The Creators

The plane met ground with a lurch, it’s wheels absorbing the momentum of the weight above them. Alec looked out the window, noting how many terminals were connected to the massive airport. Berlin, he thought idly, welcome home? Alec’s entire biological family were from

Germany, and although he himself had no ties to the country, he also didn’t feel particularly tied down to anywhere else. He figured his family’s birthplace was the closest thing to home he could think of, even if he’d never lived there himself.

As soon as he had disembarked, Alec turned on his cellphone. No messages, no calls. Not surprising, Alec hadn’t much of a life to speak of and most of the people he spoke to, he spoke to out of professional requirement. His work was his life, no one would be looking for him after his hasty departure. He supposed that was a perk of his distanced lifestyle, but it hardly felt like it. Taking the note he’d stored out of his pocket, he re-read the name of the law office he had scribbled on it. Jurgen and Jurgen ltd. It was located in Potsdam, some distance to the southwest of Berlin. They hadn’t been able to tell him much, just that his grandfather’s will had named him as the executor and that he would need to be present for the reading.

Now he’d have to figure out how to get there. He’d only been to Berlin once before, and that had been in his teenage years with a tour guide. He didn’t know any German, and had almost no money. This was going to be a challenge… He ran his thumb across the face of the coin in his pocket. He still wasn’t sure where it originated from, and several attempts to Google it hadn’t yielded any results. So far, he wasn’t sure why else he had brought it with him other than a reminder of what he’d been through thus far. That, and the sudden electric feeling he’d gotten when he first picked it up.

Just a few nights earlier, Alec had been following a target for one of his clients; the target was a hedge fund manager. His name was Klaus Ungeheuer. After several days of following him, Alec had determined there was definitely something of interest going on outside of his regular routine, something that had Klaus constantly looking over his shoulder and disappearing into old, decrepit buildings every few days. Alec was a great private eye, but somehow this mark had managed to disappear on multiple occasions. Just two nights ago however, Alec had followed him inside one of these buildings and suddenly he had found himself deep in something he hadn’t imagined even in his darkest fantasies.

Climbing up the fire escape, Alec had entered from a third floor window that he’d luckily found unlocked. He’d found a file folder in a dark, indistinct office that was labeled “Nosferatu” that included lab reports and photo evidence of some kind of grotesque humanoid monster. Inside, he’d also found the strange gold coin. He wasn’t sure what any of it had to do with the missing funds his client had him investigating, but Klaus had been virtually dripping with sweat when he had entered the building. Alec was certain it was all connected, he just needed to connect the dots.

What he wasn’t betting on however, was being thrust into some science experiment thought up by some deranged madman. He’d gone in search of voices outside the office he’d entered from, and what he stumbled on was some kind of secret meeting between what Alec could only assume was a criminal underground network. They’d been speaking multiple languages making it impossible to determine what they were talking about. Klaus of course was speaking German and sounded rather impatient, while a pair of identical twins spoke in Mandarin with all the calm of a gathering storm. An impossibly large man resting against a wall nearby sounded to be speaking some kind of Native language. Stranger yet was the wiry, hunched old man that squatted in front of a large, wrought iron gate. Alec swore it was impossible but the old man seemed to speak without moving his mouth. At least he had been speaking English, but that hadn’t helped much in deciphering the conversation. He spoke of families, generations of expectations and some nonsense about something he referred to as the Dawn of Ever-Lasting Dusk.

From what he could understand, Alec knew something had them spooked. They spoke in clipped tones, voices raised and all of them save for the twins accompanied their sentences with large arm movements as if trying to accentuate their statements. Klaus was constantly dabbing the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, and the twins shuffled their feet when they weren’t speaking. Behind them, a large vault door stood ajar, and Alec had a feeling that whatever they were planning, the contents of the vault had to do with it since the old man seemed to be standing protectively in front of it.

Alec spent the better part of an hour waiting for their meeting to end, hidden behind a banister two stories above them. Once they made their farewells and started making their way out, he caught sight of the decrepit old man moving towards the stairwell, likely to return to the office upstairs that Alec had climbed in through. The old man had closed the vault door but hadn’t bothered to lock it.

With a start, Alec was pulled from his reverie and snapped back to the present. Things had been moving so quickly the last few days, and he had grown used to being unable to understand the conversations around him, that he hadn’t noticed someone calling his name. The voice was growing closer as both he and his pursuer weaved through the throngs of foot traffic choking the hallways of the old airport.

“Alec! Alexei Ducas! Hold up, damn it!” The voice was feminine, and held a hint of impatience. Or was that panic?

