Paris Grimm stepped out of his Rolls Royce Black Badge Cullinan and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes. His personally customized $1,350,000 SUV, his sunglasses, and his suit matched in a perfect shade of jet black. As he stepped toward the nondescript building ahead of him his entourage of four body guards flanked him on both sides. 

As they approached the building they were greeted by a single man also dressed in a black suit. 

“State your business.”

“I am here to see the Master.”

“State the oath.  All of you in unison.”

“Is that necessary?”

“Do you wish to see his eminence? Are you prepared to walk down the dark corridor? If so you must state the oath now or I will ask you to leave.”

Paris Grimm stared at the weasel of a man blocking his admittance and imagined him strapped to a board while his flesh was peeled from his skin. A door man for the Master had no right to issue orders to the most powerful lieutenant in the organization. Especially not today. Today Paris Grimm was going to become the Master. 

Several seconds passed in silence before the weasel spoke again. “I will inform the Master that you declined his invitation.”  The weasel then spun around to return to the building. 

Grimm instinctively reached his hand down to his holster. Normally turning your back on Paris Grimm in such a dismissive manner meant death.  This however was not a normal situation. Instead of drawing his gun he clasped both hands together about waist height and sneered out the word. “Wait.”

The weasel stopped, turned around, and said “the oath.”

In unison the group began to repeat the oath as soon as Grimm began. 

“I swear upon my life and the lives of all those that I hold dear to forever follow the will of the Master. In secret I will perform every task required of me even to the shedding of innocent blood. The Master is my God and I declare my complete obedience to his every command. I will forfeit my life to serve the Master.”

“Very good. Your men will remain here and you will follow me inside. Leave all weapons and electronic devices here.”

Grimm complied and was escorted into the building. They walked into a lobby that resembled something you would find in a doctor’s office. The lights were dim and it appeared like half of them were not working. There was no opulence here. This building was not befitting of a Master. It was run down and in desperate need of updating. The weasel escorted Grimm into a secondary room that was darker than the first. 

The weasel spoke. “This is where my journey ends. You may seek an audience with the Master but to enter his presence requires the shedding of your blood.”

The weasel produced a switchblade and continued. “Give me your right hand.”

Grimm complied and extended his hand to the weasel. The weasel took the switchblade and pressed it against the palm of Grimm’s right hand just hard enough to draw blood. 

“Squeeze three drops of blood onto the floor and you may begin your descent.”

Once the task was done the weasel opened a door and a dark corridor on a downward slope appeared. There was one light that had to be less than 10 watts in strength. As soon as Grimm entered the corridor the door was shut behind him and there was just enough visibility to see. Grimm also noted the 20 degree drop in temperature. It could not have been more than 50 degrees in this corridor. 

Grimm walked 50 feet and came to a turn. He found a spiral staircase and began to walk down. As he descended the temperature rose. By the time he descended another 100 feet on the stairwell the temperature had reached 120 degrees.  Sweat dripped down Grimm’s face. As he exited the stairwell there was a door 20 feet ahead. He walked the distance and opened the door. 

Standing in the center of the room stood the Master. A shiver went down Grimm’s spine as he entered the room. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was in the Master’s presence or because he had finally entered a room with a normal temperature. 

The Master spoke as soon as the door closed behind Grimm. 

“My time is running short and your hour fast approaches. Soon you will inherit this vast empire as I once did.”

“I will continue to build upon your legacy.” Grimm said with a smile. 

With a stern look of annoyance and a raised voice the Master replied “You will only speak when asked to speak! Your ascension is not secure until I give you the ring of perdition.” 
Grimm’s smile faded as the Master grinned.  With a keen observance the Master saw silent rage cascading from his top lieutenant’s eyes.  
The Master continued speaking “Don’t think I don’t know exactly what you are thinking.”

Obediently Grimm remained silent. 

“Behind that hatred in your eyes you are calculating how you can murder me and still walk away with the ring. If you could see the ring on my finger you would be tempted to strike. With the ring in hand everyone would fall in line. After all you thought today would be the day I handed you control. Now that you know it is not you wish me dead. But I am still your Master.  You are probably wondering if you could find the ring.  Is it here or have I placed it in the hands of another man. Would striking me down assure your ascension or would it also end your life? These are the questions percolating in your mind. You don’t know the answers so you are forced to subject yourself to your Master and you hate it. For many years you have been the undisputed ruler of your fiefdom and have had great autonomy which makes this moment so much tougher for you.  Kneel down and kiss the hand that can give or take away your power.”

