I can't sleep. I told myself. I think I'll have a read.
With those thoughts I created a little light on the tip of my finger, grabbed the book off of my bedside table, and continued to read.
Untitled:
GSG9 Safehouse: Brandenburg, west of Berlin. 0800 AM.
The seats in the audience hall were all filled by men who themselves were full. Dressed in full battle gear, their black flack jackets, denim pants, and helmets with visors that turned them from men to soldiers, they filled the rows with their gear and their stature. All in all, there were fifty of them taking their seats in the audience hall. They faced forward onto a slightly raised stage with a single podium on it. Behind it was a banner with a silver cross of roses, dabbed with red in the center, on the top, and on the left arm, which was the right to any viewer.
Surprisingly, though, none of them were in the same section of GSG9, but they moved as if they had know each other for years, even forming little groups and sitting with friends to chat. Behind the stage were the two commanding officers. Both in full battle dress, they were dressed and polished to the point that even the top brass would have no complaints. Their smart hats and jackets reminiscent of Second World War generals distinguished them from the crowd in battle gear.
"All of the necessary preparations are complete?" The more decorated and older one said.
"We've been in contact with the parents." The other said, the locket around his neck reflecting some of the light. "The prisoners have been moved to the basement. Training on flying targets has been going well."
"Perfect." The older one said, and he looked up at the ceiling. For a bit they were silent behind the stage.
"Don't you just love these family get-togethers, Leopold?" The taller, older one asked the young Leutenant, turning quickly to him. He wore a smile as he said this, facing the younger officer.
Leopold could not tell if it was the smile one used to welcome guests or the smile a madman used when he was about to shoot you. He looked down on the floor.
"I always hated them." Leopold said. "People never talked about achieving, only achievements."
"Then rejoice." The older man stood up and took steps up the stage. He strode up the stairs confidently, and the effect was immediate. The men immediately quieted down, seeing a man who was clearly a commanding officer on stage. He turned to Leopold when he was on stage. He motioned for him to join him on stage. Not the kind of soldier to defy orders, he went up. When he got there, the older one turned to the podium and nodded at him. His gaze seemed to say: Formalities need to be observed. Leopold nodded.
"Presenting Major Wolfgang von Rosenkreuzstillete!" Leopold made this declaration loud enough for the whole hall to hear as the Major stepped up to the microphone.
If this was just a family gathering they would be cheering right now. Leopold thought. But we're all here for one reason only. As Leopold thought this, the man at the podium spoke.
"Gentlemen of the Rose Cross." He said. "I welcome you to this meeting today. I'm sure that we are wondering what our unusual training was for, no?." Heads in the crowd nodded, agreeing. Their commanding officer had requested exclusive training time for this fifty-man unit. They had this entire building to themselves, where they practiced their signature magic, the blue spears wielded by those of the Rose Cross. Flying targets had been the order of the day, and they had learned how to use their flight even in full battle gear. Interesting combinations of flash grenades and magical spears had been built.
The hunters of the Rose Cross had never been so prepared. A month and even weighed down by modern equipment, they were almost at their peak again.
"We will need all that strength, and far more." The Major said, and his iron voice began to come out, the iron voice that had commanded squads to "Breach!", the voice that made one's blood boil with the desire for adventure. "In a month, we will finally destroy the last of the vampires our ancestors spent years to hunt!"
A cheer went up. It was always far more heartening to hear the words from the horse's mouth. Leopold himself, though he had known this already, let out a cheer.
"They have escaped to a world we knew nothing of and normally cannot access. However, with the generous assistance of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, we now have a way into their new world!" A cheer that shook the walls went up, with a smattering of kind words for the Japanese, and a few remarks on the efficacy of the JSDF. The Major did not wait for them to quiet down before continuing, instead choosing to overpower their voices with his own.
"Today we fight, not only for our safety, but for glory! Tonight, we shall revel with the heads of the vampires on a plate!" A cheer, far louder than any up to this point, with even the normally calm Leopold on his feet, forcing the Major to talk into the microphone. "Silence!" The Major yelled, and there was silence. Leopold was shocked at why a man would cut his own momentum like that. He had them screaming! Why would he stop them!? The Major took a breath and continued.
"Remember, even as we revel, that the enemy is dangerous. Remember your grandfathers who died in the Sacking of 1728! Remember they who charged into battle so recklessly and were killed!" Leopold looked up at the Major and saw that there were tears in his eyes.
Those are the tears of a soldier losing a mentor, of a son losing a father. Leopold didn't even notice when a tear of his own rolled down his cheek. There was silence.
Then the commander spoke in a voice that was soft, almost like a whisper to Leopold. "Be careful. I want their heads, but I don't want casualties. Train hard. Work together. Complete the mission, but never forget one another. Dismissed."
