like a zombie from horror movies about the Apocalypse. The world appeared to me in a completely different light. My eyesight stopped deteriorating and even improved so much that I could distinguish the smallest details in the pitch darkness. The hearing problems disappeared too. It used to cheat me before. Now, like a cat, I could make out the quietest noises and knew who or what they belonged to. Someone, maybe, would say that such hypersensitivity was not good and that it would interfere with a full life, distracting attention to all sorts of little things. Yes, on the one hand, they would be right. It was hard at first. When it became a habit, it was perceived as second nature. Of course, I didn’t want to think that I would have to pay for everything in this life. There is not such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a price. And for the new powers an early and unknown death awaits me ahead. I could only guess what fate would be in store for me. But in the meantime, it didn’t matter. The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be prevented. It remains only to enjoy the present. It is that decides what will become of us tomorrow.
“Today you are about to get acquainted with the set of rules on ‘Bernausism’, created by Almighty Stone. The language in which the Book is written defies researching even by us. It can be learned, but used only in special cases, for example, when communicating with Bernauses of other nations and performing spells. This will be the last test before the meeting with the Council. The Council is just a formality. It officially accepts newcomers into the chosen caste,” Ema solemnly declared, as if she herself was an honorary member of the Council.
“So I can’t refuse, can I?” I asked with a hint of displeasure and disappointment, since I didn’t particularly like such gatherings. Being in the center of attention and shining in front of strangers was not my cup of tea.
“Of course not! Refusal condemns you to a life of outcast. You become a Bernaus after the approval of the Council and adding your name in the annals of our kind. Enough questions for today! It’s time to finish what we’ve started”. The former mentor interrupted the meaningless conversation and headed for the exit.
Ema looked amazing as always: she was dressed in tight leather pants and a jacket that clearly outlined her waist and hips; her hair was loose (I always liked girls with loose hair). Either Ema didn’t like messing with it, doing different hairstyles, or she just liked to feel free. I noticed a long time ago that if she was in a good mood, she let her hair down, and if she was in a bad mood, she tied it with a ribbon or elastic band. While agitated, she had a habit of combing them to the right side. I knew my friend like the palm of my hand. Sensing that I was watching her sideways, Ema stopped and gave me an appraising glance, and then rolled her eyes.
“Kaulakis, you’re not going to go out in this outfit, are you?”
“What’s wrong with it?” I gave a glance at myself: a blue T-shirt, khakis and white sneakers. I looked fine.
“You don’t know how to dress at all. Live and learn.” Ema came up to my closet, went through some of my stuff for a couple of minutes, took something out and threw it to me. “Here you go”.
There were a white shirt, dark blue jeans and a gray windbreaker.
“At least you look now like a human being.” Ema concluded with satisfaction when I appeared in front of her in a new guise, “unbutton the top of your shirt”.
“Yes, Ma’am!”
If a woman commands you, either she is your boss, wife, lover, or just the one you love unconditionally.
We hit the road. Having heard about the Council, I expected to find myself in the place of something similar to the vampire saga: a medieval castle with a thousand-year history, underground passages in the form of intricate tunnels and mazes, through which Council members and those who work for it move on their business like ghosts. In sum, the picture drawn by my imagination turned out to be not pleasant. But, it was much more real than that I could have imagined. The Council building was located in an ordinary house on the outskirts of the town. A large stone fence surrounded the building, and its area occupied a big area. The two-story brick building did not catch the eye with its luxury and did not attract the attention of neighbors. The legal address of some firm was registered there. The Council gathered several times a year to carry out activities of a certain nature and to solve current problems. There was no one who issued decrees and orders, but only the Council that monitored the implementation of rules that had already existed for many millennia and judged their violators. Once inside, we found ourselves in a spacious hall, built in the ancient Roman style. Sunlight seemed to penetrate from everywhere, giving comfort and openness to the vast space. Here Ema and I parted for a while. I was led alone into an ordinary basement room, dusty and dark, and the door was closed behind me. I stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do first, until I heard a quiet rattling. At first I chalked it up to my rich imagination, but the tapping repeated louder. Thanks to my newly acquired keen eyesight and perfect hearing, I easily found the source of the sound. It was coming directly from the wall opposite, as if someone was hesitantly trying to get out, but they did not have enough strength for that. A few bricks were staggering in the wall from the force pushing them from inside. I was overcome by feelings of curiosity and fear at the same time. What could it be? I touched the bricks and the sound stopped immediately. No sooner had I pulled one of them out than something jumped out of the wall and circled around the room like a bird. Having flown in plenty, it hung above the level of my face at arm’s length and opened. The flying object turned out to be a book.
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