Assuming the worst, Alec continued on his path without giving any indication he had heard his pursuer. He turned the corner of the next hallway he came across and immediately ducked inside the nearest shop front. He found himself in a gift store of some kind. Pulling his hood over his head, he stepped into a dark corner near the shopfront but just out of direct line of sight to any passersby.

The woman came barrelling around the corner in such a rush, she collided with a man exiting the shop he’d taken refuge inside of. He’d been carrying a number of Hummel figurines, small porcelain dolls purchased moments ago that were now shards of porcelain littering the floor. Judging by his tone of voice, Alec assumed the words flowing from his mouth were an assortment of expletives. The stricken look on the girl’s face confirmed that as she took an apologetic stance, bowing her head and speaking German for her apologies. The man didn’t seem to be very amenable to her words, however.

By now there was a crowd forming, and the fact Alec couldn’t understand a damn thing anyone was saying set his nerves on edge. His teeth gritted together in frustration, he accepted that he was stuck here until the scene finished playing out. He pulled on his hood, further covering his face and retreating further into the gift shop. Likely, Alec thought, he’ll get tired of yelling at her and leave soon. Hopefully she doesn’t think to check inside the shop…

A hush fell over the crowd, and Alec looked up from his position to see that the larger man had grabbed the woman by her hair, lifting her up on her toes and shoving his face within inches of hers. He was sniffing her, an almost animalistic gaze had set in his eyes. The woman had dropped all apologetic pretense, and was staring back at him with malevolence in her eyes. What the hell? It was just an accident, he’s taking this too far… Momentarily forgetting the reason he’d ducked inside the shop to begin with, Alec reacted instinctively. He may have been reduced to dealing with unsavory types for work, but he still had a strong sense of justice in his daily life.

“Hey, pig fucker!” Admittedly, it wasn’t his best one-liner. However, considering the man hadn’t spoken any English thus far, it probably didn’t matter. Alec walked up and shoved the man as hard as he could. The man barely moved, Alec having evidently underestimated how stocky the man truly was. Instead, his attention moved away from the girl who was still dangling in his grip, and landed directly on Alec’s face. Suddenly, Alec realized with a chill that the hush was not just a quiet that had fallen over a crowd. The crowd had gone silent. No one was moving. The entire area seemed to have frozen in time. Slowly, too slowly, Alec registered that something here was incredibly, preternaturally wrong.

Staring at the man in front of him, Alec was momentarily reminded of the contents inside the vault. Reminded of the reason he had skipped town, stopped following Klaus and returned the retainer to his client. After walking out of that vault, he’d wanted nothing to do with any of this. Yet somehow, someway all of it had followed him. The eyes staring back at him emitted a sickly yellow glow, and the man’s teeth…

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In a flash, the man was sprawled out on the floor. The mystery woman he’d all but forgotten about was standing over him. She’d moved so fast, Alec wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. Her body had seemed to defy the very laws of physics. Somersaulting through the air, she had locked her legs around his torso and with a twist, she propelled him to the ground while simultaneously launching herself back into the air, landing with her boot pinning him by the neck. The man had landed with a sickening crunch, and in the few seconds Alec had to process what had just happened, he realized the man wasn’t breathing. The glow slowly began to fade from his eyes and the body began to boil and bubble. Releasing a few wisps of smoke, the body dissolved within seconds.

Time resumed around them, and those that had stopped to witness the altercation began walking again as if nothing had happened, as if a man hadn’t just been killed and melted into the ground right in front of their eyes. “A glamour, if you’re wondering.” The mystery woman stood in front of him with her arm outstretched for a handshake, a smile on her face that was likely meant to be friendly but to Alec, it was more predatory considering what he’d just seen. “I’m Marianna, pleased to finally meet you Alexei. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She finished her sentence with a wink.

She was short, with long auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. This close, Alec determined she had to be around 20 to 22 years of age with flawless complexion and a dazzlingly white smile. Her eyes were a dull grey now, but he could have sworn he’d seen the same yellow glow coming from them moments ago… She was wearing black leather combat boots, black tights that clung to her admittedly toned legs, and a black leather jacket covering a black corset top that served to further accentuate her curves. She looked like she had been plucked straight out of a sci-fi movie, and yet no one seemed to bat an eye or even spare her a second glance.

“Marianna, do you mind explaining to me what… I just… What the fuck?!” Alec’s normally impressive vocabulary seemed to be failing him. Perhaps it was the jet lag. Maybe it was her incredibly good looks. Likely, it was the grizzly murder he’d just witnessed.

