Empress's Borough.
In her reverie, Audrey found herself staring at the translucent crystal ball.
She clearly remembered the meeting above the gray mist, the information she had obtained, and everything mythical about that foggy place.
I'll be able to become a Beyonder after the next meeting! I can't let anyone enter my room during that period... — with varied thoughts, her heart filled with anxiety for the approaching Monday.
She had already obtained most of the ingredients for the potion, so there was only one missing so that she could join the Beyonder world.
Looking out the window, she saw only a large moon shining silently.
I wonder if the other members will share more information about other mysteries...
...
In the Backlund bridge area.
Leaving the Brave Bar, Solveig discreetly glanced around before leaving without showing any abnormality.
Uh... I suppose Mr. Chariot is really quite discreet about his identity, there was no breach and in fact, the boy just indicated to talk to Kaspar. Well, at least the artifact will arrive safely at the main headquarters.
My brother must already be waiting for the Sealed Artifact, otherwise I can be sure it is buried in the documents in his office... — she sighed silently in her heart.
She didn't wait a moment longer before taking a carriage to another nearby street, closer to the East Burgh.
That was where she had agreed to meet the team after solving the problem with the Sealed Artifact of unknown level.
When she got off, she gave the driver a pound so he wouldn't end up questioning anything.
Looking further ahead in the shadows, there were a few people gathered. If any passerby took a look, they wouldn't even notice anything unusual.
Among them, she saw Emmet and other Nighthawks leaning against the wall, he seemed to have an expression of doubt and confusion on his face and next to him was Lorotta who seemed more skeptical.
There was also Ethel and a few others. She had short, wavy black hair. Her black eyes seemed kind of dull and deep, like a dark forest under the moonlight.
She was wearing a black coat with some white and silver details and had on loose black pants where the holster of the gun she was carrying was.
She was one of the members of the Order of Twilight, but had recently joined after accidentally drinking a potion from the Pathway of the Mystery Pryer.
— Good evening. — she said politely and turned to the captain and Ethel.
— It's all done. — Solveig stated, her face still expressionless.
The captain gave a slight nod with a smile.
— Alright, then I guess we can start our investigation.
Solveig previously remembered the case, it was about some deaths around that specific region, in the East Borough, but since it was a joint mission with the Nighthawks, she doubted it was anything normal.
With the crimson moonlight being covered by the black clouds above the sky, they headed towards the East Borough.
...
On the way home, Klein ended up buying a cane in case he needed to protect himself if someone suddenly attacked him.
When he arrived, he found Melissa sitting on the couch with a pile of books next to her while she studied in a way that almost didn't even enter the room.
— Oh, Klein. I'm going to heat up yesterday's leftovers for when Benson arrives. — She stood up before turning to him in confusion.
— Where have you been?
Klein smiled and said:
— I got a new job.
Raising an eyebrow, Melissa seemed completely suspicious of him.
— Job? Wasn't the interview tomorrow? — she asked as she assessed him from head to toe with her eyes.
Klein nodded slightly in agreement.
— Yes, but this job is also good, it's in a security company for ancient relics.
Melissa finally felt like pounds in his hands.
— Goddess... Have they paid you yet...?
— Yes, it was so we could move. We can eat out, I heard that... — Klein was quickly interrupted by Melissa:
— But...
— Klein, we're fine. We can heat up the leftovers so keep the money for yourself.
Putting some things in the drawer, he turned around in a daze. This was not the reaction he expected from her.
— Melissa, it's not a waste of money. We're not even moving right away. Imagine if Benson came here and found the house empty? "Where are my brothers? Where is my home? Where is my life? Oh, Goddess, what's going on?"
Melissa smiled at her Benson imitation, but stood her ground:
— But what if the company closes down overnight?
Klein was speechless, none of what he had thought of would be useful for the conversation now. He coughed and hurriedly made up an excuse:
— This company has connections with the government, it won't close down just like that.
— The government isn't stable either, who knows what might happen in the future. — Melissa retorted using logic and reason.
Hey, sis, you really studied very well… — Klein mocked, sighing in his heart.
They continued like this for a while, until Klein finally gave in.
— Alright… I'll heat up yesterday's leftovers. Buy fish and some other ingredients… And some fruits with the money left over. Here, I have a list.
He handed her a paper with a few lines he had hastily written and six solis. Klein was the original one who bought the ingredients, so he had an idea of how much it cost.
Klein also placed a soli in Melissa's palm and smiled, leaving his sister confused.
