For those of you who don't remember, look at chapter 7 and some of the foreshadowing in chapter 32.
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"Ding" The doorbell rang as Paul stepped inside the small shop. Suits were displayed everywhere, standing neatly on mannequins. Hats, pants, gloves, and other accessories lay scattered around.
He put his mantle onto a hanger and placed his black hat on top, revealing his sleek black hair.
When he turned around, a man was standing a few steps away from him. Clad in a nice suit, his short blonde hair and sharp jawline giving a sharp impression.
The two men just looked at each other before they met in an embrace.
"Paul." The man said.
Flashback
A man stood beside the railing of a small yacht, watching the blue ocean. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw another figure appear. He turned.
"1st of May 2025, today is the day we finally find that U-boat." The man besides the railing said, putting on his diving suit.
"We haven't found it yet, Werner." The other man said, adjusting his mask.
Werner smiled awkwardly and watched him looking at a photo of his family. He too had family, but only his sick mother was left. She had a rare genetic disease, incurable, yet there was a treatment, unbelievably expensive.
Werner watched the man before him with eyes full of gratitude. He was not only his long term boss and friend, but also the saviour of his mother. He had generously paid for the treatment. For that Werner was eternally grateful.
"Let's go." The man said, turning his head toward Werner who was still deep in thought.
I swear Paul, I will protect you with my life, if fate wills it, Werner thought.
The two men jumped into the deep dark water and finally found the lost U-boat.
When Paul motioned for them to part ways, Werner only nodded. He knew this was the most efficient way.
He swam slowly, making his way through the old wreck, looking at the skeletons littering the floor. The water around him felt cold and the dark shimmering of his headlamp made the atmosphere eerie.
All of the rooms and cabins, he searched through, showed no gain and Werner's frustration began building up.
Hopefully Paul has more luck, he thought.
That was when Werner noticed a rusty iron door next to him.
With a lot of strength he managed to open the old heavy door. Inside was what looked like the captain's cabin. Werner swam through it, opening drawers, searching for anything of value.
When he reached the main desk, a small book caught his attention. He opened it and was astonished that some of the ink was still visible. He turned the pages until he stopped.
He understood what it was. The diary of the captain.
1st May 1945 Allied ship patrol evaded.
12th May 1945 Rations running low.
And some others he could no longer read.
When he reached the last page he read silently, trying to decipher the nearly washed out ink: "15th May 1945"
"Eagle... Relic... Mission... notable... dead."
Werner furrowed his brows.
What the hell happened here? He thought, putting the book into a bag to protect it from further corrosion. At least it's something valuable,somethinghistory enthusiasts could pay a hefty price for.
When he turned to leave the room, the once cold water suddenly became warmer. Then it started to shiver and move.
Werner turned around hectically, trying to understand what was happening. Soon blinding lights came from somewhere, making his surroundings vanish. Reality bent itself entirely.
Then suddenly, as if nothing had happened in the first place, everything stopped. Darkness returned.
When Werner opened his eyes he was sitting before an old looking table. A pen in his hand and a piece of paper lying in front of him. He blinked a few times, but the scene did not vanish.
"What the hell is this?!" Werner shouted, standing up in panic.
He looked around himself, observing the place he was in. An ancient looking room, and a small fireplace giving some warmth.
He walked around, touching everything, touching himself, shaking his head.
When he reached the desk again, he looked for the first time at what was written.
"Herrn Klausewitz, Grey suit, 175 cm slim," he read. Then something in the corner of the paper made his mouth fall open.
"Order nr. 1521 - 1st of May 1936," he whispered, his voice growing quieter with every word.
The days passed quickly, werner was slowly but surely accepting the new reality he had found himself in. His hands moved on their own, influenced by the reflexes and muscle memory of his new body. Not to mention the countless fragments of memories he had received from the previous owner. His ancestor, as he quickly understood. He had heard of Friedrich Lehmann, his great grandfather.
Werner's inner conflict was slowly settling down, although he still cursed fate and whatever had brought him into the past. Yet he managed to establish a routine.
One day Werner was walking through the streets of Cologne, intending to buy new silk from a shop his predecessor had often visited. He strolled, bathing in the afternoon sun of late spring. His meticulous suit caught a few glances from passing women as well as men.
He quickened his pace when he heard the bells ring in the distance. Then he suddenly stopped. Looking at a large crowd on the bridge across the Rhine.
"Is it today?" Werner said quietly. "The Rhineland."
He paused for a moment before joining the large crowd. He tried to move through the mass of people to get a better view.
"Excuse me." He gently pushed a man aside.
"Sorry." Another man stepped aside.
"Excuse..." Werner began, when the man he tried to move past shoved him back.
"What do you want you twat?!"The older man asked aggressively.
"I just wanted to get a better view." Werner said innocently.
"Just as we all want, you asshole," the man said.
"Asshole? No need to get so impolite, old man." Werner said and grabbed the man by the collar.
The man tried to free himself but could not. People around them began turning to look. Werner looked around, not minding the stares. Before he could turn his attention back to the whimpering man his eyes froze.
He tilted his head and blinked a few times.
"Paul?" Werner said loudly, seeing a young soldier hoisting the German flag on a bridge pole. Loud cheers erupted around him.
Werner let go of the man and pushed through the crowd in a daze.
"Hey!" someone shouted when he was shoved aside.
Werner did not hear it. His eyes were fixed on the soldier, looking so much like Paul. No, like a younger version of him when he had first known him.
He saw the soldier talking to a small burly man who seemed to be a reporter. When Werner finally reached him, the soldier had just finished the interview and turned his back.
Werner walked faster. When he was close enough to see his side profile, he put a hand on the man's shoulder.
Paul turned around, his eyes squinting.
The two men did not speak. They only looked at each other, eyes full of emotion. The world around them disappeared. There was only the blond haired Werner, clad in a fancy suit, and the black haired Paul in his sleek Wehrmacht officer's uniform.
Then Werner opened his mouth slowly, a sound escaping. "P... Paul."
"It's... Heinrich." Paul muttered slowly, his eyes still squinted, but then they widened.
"Werner?" he asked, visibly shocked.
Flashback end
"Werner." Paul said, eyes full of emotion for his friend of two lives.
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Well....Well...Well
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