The first thought that struck Klein after his extremely quick reflection was:
I can't tell anyone!
Even the Nighthawks, how could he let Melissa have her life almost controlled by the church?
She would probably be monitored for a long time, she would have to ask permission if she wanted to do anything or even travel, and if the church didn't accept it, she would stay in Tingen.
Melissa would have to report every step she took. Later on, she could probably even be placed as a Nighthawk at some point due to her special abilities.
Klein accepted the Nighthawks' terms because he had no other options, but his sister was a different case!
Yeah, I can't do that to Melissa... Uh... I have to explain to her about the Beyonder world, it's extremely harmful if she doesn't know about herself!
After that, I must explain the most basic and important things, such as the organizations and the method of digesting the potion... The Sequences and a bit of the history... It's better to explain some of the most important things so that she doesn't get curious about it...
Above all, I must make it very clear about the unimaginable madness and horror of the Beyonder world! But I mustn't scare her too much either...
After reaching a conclusion, Klein sighed in his heart.
Before Melissa could ask anything else, Benson appeared in the room again with his newspaper that he was holding in his hands.
— Did you think hard enough so that you wouldn't scare me to death next time? — he asked, looking at them who were still looking at each other discreetly.
He knew that they were probably already guilty enough, Klein and Melissa were very similar and different people at the same time, however the guilt was equally apparent on both of their faces.
— Yes, we don't want you to tear your hair out in anger. — Melissa replied, looking away to the white book in her hands.
Actually... — Klein didn't dare say a word, just stared at Benson's head.
The receding hairline was visible and would still be visible even if anyone was watching from afar.
Klein hurriedly looked away as if he suddenly found the dark blue book on the small table against the wall very interesting.
Seemingly realizing that she had said something strange, Melissa also turned her full attention to the book White Nights without saying a single word.
— Why are you two acting weird? — Benson became suspicious when he saw them so quiet. That was never a good thing!
Most of the time, it was because they were up to some trouble.
When they had served themselves, Klein could finally sigh while the gears in his mind were still running at full speed.
He was absentmindedly thinking about what he would tell Melissa about the Beyonder World.
— Did your boss let you off early? — Melissa asked Benson who was putting a piece of meat in his mouth.
— I can't even call it luck, it was a miracle. At that moment, I thought I was going to be struck by lightning. — He laughed at his situation.
— Has he finally lost all his bitterness and self-pity? — Melissa asked with a bit of mockery.
They had developed a habit of insulting Benson's boss after Benson himself started belittling him, and they had never stopped since.
Klein put on a rather calm expression, giving a quick answer that was on the tip of his tongue:
— We should consider whether he really feels anything. What if the inside of his body is hollow? —
Benson laughed heartily.
— Haha, really! If we replaced it with a shell, it wouldn't make much of a difference. — he replied with much experience.
Melissa seemed to remember something when she heard the term "shell" and mentioned:
— Speaking of which, I heard that there was some fighting at sea recently. It seems that pirates got into a terrifying fight and a cargo ship almost got caught in the crossfire.
Mr. Hanged Man mentioned it a while ago. — Klein remembered immediately. It was a meeting between a pirate admiral and a vice admiral with another important person.
— It's a good thing we don't live near the sea like in Bayam or Enmat. Imagine having breakfast when suddenly you hear explosions and gunshots outside? I don't think my heart could handle it. — Benson admitted with a smile.
Amidst the conversation, that dinner was covered in a comforting air.
In the end, Benson got up first to go somewhere and Klein called Melissa to his room.
When he realized that Benson had already gone to the bathroom and wouldn't knock on his door because he thought he was asleep, Klein didn't hesitate to ask:
— Melissa, have you always seen a lot of strange things?
She stopped completely, rethinking all the moments of her life.
— Uh... Yes? But you too. — she answered simply. Her eyes, however, seemed to search for the meaning of what Klein was trying to say.
She was looking at him discreetly.