The Master stood in front of Grimm and extended his left hand downward. The code was explicitly clear. Refusal to kiss the extended hand was an instant death sentence. Yet, kneeling was an acknowledgment that the Master was his superior. It was a disgrace. Once he got the ring Grimm resolved he would kill the Master for this insult. But for the moment he had no other options.  He knelt and kissed the hand of his master. 

“Your hesitation disappoints.” The Master said as he kicked the lieutenant in the ribs. The force of the blow sent the lieutenant sprawling to the ground where he tried to catch his breath. The Master quickly took one step and forcefully pinned his lieutenant to the ground with his second step. 

Standing with one foot squarely on Grimm’s chest the Master pointed his gun at the lieutenant’s head. “I own you until I release you or until you ascend to my level. Is that clear?”

“Yes.” Grimm said through gritted teeth. 

“Good, now that you have been reminded of your manners let’s begin our conversation.”

The Master stepped aside and allowed his lieutenant to stand. Once Grimm straightened out his suit the Master ushered him into an adjoining room. Walking with the master behind him Grimm couldn’t help but wonder if he would catch a bullet before this walk concluded. Snuffed out without warning. One step and then instant and eternal darkness. Ruthless and yet merciful at the same time. 

Grimm’s confidence returned as they took their seats on opposite sides of a large wooden desk. He would not be catching a bullet today but his Master would be in the coming days. Grimm would not be disrespected. Disrespect meant death and the Master had disrespected him repeatedly today. 

“Do you have it planned out yet?” The Master asked.

“What sir?”

“My death. From the moment you arrived I have insulted you. By making you repeat the oath I planted the seed of murder in your heart. Making you kiss the ring and kicking you watered the seed, and stepping on your chest fertilized the seed to ensure the murder must take place. You have to kill me. It is the natural progression.  It is also in the code.”

“What is in the code?” Grimm asked. 

“To become the Master you must kill the Master, but only after he has revealed the rest of the code.”

“What if I kill you without knowing the rest of the code?”

“Then the council will hide the ring until a new leader distinguishes himself.”

“Are going to tell me the rest of the code now?”

“It will seal our fates. If we continue this conversation one of us must die.”

“I am ready to lead. And if we don’t continue this conversation you will kill me.”

“That is true. You have one mission to complete before you can take your best shot at me.”

“What is that?”

“Recruit your successor.”

“How would I know who that is?”

“What is the purpose of our secret society?”

“The acquisition and application of power.” Grimm stated. 

“No. Power is a means to an end.”

“What end?”

“You tell me.  Think about what we do.”

“Everything we do is in pursuit of power. We control a vast empire.”

“But power for what purpose? What do we use that empire for?”

“To get rich and to control people.”

After taking a deep breath of annoyance the Master spoke. “We are vessels of wrath. We murder to get gain. We accumulate power and we use it to destroy. Our ultimate goal is to destroy truth. Your last mission is to corrupt the incorruptible. Once you have done that you are ready to become the Master of Perdition.  You will carry the mantle that has been passed along since Cain earned it when he slew Abel.”

“Wait isn’t that just some fairy tale?”

“No, Cain is the founding father of our secret society. For thousands of years we have continued down the path he showed us. When you have become a true vessel of wrath you can commune with Cain and receive the darkest of inspiration. To become the Master of Perdition you must master the principle of murder for gain.”

“That is simple. I have killed to my advantage many times.”

“Murder to get gain begins with a lie. Murder to get gain is a lie. To corrupt the incorruptible you must first get them to lie. Once the subject loves to lie any deception is possible. Once truth has been destroyed murder becomes the only avenue for enjoyment. Hate resides in your soul and it must be spread until it fills the world. Your sole purpose as the Master of Perdition is to destroy souls. And to reiterate that is done by destroying truth. That is the principle of murder for gain.”

“Who were you before you were chosen by the previous Master of Perdition?”

“A school teacher.”

“What was the lie?”

“Nothing you do can make a difference in your students lives.  I worked in the inner city. Poverty, drugs, crime were common place but I was young and thought I could steer some pupils towards a better path.  Then I was recruited without ever knowing I was being recruited and my path to Master of Perdition became secure once I became comfortable telling lies. You know the rest of the story because I personally led you down that path so many years ago. You were a shining star and I extinguished your fire and zeal and turned you into the vessel of wrath that you are. Now it is your turn to corrupt the incorruptible and take my mantel as the Master of Perdition. There is much more darkness and evil I will teach you as the full code will be revealed. Now do you accept your mission or do you forfeit your life?”

“I have destroyed lives up until this point but now under your tutelage I will destroy souls. Murder to get gain is not enough. I will become the Master of Perdition and I will leave a wake of souls in my trail.”

“I have taught you well. When next we meet you will tell me your target and I will reveal all of the secrets of Cain. Now go forth and destroy.”

“Yes, Master.”