'Heinrich Sacco'. That was Julius' real name - and identity. One he had assumed after triggering, together with a swiss citizenship.In fact, he was born to an Italian-Swiss couple, and his original name was Enrico. But to keep up traditions he had chosen to change his name once he joined the Swiss Guard. He had been studying to join the clergy before he triggered, and then he'd changed his career choice. There were no details regarding his trigger event or what motivated him to leave behind his old life.Parahumans were not forbidden from holding positions in the Catholic Church - though they weren't allowed to be Cardinals or even Bishops. He could have chosen to keep his power under wraps, and as long as he didn't try for one of those positions nobody would have been any wiser.Heinrich had joined the rank of heroes only during Leviathan's attack on Naples. After that he'd taken to be a sort of vanguard figure for European heroes, always on the frontline. Heinrich didn't join when Endbringers attacked anywhere outside Europe, but something about him told me he was regretful about that.And as for the last detail about him… Heinrich seemed to find solace only with felines.I stood on his balcony, scratching at the neck of one of his cats. The cat smugly meowed in my hand, happy at the attention.The balcony door suddenly shifted open."Kuro, come inside." Heinrich gestured for the cat, who quickly followed his words and walked between his legs. "...you as well, Blackwall."I made a little bow with my head as I made my way inside.When not made bronze by his power, Heinrich was a normal looking man. Pronounced jawline, no beard, dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes.Three cats walked within his small apartment, the only real detail that said anything about his personality. Aside from that, the house was rather bare.Heinrich sat on the couch, leaning backwards, while I stood in the center of the room."I never told you about where I lived." Heinrich spoke without any hint of an accent."No. You have not. But I found out nonetheless.""Is that how you operate in America? No regard for privacy? Or identities? Should I be worried about the other members of the Protectorate as well?""I was never sworn in the Protectorate… but yes, I would say that you should not trust the Protectorate fully." Alexandria and Eidolon came to mind. The Chief Director of the PRT and the strongest hero in the world, both part of a conspiracy to control the world."And now you speak badly of your compatriots. I thought you'd stand by their side.""We share the goal of keeping the world safe. Beyond that, I have no loyalty to them.""Mh. You're choosing your words carefully. You are hiding something.""Yes." I confirmed."Is it something that can compromise what you are doing in this city?""No.""Then it doesn't matter." Heinrich shook his head, petting the cat that climbed on his leg and now rested on his lap. "What have you found?""As I mentioned to you yesterday, the Pontiff is a corpse, puppeteered by a parahuman. A Master. The same Master that took control of those fifty people in Corviale… No, that killed those people, then used their corpses as weapons to attack me.""They were dead long before they smashed their own heads in, weren't they?"I raised an eyebrow."The heroes know about that?""No," he shook his head, "the autopsy reports were changed to omit that detail. I found out myself. I was studying medicine alongside theology before I was forced into the Swiss Guard, you see. I needed to dig up a grave or two, but I got my answers.""...how long have you known?""Since you asked me to meet. I did not go home last night. I don't get tired as long as I am made of bronze. But that's beside the point… What can you tell me about those black metal threads?""Something you might have already guessed. It is eerily similar to Malacoda's own construct. She is in some ways related to the Master behind all of this, the one controlling the Three Blasphemies. I don't think it is her, but the connection is evident."Heinrich nodded, glancing to the side, at the cat scratching his arm. Even while not made of bronze, his musculature was quite evident." 