Upon hearing The Fool's question, Audrey perked up her ears and entered her Spectator state. She waited for The Sun to answer.
She had always been curious about where the City of Silver was and what was so special about that place, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. It touched upon his privacy after all.
At that moment, Mr. Fool was asking personally. It was like finishing the first volume of an outstanding detective novel she had been reading for a long time, and she finally had the chance to buy the next volume!
The Sun's answer didn't disappoint her. They didn't believe in the mainstream seven orthodox deities, nor did they believe in Death as the Southern Continent did. They also didn't believe in the hidden existences, evil gods or devils—Primordial Demoness, Hidden Sage, Dark Side of the Universe, Chained God, or the True Creator—which The Hanged Man had told her before.
The City of Silver is really special! They actually worship the Creator Himself! This is the primordial worship that Mr. Hanged Man described, right? Hmm, the description of omnipotence is a little strange… Audrey stole a glance at The Hanged Man subconsciously and realized that he was nodding slightly.
And then, the first time during the meeting, Amon opened his mouth and spoke his first words, "A wonderful choice."
All four pairs of eyes turned towards Mr. Lover's seat, not even the gray fog could hide their curiosity over what he had just said.
What did he mean by 'a wonderful choice'?
"The Forsaken Land of Gods… that is what your land is known by right now." Amon hummed thoughtfully, "Even though many believe that The Creator and your God has already long abandoned you- yet you and your people still continue to pray to him and believe in his benevolence. That is certainly very praiseworthy as well as noble."
Derrick looked directly towards Amon, "Mr. Lover… what did you mean by 'believe' so? Are you perhaps…" Derrick couldn't keep the faint hope out of his voice, "Insinuating that might not be the case?"
"Then…" Audrey piped in, "The Forsaken Land of Gods has been named wrongly?"
Amon smiled, "I'm afraid not Ms. Justice, that land has truly been abandoned and destroyed by these so-called 'Gods'. But-" He turned towards Little Sun, "-It wasn't abandoned by The Creator."
That…
What?
The Hanged Man, Ms. Justice, and Little Sun all turned towards the seat of honor in an attempt to ascertain whether the information provided by Mr. Lover was truly correct- not that they doubted Mr. Lover's words but… the news was still a little hard to digest.
After all… all of this was some lore they knew nothing about nor expected a mere mortal to know about.
And Klein… was equally as taken aback by Amon's words as the others. Although the multiple of books he had read from Amon's library as Klein had been about The Creator and some of the lost history of the 4th Epoch- none of them had information like this.
The rest of the Tarot Gathering saw Mr. Fool's impassive face and confirmed that whatever Mr. Lover must have been saying was likely true as Mr. Fool said nothing.
"I-" Derrick was speechless, "We… we believed that we would regain the Lord's favor in the end. Perhaps, it will be on the day the sun rises again," Derrick Berg answered in an uncertain tone. "We were once ruled by the giants' royal family, and we worshiped the Giant King Aurmir. Later, we were saved by the Lord and we will never betray the Lord again."
Ruled by the Giant's Royal family…
This proves just how ancient this piece of history was.
But Alger couldn't help but think that many things did not match with the knowledge he had gained from the Church of Storm about the Second Epoch.
The Second Epoch was also known as humanity's Dark Epoch. At the time, the sky, ocean, and land were ruled over by dragons, giants, elves, mutants, devils, phoenixes, demonic wolves, and dead spirits. But in the end, the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom led humanity into defeating the supernatural creatures and ushered in the beginning of the Third Epoch, the Glorious Era, which was later known as Cataclysm.
Amon, who could read Alger's mind, chuckled darkly.
The lies of the Orthodox churches never failed to amuse him…
"Yes, The Creator was the one who defeated the Ancient Gods and ushered a new era- the third epoch. He went by another name at that time- The Ancient Sun God." Amon spoke casually.
While Derrick tried to soak up all the new knowledge like a sponge- Audrey, Alger, and even Klein in an extension could feel their hair rise up in warning.