“Not here, unfortunately. Too many open ears. Follow me, darling.” She spun on the ball of her foot, and immediately began sauntering off. “You’re a difficult man to follow, for the record. Looks like all those years of practice dodging tails and stalking people paid off. Bravo,” she chimed over her shoulder with a mock golf-clap to add emphasis.

“Where are we going? No wait, correction. Where are you going and why do you seem to think I’m going to follow you?”

She looked over her shoulder again and raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think you will, you already are.” She chuckled quietly and resumed her pace, not even bothering to offer an actual answer. Alec had a million questions in his mind, a torrent of confusion battling for understanding. Nothing about the past 2 days had been even remotely explainable. This woman seemed to have some answers, and he planned to get them out of her, one way or another. Right now however, he was having a difficult time just focusing on keeping up with her as she weaved through the crowd, nevermind forming questions he didn’t even know how to ask. And she thought I was hard to follow…

Under normal circumstances, Alec knew he should be running in the opposite direction, not following the murderous woman he’d met only 5 minutes ago. How had she known his name? Who had told her about him? Who had that burly man been and why was he dead? What was a glamour? There were simply too many questions unanswered for his inquisitive nature to leave well enough alone. So, he followed her, grudgingly confirming her earlier statement. Through the hallways of an unknown airport, out the front doors and toward an unmarked, large black SUV. His nerves really couldn’t be any more on edge.

As soon as they got close to the SUV, both of the back doors opened. 2 men with thick, swirling tattoos adorning their faces, necks and presumably the rest of their bodies that were currently garbed in black suits, exited the vehicle and quickly worked to subdue Alec. “Sorry, Alec. Necessary measures, you understand.” Marianna was positively beaming as she offered her insincere apology. He got the sense she enjoyed this far more than she let on.

Now in manacles - old, iron manacles that he probably wouldn’t have anticipated existing anywhere other than on a movie set - Alec was forcefully guided into the back of the SUV. They blindfolded him once he was seated and the vehicle roared to life. “Anyone want to offer any kind of explanation as to why I’m here? I’m starting to wonder how much I’m worth in the slave trade and the answer isn’t all that promising.”

“Do you have the Codex?” The man to his left asked. His voice was deep and rumbled through his brain. His breath smelled like cheap whiskey and cigarettes. He also didn’t seem appreciative of Alec’s joke.

“Codex?” Alec’s response did little to hide what he knew. In his chest pocket was the small, black leather-bound journal his grandfather’s lawyers had mailed to him. The book was titled “Codex Daemonium,” and the writing inside was indecipherable. At first, he had assumed it was latin but his contact at the university had confirmed this was not the case. The title was indeed latin, but the rest of it must have been written in some cipher that his grandfather had created.

“Do not test us, boy…” This voice came from his right this time. The voice wasn’t quite so deep but gravelly and strained. It sounded as if his vocal chords hadn’t been used for quite some time.

“Play nice, children,” Marianna’s voice was beginning to feel comfortable in this situation, which worried Alec immensely. The two men he was sitting between were starting to feel more dangerous than anything he’d experienced thus far. He couldn’t help wondering what he’d gotten himself into, and how much longer he was fated to live…

“Your grandfather, Aldo, was a remarkable man. Your family’s knowledge has been used by our organization for centuries. His death was… Regrettable. We do however have a need for the Codex.”

Regrettable? Were these people involved in his death? The thought sent a chill down his spine when he recalled how easily Marianna had ‘dealt’ with the man in the gift store.

“I have it, but it’s pretty much useless. The old man wrote it in a cipher I’m unfamiliar with.”

“Enochian script,” Marianna said immediately. “Where is it now?”

“Why do you need it? How did my grandfather die?” He didn’t have much to bargain with, but he wasn’t about to hand over his last chip without some answers.

“There are forces at work in this world that are far greater than you, Alec. You would do well to heed this warning, for I will not give it more than once. Should you choose to obstruct the Order’s work, we will not hesitate to remove you. Alongside the world you know, is the existence of another. Some call it the Secret World, this name will suffice for this conversation’s purpose. The Order has existed for as long as the Secret World has and is dedicated to the protection of both your world and ours. Today, we face possibly the greatest threat to our existence. The Codex holds the key to disrupting the summoning of this great demise. We would use the Codex to hold these powers at bay for another eon.” Marianna spoke with absolute authority, without so much as a hint of sarcasm. “As for your grandfather’s demise… That’s a story we will need more time to approach than we currently have.”