'Related' is the right word. I believe it's one of her sisters.""That is what I also guessed, they-"He quickly interrupted me."This is not a guess. I know it. Malacoda's real name is Chiara Portinari. She has two elder sisters, Beatrice and Adriana. The latter is the eldest of the three. I know for a fact that they all triggered together, and kept in contact.""The Master is either Beatrice or Adriana then?""Or both. I have found no traces of either of them over the years. It could easily be possible that they're both controlling the Vatican from the shadows. Something that rattled me to the bone, by the way…""I'm sorry." I sincerely offered my empathy."Don't be. You're not the one puppeteering the holy one's corpse around like a toy. Once I got suspicious, it didn't take much to confirm it. I asked for a private meeting with the Pontiff and I was denied. Then I looked for anyone that had met the Pontiff one on one during the last month and got stonewalled. They're probably onto me, but I don't care much…"There was a heavy weight behind his words. Heinrich held no affection for the Vatican, or for his Swiss Guard colleagues. I had not yet found out why he had joined the Pontiff's private military force, and this led me to believe that it had not been much of a choice."Can you get me in contact with other heroes willing to help? Other members of the Swiss Guard."Heinrich grit his teeth and shook his head."No. Any hero within the Vatican that I got too close with was always quickly sent away, to a foreign nation. When they would come back they'd suddenly become cold and distant. I always attributed it to them resenting the Vatican once they got a taste of freedom, but now it takes on another meaning. Aquila is one such example: I once considered the man a friend, but now we only converse when it comes to missions."Among the Blackbranch? Or independent heroes?""The Blackbranch is fully devoted to Malacoda. Under a Master power, I now suspect… As for independent heroes, none in Rome I consider up to the task. They'd be a liability more than anything else.""So it's just us." I sighed."Don't you have the PRT and Protectorate help?""Not anymore. They don't want to risk a national incident." And Cauldron is partially using this as a test of my capabilities. To evaluate my worth."Then we're truly fucked." For the first time Heinrich let out a chuckle. Exasperated, more than anything."I don't believe so.""Blackwall, we almost got you with just five of us, what can you hope to do against the full might of the Blackbranch, plus the Swiss Guard, plus the Master behind this, plus the fucking Blasphemies. I can't emphasize enough how dangerous the Three Furies are. Have you seen what they did to the Apennines down south?"The incident from six years ago. The Three Blasphemies had appeared at the very end of the Apennines and had removed a significant chunk of the mountain range, shortening the overall span of it. That almost raised them to S-Class, if not for the fact that they had done so during the only day where there were no people in the vicinity. The ecological damage was still felt today, but they had not directly killed anyone during their brief rampage."Italy has refused to raise them to S-Class, by the way. They're now the first and only world-threat that is considered S-Class in every nation but one. Part of me hopes that this is still the work of the Master, but I've been Italian for long enough to know that our government is more than capable enough to do this type of shit."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel."It's not the first time the odds are stacked against me.""This is not the Siberian, Blackwall. The Three Blasphemies aren't a problem that you can just avoid. They are fully capable of razing Rome to the ground.""I know that.""Then, please, leave the city. We've survived so far, we'll continue to do so."I was taken aback by Heinrich's sudden pleading."You want me to leave? To let the Master do as they want?""They're not killing anyone.""We don't know that. And they've killed fifty people on a whim. That's not counting the hundreds of civilian casualties that are involved anytime the Three Blasphemies mess with another European nation.""In trying to stop them, you could cause millions of deaths."Heinrich was right.Was I willing to sacrifice that many lives?Was I open to seeing that many humans die?I closed my eyes. Letting my thoughts cool for a moment.Steeling my resolve."If we do nothing, then we are unprepared for whatever comes. If we do nothing, we allow those fifty deaths to mean nothing, not to mention the many other deaths that we don't know about. If we do nothing, then we change nothing. And I can't accept that."If millions were to die because of my actions, at least I would know that I did all I could. If we do nothing… The Pontiff is spouting lies of hatred every Sunday mass. The Master puppeting his corpse is manipulating Europe in such a way to create an environment that is forcing parahumans to work for the government, and in turn forces them to choose between a life of crime or servitude. We spare the lives of millions today and we allow a future where billions die and suffer at the hand of people like the Master, of monsters like the Three Blasphemies."I glanced at Heinrich's conflicted expression. Something about what I said hit a sour spot in his past. It took me another moment to realize it."That's what happened to you. You were forced to join the Swiss Guard. You revealed your powers to help against Leviathan, and they rewarded you with slavery.""Yes." Heinrich solemnly nodded, looking down to the cat on his lap. "I was