Klein frowned slightly in horror. His narrowed eyes showed a hint of confusion, but at the same time, a great deal of suspicion.
Dunn hadn't mentioned anything like this, even if this paper really could have some importance in the case, then it could be that the Nighthawks hadn't even noticed!
Something like this was very strange. The Midnight Church would never neglect something like this, especially when it came to such a thorough investigation.
Come to think of it, could it have something to do with the notebook? Maybe this paper was sealed or something…
Why would someone go to the trouble of doing something so complicated? What was the point of this?
Well, whoever did this must have had a great deal of knowledge of the Beyonder world…
With those thoughts in mind, he knew that he needed more information to be able to know what that strange phrase meant.
Right, then I should divine about this paper… I won't be courting death again, will I? — he self-deprecated with a slight smile on his face.
After that, a simple topaz pendulum appeared on the bronze table.
Klein didn't take long to begin speaking the divination words he had chosen:
— The origin of this card.
— The origin of this...
— The origin...
After repeating seven times, his confused mind entered a torrent of glimpses of dreams that could never be imagined.
A gray mist formed, creating a strange vision of a very dark place.
Only the light of the crimson moon served as an illumination for that boundless darkness that remained even with a lit candle.
A tall figure stood in front of a table, his face covered in shadows.
The only thing visible was a silver earring in the shape of a four-pointed star.
In his hands was a dark hawk feather, almost black inside, if not for a pure white tone.
— Oh, of course a Seer will always be a Seer. — the person laughed in a very patient-sounding female voice.
She moved her hands, writing a very specific sentence on a piece of yellowed paper, the black letters seemed to be written with force:
"Peek into the past, only to discover that you cannot escape it."
Suddenly, the woman's mouth curved into a smile full of serene calm.
— A Seer will always divine, and that is why this intriguing invitation would come to you, isn't it? in the third house on the street where Ray Antigonus lived.
— This paper is your entrance.
Dark blue eyes shone in the darkness, a face became apparent in the crimson light that came from above the heavens.
Adhara looked at the paper, but soon turned away, disappearing as soon as she got close to a wall.
Suddenly, the scene distorted, creating another vision.
It was a large room, with an open window that overlooked a wide street.
Woshh!
The wind rushed into the room as a person in a blue dress entered with a gun in his hands. His fingers, which seemed to be missing one, were without nails.
But this person was covered in a thick red liquid and had his arm grabbed.
The gun was thrown across the room violently.
— Olive, are you crazy? Did you want to die? Why did you try to kill yourself? — Ray Bieber shouted with apparent anger in his tone.
Olive began to rave like a lunatic, talking nonsense, the words often coming out in a different language.
— I... I thought it would be fun.
— You know, that Klein Moretti was really strange. He even noticed me today, and that's not even the worst part… He suddenly found a child with white hair and red eyes, but then I lost sight of him and ended up running into some church officials…
— They didn't recognize me… Lily! She said he really had a good offer! However…
With a comical smile covering her face, Olive began to laugh uncontrollably.
Her eyes showed zero sanity.
The scene shattered into several pieces all at once.
Klein had a rather horrified expression as he tapped his finger on the table repeatedly, his thoughts looking like they were about to explode into different pieces.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
When Adhara was in the carriage area at the time Dunn Smith was taking him to the Midnight Church for the first time, it certainly hadn't been a mere coincidence. As Medici had said, she had been scouting everyone from the very beginning.
She had actually been observing the unfolding of all the events and had also paid attention to Klein, and so she had set up an ingenious trap to invite him to the Secret Order.
Adhara had purposely left the invitation paper on the day Olive almost killed herself and might even have instigated it. She was just doing something like this to leave an imprint of what was written on the paper in Klein's memory.
Later, on the day Leonard and Klein saved young Elliot, the Nighthawks went to the Bieber brothers' house. That day, Klein ended up divining about the time Olive almost killed herself, but he thought she was really dead.
After some time, the paper reappeared with a seal placed by Adhara, to ensure that the invitation reached Klein through Dunn, who was influenced not to think too much about the matter and just deliver the letter to Klein.
He really felt curious and divined about the paper, just as Adhara wanted.
Those actions had been previously instigated and guided by Adhara so that not only would the invitation reach him, but so that shewould continue watching the story!
Adhara knew that I was a Seer, and therefore that I would divine about the paper, and that's exactly why she put the letter in the first place!
By the way, from what that puppeteer and Medici said before, I suspect she has some kind of concealment ability, but she deliberately only placed it on the other Nighthawks and not on me, otherwise she might not have been able to connect the dots...
Adhara thought of everything from the beginning...
Going to so much trouble just to invite me to the Order of Mysteries proves that she really does consider me as a potential member... The thing is, it could also be a trap...
She only intervened to invite me to the Secret Order and in the battle against Ray Bieber, but it also makes sense... A Demigod has no reason to deal with the rest of the Antigonus case and she still seems to only want to observe the plot in Tingen...
Anyway, I won't even accept this. I'll just leave the paper in my room drawer so I never have to see it again!
Klein let out a complicated sigh. At least that problem was solved now too, however, he still had to watch everything with even more suspicion than before.
— Fortunately, it seems that Miss. Adhara is completely neutral on the matter, not caring about any of the organizations other than her own. — he concluded with a thoughtful look.
Klein stood up from the seat of honor. His situation right now was not the best and having others able to silently watch was the worst thing.
