4 years ago

German Army Camp - Nuthersten, Germany

"I'm leaving."

Diether announced unceremoniously as he closed the door of his grandfather's study behind him.

"What?"

Diether sneered at his grandfather's reply. The general didn't even bother to look up from the documents he was reading spread on his study table, an indication he wasn't being taken seriously.

"You might as well cut your ears off since they don't seem to serve their purpose anymore." Diether commented with a scoff.

Gen. Arnolf Schwartz looked up with a glare at the face of his grandson. What sneered back at him was the face that he possessed in his younger days. Not even his own son took after him, it was his grandson who became his exact replica.

"You are not leaving." He firmly said, and then went back to his papers.

Diether dissolved into a maniacal laugh when he saw the look his grandfather just gave him. If he was half the age he already is, he would have cowered in fear. But instead, he found it hysterically comical that he had, for years feared that glare. Now to him, it was only his grandfather's way of asserting his non-existent control over him.

Fuck that.

The pain his grandfather used to threaten him with had already became his best friend.

"I AM LEAVING." He repeated through gritted teeth, sobering up a little. "Didn't you hear me? I'll gladly cut off your ears for you if they're not of any use anymore." He offered graciously.

"No you are not, Diether." He said, ignoring his grandson's sudden outburst.

"BULLSH*T!" Diether snapped. "We are not having this conversation old man! I am leaving and you know it. I will leave this f*cking hell hole and you will not f*cking stop me."

"Watch your mouth you insolent-"

"Shut the f*ck up!" Diet interrupted.

"I will find you and drag you back." His grandfather replied nonchalantly as Diether started to walk away.

Diether paused and turned back. He looked at his grandfather and gave the general his best maniacal smile.

"Go ahead, I'd like to see you try. And on the account that you ever do, which I highly doubt but anticipate, I swear on your grave old man that I will kill you with my bare hands. I'll detach your limbs piece by piece as you scream and I'll relish every moment of it."

With those words, Diether left the study, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving the fierce general feeling shaken for the first time in his whole life and the mahogany double doors broken off its hinges.

Diether went straight to his room and stuffed all his things, which weren't much into his duffel bag. He gave one last look at his spacious but barren room.

He hated that room. The whitewashed walls that had been his prison and torture chamber for the past 9 years of his life, where he has slept and hurt without food nor water for weeks on end.

"Good riddance." He smirked as he left the room.

Diet glanced at his wristwatch. The time says 10:15. He smiled maliciously as he made his way to the hall and into the airstrip.

"Time to threaten the pilot~."

"Alpha One, this is Foxtrot Two preparing for take off. Destination, Alighieri Island. Objective, supply conveyance"

The pilot announced on the radio attached on his helmet as he prepared the chopper for take off. He was so engrossed with his work that he barely noticed as an unwanted passenger climbed on the back of the pilot's seat.

"Heya, Monty!" Diet called out, grinning.

The pilot gave a start and turned back. He noticeably paled when he saw who was behind him.

"D-d-diether?"

"My name is pronounced with a single D, a**hole."

Monty visible gulped.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"You won't mind if I hitch a ride to Alighieri, will you?" Diet asked, threat underlining his question. "Don't tell me you would deny this privilege to the grandson of the General?"

"Well…n-not particularly…n-no…"

"Good." Diet said as he settled himself at the back seat.

"B-but does the general-"

"He knows, if that's what you ask. But I doubt it if he approves. Never mind though. Carry on, we'll be out of schedule if you won't fly this piece of junk anytime sooner."

Monty contemplated for a moment. He was sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. He knows well that Diether hadn't been away from the camp without his grandfather's approval. The General will have him sacked if he finds out he was the one who transported Diether out of the Germany. But Diether will surely kill him if he refuses the request.

The pilot took a deep breath and decided. He will take his chances with the General. Getting sacked and maybe tortured would be bad, but at least he would still be breathing. If he'd choose refusing Diether, he would be dead in flash, and Diether would find another pilot to threaten.

"What’s taking it so long Monty? I'm getting bored here."

Sweat trickled down his face when Monty felt something cold and sharp poke him on his nape.

"I-I'm on it, D-d-diether." He mumbled as he took the chopper off the ground.

"I told you my name is pronounced with a single D, a**hole." He said, slamming the pilot's head on the control panel.

Diether grinned as he pocketed his Nieto ware fare knife. He lifted his feet and crossed them on the pilot's headrest, hitting the pilot's head with his combat boots in the process. Monty didn't protest unless he wanted to die.

"It did occur to you you'd be sacked and probably be tortured when you get back." Diether stated.

"Y-yes."

"If you want, I can kill you to save you the trouble." Diether offered.

"N-no thanks. I think I'd rather take my chances." Monty replied. "At least I'd be breathing."

"Suit yourself." Diether shrugged as he closed his eyes and stretched in the backseat. "Don't wake me up unless we're there."

A few hours later. Landing strip - Alighieri Island.

It had been two hours since they landed and Monty did not try waking Diether up. He'd rather jump off a cliff than do so. Considering  Diether's unstable behaviour, he'd rather let Diether wake himself up. Diether had been his batch mate in the Military Academy but the kid is five years younger than him and unlike Diether he wasn't a soldier. He wasn't afraid of Diether, he was afraid of the kid's capabilities and his unpredictable state of mind.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Monty fidgeted as a black car parked near the chopper and a two of men emerged from it. One man was huge and bulky, he wearing a black suit. The other man was lean and tall, he was wearing clothes that defied the rational mode of clothing when out under the blazing sun. The man in question was in a long overcoat and was wearing a pair of Ray Ban UV glasses. He approached first, followed by a man in a suit.