forced to give up my life as a priest, my vows to God. Then given the choice to either work for the Vatican or spend my life in prison.""And you still think that we should allow this situation to continue?""No." He picked up the cat and scratched its back, before placing him aside. Then he stood up. "I want to change everything about this world. But I don't have the resolve to do that. I don't trust myself enough. But what you said… I think I can trust your ideals. Or, at least, work with you without regretting my actions."He extended his hand. I glanced up at him.Then I placed my hand in his. This brief handshake was my own way of deciding to trust him. He could turn me to bronze with a thought.But Heinrich chose not to. Instead he let go of my hand and took a deep breath. He walked up to the wardrobe to the side, pulling out parts of his costume. Turning the Vatican's insignia on the side to bronze and tearing it off with a crack."Where do we start?"Behind my respirator I smiled, allowing it to reach my eyes for the first time in many days.Dragon. Taylor. Heinrich… even Colin, I struggled to admit. Even when faced with the worst humanity had to offer, I always managed to find those that still held hope strong in their hearts. People looking for the right opportunity to change the world for the better."First, with your help we can breach the underground of the Vatican. Your power works on Malacoda's metal, correct?""Yes. I was not aware of anything under the Vatican.""There is a large section that is cut off from outside access, covered in an indestructible black metal. Luckily your bronze is far from indestructible, with your help we should be able to gain access and see whatever it is that the Master is hiding.""I think I already know what it is. If I'm right, it's related to Cariddi."What?"Explain.""Cariddi's real name is Dante, a convict that admitted to charges of aggravated murder, having tortured and then killed people at the whims of a crime boss from the south. He was in prison when Leviathan attacked... And unlike what the reports say, Cariddi wasn't anywhere close to Naples when Leviathan attacked. He did not trigger due to the Endbringer, of that I'm certain. I investigated it in the past, but all promising leads kept disappearing. Some were threatened into silence. But from what I found…"As I listened, my blood began to boil.At some point my ears began to ring.
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I sat on the grass, hands over my knees, trying to steady my breathing. Blood was boiling in my veins. Emotions threatened to drown out reason.'Fury' could not begin to describe what I was feeling as I glanced up at the moonless night sky.After a long while I stood up."Door me. Cauldron."Nothing happened."Door me." I repeated with more emphasis.Still nothing happened. I felt a synthetic vein pop in my forehead."I swear to everything, Contessa, if you don't open a door right now I will kill you all the next time I see you. Even if it's during an Endbringer attack. I swear it."Finally, a bright rectangle gate appeared a few paces in front of me. Beyond it I did not see the usual white hallway, but rather a wider room. Still covered in white tiles, but clearly a different location within the Cauldron compound.Alexandria was floating beyond the boundary, arms crossed, face covered behind her mask."Calm down Blackwall. You don't want to do this.""They're listening. Correct?" I ignored her plea and asked my question.Alexandria gave me the smallest of nods."Good. You lied to me. Worse than that, you contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands, and that is with only one person. Who else committed atrocities after you gave them vials? After you gave them powers, knowing they were going to abuse them.""We weigh lives in millions. What you've heard-" Alexandria tried to explain."Shut. Up." I silenced her. I was done with her ego, with her paranoia and self-righteousness. "Let me see them. I want to see their faces when I ask why they did it.""I'm afraid that would be unwise. It would be better if-""I won't say it again. The only thing I want to hear from you, Alexandria, is silence." I turned away from the hero and looked beyond the dimensional portal. I knew that they could see and listen to me through it. "You won't face me? Fine. I will still ask my question."Coil, Thomas, giving powers to him I understood. He had been a PRT officer, he was resourceful, and he was ambitious. But Cariddi? He was a serial killer and a sadist before he became a parahuman, and you still chose to give him the means to kill tens of thousands. What else have you done in your twisted pursuit? How many people have you sacrificed in your experiments?""That is enough!" Alexandria shouted. "You're crossing a line. Stand down before-"Safety protocols disengaged.My fist crashed against Alexandria's face before she could finish her sentence.