It wasn't just him and the secret of the gray mist, but also about Melissa's identity. Of course, he didn't think the demigoddess would force him or his sister to join the Order of Mysteries, but it wasn't just her who was after Tingen, there was also the person behind all the incidents with the Antigonus notebook and the Secret Order.
Klein knew it was bad to be in the sights of these last two and hoped they would forget about him at some point, however he knew that wouldn't happen.
There was certainly an objective behind everything. The one who instigated Ray Bieber's death must be planning something else. It could get to him at some point, even kill him or lead to Melissa's death.
It was like dancing with madness. He never knew what might happen in the near or even distant future.
Klein's eyes passed over the majestic golden book behind the Fool's chair, as well as the clock whose hands had never moved again.
The fist-sized ball shone incessantly, this was the "characteristic" that had come from the Priest of Light.
Finally, he cast his gaze towards the horizon of the infinite castle, filled with pure gray mist. Everything was silent as it had always been, a silence that seemed to have ruled for thousands of years, since time immemorial.
Klein's thoughts traced a very clear line of events as he walked through the mist, able to reflect alone in a somewhat relaxing peace.
With his high suspicion, he was startled when he saw a giant wolf with flaming crimson eyes, its fur so dark that it seemed to have absorbed all the shadows.
The giant wolf was like a curious little kitten, approaching the veiled man, its head lowered towards him.
— Are you friends with that other wolf? — Klein immediately recognized that it was not the same animal.
The wolf he had encountered before was a bit more agitated compared to this one, which seemed very calm.
The animal wagged its tail, lowering its huge head and quickly turning it towards some far away place, covered by the thick fog.
— Is there something there? — Klein asked in confusion.
The giant wolf walked beside him, seeming to want to take him to some mysterious place.
— Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you. I fear losing my life the moment I try to cross the fog. Maybe next time? — he admitted with a slight smile forming on his face.
The Being that ruled the gray fog, the same one that had been mentioned by the young Sun in his prayers, could kill him or even drive him mad.
In worse cases, perhaps it could be replaced by Him. Who knows if this Being could completely control him?
Caressing the head of the giant wolf that was now lying on the ground, Klein couldn't help but think that he could probably be something like a puppet in a big show.
He almost felt a strong urge to laugh at this.
— I just have to wait a little longer to actually pretend to be asleep in case Miss Adhara or anyone else is watching me… — Klein muttered to himself in a very patient tone.
He was more thoughtful than ever, but he still felt that something could be more wrong than anything.
— Uh… You and your friends must live in the gray mist… I wonder what you eat? — Klein suddenly wondered curiously.
Thinking logically, it should be meat.
But they are Beyonder creatures or like the beings from the spirit world I saw in my dreams, so it certainly isn't meat…
What a pity, I'll never be able to give them anything to eat… — Klein lamented with a sigh.
The wolf looked at him with eyes as big as a cat's, seeming to understand what he was talking about.
— Have you been to the world? Have you ever left the gray mist to explore any other place? — he asked for no apparent reason.
The big wolf nodded as if he was saying "yes" excitedly.
— That's a good thing…
Klein rested his head above the wolf larger than him, letting his consciousness fall back into his body.
...
City of Silver.
Lit by the glow of the candles, Derrick Berg held the potion in his hands tightly.
His eyes had a hesitant glow, but he brought the bubbling vial to his mouth and swallowed the entire potion without vomiting anything, even though he wanted to.
He felt as if his senses were distorted and strange.
Derrick could feel a warm sensation expanding through his chest as if it were his own heartbeat, his eyes blurring as they tried to adjust to his situation.
He finally managed to blink once more as his mind filled with some illusory murmurs that rang in his ear persistently.
— I... Did I really manage to become a Beyonder? — Derrick's tone was hesitant, almost stuttering.
His voice seemed a little changed.
He was now a Bard!
All thanks to the Tarot Club!
Praise be to Mr. Fool!
In his own excitement, he suddenly stopped when he heard a noise outside his house.
Toc, toc.
Toc.
The knocking continued, this time slightly louder.
Toc! Toc!
Toc!
— Derrick, His Excellency calls you to the Twin Towers. — Joshua's voice seemed to have a touch of anguish, almost as if he was expecting the worst.
What? — Derrick was incredibly confused by that.
He immediately became anxious.
Could His Excellency, Colin Iliad, have found out something about when he prayed to Mr. Fool?
— I'm going... — Derrick said as he hid the already completely empty bottle in a drawer.
When he opened the door, he saw Joshua looking very pale as he stared at him, almost looking guilty about something.
— Are you okay? What happened? — Derrick immediately asked very nervously. His emotions were apparent on his face and eyes.
— I... I'm fine. — Joshua spoke in a low tone. His bandaged arm seemed to have a large wound hidden under the cloth.
The illusory silver "light" shone serenely in the cloud-filled sky, very faint as if it didn't even exist, but it was still there.
Some said that this faint glow that remained only over the City of Silver was the blessing of God or some ancient Angel.
Joshua tried to say something, but no voice came out of his throat. He lowered his head as he leaned against the wall again.
Derrick didn't know the situation, but from Joshua's state, nothing good had certainly happened.
— Joshua, are you sure you're okay? — he stammered a little.
— I'm fine... Just go to the twin towers... — Joshua mumbled without looking at the young Derrick.
