Derrick lowered his head slightly, looking at the tarnished bronze table, squinting hard so that the tears would not come.
He would not cry, not in this moment.
The Chariot, Medici narrowed his eyes, realizing what the child meant, and not only him, but Alger and Solveig showed the slightest reaction.
In a place like the City of Silver, where there was no sun or sight of the stars, it was impossible for any being to know what the sun was, which had not set on that earth for over two thousand years.
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, where even a piece of bread could be considered a valuable treasure, who could have the unimaginable glimpse of a true dawn in a peaceful view?
It was something that was beyond the reach of anyone in that place.
— Do you have anything you can write with? Charcoal perhaps? — Audrey asked, with an idea in mind. That would certainly work, if everything went according to what she planned.
Derrick was confused, but nodded silently.
Audrey gave a soft, imperceptible smile, looking completely satisfied, but inside she was very happy and even anxious.
— Great, Sun, or any of you, ladies and gentlemen, know how to draw like artists? Realistic paintings like those in historical exhibitions? — she asked, hiding her own enthusiasm.
She just didn't volunteer because she knew she couldn't help in that part.
As an aristocrat, she also had to learn about arts from a very young age. However, she was never the best artist even after training for a considerable time.
Sometimes, her brother told her that she was born to be a historian if she wasn't a noblewoman, because she knew how to memorize things like a machine, but unfortunately she wasn't born for art.
— I have that ability. — Medici stated with natural confidence, understanding Justice's intentions.
Fortunately, he had retained any and all extraordinary painting skills he had apparently had before he lost his memories.
You...? Not only are you a Beyonder teacher, probably a historian, an official Beyonder of a somewhat high rank, but you're also an artist? Doesn't Chariot get any time off? He works all week, does he get any rest? — Klein scoffed, knowing what they would say next.
Like The World, he also said:
— I have the necessary skills.
Since Earth and even in this life he had that ability, so he would do it.
Solveig also nodded, remembering the black-haired girl who sometimes came to her house when she was younger, she was the one who taught her.
Audrey finally gathered her courage, nervously wondering if what she had planned would really work out because of one detail.
She took a deep breath mentally, and then turned respectfully to the figure that was beyond the small reality of the world, not daring to look directly.
He had a mysterious presence, beyond, terrifying and inexplicable at the same time, something that made her shiver all over.
It was almost impossible not to lower her head, out of pure instinct, admiration and horror, so much so that she had to use every part of her being not to do it.
As much as she admired Him as a very "kind" God in her terms, He was still a Him, A Being whose existence already interfered with theirs naturally.
— Mr. Fool, may I ask if it is Your wish to help us with something? — Her voice sounded without hiding her intentions.
— Yes. — His voice was distant from existence
— We will help the Sun learn to draw, so that he can present this as a last wish to his parents. That is why I wanted to ask You, Mr. Fool to summon a paper and a pen. — She was preparing to continue, however a single tap of a finger on the table interrupted her thoughts.
— Alright, decide these things among yourselves. — The Fool answered the unspoken question.
He had allowed a parallel meeting to be held, they just needed to organize themselves.
Thank You! Mr. Fool really understands us in a way and the situation of the young Sun, even though He is a God! — Audrey almost let a smile escape her lips.
— Thank You very much for being so kind. — She quickly thanked Him, putting her thoughts aside.
Klein, on the other hand, just summoned a paper and a quill in front of the young Sun without saying anything else.
Turning to the other members, he continued his plan:
— Mr. Carriage, Mr. World, Mr. Sun, Miss. Strength and Mr. Hanged Man, would you have some time when it's night, very late? In two days?
Everyone nodded subtly, with Derrick still confused.
Fortunately, I can't or don't need to sleep. — Klein said quietly.
Solveig tilted her head slightly, thinking complicatedly.
— Young Sun, in your City of Silver would there be something called paint? With different colors? — she asked, somewhat doubtfully.
— Colored paint? — The Sun looked at her as if she were talking about something that came from another world, too unreal to have access to.
— Never mind, coal is more than enough. — Solveig remembered how she saw the girl painting with anything, even coffee sometimes.
She mentally slapped her own face, remembering the precarious state of the City of Silver.
The silent Alger had a complicated feeling, as serious as he seemed. He said:
— We also need to resolve the excuse of how The Sun could know about flowers or the sun in case someone saw it, but we can organize that better at the next meeting.
