What could Klein say? He collected himself and decided to change the topic. "So, who's the Creator's eldest son? Mr. Medici?"
If Amon was the younger son, there had to be at least one older one.
"Medici's an adopted son." Alaric corrected casually. "The eldest is Adam, the Angel of Imagination. You know him, right?"
Klein froze, then something clicked. "But isn't Adam the other half of City of Silver's Creator?"
Though he didn't know the full details, Klein had overheard Alaric and Medici's conversation last time and pieced together that Adam was the Creator's divine half.
"No conflict there!" Alaric said matter-of-factly. "Adam's the Creator's son and his avatar. It's not mutually exclusive."
Is this just how god-level beings operate? Klein was floored.
His brain shut down completely.
"You okay? Want an apple?" Alaric waved a hand in front of Klein's face, offering him one.
Klein took it numbly, biting into it and chewing mechanically before snapping out of it. He gave Alaric a wistful look. "I recall you saying Lucifer didn't want you knowing too much about high-level beings."
"That's true!" Alaric nodded, unfazed. "But I eavesdrop. Wouldn't you feel bad missing out on juicy gossip like that?"
Klein, one hand holding the apple, rubbed his forehead with the other. "Not that bad."
The gossip was too much... he could barely handle it.
"Oh, by the way, don't casually mention Adam's name." Alaric warned. "The Visionary pathway has the 'all that is spoken is known' trait, like Quill of Alzuhod. Say his name, and he'll sense it."
Klein jolted.
As if that wasn't enough, Alaric added leisurely, "But it doesn't really matter if you do. Adam's always blended into the air around us. Mentioning him or not, he's watching either way."
"What's that mean?" Klein asked, struggling.
"You know the old man's working with the True Creator, right? Well, Adam's part of that deal too. As his student, I'm naturally under extra scrutiny. And don't forget your role as the Lord of Mysteries's half-heir. As for Red…" Alaric bit into an apple he'd pulled from nowhere. "He died by Adam's hand. All three of us are on Adam's radar. Now that we're together, you think he's not paying close attention?"
Klein was speechless, a chill running down his spine.
Was everything he did being watched by Adam?
Alaric patted his shoulder like a seasoned veteran. "Don't overthink it. With all the people meddling in your fate, when are you not being watched? People like us are bound to be noticed. Just ignore them."
Oddly, the words calmed Klein. He thought of his already-tangled fate, of what Lucifer had said about his original destiny, and felt a strange sense of acceptance.
It was true... one more or one less meddler didn't matter much. No need to freak out over Adam.
On the bright side, maybe the Evernight Goddess was secretly watching, maybe even roping in allies like the Lord of Storm or the God of Steam and Machinery, tossing him a dream-clarity buff as a tip… Klein amused himself with the thought, chuckling.
It wasn't strange. Before his seven days of reflection, he might've struggled with this, but now he'd thought it through, numbed, and given up resisting.
Whatever happens, happens!
Alaric seemed to remember something and looked at Klein. "By the way, Sherlock, want to meet a new friend?"
"What new friend?" Klein asked instinctively.
"If all goes well, tonight's a full moon, so I can connect with Mr. Door. Want me to introduce you?" Alaric suggested eagerly. "You could join me for a lesson too."
No need to worry about Klein's identity being exposed... Alaric could clear it with Mr. Door beforehand.
"Lesson?" Klein hadn't expected that.
"Yeah, the old man's too busy to teach me lately, so he got me another tutor." Alaric said, shrugging. "Wanna sit in?"
Klein was tempted. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Sure."
…
That night...
When Klein entered the study, he found not just Alaric but Medici in a corner, scribbling furiously.
"Is Mr. Red contacting Mr. Door too?" Klein asked, curious about Medici's frantic writing.
"Red and Mr. Door are old acquaintances, not super close, but he's planning to say hi." Alaric replied casually.
Medici's presence was unexpected. He'd been writing in the study, and when Alaric tried to shoo him out, Medici asked why he needed the room. Alaric told the truth, and Medici said he hadn't seen Bethel in a while and wanted to catch up.
Alaric knew Medici wasn't just after a friendly chat... he likely wanted to observe Mr. Door's condition up close. After all, someone as corrupted by Outer Deities as Bethel, yet pulled back, was a rare case. Who wouldn't want a closer look?
Alaric didn't mind and agreed, which was why Medici was here.
"What're you writing? That's a lot of crumpled drafts…" Alaric glanced at the pile of paper balls by Medici's feet, curious.
"A speech." Medici said, clearly irritated, not at Alaric but at the unfinished draft. After pausing again, he burned the paper in frustration. "Sasrir asked me to write a speech for the reform… Tch!"
Though "sold" To Alaric, as they'd discussed, Medici couldn't abandon the reform for various reasons and was still following through.
Or rather, he had no choice. To become a god, he needed war, and this reform was his only shot before the apocalypse.
Alaric's interest piqued. He picked up a crumpled draft and scanned it. It was indeed a speech, urging resistance, uprising, and rebellion.
Honestly, Medici's writing was decent... highly rousing, though laced with biting sarcasm, likely his Hunter instinct to provoke sneaking through.
"Why'd this job fall to you?" Alaric asked, puzzled.
"Who else? The Serpent? Or maybe you expect those Aurora Order idiots to write it?" Medici snapped, visibly annoyed by the task.
***
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