“Well that makes me feel much better, thank you.” Alec’s response, in comparison, positively dripped with sarcasm. “The Codex is in my jacket’s chest pocket. I’d hand it to you, but uhhh…”

As soon as he said it, the man on his right grabbed him and his hand darted inside his chest pocket. Instead of pulling the book out, the man grabbed a hold of the coin first. Pulling it out, his face paled immediately. “Where did you find this?” he asked with a clipped tone, his voice hitching with something like fear - considering his position, Alec thought he must have misjudged the emotion behind his voice. Surely, there wasn’t anything in the world they could be afraid of.

Marianna grabbed the coin and pocketed it before Alec even had a chance to form a response. “Who sent you? Did they get to you before I did?” Her voice held the same edge as the brute’s, although she sounded more anxious than afraid.

“They? I don’t know, it’s a coin I found while investigating something for a client back home. I don’t even know why I held on to it. It’s not that important.” Even as he said it, he realized he didn’t believe it. He had held onto it for a reason. He just wasn’t quite able to put it into words, like the reason itself evaded the surface of his conscious thoughts.

“Alec, I don’t understand how, but you’ve gotten yourself deeply involved in things beyond your imagination… Now I understand why they were tailing you, although why they didn’t simply kill you is still a mystery. We’ll need to speak with the Patriarch as soon as possible. I imagine this is going to shake things up back at the Library.” As she said this, the man who had grabbed the coin now returned to his pocket with a renewed sense of urgency to remove the Codex.

Not a single thing she said had made much sense to Alec, but he was growing quite used to that feeling by now. He felt like his entire world was being turned upside down. Thinking about what Marianna had said about ‘another world’, maybe it actually was. Before he could form a response however, the blindfold was removed from his eyes and one of the men dragged him from the vehicle, unlocking his manacles as he did so.

Now outside the vehicle, Marianna pushed him toward the entrance of a small office building. They hadn’t been in the vehicle for more than 5 minutes but when he looked around, he got the distinct feeling they were no longer in Berlin. “Where are we?”

“Potsdam, this is the offices of Jurgen and Jurgen. We’re going in there to claim your inheritance. Come.” That was impossible, even with everything else going on. Potsdam was at least 40 minutes by vehicle away from the airport, according to Google Maps. Marianna was already at the front entrance, holding the door open and looking at him expectantly by the time he snapped back into action.

The entire meeting flashed by in a flurry of experiences. Marianna brought him to the front desk and declared his presence in German, the front desk attendant produced a large stack of papers that he was directed to sign. Marianna explained in a hurried tone that the papers were all necessary for him to inherit his grandfather’s fortune. This struck Alec as an odd formality, when he had visited his grandfather years back, he was living in a small apartment with basic food staples and nothing to speak of grandeur anywhere to be seen.

Once this was all done, Alec was directed back to the SUV where the men returned the blindfold. Much to Alec’s delighted surprise, the shackles were not returned to his wrists. They drove in melancholic silence, and the feeling hanging in the air held Alec’s regularly sarcastic nature at bay. Less than 2 minutes had passed before the vehicle lurched to a halt once again. When he was removed from the vehicle and the blindfold removed, Alec’s head spun at the sight he now beheld.

The SUV was parked in front of a sprawling Victorian-era mansion. They were now somewhere far in the countryside, large trees lining the driveway up to the manse. To the left of the building was a large courtyard with gardens in all 4 corners and a huge marble statue in the middle. The mansion itself was 4 stories tall, and kept in immaculate condition. Studying the windows, Alec could see absolutely no movement inside. He took an unthinking step toward the stairs, and was immediately pulled back by one of the brutes.

“The wards will rip you apart if we don’t remove them first. Stay.” He opened up the Codex to the first page, a small whirl of wind whipping at the ground around him as he did so. The words he spoke from the page seemed to contradict the movements of his mouth. It was a short sentence, and spoken in a tongue Alec likely could have never dreamed of. As soon as the last syllable left his mouth, the man’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground. The mansion groaned as if the ground was shifting beneath it.

“Damnit. The wards must be bloodline-armed.” Marianna looked pensive, staring at the mansion with intrepidation. She seemed to be looking for a solution, ignoring the fact one of her henchmen was laying on the ground, possibly dead. Alec reached down to check for a pulse and sighed in relief when he felt the strong beating of the man’s heart in his jugular vein. Alec took the Codex from his hand, and studied the page.

Sllkar jrridica kiiltir guujir kollkar

Alec read the sentence out in a whisper, wondering at the pronunciation of the words. Strangely, they seemed to roll off his tongue like warm honey. The mansion began emitting a howl unlike anything he’d ever heard, and the front door swung wide. “What are you doing?!” Marianna took a few fevered strides toward Alec, before freezing in place. Inside the doorway stood a man with perfect features. He was dressed in a black jacket with coattails that hung down on both sides. His black bowtie perfectly framed his chiseled jawline, and his hands were covered with white gloves that looked impossibly clean. His face was passive as he stepped out of the house and looked directly toward Alec.

