That wasn't just a warning to Sekka Tron, but to Dunn Smith as well.
If they tried to cross the line and end up searching for the truth, they would probably end up dead without even knowing what hit them!
The Nighthawks' role was clear, just to solve the problem superficially without messing with any complications involving corruption or a larger scheme.
As for Klein, Medici didn't doubt that he knew at least some part of what had really happened. He was the only one who survived after all.
This is for your own good… — Klein narrowed his eyes with a bit of a shiver running through his body.
— I'll ask the headquarters so they can try to find any trace of corruption. — Dunn Smith replied, his cloudy eyes seeming to contain a bit of doubt.
Medici nodded with an indiscernible look.
— Of course, it will be necessary to look at the artifact that was in the possession of Lily Chekky, who was a Beyonder who had contacted the Bieber siblings directly and also informed them about the existence of the Antigonus family notebook.
On the couch, Sekka seemed to be silently reflecting on the situation.
— I remember that, Lily Chekky... She was a Beyonder of the Secrets Supplicant Pathway, of the Aurora Order. — Sekka paused for a moment, thoughtful — Lily had a connection to the notebook. She is probably the person who tried to steal the notebook from Klein's house the day he tried to commit suicide, but failed for some reason... And she was also a bait for the Bieber siblings to see if there was a trap in Klein's house... Of course, it is impossible to know why a member of the Aurora Order would be interested in this matter of the Seer Pathway.
Up until that point, there had only been the appearance of the Secret Order and the Order of Mysteries, two organizations linked to the Seer Pathway, so it was understandable that both organizations would be interested in the Antigonus family notebook.
The Aurora Order, however, had nothing to do with the situation!
— Maybe they also wanted the Antigonus notebook or were just interested in an exchange of information... Well, the Aurora Order's involvement should also be reported, no matter how small. — Medici showed no doubt, appearing impassive in his words.
In his heart, a slight distrust grew. Those thoughts came from a sharpened intuition over a long time.
Medici kept his doubts to himself, perhaps he could analyze them later.
Leonard seemed to remember a long-forgotten detail, his green eyes lighting up with the light of reason.
He immediately spoke in a very thoughtful tone:
— Speaking of which, there was also a name in a letter Lily was writing on the day of her death. It was a letter to someone named Sirius Arapis. We should send it to the report and open an investigation into that name.
— Okay, so the timeline of all the events is set up to this point. We can continue organizing the case. — Medici spoke nonchalantly as he wrote with a quill on the paper in his hands.
Cases like these that had the appearance of so many Beyonders at once required special attention.
— After knowing that there was no trap, Olive Bieber followed Klein for a few days until she broke into Klein's house to take the notebook at some unknown time and actually stole the artifact... — Dunn added without any doubt reflected in his patient expression.
With a very distracted look, Leonard silently narrowed his eyes. He will calmly remember the day he saved young Elliot.
— So the corruption was too much for Olive to handle and she must have killed herself or Ray Bieber killed her...
— What matters is that all this was happening at the time Klein and I were going to save young Elliot, that was strange and only reinforced Klein's certainty about where the Antigonus family notebook was.
Leonard was sure that something was wrong, not because of intuition or hunches that came from him, but because of a constant reminder that the voice inside his head gave.
— That was too much of a coincidence... It's strange... — Klein remembered the strange way in which the Antigonus notebook was right next to the house where the kidnappers had put young Elliot.
He always had a stressful feeling that everything was distorted, even destiny, every time he came across an event, he was sure that he was entangled in several mysteries.
Even when he almost lost control in the fight against Ray Bieber, he ended up "seeing" a story being written with destiny.
In his vision, it was like something abstract and, at the same time, real. A boundless contradiction that could twist fate, weaving an indescribable tale.
A story... What could it be? What does a book being written in endless chaos mean? — Klein didn't even know what he saw and he couldn't talk about any of it with anyone either, since it was shrouded in gray fog.
— It must be just a coincidence. — Sekka Tron replied with not a single thought reflected in his dark eyes.
Since they had no evidence and both Bieber brothers were dead, there was really nothing anyone could do with the suspicion and they could only rule it out. This event didn't seem to have any relevance to the report.
