The next morning, Lars wakes up and packs his things — he's found a place to stay in Ingolstadt for a while. He leaves his room and finds the house empty. Lars has been curious this whole time about what might be in the basement.
The moment has come. It's now or never.
Lars had discovered that Seck keeps the basement keys in a drawer in his bedroom wardrobe. He goes there, takes the keys, and walks to the basement door. With a mix of fear and determination, he unlocks it and opens it slowly. Stairs lead down into the darkness.
Lars descends step by step. The air grows colder. It smells of moisture and old paper. He switches on the light and sees a large desk, shelves full of books, file boxes, documents, photographs. Some papers are pinned to a corkboard. The walls are covered in handwritten notes, dates, maps of Germany with cities marked.
What is all this?
He notices one shelf with a small label: "PRIVATE."
Lars approaches it slowly. He hesitates. Something inside tells him to turn back. But it's too late now. His fingers run along the spines of the books... none of them have titles. Only numbers: "Case 004," "Case 017," "Case ND-023."
He picks one at random.
Inside are old photographs. People with symbols on their skin, rituals with pentagrams, and yellowed newspaper clippings with headlines like:
"Tragic Mass Suicide in Dresden Still Baffles Police."
"Heidelberg: Couple Dies in Car Crash, Leave Behind Two Orphaned Children."
An old envelope slips out and falls to the floor. Lars picks it up. It's marked "Confidential – Case T-04." With trembling hands, he opens it.
"Report by Seck R.: The Müller couple were involved with the Meyerns' network. Their attempt to flee ended in their death. They left two children. I suspect the Meyerns covered it all up as an accident."
Lars feels a jolt in his chest. The Müller couple...? He looks at the names of the deceased's children — Alex and Bruno's parents?
He stumbles back in shock and bumps into the desk. Turning around, he opens one of its drawers and finds a notebook filled with handwritten notes. He flips to the last page.
"I can't go on like this. If I stay in Dominion, I'll never have a life."
It was written by Seck — the notebook bears his name. Lars thinks to himself:
Dominion... I just saw that name a moment ago in one of the books.
Lars returns to the shelf. He pulls out a large, heavy book and sits down at the desk, intrigued. He begins flipping through the pages. Many names are written in code, except one. Each name has a photo next to it.
"Antonio Bauer." Why is this name crossed out in yellow?
A symbol next to the name catches his attention: a circle with three intersecting lines and an inverted spiral in the center. Below it, written in red ink, a single word:
Gusion.
Lars doesn't know what it means, but the symbol unsettles him. He doesn't know why… but he feels this won't be the last time he sees it.
Farther down the page is a note: "Fugitive."
He doesn't know who this is… but he senses that person is important. And dangerous.
Then he hears a door upstairs creak open.
"Lars!" Rebecca calls.
Before closing the book, Lars quickly tears out a blank page and copies the strange symbol. Something tells him that image will haunt him again.
He hurriedly puts the documents away, switches off the light, and climbs the stairs. He looks around — no one's there. He locks the door, heads to the living room, and finds Rebecca.
"Everything okay? What were you doing?"
"Just grabbing my things. I'm almost done packing."
Rebecca looks at him, slightly suspicious, but smiles.
"Seck wants to give you something before you go. He's in the garden."
"Okay, I'll be right there. Just need to leave something in my room."
Lars walks off.
What the hell is all this? Who is Seck, really?
I need to ask him about all this before I leave.
Lars walks down the stone path into the back garden. The morning sun barely filters through the leaves. Seck is sitting in a wooden chair, carving a small piece of wood with a pocketknife. Beside him, a steaming cup of coffee.
Lars stands in front of him. "I was in the basement."
Seck pauses. He doesn't look up. Slowly puts the knife away.
"So… you did it."
"Who were the Müllers? What do they have to do with the Meyerns? And what the hell is Dominion?"
Seck raises his eyes — cold. "You had no right to go down there."
Lars takes a step forward. "And you had no right to raise Alex and Bruno while hiding the truth from them."
Silence. Seck stands up slowly. Tension in his posture, his gaze sharp.
"They're still children. And it's better for them this way. The Müllers… they were friends. Family. They tried to get out of something no one escapes from easily. The Meyerns don't forgive betrayal."
He looks down, sadness in his voice.
"And you? Were you part of it too?"
Seck locks eyes with Lars. "I was. A member of the organization known as Dominion. Until I opened my eyes."
Lars has too many questions.
What the hell is Dominion?
A cult?
A criminal network?
Why is there a book filled with codenames and arcane symbols?
There's a long pause. Then Seck speaks, quietly:
"Dominion is an ancient organization, Lars. It's existed in the shadows of this world for centuries. At first, we believed we were doing good. But over time, some members were corrupted… now they're hired to commit crimes."
"And the symbols? What are those?"
"Members make pacts with entities that shouldn't exist… demons, if you want to call them that. In return, they receive power. Real power."
"And you? Did you make one of those pacts?" Lars asks.
Seck lowers his gaze. His voice heavy with regret. "Yes. And it's cost me more than you can imagine. That's why I left. That's why… it's better you don't learn more about them."
"What about Antonio Bauer? Why is his name crossed out? Who is he?"
Seck remains silent for a moment. Then whispers:
"A friend. Someone who ran… but he had to vanish completely. Changed his name, his face, his life. If you found his real name, don't say it out loud. Not here."
"He's alive?"
"Yes. Though not for long if Dominion finds him."
They stare at each other in silence. The wind rustles the leaves.
Lars crosses his arms. Without thinking, he blurts out:
"How can I find that organization? How do I join them?"
Seck recoils, hurt, stunned. He doesn't understand why Lars would ask such a thing.
"What are you saying? Didn't you hear what I just told you? You want to join them?"
He grabs Lars by the arms, worried.
Lars glares at him, fury in his eyes:
"The Meyerns, those sons of bitches killed my daughter."