Derrick blinked, unable to believe that he was hearing clearly.
It was too unreal that they were willing to help, for him, that could only be a dream too beautiful to be true.
Luckily, he knew he wasn't going crazy.
His heart warmed, the flood of tears wanted to fall as if they had been confined for years.
— T-thank you very much... T-really... — Derrick didn't even know how to thank him properly, his voice was very shaky.
He was sure he was on the verge of tears, but they didn't fall.
— Not the one you want, young Sun. — Audrey said, her voice had a hidden joy, but she seemed very enthusiastic, even leaving her Spectator state for a few moments.
At the same time, she almost froze when she realized that The Sun seemed to be crying silently, but not a single tear was falling.
As sad as it was to see this, she knew that those feelings were no longer entirely due to anguish.
Not only did she realize that, but no one said a word about it.
The young Sun could now resolve his feelings without that horrible weight on his back, even if a wish could somehow alleviate the pain of his parents' death.
At least they knew that Derrick could move on a little in peace.
Klein blinked, lowering his gaze and returning it to the Sun.
And then he turned his attention to the other side of the table.
The Fool gave a very soft smile, completely unnoticeable to anyone looking, but it soon disappeared. He seemed to be recalling an old memory.
His memories were about family, of both lives.
Having successfully resolved the matter, Audrey could not help but stare at Derrick, organizing his words letter by letter in his mind and then said:
— Mr. Fool, if I may, I have a question I have wanted to ask you for a long time. Would You consider the idea of more members in the Tarot Club?
The Fool tapped his finger once on the long bronze table, His voice as deep as it was indifferent:
— This meeting was called for by one of my experiments, so I did not waste my time thinking about such a matter...
Soon after The Fool gave His answer, the members of the Tarot Club spent some time teaching the young Sun how to make the sketches and the meeting was later adjourned. with silence, which seemed to last for thousands of years.
...
In the afternoon, due to a letter he received directly from Mr. Azik, inviting him to his home, Klein ended up going to Gray Guard Street.
On the way, he looked up at the sky and was sure in his heart that some rain would fall from the stormy sky, with no sun in sight.
As he quickly crossed the street, he saw a familiar old house, relatively large and two-story, next to others that were just as beautiful.
The structure was in the same Victorian style. Dark tones, a small staircase and above it a wooden door with a silver handle, very cold.
Klein knocked twice lightly on the door.
Toc.
Toc.
The rain started to fall at the same moment.
Klein blinked, seeing the rain fall just as he imagined it would.
Being a Seer had its advantages.
The door opened slightly, and his teacher appeared in casual clothes.
Azik had that same soft and gentle look on his face, but Klein knew that something had changed, however slightly.
His soft features seemed imposing, something colder and something that strangely carried a subtle pressure.
His golden eyes that once carried in their deep roots a dead feeling, something that faded away with time like a great river that dried up over the centuries.
But even so, it seemed small in those darker pupils.
— Mr. Azik, are you okay? — Klein asked carefully.
— Of course, why do you ask that? — Azik had his same controlled tone, and a little confused by the question.
He seemed fine and unchanged, at least in the eyes of the others.
— You called me so suddenly that I thought something had happened to you. — Klein's gaze passed over his teacher again, who was perfectly fine even with the changes.
He was finally relieved. He was already getting a little disturbed by the possibility that something had happened to his teacher or that he had gone crazy.
— There's no need to rush. And you better go inside, it's going to get soaked out there. — Azik said quickly, leading him to the part of the room that was relatively large.
There were paintings in well-carved frames displayed on the walls, so old that they could be centuries old.
All the furniture was well arranged in a very specific way, perhaps even illustrious and ancient, a brown sofa positioned next to a bookcase and a small table, with a painting above.
This same painting had skulls, in noble clothes that reminded not of the Northern Continent, but rather of the Southern Continent. The gold was very apparent, almost taking over the painting without light, apparently in a place filled with candles in an old castle.
There was a small signature on the frame, with Azik's name.
In the center, a small round table with some chairs with matte yellow pillowcases, a delicate plate with two cups of fresh, hot coffee.
Azik sat calmly in front of him, stirring the tea lightly with the silver spoon.
