© WebNovel
May 27, 1938
"Yeshua, Abeles family-rich, influential, Jewish, family," the officer read out to the standing boy, his voice was lost less than five feet away-absorbed into the white noise of the background. Yeshua caught a quick glimpse at the man batting is eye in disgust upon mentioning the word "Jewish". He held his breath lightly, hand grasping a little tighter on his small suitcase, in face of the heavy anticipation. His father had already assured him that there would be no difficulties, or discrimination, in joining the Vereinigung-after all, he was among his own kind.
The officer seemed rather conflicted with the profile given to him, as demonstrated by him lightly touching his hat. Without warning, he leaned towards another officer beside him whispering, presumably about Yeshua administration.
The other officer listened silently, so silent and still that it seemed like he didn't even have a beating heart. The first officer, after what felt like a timeless eternity, leaned away to signal the end of his delivery. Taking the sheet handed to him, the second officer examined what was written with deadly precision, occasionally resting his hand against his forehead to signal thoughts and arguments racing through his brain.
"Alright," came a reply, as soft as it was sweet. "Hans, lead the boy..."
"Right away, Zellenleiter," replied the blonde man known as Hans. "Come!" he called out, upon leaving the counter. "You are not to delay us!"
"Right away, s-sir," Yeshua replied briskly, his response gone unheard as he tried to swim through the wave of people to catch up with the tall officer. Earlier, his father had advised him not to show any sort of weakness, be it nervousness or exhaustion. "We're already stretching their patience by being Jews. Hence, try not to irritate them more that you inevitably have to, son."
Upon having his father's words run rattle at the back of his head caused him to suffer a sudden jab of guilt upon his own failure...but that was pale to his apparent success in being successfully accepted into the association.
"Get in," the officer commanded, opening the door to his automobile to enter himself. The engine roared alive to signify its activation, a sound that had become so common in the modern world. Trying to be as quick as he could, Yeshua opened the door to let himself in, ending up in the passenger seat next to the officer. His luggage resting on his lap.
The drive began in silence, as the sleek dark shape that the officer drove sped past regular traffic with little difficulties. Not that there were many, in fact, "traffic jams" as they were referred to, seemed to have completely vanished since more job-wellsprings were established outside of Berlin. The pathways at the side of the roads were still bustling with older people, however, usually dressed in black coats and carrying heavy looking suitcases-signs of employment. With no shortage, bicycles were being ridden by much younger looking individuals, all were dressed in light brown uniforms adorned only with a red arm band, decorated with a white circle which held the newly-minted Swastika. The sight had become more common since the Führer declared Germany's rearmament-program in spite of the Treaty of Versailles. He, like any other civilian or political leader at the time, thought this as an excellent maneuver to pump up the failing economy, alongside numerous other military-based economical policies, it very much did.
Yeshua watched as familiar buildings, usually grey in colour, speed by before the city-view was replaced with one more off greenery and nature. He wondered where they were going. Eventually, perhaps coaxed by duty or simply a method to stay awake, the officer decided to strike conversation with him. "Abeles family, right?"
"Y-Yes, sir," he replied, unprepared for the question.
The officer sighed. "You've had a much brighter future, had you been born German."
"Yes, sir," he agreed. "Nevertheless, we are contented to serve."
"Aye, as we all are," said the officer in affirmation. "Say, what do you know of the Jüdische Nationalsozialistische Vereinigung?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Jüdische Nationalsozialistische Vereinigung," the officer repeated. "Are you not aware of what you are joining?"
"No, sir," he replied, feeling foolish. "I only did what my father told me to do."
A few seconds of silence went by before its shattering. "You remind me of my son," the officer said. "Unquestioningly obedient, yet retaining enough intelligence to advice, a true servant of the Reich. But, that's off topic, what do you know of the association?"
Yeshua shrugged, looking forward resulted in him being mildly blinded by the golden sunlight of the late afternoon. "Not much, other that its Jewish, they don't mention it in school, nor in the news."
"Its because it is considered...distasteful," the officer responded. "I am sure you are aware of the rising prejudice against the "lesser" races, such as Jews...do you know why the Führer still tolerates your Vereinigung?"
"No, sir."
The officer paused, presumably to draw up his curiosity. "Its because, in his wisdom, the Führer sees the potential a Jew could represent, after his cleansing and re-education, of course."
"And is this what the Vereinigung is?" Yeshua questioned, still dazed about the implications. "Another school?"
"Not really, at least not like those you are used to," came the slow reply. "Its more of a cult that infused your Jewish traditions with our doctrines."
Yeshua furrowed his brow to demonstrate his confusion. "I thought our traditions are incompatible with Nazism."
