Klein's face almost froze at the same moment.
Forcing himself to continue with a polite smile on his face, his thoughts were thrown into chaos.
What does he mean? What made Emperor Roselle's opinion change so drastically? Is there something wrong with these three Pathways? Does it have to do with the warnings of that member of the Zaratul family?
He had been alive for over 200 years... What did he discover about these three paths... Does it still have an influence even after hundreds of years? Could I be affected by it? Or maybe I already was and didn't even realize it...
Couldn't the Emperor have written down what he discovered?! — Klein felt an overwhelming urge to grab Roselle by the shoulders and shake him until he said everything perfectly explained without leaving out a single detail.
There might be more information in his diaries... How could I get the pages of the Emperor's diary? From the Tarot Club? — Klein had an idea.
He could ask this question as The Fool.
Not wanting to interfere any further in Mr. Azik and Mr. Cohen's conversation, he said goodbye after a brief conversation and left towards the Midnight Church with a few thoughts in mind.
There really was nothing he could do about belonging to the Seer Pathway, and apparently there was still nothing wrong with him, and even if there was, he had no options, so he could only continue being a Seer and perhaps at some point a Sequence 8, Clown.
He could figure out how to advance once he knew exactly what Emperor Roselle's words about digesting meant, and for now he would act as a Seer even if he didn't know exactly how to do it. A Divination Club would be the best option, and perhaps even at normal times.
As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
He was sure that someone had been watching him since he was at Khoy University!
This… — Klein's heart began to pound heavily in his chest.
In his mind, a thin and slender silhouette appeared, calmly observing him with cold eyes amidst the trees, piercing into his soul.
This person has been following me for some time now... He's been monitoring me... What should I do? Should I go to the cathedral? — he narrowed his eyes, his perception continually warning him of that gaze on his back.
Klein began to imagine several possibilities at once as guesses bubbled in his mind, but he pushed them away as he approached the cathedral with the pointed roof.
That Sequence 5 member suspected of being from the Secret Order died, so why would they send someone else? Could it be another Sequence 5? No, no. They must not value the notebook that much and if they did, I would have disappeared as soon as I got home. — he thought internally as he entered the Cathedral of Saint Selena.
The best thing to do was to inform the Nighthawks!
With the windows in shades of the darkest blue and the crimson of the moon above the sky, he did not look back as he walked to the prayer hall.
The gaze that had previously been fixed on him was gone.
In several seats there were some believers with their eyes closed, they prayed in unison with the calm of the night covering the place along with the voice of the bishop:
— Without clothes and food, they have no cover in the cold.
— They are soaked by the rains and huddled on the rocks for lack of shelter.
— They are orphans torn from their breasts, hope lost in them...
Klein went straight to the back of the cathedral where there was a serene darkness everywhere, the sensation of the starry sky covering everyone.
There was a middle-aged woman standing near the gates that led directly to the underground, reading a blue-covered book as she seemed to be walking back to the confessional.
She had some gray hair showing at the dark roots and wore a dark robe.
— Madam, there is someone following me. I want to see Dunn Smith. — He showed the badge Rosanne had given him the day before.
— The first door after three corridors on the left. — She spoke calmly. Her light brown eyes seemed like a silent sea.
— May the Goddess bless you. — Klein gestured the sign of the crimson moon on his chest.
— Praise be to the Lady. — She also drew the crimson moon.
Klein passed through the hidden gates and went down underground, hoping he wouldn't find anything strange along the way.
When he finally arrived, he began explaining what had happened:
— Someone followed me from Khoy University to here, but they didn't enter the cathedral.
Dunn looked at Klein without seeming the least bit surprised.
— Maybe it's some private detective. Welch's family must have their doubts about you or the results of the investigation into the notebook. It could be someone from another organization looking for this artifact. Did you see his appearance? — he asked simply.
Klein remembered the image he saw in his mind, there wasn't much to say when the man was in the shadows.
— Not exactly, he was tall and thin. Probably with dark hair. — he described without much confidence.
— There's nothing to worry about. Practice your aim with the gun and do whatever you want later. — Dunn Smith spoke calmly.
— Whatever I want? — Klein asked in confusion.
— Whatever you want. — The captain declared again. — Sure, just don't scare them or break the law. Oh, and don't try to guess at them to say weird things and traumatize them. Also, don't perform any rituals on them either.
Captain, what kind of opinion do you have of me? — Klein thought in surprise.