Looking at the other who clearly didn't feel like saying anything, Derrick had no choice but to run towards the towers that were in the northern part of the city.
He didn't feel tired like before, now he could run relatively well compared to when he ended up panting from going too fast.
When he arrived, the guard let him pass urgently and he finally arrived at the huge library with thousands of books.
He could see the face of a tall figure in front of him.
His blue eyes were dark, perhaps tired or imposing, but they seemed to contain a lot of history behind them.
His hair, a little long, was gray with a few small, somewhat disheveled braids. He had old and deep scars only on his cheeks, as well as wrinkles in the same place.
That was Colin Iliad, the Demon Hunter and the Head of the Council of Six Members!
Derrick felt very tense, his nerves almost exploding with anxiety when he saw the imposing man.
— Your Excellency... — he lowered his head.
— Derrick Berg. I see you have become a Beyonder. — Colin Iliad recognized this fact immediately.
Derrick didn't know what to say, so he just gave a weak answer:
— Yes...
Colin Iliad gave him a very calm look, his expression a little worn.
— Unfortunately, your parents are not in the best condition. Weak and wounded, they are giving in to an unknown corruption after the last expedition. We thought maybe you might have some idea what your parents contacted to make things so bad.
Unknown corruption? — Derrick widened his eyes.
His heart began to beat faster with despair.
— God has been merciful and has not let them feel pain for now, but they will probably not persist for more than twenty days. — Colin Iliad's voice was tired.
Derrick couldn't say anything else, his eyes filled with tears that rolled down his face.
His face became a little empty, his heart sinking in his chest, he no longer had much faith in what the Demon Hunter had said.
The light shone in the sky of other places he had heard about in the Tarot Club, the moon hovered over the cosmos of these cities and kingdoms.
Hearing those stories felt like reading mythical tales to Derrick, who had always believed that they of the City of Silver were favored by God.
There were no blessings or mercy.
He knew that God had abandoned them.Are they... Are they still conscious...? — Derrick forced himself to ask. His teary eyes held a weight.
— It's impossible to know... But they are becoming more normal, however it is never possible to tell what is true or fake. — Colin Iliad sighed as he spoke.
He had already had to kill his own family members, forced to plunge his sword into his children and his own siblings or even his parents and grandchildren. Still, it was tiring once again to have to see a fourteen-year-old child lose his parents.
In the City of Silver, it had always been like this since God disappeared so many thousands of years ago.
— I don't know what p-p-could have caused this... — Derrick muttered in a low tone.
Even if he was lying, it was impossible for anyone to say so. The expeditions to other places in the ruins of what used to be a glorious, plains and cities where human beings ruled under the gaze of the Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator.
After the beginning of the Dark Ages, anything could be corrupted. The darkness that covered everything was powerless over the survivors and anything was also dangerous.
— When you calm down, you can come back to give an answer. — Colin Iliad looked at him seriously. — But first, what is your Pathway?
— I am a Bard… — Derrick answered stiffly. His heart contracted and expanded with force.
The Demon Hunter seemed to have a somewhat solemn air and very well hidden in his voice:
— After the death of your parents, you will have to join the expeditions. Prepare for your first hunt and the burial, which will be in nineteen days. For now, don't think too much about it. Joshua is an acquaintance of yours and will certainly want to support you.
— For now, you can go home.
The weariness was apparent reflected in Colin Iliad's eyes as he watched Derrick nod with a few tears on his face.
The young man said goodbye politely and forcefully before staggering back home.
Along the way, he even briefly came across Pearlie, a Beyonder of the Warrior Pathway and one of the participants in the last expedition that took place at the behest of the Council of Six Members.
She was leaning against a staircase. Her wavy brown hair was very disheveled, messy and short.
Pearlie stared at him without much attention. She seemed to already know the situation.
— God will be merciful to your parents. They have the chance to die as humans while maintaining a shred of sanity. — The girl, at least twenty years old, told him, her words hard as steel.
This was an extremely valuable miracle, almost unbelievable.
Mercy...? — Derrick thought weakly.
Perhaps the greatest mercy from a true Deity that he had ever had was actually receiving that crystal ball for his birthday, an ancient Sealed Artifact that belonged to a faithful follower of The Fool.
This mysterious Entity had responded, a divine response after 2582 years of nothing.
Of course, God had always blessed them for countless years, but He had disappeared a long time ago. Derrick still had faith in Him, but he couldn't help but have gratitude and belief in The Fool, the one who showed the truth!
Derrick cleared his blurry and completely wet vision a little, but it was no use.
— I... Should I ask for help? — The first thing he could think of was the Tarot Club.
They were very experienced, extremely strong and had already shown great knowledge of the mysterious world. Maybe they could help him with his doubts.
Derrick gained a little confidence when he thought about this.
There was still a little hope after all.
As soon as he got home, Derrick went to the relatively average living room. There was a very simple table in the middle and some books.
Leaning against the wall, near a place covered with candles, was a huge axe with a shiny silver blade, huge and almost bigger than his own arm.
He gripped the axe tightly.
Another silver bolt of lightning fell rhythmically as always, its light passing a little under the front door.
The pain in his heart was tight and never stopped, it only eased a little.
When Mr. Fool calls me for the meeting, I'll ask what I can do... — Derrick thought as he headed towards the door.
His destination was the training camp.
...
That was Selena's birthday and Melissa couldn't be more excited.
She was carrying the gift she had made for her friend.
