Chapter 3: An Ordinary Morning in Backlund
August 23, 1349
Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Empress Borough, Hall Family Villa
-Susie (Dog Almighty)-
"Ouch. Ouchie." After the brief chill from downing the Sequence 6: Hypnotist potion, Susie felt like her head was about to explode.
This was a familiar effect every Beyonder experienced after consuming a potion, commonly referred to as Consumption Backlash.
To overcome it, a Beyonder usually had to rely on Cogitation to regain focus and steady their surging Spirituality.
But for Visionary pathway Beyonders—especially those who had reached Sequence 7: Psychiatrist—there was a simpler method.
Placate.
A cooling sensation washed over the golden retriever's mind, and the pain lessened almost instantly, fading to a faint, gradually subsiding throb.
Within a minute, even that faded completely.
I guess I can see why some people lose control the higher they climb. The moment she'd swallowed the potion, the layers of her Soul—Spirit Body, Astral Projection, and Ether Body—had surged, attempting to fuse into her Body of Heart and Mind, to transform her into a being of pure thought.
The end result would have been assimilation into the Sea of Collective Subconscious, or perhaps something even worse.
But she was the Great Susie, the future Dog Almighty. With her indomitable willpower, a mere residual imprint wasn't going to bring her down.
Speaking of imprints, she could already feel her cheat—that indescribable, inexorable force—beginning to erode the will of the Original Creator left within the Hypnotist potion.
Remarkably, even with its attention divided, the force hadn't slowed in wearing away the Primordial God Almighty's imprint within the Chaos Sea. The original estimate of seven to ten years to scrub His imprint clean hadn't increased.
As for the Hypnotist imprint…
Susie looked inward, then opened her eyes, which had been closed the entire time. "Ten days…"
With the Acting Method, she could shorten that time, just as she had with Spectator and Telepathist. It was just unfortunate she couldn't apply the same method to the Chaos Sea, given it was an amalgamation of symbols, the source of authorities, and the origin of power for all God Almighty pathways.
"Susie, are you alright? Did you Cogitate properly? I saw gold scales appear on your fur." Audrey's worried voice pulled her from her thoughts. The young blonde was kneeling beside her, concern etched on her face.
"Everything's peachy, Audrey," Susie answered cheerfully, nudging her muzzle into the girl's chest.
Hmm… Compared to her mother, she still has room to grow, the golden retriever noted with a purely objective, ulterior-motive-free analysis.
"Peachy?" The Spectator pulled back slightly, her green eyes filled with confusion.
Susie blinked slowly at the questioning tone, realizing that a certain "objective analysis" might have influenced her word choice. "Cough! I heard the word in the salon when you had me eavesdropping on your fellow noble scions," she lied as naturally as breathing, smoothly changing the subject and putting Audrey on the spot about her unladylike behavior to divert her attention.
"Ah…" Audrey flushed with embarrassment at being called out. But then she narrowed her emerald eyes, studying Susie as if trying to peer straight into her soul.
For a moment, the golden retriever wondered if she'd been caught changing the subject, but only for a moment. With her ability to read body language and cues—she avoided using Mind Reading on Audrey unless absolutely necessary—she could tell the scrutiny was unrelated to the earlier topic.
"Susie, I've been meaning to ask," Audrey began, her gaze intense. "Why didn't you have me turn around this time when you drank the potion, like you did with Sequence 8 and 7? You even left the test tube behind. What happened to feeling embarrassed about me seeing you drink?"
Feeling the weight of that searching stare, Susie felt momentarily stumped. Maybe I should've tried harder with the original excuse…
But honestly, who could blame her? She hadn't put much thought into it back then, she hadn't been looking that far ahead. For over a year, her sights had been set on becoming a Hypnotist. And now, forty or so days after the third Tarot Club gathering, she'd finally reached her goal.
Mr. Hanged Man—the number one self-gaslighter and glazer of The Fool—was truly a hero in her eyes, managing to provide ingredients for Sequences 8, 7, and 6 in such a short timeframe.
Such dedication deserved a reward. She'd make sure he received the Sequence 6: Wind Blessed formula. Let it not be said the Great Susie was ungrateful to those who served her well.
"Susie?" Audrey called again, worry returning to her voice. After a hesitant pause, she asked, "Is this… related to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?"
"…"
Susie liked to think of herself as an understanding gal, someone who grasped the hearts and plights of ordinary people. As the future Omniscient and Omnipotent Doggo of the Universe, such empathy was par for the course.
Yet, even as an understanding gal, her mind struggled to comprehend how that terrible, evil, wicked Mr. Fool could deceive poor little Audrey like this.
