The three of them entered Dominion's hideout after watching the large man storm out, accompanied by the tall, thin man, with Lauren walking at his side. The main door closed behind them with a heavy, almost solemn sound.
Inside, the main hall was more crowded than usual. Several people stood gathered in a group: Klein was talking with Amelia near one of the columns; William stood with his arms crossed, listening in silence; and Sigmund remained somewhat apart, observing everything quietly. A low murmur filled the room—a mixture of hushed voices and contained tension.
Lars, Marcus, and Viktor took a few steps forward without intervening. From where they stood, they could only make out fragments of conversation—isolated words that failed to form any clear meaning. Then Sigmund looked up and fixed his eyes on them. Without saying a word, he made a brief, unmistakable gesture with his hand toward Viktor.
"Guys," Viktor said quietly, "Sigmund's calling me. Wait here."
Viktor walked away, leaving Lars and Marcus by one of the walls. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lars seized the moment. He turned toward Marcus, his brow slightly furrowed.
"What did you find in Von Hohenwald's office?" he asked bluntly.
Marcus glanced at him sideways, tired.
"Lars, don't keep pushing this. The kid's already been delivered. By now he should be with his family."
"You said you'd look into it," Lars insisted. "What was the point of going in there if you're not going to tell me anything?"
Marcus sighed, rolling his eyes as if giving in to an inevitable annoyance.
"I took some photos," he admitted. "There were letters—lots of them. In one drawer there was an endless stack of files. Nothing organized… but there was something else. Behind a painting, I found a map."
Lars stiffened.
"A map?"
"Of Berlin," Marcus continued. "With a red mark outside the city. I don't know what that place is, but it didn't look trivial. I'll send you the images. Look at them later."
Marcus calmly pulled out his phone, and seconds later Lars's phone vibrated. Once, twice, three times. Lars didn't check it right away, but he knew exactly what it was.
At that moment, Viktor returned. His expression had changed—his usual calm was gone.
"This is bad," he said quietly. "The big guy wants to call a meeting to split the organization. For good."
Marcus looked at him, stunned.
"What? Why would he do that?"
"Because there's no going back between him and Rudolf," Viktor replied. "Sigmund was clear: if he's not happy with the decisions, he can leave. Take whoever wants to follow him. The rest will stay here."
Lars spoke, almost to himself.
"So it was true… when you told me things were bad inside Dominion."
"They are," Viktor nodded. "And this is only going to make it worse. Come on—let's get closer. Sigmund's going to speak."
The three of them moved toward the center of the room as the conversations gradually faded.
They approached the main group. Amelia and Klein were the first to notice them. Both offered a brief smile when they saw Lars and Marcus, an automatic gesture that vanished almost immediately under the weight of the situation.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one raised their voice.
Sigmund, seated with a glass in front of him, finally spoke. He gently tapped the rim of the glass with a spoon—just enough to draw attention without imposing himself.
"Well," he said, sweeping his gaze across the room, "everyone here knows the current situation. And I hope that those of us present can remain united… at least until the time comes to decide."
Klein raised his hand.
"Sir," he said, "you can count on us. What about Frank and Amaya?"
"They'll arrive in the coming days," Sigmund replied without hesitation. "They'll be present for the meeting. All members of the organization have been summoned. It will take place in one week."
A faint murmur rippled through the room.
Sigmund then turned his head and fixed his gaze on William, who remained leaning against a column, arms crossed, as distant as ever.
"And you, William?" Sigmund asked. "Which side are you on?"
William didn't move from his position. His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"I don't feel aligned with either side," he replied. "But I've always worked with you. So you can count on me."
Sigmund nodded once in acceptance, then shifted his gaze to Lars.
"Lars," he said. "Congratulations. You completed your first mission."
He raised his glass of wine in a brief but clear gesture. Several eyes turned toward Lars. He shifted uncomfortably and replied:
"I actually did very little. Marcus and Viktor deserve the credit."
Viktor and Marcus exchanged a discreet smile.
Sigmund lowered his glass calmly.
"That's beside the point," he said. "Everyone here contributes. More or less, every piece serves its purpose."
The words lingered in the air.
Lars nodded, but he felt no pride. The image of the child, the map on his phone, and the name Von Hohenwald were too present to celebrate anything.
And the meeting ahead promised to change many things within Dominion.
A phone began ringing inside the hall.
The sound immediately cut through the murmurs. Sigmund slipped a hand into his jacket, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the screen for a second before answering. He rose slightly from his seat and stepped away, speaking in a low voice, just enough to keep the conversation private.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lars stepped away from the main group and approached Klein, Amelia, and William.
"Hey," he said. "How have you been? What happened here?"
He shook Klein's hand first, then William's. He greeted Amelia with a brief kiss on the cheek.
Klein exhaled before answering.
"I don't know if you saw a big man leave here a few minutes ago."
"Yes," Lars replied. "He was with another man… and Lauren. I greeted her, but she just looked at me and didn't say anything."
Klein nodded.
"His name is Rudolf Kranz," he said. "He's the son of one of Dominion's former members. His father was… radical. Very radical. And Rudolf inherited that mindset completely."
William stayed silent, listening.
"Since Sigmund took over," Klein continued, "Rudolf has disagreed with almost everything. And when Sigmund started enforcing less extreme, more controlled rules, Kranz began rallying the members who shared his views."
Lars frowned slightly.
"And today?"
"Today he came because he received a job offer," Klein replied. "A black-market job. Sigmund shut it down immediately. You know how that ended—the argument blew up, and now we're right where we didn't want to be."