The officer shrugged. "I'm only telling you what I've observed. Whether it should stand or not falls under the authority of the Führer, even if its teachings are contradictory. Remember, everything the Führer does has a reason, especially this one."
The rest of the journey was went by with more sightings of the lazy scenery of tall grasses swaying in the light wind with the occasional sighting of farm animals (such as cows) and what he presumed to be farm houses.
"We...have arrived," the officer told him, as the car slowed down just in front of what seemed to be an out-of-place looking German town, where Yeshua could see a strange mixture of residential buildings, small store-houses, and what seemed like a church all messed up together for no particular reason-evidently the architect hired wasn't the best, regardless entrance to it was stopped by a metal gate. Yeshua could see a metal bar ascended far above the town's highest building, at the very top blew the now, nation famous, flag of the Nazi party.
Getting out of the simultaneously, the two of them took slow steps towards the black, multi-meter tall, gate of steel were a small, grey-coloured, box laid attached to it at around the level of an adult's face. A rectangular screen, about the length of its width, glowed green when the officer pressed on one of its two black buttons.
"Ein neues Mitglied, mach auf, SS-Scharführer Luis Hans," the officer spoke into the strange device.
For the stretch of seconds the went into the darkness of eternity, not happened or moved. That was until the door of central church opened. Out came an elderly man in white robes came out, walking slowly against the softly blowing wind. Around his neck hung what seemed like a wooden amulet that represented the infamous Star of David-all of his being screamed out his role with brutal clarity, the same role that would've had him either beaten or outright killed back a few kilometers, a Jewish priest if anything.
"Greetings again, SS-Scharführer Luis Hans," the priest greeted politely, slowly pulling the rather heavy looking metal gates inwards. "What have you brought for us this time?"
"The usual, one for germanisation," Hans replied, voice strained.
"Ah, this is the one, isn't it?" the priest questioned, turning to face Yeshua with a kind smile.
"Yes," Hans responded. "This one comes from the L/N family."
"Ah!" the priest exclaimed, clearly pleased. "John L/N is one of our primary funders, outside the Schutzstaffel itself, of course. I was starting to wonder whether he would enroll his son with us."
"Well," the officer began with some relief, "go get your luggage, you don't want to keep our nice priest here waiting, would you?"
"Yes, sir," he replied, running back to the automobile to get his luggage that was illuminated in yellowish light.
"Please, this way," the priest gestured for him to enter, speaking Hebrew.
"Alright," he responded quietly, in the same language, feeling slightly relieved. "Thank you, sir!" he called back, although something in him doubted that the German officer had heard him.
Hearing the gates close softly behind him, he became more and more aware of just how much of a prison the place felt like. The apparent bland colours of its building, the scarcity of people, with exceptions of the guard patrols that followed the gates strictly close. The few civilians he did see were all dressed in (gender specific) uniforms that oddly resembled military outfits. The village seemed to exemplified the militaristic aspect of Nazism.
The priest seemed to have taken kindly into the fact that he was surprised at the apparent bareness of the area. "Don't worry, there's nobody here because we are still at the edges."
"Edges?" he asked, immediately coming to see what the priest meant after they took a left turn behind the church. This was, by no means, an out-of-place, rural, town of small proportions...rather, it had the size and potential to rival Hamburg itself. Yeshua wrinkled his brow, he found it rather strange that such a city was not to be found on any map he had seen. He also took a silent note at how both the priest and the officer had not made any sort of mention to anything that could relate to the city's name.
And so they continued their walk, penetrating deeper into the city. He began to notice, just after the church, that the number of people he saw had increased exponentially. Earlier, he would be hard pressed to spot even one person, now, groups of fives and sixes were a common sight. The all seemed to be regarding him in some unknown manner, each taking small glances before whispering to the people around or next to them.
The priest chuckled at his apparent embarrassment. "Don't mind them, they just get excited whenever we have new intakes. There had been a rumour, of the recent, that your father would be enrolling you to join us within the month, I suppose they are merely chatting on whether you are the one, nothing to worry about."
"I see," Yeshua responded, taking a short sprint to catch up with the priest who moved surprisingly fast. The walk remained silent until they came across what seemed to be a gated perimeter which protected a shooting range inside.
"Ah, I assume you are wondering why this is here?" the priest questioned. Yeshua was starting to wonder just how he could pluck the words out of his mouth with brutal clarity. "I've done this a hundred times," the priest added. "Everyone I guide will always ask the same questions, its become routine, if you will."
"I understand," Yeshua said, stopping next to the priest who stood less than four feet away from the grey gate. "Look," the priest beckoned.
And so Yeshua looked. The painful ringing caused by the firing of dreadful firearms were brutally clear at this range, he cupped his ears when the next salvo was fired lest he go deaf. "What are they doing?"