Even if he had information about some rituals in his mind, that's not why he would end up doing any. Besides, they were just basic rituals and others that were more complicated. Besides, even the original Klein always had this information and never performed any rituals.
Still, Dunn Smith was half right. It would be completely terrifying if suddenly someone was investigating another person normally, a Seer, and the same knew basically several things about the detective's life, as well as extremely personal things and maybe even about the future.
Possibly this detective could even develop mental problems if he felt persecuted and would reach a point where he wouldn't trust anyone anymore, at some point, maybe he would end up in an asylum.
Thinking about it, a Beyonder chasing a normal person must be horrifying… — Klein mused inwardly, but pushed those thoughts aside.
There was something strange about the person chasing him.
Why did he avoid entering the cathedral? If he was just a private detective, he would have gone in… Could it be that he was afraid of a strong Beyonder?
In that case, there's little chance that he's a detective…
...
After training his aim a bit, which seemed strangely too good, Klein ended up signing up at the Fortune-telling Club on Howes Street and buying some ingredients. After that, he calmly walked home under a crimson moon, feeling the sensation of being watched disappearing without a trace.
As soon as he opened the door, he found a man with short, receding hair who looked to be at least thirty years old.
— Good evening, Klein. How was the job interview?
— Terrible. — Klein replied with an expressionless face.
Before the stunned Benson could say anything, he continued:
— I didn't even go to the interview. But I got a job at a relic company that pays five pounds.
Benson's face calmed down and he said:
— It's like watching a child grow up... Well, the job is good.
Klein ended up calmly preparing dinner while chatting with Benson and Melissa.
When dinner was ready, they served themselves.
— Sometimes it seems like Mr. Franky has some kind of power. As soon as we enter the bathroom to use water, he appears, as if he had thought exactly how much each drop costs. — Melissa added another insult.
— We're not even sure if Mr. Franky really thinks. — Klein retorted with his vast experience.
Benson started to laugh.
— Good! That was very good! — he caught his breath — If they replaced him with a stone, we probably wouldn't notice.
— No, no. Stones are not noisy.
They talked until the end of dinner and returned to their rooms.
When Klein lay down, he entered a world of flashy and meaningless dreams.
Where... — Klein opened his eyes, finding himself in a place completely different from anything in the Fifth Epoch.
Before his vision, a sky stretched out entirely covered in the darkness of night that didn't even show a single star amid silvery rays that tore through the ground frequently, giving a little light to that vast valley below the cliff.
I don't remember lightning striking so many times... And why is everything so dark all of a sudden? What a strange dream... — he looked down from the cliff where he was, in that place there was an endless void. It looked like a ravine, the deepest he had ever seen.
A pure and strange light came out of that crack, but sometimes it would disappear and appear again, as if it were pulsating.
In a place behind him, there seemed to be a different sky, covered in an eternal twilight glow that gave off the feeling of antiquity beneath an era of ruins.
Every now and then, he could hear some low murmurs and roars coming from the darkness. They seemed to be going further away.
— At least there's some light in this place… I wonder when I'll be able to have a normal night's sleep. Technically, I'm awake, right? I can still "see" the darkness from when I closed my eyes, but at the same time I see this place… — Klein sat on the edge of the abyss, and suddenly a thought came to his mind.
Could he summon The World here?
According to his thoughts, The World appeared sitting beside him calmly with black threads that went to infinity, however, he could see just like The World, it was like a second vision.
After a few seconds, he summoned a lantern so that he wouldn't be completely in the dark.
— I have the same feeling of splitting my consciousness when I control The World… — Klein felt dazed. For some baffling reason, this didn't seem entirely strange and bizarre to him.
— Hey, could this be a sign of losing control? — The World wondered in confusion. He moved his arms stiffly until he finally looked like a normal human being.
— No. Otherwise I would have become more prone to delusions or something like that. — Klein answered simply.
The World nodded slightly.
— That makes sense, so what is this? Where did this dream take me this time? — He put his hand to his face, almost giving a loud deprecating laugh.
— A place covered in darkness with lightning falling down on the world… — Klein described the surroundings perfectly.
Suddenly, both Klein and The World began to look at each other, deep disbelief on their faces.
— Forsaken Land of the Gods. — they said in unison.
Klein touched the glowing lantern, but soon pulled his hand away.
— There's no reason for me to dream about this, so it could only be some external influence like the gray mist or the Antigonus family's notebook… Or it could be me too. Is there something else I came into contact with during my transmigration? — His tone began to deepen with each word.