— Buy yourself a cake from Mrs. Smyrin's bakery, to celebrate.
Melissa looked at him as the corners of her mouth widened. She looked away and said only one word:
— Okay…
She opened the door and ran to the stairs.
Klein went straight to his room and locked the door.
He recited the incantation, taking four steps counterclockwise.
Feeling a sense of ascent, he seemed to tear through a veil of madness and delusions until he finally reached the top of the endless gray mist, in the seat of honor.
Everything seems normal. — he looked around, only to notice a strange clock on the tarnished bronze table.
It was old-fashioned with some shiny golden hands that rotated slowly, almost stopped. There were some strange symbols and mysteries adorning each part, intertwined.
It was the clock that the member of the Secret Order carried with him!
What is this Sealed Artifact doing here? — Klein frowned, looking at the objects next to the clock.
The one on the right was a ball of white light the size of a child's fist with some suppressed air of purity.
What is this? — Klein took the ball of light in his hands. His eyes reflected his apprehension and confusion.
His gaze fell on the other object. It was a tarot card.
The image was of a deity in the middle of a garland of flowers beneath a starry night sky.
Below was a line.
"The World"
That was the one the bizarre boy gave him on the day of his transmigration!
This... — Klein inexplicably shivered, feeling goosebumps crawling up his spine.
How did that end up above the gray mist?
He tapped a finger on the bronze table as he remembered something.
I could divine now!
Yes, for some reason this information was on my mind before, but I couldn't quite understand what it meant... I'm a Seer, so maybe I can give it a try... — With these thoughts, Klein summoned a fake goatskin and a quill.
He wrote the divination he wanted on the paper with certain specific words:
"The origin of this object."
Leaning back in his seat, he saw flashy dreams unfold before his eyes in chaos.
In an underground space lit only by the light of incandescent lamps, there was a long table against the wall with a few wooden boxes and different glass jars that were filled.
In the dim light stood a man with short, wavy dark blond hair. His dark brown eyes reflected the light of the fire inside the lamps.
She was dressed entirely in black, wearing a suit.
Illuminated by the flames, a hooded woman gave the man in front of her an impassive look.
—The name of this Sequence is Priest of Light. Remember, in the purest darkness, immerse your body in impenetrable ice and take the potion.
She opened a box, revealing a ball of pure light that dispelled all the darkness that covered the room. With a sacred air, it seemed to dispel any impurity, leaving anyone lighter and more relaxed.
—Remember that the Beyonder Characteristic must always be kept in a box during the time when you are not using it. — the woman warned in an impassive tone, leaving the box on the table.
She turned to him. Beneath the hood, her eyes looked like two miniature suns.
—To be a Priest of Light, you must erase the darkness above all else. We are the guardians towards the illuminated heavens, those who guide corruption to the eternal sun. We praise all that is good in this world. However, no one is truly pure.
— Draw your own conclusions and you will know what awaits you in the end, but remember: acting is acting, but it will never be you.
On the yellowed paper in the woman's hand, there was a list of supplementary ingredients for the formula:
"5 grams of Rosemary."
"7 drops of Rock Water."
"60 milliliters of King of Dawn Roosters' Blood..."
Below, there was a line written in dark handwriting.
"Sequence 5: Priest of Light."
The vision quickly faded, taking Klein's consciousness back to the palace covered in gray mist.
He leaned back in his seat thoughtfully.
That was the man behind the iron mask... He was in Sequence 5! I really could have died if he had chosen to attack me in reality... How strange, he didn't think about the corruption that could be in me...
I can't be sure what a Beyonder characteristic is... Is that what the main ingredients of potions are called? Old Neil had said that it can only be obtained from extraordinary creatures and not from people... Wait, was he wrong? If traits can come from dead Beyonders, then Beyonders can never be instincts! Was this another lie from the higher-ups?
And what does it mean to be a Priest of Light? It seems important from the tone that woman used... Is that necessary to be a Beyonder...? I need to be a Seer, but at the same time I must remember that I am me?
It reminded him of the words Roselle wrote in the pages of her diary.
"It's not about using powers, but about acting."
Acting?
Is that acting?
Eh... Do I need to do that?
The Emperor wrote that the name of the potion was not something just symbolic in its essence, but the key to indigestion... That must be important, acting in order to be able to digest and not control the potion? Would it be like not fighting against it, but instead joining the enemy, yet still being against it? I can't understand everything, but it seems like that…
I should start looking for a Divination Club… Who would have thought, I'll become a fake charlatan after calling that strange boy a charlatan. Is this the retribution of fate?