Medici, however, made a point of writing it down since he had noticed this detail.
— The next event was the fight against Ray Bieber, which resulted in the death of three Beyonders and the appearance of a Demigoddess who had planned a plan from the beginning to steal 2-049 and the corpses...
— About the demigoddess of the Secret Order, she was watching from the beginning. She also used some kind of special ability, that's why none of you noticed anything wrong... A Demigoddess of the Apprentice Panthway.
— The demigoddess had no interest in the notebook for the actions she took, she just wanted to be a silent spectator of the whole plot. — he spoke simply, as if it was nothing serious.
— And to think that she was just watching the situation... She only took the bodies of the other Beyonders and the artifact, but she had no interest in the notebook... — Dunn sighed, his face showing surprise very clouded by calm.
The Nighthawks were never negligent in this regard. They had already expected that a member of the Order of Mysteries would appear at some point, but no one could have imagined that a Demigoddess would appear in such a confusing confrontation!
Even with any preparation or plan, none of the Nighthawks of Tingen would ever be able to defeat a Demigoddess from a secret organization.
Medici smiled before telling the conclusion of the case:
— We can conclude that it was Olive Bieber who stole the notebook and took it to her house. Olive had been following Klein since forever and worked at Khoy University, so she knew where his house was. That's how the notebook ended up in Ray Bieber's hands, so it's not a big surprise.
— Lily Checkky was a bait and the result was her suicide in the Selena Cathedral right after the incident with Klein.
Even so, that story seemed strange to him. How could a case in which even another demigod from a secret organization was interested end so easily?
Speaking of which, there's also Klein and Azik, two probable demigods... There's also the Marionettist and the wandering poet, Leonard... The poet is a different case, he certainly has some hidden secret...
Hey, such strong people don't appear out of nowhere! There's something very wrong happening in Tingen...
That was impossible, Medici was sure that there could be a person behind the curtains, otherwise so many coincidences wouldn't be possible!
Klein's yellow eyes darkened in thought.
From the looks of it, this was almost the definitive end to the investigation into the Antigonus family notebook.
Whether it was the deaths or the reason why the Antigonus family notebook ended up in Ray Bieber's hands, all the mysteries of the case seemed solved.
This was strange, it made an indescribable feeling invade Klein's heart.
It's clear that the person who may have set it all up is still in hiding... — he thought, unable to help but realize how terrifying this fact was.
Whoever had planned or at least instigated the Antigonus notebook case had simply passed unscathed under the noses of all the Nighthawks and still treated everyone involved as characters in a story being written.
Even so, Klein had no way of telling anyone about this. He had no choice but to even be able to say his suspicions.
If he were to tell the Nighthawks his suspicions, what might he say about how he found out? Klein couldn't talk about the gray mist, so he could only give hints.
When Leonard had said how suspicious everything was, Klein had thrown out a bait-and-switch by saying how strange the coincidences were, but it seemed the others hadn't noticed so clearly.
— I'll send all the information to the higher-ups, Sekka, you should go and guard the Chanis Gate. — Dunn said as he stood up, heading straight for the door.
Since the telegram was in the Blackthorn security company's area, there was no other choice but to go there and wait a while for the answer.
After Dunn Smith left with Sekka Tron, the room became eerily silent just like before. Everyone stayed quiet in their respective places without even thinking about making noise.
After a few seconds, Medici broke the silence with simple words:
— Klein, how are your siblings?
Huh? How do you know that? Ah, Mr. Azik must have mentioned Melissa and Benson's names at some point when they talked. — Klein concluded without thinking much.
Even though they didn't know anything, they still pretended to know each other since they couldn't even explain how they felt so familiar with each other. It was a tacit and unspoken agreement between Medici and Klein so that the Nighthawks wouldn't find anything too strange.
The same thing happened with Azik, he and Medici began to exchange some information when they talked.
— Melissa is studying about the Age of Steam and Machinery, she will take a study test at the end of August to test her abilities. — Klein replied calmly as he looked at the man across the room.
The moment he saw the two talking, Leonard slipped out.