Beside her, Klein seemed very calm as he looked at Benson, who insisted that his old suit was enough and that his brothers should dress better.
Melissa and Klein had to literally drag him to the store to buy Benson a new outfit.
Looking at Benson and Melissa looking so happy, Klein couldn't help but remember his older brother from Earth, when he was still Zhou Mingrui.
Klein remembered very little about him, only his hair color, which was blond, and his tall figure. His brother was completely obscured from his memories.
He was very intelligent, however, he was too soft on Zhou Mingrui and constantly spoiled him too much.
He let him do whatever he wanted and many times this could have gone wrong if he wasn't an incredibly quiet child. Technically, it couldn't be said that Zhou Mingrui didn't have any hidden plots, but they were rare.
His brother had raised him, just as Benson had raised Melissa and Klein.
In fact, Zhou Mingrui had never been far from him, especially because when he transmigrated he had barely turned twenty and was still in college, so he lived in the same house as his brother.
Klein couldn't help but give a blank look before he recovered from his deep reverie.
I wonder if he's worried about me… — he couldn't help but briefly remember when his brother would play some card games with him, like Uno.
There were also some memories from when he first saw snow. It was when Zhou Mingrui was three years old.
He was instinctively curious, so he tried running across a frozen lake in Crimea when a heavy snowstorm hit the region. In his thick, warm clothes, he looked like a little ball of fur, so it wasn't much of a problem.
Zhou Mingrui ended up slipping, but like the calm child he was, he got up quickly without any problems.
Soon after, another child ended up falling face first onto the ice and broke his nose. He was gushing so much blood that they had to take him to the hospital, and the young man was obviously in tears.
His brother must have finally come to his senses and realized that it was a bad idea to let him run around, and immediately bribed him with promises to buy him some stuffed animals and watch some movies with him
Of course, Zhou Mingrui didn't buy it very well. It was hard to fool a child who was raised to be suspicious and thoughtful, even quite cunning. Even so, Zhou Mingrui really wanted to watch the new Disney movie that had recently come out and didn't want to leave in an ambulance, so he accepted without protesting.
He suspected that his brother had proposed the bribe knowing that he would accept..
On the way to his brother's house in that city, they happened to see some abandoned kittens on the side of the road.
He and his brother didn't even need to say a word to each other to immediately decide to take the little animals in so that they wouldn't freeze to death.
There were ten kittens in total and each one was given a different name, five chosen by Zhou Mingrui and five chosen by his brother.
As expected, the second part only gave strange names of stars in the universe, while little Rui gave some random names like some characters.
At the end of the day, they watched a very good movie on TV, "Home Alone".
His brother ended up comparing his hidden cunning to the protagonist's and embarrassing him for the rest of the film, which earned him piercing looks and ruthless judgments.
Seeing these memories flash through his mind, Klein sighed. He missed his brother a lot.
As soon as they entered the party room, Benson poked him with a rather amused look.
— Since when do those people over there know Melissa? — He pointed his gaze at the young people the same age as his sister.
They had gone to talk to Melissa the moment she had entered.
— I don't know, aren't her friends Elizabeth and Selena? — Klein answered honestly with narrowed eyes.
To be honest, he was more worried about what might happen next.
Melissa was strong and very intelligent, maybe she would scare the younger ones by telling them something horrifying and traumatize them for the rest of their lives if they were too much of a nuisance.
We don't have money to pay a psychologist for all these poor children... — Klein watched from afar, looking to intervene in case something went wrong.
Selena's older brother was greeting the guests who were arriving, but the first one they saw was Selena's father, Wood.
— Good morning, honorable older brother and young historian. — The man seemed to add a special tone when speaking to them. He was a senior employee at the Tingen branch of Backlund Bank.
Selena hugged Melissa excitedly. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm.
— Thank you for coming!
— Happy birthday! — Melissa smiled as she gave her friend the gift she had made.
When Klein looked around, he saw someone familiar. It was a young girl, Elizabeth, his sister's friend.
Oh, I saw her the day I was buying some amulets with Old Neil. — he recognized her, but just ignored her, pretending not to know anything.
Even so, she approached and quickly thanked him:
— Thank you very much, Mr. Moretti. Selena really liked the gift I gave her. She loves mysticism.
And then, she ran off looking for something or someone else.
Uh... Melissa had said that. Selena must still want to summon "degradation" in the mirror? I guess I thank my luck that I never agreed to summon Blood Mary, or anything else at Khoy University! — Klein scoffed, but quickly remembered the gray mist ritual.
Not only that, but he summoned the Heaven and Earth and also the Antigonus family entity!
Yes, that was like shooting myself in the foot. The gray mist ritual was like a total charlatan. — he thought as he glanced across the room.
He stood in the corner since he had no reason to talk and he also had no desire to do so.
Suddenly, Melissa seemed a little curious, but that didn't reflect on her face. She gave Klein a few light and discreet elbows, catching his attention.
— Hey, don't you think it's strange that Selena's younger brother is looking at that other lady strangely... By the way, his intended came to talk to me... She seemed a little uncomfortable about having to be engaged to him.
Melissa narrowed her eyes with conviction.
— I feel like he's cheating on you even before the wedding... — she whispered with shock in her tone.
Klein had already noticed the strange air around him, but he really didn't bring it up because he didn't even want to get involved in it.