Klein sat politely in one of the chairs at the round table, although it didn't seem like it, he was focused on what he could hear.
— As you must know, there is something wrong with us and with everything, for different reasons of course. —
— Yes... — Klein looked at his tea before looking at his teacher again, waiting for him to say something more.
Azik sighed, more calm than tired.
— I ended up remembering more things, most of them were confusing, but there were some truly useful things. And I've been investigating this situation in general, my past mainly, even if I don't find much.
— You must know that there are some things going on, some unfortunate events recently. Klein took a sip of his tea, a little puzzled.
Uh... Does Mr. Azik already know about some of the things that happened in Tingen? ... Well, even if he does, I should tell him. — he thought, having already come to his own conclusion some time ago.
As strange as his teacher's past was, he could have a good nature, especially after the time he spent observing.
— Something big is going to happen. — His calmness was strange, and at the same time, normal.
— Are you sure about that? — His teacher seemed to understand where the conversation was going, but perhaps he needed some more hints.
— Yes. — Klein admitted, even though he didn't want to.
All the events were closing in a circle too perfect for there not to be something happening, a set-up without a doubt.
After Leonard's questions through his portable shadow, he had even more solid grounds to believe in his hunch that someone was planning something with all of this.
After all, there was no reason for someone to plan everything for who knows how long for a trivial reason. If everything was as it was, it was because something terrifying could happen in a short time, like a time bomb.
— There was the interesting Sealed Artifact, a Notebook from the Antigonus family of the Fourth Epoch. It was part of the beginning, but not the beginning... You must have understood.
In short, what Klein meant was: "someone is setting it all up."
— Okay, I just wanted to know if you already knew. — Azik ended that subject right there.
Another time would be better to talk about it.
Klein understood, but suddenly remembered something he had wanted to tell his teacher for some time.
— Ah, Sir! You know about the loss of control, don't you? — he questioned him, just to be sure.
Azik nodded slightly.
— Yes, that was part of my memories that I recovered. — he stated, his soft smile never leaving his face, even though he was serious.
Still, for some reason he seemed very thoughtful for some reason, even colder just by sinking into thoughts.
— That's why you should take good care of your mental health. I mean, always make sure you're not too distant or you lose the meaning of your existence. — Klein warned, a little afraid that something bad could happen.
— Indeed, you must have noticed that I am a Seer, so I don't know much about how loss of control affects your Pathwat… The Corpse Collector. What I said was just the standard for dealing with loss of control.
With all the information and what I had seen in Azik's Astral Body, I had concluded in the end that he was a Corpse Collector in the Demigod realm at least.
At least, he wasn't crazy. He didn't seem to be in the state that Klein had been in when he fought Ray Bieber.
He remembered when he almost fell into a strange state. He didn't feel cold exactly, but indifferent. Not even his own existence mattered to him, only the strange, meaningless and confusing thoughts kept afflicting his mind.
Maybe he was crazy, but even that was normal at the moment, as if it was completely natural and decided, his life was like that.
The death of a fly didn't seem any different from other humans in his eyes.
In the end, only prayers, some from the Tarot Club, confused prayers and his own persistence managed to save him from that state, all because he rose from the gray mist without reciting the prayer to the entity of the fog.
His teacher laughed, his face very kind, looking at him as if he was remembering someone.
— I appreciate your concern. You should also worry more about this, they said you act strange.
— What…? I'm fine. — Klein replied, a little confused.
Could it be that Leonard and Medici were right in the end and he seemed so crazy that even his teacher pointed it out?
What did that Medici say to make Mr. Azik think that way? — Suddenly, he felt that it would be interesting to test a ritualistic magic on a certain someone.
Fortunately, he hadn't tested the ones that were more complicated.
— I don't think so, but Medici said otherwise.
He said you planned a very meticulous murder where the goal was to slowly push the victims towards the abyss without them noticing, even if it took weeks, months or years. Isolate and instigate until it ended in the outcome you hoped for, with everyone following your lead until they died or were caught.
— ... — Klein paused for a second.
Speaking like that, you sound like some kind of demon without a heart or soul... — the judgment in what he heard was obvious, even though the person who said it was not present.
— Don't worry, he also loved the plan. He even mentioned that he could try using his own way sometime to see what results he would get with his own abilities. — Azik took the cup to the table again — I also found it quite useful, even though it is not my way of acting. You are a true Seer as I can see, it is hard to think that someone young would think of things like that.