— No, the notebook, the gray mist… Or I don't remember… Yes, it's possible. However, this could be something from the Seer pathway, something that happens because of an unknown reason... It could be a mystery about the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Or it has nothing to do with anything at all. — The World sighed, casting his gaze up at the dark skies. — I'll ponder this another time. I must think about other things. Why did The Creator of the City of Silver abandon them in the first place? What happened to make Him do this? Where is He currently?
— From the description of the young Sun, He simply disappeared… There are no records of Him among the normal Nighthawks or in the beliefs of secret organizations, not that I know of. — Klein mused even more confusedly.
— Apparently, there were more ancient gods even before the historical records… — The World spoke thoughtfully, silently observing his surroundings.
There was no crimson moon to illuminate the ruined land, only those furious thunders falling.
— Speaking of which, why did that strange man...
Klein suddenly froze in place, just like The World. It seemed like he had simply stopped in time.
In front of his desk, there was a thin figure silently searching for something.
Opening his eyes wide, Klein's heart began to beat rapidly.
Badump! Badump!
Amidst the horror, he quickly reached his trembling hand under the pillow, grabbing the copper gun.
The shadowy figure laughed, the corners of his mouth curling into a strange smile.
He shifted slightly, as if he had heard something.
Klein pointed the gun straight at the stranger's head without hesitation.
The intruder turned stiffly, his voice strained:
— Good evening, sir.
— Please keep your hands where I can see them. Don't make any sudden movements or make me feel uncomfortable. I might feel threatened, and I can't guarantee that I won't shoot. — Klein spoke as calmly as he could.
While keeping his gaze on the stranger, Klein ended up discreetly activating his spiritual vision to look around his room.
It was possible that there was more than one intruder.
In his vision, next to a window in the hallway, there was a tall figure with different colors. He took slow steps without making any noise, but he seemed to be getting closer.
He could see it clearly in his mind. Receding hair and gray eyes. It was the captain.
Klein quickly made up his mind and nodded for the man to leave through the door.
— Walk slowly through the door with your hands on your head, we'll settle this outside.
The stranger raised his arms in surrender, bringing them up to his head.
With the gun pointed behind him, he walked in front of Klein and slowly opened the doorknob until when he opened it, he rolled on the floor and jumped up to stand up again, closing the door with a bang.
His movements were certainly fast, but Klein could still see him heading straight for the trap with his spiritual vision.
— You know, shooting would never fire a bullet.
The chamber of the gun was empty to prevent accidents.
Besides, even though his aim was good, he had never used a gun on a moving target and didn't have the confidence to do so, he knew how to differentiate between the two. That man, however, didn't know about that. Klein could only use intimidation to get him out of the room, taking him straight to Dunn Smith.
A soft melody began to echo through the house, bringing an indescribable sense of serenity:
— Oh, the threat of horror, the hope of crimson cries!
— At least one thing is certain, that this life flies by;
— One thing is certain, and the rest are...
Klein felt somewhat calm with that melody, but his thoughts were running through his mind nonstop, he was lucky that the man didn't risk finding out if he was bluffing.
He waited for some time until the confrontation was over, it took twenty minutes until Dunn Smith opened the door.
— It's all settled. — Dunn Smith stated calmly.
— Who was he? — Klein asked. He had some ideas that maybe he belonged to specific organizations, but he couldn't confirm anything.
— A member of the Secret Order who came for the notebook. Unfortunately, I don't know if it's safe to enter your dreams and it could lead to unimaginable results, so I couldn't tell you about the intruder. — Dunn explained with a cloudy look on his face.
After a conversation, Dunn left.
Klein, Benson and Melissa ended up solving some problems with the rented house and finally managed to move to another place. Time passed quickly and Monday finally arrived.
...
Above the gray mist, Audrey bowed without hiding her enthusiasm.
— Good morning, Mr. Fool!~
— Good morning, Mr. Hanged Man!~
— Good morning, Miss Strength!~
— Good morning...
She swept her gaze over all the members of the Tarot Club, until she noticed two unfamiliar figures. The taller one stood beside the Chariot while the young man sat on the other side of the bronze table.
— Who are these? —she asked in a daze. Audrey grimaced, she had not imagined there would be new members so soon.
The Fool seemed as calm as ever.
— This is The Sun.
And then He turned his gaze forward.
— This is The World.
The Fool introduced them without haste, and after that, the palace was covered in an overwhelming silence.
The Tarot Club had already had two new members right after its founding!