— That's not all, you know that tall man with blond hair and light brown eyes? He's probably also Selena's brother's lover.
— The way he behaves is very casual around him, too intimate for mere acquaintances, and his eyes reflect a feeling of desire... I also think Selena's brother's fiancée is in love with someone else.
Klein was really good at recognizing other people's emotions, from sadness or nervousness to the most confusing and indescribable possible for humanity. Of course, his spiritual intuition was totally helpful, as it was for Melissa.
He remembered a sentence from Emperor Roselle's diary at the same moment:
"These nobles are so impure! I am completely innocent!"
Klein felt that this sentence perfectly fit the current situation that was unfolding.
For a moment, he feared that someone would suddenly start throwing cutlery and plates everywhere, starting a general brawl throughout the entire party hall.
Imagine if this party was ruined because of this mess? This even sounds like the cheap plot of a book my compatriot would write! — Klein complained in his heart.
That description was accurate. Surely the Emperor would be the one responsible for doing such a work without feeling even a hint of shame!
Looking thoughtful, Melissa left for the second floor with Elizabeth and Selena, while Klein will stay in a corner by himself.
I don't feel like using any social skills in this place, if I have any... Being alone is better. — he deprecated himself as he looked outside through a window.
The Nighthawks were friends, as was the Tarot Club, so there was never any problem in talking. Here it was different, with so many influential people from Tingen, it was more like a well-crafted speech theater.
Benson stood to the side chatting with Crish and others with his extraordinary conversational skills.
Benson, you better keep socializing, maybe you'll even find someone you're interested in! He's already sacrificed a lot for Klein and Melissa... It took a lifetime to convince him to buy a new outfit. — Klein remembered the argument the three of them had in the morning.
His clothes were too tight on Benson, so they weren't an option. Fortunately, his brother stopped protesting after some time of being dragged to the store.
He smiled slightly at his own thoughts.
Klein stood there for a long time admiring the view of the sky with nothing to do. His thoughts rolled, turning through his mind like complicated gears.
He imagined what the bright stars of the cosmos were like, almost daydreaming in his own reverie of hundreds of thoughts about various things, inexplicable and meaningless.
After some time, Klein and Benson were invited to a poker game.
Klein somehow managed to get a Straight Flush in the first game with his great ability to observe others and a very active mind.
— How...? — Benson threw his two-pair cards on the table and Crish's eyes were frozen in disbelief.
— I don't know... — Klein replied with an embarrassed look.
It's always like this! Next time, I think it's better to play poker with Medici, he's an opponent you can fight on equal terms with! — He felt wronged by his own luck, as if he were some kind of cheater because of fate.
— It's always better to invite Medici to something like this... — Klein muttered, looking away to the table.
Only then would he not be the only cheater using his Beyonder abilities and his own heightened senses!
— Who? — Benson, who was beside him, looked on with apparent confusion.
— Nothing. — Klein replied immediately.
In the next game, Crish was the first to look excited.
— I got a Full House. — He placed the cards on the table with the conviction that he would be the winner.
It was impossible for there to be anyone better than him, a professional player.
— How did I win… — he stopped talking as soon as he looked at the cards that Klein had placed on the table.
The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten were of the same suit.
A Royal Flush!
Klein incredibly got a Royal Flush!
— That's impossible… — Crish spoke in a depressed tone.
It was impossible to play against a monster.
Benson just remained incredibly quiet, his disbelief at seeing the impossible leaving him speechless.
The other players like Wood were silent, until one pointed his finger at him in horror:
— Are you cheating? That's not possible! Last time it was a Straight Flush!
— I just calculated the results. — Klein simply replied. His face showed a deep calm.
— This is not humanly possible... You are crazy. — the man asked very weakly.
In the next game, it seemed that no one had much luck, apart from Benson who had a pair.
And on top of that there was Klein who had once again gotten a Straight Flush again.
He looked at the cards blankly.
— I give up. — He put the cards on the table under everyone's shocked gaze and walked off to somewhere else.
What a disaster, I'm cursed with good luck! I must sound like some kind of elaborate charlatan right now... I'll never play poker again in my life unless it's with someone as righteous as Medici! — Klein complained inwardly.
He suddenly stopped, his senses seemed to be buzzing.
There was a strange fluctuation upstairs!
When he looked up the stairs, Klein noticed Melissa running towards him very quickly.
She was a little flustered. Her face had a controlled expression of half-worry.
When she got closer, the first thing she did was look at Klein very seriously.
Seeing the distress on Melissa's face, Klein didn't take long to ask:
— What happened?
She seemed a little alert. Her sharp, dark eyes shone with many thoughts.
— Selena is acting strange. She messed with some strange ritual that spoke an honorific name of an unknown existence. — Melissa said quietly so that no one would hear.
— It was almost impossible to open the door with hairpins or ornaments, as if there were a lock or seal, so I broke the door down and went in. She was raving like a lunatic, talking about an Omniscient and Omnipotent Savior. I left there immediately and came looking for you.
Before Klein had a chance to respond, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him across the hall until she reached the second floor.
It was so dark that no normal person could even see their own hands. Elizabeth looked very desperate, almost gasping in unimaginable horror that was reflected in her eyes.
She was walking very poorly, almost staggering when she heard Melissa talking to someone.
Klein saw Elizabeth's distraught state and then looked ahead.
The door at the end of the hallway was ajar, the lock clearly opened with some kind of metal decoration, torn from a chandelier on the ceiling, looking like it had been twisted by human hands.