— Even so, I should ask you again. Are you really sure you are okay?
Klein's yellowish eyes seemed filled with mist in the calm, his thoughts hidden beneath an endless surface of mysteries.
He thought deeply about the question, he had pondered it for a long time, even if it was not leading him to an exact answer.
Maybe he was in the dark about whether...
— I am not sure. — his answer was the most sincere he had given in a long time.
Azik's smile had already disappeared, replaced by an indecipherable look, a hidden concern.
Seeing this, Klein changed to a calm expression, without anything more or less.
— I don't know why, it just seems a bit confusing. — he admitted, his tone a little too deprecating and calm, he didn't seem to have any problems in mocking himself.
Besides everything, I forgot a lot of important things... I wish I could remember the faces or names of the people on Earth, or even remember their lives.
Will I never remember them?
Speaking of which, I think I forgot more things, like my two lives, both on Earth and here...
Well, I won't deny that I'm strange... But I'm better. Uh... I'm not becoming a complete lunatic, am I?
Am I not noticing anything?
I know they called me crazy because the methods were very extreme plans, but in my view they were necessary. People have different views, that doesn't make me crazy...
Deweyville... No, I wasn't wrong in what I thought about him, he really lied to himself, pretending nothing was happening... From the least I know about psychology this is something normal, it was just strange that I thought about how he felt feelings?
From the beginning, I've always been fine...? I'm not going crazy, I still know who I am and what I should do, even though I've forgotten a lot...
It seems to me that I've always been like this... I can't understand what's wrong. I only felt strange at the moment I went up into the gray mist without performing the ritual, but I also feel that something is wrong? No, impossible... Or maybe yes.. — Klein's dark pupils turned to Mr. Azik, who called him once.
— If you think you are really in a complicated state, you should check it out for yourself. — Azik advised, perhaps from personal experience.
— I think I know something that can help you with your problem.
— Even if I don't remember everything, I know that there are divination methods that you should know better than me, such as Tarot. That is not my area, so I cannot perform divination at the same level as others on the Pathway of Seer.
— Some time ago, I tried to see my past, but I had no luck and so I tried to divine about other things.
— Until I tried to see your destiny.
— But as soon as I divined, I thought I no longer had a mind, I only felt a horrible sensation, as if I was beyond death from so much pain... Horror and something else confusing. I only saw a totally strange jumble of terrifying gray, my vision twisted in a confusing and horrifying way. The world disappeared from under my feet and then... I must have lost consciousness or something...
— I don't remember. I could barely remember that this had happened.
Notes:Audrey sighed tiredly, her feet hurt a little from having to stand for so long, although she was quite used to it.
Finally being able to sit down on a seat was a huge relief, especially after almost a whole day on her feet.
Sometimes it seemed better to disappear, but she wouldn't do that, she had a lot to accomplish!
And now I also have the Tarot Club, so I can't weaken! Besides, it's not so necessary to look for that bunch of Psychology Alchemists yet, I can wait a bit... — her eyes were as bright as usual, however there was the imperceptible clear observation.
That was a meeting she already participated in that was related to small information from the Beyonders world, with people who had no idea of the total danger most of the time.
Even if it was small, maybe she could find something useful.
Glaint was sitting in front of her, so ready to tell her everything.
— Miss Hall, it really is impressive how vast the supernatural world is, sometimes I think I'm even dreaming something dazzling and incredible... — he admitted frankly, his icy-toned pupils sparkling a little.
His dull copper hair fell tied with a ribbon in a low ponytail over his shoulder, looking a little too dreamy and naive in Audrey's eyes.
She, who had heard terrible stories about the Beyonder world and especially the reality of the young Sol who would lose his parents in a few days, knew that reality was something worse than a nightmare, one from which she could never wake up.
It was a hole of unimaginable horror, which she feared and preferred not to think about too much, otherwise she would end up crazy.
Audrey raised the corners of her mouth millimetrically, pretending to nod slightly.
— You know, I think so too. It's such a spectacular thing that I don't even know how many mysteries there are in this world anymore. — she said, her voice as cordial as ever.
Glaint was smiling this time, even though he was reserved, and he hurried to say something as expected:
— You know, the other day a certain incredible Beyonder I know told me that strange rumors are circulating at sea...