Klein narrowed his eyes before saying calmly:
— Touch your glabella.
Completely confused, Melissa reached her hand up to her head and touched her head before almost jumping out of her chair in shock.
In her vision was a world in multiple different colors stretching out everywhere she could see.
It was terrifying and with several things in different shades moving!
When she tried to turn in the direction her brother was, there was only a dark color covering her entire vision.
It seemed as ethereal as it was mysterious, but completely meaningless as the starry sky is.
It was terrifying to not be able to see anything, as if she had lost her sight, and at the same time, she felt a horror from the bottom of her heart.
It was her instinct telling her not to look around!
That vision disappeared as soon as she unconsciously touched her glabella again.
— What was that...? — Melissa asked in shock.
Klein gave her a thoughtful but very calm look.
— Maybe I should start from the beginning... Do you remember the deaths of Welch and Naya? Also the death of that history student, Lily?
She nodded quickly.
— Yes, Mr. Azik and Mr. Cohen even sent you letters asking if you were okay. By the way, it was very strange that they killed themselves like that... — Melissa remembered with a growing doubt in her heart.
It was the day she had nightmares a long time ago, the next day she heard from her friend, Elizabeth, that a young woman she knew had committed suicide inside a
Lily Chekky had poisoned herself, but her resilient body did not succumb immediately, so she stabbed herself several times until she arrived at the Church of Saint Selena in the middle of the night.
And after a few days, news broke that Welch had repeatedly hit his head on the wall until it split open while Naya had drowned herself in a simple bucket.
When she read that, she immediately went to check on Klein, but he was apparently sleeping peacefully in his dreams.
— It wasn't suicide. — Klein said unhurriedly. His face still showed a hint that he had never forgotten about the matter.
The next words seemed very simple, even though they were terrifying:
— They went crazy. They succumbed to madness… What I mean is… There is madness in this world, unimaginable and terrifying things.
— People with inexplicable powers are called Beyonders, and if they were born with them, their parents were certainly Beyonders. — They are only called that because they took potions that make them that way...
— ... — Melissa was speechless, just waiting to hear the rest while her face could not show any expression.
— People can become Beyonders through organizations like Churches or other official bodies like some part of the military... Mr. Medici is one of them. Of course, there are also those who are underground in unofficial organizations and those who have no support whatsoever. This is the mysterious world.
— But it is a very big risk to go down that path. There is the loss of control... Well, I will explain that to you later.
Melissa's face was frowning, she was understanding in her own way.
— Wait... If Mr. Medici is also part of the mysterious world... Is Mr. Azik also a Beyonder? Leonard too? ... If you know that, that means you are involved with some official or unofficial organization... — She connected the dots at the same time in a dazed state.
As expected, Melissa really thought quickly... — Even though he had already expected this, Klein was still surprised.
— Yes, I'm part of a squad with Leonard and other Beyonders in the Church of the Goddess. The members are called Nighthawks. — he said with a laugh.
Melissa frowned, the puzzle coming together on its own as the gears of her thoughts worked.
She had understood too much. It wasn't a good thing, but it was necessary.
— And to think that the world was so much worse... — Melissa reflected momentarily, understanding how terrifying what her brother was saying was.
Her world had turned upside down.
Who would have thought that in addition to everything that happens everywhere, there would be so much hidden madness?
If the idea of accidentally encountering a malicious person at night, someone who could do the most vile things, was already horrifying, the idea of simply going crazy because of oneself or anyone else was equally chilling.
She imagined how little the edge of the cliff must have been in her life. There are some things that simply should not be disturbed, and madness is one of those things.
Klein continued unhurriedly:
— Beyonders have Pathways, these are the twenty-two divine Pathways like ours, the Pathway of the Seer... But before the Third Epoch, people could not become Beyonders, the potion system was only created with the appearance of the First Slate of Blasphemy...
He only told her superficially about the rest, not giving too many details so as not to scare Melissa more than she already was.