Uh... The Tarot Club is growing! Who could they be? Mr. Mundo is on the other side of the table... Why didn't he appear next to the Sun or the Chariot? Besides, The Sun is very tall... Is he from Feysac? And Mr. Mundo looks young, but he's very quiet. — In her stupor, Audrey was surprised and then excited.
Medici narrowed his eyes, silently evaluating the new members.
The Sun seems to be young even though he's tall. He might be from Feysac... How strange, there's something wrong with these boys. What could it be? His accent is strange... It's familiar...
The World is also familiar and mysterious. I felt strangely confused when I first looked at him... He looks young, but I don't think that's the case. The World is old. In fact, he's not just senile, he also seems to have lived for hundreds of years!
Could he be a Demigod who's been alive since sometime in the early Steam and Machine Age? Or worse, someone who lived in the early Iron Age or earlier? I feel like the second option is more likely... This person is strange... If I can call him a person... Da mn, it can't be... Is he an Angel? That makes The Fool either a true deity or a sealed deity! Why now? In fact, maybe this is just one of The Fool's Angels... — Medici had several guesses, but thought it best to wait for more information before creating any more bold ideas.
Solveig was curious, but held back her feelings to become a silent observer, analyzing the new members before saying anything.
Alger, on the other hand, remained quiet, just observing everything and, above all, cautious.
After some time of talking with each one, finishing the exchanges from the last meeting, The Fool tapped twice on the bronze table.
— have a mission. It's very simple...
He asked the Tarot Club members to collect the pages from Roselle's diary.
After that, the members of the Tarot Club ended up exchanging several pieces of information, such as some about the Antigonus family, which, according to the Hanged Man and the Chariot, had been destroyed by the Church of Midnight and a secret organization.
The Sun felt lost during all the conversations, not understanding a bit of what they were talking about, however, this time he remained quiet in his bronze seat, wondering if he should ask Mr. Fool what they were talking about.
— I heard that there is some strange movement by the Aurora Order in Backlund. They are sneaking like rats through the East Burgh, in the poorest areas. — Medici leaned back in his seat — And there was a fight in the East Burgh where a lunatic from an organization was killed before she could even use her own abilities and her soul was destroyed. It is suspected that she died for the "honor" of keeping her own secrets safe.
— If I am going to tell you news... Well, my etiquette teacher taught me to faint this week. I was just organizing my thoughts. — Audrey laughed — Ever since the failure of the battle on the eastern coast of Balam, the king, the prime minister, and the knights have been under immense pressure and stress. It seems they are on the move.
— The Secret Order has been on the move quite a bit. Two of their members died at the hands of officers, and the other, a Sequence 5, lost control. In any case, the Order of Mysteries is also keeping a close eye on things, too. — The World said in a calm tone.
— Well, I heard that there have been some disappearances in the West Burgh that seem to have strange causes. It seems they sent some officers to investigate. — Solveig said simply. It wasn't a big deal, but it was one of the only things to tell.
Is this the news to tell? — The Sun wondered internally.
— From what I understand, the council of six members decided to go on an expedition to some ruins north of an ancient destroyed city.
No one but Klein could understand a single word Derrick had said. None of the members even knew what to ask about it.
Alger recalled what had happened in the past few days, but he was careful to hide the parts that could give away his position completely. It was best to be cautious with new members.
— By sea, Pirate Lieutenant General Deweyville began his voyage to try to explore the eastern end of the Sonia Sea.
— Vice Admiral Twilight, Bulatov Ioan, has clashed with Admiral of the Stars, Catlleya. It seems that Vice Admiral Iceberg, Edwina Edwards, ended up getting caught up in the fighting and chose Catlleya's side because of a relic. The confrontation ended with both sides retreating far away.
Fortunately, Edwina Edwards kept her end of the bargain and gave me all the information… And maybe it's possible to sell some of the spoils at the Tarot Club… — Alger added in his own mind.
— Sea? Have you ever seen the sea? How is that possible? — Derrick asked in confusion.
Solveig frowned slightly. Those words simply didn't make any sense.
— Mr. Sun, what do you mean? The sea stretches everywhere in the world. Haven't you ever heard of the City of Generosity in Bayam? It's in the Sonia Sea, just like the Rorsted Archipelago.
City of Generosity? Sonia Sea? Rorsted Archipelago? — Derrick felt like he was hearing things coming from another world.
— In the City of Silver, there is no sea. I've only read about it in some textbooks... Gentlemen, could someone describe it? — Derrick stammered a little.