— Vice Admiral Edwina Edwards made an alliance with another unknown sailor, who had a ship that should no longer exist, something related to the Beyonder world!
Feigning shock, Audrey couldn't help but laugh in her own heart.
This could only be The Hanged Man from the Tarot Club, who gave this news a long time ago!
— Wow, could it be a ghost ship like the one in the legend of the Flying Loenes? — she asked, genuinely interested in knowing.
She had finally found possible traces of the Tarot Club members in the world, even though the chance of it being The Hanged Man wasn't very high.
Glaint seemed to think the same thing, as he made a thoughtful expression.
He continued:
— Maybe... Who knows? Furthermore, there are stories of lost sailors who say they were lost on the high seas in the Sea Sonia in the midst of terrifying storms that seemed like punishment from the gods, but when they woke up they could no longer distinguish dreams from reality...
— They went crazy! They said they had seen a land made of silver, where the will of the gods was! They spoke of a Promised Land, unfounded by dormant blessings... Or they simply became catatonic, not remembering who they were or thinking they were other people.
— Very bizarre, but it seems to be just a fisherman's legend.
Audrey was intrigued and suspicious of the legend, as unrealistic as it seemed, it could still be true!
Even so, it was a very shallow description, so it would be better to ask at the next Tarot Club meeting just in case.
It never hurt to just be curious about it at least, and it wouldn't be that dangerous since she would ask directly to the other experienced members who certainly knew something.
She sighed internally, deciding that she would try to satisfy her own curiosity at least a little.
— It's so strange how a person can lose their rationality because of this... Maybe it was sunstroke or just the result of isolation at sea... — Audrey replied, her focus however on her own thoughts.
She continued:
— You know, I've also heard similar things, but here in the areas of the Backlund outskirts. Unfortunately, this even seems to be something common... People losing their senses because they're looking for the mysterious.
It wasn't a lie, the loss of control was something that would always happen at some point or another to someone in a big place, especially when it came to Backlund.
And Audrey preferred to warn indirectly, otherwise Glaint could end up going crazy with his boundless curiosity.
— Really? What would the mysterious thing be? — Glaint asked naively.
— I don't know either... You know, and the person who told me this is a very experienced person. He warned me not to be so curious, otherwise I would end up not being myself anymore. — Audrey covered up her information, covered up truths.
Her serious look wasn't even real, but even so, the same feelings she conveyed were.
Glaint swallowed hard, nodding his head, very confused:
— Uh... I'll be careful... Thank you very much for warning me.
— I'm glad you consider my words! — Audrey's light smile returned to her face.
He had fallen into her trap!
As much as she felt bad about using him, it would be necessary to expand her information network later.
Her plan consisted of just making him have more confidence in her Beyonder knowledge, a rather simple thing since she had known him for some time.
Of course, she had only spoken politically with him, nothing like a friend or anything like that.
However, Audrey had been talking about the mysterious world with him for some time and had been gaining his trust, it was a matter of time until she was introduced to the Beyonder he knew, but she preferred to speed up this process.
That's right... His expressions changed as if he felt grateful, so it must have worked! Now I just need to keep going like this. — she thought excitedly, even though it didn't show on her face at all.
Glaint lowered his eyes, a little embarrassed for not knowing that.
— You know, this is all so wonderful that I might have been too curious... Ah, the Beyonder powers always seemed so cool. People who can do everything, like having cantat powers or falling from unimaginable heights and surviving.
— You know, Viscount Glaint, I never imagined the world would be so strange, but isn't that an interesting thing? Even if it is of course dangerous. — Audrey's tone was so gracious.
— You really share my point of view!
— I've already decided, the next day we meet, I'll introduce you to the Beyonder I told you about, a person who can walk through walls!
Audrey was astonished inside.
I am indeed a good Spectator, but wasn't that too fast…?! — She felt proud of her abilities, but she was also very confused.
...
Klein's expression became somewhat complicated.
He had immediately remembered the spiritual warning he had received when he wanted to try to divine about the gray mist or about Klein, so he had left that choice out of his possible options.
Because of the risks of trying to pry into the unknown, he would wait until he recovered his memories or until he was in a high enough Sequence to divine about it.
But now, if even Mr. Azik, who could certainly be a Demigod, had suffered because of this, then the matter was at the very least untouchable.