The chandelier above emitted no light, swallowed by the unknown.
The doorway was darker than the sky itself. There was a chilling silence, as if hands were reaching out in the shadows.
Under a blanket of endless darkness, there was no sign of life in that place. Perhaps just an unimaginable being lurking in the darkness.
A voice rang out in deepest devotion:
— The Lord that Created Everything.
— The Lord who Reigns Behind the Curtain of Shadows.
— The Degenerate Nature of all Living Things.
— Hear my prayers! For for The Lord we shed blood until it becomes sacred praise.
— Save us on the promised day with Your eternal grace.
— Oh, True Creator!
Elizabeth's eyes widened, the horror she felt gripping her heart was visible. She even held her breath in her throat, stopping herself from making any noise.
She tried to look for Melissa, but the other one was in a further part of the corridor.
— Klein, isn't that The deity worshipped by the so-called Aurora Order? The True Creator! You told me about Him...— Melissa recognized the name with much shock in her voice.
When Klein explained to her about the secret organizations spread throughout the world, he placed great emphasis on the part about an organization that worshipped a God they said was Omniscient and Omnipotent.
The True Creator, to whom lunatic believers prayed to find a promised land.
— True Creator... — Elizabeth became even more terrified.
True Creator... Surely she wasn't in the organization... Melissa should have gotten it wrong if that were the case, so there was only one other option. Selena was in contact with a worshipper of the Aurora Order...? How did that happen? — Klein thought with concern, however his face did not show it.
How am I going to deal with this?
Melissa is next to me and Benson is downstairs, if I leave here to warn the captain, everything might get worse and end up affecting everyone present...
Uh... Selena is a mysticism enthusiast, so there must be candles and some ingredients here...
As soon as he hurriedly concluded what he was going to do, he could hear a brief laugh coming from the room.
— Melissa, come with me. — Klein said, he had no time to explain so all he could do was signal with his hands, pointing to the door at the end of the corridor.
Melissa just nodded, not knowing what would happen, but she did not lose her calm.
Her brother had told her some things about normal people who suddenly went crazy when they came into contact with the mysterious world and died, so she was afraid that her friend was no longer herself.
Elizabeth didn't even seem to hear anything after a few moments. She was like some kind of rag doll that had simply lost all movement in her body.
She shrank back as she backed up against the wall with her hands covering her ears and grabbing her hair as if she were going to pull it out right there.
Elizabeth seemed to be whispering softly, as if she were whispering a prayer:
— Spirit that revolves this world.
— The grace of The True Creator.
— The eyes that look at fate.
Her eyes didn't lose their brightness, but they were replaced by something strange. It was as if all the contradictions and none of them were there, there was no feeling.
Seeing this, Melissa was horrified. She clenched her hands in an attempt to keep her mind clear.
She had some idea of the madness, but she never imagined it was so terrifying at this level.
— Miss Elizabeth? — Klein almost frowned when he saw the young woman's condition.
Elizabeth relaxed a little, her face so calm that it was impossible to imagine that she was on the verge of madness.
When she clasped her hands together, she looked like some kind of faithful believer.
— Klein, are they going to be okay? — Melissa asked as she passed the delirious Elizabeth.
Klein, who was opening the door, didn't turn his head as he answered:
— I'm not sure. But I need your help to try to resolve everything, her situation is much more abnormal than it should be.
He tried to sound calmer so that his sister wouldn't panic or anything. He himself didn't have much hope that Selena would survive in such a bad state.
Even though he had experience, Melissa had none and her actions were unpredictable. She could even end up dying if something went wrong!
Why didn't you play Charlie Charlie instead? It would be much easier to exorcise. — Klein mocked as he pulled out the revolver that was hidden inside his suit.
— Alright! — Melissa spoke without any hesitation.
When Klein opened the door with his cane in hand
With Spiritual Vision activated, he could see Selena kneeling on the floor holding a mirror so tightly that her fingers were white.
There were sinister dark green energies invading her, deteriorating her soul into something more twisted.
Klein cautiously walked over to her to check the mirror.
It was Selena who was reflected in the mirror, but it was also her entire body. Her face showed a terrifying expression, hidden under her red hair.
She was like a lunatic, her face as serene as an unattainable peace for all humanity.
— Melissa, get some vials and herbs from the other side. It could be any. — Klein spoke in a grave tone as he walked over to a desk.
After that, he rummaged through one of the drawers and took out two candles with soft scents and placed them in the upper left and right corners of the desk.
They were symbols representing The Crimson Lady, The Goddess of Midnight.
Melissa managed to find seven bottles with very mild scents and picked them up with her hands all at once.
— I will perform a suspension ritual along with something similar... Selena will be in a sealing circle after I start, so she will not interfere.
— You should learn it too, so pay close attention to what I'm going to do. — Klein quickly explained as he opened a few vials and placed a third candle to represent himself.
The suspension ritual was a fairly normal type of ritual, but with the added bonus of being able to stop doing it to do something else at a certain point.
Of course, Klein knew some modifications to this ritual, so he could perform everything without leaving any details out.
He even thought he wouldn't be able to do it, but he ended up remembering that he had received strange knowledge since the day of his transmigration.
Those rituals were more advanced than what a normal Seer could perform, but Klein could actually do them without much trouble.