Klein scoffed internally in his mind and turned his attention to the goatskin.
Below the last line, he wrote another divination:
"The origin of this clock."
The fog of dreams completely covered his vision.
Outlined in the chaos of a darkness that threatened to cover the entire sky, inside a cathedral, there was something moving.
It was a little boy with golden, wavy hair walking towards a giant, half-destroyed statue, he continued to walk even as he fell and got up repeatedly.
His feet were all cut, however he ignored the throbbing pain that grew stronger and stronger.
In his hands that were tightly clenched, there was an ancient golden hand that had already broken.
— Oh, Great Lord, please...
— I beg you to k-kill me, even if it's bad... It won't be worse than this...
— I beg you to at least... I don't want to become one of them... K-Kill me... P-please...
The boy tripped over his own foot, dropping the worn golden pointer on the floor covered in a thick, distorted liquid.
The pointer began to turn incessantly and suddenly, the cathedral was filled with silence, only the sound of lightning over the world.
A crimson bolt of lightning tore through the sky, striking the cathedral completely.
In the shadows, a figure in a white cloak walked over the grotesque blood splattered on the floor.
His long, silver hair fell down his back and his eyes were tightly closed, seemingly expressionless.
At his feet and the feathers gathered together and piled behind him, a bizarre, mysterious circle formed, creating an illusory river like a serpent biting its own tail.
His hands were clasped together as if he were praying pitifully.
— Oh, this great era has fallen into ruins...
Klein's mind was torn into various chaotic thoughts.
Amidst a wave of crazy and garish delusions, he pressed a hand on the seat of honor with a throbbing pain covering any thoughts.
A pile of incomprehensible images and mutterings were thrown into his head, mixing together in the chaos.
Eccentric laughter and murmurs echoed through his ears, almost leaving him without any idea of what was happening.
Only the grip on the bronze seat kept him from completely losing the ability to stand up.
Frowning, Klein leaned back in the seat.
What happened...? Did I court death again? This has been happening a lot lately? — he thought self-deprecatingly.
Uh... Who was that man? Why did he have wings behind his back? They were actually feathers. That was an illusory river, but I saw a serpent... Besides, what is a Sequence 4, ? I even know the full formula... I also know Sequences 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5... But I don't have the formula for Sequence 3, Chaoswalker, just the name...
These are my first formulas, but I managed to get almost an entire path... Too bad it's not the Seer pathway...
What is an Angel of Destiny and a Snake of Mercury, also called the Snake of Fate...
And what is the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility?
I'm also not sure where this Kingdom of Silver would be or this Creator of all... God... Almighty? I can't remember exactly... Yeah, that must be it...
I'll write it down later, and even if I forget I'll be able to divine. First, I'd better test if I can create a puppet...
Klein threw the three objects, which began to form a pile of trash behind the Fool's chair.
He thought of a person who looked like Klein Moretti, but with small parts similar to Zhou Mingriu from Earth in a Western form. He seemed more mysterious and erudite, but he was still young.
This person appeared on the other side of the table, moving normally like a living being.
Straight black hair, yellow eyes, thin physique, Western and even a little short for average. His face had scholarly.
Several tarot cards suddenly appeared in front of him, as if they had always been there.
The corners of the Fool's mouth curved into a calm smile.
— Choose a card.
Klein evaluated the cards with a mysterious gaze, without revealing anything and said in a deep tone:
— The World.
...
Silver City, in the Bergs house.
Derrick tightly gripped the translucent crystal ball in his hands. Inside there was a thick, almost mystical mist, hiding anything other than the small crimson glows that appeared in the depths of the misty fog.
It was a relic from an expedition his deceased grandparents had participated in long ago, it came from the ruins of a city before the Dark Ages that used to worship a Being related to a gray mist.
His brown eyes reflected the spectral light that was in the artifact.
The words appeared in his mind and he repeated them in an ancient language:
— The Mysteries of all existence.
— All History hidden in the veil of fog, The time and the reality of everything that exists, the Light of all destiny, the Ruler above...
— I beg for Your eternal blessings.
— I beg You to look upon this land fallen into chaos and darkness.
— Open the doors of Your kingdom hidden in secrets...
A tide of illusory murmurs in a tone of pure faith invaded Klein's mind, leaving him confused.
There was no pain in hearing these murmurs.
Turning his gaze, he noticed that a crimson star in a sea of thousands of others began to pulse with a deep glow.
