As I sat my glass down on my old man's desk, I plopped right in his large chair. I've always thought that he had the most comfortable chair in the world, given how much he sat in it. It wasn’t what I thought. It was hard, the cushion not even saving me from the wood underneath. It's like my old man sat in this chair for fifty years. Maybe when the place opened back up to Julius, I could warn him beforehand. Unwrapping my heaven's cloth on both hands, the crimson haze leaked out. My right arm morphed into that armored hand I had during the Dogland attack while my left turned into Pandora once more. As she sat on the desk, she looked down at the envelope I held in my hands. "You wanna go ahead and read it?" she asked me, her tone not having a hint of that haughtiness she was known for. "I should probably save it like I'm doing Francis's cigarette," I answered.
"Your father wouldn't have made sure you received it if he didn't think you wouldn't need it." If Pandora wasn't being so pushy, I'd have stuffed this in the desk for later. But I decided to humor her. Giving her the envelope, I let her open it and handed the letter inside back to me. Before I started reading its contents I dug in my pocket, pulled out a silence rune I made, and then crushed it. It wasn't as good as anything Francis could make, but it was good enough for what I needed. A small bubble of magical energy enveloped the area around the desk, allowing me to speak without being heard by anyone outside of it. The note itself looked like journal entries. They were rather short, but there were at least three.
"First Entry: To my son, Alexander Murcielago. It is April 15th, 1921, at the time that I, Drakon Murcielago, am writing this. By this time, I'd have sent you on a job to take care of a rat problem for the Rotterdam family. If you succeed, you should receive this letter sometime after my death. Despite our differences and the way, you see me. I hope you understand it was to prepare you for the horrors of this world beyond wars waged by humans. I never told you the reason why you were taking care of these rats. You would've been in grave danger if you'd known. It has everything to do with those who were behind your mother's death. If I'm to find an answer as to why she was killed and why the Pithos had been stolen, then I'll be one step closer to the truth. I will continue to write any updates to these notes as time goes on. But I hope I can tell you all this myself once this puzzle is put together. Now, if only I can get Beatrix to stop meddling with you, that would be fantastic."
I stopped reading for a moment, almost feeling nauseous as I read the last of that first paragraph. Dad mentioned Mom had died, but he never mentioned she'd been murdered. Then he mentioned the Pithos. I remember him telling me about the Sin Factors the night after the fact. He even mentioned the pithos as well. I didn't know he'd be actually talking about the real thing. And what was up with Beatrix? I understood she liked to torment me, but why go as far as to mention it? I sat forward, being extra careful to read the information.
"Second Entry: April 21st, 1921. It's been an hour since you left my office. I have to admit I'd never seen you so angry before. Hearing that you also defeated multiple Vampyres, mostly on your own, was especially terrifying, but not as much as your new companion. Though I'm sure by now you'll realize the gravity of your new bond with the sorceress as I did. It is only a matter of time now, so the next time we see each other, I shall tell you of your mother. But I must tell you as little as I can. Given the ambush at the meeting, the walls are beginning to have ears. The Isoarashi would never allow such sensitive information such as a meeting between two family heads to fall into the wrong hands. It could only mean there's a traitor among our ranks. If I'm right... These traitors are the thieves I've been looking for."
A traitor? It was a little too far-fetched to think anyone in the family would betray us. Yet it all made perfect sense. Someone had to have leaked the location of the sit-down much like Dogland's location was leaked as well. Then, there was Dad's familiarity with Pandora. They weren't exactly old friends, but he knew of her existence. Checking for the third entry, I realized the date was only a couple of days ago.
"Third Entry: September 15th, 1921. Isoarashi Yasuo has just informed me that he intends to use your wedding as a well-constructed trap for Armando Juarez. I'd asked him to allow me to interrogate the captive you managed to get your hands on, and Yasuo was more than willing to cooperate. I'm glad to have you marry the Isoarashi girl. With your prestige and achievements, I've been able to gain more information in the last few weeks than I have in the past seventeen years pending my investigation. I know Armando is in possession of a strange box he keeps on his person at all times. I'm sure you and Yasuo would not know to look for such information, so when I did, I ensured to keep it that way. The poor fellow knew too much, and I still had a traitor to root out. I have begun to note that Beatrix has been acting strangely. More so than usual. It has been ever since my last entry. She usually tries to put me under her Mesmer, but she isn't aware that I have an acolyte to bless my eyes. It was painful, and I would forever have weary-looking eyes now, but at least she could not bend me to her whims. But seeing her give up trying to charm me for information so easily has me worried. Additionally, she's been excited about the wedding, almost as if she planned it herself. I hope I'm just being paranoid... but if my worries are sound, then you will need to be careful, son. The estate will no longer be safe. In fact, nowhere in Iscariot City will be... So, before you read my last entry... check the desk drawer and knock on the bottom."
I looked at the small drawer on the desk. Using the crimson haze, I picked the lock and opened the drawer. With two knocks, I noticed that the bottom sounded hollowed out. Taking Dad's cigars, pens, and documents out, I found a little string on the other end and then gave it a tug. The little panel pulled up, revealing a singular key along with a note. It looked similar to one from Dogland. Taking the key and the note, I placed both on the table. The crimson haze reacted strangely to the before I could open it, and Pandora took it for herself. "Hold on... I'll have to dispel this," she said. "If you opened this without thinking, then this entire house would be blown to smithereens." She tapped the paper twice and drew a small rune along its surface. Then the paper glowed a bright red, and the magic that was woven into the paper crumbled to pieces like a mirror. Pandora handed the note back to me, and even though I saw her dispel the enchantment, I was still a little wary of it. When I opened the note, I found a fourth entry, one written the evening before the wedding.