The sealing circle was one of them. The seal applied with the ritual he knew already trapped Selena without having to attract her anywhere.
I never thought that the strange knowledge I received about rituals in my mind would be so useful... — he narrowed his eyes as he placed a silver bowl in front of the third candle.
— Did Selena tell you anything about who taught her these rituals? — Klein asked as he took out a full moon essence.
Melissa gave a thoughtful look, her eyes looking a little sharper under many hidden guesses.
— Yes. She was talking about her mysticism teacher when she got weird... She said he was a respectful man, very wise. His name was something like Vincent something...
— It was something like... Hanass Vincent.
Klein felt a chill spread like an extremely heavy thunder through her body.
Hanass Vincent, that man from the Divination Club!
— Hanass Vincent? From the Howes Street Divination Club? — Klein asked in an intrigued tone, his eyes almost showing a hint of understanding beneath the apparent calm.
— Yes! ... Wait, you said you stayed on Howes Street because of that thing about acting as the name of the Sequence, so you know him? — Melissa immediately became suspicious, her voice even contained a lot of seriousness.
It was very strange for her to hear that, especially after knowing about some matters involving Klein's case, like Ray Bieber and things like that.
The Aurora Order was very active, which was suspicious given what had happened before in the Bieber case, but this time it really did seem like a mere incident.
— That's the case… He even explained about a type of mirror divination, but it was the orthodox way. — Klein explained without much detail, focusing on what he was doing.
Now that I think about it, I remember that his astral projection was very strange! Hanass Vicent really was a member of the Aurora Order… — He narrowed his eyes indiscernibly.
On the altar were several herbs on the left and on the other side a plate of salt, a silver dagger, a piece of fake goat skin and a quill dipped in ink.
When he finished arranging the altar with moonflower essential oils and others, he took out a mug of tea.
He poured pure water and placed it next to a plate of coarse salt.
— This is really elaborate... — Melissa, who was in front of the altar, muttered thoughtfully.
After that, Klein entered a state of Cogitation. He saw distorted lights appear in his line of vision.
Whoss!
The wind invaded the room that was almost completely covered in darkness.
— Goddess of Midnight, You are the Lady of Crimson!
— Goddess of Eternal Night, You are the Empress of Disaster and Horror!
— The Lady under the high sky, noble and more permanent than eternity itself, The Goddess of Eternal Night.
This was one of the many prayers to Her, given in one of the teachings of the Church of Midnight only to the Nighthawks.
— I am your loyal guard; the shield that protects against danger in the dark night...
He continued the ritual with many words, praying until finally a strong wind blew through the windows, lifting the thick curtains.
Selena gave a high-pitched scream, being pulled from some sort of door that came directly from the mysterious world, even dragging herself with her nails digging into the earth, it still wasn't enough.
— Ah!
She let out a scream that could echo deep into one's soul.
Selena let out a howl mixed with a frantic laugh before simply stopping moving.
As the dark green threads were expelled from Selena's body, an indescribable veil of mystery enveloped everything as if it had emerged from some ancient past era, as inexplicable as the cosmos, but also intangible.
It was certainly terrifying, but it was also divine, just demonstrating the minimum of an unimaginable existence.
Along with that, it was heavily mixed with an endless serenity extending into every corner.
— Supreme Lady of Crimson, Great Empress of Disaster and Horror.
— I pray that you grant Your grace.
— Show Your loving grace to the lost lamb, Selena Wood!
Whoss!
A goatskin from the ritual caught fire at that moment, but everything calmed down.
Klein's dark eyes returned to their usual color.
When Selena's limp body fell onto the mirror, Melissa looked to the side with Spiritual Vision just to check if her friend was alive.
— They're alive and well... Wow, this is really strange. I thought they were going to die... — Melissa muttered as she turned to Klein, who was dismantling the altar.
When she took out the last candle, Klein remembered something very important.
There was no way the two of them could stay on the second floor for long, otherwise they would be discovered!
— I'll explain what happened later, but first we have to go down and pretend nothing happened. — he said in a hurry, putting away his revolver.
As soon as she heard this, Melissa didn't hesitate to go to the door and pull out the twisted piece of metal she used to break down the door earlier.
Since there were no pockets on her dress, she simply handed it to Klein, who put the piece of metal in the other inside pocket.
If people looked at us now, they would probably think we were wanted criminals or something... — Klein felt like a real thief on the run.
Melissa was the first to go out to look around while Klein closed the door.
— There's no one here. — Melissa warned as she deactivated her Spiritual Vision.
When the two were ready and walked through the various corridors, Melissa accidentally bumped into a very tall man.
— Sorry sir, I hadn't seen you. — She said in a calm tone, not seeming anxious at all.
The man looked like he was going to try to push Klein or Melissa at that moment, but he quickly backed away.
He looked at them, his skin was very pale. On his chubby forehead, several drops of sweat were dripping down every moment.
His black hair was soaked, as if he had been exposed to the freezing rain for a long time. He also wore glasses with almost round lenses, which covered his brown eyes.
— You should watch where you're going, imagine if you could lose your minds because of that?
He smiled, seeming to be mocking them.
Klein and Melissa looked at each other, thinking the same thing.
This stranger could only be a madman!
— Children like you shouldn't go around so clumsy. Rough as you are, you didn't survive for long. — The man had a touch of authority in his voice.
— Sir, I don't know what you're talking about. — Klein pretended not to understand a single word, turning around with Melissa who was still in disbelief.
