Alessandro Serpi met Viktor Augustav Stirgold at the Clock Tower as they had agreed. Neither of them knew how to start the conversation but Viktor was aware of something that surely Alessandro would not have liked. The boy, obviously, was accompanied by Saber who followed him analyzing the place in the meantime evaluating the dangers and Viktor, ironically told her:
« Don't worry, Saber: if we wanted to kill you we would send you a formal notice. »The girl immediately understood the joke and made a face but nothing more. She tried to maintain a formal relationship with Viktor so as not to be taken aback by anything. Viktor took the two to his office where there was a member of the Coven standing who was waiting for them. Alessandro, seeing that man, asked worriedly:
« Why is there a member of the Coven in here? What's happening? »
« He's not an enemy, he wants to help us. » Reassured Viktor.
Alessandro knew that guy, he was Marco Lombardo an expert on Yggdrasil and mentor to Elisa Mancini. Marco greeted politely, without showing signs of resentment:
« Hi, Alessandro, I see that you are fit. »
« Are you joking now? You know perfectly well that I betrayed the Coven. »« I'm aware of it, yes. »
« Then why are you here? »
« Because I want to talk to you. »
« I do not trust him. » Alessandro said, turning to Viktor.
« Neither do I, but he has information he has agreed to share. We must seize the ball, don't we? »
« What kind of information do you have? » Then he asked to Marco.
« They are about you. » He answered.
« Me? »
Alessandro was confused and Marco kindly asked him to sit down so as to have a peaceful discussion. Saber put herself behind her Master, suspected that it was a trap but both Viktor and Marco seemed calm despite the situation. Alessandro sat in the armchair and listened to what the man had to say to him:« I know you're looking for information about your father, right? »
« Yes exactly. »
« What do you know so far? »
« Not much, maybe nothing. I was told that he was persecuted by the Coven because of the research he was doing. I do not know anything else. »
« Kumahira Yukiko told you those things, didn't she? »
« How do you know that name? » He asked nervously.
« There are many things you don't know. »
« Tell me then. »
« I will be frank but I ask you to understand and not to ask too many questions. Your father ... was a monster. »
Those words shook Alessandro, the seriousness with which they were uttered and the intense and gloomy gaze of Marco Lombardo suggested that he was honest. It wasn't a lie, he seemed to be talking about some kind of demon.« Your father worked for the Coven and served the Grand Master with great dedication and love for the cause. He became interested in studies on Yggdrasil, in particular the myth of Nidhoggr, he informed me, at the beginning of the experiments, of his intention to create a perfect Holy Grail capable of achieving more than one desire and bringing true utopia to the world, but to do this he continually claimed that he needed particular ingredients like Nidhoggr's skin or the blood of a deity.
Your father's delusions were frightening me and the rest of the Coven but the Grand Master was interested in his studies and helped him. Together they discovered the way to succeed in evoking the Holy Grail of Yggdrasil in this world: it was necessary to do a blood ritual. »
« A blood ritual? » Saber asked.
« It means a sacrifice. » Alessandro explained.
« Exactly. The only way to bring the Holy Grail of Yggdrasil back to this world is to make a human sacrifice. I say "bring back" because the Holy Grail had already been here, in this world. I discovered, in those years, that a group of thirteen Druids in Germany were able, in ancient times, to perform that ritual to be able to bring this Holy Grail into this world, thus opening the doors to Nidhoggr but only for a short time, because then the ritual was halted for unknown reasons. »
« Is this Nidhoggr you mention the devourer of the worlds of Norse mythology? »
« Exactly, excellent observation Alessandro. The Holy Grail of Yggdrasil is like a door and desires are the key to opening it. Using the Grail means evoking Nidhoggr in this world and condemning the human race for eternity. When I found out I immediately informed the Grand Master and your father was forbidden to continue the research, but he carried them out in secret and hoped to use human sacrifice to obtain the Grail. »
« Why do such a thing? » Saber asked.« Because Alessandro's father wanted to seal Nidhoggr and use his powers to become the strongest magus ever, probably a true magician. However, we tried to took him out and he ran away. »
« In Japan. » Alessandro added.
« Exactly, in Japan. We don't know exactly what he did there but we know he had this daughter named Kumahira Yukiko and the Grand Master was worried about what he could do to her, but fortunately he never sacrificed her. »
« Wait up! That first sacrifice my father wanted to make ... who was he? »
« You. »
« Me? »« Yes you. You, Yukiko and apparently Fukano Harumi share something in the blood that makes you unique and important to this ritual. We do not know how the Holy Grail of Yggdrasil could be evoked before the thirteen druids but after them it became necessary to use their blood or their descendants to be able to perform the ritual. Your family and Fukano's descend from those druids. »
« So my father ... wanted to sacrifice me? »
« Exactly. Your father wanted to kill you to get the Grail. »
The fictitious past made of family love shattered before the eyes of Alessandro. The loving, kind and understanding father was another lie. A lie that twisted the heart of the boy who could not hold back the tears and the desperate moans.
« I'm sorry, Alessandro. I'm really sorry. » Marco said.
Viktor and Saber were both sorry for the boy who had come to know of such a sad truth. Saber hugged her Master, hugged him in her arms in an attempt to console him, these words came out of his trembling mouth:
« Dad, dad, dad. Why, dad? Why me, dad? Why did you lie to me, Dad? Why? »« I'm sorry, Alessandro, but this is the truth. » Said Marco Lombardo.
« It's not fair. »
« No it's not. I would have preferred not to tell you but for how things are now, you are the only one who can stop Yukiko and therefore it's right that you know the truth. »
Viktor joined in the conversation and asked:
« So Yukiko will try to do the ritual. Are you sure? »« I don't know why, but I know she wants to do it, otherwise this war would never have broken out. »
« Where will the ritual take place? »
« In the same place where the father wanted to do it: in Westminster Abbey. That is a fundamental magic knot for doing the ritual. But I bet she will have prepared all the necessary ingredients. »
« What are you talking about? »« The ritual is one of the most complex and there is need for several things: it must be practiced in Westminster Abbey, the blood of a descendant of one of those thirteen druids is needed and you need to bury at least one piece of Nidhoggr's skin underground but you also need in-depth knowledge of Nordic magic, otherwise it's useless to do the ritual. »
« All right, we'll get to work ..."
The phone rang. Viktor replied in an irritated tone:
« What's up, I'm in the middle of a discussion. What?! Damn! »
The man slammed the handset causing concern to those present. Alessandro asked, wiping his tears:
« What happens? »
« You must go, the Grand Master is in danger. »
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