January 31, 2021 - Day 5
Alessandro Serpi was discharged from the hospital and was able to return to his hotel room, where he also invited Friedrich to discuss the latest news.
« So his name is Dorian Benard? I've already heard that name from the Coven. »
« I'm not surprised ... he's a very famous man. Certainly the most famous French magus. »
« Now where is he? »
« He's actively collaborating with the Mage's Association. They're looking for a way to deal with Sheol. »
« So what do we do? Do we wait for the world to fall? »
« Don't you think you're being a little over the top? »
« I spent a whole day in the hospital with the fear of being fiercely buggered by a demonic creature capable of destroying our world. I guess I'm not that over the top. »
« Friend, if you stayed in the hospital, it's because of your little girl body. An arrow is enough to send you to the emergency room. »
« Oh, fuck you! Try it yourself to take an arrow in the shoulder and then come and tell me! » Alessandro exclaimed.
« For your information I can resist anything! I remind you that my Germanic descent makes me exceptional virile! »
« Kiss my ass! We Italians are ten, perhaps a hundred times more virile than any German! »
« Oh yes? Then prove it! »
« What the fuck am I supposed to do? »
« Let's do a non-mortal duel until the end of the day! The one who gives up wins! I warn you that I did aikido. »
« But I can't fight with my hands! »
« I thought you in the Coven used martial arts to fight. »
« No, I'm just a black belt of prayer. I never raised my hands. »
« Then I can't hit you, my code of honor prevents me. »
The discussion settled:
« Sorry me, Friedrich, I didn't want to raise my voice ... it's just that ... »
« Did you need to let off steam? »
« Yes. The presence of Sheol ... agitates me. »
« I know. »
« I don't want to die ... I just want to have a peaceful life without problems. I was hoping to end this war quickly and instead ... »
« It's all right, bruder! »
« Te vojo bene! »
After the quarrel, the two Masters began to plan. Their aim was to deal only with Devourer but to do this they had to first get rid of the other Masters who had taken part in the Holy Grail War. Dealing with a Servant like Sheol was almost as crazy as trying to walk on water but both Masters agreed that the problem couldn't be ignored, the Servant had to be fought, she was too dangerous to be left alive.
Friedrich, meanwhile, kept wondering when he would meet Yukiko Kumahira. The girl seemed to have vanished into thin air, Alessandro was also interested in meeting her but at the same time had the goal of ending the war as quickly as possible.
The battle against Archer had reminded him that he could die at any moment in that conflict, living with paranoia was unbearable for him and the alliance with Friedrich, nourished by their similarity, could only be a positive thing.
In a moment of reflection, Friedrich asserted:
« I was thinking about my teacher, the man who taught me to use Magecraft. »
« What was his name? »
« Sigwald Stein. He was a very intelligent man, a magus who had traveled extensively and who treated me like a son. But one day ... » Friedrich rubbed his eyes: « One day I discovered that he thought he was being persecuted by the ghost of his son Erden, who had died at the age of sixteen. He saw his son in me, said that I looked like him, and one day his fear devoured him: he had a hysterical crisis, I don't know why, I think he was drunk ... he took a knife and cut his throat before my eyes. »
« How could this happen? » Alessandro asked, saddened by the story.
« He simply degenerated over time. Do you think we are still influenced by old fears? »
« Maybe. But why do you worry about these things? »
« Sheol ... an entire world cannot become a Servant. What if she's not a world but a set of fears? The fear of death? »
« Do you really think such a thing is possible? »
« Fear, in some ways, is like magic, don't forget it. Fear can actually distort reality: it can make you see or hear things that aren't there. The power of fear is such that it can drive a person crazy. It acts directly on a person's personal reality and influences it. Perhaps Sheol is this: the embodiment of the fear of death, the oldest fear of humanity. And maybe … »
Friedrich stopped speaking suddenly. He rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe away his tears.
« Maybe I too was a victim of fear. Maybe my belief that I didn't exist was nothing but the fear of being nobody. Maybe this fear, the fear of being just an intruder, has diverted my experience. Maybe I'm really crazy. »
« No I do not think so. » Alessandro said frankly. « Fear is dangerous, yes, but it cannot be so powerful as to divert reality as you say. Maybe it can alter some aspects but it can't change it up to that point. This is a fact for me. »
« How can you say it with so much certainty? »
« I was never afraid of being abandoned by my mother and yet it happened. It struck me like lightning in a clear sky. My mother destroyed my life with a single choice, pushed me away, abandoned me in the Coven and broke the bridges with me. Fears are only fears, they are in your head and can be fought. But people ... they are another story. People can be worse than a fear because they surpass it in malice and depravity. »
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| Alessandro Serpi and Friedrich Wolff by Bikowolf |
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