He dragged her with him to escape from that macabre man who certainly had hidden intentions.
If the stranger did something, Klein could only take Melissa away with him as quickly as possible.
When the man reached out his hand to try to pull one of them, a hoarse voice echoed through the hallway:
— Lanevus, come on. — It was a very low sound, but Klein and Melissa heard perfectly what had been said.
Lanevus? The same Lanevus who guessed that he would trick Glacis with a proposal about a gold mine in Hornacis? — Klein recognized him with increasing caution.
— Melissa, if we need to escape, let's go through the window ahead. — he whispered in a serious tone.
His dark eyes roamed silently around the place, he had already planned escape points since he went up with Melissa to the second floor.
Melissa was on edge, her nerves almost jumping out of her body, which was as cold as ice because of the tension.
With a persistent gaze fixed behind them, Klein and Melissa could only continue walking, pretending that nothing was happening.
The two of them didn't take even a second longer to leave the second floor and fortunately they didn't need to jump out of any windows.
When they reached a corner of the party room, Melissa nudged him silently.
— Klein, that man... — she asked a little confused.
— I don't know... But that guy was a total charlatan! — Klein stated with great certainty.
— Seriously? I thought he was going to kidnap us... — Melissa admitted with great suspicion growing in her heart.
She sighed internally with many thoughts swirling heavily in her head.
— So, wouldn't it be better if we stayed with Selena and Elizabeth? We could even see their condition with our own eyes... — she decided to ask something else, wanting to relax a little from what had happened a few seconds ago.
— No. You're not an official Beyonder. If an official showed up and checked you out, you'd probably be discovered. — he answered calmly, but there was a lot of worry in his mind.
The last thing that could happen was for any of the churches to find out about Melissa.
— I understand. What now? — Melissa frowned — Don't tell me there's a chance an evil entity will emerge from the bathroom mirror upstairs when we least expect it?
— What? I'm sure the True Creator is like Blood Mary. — Klein stared at his sister with some surprise. He hadn't expected that answer.
— Huh? Blood Mary? Who's that? — Melissa raised her eyebrows in confusion.
— A legend created by Emperor Roselle. — Klein remembered without any surprise that his compatriot had also brought this legend to this world.
He continued unhurriedly:
— Well, Gods above all the world see humans as nothing more than insects, must not pay attention to what happened today.
— Of course, we cannot in any way try to attract Their gaze, so what happened today cannot happen again.
— Right. — She nodded firmly. She would ensure that Selena would never have another idea of invoking the honorific name of evil Gods.
Fortunately, the matter was already over.
— Just to be sure, tell Elizabeth not to try to recite the honorific name of The True Creator and if it happens again, call me, but if you can't, then do a ritual to The Goddess. — Klein added just in case.
Suddenly, the two siblings looked to the side at the same moment, in the direction where Benson was.
He was talking to a few people, but one of them in particular had just come down from the second floor, right after Klein and Melissa were in the corner.
This woman with very short red hair seemed to be staring at them silently and at the same time looking at the others who had come from the second floor a short time ago.
— She's a Beyonder. — Klein stated as he looked directly at the astral projection that looked more like a machine releasing steam at every moment.
Several inexplicable pieces of gears seemed to be turning in a complicated way, forming a connection between all that consciousness filled with a calm and ethereal sound.
Klein immediately recognized it from that complicated astral projection. It was someone from the Church of Steam and Machinery.
— She's one of the Machinery Hivemind. An officer was actually here this whole time and she must have noticed something abnormal upstairs. — Klein sighed in his heart.
Luckily, Melissa and I left right after dismantling the altar! — Klein sighed inside his mind, not being able to help but be grateful for his own good memory.
Now he just needed to tell his version of the facts to Dunn Smith without including Melissa's presence.
— What if she suspects me? — Melissa couldn't help but ask.
— Do you know how to deceive others? — Klein seemed to be really considering this option.
If Melissa couldn't do it, he really was very skilled at fooling others.
— Okay, maybe pretending to sprain my ankle would be better, I can do that. Or do I have to faint right here or at another time? — Melissa seemed very enthusiastic about giving several options.
Sis, you really are very smart... — Klein gave an almost disconcerted smile, she was really a lot like him.
_ I don't think we need to be so extreme... Maybe we should just have a quick talk if she comes to us. Well, fainting should only be in case the situation gets too... — Klein stopped talking abruptly.
He immediately changed the subject as if he had never mentioned it. Klein turned the topic to the situation with Lanevus, who had tried to kidnap him and Melissa.
— Really? I think it would be easier for him to fly away than to actually be able to think normally... No, even thinking would be impossible. — He formulated a conversation in the same instant.
Melissa didn't hesitate to join in the act, there was even a hint of intrigue in her voice:
— I've never seen a person talk so much nonsense in my life. If I see anyone else like that in front of me, I'll drag them to the banks of the Khoy River and drown them right there!
_ Who's going to drown who? — Benson, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, asked with apparent confusion.
— Benson! We need to tell you something. — Klein immediately turned around with a very thoughtful look.
Benson raised an eyebrow, holding back the laugh he wanted to give and didn't even hide it.
— What mess did you and Melissa get into that you were almost cursing someone's life with insults? what happened in the minutes I wasn't here? — He was on the verge of bursting out laughing.
What kind of view do you have of us? — Klein was speechless, completely stunned.