldn’t matter if they were overheard now.

She slowed to a stop among the cabbages. She turned to face Krause, a few meters between them. “They’ve— the Beanmeister has started advancing.”

The sun was rising behind her, bathing her face in shadow. Krause stared at her, despite the glare of the sun.

“It’s not safe for us here anymore, Jules. Ya should get your family and head east.” She sighed. “I know ya believe what they tell ya— I know that ya’re doing this to keep your family safe— but if ya don’t get Henry and Annemarie out of here as soon as possible, they’re going to get hurt.”

Krause continued to stare at her.

A hint of anger entered Loretta’s voice. “Do ya— do ya not believe me? Is that it? Do ya trust them— the Beanmeister— more than ya trust me?”

“Is that what you came all the way out here to tell me?”

“Yes, I came to tell ya that ya’re in danger. Ya need to—”

“How did you find out?”

“Isaac told me, he came—"

Krause scoffed.

“What?”

“It’s a shame. We could have used him.”

Loretta tensed. “What are ya talking about?”

Krause shook her head. “He was young, charismatic, not to mention handsome. He would have been the perfect person to help us recruit more members. But instead, he decided to betray the Church.”

“Ya’re scaring me, Jules. Recruit more members? Betray the Church? Can ya not see what they’re doing to ya? The Church is using ya—”

“Do you know how he found—”

“Stop interrupting me! The Church is using ya, Jules! Can ya not see that?”

“The Church isn’t using me, Loretta. It upsets me that you can’t see that the Church’s goal, the Beanmeister’s goal, is good. By helping the Beanmeister and repenting for our sins, we are going to prevent the End of Days. The Great Tribulation is upon us, but if we do what the Beanmeister wants us to, we can stop the End of Days from coming to pass and be accepted into Heaven with open arms.”

“Ya really believe that, don’t ya?”

“For the moment, we’re safe in Horb.”

“That’s not what Isaac told me— he said they’ll kill everyone between Paris and Stuttgart by the end of the month, and there’s nothing the Empire can do to stop it.”

“Isaac is working off old information.”

“Does that mean ya know what’s going on?”

“I’ve known for a while now.”

“And ya chose to keep it a secret? Why?”

“I’m not keeping it a secret. As a priest, Pastor Marcel tells me about things the rest of the congregation isn’t ready to know yet. Everything will be explained in time. Isaac betrayed that ideal. He told you something that you weren’t ready to know yet. For that, he must be dealt with.”

Loretta took a step forward. “Julia, stop toying with me and tell me what’s going on. Now.” A flash of fear crossed her face. “What— what are ya going to do to Isaac?”

Krause took a step forward as well. She tried to hide the flicker of a smile, but Loretta’s expression told her that she had failed. “I’m sorry, Loretta, but I can’t do that.”