He only explained a little more about the method of action and the Pathway of the Seer, as well as the organizations that own it and the history.
Klein only left out the part about the gray mist, about his near suicide and the transmigration. He also did not talk about the Silver City or the ancient history and various other things.
In the end, Melissa even seemed to accept everything very well.
She was stunned, but still showed concern and confusion at the end.
— So our parents drank a magic potion because they were part of some secret organization? It's not possible that they were from the Church if that's the case… Sequence 5 or 6… They had to at least be powerhouses for us to be born… — She narrowed her eyes as she got caught up in her thoughts.
— Eh… Could Benson be a Beyonder? — Her eyes almost widened.
— No, I checked his astr… Well, I checked his condition after I found out about you. — Klein replied almost immediately.
He had also been wondering about this, so he activated his spiritual vision and looked at Benson's astral projection.
Fortunately, no matter how hard he looked, there was no tone that could indicate a connection with the mysterious world.
— By the way… Clown? What does that mean? In your opinion, Seer was the meaning that fortune-telling is not omnipotent… So what is Clown? Are you going to have to go to a circus? — Melissa's expression gradually became strange.
Speaking of which, now I think Klein was born at least close to Sequence 8... — Klein slightly drifted into his thoughts as the corners of his mouth rose in an indiscernible smile.
Would he really have to go to a circus?
— I don't know... Maybe? But I don't think that's exactly it... I'll probably find out the meaning later. — Klein replied as he reevaluated the possibility of this really having to happen.
— Honestly... It's a lot to think about... — She scratched the back of her neck — But it's okay.
She doesn't show it, but she's pretty shaken... — Klein noticed Melissa's conflict as soon as she sighed discreetly.
His sister wouldn't admit it, just like he and Benson never said when they were feeling some anguish. They kept it in their hearts, until they felt good about themselves at some point.
— Melissa, I'm going to show you something. — He stood up and went towards the desk where all his mysticism objects were, like tarot cards.
Taking out his topaz pendulum, he placed it on the table and handed the feather to Melissa, who was a little disconcerted.
— Today I will teach you the basics. Think about something trivial, like a lost book or something you don't remember where it is, and then repeat it seven times before entering a state of Cogitation. You will see more lights, but that's normal. — Klein explained calmly, smiling.
And so Melissa did, she thought about what she had lost some time ago and put the pendulum tied to her arm.
She said what she wanted to divine in an ethereal tone, as if she had entered a different world beyond comprehension:
— The location of the book "Count Dracula."
— The location of the book...
— The location...
As she repeated the divination seven times, Melissa's consciousness fell into a storm of dazzling dreams.
Amidst so many overlapping visions, she could see a wooden bookshelf next to her bed.
In a well-hidden corner of this bookshelf, a little above it, was a black-covered book with some letters of the Loen alphabet written in red:
"Count Dracula."
The dream slowly shattered, dissolving into Melissa's own normal vision, which was slowly regaining consciousness.
— That was terrifying and dazzling... What were those lights? — She still imagined the beautiful bright lights stretching into a different world.
It was strange, but it would never stop being a beautiful sight.
— This is an effect of Cogitation. — Klein answered simply.
— Cogitation... — Melissa repeated in a whisper, almost like a curse or a puzzle to be solved.
Suddenly, she hesitated to say another word.
— Klein, can you teach me about the mysterious world? — she asked carefully. The touch of understanding as well as clarity in her eyes was as apparent as the apprehension.
Melissa was smart, she knew how harmful this could be, even though she was hit with so much knowledge in such a short time.
In a world where you were the one who could kill yourself, it was necessary to at least have some knowledge to survive.
— Of course. I'll explain it to you. You just have to promise not to get involved with anything related to occult entities or anything like that. — Klein spoke in a solemn tone.
He couldn't even consider letting Melissa join some organization full of lunatics in the future!
Thinking about this, Klein extended his pinky finger to Melissa.