The Major stepped off the stage and left the room in silence, leaving the men like statues. Leopold, coming to his senses, hurriedly stepped out to follow his commanding officer. He turned the corner to the left, seeing the Major's retreating back. Hearing his footsteps, the Major looked at him. His jaw was clamped shut, and it almost seemed like an effort to talk.
"What is it, Leutenant." A flat statement.
"On behalf of the me, I'd like to thank you for your consideration." He said, saluting. "It is a pleasure serving with you."
The Major did not nod. He merely responded.
"Give the illusion that you care for a man, and he will fight twice as hard with no cost to yourself. Remember that, little Leopold." He said, turning his back on the younger officer.
Leopold swallowed and remembered that his uncle was a madman and a monster.
Jaeger and Ulrika von Rosenkreuzstillete, by comparison, were both average and confused.
They were average because they had married and settled down normally. Living with their son, Levant, Jaeger worked in a large multinational bank while Ulrika stayed at home. Jaeger was tall and muscular, with thinning blonde hair as the mark of his age. Ulrika used to be a candidate for a model, and she retained her slender figure, above-average height, and her lustrous hair to this day, though not quite at the level that she once had. They owned a two-floor house with their back to a park, a cheerful enough place.
They were confused because out of the blue, they had received a letter from Jaeger's brother, Leopold, to not let Levant out into the backyard at all costs. As they read the letter, they were confused for a number of reasons.
First, they were confused because the family usually made no effort to contact them. The relationship had been strained ever since Jaeger had left the army due to health concerns. The one member of the family closest to them would be Leopold from GSG9, who was the one who wrote to them, and that was about once every six months. His last letter had arrived just last week. Also, they were confused because of the instructions. The instructions were extremely peculiar and specific, with no reason given for them.
But on the bottom, one red circle changed their mind. It was actually just a simple stamp, but it was an extremely important stamp.
The form of a rose cross, and below it, the words: Under order of Wolfgang von Rosenkreuzstillete.
Every member of House Rosenkreuzstillete had no illusions, and they all regarded Wolfgang as the crazy one. But he was also the head of the family, which meant that following him was something you did knowing that there were consequences for not doing so. Nobody held any illusions on that point.
And so it was done. On the night of the full moon, after the Grensatzgruppe had been briefed, after the parents had been notified, but before all of them could take action, there was the full moon. The two stayed on the cliff over the water and talked about worthless things.
They talked about their friends, their family, the food they had eaten, the books they had read. The music they had listened to. Perfectly ordinary conversations, punctuated with laughter and cheer. Eventually, though, sprawled on the grass, they ran out of things to say.
As if on cue, the fireflies began to dance in front of us.
"It's beautiful." Levant let the small talk escape his lips. Flandre snickered.
"Only little kids think fireflies are beautiful." She said, but she still stared at them intently.
"Hey, now who's looking at the fireflies." Levant said, affectionately reaching over and placing his hand on her head. She rolled over in the grass to face him, delivering her line with a slight pout.
"That's not fair, Flandre's still a kid!" At this Levant laughed softly, pulling her closer, to the point that his elbow was on her shoulder. They looked at each other, bathed in the moonlight.
They stayed like that for a few minutes before Levant's watch chimed. She had to go home at ten, and so did he. He stood up, but Flandre didn't get up.
"I'm tired. Carry me home." She said.
"I have to go home." Levant said.
"Then sleep over, I'm sure your parents won't mind." Flandre insisted.
"They will."
"But I want to talk more!" She pouted again, throwing her gaze sideways down onto the ground under the grass.
"Then I'll ask if I can stay over next month." Levant said.
"But that's so loooong~!" Flandre complained. "Why do you want to leaaavvveeeee!?"
Levant stopped. He turned around and knelt beside the vampire who was still on the ground.
"I don't want to go. If I had a choice, I would just stay here the whole night and play with Flan." Levant said, just like his parents had once said to him. "But there are times when we can't get what we want, when there are other things we have to think about." At this, Flan's eyes fell down to her knees, and she fell silent. Levant stayed where he was. Time became irrelevant again.
"…sure…come back." Flandre mumbled.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Make sure you come back next month, or I'll really be mad!" The little girl yelled. Levant's chest was pulled up for a moment before he took a breath.
"Of course I'll be back." He said, walking back towards his house. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He turned and walked away, carrying the same mix of sadness, longing, and hope that had been his standard emotional cocktail ever since they had first met.
He had no way of knowing that the girl felt exactly the same way as she flew over the lake. But midway through the flight, she floated in place to look at the moon. She had no way of knowing that the boy, on his path back home, had also stopped.
Hey moon, make sure Levant comes back next month. She thought to herself before speeding off.
She didn't know it, but Levant smiled as a moonbeam fell upon him. It was as if the playful moonlight was telling him: "Don't forget your date."
He walked home beaming.
I fell asleep on the book, out of exhaustion rather than boredom.