Klein was back at his own house he shared with his siblings and sat down to write a letter to Mr. Azik.
After he wrote the salutation of "Dear Sir," he wrote about everything he had learned from the Tarot Gathering above the grey fog:
'I recently received news that one of the Seven Pirate Admirals, Rear Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos, has infiltrated Backlund. He carries a mystical item called the 'Creeping Hunger.' It provides an ability similar to a Shepherd, which is a Sequence 5 Beyonder that swallows different souls and obtains their corresponding powers. It's said that there is a limit to the number of souls that one can let out to graze, but the souls can be swapped out.
'Qilangos seems to have many Beyonder powers, and I'm not sure what he's trying to do in Backlund… The news I received suggested that he might be after a very important, very mystical item that could make Qilangos a High-Sequence Beyonder or as powerful as a High-Sequence Beyonder'
Klein fabricated his source of information to generally describe the situation with Qilangos, but it wasn't like Mr. Azik would look for a Nighthawk Captain to confirm it.
Klein didn't directly request assistance but made it seem like he brought up the subject casually to encourage Azik to be careful.
Regardless of whether Mr. Azik was willing to help, it wouldn't hurt to first lay the foundations! If Klein eventually needed to ask for help, it wouldn't appear out of the blue that way! Klein let out a breath slowly and started writing the main content of the letter.
'The mastermind behind all that has happened hasn't taken any further action, and I still haven't found any related clues.'
'The reason why I'm contacting you so suddenly is mainly to ask for your guidance regarding sacrificial rituals. I came across something like that during a recent mission...'
And after he was done, he put down the pen without signing his name and blew the copper whistle.
The whistle didn't produce a sound, but Klein's acute senses noticed that the surroundings had instantly turned cold.
He activated his Spirit Vision and saw that there were blurry yet glistening white bones surging out of his study desk like a fountain as it rose in height.
He handed his letter to the skeleton and watched as it disappeared.
After taking down the wall of spirituality, Klein crashed into his bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, Klein ate breakfast with his siblings and while he was ushering Benson to study, he felt spirituality and then an arm touching him- it was Ms. Daly's messenger with a letter.
He had previously asked Ms. Daly about mediumship rituals in order to get more information from that Sequence 7 Psychiatrist who had gone insane due to something related to the True Creator- Hood Eugene. She had given him a proper concise explanation including all the risks and ins and outs of the rituals that can be done.
As expected of Ms. Daly...
He had received the information he needed so when he arrived at The Blackthorn Security Company, he told Leonard everything.
"What do you want to do?" Leonard asked.
"I want to talk to Hood Eugen via a mediumship ritual and figure out why Lanevus came looking for him. I want to know if that visit is directly related to him going insane."
"Hm, makes sense. But we'll need to be discrete in order to hide the fact that Daxter Guderian has become our informant." Leonard hummed thoughtfully.
"...We'll go at dawn by sneaking in secretly."
"Yes, I'll keep guard while you perform the ritual to prevent any accidents from happening."
Damn... Leonard was somehow becoming more and more dependable each day and actually acting like a captain...
So Klein teasingly saluted and shouted, "Yes Captain!"
"Why do I feel like you're making fun of me right now in your head...?"
"Not at all, Captain." Klein smiled.
"Please stop calling me that- I am getting a feeling that you're not exactly calling me that out of actual respect for me," Leonard whined.
"My feelings towards you are directly your fault." Klein pointed to the colorful magazine sticking out from the paperwork bundle, Klein could see a muscled chest peaking out, "Please do not read dirty stuff while at work." he said as he exited the room.
"This is just a martial arts magazine! Hey- KLEIN!"
Klein ignored Leonard as he made his way towards the Chanis Gate to prepare the stuff he would need for the mediumship ritual, according to Ms. Daly, he would require Amantha extract, Eye of the Spirit medicine, and Sedative Agent. The Sedative agent he could even make if there wasn't any available.
He first passed his request to Seeka Tron, who was on duty that day for registration purposes. Then, Klein took back the document that now had her signature as well. He knocked on Chanis Gate and sensed how empty and distant the echo was.
He didn't hear any footsteps but within half a minute, the gate with seven Dark Sacred Emblems opened with a creak.
Chanis Gate opened up to allow a single person's passage before coming to a stop. Klein then walked in with the help of the gas lamps on both sides of the corridor.
Behind the gate, there was an elderly man with obvious wrinkles and thinning hair. He was wearing a classic black robe and holding a barn lantern.
