The morning light filtered weakly through the heavy blackout curtains as Aiko rose from her bed. She moved slowly, her body heavy with exhaustion. For the past several days she had worked late into the night, sketching, revising, and refining every line until her fingers ached and her eyes burned. When she looked in the small mirror above the washbasin, she saw the evidence of her efforts — dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes, her usually neat hair slightly disheveled.
She sighed softly, splashed cold water on her face, and pinned her hair back with care. Despite the tiredness, a quiet excitement hummed beneath her skin. Today, she would show him.
Downstairs in the dining room, Sebastian was already seated at the table, reading a report. He looked up as she entered, his sharp blue eyes immediately noticing the fatigue on her face.
“You look tired,” he said, his voice low with concern. Then, after a moment, the corner of his mouth softened slightly. “But also… excited.”
Aiko gave him a small, genuine smile as she sat down across from him.
“I have a big surprise for you,” she replied, her tone calm but carrying unmistakable anticipation. “Something I’ve been working on for days. I think… I hope it will be useful.”
Sebastian studied her for a moment, curiosity flickering in his gaze, but he didn’t press. He simply nodded and poured her a cup of weak wartime coffee.
“Then I look forward to seeing it.”
After a quiet breakfast, they left the house together. The sky over Munich was overcast with thick grey clouds, a typical late autumn day. A light drizzle had begun to fall, making the cobblestone streets glisten. The Bavarian landscape rolled gently beyond the city — rolling hills dotted with bare trees, distant forests shrouded in mist, and the faint silhouette of the Alps on the horizon, their peaks hidden behind low clouds.
The private press lab lay on the southern outskirts of Munich, hidden behind a high fence and a nondescript industrial facade. It was one of the few facilities still capable of quality printing despite severe wartime shortages of ink and paper. Sebastian had arranged access through trusted contacts, presenting the visit as preparation for new recruitment materials.
The car ride had been quiet. Aiko sat with a large, carefully wrapped portfolio on her lap, her expression calm but focused. Sebastian kept glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Ever since the successful defense of Munich, his suspicion had grown into something deeper — a persistent, gnawing curiosity he could no longer ignore.
They were led into a spacious room filled with the sharp scent of ink, fresh paper, and chemical solutions. Two large printing presses stood silent in the corner, and a wide drafting table dominated the center under harsh overhead lights. The technician nodded respectfully to Sebastian and left them alone after setting up the equipment.
Aiko placed her portfolio on the table and opened it with steady hands.
“These are the two pieces I’ve been working on,” she said quietly. “I hope they will help.”
She first unrolled the large poster.
It was massive — nearly the size of a door panel. Sebastian’s breath caught as he took in the sight. The design was unlike anything the Reich’s propaganda ministry had ever produced. Clean, modern, and devastatingly effective. At the top, bold but elegant German lettering declared:
“The Truth They Hid From You”
Below it was a meticulously organized timeline with clear bullet points, each accompanied by striking hand-drawn illustrations:
- 1933: Hitler promises peace → Shadowy figures perform secret rituals in hidden rooms.
- 1938: Annexation of Austria → The Spear of Destiny is seized for occult power.
- 1941: Operation Barbarossa begins → While soldiers freeze, millions flow to Ahnenerbe expeditions.
- 1943: Elite families grow richer → The Black Sun symbol glows over Wewelsburg Castle as the Volk bleeds.
The layout was logical and easy to read at a glance, yet visually powerful. Clean lines, dramatic shading, expressive faces full of betrayal and quiet rage. The poster didn’t scream — it whispered truths that hit the viewer in the chest.
Sebastian stood completely still, staring.
“This…” he breathed. “This is not how we make propaganda. This one… it is full of information, yet so clear, so concised, so easy to process.”
Aiko watched him carefully. “In my studies, we learned that information must be presented clearly.”
Sebastian reached out and traced one of the lines with his fingertip, almost reverently. The quality of the drawing was astonishing — the way the eyes of the wounded soldier seemed to follow him, the subtle horror in the depiction of occult ceremonies.
“You drew all of this by hand,” he said, voice low. “Every line. Every shadow.”
Aiko nodded.
He was silent for nearly a minute, absorbing the poster. Then Aiko gently pulled out the second piece.
She opened a stack of small, pocket-sized pamphlets. Each one was an eight-page booklet drawn in a style Sebastian had never seen before — clean, expressive lines, dramatic shading, and faces filled with raw, emotional depth.
The story was direct and unflinching.
It began with Hitler standing in grand halls, shaking hands with wealthy industrialists and bankers while gold and documents exchanged in the shadows. The next panels showed the Lebensborn program — clean, blonde women lined up like breeding stock, officers coldly inspecting them as if they were livestock, while healthy German babies were taken from their mothers. Then came the occult scenes: Himmler and high-ranking SS officers performing strange rituals under the Black Sun symbol at Wewelsburg Castle, candles flickering as they chanted in forgotten tongues. Expeditions followed — Ahnenerbe teams digging in remote mountains and traveling to Tibet, searching for ancient “Aryan artifacts” while soldiers froze and died on the Eastern Front.
Sebastian flipped through the pages slowly, almost in disbelief.
“This is… dangerous,” he whispered. “Not because it’s false. But because it’s effective. No one in Germany has ever used drawings like this for serious propaganda. The clarity. The way it pulls you into the story. It feels alive.”
He looked up at Aiko, his blue eyes intense with a storm of emotions — awe, suspicion, admiration, and something much deeper. And then he chuckled and said, "my only criticism would probably be that our Führer looks too cute in this artwork."
Aiko bursted out in laughters.
“Who are you?” he asked, voice low and serious. “No ordinary history student could draw like this. No ordinary woman would know how to structure information this way, or understand exactly how to move people’s hearts with images. Aiko… what are you hiding from me?”
The room fell silent except for the faint hum of machinery in the next room.
Aiko met his gaze steadily. The lamplight cast soft shadows across her face. She had known this moment would come eventually. There was no more running from it.
She took a slow, deep breath.
“I think… it’s time I told you the truth.”
Sebastian straightened, giving her his full attention. The air between them felt thick with anticipation and unspoken tension.
“I’m listening,” he said quietly.
Aiko looked down at the manga pamphlet still in his hands, then back up into his clear blue eyes.
“I’m not who you think I was either, Sebastian.”
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and then Add to home screen.