Huh?
It was this Ancient Sun God who defeated the old gods and brought forth the new epoch? But that went completely against what the churches taught the masses!
"The Ancient Sun God then became the one and only Orthodox God, and under him, humans walked out of the shadow of other races and became the dominant race of the land. He ruled over his own land known as the City of Silver- which is now currently known as The Forsaken Land of Gods." Amon continued, "All of that can be directly blamed upon the Angels and Gods under his command- specifically the three known as the White Angel, the Wind Angel, and Wisdom Angel- or better known as, Aucuses The Eternal Blazing Sun, Leodero The Lord of Storms and Herabergen The God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
"Does that answer your question, Little Sun?" Amon asked gently.
"But- why would they- why would they betray The Lord?!" Derrick couldn't help but exclaim at such information. "We were taught about them alongside The Creator- none of the books or elders say that they-" Derrick shit himself up, he couldn't snap at someone like Mr. Amon and especially not in front of The Fool during a Tarot Gathering.
"I also… can't seem to comprehend all this new knowledge…" Audrey bit out slowly.
"Same here." Alger nodded, a little lightheaded.
'Neither can I.' Klein agreed in his mind.
Amon understood- how could they possibly comprehend something this blasphemous that went against everything they believed in throughout their lives? Even Amon had found himself confused and unable to comprehend his feelings for his dearest Mr. Fool the first time around and in his confusion and refusal to look at the truth in the eyes and understand his love he spent years away from Klein… precious years he could have spent with him before his inevitable demise. Not that he regretted meeting his friend-
The only ones Amon blamed were the three backstabbers in question- as well as the other gods and angels who couldn't even protect his father they had sworn their loyalty to and were also secretly praying the demise of for their own greedy hunger for power.
"Isn't there a popular saying by Emperor Roselle that went something like- History is made by the victors."
The victors here are the current Orthodox Gods.
Amon smiled at their hesitation, good. Hesitation was good- it meant that they were unsure were doubting their own beliefs and had started questioning everything.
"So… The Lord is… really dead?" Little Sun's hopeless voice broke the thick air between them.
"No," Amon reassured, "Do you truly think that someone with as much power and intelligence as The Ancient Sun God who defeated all the ancient gods had no backup plans? There is not much I can tell you now about this without you all being in danger of going out of control- but all I can say is that your people's decision of continuing to believe in the Creator is what has allowed your survival all these years."
"Will "He" … return to us in the future?"
"Yes."
"Is that faith?"
"No," Amon smiled, "It's a promise."
Somehow none of the people gathered at the Tarot Gathering could doubt his words- not when Mr. Lover spoke them with such confidence.
"Also," Amon turned to the rest of the members present there, "What I've told you today about is one of the most guarded secrets by the current orthodox churches- and Gods have a tendency to know when you know things you aren't supposed to. Over here we were safe discussing these topics due to Mr. Fool's unmatched powers to obscure us from prying eyes, but even knowing this information your head in the physical world would cause a start lightning strike to hit you-" and before Audrey, Alger and Klein could panic he chuckled and reassured, "But since it was me who provided you with this information you did not ask for- I shall take responsibility and I can assure you safety. I would hate for someone like Mr. Fool to clean up after this poor lowly servant after all. Of course, do try to not say their names out loud nor utter a single word about this topic anywhere which is not here in the future- that kind of direct name-calling is something not even I can find bugs around. Of course, Little Sun is of no immediate danger unlike Ms. Justice and The Hanged Man as the orthodox gods rarely cast their eyes upon the Land Forsaken By Gods but he should too avoid talking about this."
Audrey, Derrick, and Alger remained silent for a moment before Audrey respectfully asked, "What can we give back to you in exchange for all this information?"
Alger and Derrick nodded at her words-
This kind of information… it was almost priceless. They even doubted whether they could pay anything of equal value back in exchange.