"Fourth Entry: September 16th, 1921. Today is the day, son. If you found this note, it means that what I feared has alas become true. I am dead, and it was likely the Pithos was used in an attempt to assassinate you. Now that I know Armando has it in his possession. I advise that you do not even try to fight against the Pithos in your current state. You will only be weakened and killed in the process. When you finish this note, destroy it and only trust one person with this piece of information aside from Pandora, who is no doubt by your side. The key that came with this note is the key to the basement in Dogland. I'm sure you know I'd never have let you stay there if I didn't think it was safe. During your stay at the Isoarashi compound, I've had Dogland repaired in secret. But the basement is being reconstructed as well and it should be done by next month. By the time you finish reading this, I will have had a messenger sent to Isoarashi Yasuo to inform him of this new joint base."
"Alexander... I know how you must feel about Armando Juarez. Many people, including myself, have been killed in his word. Yet you know he is not our true enemy. Your true enemy should actually be approaching this office in just a few minutes. You must put everything back the way it was and throw that key in your pocket. Pretend you know nothing and leave as soon but as naturally as possible. You have proven yourself to be the spitting image of myself and your mother. From this moment on, you must use every resource you have to outsmart this enemy. Good luck to you... and make sure I have a grandchild."
As soon as I read the last words of the note, it burned up in my hands. I quickly put everything back in the desk drawer as neatly as I could before the silence spell ran out. Pandora returned to me, and I tugged at both clothes, having them wrapped around my arms, and tossed the key into my pocket. I then heard someone speaking from beyond the door, a woman. I'm probably speaking to Dad's maid. Since the silence spell was slowly coming down, I couldn't make out who it was. There were few women in the house, yet I was sure Yayoi, and my sisters hadn't come up the stairs yet. Then the lock on the door clicked, followed by the knob turning. Bracing myself for whoever had been coming in, I gripped the arms of Father's chair, trying to keep myself from lunging at whoever this was. Then, I began to feel a very faint pain in my chest. It was like when I met the sin factors, but it was much weaker.
"I wondered why Eliza was guarding your father's study, But I hadn't expected you, Alexander." Seeing Beatrix enter my father's study nearly sent me into a rage. I wanted to chalk this up to a sick coincidence, but there was one thing that made this make sense.
"Sorry, Mother," I said, trying to support my apparent ignorance. "It's only been a few hours since Father's passing. I just wanted to feel a little closer to him." Beatrix came around behind me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and hugging me from behind. The way she did so made it seem like she genuinely wanted to comfort me. But it honestly felt like she'd just dropped two snakes around my neck.
"You know, if there was one thing to admire your father for was his devotion to his children," Beatrix said, her voice switching between motherly and caring too venomous. "Even after that woman passed away, he still cared for you like I'd been your mother. He even had the gall to ask me to care for you." Clearly, that didn't go over well. Beatrix moved around, coming into my view as if she was slithering about around me. She had that unnerving smile, tugging her red lips as her eyes assessed every movement I made. "You know... I'm starting to think he was right... Allowing my emotions to get the better of me has caused me so many problems as of late."
"I can certainly see what you mean," I said, trying to play along, "Father was always trying to be level-headed in any situation. It didn't matter what happened to him." Beatrix giggled, then stepped back to sit on Father's desk. She'd no longer have been wearing her dress from the wedding, instead opting for an outfit for traveling. A nice long wool coat with pants and leather boots. "Going somewhere?" I asked. I doubted I'd get anything substantial considering how careful she's been.
"You know Alexander... I'm thinking of taking your father's advice and starting to place logic before emotion. My husband is dead, and I need to be alone for a while. So, I'll start by giving you something nice... The truth is... I never despised you... not once in your life. Sure, I treated you like utter garbage to make you see your place as the bastard in the family. But when I saw you rise above losing your friends and your little playhouse, you called a home. I realized that your father could never live up to the man you'd become. So, I hope from here on out I can continue to watch you grow and overcome hardship until the day you become this city's shining beacon of hope." Beatrix stood and began to head for the door. But before she'd leave, Eliza came in, her hands now empty where she should've been carrying a gun. Seeing what was going on, I tried to stand on my feet, but the maid was a step ahead of me. Even though she was a human, she leaped over the desk, and in her right hand, a dagger identical to the one Armando used to try and kill me manifested in her hand. The pain in my chest grew so much that I began to feel as weak as what happened at the wedding. As the maid held it to my throat, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on her face. Beatrix looked back, and her eyes glowed an ominous violet color as her smile grew as maniacal as her slave. As Beatrix's lips opened to speak, so did the maids.
"I hope you keep exceeding my expectations for you, Pandora's monster... I'll be sure to crush you a lot more thoroughly next time." I tried to stand up to do something to not let Beatrix escape. But Andriana had that dagger so close to my throat that if I made a wrong move, she'd behead me immediately. I didn't want to test if I could survive without my head just yet.
“Oh yes… one more thing. I’m disappearing and you won’t be following me. But I’ll allow you to tell one person about what you know. Break my rule and everyone you so much as glanced at will drop dead. Be a good doggy and play nice. Buh-bye now Alexander.” Beatrice then waved goodbye and
She’d been playing with us the whole time. Pulling strings from behind the scenes, feeding people everything about us. On top of that, there was the resonance and Armando’s dagger. Why in the world did they share powers?
I’d lost at a game that I didn’t even know I was playing. And now I had to watch as the culprit disappeared into the night.
