Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat in his office looking over a map that contained information regarding his upcoming expedition to South Africa. With his espionage efforts in the middle east, he had ensured that the conflict would ensue for a little while longer than initially expected.

He hoped that his actions would conclude in a military defeat for both the Byzantine and Timurid empires, forcing them into an unfair treaty that would cause economic depression and foster resentment towards the Catholic church. 

In the meantime, he planned an expedition to Southern Africa to establish his first colony on the African continent. Though Linde and the others may not be aware of the vast treasure trove that Africa was, Berengar knew full what precious resources were waiting for him in those unconquered lands. 

The Kaiser specifically used the term unconquered in his mind because he did not recognize the Bantu or other Tribes that inhabited the area to be an actual civilization, and instead considered them a loose collection of stone age tribes that he need not concern himself with.  While looking over this map, a knock resounded on the door of the study, and a familiar voice appeared from behind. 

"Berengar, you wanted to speak to us?"

Berengar sighed heavily as he rolled up the map that was charted by Honoria's crew and concealed it within his luggage. He then called out to the feminine voice with a hint of worry in his tone.

"Come in darling, there is something we need to talk about"

Berengar had sent word to both Adela and Henrietta that he wanted to see them before he departed on his journey to Southern Africa. The two blonde bombshells walked through the door with pleasant smiles on their faces. It was not every day that they were summoned to the office of their man. 

The two women quickly sat down in front of Berengar's desk, where he poured them a few drinks, as well as one for himself. It was times like this that Berengar needed a stiff drink to calm his nerves. Though he had been gifted the boon of courage by the ancient Frisian goddess Baduhenna, it did not mean that he felt no fear. Only that he had the means to overcome it. Because of that, he was quick and to the point as he discussed his little secret with his sister and cousin.

"Adela, Henrietta, I asked you to come here today so that I can share with you a story. A story about my past that neither of you is aware of. In truth, you are the last two I have decided to speak about this topic with, as you are the ones whose reactions I fear the most."

The pleasant smiles on the girl's faces soured into grim stares. They did not know what Berengar was about to say, but they suspected it was heavy. He rarely spoke to them in such a manner. Just when Adela was about to speak up, Berengar raised his hand, silencing her, before continuing on his rant.

"I know what you want to say, and allow me to speak my piece first. I will answer any of your questions after I have concluded my tale."

The girls had nervous expressions on their faces but nodded their heads in silence, allowing their man to continue whatever it was he had desired to speak about. Berengar gulped down more of his liquid courage before beginning his tale.

"Allow me to preface this by saying that though I have never lied to you about my past, I may have concealed some things that were important. The truth is, that I am not the man you think I am. Henrietta, I owe you the biggest apology, as you are the first person I witnessed upon entering this world, and you should have been the first for me to discuss this with, and in a way you were, but I think you did not fully understand my intent when I told you this.  I am Berengar von Kufstein in this world, but I have the memories of a past life, from the distant future where I was a man by the name of Julian Weber..."

Adela did not know how to respond to this information, but Henrietta reacted in shock. She remembered the bedtime story Berengar had once given her during her early teenage years about a man from another world named Julian, and the struggles he went through in life. She immediately knew where this story was headed, but remained quiet.  Berengar continued his speech while taking sips from his alcoholic beverage in between his sentences.

"I suppose I should start in the beginning. I was born in the year of our lord 1996, in a country whose name was the United States of America. By that 21st century, America had become a global superpower with no rivals, and yet at the same time, it was a society that was on the path of collapse. This was a reality that few people were aware of by the time I died. 

In fact, one might have called me a conspiracy theorist if I were to utter these thoughts aloud. But I had done the calculations, and could estimate from the signs that were given should I had lived another thirty years, I would have seen the complete and total collapse of my nation with my own eyes. 

In that life, I lived mostly by myself, with no lovers to speak of, no friends to call upon, and a family who were absent. You see, I grew up impoverished, with no siblings to speak of. My parents had to each work two jobs to put food on the table. As a result, I ended up joining the military as an engineer and ultimately died in a pointless war in some godforsaken part of the world.

Henrietta, do you remember the night I fell deathly ill about eight years ago? You stayed by my bedside for the duration of the night, and when I awoke, you were the first thing I saw in this world. You were so dutiful and did your best to take care of me in my final hours.

Though I was struggling to sift through my memories from two lives, I was excited to see that I had a little sister, especially one as cute as you. That was the moment I recovered my memories of this past life. The knowledge I gained from these memories helped me build everything you see around you today. 

It took years, but eventually my power spread to all corners of Europe, and with it I have finally been given to opportunity to search for the truth about why I have such memories. After much effort, I have found some evidence to support the idea that the ancient Germanic pantheon of deities is involved. For what purpose they have revived me in this world? I do not know the answer.

The reason I wanted to share this with you now is because I will be embarking on a dangerous journey soon, and I wanted you two to know the truth about me in case something goes wrong. Though I have two sets of memories, of two very different lifetimes. I want you to know that it does not change who I am or how I feel about you. Especially to you, Adela, as you met me after this change had occurred. I love you both, and hope you can accept this new information without much difficulty. "

Adela was in shock. She did not know how to react to this. Just when things were starting to get better between her and Berengar, he had to drop this bombshell on her. She did not know who he was anymore, or what to believe in. Especially after hearing that pagan gods were possibly involved with his revival.

If there weren't so many unexplainable things about Berengar's knowledge and personality, then Adela would condemn him as a madman in that moment. She wanted to slap him across the face and compel him to come back to reality. However, the more she thought about these unexplainable aspects, the more she considered the madness he was speaking as a viable possibility. 

The origin of Berengar's futuristic knowledge was something that nobody could explain, not with science or religion. After all, he was the man who introduced the modern concept of science to the world, and yet what he was saying flew in the face of it.  Henrietta, on the other hand, had a far more important question on her mind. She did not care about the things that Adela was considering, and only asked what mattered most to her.

"So you're saying you're not my brother?"

Berengar wore a pitiful smile as he placed his hand on the young woman's cheek to comfort her. 

"I am your brother. I'm just a better version of him. One who accepts, and responds to your love in kind... The old me never would have considered taking his sister as a lover..."

Henrietta stared at Berengar with tears in her eyes before hugging him. Simply being assured that he was the brother she knew and loved for all these years was all she needed to know in order for her to make a decision on how to respond to this information. In truth, she did not care in the slightest if he had a second set of memories, so long as he was still the man she cared for. 

As for Adela, she needed time. Time to digest everything she had heard, time to think it through, time to search through her emotions and come up with an answer. She was spaced out as she slowly walked out of the door, leaving Berengar and Henrietta behind as she mindlessly wandered off to her quarters. 

Berengar was immediately concerned when he saw this, and got up from his seat to chase after the woman. However, Henrietta latched onto his arm, and pulled him back down before shaking her head and lecturing the man.

"She needs time to think things through. I am sure if you give her space, she will come running back to your arms eventually. This is not only a crisis of identity for her, but a crisis of religion. I'll keep an eye on her for you. You go do what you need to do in Africa. Just promise to come back to me in one piece!"

Berengar smiled as he kissed his sister on the lips before agreeing to her request.

"I promise..."

After saying that, Berengar left Adela and Henrietta, and reunited with Honoria as the two of them cast off for their dangerous expedition to Southern Africa.