City of Silver? — Everyone had the same thought.
— It's as if the entire horizon had been taken over by pure water, sometimes raging, sometimes calm. It's so deep that it's impossible to see below the darkness. The skies are more visible in the middle of the sea. You can see the stars, the moon and during the day the sun perfectly... — Medici stopped as he looked at Derrick again, who seemed to have understood nothing.
— Have you ever seen the sun and the moon? What's it like to look at the sun? Does it hurt? — The Sun asked, even more confused than before.
Derrick remembered the time he tried to look too close to a candle that was in his room.
He just wanted to know what it felt like to look at the sun, and in the descriptions in the books there were some mentions saying that it was pure light. However, he ended up almost burning his own face.
His eyes hurt after staring at the candle for a long time, his vision became completely waterlogged and he began to see strange spots of different colors overlapping, but after a while his eyes returned to normal.
It was painful, but the light covered his entire vision like never before.
— It depends. It only hurts if you look at it for too long and sometimes, its light covers our entire vision if it is too strong. It stays above the sky like a ball of fire until night comes. — Audrey explained. At least the way she saw the sun.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for the young Sun who had never seen the light covering everything at sunrise.
But wait... How has he never seen the sunlight? Is there any place that has no light? Does the Sun live in a mystical place? It doesn't make sense... — the more she thought, the more guesses appeared in Audrey's mind.
Audrey remembered the time when she was a child. On some trips to Port Prizt she always wanted to stay awake waiting for the sun to rise over the horizon, however she was always prevented from looking at the sky for too long.
— Does it hurt to look at the sun? — Medici felt stunned by this explanation.
He had never had any problem looking at the sky for even ten minutes or more, although he always thought it was strange when others closed their eyes.
— Any normal human being will feel some discomfort, and that is a common and natural thing to happen. If someone who was not born with Beyonder abilities or who did not become a Beyonder does not feel discomfort, I recommend that they seek out a specialist. — Alger replied logically.
Having always lived at sea, Alger was already used to the sun shining everywhere, so he never had any problems with it. But sometimes the storms were so strong that they dragged ships to the bottom of the sea forever.
— But in the case of people born with extraordinary abilities, it is indeed normal. What would be unusual would be if they actually felt something. — The World calmly explained.
To Klein, he had the memories of the original Klein and was also Zhou Mingriu from Earth, so he could analyze it from both points of view.
Why are we talking about this all of a sudden? When did the conversation get so strange…? — Solveig thought in a daze before remembering something:
She had never felt much discomfort when looking at the sun either!
As a child, she was driven by curiosity and, together with her older brother, decided to ask Ewan, who had already adopted her and her siblings at that time. From his answer, it was because of his lineage that had other Beyonders on the same path and this strengthened his ability. Ewan also said that there was no need to worry about it, however, neither she nor her brother should look directly at the sun as a precaution.
— So you can see the sun... Who is the Goddess of Midnight that you mentioned? — The Sun hesitated to ask more, however, he could not contain the curiosity that grew in his chest.
— ... — Solveig, Medici and Audrey were speechless.
What macabre place does this boy live in? He has never seen the sun or even knowledge of the Seven Orthodox Gods... Is he being held captive or is he part of a bizarre cult? No... City of Silver... Kingdom of Silver... — Medici felt his mind bubbling with confusion.
— Sun, where exactly are you living? — Alger asked unhurriedly.
— City of Silver. — He noticed the attention the other members had on him and almost stumbled over his words.
They continued talking until in the end only Klein remained above the gray fog.
...
In her laboratory, Audrey was carefully separating some vials in front of a silver cauldron.
She placed them skillfully as the ingredients seemed to mix naturally, forming a silvery liquid that bubbled, despite this she seemed to exude calm.
— I really did it on the first try! I'm very experienced! I was worried that I might fail. — Audrey murmured with a smile all over her face.
Suddenly, she heard the doorknob move a little.
She opened the door after hiding the vial in a corner that had no light.
Her golden Susie was standing in front of her wagging her tail happily and a little further away was her maid, Annie.
— I told you not to disturb me while I was doing experiments. — Audrey said closing the door behind her.
— There's an invitation from Duchess Negan. — Anne spoke calmly.
When Audrey finally managed to refuse that invitation, she returned to her laboratory, however, she was paralyzed in front of the open door as soon as she looked inside the room.
There were some bottles fallen on the floor and next to them was her golden-haired golden retriever licking the floor.
Susie drank every last drop of the potion.