In front of him, there was a vision that seemed to be reflected in something that resembled a floating mirror made of gray mist.
It showed a very tall young man. He had wavy yellowish-brown hair. His brown eyes seemed filled with pure sincerity.
Your attire certainly doesn't belong in the Northern Continent nor anywhere in the Southern Continent or even the colonies...
— I beg for Your eternal blessings.
— I beg You to look upon...
— Open the doors of Your kingdom hidden in secrets...
Uh… Wait, doesn't that sound like a prayer? From what I remember, that's how they pray to the Goddess… Is that Jottun? Ancient Jottun? How can I understand this?
Who is this boy? His clothes don't look like they're from anywhere... Where does he come from? He also mentioned in the prayer "a land fallen into chaos and darkness."... What kind of place would that be?
And why am I hearing this? Gray mist... This prayer points to a Being above the gray mist! Currently, it seems to point directly at me... But it has to do with time and something else... From the looks of it, isn't he a Beyonder? I don't know... It's like Miss Justice, she didn't have the same spirituality as the other members...
It's okay to bring him here, if he tries to do anything, I can kick him out or throw the dangerous book from the trash pile at him.
...
Derrick sighed, when he raised his head again, he saw a crimson glow explode around him.
A sea of mist spread in all directions, leaving him utterly horrified and paralyzed in the same position he was in.
He was in a palace covered in a hazy fog with a colossal dome that covered everything above his head while being supported by foggy stone pillars, it was as if he had come out of one of the ancient tales from before the Dark Age, when the Creator had not left them.
In front of him was a long bronze table and in the seat of honor, was a Being covered in a black robe with a symbol of a pupilless eye with partially distorted lines, His black hair appeared as well as His face covered in a thick gray fog.
He was sitting calmly as he watched him.
Derrick widened his eyes in confusion. Hope sprouted in his heart. He finally found his voice, which came out in a weak, puzzled tone:
— You... You're God?
That Being laughed.
— I'm not God, i am The Fool who is interested in the long history of everything that exists.
The Fool… — Derrick sighed internally before remembering a statement he'd read in one of the City of Silver books:
— Don't look directly at God!
He immediately lowered his head, looking at his own boots.
History… — Derrick remembered part of the honorific name he'd said before entering the gray mist.
It pointed to Him! A Being above the gray mist who was bound to time and reality!
— I don't care if it's not God. I hope at least the sunlight shines as described in the books. Besides, I want the City of Silver to be able to see the endless sea and for us to be free from our curse. — Derrick spoke with difficulty, but he was still firm.
City of Silver? Hey, isn't this a lot like the Kingdom of Silver? And that description is exactly what I saw in that vision! Furthermore… It looks so much like the place I saw in my dreams… If I had never managed to steal that silver-haired man's information, I would have thought that the City of Silver was from another world… God… Is it The Creator of All That Exists? God Alm… No, I can't put it that way. Does this kid come from the fallen Kingdom of Silver? Furthermore, does he think I'm this Mystery? I'm no Mystery, much less a walking wishing well. — Klein sneered in his heart, but his expression remained calm and mysterious.
The Fool just kept looking at him imposingly.
— Why should I help you?
Derrick froze. He thought of something and said:
— I can offer you my soul and my blood.
He laughed.
— I am not interested in the soul or blood of a mortal. But as I said, I am The Fool who is interested in all history, so what I ask is that you tell the story of your City of Silver, everything you know even if I know it.
Derrick began to describe:
— Okay, I will tell everything faithfully.
— The City of Silver has existed since The Creator who created everything, Omniscient and Omnipotent, abandoned us at the beginning of the Dark Ages. Before that, we were the Silver Kingdom.
Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator of the Kingdom of Silver? It sounds a lot like the description I got from stealing information from that strange man...
Derrick told about how the days of the Dark Age began, how plants didn't grow in the first decades, the darkness that covered everything that existed, and the thousands of years afterward when the City of Silver resisted in the Dark Age for 2582 years.
He also mentioned all the Sequences up to 4 of the Warrior Pathway, explained the current structure of the City of Silver, and the ancient era when the Kingdom of Silver was ruled by a Giant King.
— I want to become the Sun so that we can see the heavens again... So that the City of Silver can be freed. — Derrick spoke with pain in his tone.
Doesn't this seem to have a connection with the Calamity of the Third Epoch? In the "Midnight Revelations," it is said that the Goddess and the other gods descended together with the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Burning Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom to guide humanity… — Klein recalled one of the old memories he had buried deep in his mind:
"The world was painted in chaos, in those days the heavens and the earth were covered by a long veil of calamity as the tides broke in deep disorder."
