The dark Bible

1-5

«My commander», De Fontaine began, «I think I have a reading to submit to you to refresh your spirit and make you stronger, more determined and victorious. »

Bonaparte was an attentive reader and devoured dozens of books of all kinds, even if the main reading was the maps where he drew up his war strategies.

He declared himself curious. «Why not! My good friend, a good read is never refused, I'll read it before I go to rest.»

Uriel De Fontaine handed him the book, noting Bonaparte's surprised expression. The volume was of considerable feature and value; the pentacle, placed in relief on the finely worked leather cover, made it disturbing and, at the same time, captivating. Bonaparte opened it and began to read incomprehensible sentences. He snapped the book shut, animated by a feeling he couldn't explain.

«What is this book, Uriel? »

«You don't need to worry, my friend», replied De Fontaine convincingly, «read and you will understand every word, but you must not be afraid, open your mind to that knowledge and you will be given the answers you seek.»

Charmed by the boy's calm voice, Bonaparte chased away the strange feeling of danger and reopened the book. As he progressed with his reading, he felt invaded by that knowledge, realizing every extraordinary opportunity that presented itself on the horizon. He read it in one breath, returning to reality only when he closed it, after having assimilated the last of its pages. He found himself in his quarters in Paris. He was no longer in Alexandria in Egypt. He was no longer in the company of Uriel De Fontaine. He could no longer find the book he had just placed on the bed. It was 1802 by which three years had passed since he had started reading. He remembered, however, its content, every passage or detail.

The Dark Bible. He said to himself.

Year 1802-1815.

Bonaparte felt within himself a new vigor. He felt cunning. At thirty-three, by resorting to the army, he established a real military dictatorship that gave life to a constitutional reform by entrusting the totality of executive power in France to three Consuls. Elected First Consul, he managed an enormous power based on administrative, economic, and governmental centralization. Bonaparte was the proponent of a massive reorganization of legislative systems and gave great importance to the Civil Code which he extended to all annexed states, sanctioning the principles of individual freedom, legal equality and private property. He also made reforms of the state always referring to the principle of the right of equality between men, with the only distinction always and only for himself. He made the so-called Napoleonic wars introducing profound reforms even in the subjugated countries. Then, his career reached its peak when he was crowned, by the Pope, Emperor of the French in a sumptuous ceremony inside the Church of Notre Dame and, the following year, he proclaimed himself King of Italy by imperial decree, signed by himself. His empire and reign, however, did not last long: only ten years. But they were crowned by immediate and constant extraordinary military and political successes. He was great in all senses until he was exiled to Elba in 1814. Not satisfied, a year later Bonaparte fled from captivity and landed in France, to reorganize an army dreaming of regaining power. After a hundred days, Uriel De Fontaine introduced himself to him, as young as he had been then.

«You can't always have it all», Uriel told him, «now it's time to give space to other meritors. »

That said, he disappeared after taking the knowledge from his mind and soul. The successes, strength and determination of Napoleon Bonaparte ended with his defeat, on the same day, on the fields of Waterloo.

He died six years later, in the solitude of his ego.

10.

Monte della Madonna, year 1978

Fra Pasquale was at the height of despair. The boy did his homework and exercises in a commendable way. He committed himself and never complained about the long training sessions he underwent. But Santini was anything but a simple pupil. He was perfect for the task of Solver, at the height of his physical and spiritual strength, he was the best pupil any teacher could ever wish for. It had a single negative aspect that nullified the excellent job he was doing. He was too vehement to achieve the result. He didn't have an ounce of patience. On this particularity, the friar was inflexible: until Tommasso had entered the logic of tolerance, he would not have been declared ready. And this fact did not please Santini, although he recognized it. He only wanted to hear that he had been prepared since he was born. It was the topic of the discussion every time.

«You insist again, and I'll let you rot on that rock, if that's the last thing I do». The friar rebuked him.

Tommaso Santini was perched on top of a sharp rock that overlooked a dangerous crevasse on the highest point of Monte della Madonna, inside the wood of the Benedictine monastery. He had been balancing on one leg for at least four hours and would have had to wait another two before changing legs, then he would have had to be patient in that position at least another six hours to complete the exercise, for a total of twelve hours. The meaning of that test was, in addition to increasing the sense of balance, to isolate the mind from the body so that it was able to analyze any thought other than the sense of danger. That type of exercise, over the years, would have allowed Santini to exploit the mind in situations of difficulty or danger, accustoming it to react with the clarity necessary to overcome even the extreme circumstance.

«I understand, master» Santini was exhausted even if he didn't show it, «but I can't understand what else I have to do to show you that I'm ready. I am a good fighter, I know how to use any type of weapon, I am courageous, but not irresponsible, I have a good cultural base, a bright and alert intelligence. What more could you want? »

«Ugh! All that stuff isn't worth a penny! » the master answered critically. «You know that your enemies will have everything you have and far beyond what you say you have, so shut up and concentrate. »

As soon as the sentence was over, the friar, with a lightning-fast move, made a stick come out of nowhere that he threw it at poor Santini. He, taken by surprise, risked falling into the ravine. He had a hard time getting back to his original position, but he succeeded, not without difficulty.