When the door closed, Medici and Klein looked at each other for a moment, both of them still had many doubts about each other.
— You have been a Seer since birth, right? Are you sure you are really a Sequence 9? — Medici asked calmly as he put the document aside.
Klein was grateful that he had not mentioned Melissa or anything like that, so he answered without concern:
— I don't know.
It was true, he really didn't know his own exact Sequence.
Technically it should be Sequence 9, but he could even see the strings of the puppeteer of the Secret Order and could also move like a Clown.
— Okay. — Medici spoke simply, not caring about Klein's concealment of information.
In his opinion, that Seer was not someone to be underestimated so he would not try to seek too much information from him.
— Azik told me that you were very polite and kind, the best student he has and that you never caused any problems for anyone... I'm sure he never heard your plans for Ray Bieber even once. — Medici changed the subject, remembering the terrifying conversation from before.
It was a smart plan, but no one with normal logical reasoning would say something like that!
— What? There was nothing wrong with that... It was a well-structured plan that wouldn't harm anyone other than Ray Bieber. — Klein retorted, not even concerned with the horror he was stating at that moment.
The way you said something like that so lightly as if rights and laws for everyone didn't exist... That reminds me of someone... No, a demon coming straight from the underworld... Frank Lee... — Medici couldn't help but remember the horror of seeing a ship that sprouted goat meat mixed with milk mushrooms.
That was the first time he hoped he would never have to see anyone again in his life, but unfortunately he always had to go to the Future to exchange some information with Cattleya and consequently met with Frank Lee.
— ... You really have a non-existent psychology... I've never seen anyone talk about terrorism, mental and physical torture as if they were casually mentioning that they were going to buy bread. Not even a total lunatic would think of blowing up several buildings and controlling someone's life as if they were a puppet. — Medici replied, almost starting to laugh in disbelief.
Are you saying I'm beyond salvation? Why are you laughing? Hey, why are you judging me when you are not innocent either? — Klein complained inwardly as he still looked at the demigod across the room.
— I'm not crazy. — he replied with a bit of confusion at being offended so suddenly.
Even though he hadn't aged a bit in these long ten years, Medici had a feeling he might end up getting gray hair if he continued to argue with someone so senseless
He couldn't help but scoff:
— Of course, and I can read minds.
— I feel sorry for Dunn, having to raise a wolf in sheep's clothing. Honestly, I never thought I would find someone who could reach the level of Frank Lee's madness...
— You talk as if I were some kind of demon. If that's the case, you must have a life history as clean and bright as the sky outside. — Klein retorted, understanding that Medici just wanted to mock him.
— ... — Medici couldn't answer him, hearing the sound of thunder outside the cathedral even though he was underground.
In fact, the sky in Tingen was as rainy as ever. Lightning came from all sides, falling frequently and sounding so loud that they could echo beneath the earth.
It seemed like an omen of calamity.
For some disconcerting reason, the two laughed in unison.
...
Dunn had gone to the telegram, Old Neil was in the armory, and Sekka Tron went to guard the Chanis Gate, so the only ones left in the break room were the other remaining Nighthawks.
The Uno deck was huge and had to be divided into several parts. This only happened because there were so many people in the church, so they ended up buying seven different decks and putting them together.
Watching everyone playing Uno excitedly, with the classic pastel-colored cards, Medici seemed to briefly remember the first year after losing his memory.
Since forever, any card game was extremely easy to win, so he never had much interest in it.
Betting was like a trivial thing, just one look from Medici at the situation and he knew what would lead him to victory. What was the point of doing it if every result would be the same?
He didn't really understand the motivation behind the game, or why the others seemed so happy.
Still, it seemed like an interesting idea to play a little Uno now, with the Nighthawks.
— It's a shame I can never play this kind of thing with anyone.— Medici momentarily lamented to Klein, who immediately couldn't help but mentally agree with the red-haired man.
Even so, Klein still felt confused.
Uh... I agree with you... — he sighed in his heart.
He wasn't going to ask the reason for the question, he knew the answer.
It was practically impossible for there to be a card game between demigods or even in Sequence five or six, it was also almost impossible to win against a Seer.