And just thinking about divining about himself made those sharp spiritual warnings ring like a noisy, strange bell.
— You don't remember everything about the divination... Mr. Azik, I knew there was something wrong with this for some time...When I tried to do it, my spirituality started to beep. — Klein admitted, his thoughts as deep as they were varied, several ideas coming every second.
His voice almost stopped:
— Actually, I tried to divine because I may... Have forgotten important things.
— You forgot?
Klein blinked, wanting to laugh, but he gave up, because it could seem too absurd or lunatic.
— Yeah. I can't remember things that seem important... Very important people. Or even much of my childhood up until now, which the memories seem clearer. — His smile seemed a little calm, hiding his high depreciation.
The rest on Earth would not speak, not so directly.
This was something he would take to the grave, he would never even think of mentioning this kind of thing, not even if his own life or her beyond death depended on it.
About the transmigration, he already had all kinds of excuses and lies ready, well-crafted and full of layers, in case someone for some disconcerting reason found out or tried to find out about it.
But for Azik, Klein was sure he could trust himself to say a little, without mentioning transmigration or another world.
— I can't even remember my parents, just a little, and Benson and Melissa I can remember quite well. I only remember one person from a long time ago. But even that seems very far from remembering anyone.
— He was blond and older than me, at least fourteen or more years old... Or maybe he had black hair... He must have been blond? It doesn't matter... But I also only remember that from his features... His name, his face and most of what I knew simply seems too hazy, as if he had never existed, as if all these people without a face or history had never crossed my path.
— blond, I think. He was important to me, I'm sure of that at least.
Azik seemed to understand what he was talking about, every strange feeling of forgetfulness, that emptiness in his heart of something incessantly missing with every step, with every sigh and word, that feeling never went away.
He looked at him with a deep familiarity among the natural kindness he possessed, the kind that only came from someone who had the same doubt.
— It's okay... Even if you don't remember that person's face, you will always have the guarantee that your relative cared. That's enough if you want to remember him. — He assured, his golden eyes, victims of life, lowered until they turned to Klein.
— I hope so, but I'm not sure anymore. — Klein's face was already more devoid of feelings, a meaningless laugh wanting to come out.
Losing memories was an inconstant, very strange thing. Something so confusing that he didn't even want to think about it too much.
It might seem like something important and strange at the same time, a place with meanings loaded with memories, someone he couldn't forget for anything in the world, but they did it for a reason.
And the only question that remained was the question of whether it was true or imagination, the fear that his own mind was playing tricks on him.
Klein hoped not.
Azik slowly drank his tea again, his eyes a little cloudy as if memories were coming to his mind.
— Sometimes, people like us are born for different reasons. This has the risk of killing us more than helping us. That's why I think the problem with your destiny is not external, perhaps it is you who is unconsciously interfering with others' ability to divine your story. Even your memory may be due to something related to the Seer Pathway and you.
— Even though I don't remember much, I know that the Seer Pathway tends to have a lot to do with horror and the... Bizarre. Your powers are at least strange and bizarre in higher sequences...
Klein couldn't help but understand what Azik meant completely.
He might not exactly be a Sequence 9 Seer, but he had already had some suspicions about it from a long time ago.
Unfortunately, he could never confirm them by any means. His divination was useless in this case, the gray mist was an unsolvable mystery and he really had no idea what was happening to himself.
— It's too risky to look for it now, especially in Tingen. I can only wait until things calm down. — Klein said, his thoughts in turmoil.
Perhaps, he really could never get any real closure on this matter.
Still, it was worth looking for some information. The gray mist or the Seer Pathway might be a starting point; he just had to wait a little.
— Now that I think about it, I remember that a certain person saved me from losing control a while ago… He said I was in a terrible state, even though I didn't realize it myself.
— But I'm getting better now, so… I should be more in control over time.
— I insist that you worry about it. — Azik replied, his voice as light as it was calm.
Klein was pretty sure that even if he wanted to 'get better' or something, there was no way he could do it. He didn't even know if it was that bad.
There was only a large gap in several memories, names, and more, but that could still be recovered.
If he continued to advance, at some point he might be able to solve this or find something that could solve his partial amnesia problem.
And if there was no way... No, no.