«Well, you got distracted», said Fra Pasquale laughing, «I told you. You're not ready. »

11.

Munich, year 1922

The son of an authoritarian and repressive father, Adolf Hitler was born in a small Austrian town in 1889. The early death of his mother, to whom he was very attached, left him deep wounds in the soul and, above all, in the psyche. At school, he was a difficult pupil and certainly not brilliant at all. He struggled to integrate, to study and to have a harmonious relationship with classmates and teachers. Abandoning his studies, he moved to Vienna trying to enter the Academy of Fine Arts. Driven by unrealistic artistic tendencies that were also testified by numerous paintings, some of notable features, he was rejected by the Academy for two consecutive years, this generated in him great frustration. His psychological picture, thus, tended to be worrying. For Hitler, these were dark years, marked by episodes of social isolation, not to mention serious physical decay. He often wandered in the Jewish ghettos like a ghost, dressed in a black overcoat and neglected in appearance. In the early years, as an adult, Hitler began to develop his hateful and obsessive anti-Semitism. He discussed politics with friends and acquaintances with such vehemence as to often leave his interlocutors astonished. His speeches were underlined by extreme decision, with numerous points of view seasoned with an exaltation of violence as the only solution to the problems that afflicted society at that time. He fiercely contested communist theories, especially for their rejection of bourgeois and capitalist values: just hearing about communism provoked hysterics in him, driving him out of his mind, demonstrating how his already fragile psyche was constantly worsening. He moved to Munich, Germany, when the First World War was upon them. Hitler was even happy about it and couldn't wait to participate. He distinguished himself on the field earning numerous military awards, but Germany was defeated, and this threw him even more in despair: his idea of ​​victory for which he had fought for four years was wrecked. Other former comrades took part in that despair; one, in particular, always listened to him carefully: a young man named Shaytan Van Haiden. The young man, taking advantage of yet another discussion conducted by Hitler with his usual vehemence bordering on intellectual madness, proposed a reading that would have guaranteed him a new and more rational interpretation of thought, certainly anti-Communist. For Hitler it was enough to mention the anti-communist policy. He immediately made himself available for everything, even to read that book, so much acclaimed by his friend Van Haiden.

«Be careful, though», he warned him, «once you have read it, you will not be able to escape your destiny: that of world domination. »

Such an event did not seem possible to Hitler, but he was still tempted to listen to his friend and curiously consented. Van Haiden handed him the book and he opened it without even noticing its extraordinary and rare feature. He immediately realized that it was written in a language unknown to him, but he wanted to continue with that reading by starting to fantasize about his future as emperor of the world. He read with enthusiasm, understanding every word, every drawing, every map and every indication. When he reached the last page, he was clear about what his friend had said: in his future there was the conquest of the world and the creation of a superior race. He got up from his chair and shouted his name out the window: Adolf Hitler, Der Führer. It was 1922, the book had been read by Hitler in three years. Shaytan Van Haiden and the book had disappeared without a trace, but Hitler was not interested in that insignificant boy. Now, it was his time. A new life began that day. Its new existence began with the establishment of the National Socialist Party of German Workers. The beginnings were stormy, but he also resisted his time in jail. During his imprisonment, he wrote his hideous manifesto in which he simplified his ideology, full of nationalism, racism, beliefs about the superiority of the Aryan race, hatred against Jews, communists and much more: it was his Gospel from there to the following years. Released after a few months, he returned to the leadership of the party.

The rise of Nazism had just begun.

Berlin, year 1945

After his initial triumphs, Hitler was increasingly convinced that he was an infallible military strategist and refused to listen to the advice of his generals. A few years after entering the war with half the world, things began to change, the German armies were often defeated while Hitler's strategic conduct became increasingly incoherent. Moreover, the weight of the war began to undermine the German economy. America also entered the war alongside the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and their allies. In Germany many understood that the end was approaching more and more and some plotted to destabilize Hitler. The various attacks failed, one after the other in a way that was almost miraculous. But the fortunes of the war meanwhile were changing. His faithful ally Mussolini, following the Italian defeat, was placed in the minority, and arrested. Hitler freed him and invaded the peninsula and, for over two years, slaughtered thousands of partisans, women and children. In the meantime, however, he was losing the war. By then, the Allies had entered German soil and the Soviets were at the gates of Berlin. His last supporters tried to persuade him to flee to Bavaria or Austria to try a last desperate defense in the mountains, but he did not want to leave the capital as his armies were destroyed by Russian troops marching towards the center of Berlin. At the end of April forty-five, with certain defeat, Hitler wanted to marry Eva Braun inside the bunker, so he called a priest to celebrate the wedding. The religious, for Hitler, had a familiar air, but he did not want to think about it. After the ceremony, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun took their own lives by poisoning themselves with cyanide while holding hands.