Why? Well, imagine a game where anyone could cheat at any time. Whether it was seeing someone else's cards, being able to create illusions, taking other cards or even messing with another player's psychology, everything was possible!
Really, Royalle was watching me to see if I would cheat the first time and Leonard just sighed thinking that there would be no way to see if I had guessed something...
It also doesn't help that I manage to win every time, it's getting weird playing... Only in these moments luck is on my side. — Klein said sadly, holding back the laugh he wanted to give.
When a new round began after Royalle's victory, Klein and Medici joined the game.
Leonard immediately looked at the cards in his hand and looked suspiciously at Medici, who was next to him, but didn't pay attention to Klein.
He was certain in his heart that Klein would not cheat, however, he had no trust in Medici at all!
Just then, Klein felt a flash in his mind, he immediately knew which card he should play at this moment.
Actually, this is very bad... Technically I'm cheating, right? At least I'm not the only one... Mr. Medici is a demigod, I doubt something like that won't happen! — he sighed in his heart, playing any a blue 2 card that was not what his mind indicated.
Seeing the others' expressions, Medici calmly placed a blue +2 card to Leonard, who had no way to fight back.
The green-eyed poet could only complain in his heart as he picked up a few cards from the huge pile.
After a few seconds, a blue +2 card came from Frye, and Kenley seemed somewhat excited this time.
He calmly played a +4 which went to Royalle, who placed another +4 card on the table.
Klein was quick to retaliate with a +2 and soon after, Medici played a +4 card, leaving Leonard tormented.
— One, two… — Leonard seemed increasingly desolate as he continued counting to the sound of the others' laughter.
They had spent a long time in that game, so long that everyone had countless cards in their hands while Medici and Klein were left with only a few cards.
Somehow, even if it was impossible, the game ended in a draw since the dispute between Klein and Medici never ended.
Royalle sat back on the couch, looking utterly defeated.
— You and Your Excellency are true war machines! How can a brain process so much information from the game? — She seemed in disbelief after seeing them spend more than four hours straight playing Uno without a break.
Worse, how the hell did Klein and Medici draw? How was it possible to draw a game of Uno?
— It's better not to even try to understand what happened. — Leonard muttered in a pitiful state.
After being dealt so many cards, he ended up having to pay 2 pounds to Klein and Medici, the "winners"
Kenley had already left a long time ago, having gone to the Blackthorn security company to get some water, and Frye had gone home on time, but they had all had dinner underground a few minutes ago.
Even after having been standing still for so long, Royalle was not tired at all. She was a Sleepless after all.
— I'll call the Captain, he must want to play a game of Uno before most of us go home. — Royalle stood up to leave the room, increasing the internal despair Leonard felt.
Not only did he have to be mocked by Medici, but he also had to deal with him, a Demigod who also knew about his secret!
His expression was almost horrified, very rigid. It was as if he was saying: Please! Don't abandon me in this hell!
The old voice in Leonard's mind even laughed a little, but soon stopped talking.
— It's a shame we couldn't finish. — Klein complained as he picked up his pendulum that was above the table, next to one of the piles of cards.
— I think the Captain would have felt sorry for us. — Leonard said as he sat down on one of the sofas, seeming to surrender to defeat.
He was next to Klein, as if it were a safe place in consideration of the other sofa, where the demigod was.
— Wouldn't the thing inside you feel sorry too? — Medici suddenly asked.
Leonard looked straight at Klein, who was not even worried.
Even if the demigod was openly talking about it, there was no reason to be afraid. If he wanted to report the poet to the Nighthawks, he would have done so long ago.
Obviously, Leonard did not follow the same line of logical thinking.
— I don't know anything. — he stated without hesitation, however, a few drops of sweat began to fall from his forehead.
— Of course, tell that to the shadow inside you and I will believe it. — Medici replied in a mocking tone.
He turned around, his face showing an enthusiastic feeling, even though he was very controlled.
— What? Did you really believe that there was only one way to see this shadow?I see you were not educated properly by your little friend inside you.— Medici calmly spoke, seeming very patient.
