Somewhere in the Fog Sea, west of Feynapotter, the sea surface, perpetually shrouded in a thin mist, suddenly stirred with a gale, swirling the mist into a deep, dark vortex.
Inside the vortex, there seemed to be countless unreal passages, interwoven into a dense and complex spiderweb, like a collection of 'doors' connecting various places on this planet.
A flash of distorted starlight appeared, and a giant head burst out from the vortex.
After detaching from the vortex, the head rapidly collapsed, disintegrating into countless tiny mechanical parts, then reassembled into the form of an old man wearing a white priest's robe and a soft clerical hat.
The left half of his body was flesh and blood, while the right half was composed of various machinery, with one, no, half a face, very gentle and benevolent, similar to Horamick Haydn, but younger, making the whole appear sinister and absurd.
He floated in mid-air, unaffected by gravity, constantly surveying his surroundings, not missing any detail.
After a long while, he seemed to confirm something, retracting his gaze and muttering to himself, "There is an anomaly in the space here; a hidden sea area exists. The power belonging to my Lord should be sealed here."
He looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and prayed for a while with an exceptionally devout posture.
Then, he controlled his body to descend, standing on the sea surface. Silently, the surrounding sea became extraordinarily heavy, as if poured with cement, unable to stir even a single ripple.
His eyes then turned azure, reflecting a brilliant and changing cosmos, with starlight interweaving into mysterious symbols within his eyes.
In this state, his perception of space and dimensions deepened. He could lock onto and correct the orbits between the stars, and he could easily see and find the hidden channel hidden in the void.
"Any seal has a 'door,' and a 'Navigator' is very good at finding those hidden 'doors.'"
As he muttered, the surrounding space peeled away layer by layer before him, revealing its most true and fundamental state.
Soon, he sensed the hidden sea area; it was right here, beneath his feet.
The seal here was more complex than he had imagined. Even a Saint skilled in this area would find it difficult to make sense of it for a while.
He planned to leave temporarily, waiting for an opportune moment when the seal here would be at its weakest.
Suddenly, his inspiration was touched. He discovered a loophole, one that seemed to have appeared due to the passage of time and internal impacts within the seal.
Through this loophole, he could open a hidden aisle leading to the sealed sea area.
"Praise the Stars!"
Amidst devout praise, the surrounding gravity and electromagnetism became chaotic. The calm, waveless sea surface suddenly churned with layers of giant waves, rising higher and higher, reaching into the sky, forming a 'door' guarded by flowing water.
Inside the 'door,' a vortex gradually formed, deepening downwards until it became pitch black, as if plunging into the lightless seabed.
A huge suction force emanated from within the 'door,' drawing in the figure clad in a white priest's robe, half flesh and half machine.
After this figure disappeared, a brilliant cosmos suddenly appeared, dispelling the mist over the sea.
Beams of 'light' condensed from pure and complex information descended from the cosmos, then plunged into the 'door' guarded by seawater.
Within the historical mist, relying on the attraction from the historical light spots related to the City of Silver, Klein finally gathered most of the Worms of Spirit that had split off.
Countless transparent worms emerged from this historical light spot, converging into a deep, dark vortex of worm.
Under the attraction between Beyonder characteristic, more and more Worms of Spirit gathered.
When only the last portion remained, countless slippery tentacles extended from the slowly rotating wormvortex, reaching into various parts of the historical mist, grabbing the concealed Worms of Spirit and stuffing them back into the vortex.
During this process, he saw the Hounds of Fulgrim hidden in the historical mist. They were concealed everywhere, seemingly fearing him and guarding him.
One of these Hounds of Fulgrim was somewhat different; its short, black fur was very long, like a black cloak, and only two burning dark red flames were visible, along with a mouth that extended all the way to the back of its head.
This was a Hound of Fulgrim that had completed itself, possessing complete Characteristics, equivalent to a Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore.
Seemingly noticing Klein's gaze, this Hound of Fulgrim bowed in a very human-like manner, as if saluting Klein.
As all the Worms of Spirit were retrieved, Klein's body became whole again. At this moment, he became He, an angel walking on earth, an existence that could be called a Subordinate Deity in ancient history.
It was also at this moment that he finally experienced the feeling of advancing to an angel, as described by Roselle in his diary.