“It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Kollkar. It is with great regret that I must inform you that my previous master has passed on. I feel his soul resting in the Great Beyond. His reign was long and filled with great accomplishments. I look forward to serving you and observing the great achievements you will attain. Shall I return the area’s quantum state to regular progression so you may deal with the Lady Marianna? I assessed the situation and determined you may need a moment to gather your thoughts.”

Alec’s brain felt numb. Lord Kollkar? That was him? Quantum state? He wasn’t sure of anything right now, and he needed answers. “Yes, please. Return everything to normal.” He hadn’t realized he’d taken a step closer to the mansion, and when everything resumed it’s normal pace, Marianna barreled directly into Alec, both of them falling to the ground. The man from the mansion seemed to teleport beside them, lifting Marianna and subduring her with her arms behind her back in one fluid motion with no signs of any strain from her weight.

“What were you thinking?!” She didn’t seem too concerned by the man currently holding her against her will, for her words were directed at Alec, and Alec alone. The second henchman was now standing with a strange weapon in his hands, his eyes darting between the three of them.

“I wasn’t thinking anything, I didn’t mean to do anything, what is going on?!” Alec’s fevered voice seemed to calm Marianna slightly.

“You’ve awoken the estate. The wards responded to your bloodline, and you’ve claimed ownership of this Library. You are now Lord Kollkar, superseding your grandfather. Congratulations, I suppose. This is your birthright.” The man from inside, at this point Alec presumed it was the butler, let go of Marianna and address her directly;

“Kneel before the rightful heir of Kollkar.” Alec realized now how monotonous the butler’s voice sounded, like a robot.

“Pound sand, golem.” Marianna looked at the man with unconcealed malice, rubbing her wrists where he had gripped her. Alec could see the area had turned red, the telltale sign of bruises forming. He was having trouble reconciling the sight he was seeing with the woman that had suddenly and viciously killed a man in the airport not even an hour prior to this moment.

“Marianna, what is happening? Where are we and who is Lord Kollkar?”

“Welcome home, Alexei. This is your grandfather’s estate. It’s one of the Great Libraries that the Order has maintained for centuries. Without the knowledge that has been amassed and maintained here, our world likely would have succumbed to forces beyond the veil long ago. Your grandfather was a warrior in his younger years and a respected member of the Order’s Council in his twilight years. By reading the keyphrase from the front of the Codex along with the presence of your grandfather’s blood coursing through your veins, you’ve claimed ownership of the Library. Congratulations, you are Lord Kollkar. This-” She gestured to the mansion, the courtyard and all of the land around them, “is now yours along with your grandfather’s endless fortune. I was hoping to be rid of you once we had gained access to the Library. It looks like we’ll be seeing each other much more in the coming days and weeks, Alec. Once again, you’ve found yourself deeply involved in things beyond your current understanding. I suppose now we’ll have to remedy that.”

Marianna waved a hand at her henchman, who sheathed his weapon and strode over to the limp body of his counterpart. He carried the unconscious man to the back of the SUV and they disappeared inside. “Take the rest of the day and tonight to get acquainted with your new abode and fortune. The golem here will be able to answer any questions you have and give you a tour of the mansion.” She jabbed a thumb in the man’s direction. “I’ll be back tomorrow with the rest of the Council to decide what our next move is.”

Alec wanted to speak but found his mouth dry and his lips impossible to move. He watched as Marianna sauntered to the SUV, the annoyance of recent events seeming to have slid off from her shoulders and the bounce in her step returning. She turned to look at Alec, a strange emotion sliding across her face when she spoke her next words. “I’m sorry, Alec. It was your grandfather’s wish that you be spared from the atrocities that lurk in the shadows of the Mortal world. Truly, I was doing my best to keep you from being dragged in by the undertow. It seems the universe has different plans for you. Good luck.” With that, she stepped inside the SUV and as it drove away, it seemed to wink in and out of existence until he could no longer make out it’s shape. It never reached the end of the driveway.

Alec turned to face the golem and the rest of his newly acquired estate. In the span of two days, Alec had gone from an unknown fly on the wall in downtown Detroit, to the proud owner of a victorian-era mansion and surrounding areas. He still didn’t even know how much his grandfather’s ‘endless fortune’ was. This had all been set into motion when he had received that little, black book in his mailbox. He looked down at the Codex.

His whole world had been turned upside down. Alec had a feeling it was going to continue spinning, round and round, before he would ever be able to make sense of things again.