"Tristan Silag." He introduced offering a hand.

"Montgomery von Strauss." Monty took it, gave a firm shake and let go. "What can I do for you Mr. Silag?"

"Shade if you please. We have received information that you have a passenger named Diether Kreuz Schwartz abroad this helicopter." He said staring at the chopper and at the slumbering form in back of the pilot's seat. "I believe that is him?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." He nodded, then turned to the other man. "Take him away."

The man in a suit tapped Diether's shoulders. Diether awoke with a stranger's face looming over him.

"Good afternoon Mr. Schwartz. We have orders to take you in our custody. Please remain calm and I will escort you to the vehicle." The stranger said.

"What the f*ck?" Were the first words that came out of Diether's mouth.

"You will be taken to H.A.D.E.S. momentarily."

"H.A.D.E.S.? What the f*ck is that?" Diether retorted. "I came her to make a living dude not to be shipped on some f*cking institution." He grabbed his duffel and hopped of the chopper. He walked past Monty and said, "The old man's gonna torture you just like the way he does with me all the time, when you get back." He sneered. "You'll live….not." Then he walked away laughing maniacally.

"Sir, permission to use force to retrieve subject." The man in the suit said.

"No need." Shade calmly replied.

Diether frowned when he couldn't lift his feet off the ground.  He tried to move his hand and found out he was completely immobilized. He looked down and saw that he seemed to have been rooted on the spot by his own shadow.

"Son of a b*tch."

At least, his mouth was still working.

Shade chuckled darkly as he approached the young man. Diether glared at him.

"Mr. Schwartz, I am pleased to inform you that you have been enrolled in our institution as a freshman student."

"You're taking me to a school?! Who did this? I'm gonna f*cking rip his throat off."

"No one Mr. Schwartz. Our institution admits students with 'special' abilities to enhance it for their benefit."

"You expect me to believe that sh*t?"

"Yes, as for the obvious fact that you have no other choice."

"Right. From one sh*t hole and into another. Great! Just what I needed."

"I believe you have some sort of misunderstanding with your grandfather?"

Diether arched a brow. "Now that's the understatement of the century, misunderstanding my a*s. How the heck did you know that?"

"We have our ways." Shade said mysteriously. "I would just like to inform you Mr. Schwartz, there's no better hiding place than H.A.D.E.S. and we provide everything for our students."

Diether gave him a sceptical look.  

"We could use someone like you in the institution."

Diether pondered for a moment. It was a better deal than he could hope for. He'd come to Alighieri hoping to work as a mercenary in the Island but he didn't know where to start, might as well give H.A.D.E.S. a try.

He gave the man in UV shades a once over. He knew he was the cause of his immobility and judging from his way of dress and manner, he guessed that the man might be a teacher.

"I'm Diether Kreuz Schwartz, sir." The last word tasted like acid in his mouth. "When do I start?"

Shade chuckled as he released the young man from his binding.

"Immediately. Please get in the car."

"Sure Teach, whatever." Diether said as he walked to the car. Before he got in, he yelled out pointing at Monty who seem to have been ostracized from their conversation. "You'll kill him to keep the secrecy, won't you?"

Monty held his breath.

"We're not that cruel Mr. Schwartz. He'll be sent somewhere for a memory swipe and he will not have any recollection of having you passenger in the helicopter when he travelled here." Shade explained.

"Pfft. So much for optimism. That's no fun." Diether scoffed and got in the car.

"He's got attitude, that one." The man in the suit commented.

"Don't worry. I've handled worse."

Present. 7:10 School Gate.

Deither lazily sipped the coffee he got from the nearby cafe as he languidly walked into the school gates. Everyone else around him was running just to get to the Assembly hall in time. Diether observed them as a predator choosing prey. Old and new students alike bustled around but nobody dared bother him, unconsciously everyone kept their distances.

He spotted a couple of students huddled together. From the looks of them, they were new.

"Hmmm...Fresh meat." He mumbled on his coffee. He grinned as he saw Shade approaching. "Heya Teach, good mornin'." He greeted with a drawl.

"Good morning to you too. You seem to be in a good mood Mr. Schwartz." Shade greeted back.

"Hmmm…"

Shade chuckled. "You better hurry up or you'll be late for the morning announcements."

"Nah...I don't think so."

"Well then, might as well help out welcoming the new students."  

"Me?" Diether guffawed so hard the entering students paused on their tracks and stared. "You must be out of your mind Mr. S." Diether said, clutching his sides but was careful not to spill his coffee. "If I wanted to do that, I would have joined the pathetic welcoming committee."

Shade shrugged. "Never mind, I asked the wrong person."

"You're killing me Mr. S." He was still laughing. "But if you could find a freshman who wouldn't curdle up like dairy with my charming smile, I'd treat you and your girlfriend on a Caribbean cruise this weekend."

Shade raised a brow. "And if I lose?"

"You'll have to treat me on a Caribbean cruise this weekend."

"Fair enough."  

-chapter end-