The Golden Bond

Chapter 10

It was the 29th February. The snow outside was melting slowly and Adam had prepared days in advance for this moment. He took his dark coat off the small hook by the door and slung it over his shoulders. Its colour was in stark contrast to his fair hair. He dived into his Infiniti and drove recklessly fast across the city, all the way to the gazebo

Over the years that he'd been in the Umbra Club, he'd learned to behave in a way exactly contrary to the basic rules of the Lux Club Code. The Code was something like the Ten Commandments of the Club he'd once aspired to join. However, because he failed the final exam and the Master didn't accept him, he joined an Club that opposed the Lux one and hence he obeyed a kind of unwritten anti-code.

In practice for example, the rules were to eliminate enemies at close range, abuse his power and knowledge, be as wasteful of resources as possible, deliberately destroy and damage everything positive he could see around him, cooperate with corrupt public officials and various lobbyists, collaborate on projects intended to harm society, try to gain power at the detriment of others and many other "noble" ideals.

After so many years, this practice became entrenched in Adam way too much. The kid he had once been and who yearned for friendship died together with William's betrayal and his failure to be accepted into the Lux Club.

He received satisfaction shortly after he'd completed the training and wasn't accepted into the Club, an assault force from the opposite side was naturally waiting for him.

It was called the Umbra Club.

Trained graduates were a huge attraction for the service because they had all the necessary knowledge and skills to take advantage of in the Umbra Club.

Adam, of course, accepted.

The Master of the Lux Club knew it and suspected that the boy would become a threat, but the Code forbade him to take any kind of pre-emptive action against him. The only thing that the Master's agents could do was try to sabotage all Adam's plans and actions in the long term and that's exactly what they did. It was a never ending struggle and Adam hated them for that.

When the previous leader of the local Club died, Adam wasn't even 25 but he demanded the position nevertheless. There were older candidates available, but his fierce, devastating charisma held sway.

So he became the Master, a young and brilliantly dangerous one. With the help of his cronies, he tried his hardest to reach the infamous objectives of his new Club. However, his greatest personal reward was yet to come, maybe even as early as today.

As Adam stepped out of the car, William was already standing inside the gazebo, leaning with his elbows on the low wall, with his back turned to him. He was looking at the city and couldn't actually see him. Despite this, William knew he was there.

"Adam," he said dryly, not turning around. William had recognised Adam's energy even before he'd switched the engine off in his expensive car.

"They've trained you well," Adam replied walking over to him. He stood right next to him and looked out at the city for a moment too. There was a time when he would have bet his life on the two of them standing here as members of the Lux Club, secretly fighting for justice side by side. Today however, everything was different. They were standing here next to each other as rivals.

There was still a cold wind on the hill above the city. It was toying with William's medium length dark hair, blowing it in all directions.

The two of them hadn't been this close for several years. In fact, they hadn't even spoken since their final exam. Everything was left unsaid and now it hung like a weight between them. Adam hated William, William was fed up with his former friend and was overwhelmed with other unpleasant feelings too. The once unbreakable brotherly bond had turned into an insurmountable hatred and all but materialised evil.

"Well? What do you want from me?" Adam finally asked. The game of cat and mouse began.

"Come on, we're a bit too old for riddles, don't you think?" William replied icily. "You sent me the stone in order to finally meet. You guessed rightly that entering my personal space would infuriate me."

Adam grinned smugly. "Those stupid rules of yours are pissing you off, aren't they? I know you'd love to smash my head in with that stone, wouldn't you?"

William maintained his cool composure. "Close combat is not what we do. Perhaps you haven't forgotten that yet." It sounded like an attempt to talk to his soul for a moment. However, William knew that it was of no use.

Adam laughed mockingly. "But this is not about me, William, you know? Originally I wanted to lure you out here so I could finally shoot you like a dirty dog and then go after all your brothers and sisters too. You and your fucking Club have been getting on my nerves for quite some time now." Silence, like at a theatre performance. "Anyway in the end I found a better way..." Again silence.

William didn't say anything, he just waited. He was still completely calm, like a millpond, but the moment was coming when his surface would be rippled by one simple name.

"Sofia," Adam said impassively, "does that name ring a bell?"

"No," William replied, but twitched visibly.

Adam noticed and took advantage of the moment. He grabbed William by the head and whilst pressing his fingers against both his temples, he forcibly imprinted the image of Sofia, pricking herself while she was wrapping the packet, into William's mind.

He knew about her and what's more, he was connected with her and was intentionally harming her. William was made to see all of this now and process it. As soon as Adam let go of him, and without hesitation, William punched him in the face and Adam fell to the floor. Blood appeared on his lips and as he grinned amusedly, little scarlet rivulets of the red bodily fluid found their way through his white teeth.

"So what, Mr. Hero, does that Code of yours say now?" Adam began. "That you should defend the lady who is endangered through your own fault, am I right? By the way, you idiot, did you know that you two are connected by a golden bond? Of course you didn't, a charismagician can't see these things can he? Are you excited? You've found your better half William! Oh, wait a second... The Code prohibits any kind of feelings! Poor little William..."

Adam was evidently having great fun. He was relishing his revenge at full throttle and William was just standing there motionlessly, trying to control his erratic breathing and also trying not to strangle this snake right here.

The golden bond. Sofia. Adam and his power over her. The packet. She was touching the packet when I touched her. I've handed her to him on a silver platter... "You're a fool, Adam," William said at last, after managing to get his rage under control. "I know you're responsible for Victor's kidnapping and that it was arranged by that stooge of yours, Franz."

This time it was Adam's surface that was rippled. The smile on his face frozen for a moment, but it was back a few seconds later. "You don't know anything and you can't prove anything," he said, but deep down he was furious. That idiot Ferdinand! Who's outsmarted him again?!

"We'll see," William said, brushed the dust off his hands and started to walk to his car without saying any more. "If this is all and you're not really planning to shoot me today, I'd like to go and spend my time in a more productive way than with you," he said while removing the car keys from his pocket.

Adam didn't react, he just let his wild, fiery aura blaze around him. "The time will come when it all comes back to you," he said at last, but by that time, William was already sitting in his car, leaving...