— Okay, I promise. — She nodded a few times, showing that she completely agreed.
She crossed her right pinky with Klein's, a sworn sign of honor.
From the bottom of her heart, Melissa promised that she would never break that promise.
In Loen, this practice was common.
Emperor Roselle once declared his honor like this to an old friend he mentioned in a book, if he broke that oath he would have to cut off his little finger.
— Well, now you should rest. —Klein patted Melissa on the shoulder.
She must have been exhausted.
— Yes... — She stood up, heading to her own room on that night when the crimson moon hung over the world as always.
Klein sighed deeply.
— She really become responsible… —He smiled, remembering the time when Melissa and Benson were younger.
He and Melissa would run around the house at dawn, heading straight to one of the bedrooms with the intention of waking Benson up.
Sometimes their older brother would scold them for running too fast.
At night, Benson would struggle to read them a bedtime story, even though he couldn't read it properly.
That night, Klein's dazzling dreams were as calm as ever. Even though he couldn't fall asleep, he still felt as if he was relaxing.
He glimpsed grandiose scenes that could only be described as unimaginable, more beautiful than anything that could come from the normal reasoning of the human mind.
Klein could walk through heaven and earth, knowing that he had somewhere to return to.
When the brothers woke up, they went straight to making breakfast.
Knowing that there was nothing to worry about, everyone's thoughts gradually calmed down with the laughter and conversations.Even after a day of that discovery about Melissa, Klein didn't say anything else about the mysterious world to his sister.
She was already shaken and needed time to digest everything he had said, especially with so much information at the same time.
Benson had left for work very early, Melissa went to study and soon after Klein left the house, going straight to the Blackthorn Security Company, finally returning after some rest.
When he entered, he saw the enthusiastic Rozanne waving for him to come closer.
— Good morning, did you sleep well? — she asked before Klein had a chance to say anything.
He nodded, the corners of his mouth raised in a slight smile.
— Yes, I'm much better now. I don't think I've slept so well in a long time, I'm totally rested. — Klein, who hadn't "slept" in a long time, was completely at peace.
He saw a trace of anxiety in Rozanne, that typical expression of someone who is ready to tell the biggest gossip of the year in every detail.
— What happened? — Klein had a sudden bad feeling in his heart.
— You know when the Captain said someone would come and get the strange artifact he brought back from the battle with Ray Bieber? So, the one who came to take the notebook is a high-ranking member of the Order Hunters! A commander! He also came to see the end of the notebook case.
— I heard that he has a surname connection with a very important person, apparently it's his sister.
Uh... Is there a Demigod here? ... Mr. Medici was a Demigod?! — Klein put the pieces together under Rozanne's watchful eye.
Rozanne didn't even wait for an answer before continuing:
— You see, it seems that Your Excellency has some friendship with a certain someone... Isn't that right?
Her accusatory tone was clear, as if Klein had raised a sign in front of the Khoy River with the following words written on it:
"Worship the True Creator! Fear the lying Churches that blaspheme the Lord!"
How does she know that I've met Mr. Medici before? — Klein frowned indiscernibly.
— Your Excellency is very calm. He even asked about you… Aren't you going to tell me how it happened? — Faced with Rozanne's accusation, he was fortunately quick-witted.
Klein came up with an irrefutable excuse in less than a second:
— It's just that I met him a long time ago, but I didn't know anything about him. I joined the Nighthawks less than a month ago and I still haven't finished reading the files Mr. Neil gave me.
She assessed him briefly before nodding, believing his words.
— I heard he's quite famous at sea! Especially around places like Bayam. He even picked up a Vice Admiral when he was out there with his sister.
— Leonard was the first one to run off to hide in the main room after accidentally meeting the commander, it seems that Your Excellency scared him to death. — Rozanne laughed — Of course, that presumptuous poet just didn't count on Your Excellency already being in the place he thought of hiding.
This is called karma. — Klein didn't feel any pity for Leonard.
This was what he deserved after irritating him so much!