Leonard's face burned with a strange despair as he turned as red as a tomato. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack from the tension and horror that had accumulated in his mind.
Klein immediately remembered the name of Sequence 8 of the Hunter Pathway that Sr. Chariot had mentioned at a Tarot Club meeting:
Provoker!
That really is a true Hunter…
To provoke is not only to offend, but also to play with one's psyche in a skillful and even polite way… It looks like Leonard is about to die of despair...
He understood the meaning of the name of that Sequence at that moment.
Suddenly, Medici sighed. The corners of his mouth rose.
— Klein, if you weren't part of the Nighthawks, I would take you to the Order Hunters. They accept Beyonders from paths unrelated to the organization, like I was accepted. I doubt The Advisor and the great commander would deny someone as disturbed as them.
Klein couldn't tell if that was a complaint about him, a confused compliment, or a disguised and, at the same time, blatant insult to all those mentioned.
It seems that you don't have the best superiors... Wait, Him? — Klein noticed the specific term at the same time.
It could only be used for a Him, a Being at the level of a Sequence 2!
It's obvious that an organization as old as the Order Hunters would have Angels... — he concluded calmly, his face never revealing his thoughts at that moment.
Leonard looked at the red-haired boy with a strange look, as if he were some kind of thief or criminal.
— Haha, it's not like I'm going to kidnap someone in broad daylight. I'm not like the other Order Hunters. — Medici laughed with a mocking smile widening on his face.
So you're going to kidnap in the dead of night? — Klein narrowed his eyes in suspicion, falling into that absurd thought.
When he saw the Seer's indiscernible gaze, Medici couldn't even imagine what Klein could be thinking.
In a way, this strange way of looking was like Melissa's, the only difference was that Klein seemed very calm in an inexplicable way while his sister always had a sharp touch on her face, making her naturally serious.
— You're having one of those crazy thoughts again... — Medici muttered upon seeing Klein's indisputably patient expression.
Uh... What are you talking about? ... Wait, do the other Mentors of Abolition drag people to headquarters? — Klein frowned in confusion.
Leonard turned to look at Medici, seeming to be about to question the detail about the Order Hunters, but Klein was quicker to ask:
— Did the other Mentors of Abolition kidnap your daylights?
— It's simple, I had no choice. Either I went in willingly or I would either go in willingly or be forced to go. In fact, my sister dragged me to the headquarters before I had a chance to think and think properly. — Medici laughed loudly and deprecatingly — This is what everyone calls kidnapping.
It didn't happen in such an exaggerated way. Medici just had nowhere to go and didn't even remember his own identity.
Some members of the Order Hunters mistook him for a descendant of Sauron because of his appearance, but Yvaine quickly solved the problem and dragged him to the Iron Cross headquarters for a visit to the Counselor.
What a kind sister you have, dragging you into an organization by force... — Klein understood where part of Medici's personality came from.
— Isn't that a crime? — Leonard narrowed his eyes strangely.
— Then half of the official Beyonders are doomed. — Medici replied as he picked up a pack of cigarettes from a small table next to the sofa.
They were inside a church, but apparently he didn't care about that fact at all.
The red-orange flames appeared out of nowhere, lighting the cigarette.
After taking a drag, Medici didn't hesitate to speak at the same time:
— Klein, are you sure you're going to continue living in Tingen? I don't think the church is the best place for someone like you. One day, you'll have to walk the world alone.
— Besides, there's also a... strange thing happening in this place, you know that. Azik probably won't stay for long and you should leave soon.
Strange thing? Medici really noticed everything... — Klein identified it just by the words spoken.
— I've been aware of it for a long time. — he said. His dark brown eyes had a deep touch.
— As expected. But it's not something that should be mentioned, not in the Church. — Medici laughed at the answer he received, leaving Leonard even more lost in that conversation.
It was best not to talk about it for now, just wait for a clue as to what exactly was instigating the chaos throughout the destination.
When Klein looked at the pocket watch left behind by one of the Nighthawks, he realized that it was time to leave for home.
— I have to go home now. — Klein said to the extremely faint sound of the silver hand moving.