"Document," he said with his husky voice.
Klein had seen the elderly man before because at dusk every day, he would come out from behind Chanis Gate with his partners. They would pass by the duty room and take the hallway leading to Saint Selena Cathedral.
They were Nighthawks who had aged and volunteered to keep guard inside. According to Klein's understanding, there were five of them who were keeping watch.
"This is my application." He passed the document in his hands to the elderly man before him. The guard read the document carefully before nodding and allowing Klein to pass.
The door closed behind him as Klein made his way deeper into the sealed room. There were multiple rooms filled with different things, documents, and sealed artifacts all of them properly labeled and spread out in an orderly fashion. The air around him was extremely cold and it felt as if it touched even his spirituality deep within him.
Klein suppressed his shivers as he found the room marked with 'Medicine'.
Very soon, he found the Amantha extract, the Eye of the Spirit medicine, and the Sedative Agent by following the alphabet labels.
Klein took the three tiny bottles of medicine and walked back to Chanis Gate with the guard keeping him company.
When Chanis Gate closed, he couldn't help but look back. He mumbled to himself, "Staying in there for a long time would affect both the body and soul, right? It's no wonder the guards have to volunteer..."
When Klein returned home, he couldn't stop thinking about the case with Maynard and Madam Sharon-
Leonard had told him something about his gut feeling telling him that something was wrong with the case. Of course, Klein had tested that theory out and had even done the divination within the Gray Fog and it had just proved that there was nothing extraordinary related in that case. But with this new technique, he had found where he could travel through the spirit world maybe now he could investigate Madam Sharon directly...
But not now, he had to prepare himself for dawn for that mission with Leonard about hood Eugene.
He promised himself that he would investigate as soon as he got the chance, maybe the next night after the mission? Or even directly after that if he wasn't too exhausted, then they would have ample time to respond to the situation as soon as possible if something were to come up...
Little did he know that he wouldn't have any time at all with how hectic the next day was going to be.
Around Dawn, Klein locked his door from the inside of his house and proceeded to jump out of the window to get out. Something he couldn't have done if he were with Amon for the night- thankfully right now he had the excuse of 'spending the last few days with his siblings before he moves to Amon's manor for good after their marriage' excuse or else he wouldn't have been able to do all these stunts while sharing the same bedroom with Amon.
Speaking of… what was he supposed to do when he moved in with Amon? Maybe the tarot gatherings won't be that hard to get to since Amon also was a part of it and would try to be away from Klein during that time weekly- but the rest? Like what if a situation like today's repeated itself and he needed to get out of the house urgently for a mission? There were only so many times Amon would be willing to accept that his husband sneaking out in the middle of the night was because of his 'translation work' and finally start doubting his loyalty…
Maybe he could ask Leonard to cover for him those times? Leonard and Amon seemed awfully close…
Speaking of Leonard, the man was waiting for him with a Nughthawks' carriage a lane down.
They nodded at each other and without further exchange headed straight towards Tingen Asylum in the North Borough. They took a detour to one of the corners without a street lamp. After ensuring that there was no one inside, they entered the building.
A clown breaking into an asylum… was this technically returning home? Klein thought in amusement.
The two of them crouched and silently moved through the hospital's small park and activity square. They then entered the three-story building in the asylum and arrived at the top floor where Hood Eugen's room was. They already had a copy of the room key (courtesy of the stationed Nighthawks before them) and entered the room- Leonard first and Klein second.
Klein projected his gaze past Leonard's figure and saw the person sitting on the bed. Hood Eugen's face was long and skinny. His eye sockets were deeply concave and his blond hair was disheveled. He was looking at the metal barred window with his grayish-blue eyes. He was looking at the crimson moon outside.
"Why are you awake?" Leonard asked casually, face letting out nothing but a mask of casual-ness.
"I'm waiting for cake."
Cake?
That was a completely unexpected answer- though that was probably for the good as being able to anticipate the words of an insane person meant that weren't you also almost there yourself?
Klein maintained a relaxed expression like Leonard's as if he was talking to a friend, "Who's going to send you a cake?"
That seemed to be the wrong thing to ask as Hood Eugen's expression fell instantly, "No, there's no cake… There's no cake! You stole my cake!"
Suddenly Hood Eugene threw himself at Klein, his hands extended as if wanting to grab Klein's shoulder and bite him.