Lars nodded slowly, absorbing the information.
"And Lauren?" he asked. "Why is she with him?"
Amelia spoke this time.
"Lauren is his younger sister," she said. "They've always been very close. He's the one who brought her into Dominion."
Lars looked at her closely.
"I thought Sigmund no longer forced anyone to perform the ritual."
"He doesn't," Amelia confirmed. "But Lauren did it voluntarily. No one pressured her."
That didn't reassure Lars.
If anything, it did the opposite.
"So… she chose this path."
Amelia nodded, her expression a mix of pride and concern.
"Yes. And Rudolf never agreed with how Sigmund runs things. To him, Dominion has grown weak."
At that moment, Sigmund ended the call and turned back toward the room. His expression had changed. It was no longer just concern.
It was determination.
Lars noticed immediately.
And he knew that what they had just discussed wasn't the beginning of the conflict…
It was merely its confirmation.
Sigmund raised his glass one last time, but didn't drink. He looked at each person present, as if trying to memorize every face.
"I'll leave you now," he said finally. "I'm going to my office."
There was no authority in his voice this time. Only exhaustion. Resignation.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. He climbed the stairs with slow, steady steps until he disappeared onto the second floor. The murmur returned to the room as soon as he was gone.
Marcus and Viktor joined Klein, Amelia, William, and Lars.
Marcus broke the silence with a crooked smile.
"William… long time no see. It's almost a miracle seeing you surrounded by so many men when you're usually surrounded by women."
William let out a brief, ironic laugh.
"And then you wonder why I come here so rarely."
Klein cut in impatiently.
"Enough of the bullshit," he said. "Despite everything, we should celebrate Lars's first completed mission."
Everyone looked at him.
Lars forced a brief, automatic smile. It didn't reach his eyes.
"Sorry, guys," he said. "Celebrate if you want. I'm going to my room to get some rest."
Without waiting for a reply, he headed toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Klein watched him go. Something about his posture, the way his shoulders slumped, didn't sit right. Before Lars disappeared completely, he called out:
"Are you okay? You seem more drained than usual."
Lars stopped for a second without fully turning around.
"I'm fine," he replied. "Just tired. See you later."
And he kept walking.
Klein stood there for a few seconds before returning to the group. He looked at Viktor and Marcus.
"What's wrong with Lars?"
"It's his first job," Viktor said. "And a child was involved. That affected him more than he expected."
Marcus nodded slightly.
"And Von Hohenwald isn't exactly a clean man," Viktor added. "Lars has been acting strange since he found out he was involved in the child's disappearance."
Klein frowned.
"Then why would he want the kid back… if he was responsible for the disappearance in the first place?"
Viktor shook his head.
"Don't ask me. We did our job."
Klein sighed and took a sip from his glass.
"You're right," he said finally. "As long as the job gets done… nothing else matters."
But even as he said it, his tone lacked conviction.
Far away, Lars closed the door to his room.
The silence inside was not restful.
He lay back on the bed without even taking off his coat. The dark ceiling watched him in silence as his mind refused to slow down. The situation within Dominion was worrying—a crack growing out of control—but even so… it wasn't what dominated his thoughts.
Von Hohenwald.
Just thinking about him made his stomach twist. Lars despised him. And the worst part wasn't what he already knew—it was the certainty that there was something more. Something far darker hidden beneath the façade of an eccentric nobleman. Something he couldn't yet see, but felt with uncomfortable clarity.
He sighed and pulled out his phone.
He opened the images Marcus had sent.
The first showed several letters spread across a table. All bore the same seal—the same one he had seen in Dubai. The same symbol. The same cold precision. Lars pressed his lips together.
The next image showed the inside of a drawer. Dozens of files arranged with obsessive precision. Each marked with numbers. No names. No dates. Just numbers.
The final image made him sit up slightly.
The map.
Just as Marcus had said, it was a map of Berlin. Lars knew it well—too well. His eyes traced the yellow marks scattered across the city, and it didn't take long to understand.
"Police stations…" he murmured.
Every mark corresponded to an area near a precinct.
Then he saw the red circle.
It was outside Berlin, far from the center, isolated. Lars frowned.
"What is this place…?"
There was no name. Only the mark.
He locked the phone and let his head fall back against the pillow.
"I'll find out tonight," he thought.
He turned his gaze to the travel bag resting against the wall. He knew exactly what was inside. The mask. The cloak.
Time passed slowly.
Hours slipped by until daylight vanished completely. When night finally covered Dominion's palace, Lars was already on his feet.
He packed his things into a smaller bag: the cloak, the mask, a knife… and a gun. He zipped it closed carefully, as if the sound might betray him, and left the room.
As he crossed the main hall, Klein, Amelia, and Marcus were having dinner in the dining area. Just before reaching the main exit, Lars heard a voice.
"Where are you going, Lars?"
The female voice made him stop.
He turned.
It was Amelia.
"I'm going to clear my head a bit," he replied calmly.
She watched him for a few seconds, assessing him.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
Lars turned his body, giving her his back.
"No, it's fine," he said. "I'll go alone."
He dismissed her with a brief gesture and kept walking. Amelia didn't follow, but her eyes lingered on the bag slung over Lars's shoulder.
Outside, one of the palace servants was already waiting with a car.
Lars got in without a word.
The engine started, and the car pulled away from Dominion's hideout, disappearing into the darkness of the Berlin night.
In his mind, the red circle on the map continued to glow.
And Lars had the feeling that once he reached that place, there would be no turning back.