The shadowy Pallez shook his head. "Why bother telling this kid all that? He's got a wooden head... won't understand a thing."
Pallez's tone was light, clearly unbothered by the idea of Leonard reporting him. After all, Pallez had chosen Leonard as his host partly because, if push came to shove, he could defect to the Evernight Goddess. If Leonard did report him, Pallez would, at worst, switch sides and become an angel under the Goddess... a far from terrible outcome.
"I think Leonard's brain works just fine. It's just that you, old man, keep giving him advice, acting as his external brain, so his own's gone rusty from disuse." Alaric quipped, delivering a classic Lord of Mysteries jab.
"My fault, then." Pallez retorted, glancing at Leonard, who sat there, visibly shaken, lost in thought.
Pallez sighed but offered no comfort. He knew Leonard needed to process this himself. Being a blind zealot for the Evernight Goddess would only spell trouble.
Instead, Pallez turned to Alaric with a chuckle. "You know more secrets than I expected. Did your Lord tell you all this?"
"Of course not. My Lord is benevolent, but he's not my tutor. I learned these things from Mr. Lucifer." Alaric said, shaking his head.
"Lucifer?" Pallez perked up at the unfamiliar name. "He's a follower of the Lord of Chaos too?"
"Mr. Lucifer is my Lord's favored one." Alaric replied, pausing for effect with a mix of awe and something unreadable in his expression. "He gives me the same vibe as Amon, but he's not Amon."
That conversation about Lucifer had ended there, and Pallez hadn't expected to hear the name again... especially from an old friend like Bethel.
"It seems you do know Lucifer." Bethel said, catching the shift in Pallez's expression with certainty.
"Not exactly know." Pallez replied, shaking his head without concealing anything. "I only heard the name from my descendant. Lucifer is a favored one of the Lord of Chaos."
"The Lord of Chaos?" Bethel, unfamiliar with the name, raised an eyebrow.
"His honored name is…" Pallez paused, clearly using some extraordinary ability to ensure his prayer wouldn't directly invoke the Lord of Chaos. "Great Lord of Chaos; You are the Retrograde of Time; You are the Shadow of the World, the Embodiment of Delight."
"As for more about this Lord of Chaos, I don't know much." Pallez continued, looking at Mr. Door probingly. "But I spoke with one of his followers before. That follower said the Lord aims to facilitate the birth of the Lord of Mysteries. When I asked who he favored, the follower said it was you."
This was, of course, a test. Pallez was deeply curious about how Bethel Abraham, once corrupted by an Outer Deity and stripped of his autonomy, had returned to normal.
Could the Lord of Chaos purge an Outer Deity's corruption?
Pallez's heart raced at the thought. As far as he knew, only a Pillar-level existence could achieve such a feat.
But was that possible? A Pillar appearing out of nowhere?
Yet something even more impossible was unfolding before him… Pallez studied Mr. Door again, his mind swirling with thoughts.
"Old friend, the way you're looking at me makes me feel like some rare gem." Bethel remarked. Though unaware of Pallez's exact thoughts, he could guess. He offered no explanation, only saying pointedly, "I don't know this Lord of Chaos, but I suspect his authority might indeed be tied to time."
Pallez froze, instantly recalling the "Retrograde of Time" in the Lord of Chaos's honored name. His expression grew stranger as his thoughts raced.
Bethel, however, had no intention of continuing the conversation. He glanced at the shadowy Pallez. "I have an appointment with someone else, so we'll end here for today. Until next time, Pallez." With that, Mr. Door vanished as abruptly as he'd appeared.
"Spatial abilities sure are convenient. Wonder who he's meeting…" Pallez mused, his eyes glinting with contemplation. Today's events were far too unexpected, and even the seasoned Pallez struggled to process them.
After a long pause, Pallez let out a breath and turned to Leonard, who had been sitting in a daze, his senses blocked by Pallez during the conversation. Now that the block was lifted, Leonard blinked confusedly. "Old man, was someone here just now? I thought I saw a guy dressed all fancy and shiny…"
"You were dreaming." Pallez dismissed casually, chuckling as he recalled Bethel's gem-encrusted outfit.
All these years, and that guy's still obsessed with gems. Some things never change.
…
"Welcome back, Mr. Bethel. Right on time." Alaric said, unsurprised, as he snapped his pocket watch shut and smiled.
Bethel studied the black-haired, golden-eyed man before him. After a moment, he said, "There's a dangerous power within you."
Ordinary angels might not notice, but as an King of Angel with authority over sealing, Bethel vaguely sensed something perilous sealed within this man.
"I'm curious... how do I look in your eyes?" Alaric asked with genuine interest, a question he'd long pondered.
"…Chaos, darkness, danger." Bethel replied after a few seconds of silence, his tone serious. "But I must say, your disguise is impressive. Without my sealing authority, I'd probably mistake you for an ordinary mortal."
***
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