Amon chuckled, "Don't worry about that, I long promised myself to provide the members of this gathering with basic knowledge about the world. And if that does not lift the weight off your heart consider this paid off by the danger I have now placed upon you by the knowledge of this topic."
"That's… extremely generous of you, Mr. Lover," Alger said honestly.
Audrey and Derrick nodded along.
Mr. Lover was truly the most kind and generous being on this planet! Of course only after the great Mr. Fool that is.
Speaking of The Fool- Klein tapped on the long bronze table in order to get attention and announced in a low cold tone, "This gathering has been long enough now, if no one has any more to add or ask then this gathering shall end."
"Praise The Fool!"
With a shimmer of the gray fog- the figures of the members disappeared- leaving all but Amon and Klein behind.
Amon tilted his head in faux innocence as he asked in a playful voice, "Does Mr. Fool require my presence? This lowly believer promises to satisfy his God." And if anyone out there points out that he had started talking like that Arrodes then well… that mirror didn't need to know. He was still stuck in some basement in some church probably cursing at Amon why he hadn't stolen and freed him yet.
Klein paused for a few long seconds in order to properly think of what to say and ask without giving his identity or lack of knowledge away.
"Mr. Lover…"
"Yes?"
"What was the real reason you told the rest about the truth about the third epoch?" Klein asked. Did Amon have some kind of hidden agenda? Of course, this could all stem from Amon being a kind-hearted young man who just wanted to spread the truth about the secrets his family has been keeping safe since god knows how long ago. But it still irked Klein…
The gray fog between them was thin, allowing Klein to faintly be able to make out Amon's expressions.
"As expected of the great Mr. Fool~" Amon hummed pleasantly, "I did have an agenda… I consider this more like an investment though."
Investment?
Klein looked at Amon curiously.
"Those Orthodox gods have made it quite hard to find allies for myself- a few days I can't even trust my own older brother. But the Tarot Gathering is something else, a group of open-minded individuals under a being such as Mr. Fool who allows thinking freely and promotes self-growth and supporting each other… not to mention the powers of the Sefirot are in a league of its own when the only other being, The Creator, who had authority over a Sefirot is currently… out of commission."
"And you want these people who had barely been Beyonders since a few weeks ago as your allies against Gods?" Klein couldn't help but ask.
Amon smiled.
"They're not just any group of young Beyonders, they are Mr. Fool's Beyonders."
"So you believe they can one day reach the level of Gods?" What a Blasphemous thought… no wonder the Amon family was called the family of blasphemers. Though it made sense… why would they respect the current gods and orthodox churches when they knew the truth? Even Klein had started feeling more and more unfaithful to his own church and faith…
'And I'm supposed to be a Nighthawk…' though he did not remember ever saying the name of the Goddess out loud or saying her prayers. Which now seemed like the best thing he might have accidentally done- especially with how he had realized that names contained a lot of power in the world of divinity. It only took the rest of the Tarot club one accidental interaction with some Artifact and now they were connected to the gray fog forever…
If the gods were really as power-hungry and vicious as Amon said then that meant Klein should stray clear of their path no matter what.
"Yes," Amon replied truthfully. After all, he had seen firsthand many of the Tarot members reaching heights of divinity at speeds one couldn't even imagine before.
'He has that much faith in my small little cult…' of course, Klein too had seen the potential in these gatherings- but to have someone like Amon who seemed to know a lot about the extraordinary world say this and even go as far as to say that they can reach the power of gods… it was something.
"I also apologize." Amon quickly said.
Hm?
For what?
"The mere fact that I dared to make use of this small gathering under Mr. Fool's interest is very disrespectful, not to mention it was for the cause of them supporting a god different from The Fool." Amon bowed his head low.
Klein's lovebird instinct almost made him rush towards Amon to raise his head, but rationality held him back and prevented him from losing his cover.
Yes, that was right. He was supposed to be an ancient dormant god who had just awakened after years of inactivity, any normal god would have seen this as a move against their authority and would have wasted no second in punishing the offender.