— Anyway, it seems that they're calling you to the captain's room too. Oh, call Leonard too, the captain didn't even get to see him today after he disappeared somewhere. — Rozanne sighed.
She felt sorry for the others for having to deal with someone high up, but fortunately Klein knew him so there was no way the situation could get that bad.
Suddenly, Rozanne felt a little consideration for Klein.
How could someone so young get into so much trouble at the same time?
Not just Klein, but Leonard and the other Nighthawks. The cases of supernatural activity had only increased recently, and it seemed that everyone was only getting into more and more trouble.
As she watched him descend the stairs, she could only mutter:
— Everyone getting into so much trouble...Tsk, what's wrong with people these days?
...
As Klein descended the stairs, a wave of bad foreboding hit her heart.
As soon as she reached the end of the stairs, he found a somewhat shaken Leonard leaning on the railing.
He was sweating coldly, drops running down his forehead without stopping. His face had lost all color, as if he had seen an unimaginable horror hidden somewhere in the church.
Seeming to finally realize it, he raised his head to the side without even wanting to look at his friend.
— Leonard, what happened? — Even though he knew, Klein still asked.
— Nothing... — the poet recovered after a few seconds.
Nothing? It looks like you saw your own death. — Klein retorted in his heart as he looked at Leonard's stiff and forced smile.
— The captain told us to go to his office. — He decided not to bring up the subject of Leonard's fear of Medici.
Since Medici was high up in the ranks, the others should be nervous right now, but Leonard's reaction was too much.
Uh… Mr. Medici can see that shadow? — Klein narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
It was possible, but not even Crestet Cesmirir could identify anything abnormal about Leonard.
The poet coughed lightly, composing himself before saying:
— We have to go get Sekka too.
Klein gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to explain.
— Sekka? Rozanne didn't mention that. — he said as he recalled their entire conversation after arriving at the security company.
— Uh… Old Neil must have forgotten to tell you. He was the one in charge of passing on some information to Rozanne in the morning. — Leonard simply answered without much detail.
— She should be in the break room. — he added quickly.
With Leonard reluctantly following Klein, they arrived to call Sekka Tron.
The poet suddenly opened the door to the break room.
— Good morning, Klein and good morning, Leonard. Are you two okay? — Royalle greeted as Leonard poked his head out to look into the Nighthawks' break room.
At the round table near the window, Kenley, Sekka Tron, and Frye were playing some kind of card game.
On the table, there was a +4 specially placed by Kenley who looked serious.
Even in the excitement of playing Uno, a game that is really well-known for ending friendships, everyone was a little too quiet while Royalle had a strange expression.
Frye was as quiet as ever, but this time even he seemed a little distressed.
The air felt like ice as fragile as glass, it was as if everything could crumble if someone said a single word.
Impressively, Frye put a +2 card on the table and soon after, Sekka played a +4.
— Damn it... Do you hate me? I had bet 2 pounds on it... Sekka, you didn't ask Klein to divine anything, did you? Klein, tell the captain if you were coerced into saying anything to Leonard, Sekka or Royalle! They had bet two pounds too! — Kenley reached into his deck to draw ten cards with a sad expression.
— Who guessed what? I'm innocent — Klein instantly retorted.
As always, the blame for something going wrong in a bet was placed on the fortune teller!
Royalle couldn't help but laugh and Leonard, who would probably be laughing at this moment, looked like he was walking to his own execution.
— They're calling you to come with us, Sekka. — Leonard warned in a more relaxed tone than before, seeming to finally recover a little from the horror he felt earlier.
Kenley, who was flush with cards, played a green six and Frye put down a green +2.
Sekka Tron nodded slightly, placing the cards in a corner, but not without first playing a +4 that would go directly to Kenley.
Soon, the three Nighthawks followed the confusing corridors of the underground until they reached the office in silence.
Klein's pensive state was broken when he saw the man with wavy red hair sitting on the sofa next to the window.