The "Midnight Revelations" and the "Book of Storms" also mentioned an Omniscient and Omnipotent God, The Creator of all that exists as well as a few other two ancient deities.
When The Creator fell into a deep sleep, the gods were born.
So that clock comes from the Dark Ages of the City of Silver… No wonder it's so strange. — he thought to himself.
— The calamity that has befallen the Kingdom of Silver has been cruel. I hope that you will grow stronger so that you can find some light in the heavens. — The Fool spoke in a mysterious tone.
Derrick seemed relieved, almost with a feeling of nervousness spreading through his heart.
He saw tarot cards appearing in his vision all at once with some missing, they were: The Fool, Justice, Chariot, Hanged Man, Strength and The World.
Klein knew that Derrick probably knew about the existence of tarot cards since they had existed since some time before the Fourth Epoch.
The Fool leaned back in His seat of honor.
— Choose one of these to become your codename. This choice will follow you for the rest of your life.
Derrick announced without hesitation:
— The Sun. I choose the Sun.
...
After some time writing down what he had discovered, Klein also remembered a strange phrase that he had managed to steal from the strange man.
Giant King's Court.
This must refer to some place held by the former ruler of the fallen Kingdom of Silver that the young Sun mentioned... Where could the Giant King's Court be?
Klein pensively wrote down the next line.
"Bard Pathway: Sequence 9."
"Formula..."
"Sequence 5: Priest of Light..."
"Monster Pathway: Sequence 9..."
"Sequence 8, Robot."
"Sequence 7..."
"Sequence 6..."
"Sequence..."
"Sequence 3, Chaoswalker..."
"Warrior Pathway..."
"Secrets Supplicant..."
"Angel of Fate."
"Who did the prayer that the Sun recited point to in the past? Was it a deity? Does it have a connection to the City of Silver? The young Sun mentioned that he came from an ancient city that worshiped a deity connected to the gray mist... It certainly has a connection to this space of mist."
"Almighty God, however I feel like I shouldn't call him that so I'll just refer to Him as The Creator or the Omniscient and Omnipotent God... Why does it always feel like something's wrong when I think of it? I think he might be The Creator of the City of Silver."
"Snake of Mercury or Snake of Destiny... What is a Snake of Mercury?"
"Where exactly is the City of Silver? Could it be the Forsaken Land of the Gods that Roselle described in her diaries?"
"I saw the architecture of the City of Silver in my dreams... How did this happen? Why did I dream of the City of Silver? The corruption that had affected me was so terrifying that it was not only connected to the delusions of the Hornacis Mountain Range, but also to the City of Silver! Could this be because of the former owner of this space above the mist?"
"Why did The Creator abandon them? Is this really connected to the Calamity of the Third Epoch?"
"Who was the strange man with wings in those visions? Was he an Angel? What is an Angel?"
...
Klein looked at the huge Khoy University, and couldn't help but remember that it wasn't for nothing that they called it one of the largest universities in Awwa.
He quickly noticed two figures who were talking, sitting on a wooden bench, Azik and Cohen.
From the memories of the original Klein, he clearly remembered Cohen, the associate professor and his mentor.
He was an elderly man with gray hair. His intense blue eyes were deeply sunken into his face and he had few wrinkles. The man was wearing a black tuxedo.
He had some documents in one hand with symbols and notes all over the paper.
— Klein, are you here to pick up a book? — Azik noticed him approaching. He gave a calm look with his golden eyes at the vicissitudes of life.
— Good morning, Mentor. Mr. Azik. Yes, I was just going to read it quickly before I went back. — Klein nodded politely — What are you doing here?
Cohen smiled enthusiastically:
— We were discussing Emperor Roselle again. As you know, he truly left his mark on the world with his inventions, however, his deeds were what caused his death in the end. He was assassinated by the combined forces of the Church of the Eternal Burning Sun, the former Intis royal family, the Sauron family, and other aristocrats, and yet his deeds are indisputable. If Emperor Roselle had followed a different path and not become the "Son of Steam" and later the Emperor, would the world have been able to reach the Age of Steam and Machinery?
Klein finally glanced at the "symbols" that were on Mr. Cohen's papers.
"February 1st. I regret choosing the Pathway I'm on... Haha, I made a mistake in becoming a Savant. However, it terrifies me to think that when I was inexperienced and foolish, I could have chosen to be a Marauder, Apprentice, or a Seer."