The Beyonder world is huge. With so many mysteries and secrets, perhaps there is something hidden that can help... A Sealed Artifact, some power of the Way of the Seer, some ritual, even the gray mist... Yes, even that or the existence of the mist, if I find out, my mind might recover...
Should I start with the strange book that was always above the mist or the wolves? Could they help...?
Uh... I can't focus on that right now. When I have time, I'll see what I can find out with this. — Klein sighed inwardly, this time more convinced to do something about it than before.
Azik gave him a soft smile and asked:
— Klein, could you divine about my past? — That is, if it doesn't cause you any problems.
— No. That shouldn't be a problem. — Klein replied, taking a tarot deck he carried with him from one of the inside pockets of his suit.
As soon as he took the deck out and placed it on the table, the first card that fell was that of a deity in a black top hat, a dog with all-black fur at his side.
With no expression at all, he put it back in the deck with a cold shiver that ran through his entire body.
As much as this always happened, he never stopped being confused by this absurd thing ever since.
He shuffled them again in order, placing them in front of him on the table.
— Mr. Azik, this is a method of seeing both the present and the past and the future... Cut the deck in half, please.
And so he did, taking the tarot deck and dividing it in two, returning them to the same place as before.
Klein blinked, doing what was supposed to be done unconsciously.
He just picked up the deck as if it were routine, taking out three cards and placing them on the table.
When Klein turned the cards over, he could only see a skull in the center of the three cards, its black and gold robes not like the sun, but dull and the dark tone seemed withered, empty and deep like a beautiful rose that had lost its vitality.
It was Death.
The three cards were the same.
He was immediately stunned, frowning slightly in confusion.
What...?
Past, present and future...
Three of the same? — Klein almost made an unnatural expression.
He must have finally gone completely crazy to see three identical tarot cards in the same deck.
— What's the problem? — Azik noticed his obvious stop the moment he looked at the cards.
Klein said nothing, just silently turning the three cards over so that his teacher could see the problem for himself.
Azik looked at the letter with confusion almost overflowing from his face, a sigh left his mouth:
— Death...
Klein turned the cards over again and pulled out the middle one, which represented the present of time.
Once again, that skull in black and gold robes appeared for Azik's destiny.
— The Pathway of Corpse Collector and The Death… Divination is very strange. — Klein muttered, leaving the cards in Azik's hands once more.
Although Klein's visions were not omnipotent, they were not entirely inaccurate, just very confusing, like those tarot cards marked by The Fool.
That was an impossible event, but Klein had always believed that miracles could be real sometimes.
It made him think every time.
— It certainly is a very unique kind of precision. — Azik joked, even though he must have been more confused than Klein himself.
Perhaps he was trying to distract himself, but he seemed more like he wanted to calm Klein down.
Looking at his teacher once more, Klein almost stumbled over his words for some reason:
— Uh… Yeah. Really.
Suddenly, Klein looked at the cards on the table again.
The other two cards were one of a hermaphrodite under a starry sky and the other of a deity with a splendid top hat.
Klein almost cursed.
The Fool and The World, respectively, were too unlucky for someone like him to see.
Maybe I was simply born cursed after all. — he said self-deprecatingly, not even wanting to divine anymore.
He would definitely take the Fool tarot card, without a shadow of a doubt.
Apparently, his destiny or something disconcerting was insistently linked to him and that tarot card.
Well, there's nothing I can do about it. So I can only accept everything... — His smile became a little lighter, imperceptibly.
— Mr. Azik, I have one last thing I wanted to ask you. — Klein said, his words like the cold and serene night.
His teacher, who was still staring at the Death card fixedly, nodded slightly, raising his face with that same expression.
Amidst so many problems, inexplicable situations connected directly by an invisible thread must have a reason.
From what started it all, from the original Klein to the connections with the Seer's path and the Antigonus case, all of them could have something to do with each other or nothing at all.
Points that were certainly not coincidences, at least not the majority, were simply too big to be anything more than mere events.
And so, Klein could never even try to think that nothing was coming, that at least a bloodbath or something worse was about to come.
At least a calamity would fall from the heavens.
He in turn took the Fool's card in his hands, which was as cold as ever.
His yellow eyes wandered over the image painted in dark tones, a deity beneath the card whose mouth was curved Very deep, just like Klein's voice:
— Can you really accept what is coming?