"What does it look like they are doing?" the priest asked patiently, eyes directed at the individuals firing.
"Target practice?"
The priest smiled restrainedly. "Surely you can do better, why do you think they are doing so?"
Yeshua looked back, and looked back hard. Thoughts ran through his mnd with no particular order or frame, like a rushing river with no idea where it was heading. It didn't seem to make sense, if they had a security force what was the point of training the students? Besides, wasn't this suppose to be a private education community and not a military training facility?
"I...I'm not sure, sir," he replied.
The priest looked back at the firing range with him, the men firing had just swaped with those previously behind them, all sweat and exhausted the retired squad seemed pleased with the results they had scored.
"The answer, as with most things, is not an obvious one," the priest began, in an almost dream-like manner. "You saw the guards patrolling the perimeter, hence you are unable to understand why we train students in the ways of the firearm. But have you considered the that the guards were actually students? Perhaps the reason we have to train our members in this manner is so we can keep the guarding shift running, or maybe they are to serve in the military arm of the Verinigung? Has any of that crossed your mind?"
"No, sir."
"And that is why the Führer needs us-to see what others cannot, to teach what others are unwilling, to understand what others would shy away at," the priest said, almost deterministically. "Come, now, we are wasting time. Have you glimpsed at the purpose of our Verinigung yet?"
He pushed against the gate lightly, setting himself on a loose course to follow the priest from behind. "I believe it had something to do with the germanisation of Jews, right?"
"That was more of an appreciative side-effect of our true goal," the priest conceded. "The reason, the real reason, the Verinigung was set up was to create a new religion for the Reich to follow."
That was a reasoning his father had privately alluded to him, upon thinking back. "I understand, but why was Judaism chosen as the material to adapt instead of, say, Christianity which most of the Reich are already familiar with?"
"Christianity was originally the template the Führer had decided upon using for this new religion, however, upon closer inspection of its doctrines, it was deemed as completely irreconcilable with Nazism," the priest explained, his steps slowing, indicating that they were nearing the desired location. "Hence, I guess you understand why Judaism was chosen: as, ironically, it was the most compatible with the ideology, hence, the Verinigung was tasked on fusing the two, albeitly after some Hegelian modifications. The germanisation of Jews just happened to be the most favourable way for us to test how satisfactory, or unsatisfactory, the religion's teachings were, thereby giving us an estimate of how much tweaking was left."
The priest stopped just ahead of a looming building. It seemed to be a place of religious worship-what he believed was referred to as a Synagogue (a Jewish church). Made of old stone and stained glass, preserved with the sort of commendable devotion, it stood a solid sixty-five meters high peaking at a triangular roof. Two other, lesser buildings were at the main building's side, their positioning made it seemed like two halves of one, smaller, building that had been separated and kept on opposite sides. A rather artistic design of a large, glass stained, window was present at the apparent center of the church, with it displaying, not the Star of David, but the Swastika that was worn proud in this day and age, as if it were some holy symbol.
"Its almost time for the evening session, the last one for the day, you are to join this one," the priest informed him, pushing the heavy wooden doors aside for entry. The interior were wealthy beyond his imagination, carpets of velvet, tables and benches made of exotic-looking, polished wood. As he saw, a good number of people were walking about in the church, usually in groups, all under twenty, as they searched for seats. A girl, in particular, passed by the priest on her way to the benches on the left before she was stopped by the priest. "Anna, would you do this old man a favour and show our new member here how a church session is run?"
"Of course, Father Müller," the girl replied politely, turning to him with a warm smile. Her beauty was almost intoxicating, pale blonde hair, sea blue eyes, sharp and visually corrupting features. It all went well with the apparent militaristic outfit she was dressed in. "Hello, I'm Anna, what's your name?"
"I'm Yeshua Abeles," he responded in kind, extending his right arm from his neck into the air with a straightened hand-the appropriate greeting.
Anna smile seemed to widen as if she was oddly pleased with his manner of greeting. "Nice to meet you, Yeshua!" she exclaimed, taking his left hand before pulling him lightly, "come on, I'll show to your seat!"
End
Your initial reaction to the title is probably went like "What is this suppose to be? Some pro-Nazi propganda?" I assure you, I an neither a Nazi nor aim to promote their idealogy here: instead you can think of it as more of an experimentation of a more "unique", shall we say, version of an isekai protagonist as opposed to it simply being the "generic" type of isekai protagonist you have likely seen in the past.
An advance warning: this fanfiction will borrow heavily from metaphysics, set theory, and other "esoteric" subjects for inspiration; again its more of an experiment than anything. But don't get me wrong, even if this is a so-called "experiment" that doesn't mean I won't put effort into writing it: I promise you that I will (even drafted a whole plot structure beforehand) so I hope you'll stick with me till the end ;)