Eyes Without A Face

Chapter 15 - Tripartite Pact

- Alwin -

Köln, Germany, 24th of February 2019

Not everyday you're having a meeting with the devil. And certainly it's quite a rare occasion that the only opportunity to see your distant seventh grade cousin consists also in the moment you'll be his teacher. But life is a series of unfortunate events. Meeting Harold has certainly become the highlight of them all.

"Good evening," he greets me the moment I enter the reception room from our hospital. "Or should I say morning?"

The clock indicates that we're just a little bit past midnight. Yet I'm not ready to lose myself in such formalities from the start. Actually, I decide to ditch them entirely.

"However you prefer," I reply and approach him to shake his hand. "Good to see you made it."

In fact I would've liked him to be attacked on the way and die, but I'm not the one who makes the rules in this game. However, I have a huge curiosity about what my grandmaster thinks about this situation, though. How the supposed ruler of Berlin has ended up being my student. Probably he might want to use this to our advantage. Only this sinuous snake is not someone that can be so easily manipulated.

"I'd rather not," he says, rejecting my hand, then goes for the weirdest hug I've ever had — his hand slightly gripping onto my arm on the other side. "Cousin."

I sigh. Rather of relief when he finally lets go. This has been the most unexpected thing, and we're not even five minutes into our strange meeting. For sure the worst is yet to come.

"Let's get to work," I manage to voice. "It's a bit late."

"You're running out of time."

This is not a question. Not at all. Harold is here to state facts while quickly catching his dark long hair into a tight bun — just like the ones samurai used to wear before a battle.

"Aren't we all?" I smile, struggling to hide my nervousness. "After all, we all have the same destination."

"Are you afraid of it?" Harold laughs. "Of death?"

"I'm afraid of not finishing my tasks on earth until my time comes," I respond.

"Oh, then if it's about that," he smiles politely, "then I'm equally scared."

I doubt we have any common interest, but I nod. I'd rather be the silent one in this conversation and let Harold know he's in control. After all, that's what he's here for.

"So I heard that you wanna learn more about organ transplants," I say after making him a sign to follow me to the operating room. "I didn't expect for you to be interested in such a field."

"Let's say I had my reasons to allow your relocation last year," he smiles when we reach the cleaning area, meticulously unbuttoning his jacket and starting to get ready for the surgery.

He's the one who approved my transfer. My master from Berlin agreed with the one in Köln for me to come here to perfect my studies one year ago, but no evil moves from an area to another without the official approval of the grandmaster. Harold has always had an interest to relocate me.

"Then," I finally voice in the end, "I hope you're pleased with what's going on."

"Absolutely," he smirks. "You facilitated my entry into the best guarded laboratories in the country. I believe you did a great job, cousin."

I hate that he's aware of our common lineage, but what I despise even more is that he actually thinks he's competent enough to put his hands on the codex. Harold fantasizes that I'm going to offer him that precious object on a silver tray, and he can't be more wrong.