He felt a trace of a certain will awakening within him, that primitive, mad instinct originating from Beyonder characteristic, as well as the prayers of the 'Sea God' and The Fool's believers, and the residents of the City of Silver and Moon City in his ears, and the awe of the Hounds of Fulgrim hidden in the historical mist towards him.
They are all my anchors. Chaotic, complex; in a sense, faith is also a form of corruption. But it happens to counteract the terrifying will gradually awakening within me and the primitive, mad instinct originating from Beyonder characteristic, allowing me to maintain myself in this delicate balance.
As thoughts floated, Klein exited the historical mist and returned to Sefirah Castle, suppressing the gray fog that had been stirred up by his advancement.
"Indeed, Sefirah Castle's reaction was significant after I advanced to an angel. Fortunately, I was prepared in advance and didn't let Sefirah Castle's anomaly last too long, otherwise Amon might have come looking."
As he muttered, Klein clearly felt that this gray fog was completely under his control, as if it had become an extension of his body, which also meant that Sefirah Castle was completely under his control.
In a sense, at the deepest and highest part of the Spirit World, the seven clear lights that seemed to eternally hover there briefly solidified for a very short moment, then returned to normal.
In the underground of Saint Samuel Cathedral in Backlund, Leonard, who was reading a telegram from the Tranquil Church headquarters, suddenly paused. Pallez's aged voice echoed in his ears:
"Sefirah Castle!"
Leonard remained silent, quietly waiting for Pallez's next words.
After a long while, he heard Pallez's voice again:
"The Fool has recovered more of his strength. Perhaps soon, there will be a struggle between Him and Amon to determine the ultimate ownership of Sefirah Castle."
"Cherish the current peaceful time; it won't last much longer."
Leonard frowned, quickly organizing his thoughts, then asked, "Old man, what is Sefirah Castle?"
Pallez sighed and said without much concealment:
"I don't know either, because I have never seen it, and no one has ever truly seen it."
"This name first came from 'Annihilation Demonic Wolf' Flegrea. According to my grandfather's account, it is something Above the Sequence, and there are nine of them. And Sefirah Castle belongs to the three pathways I am on."
"When I advanced to an angel, I sensed it, but I couldn't establish a connection, so I can confirm the existence of Sefirah Castle."
"Perhaps, you have already seen Sefirah Castle, more than once."
Leonard opened his mouth, somewhat bewildered, and pressed, "What do you mean?"
"The place where you gather every week is very likely Sefirah Castle."
After a brief reply, Pallez fell silent again.
In the palace on the main peak of the Hornacis Mountains, slippery tentacles slapped restlessly around.
On the highest seat in the palace, the young man whose cheeks were covered in coarse, black short fur like wolf bristles frowned slightly, as if he could awaken from eternal slumber at any moment.
On an uninhabited island south of the Sonia Sea, in an ancient temple built of grayish-white megaliths.
Amon sat before a fresco depicting towering mountains, a giant cross, numerous lights, and angels, with a constantly flipping Trunsoest Brass Book beside him. He looked up at a certain spot in the sky with a smile in his eyes, muttering, "The aura of Sefirah Castle. It seems The Fool has completely mastered Sefirah Castle. I must also speed up my progress."
Then he looked at the constantly flipping Trunsoest Brass Book on the floor beside him and asked aloud:
"What have you decided? If you had cooperated earlier, I would have already entered Sefirah Castle by now, and you, of course, would have the chance to control a 'Balancer,' or even a 'Hand of Order,' and truly come alive."
"As time passes, the stakes I offer will only decrease."
"Don't play dead. He has given you enough wisdom through his authority in the mental domain. Or do you prefer to be corroded by Depravity power?"
The brass-colored book suddenly stopped flipping, and silver-white characters appeared on the blank pages:
"The Trunsoest Brass Book is sacred and inviolable. Any act of fraud, damage, or corruption against the Trunsoest Brass Book shall be subject to the most severe punishment."
"The place where the Trunsoest Brass Book is stored is also sacred and must not be damaged. Violators shall be subject to the most severe punishment."
Near the central Highland of Intis, in the great hall of a hidden ancient palace, elegantly dressed noble ladies, well-dressed gentlemen, robust Sailors, and servants hung from the ceiling like dried cured meat.
At a certain moment, these hanging corpses, as well as the crows flying or perched on nearby branches and rooftops, all turned simultaneously, looking towards a certain spot in the sky, uttering high or low sounds:
"Sefirah Castle!"