As a grown man, do you feel no shame? she grumbled inwardly, though without any real heat.
For now, she decided to give Klein the benefit of the doubt. After all, for all she knew, this could be a passive influence of Sefirah Castle, which carried the symbols of Deceit, Fooling, and Secrecy, nudging him instinctively toward fraudulent and manipulative behavior.
So she halfheartedly nodded at Audrey's question, allowing her to sense the mix of exasperation and amusement radiating from her Body of Heart and Mind. "Something like that."
And in a way, it was related to that bookworm old dragon, given the Chaos Sea was something He could accommodate and carried the Prophecy and Omniscient symbolism from the Reader pathway.
Audrey puffed her cheeks in response. "Keep pretending and being evasive, then. At least tell me about the abilities you gained," she pressed, excitement returning to her tone.
Susie's beady eyes met Audrey's green ones, and she replied simply, "Psychological Invisibility, Hypnosis, Battle Hypnotism, Dragon Scales."
"Properly," Audrey demanded, lips pursed.
"Such a demanding owner I have," the golden retriever rolled her eyes, but complied. "Psychological Invisibility allows a Hypnotist to remain in the blind spot of a target's consciousness, preventing detection even at close range or through supernatural senses, though the effect breaks if the user's interactions with the environment become too noticeable.
"Psychological Cue evolves into Hypnosis, granting the ability to directly alter a target's consciousness. From this derives Battle Hypnotism, which can force short-term, disruptive actions in combat. These mental powers are complemented by Physical Enhancement surpassing human limits and Dragon Scales that provide significant damage resistance."
"Satisfied?" Susie asked, tilting her head.
"Very." The noble girl nodded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for the day she would possess such abilities herself.
"Oh, right, Little Audrey?" The golden retriever called suddenly.
The Spectator's lips thinned instantly at the familiar adjective. "What is it, Susie?"
"You inquired about Sequence 5 ingredients, right?" Susie gave her a knowing look. The two had a tacit understanding regarding the Tarot Club, so far, Susie hadn't pressed Audrey about the who, where, or how of matters like ingredient sourcing.
The Hypnotist could tell that at times, Audrey actually wanted to blab, to have someone to brag to about the Tarot Club. But she held back because Mr. Fool had instructed her to keep it secret.
Well, it wasn't like Mr. Fool could do much even if she did spill, at most, kick her out. Not that the Spectator knew that, given the masterful gaslighting of The Fool.
Audrey nodded after a moment. "Yes, but Mid-Sequence ingredients are hard to come by. They're usually monopolized by secret organizations, in this case the Psychology Alchemists, or primitive islands."
Susie wasn't surprised. Sequence 5 was the pinnacle of Mid-Sequence, the final step before entering semi-divinity. The higher one climbed, the harder advancement became, whether due to scarce ingredients, the danger of losing control, or both.
Yet the golden retriever felt no distress. With her knowledge of the story, she had several avenues to pursue. It was just that… some were more trouble than they were worth.
For instance, she could have Audrey ask Mr. Hanged Man to approach one of the Seven Pirate Admirals—the Admiral of Stars, Cattleya—who would likely ask her Sequence 3 "mommy," Bernadette Gustave, one of the Four Pirate Kings. Or, if she wanted to skip the middlemen, she could summon Bernadette's messenger directly.
Roselle's daughter was over a hundred and fifty years old and ran her own organization; her channels were bound to be vast. She was even in Backlund currently, undertaking her Sequence 2: Sage advancement ritual:
Prevent a disaster involving a higher level of power.
The Great Smog of Backlund at the end of December—which would claim 61,000 lives—fit that description perfectly.
Though it left a bad taste in her mouth to weigh thousands of lives so coldly, using them as leverage in a negotiation, she still considered it.
Helping an advancement to Angel should be a big enough favor to secure ingredients up to Sequence 3, right? Susie pondered briefly before shelving the idea as a realization struck her.
How would I get Bernadette to believe me… I'm just a dog.
Telling her about the Chaos Sea? The Hypnotist immediately squashed that thought the moment it arose.
"Should I just ask Arrodes?" That Magic Mirror—Mr. Fool's future number one bootlicker—ought to know. With its ability to peer even into the secrets of gods—though it was often unwilling and afraid—finding a mere Sequence 5 Visionary Beyonder Characteristic would be as easy as breathing.
And like Mr. Fool, Arrodes should sense the symbolism of the Pillar from her. In fact, its connection to her should be even stronger, given it was born from the very Chaos Sea she was accommodating.
