The weeks following the successful defense of Munich passed in a quiet but intense rhythm.
Sebastian threw himself into his new responsibilities with renewed purpose, collecting evidence he needed. His promotion had opened doors, and one of the most important was a discreet meeting with General Heinrich von Brandt, his father, but not for private family matter this time.
General Heinrich von Brandt had returned to Munich for a short stay. Late one evening, after the household had retired, Sebastian requested a private meeting with his father in the general’s office.
General Heinrich waited in the wood-paneled study, standing rigidly by the window with his hands clasped behind his back. When Sebastian entered, The General turned and studied him with sharp, calculating eyes.
“Sebastian. You requested this meeting with unusual urgency. Speak. If it's about your mother again, I have nothing to add, we agreed on that already.”
Sebastian closed the door and approached the table where several folders had already been laid out. He chose his words with extreme precision.
“This is not about our family business. I have come into possession of highly disturbing intelligence concerning the Führer and his inner circle. Not military strategy — something far more dangerous.”
He opened the first folder and began laying out the evidence Aiko had helped him prepare.
“Reichsführer Himmler has turned the SS into something resembling a cult. He has rebuilt Wewelsburg Castle as a spiritual center — complete with Black Sun symbols on the floor and pagan initiation ceremonies for senior officers. The Ahnenerbe organization, which he personally funds, sends expeditions to Tibet and Scandinavia searching for proof of ancient Aryan supermen and lost occult knowledge. They conduct anthropological studies not for science, but to justify racial theories through mysticism.”
The General's expression darkened, but he remained silent, listening.
Sebastian continued, voice low and steady.
“Karl Maria Wiligut — Himmler’s personal mystic advisor — designs runes and rituals for the SS. They hold secret ceremonies invoking Germanic pagan gods. There are reports of séances and attempts to harness ‘cosmic forces’ for the war effort. The Führer himself has shown fascination with artifacts like the Spear of Destiny, believing ancient relics carry supernatural power.”
“I am aware of Himmler’s… eccentricities,” General Heinrich said dryly after a moment. “Wewelsburg Castle. The runes. The Ahnenerbe expeditions. The pagan nonsense. None of this is new to me.”
Sebastian placed another document down.
“I assumed as much. But there is something else. These occult projects, the expeditions, the rituals… they are not being funded by the Reich’s official coffers. They are being financed by private interests. Those corrupted bankers, underground industrial cartels, and certain elite families who Führer himself repeatly speaking against while secretly hedging their bets. Some of these same networks have connections to communist financiers and have profited from the exploitation of occupied territories — including the systematic weakening of anti-Bolshevik forces in the East. Massive, untraceable payments from certain elite industrial families that appear to fund these occult projects rather than the war industry. This is not leadership. This is delusion dressed in black uniforms.”
The General’s eyes narrowed as he read. For the first time, genuine anger flickered across his face.
“So while German soldiers bleed on the Eastern Front,” he said coldly, “these parasites fund Himmler’s black magic fantasies with money earned from deals that help our enemies.”
Sebastian leaned forward slightly.
“Exactly. The very people the Führer publicly denounces as ‘international Jewish financiers’ are, in some cases, the same ones quietly funding his occult circus at the heart of the Reich. This is not mere eccentricity, father. This is corruption that weakens Germany from within while we are still at war. All the camps now sheltering innocent people is destroying Germany's name but the real enemies walk free.”
General Heinrich von Brandt was silent for a long time. He had long viewed Himmler and the SS with deep suspicion. He had tolerated the occult nonsense because he believed it was mostly theatrical — useful for keeping the SS fanatical and loyal. But if it was being used as a cover for financial corruption and secret dealings that undermined the war effort…
This changed things.
He had long distrusted Himmler and viewed the SS’s growing power with suspicion. He was a traditional naval officer who believed in discipline, strategy, and German strength — not pagan mysticism or black magic. The idea that the highest levels of the Reich were dabbling in the occult while the war turned against them filled him with cold anger.
“You want to move against the Führer,” General Heinrich von Brandt said flatly, looking up at Sebastian.
“I want Germany to survive,” Sebastian replied. “If we do this, it must be done carefully. Not as a chaotic coup that weakens our armies at the critical moment. We need to expose the occult corruption and the financial betrayal in a way that unites the traditional military, the conservative elements, and the Catholic population. We remove the cancer without destroying the body.”
General Heinrich von Brandt leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly on the table as his sharp mind calculated angles, risks, and opportunities. He had his own quiet ambitions. He believed he — or a military-led council — could steer Germany far more competently than the current leadership. This evidence gave him the moral high ground he had been waiting for.