Long hair the shade of blood.
Medici!
He was reading something in his hands, but his attention was on Klein.
— Klein. — The man identified him without even needing to look again.
He might have been trying to capture some strangeness in Klein, but his face was very impassive and, at the same time, not very serious, looking very calm.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Even Leonard didn't dare to try to keep his usual frivolous behavior, even staying very quiet.
The poet sat down on the couch next to Sekka Tron, who had already made his way to sit on the couch the moment he stepped into the room.
— Good morning, Mr. Medici. — Klein greeted politely.
Dunn's cloudy eyes showed slight surprise, but he didn't say anything about it.
— You already know each other…
— Leonard and Sekka, as you may know, this is one of the commanders of the Order's Hunters, the Knight of Iron and Blood. A true demigod. He is Your Excellency, Medici.
True demigod... I don't even know if that's true. — Medici retorted in his mind.
While Leonard still seemed suffocated by the presence of Klein and Medici in the same place, he was probably talking to himself in his mind, panicking.
Klein silently sat down on the same sofa as Leonard and Sekka Tron.
The room seemed like a block of ice, becoming completely silent and no one seemed willing to say a single word.
As some looked at each other,
Finally, Dunn Smith spoke very calmly:
— Since the three of you were involved in the Antigonus case, I thought it best to call everyone here.
Everyone stood still in the blink of an eye, Klein was calm because he was at least somewhat familiar with the demigod.
The green-eyed poet looked at his feet with a mixture of horror and regret, as if he had been caught red-handed setting fire to a bishop's robe.
Sekka just kept looking neutral, not even seeming to be too affected.
Wait... Since when was Sekka Tron involved in the madness of the notebook case? — Klein noticed this detail.
— The first case was the death of Welch and Naya, followed by Klein's attempted suicide and Lily Chekky's suicide... Sekka Tron and Leonard were the ones who investigated Lily's death, which led the investigations to Klein and consequently resulted in everything that happened. — Dunn summarized the situation so that no one would be too confused.
Suddenly, Klein felt someone poke him.
— Klein, how did you meet him? — Leonard asked quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the others.
— We've known each other for a long time, that can be discussed at another time. — Medici answered in Klein's place, seeming quite confident in his words.
Since he didn't say anything else, no one asked how or when exactly such a thing could have happened.
Klein could only complain inwardly that Leonard had asked him about this, thinking that a high-ranking person could not have heard his questions.
Dunn looked tired, but continued speaking:
— During some investigations these days, Olive Bieber's body was found near the West Burgh. The corpse was in a shallow and somewhat organized grave. Her brother buried her after her death.
The captain paused for a moment, seeming to remember some detail.
— Klein, they found a letter with your name on it. It was in a part near Olive Bieber's grave. It seems that they really have been watching you for a long time to have a chance to get the notebook. Since it doesn't seem to have anything important, see if you can find any clues later. — he said, handing the yellowish letter to Klein.
There really was nothing unusual besides his name written on one side of the unopened letter, so Klein decided to guess when he got home.
— Fortunately, Bieber's death happened before he woke up. After all, he may have some interest in what happened to you.— Dunn said, seeming to reflect a little.
— Klein, what would you have done if Ray Bieber really survived and had finished the ritual? — he asked as he silently assessed him.
Thinking deeply about the situation, Klein had many ideas popping into his mind like an explosion.
— We could make Ray Bieber think he was in control, guiding his way past the failed 2-049 trap so he would think he had escaped the church's gaze. After that, we should wait for some time to pass.
— At some point, Ray Bieber would have to try to advance, and when he tried to buy in black markets to advance, a Beyonder from an organization would appear in a very subtle way. This certain Beyonder would offer him the ingredients for a reasonable price... Even with so much distrust, Ray Bieber accepts.
Klein narrowed his eyes very calmly, his ideas working like a machine at full steam.