Before he left, Medici discreetly handed him a letter.
— This is an explanation of how to summon my messenger. — He didn't say anything else, just walking away to leave the room.
Messenger summon? What are you talking about…? — Klein was extremely confused, however, he didn't ask anything.
Perhaps there was a reason why the other party hadn't said or explained anything.
He didn't open the letter, putting it in the inner pocket of his suit along with the other letter found near Olive Bieber's grave.
...
As soon as he got home, he discovered that there was no sign of Benson.
Melissa was studying at the dinner table as usual, she looked at him with a somewhat serious look.
— Klein, I have something to tell you. — She spoke very calmly, which made Klein narrow his eyes indiscernibly.
He thought about what it could be, but there really hadn't been anything happening in the last few days.
Did she get into trouble? — Klein guess seemed good, but Melissa rarely ended up getting into trouble or getting into trouble on the street.
His sister was too shrewd and calm a person to end up having any disagreements with strangers out there, so what could it have been?
Klein left the coat on the chair and sat in front of Melissa to listen to her.
His sister seemed to organize her words carefully, and then said:
— You know Selena? I was with her today. When we were at Miss Smiryn's bakery, Selena started talking strange things about the mirror rituals you warned me about...
— I tried to get her to change the subject, but it seems like she really is getting involved with dangerous things...
— I can't tell… It was like a prayer. She talked about the "The degenerate nature of all living things"… Like an honorific name… Do you know what that is?
The degenerate nature of all living things? That sounds familiar… Where did I hear about that? — Klein felt a strange flash of nostalgia.
He had probably heard about something like that from the Nighthawks or the Tarot Club.
— Right… She must be getting involved with someone who knew about it. — Klein tapped his finger on his own leg calmly — Maybe a lunatic or some occultist from a secret organization. Whatever it is, tell her not to think about it and not to try any rituals.
Melissa nodded with complete firmness. Her ingenious thoughts seemed to reflect a little in her dark gaze.
— But what if she does something? Even when I tried to convince Selena, she wouldn't listen to me.
— Maybe she really was convinced by an occultist to perform a ritual to this hidden entity! It seems pretty bad and terrifying that something that has "degenerate" in prayer.
Luckily, Melissa had a good judgment of things, otherwise she might have even tried to do such a ritual!
Klein felt relieved that he had taught his sister about the mysterious world.
— You're right. There are types of occult entities, some respond to prayers and some don't, but it's too dangerous to try and risk it. — Klein replied with a solemn smile on his face.
— Wait, so that's also a form of going crazy... _ Suddenly, the two brothers stopped talking at the same moment. They turned their heads to the door.
At the same moment, Melissa grabbed the quill she was using to do homework and Klein grabbed the first book he saw lying on the table.
Benson opened the door, looking at the gas lamp in the terrifying darkness as he searched for some evil being in the darkness.
Soon, he saw his two siblings too quiet.
Luckily, Klein and Melissa had their spiritual intuition, otherwise Benson might have heard the whole thing!
That would have certainly scared him to death... — Klein and Melissa thought the same thing.
Looking at his siblings, Benson frowned suspiciously. They weren't even arguing about some random thing like usual.
— What happened? — he asked when he saw Melissa looking at her notebook again with great attention and Klein, who was reading "Pride and Prejudice"
— You're here really early. Is everything okay? — Klein greeted with a slight smile on his face.
— ... — Benson looked at him before sighing.
— It's okay. Even my boss was in a good mood today. — He laughed, looking much calmer than he had this morning.
Since Klein had eaten dinner, he simply returned to his room and locked the door.
He took four steps counterclockwise and rose into a boundless gray mist.
The palace was as silent as ever, immaculate with the thousands of crimson stars pulsing at every moment.
— Which one of you two comes first...? — Klein wondered as he looked at the letters.
The one on the right was the same letter Dunn had delivered that morning, and the other was one from Medici.
He didn't hesitate to choose the one on the right first. There might be something to divine in it.
When he opened the letter, a yellowed paper fell onto the long, tarnished bronze table.
Written in grotesque black were a few words:
"Peek into the past, only to find that you cannot escape it."