Chapter 18. Berlin.
Another morning came with the smell of bacon and eggs. Everything seemed normal. Silas got up early and made breakfast, like he usually did yet the women of the Vane family felt like something was wrong with him. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and his jokes landed flat.
Victoria was the first to say something. From her seat at the left side of the table, she watched him cook. Her chin rested on her hand.
“Papa are you feeling alright?”
He paused in flipping an egg, using a spatula instead of magic. Looking up from the pan, he flashed her his signature smile. “Of course princess. Why wouldn’t I?”
Why didn’t he tell them about Sulena? He didn’t know. Maybe he was too tired to think about the past again.
Kathy, who was munching on a toast with jam, also joined in.
“You haven’t annoyed us all morning. It’s suspicious. Are you dying, is it testicular cancer? Should I start making arrangements for the funeral and inheritance?” She smirked at her joke but her eyes had concern in them.
Letting out a chuckle, he placed a plate of bacon in front of his daughters.
“My balls are fine Kat. Don’t worry. You might have a little sister or brother if I feel like it.” He teased as he went to get a kiss from his wife.
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then whispered in his ear, “Tell me what’s wrong honey.”
He nuzzled her hair, enjoying her warmth for a moment.
“It’s nothing Liz, just a bad memory. I’ll be fine.” He reassured her as he returned to his cooking. “Don’t worry about it.”
She sighed but let him be. For now.
They ate their breakfast in relative silence. The twins looked at their dad from time to time, trying to figure out what was bothering him. But he kept his expression cheerful, making jokes and talking about their plans for the week.
Once they finished their meal and were ready to go, Silas drove them to the academy, along the way he blasted his favorite old rock songs, singing along to them in a horrible voice that made the girls cringe and laugh.
He dropped them off at the entrance. Then he drove to the teacher’s parking lot. As he got out of his sleek sports car, a familiar voice called out to him.
“Kid. I see you haven’t lost your taste in cars,” Berlin said, his arms crossed over his chest and a cigar between his lips.
The old man was a gruff man in his early 70s, with grey hair and beard, but he had the body of a 50-year-old. He wore a dark suit and sunglasses.
Silas grinned at the sight of his former boss. “Hey old man, what brings you to my humble workplace?” He walked to Berlin, shaking his hand.
Berlin grunted and took a drag of his cigar. “Just came to see how far your head is up your ass these days. Taking one of my employees on a date in Sulena? Not smart.” He blew smoke in Silas’s face.
Waving the smoke away, he coughed a little. Even using his space magic didn’t stop his natural reflexes.
“Relax. We didn’t do anything crazy and it was his idea to go there anyway,” Silas said.
After flicking his ash to the ground, Berlin gave him a skeptical look. “Right. And what did you find in that hellhole?” He asked, his tone serious.
Silas didn’t answer right away, his mind flashing to the fallen he'd killed again. He shook his head. Dead things weren't important.
“Nothing new. The dungeon is still corrupted as fuck. You really should find a way to destroy it. It’s not sustainable to keep it sealed for too long.”
Berlin grunted.
“Tell me something I don’t know kid.”
Right the core of the dungeon was still hidden inside Sulena. As long as that was alive, it was impossible to destroy Sulena. He should know; he had been part of the team tasked with finding the core.
“Speaking of things we don’t know, there’s a leak in your Association. You have people revealing rune secrets to outsiders,” Silas said.
Berlin chuckled, “My ship is tighter than your asshole kid. There ain’t no leak in my house,”
Silas raised an eyebrow. There was only one way to be absolutely certain of leaks in the new world.
“Are you using contract magic? After you pushed for their ban, the whole slavery fiasco and all. Tsk tsk,” He shook his head. His former boss wasn’t as lawful as the media liked to say.
The old man patted his back with enough force to make him stumble a bit. Damn this geezer was still strong.
“Whatever it takes to protect humanity kid, remember that.”
He chuckled. “Your quote, right? Even if you have to use the powers of hell to do it?” Silas said, remembering some of the fucked up shit they did in the early years of the Association. The contracts were a new low though.
Berlin shrugged, finishing his cigar.
“Don’t be a hypocrite kid. Don’t think I haven’t been covering your ass all these years. Your methods ain’t exactly holy either,” he eyed him.
Silence followed for a minute before both men laughed. They were pragmatist at heart, villain or hero didn't matter: it was all a means to an end. It was all so ridiculous, but it worked. The things they cared about were safe and in the end that was all that mattered.
“See ya old man.” Silas turned away and started walking towards the school building.
“Kid,” Berlin called out. Silas stopped but didn’t turn around. “I am planning on hanging up my hat. When that happens, you’ll have to follow the rules, no more free passes for the Vane family,” he said.
He nodded slowly, feeling a weight on his chest. A world where Berlin wasn’t running the Association was unimaginable. He was the foundation that kept their fragile society intact.
“The only way you’d give up that comfy chair is if you were six feet under,” Silas joked.
But the silence that came after was deafening.
A shiver ran through Silas’s body. No way.
He turned around to look at Berlin but he was gone. Only the wind and his words were left behind.
They didn’t know how long S-rankers could live but surely it was more than 70 years; he was still in his prime. What was the old man playing at?
A bell rang inside the school, bringing him back to reality.