— It was a trap. Bieber managed to escape, but not without injuries and the worsening of his already very bad mental condition. He hides again, so paranoid that he can't even trust the people who pass him on the street. Even his neighbor was coincidentally involved with an old Beyonder case, in fact, he is an undercover officer searching for Bieber... So many things start to happen, coincidences and madness. Bieber can't bear it, so he runs away again.
— Even so, Ray Bieber finds himself entangled in another place with his growing madness and fear. He even manages to create unstable ties with lunatics from secret organizations and another opportunity to advance appears again. This time it is more realistic and Bieber does not think it is a trap, after all the seller of the ingredients is very suspicious. After a conversation, the seller still seems skeptical about the veracity of Bieber's words, even so he is still willing to make the deal as long as Bieber takes all the money.
— Since Ray Bieber's critical sense is dazed after so much distrust and his mental state is completely broken, he could not refuse, especially when the official Beyonders have never forgotten his case. Everything seems to be leading him to the edge of the cliff, even if he did not accept and fell into the trap because he for being mentally hurt, he would succumb to madness sooner or later. It is a matter of time. In that prolonged state, Ray Bieber would go crazy.
— Everything before the final trap was just to make sure he would have no chance of escaping. It takes a while to really expand the mental wound and weaken a Beyonder belonging to the Seer Pathway to finally leave him with no way out. Sure, it would be kind of hard to fully implement this method and it is very cruel, but it is a more subtle plan that certainly would not cause harm to innocent civilians. In any case, Ray Bieber would end up dead, insane or imprisoned by the Church regardless of his steps.
Klein paused for a moment, as if he was reflecting quickly in his own mind. Perhaps even his terrifying logic was too normal for him.
— There are also other means, like a very extreme one. Locate Bieber, surround the entire area so there is no way out and blow everything up, then bring trackers and more bombs to blow up all the debris, but it would take too long. — he added with a thoughtful look
— .... — Medici was speechless, looking strangely at Klein who was in front of him and couldn't help but turn to discreetly look at Dunn, Sekka Tron and Leonard, who seemed to share the same look as him.
At that moment, Ray Bieber seemed like just another puppet in a grand theatrical show full of twists and turns presented by Klein.
That was simply abnormal!
This bizarre boy might actually be an old friend... — Medici thought with cold shivers running down his spine.
Leonard coughed a few times, looking a little distressed and ready to change the subject.
He was probably feeling some doubt about something from the past while also musing a little about Klein's words at the same time.
How could Leonard's focus change so quickly from one thing to another? After spending some time with Leonard, Klein had a suspicion that he might have ADHD.
After a few seconds, Leonardo asked in a forced calm to change the subject:
— Captain, if I remember correctly, when Sekka and I were at Lily Chekky's house, we ended up finding a strange artifact and Sekka brought it here. Don't you think there could be something wrong with it? It might have had some connection, since there was even Welch's name written on a piece of paper near the artifact...
— And if there was something in it? No one examined it.
Hearing this, Medici spoke in a relaxed tone as he looked at Dunn:
— It would be best if you and Sekka Tron checked with one of your superiors. Who knows if there is some kind of corruption in your souls? It is very dangerous to deal with artifacts or corruption.
— Klein didn't have that problem, he is fine. — Sekka replied in the calm tone he always used.
Medici smiled and looked at Sekka and Leonard who was right next to him.
— Of course, he's fine, whole and completely alive. But don't you think it's because of his connection to Antigonus? Klein was already a Seer and had his reasons for putting up with everything.
— Could it be that the Sleepless can handle the loss of control more than other paths and I wasn't informed? Ray Bieber turned into a pile of meat and Klein is standing and uncorrupted, but it's not up to the Nighthawks to know why. This is for your own good.
It was more terrifying not to understand the truth than to actually know it, but it was also better to remain without understanding what was happening.
Everyone involved in the Antigonus case, such as Welch, Naya or Lily, died mysteriously, either by hitting their heads against the wall, drowning or even poisoning themselves.