“Very well,” General Heinrich von Brandt said at last. “I will begin my own verification. If your information holds, we will move. But we do this my way — strategically, methodically, and without fracturing the front lines. Germany must remain strong while we cut out the rot.”
Sebastian gave a respectful nod. “Understood, father.”
General Heinrich von Brandt walked slowly around the table, deep in thought. His own ambitions stirred beneath the surface. He had always believed he was better suited to lead the war effort than the increasingly unstable Hitler. This… this could be the moral justification he needed.
But he was also cautious. One wrong move meant the gallows.
“I will not act on emotion,” General Heinrich von Brandt said at last. “I will verify these claims through my own trusted sources. If what you say is true — if the occult corruption reaches the highest levels — then something must be done. For Germany. Not for any man or party.”
He stopped and looked Sebastian directly in the eyes.
“You are playing with fire, my boy. Be very careful whose side you end up on when the flames rise.”
Sebastian gave a single, respectful nod.
“I understand, father. I only ask for discretion regarding my involvement — and the source of this intelligence.”
General Heinrich von Brandt studied him one final time, then gave a curt nod.
Aiko was still awake in the study, reviewing medical texts she had requested from the university library.
She looked up as he entered. Their eyes met, and for a moment the weariness on Sebastian’s face eased slightly.
“You’ve begun working with your father,” she said softly. It wasn’t a question.
Sebastian nodded and sat down across from her. “He is one of the few high-ranking officers who still puts Germany above the Party. He listened.”
Aiko studied him carefully. “Then the time has come to think about the next step.”
They spoke late into the night, voices low. Aiko suggested a careful strategy:
“Focus on moral issues,” she said. “Not just military failures. Expose the occult practices, the secret rituals, the elite families who fund Hitler for their own gain. Conservative generals and Catholic regions will support you if they see this as a fight for Germany’s soul, not just power. If we sucessfully bring Hitler's ring down, undoubtly it will have negative impact of the unity of Germany and people's trust in your government and military will be weakened. That's why we need to make sure the Vatican can be on our side. Or, prove that we'll be on the Vatican's side. I'm not religious, but I know how powerful the Church is in terms of international affairs.”
Sebastian listened intently, occasionally nodding. He trusted her judgment more with every passing day.
Aiko also began introducing small but practical medical reforms. Through Sebastian’s connections, she met with a few discreet army doctors and suggested basic improvements — rigorous boiling of surgical instruments, better separation of infected patients, and simple hygiene protocols. Early results were promising, and word of the “Bavarian Medical Initiative” began to spread quietly.
As the days turned into weeks, their bond deepened not through grand gestures, but through shared purpose and quiet understanding.
Author's note: Originally I was planning to have Sebastian meet with Admiral Dönitz, then I realised he remained staunchly loyal to Hitler hi s entire life so it's unlikely that he would help overturning Hitler. The it came to my mind that, why not just keep it fictional as it was, and since there's already fictional Sebastian, his fictional father could also play an important role in the story.
Here are the main historical examples of Nazi occult practices and their purposes FYI:
1. Thule Society (Thule-Gesellschaft)
- A Munich-based esoteric group founded in 1918, heavily influenced by Ariosophy (a racist, occult version of Theosophy).
- Promoted ideas of a lost Aryan super-civilization in the far North (Thule), cosmic struggle between light and darkness, and the need for racial purity.
- Many early Nazi members (Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosenberg, Dietrich Eckart) had connections to it.
- Purpose: Provided ideological and mystical foundation for extreme German nationalism and anti-Semitism. Helped radicalize early Nazi thinkers.
2. Ahnenerbe (Ancestral Heritage Research Institute)
- Founded in 1935 by Heinrich Himmler as an SS organization.
- Conducted pseudo-archaeological expeditions to Tibet, Scandinavia, Iraq, and elsewhere to “prove” ancient Aryan superiority and find lost Aryan heritage.
- Studied runes, ancient Germanic symbols, and conducted anthropological measurements to support racial theories.
- Purpose: Give scientific legitimacy to Nazi racial ideology and create a spiritual/mystical foundation for the SS as a knightly order.
3. Wewelsburg Castle
- Himmler’s personal project — turned into an SS spiritual center and “Camelot.”
- Featured the Black Sun symbol (Sonnenrad) on the floor of the Obergruppenführersaal.
- Used for SS ceremonies, initiations, and ideological indoctrination.
- Purpose: Create a sacred site and cult-like atmosphere for the SS elite, blending Germanic paganism with Nazi hierarchy.
4. Rune Magic and SS Symbolism
- Extensive use of runes (Sig rune for SS, Odal rune, etc.) designed by occultist Karl Maria Wiligut (Himmler’s personal mystic advisor).
- Purpose: Create a new “Aryan” spiritual identity separate from Christianity.
and then Add to home screen.