But the offender was Amon. And Klein was not like the other gods (because, well- first of all, he wasn't even a god at all.)
And… Klein understood Amon's point of view. He had no allies, no matter how much knowledge or power he possessed it surmounted to absolutely nothing when faced with literally almost the entirety of the divine population of this world. And what did he say, he couldn't even trust his own brother? That seemed like… such a lonely existence. As Amon's husband, it was his duty to stand beside him and support him in all his endeavors and plans.
Even if those plans meant taking down literal Gods- which Amon seemed quite confident about.
'Does he truly think that I'm that strong…? I can't even digest my Sequence 8 potion properly!' Klein lampooned in his heart.
"The gathering's purpose is to make use of each other and grow. You did nothing wrong." Klein relieved slowly, making sure to convey the indifference in his voice with his words, "Everyone in the Taror has a hidden selfish agenda to become stronger and gain backers- yours is just a little more… elaborate." He chuckled darkly just as he imagined a God would be. "As for the topic of faith… I am curious as to where it lies. After all you did say you wanted to be my believer." Was this technically two-timing? Was Amon cheating on him? No in this case it was him who was the side piece and the original one being cheated on was the Creator.
"The dealings between me and the situation with The Creator is merely just family business. As for who I serve…" Amon made sure to act as bashful and innocent as possible, not slacking off in the genuine and honest part as well, "There has only ever been The Fool."
It was true, Amon served no one- not even his father, not even that emperor, he had always only served himself. That was until Klein that is.
There has only ever been Klein…
Amon did not lie.
And Klein could feel that.
If Klein didn't have that much self-preservation he would have started playing with the tips of his hair giddily like a school girl with a crush- thankfully the gray fog (hopefully) covered up the flush in his cheeks.
It took everything in him to not break his cover with the, "Hm." A little less control and he would have squeaked…
"I also apologize for not sacrificing offerings during the past few days," Amon's head hung low once again.
"It is of no matter, you are busy with your wedding preparations and all after all." It did not matter whether he ate Amon's food at the Fool's seat or at home.
"The kindness and generosity of Mr. Fool knows no bounds." Amon smiled making Klein's heart almost thump out of his chest.
Why was he more flustered around Amon and his advances when he was above the gray fog? Was it because this time he knew that it wasn't misplaced love for Klein Moretti who had been replaced? Even though he still was a scam artist pretending to be a god and all… but it was different.
Unfortunately, Amon was in love it Klein Moretti- not The Fool. Or else that could possibly be the love triangle of the century.
Of course, the small girl crush having part of his mind couldn't help but pour out secretly in his thoughts, 'If he truly loved me then he should fall in love with The Fool too-!'
Of course, he knew that was not possible as his personality as Klein Moretti and his personality as The Fool who rules over the Gray Fog was completely different.
"Then let's end this discussion here," Klein said as he tapped his finger on the table like always.
Amon rose from his chair and gave a respectful bow, "Praise The Fool."
With a wave of Klein's hand, Amon's figure vanished from the gray fog and Klein was now left alone on his high back chair.
After a few seconds of silence, he opened his connection with Amon again and watched on the screen as Amon 'woke up' and went about his day.
He hesitated only for a few moments before resolving his mind- Amon had confessed his faith to him with such sincerity today, he would be a bad God to not reward him in some way… at least show him his favor.
So Klein extended his spirituality towards the screen and imagined his illusionary hand almost caressing Amon's soft curly hair- and there-
He could see the way Amon's body shivered slightly as he paused his activities.
With a satisfied smile, Klein finally left the gray fog.
At Amon's mansion,
Amon stood still in his place with a flushed face and weak knees as he felt familiar spirituality wash over him lovingly.
Ugh… does Klein really not know what this does to him!
Now he was horny-!
And he couldn't even call Klein over now since he would have to sleep to rejuvenate his spiritual reserves again…
This sucked.