"Arrodes…?" Audrey asked, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"A sealed artifact," Susie replied without elaborating, already trotting toward the laboratory door.
"Susie!"
…
Backlund, West Borough
The Museum with the Black Emperor Card of Blasphemy, the Embassy of the Intis Republic, the Red Angel evil spirit, the MI9 office, and the Sequence 5: Desire Apostle Jason Beria—currently going by Patrick Bryan…
Susie mentally reviewed the notable people and places of importance as they—Audrey, accompanied by her maid Annie—crossed into West Borough. She had made a habit of this ever since that unexpected encounter with the Demigod Hvin Rambis a year ago. Knowing who she might run into, and bracing for the unexpected, always made her feel a bit more prepared.
"Young Lady, we have arrived at Philip's Department Store." The carriage driver's voice came from the front.
…
'Even the flowers seem dull beside her.'
'One might forgive anything in a face like that.'
'Standing beside her makes one painfully aware of one's own flaws.'
'How unfair that beauty should be so unevenly distributed.'
'Why must the world reward her twice, once by birth, again by attention?'
'She cannot possibly be as perfect as she appears.'
…
Listening to the various surface thoughts of noble ladies—each politely smiling as they greeted Audrey—Susie couldn't help but roll her eyes internally. This was the nth time she'd heard the same hollow praise.
Nobles often seemed like the most NPC-like people, their thoughts so similar they could have been copied. There were exceptions, of course, but those were few and far between.
Suddenly sensing a meaningful look, Susie turned away from the vapid socialites and locked eyes with Audrey.
Distract Annie for me.
The golden retriever understood exactly what her owner wanted from that single glance. As for why Audrey was making such a request…
Susie glanced toward a store attendant not far from them. Petite, with shoulder-length blonde hair, the girl appeared ordinary, but Susie could see at a glance that she wasn't.
A rigid, imposing aura emanated from the outermost layer of her Soul—the Ether Body, a manifestation of a person's vital energies—It was constructed like a fortress, gleaming with the metallic light of brass and marble.
Chaos Sea-chan really is spoiling me with these abilities, hmm. Susie mused as she began darting playfully around the store, much to Annie's visible dismay. And if the future Miss Judgment is already here… I suppose the Qilangos arc is about to begin.
One of the Seven Pirate Admirals, a Sequence 6: Wind Blessed wielding Creeping Hunger, a Sealed Artifact that allowed him to use the abilities of Beyonder souls he'd consumed.
Looks like, Susie thought, deftly sidestepping another noble lady and feeling a twinge of sympathy for Annie, who had to keep apologizing on her behalf, the coming weeks are about to get lively—
The Hypnotist came to an abrupt halt.
Standing nearby was a familiar face, wavy green-black hair and cold brown eyes that barely concealed her distaste for being here.
Hazel Macht.
This wasn't Susie's first time seeing the girl. She'd been present at several salons and gatherings Audrey had brought her to, and each time, the Hypnotist found herself paying more attention to Hazel than to anyone else except Audrey herself.
And not for the reasons most would assume.
Glancing at the girl's Ether Body, Susie noted that no—Hazel had not yet become a Beyonder. That meant she hadn't yet met the Demigod of the Marauder—Error—pathway: a Sequence 4: Parasite.
Should I? The golden retriever glanced down at her shadow, where the first three potions of the Visionary pathway were stored, then back at Hazel, who was now watching her with a mixture of confusion and recognition. She obviously knew Susie was Audrey's 'pet'.
The Error pathway wasn't safe at this point in time. Anyone who advanced along it was destined to become a snack for the King of Angels at its pinnacle—
Amon.
And this girl would encounter Him through the demigod 'teacher' she was fated to meet. Her family would be nearly parasitized by Amon, leaving her with a lasting trauma of monocles.
"You are—"
"Susie!" Annie's shout cut Hazel off as the maid finally caught up.
"Miss Audrey's personal maid?" the green-black-haired girl asked, her expression unreadable.
Startled at being addressed so directly, Annie offered a quick curtsy. "Please accept my apologies for the disturbance, Miss Hazel."
"It is of no consequence." Hazel inclined her head slightly, her eyes briefly flicking back to Susie. "I wish you a pleasant morning." With that, she turned and walked away.
Annie stepped back, offering another small curtsy before straightening and fixing Susie with a pointed glare.
Susie simply barked in response and trotted casually back toward Audrey.
I'm just a dog. I don't comprehend what a glare means.
++++
A/N: Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. Fool are surely feeling envious of Miss Justice who has access to all formulas of her pathway.