The ability of the Clown helped him remain composed as he quickly dodged the attack and then slammed the rabid man on the shoulder just like Leonard had taught him during his lessons. But Hood Eugen didn't stop moving. He allowed the momentum to carry him down as he opened his arms in an attempt to pull Klein into a bear hug.
Klein retaliated by rolling on his side and the scuffle continued for barely a few more seconds after which Hood Eugene suddenly stopped, his eyes glazing over, unfocused and vacant. Leonard had successfully pulled him into a dream.
Without wasting a single more second, Klein pulled out his ritual knife and created a wall of spirituality around the ward. As Klein finished his preparations for the mediumship ritual, Leonard shook his head,
"His dreams are filled with chaos, there is no way to guide it."
So Klein's mediumship ritual needed to be perfect…
Klein took a deep breath and followed the instructions Ms. Daly had written down for him and finally as he used the sedative agent and was about to pray to finish the ritual he paused.
Leonard was right behind him so there was no way that he could pray to The Fool and use the powers of the gray fog for the ritual nor could pray in the name of the Goddess or even any other God or Goddesses out there considering what he had found out through Amon. If any of the gods were to find out about this Gray Fog which was powerful enough to even hide Klein and his Tarot Club from the gods then what would they do to Klein in order to get this for themselves?
It made a cold shiver run down his spine.
It was at this moment that Leonard chimed in, "I think I heard something from the outside, let me go and check it. I'll be back in a second." And without waiting for Klein's reply he rushed out of the room as if someone was pushing him out.
Honestly, leaving his weaker subordinate alone while doing a dangerous ritual was one of the most careless things a Captain could do- especially when Leonard had promised Klein to keep him safe if anything were to go wrong during the mediumship. But Klein couldn't be anything but grateful at this moment to Leonard's tardiness.
Klein quickly prayed to himself, The Fool in Hermes. The incantations reverberated around the room, and Klein saw the flames of the candle, now dyed greyish-white, just like the gray fog, spread outward. Klein did not struggle and allowed the gray fog to envelop him, it felt familiar- it was his own after all.
The inside of Hood Eugen's spirit was a turbulent tornado which represented his body and mind. Klein tried the wall that was the tornado and felt faint specks of light pelting him, and the voices of thousands of people discussing something in whispers rang through his ears full of craziness and disorder.
The insane thoughts tried to latch onto and gnaw at Klein's spirit but he maintained his lucidity and flew deeper into Hood Eugen's spiritual world. When compared to the horrifying murmurs he had to hear while ascending and descending up and down the gray fog this was nothing. Klein quickly found the groggy and translucent-looking Hood Eugene.
Klein stopped before him and asked softly, "Do you know Lanevus?"
Hood Eugen replied blankly, "Yes."
The 'air' around them twisted and showed the image of Lavenous- as if Hood Eugen was revealing his 'spiritual sea'.
"Why did Lanevus look for you?"
"He said…" Hood Eugen's voice changed into a more charismatic voice and laughed a little maniacally, "Hood Eugen, this is the worst era, but also the best era. As long as you seize the opportunity, we can become the rulers of this world, we can become true immortals!"
Hood Eugen kept rambling on while imitating Lavenous and Klein couldn't help but feel more and more disturbed with each word.
He's only a Sequence 8, yet he's already talking about manipulating godhood qualities… Just what hidden presence is backing him… This guy seems to be plotting something, which isn't solely just to cheat people out of their money…
When Hood Eugen stopped talking, he quickly pressed on, "What kind of assistance did Lanevus want you to provide?"
Klein regretted his words the second the spiritual world shook as Hood Eugen showed Klein a vision-
Klein had a premonition that something dangerous was about to happen. Without thinking, he turned and flew towards the chaotic tornado of thoughts in an attempt to escape.
The altar, the light and darkness, something hanging from the cross- The black shadow was a huge cross, and there seemed to be a person hanging upside down on it!
Just as the cross's shadow was about to engulf him entirely, he dashed out of the blurry "world" and felt his body, he had been able to escape the mediumship in time.
But before Klein could take even a single breath to calm down- Hood Eugen started to lose control!
In an instant, Leonard's pistol was shoved into the man's temple and it only took 4 resounding bullets back to back for Hood Eugen's head to blow up like a watermelon dropped from a height. The red and white rainstorm splattered across each and every corner of the room. It was Hood Eugen's brain matter… a human's brain matter- and some had even spilled on Klein.
Klein, covered in grime and brain matter, turned his head and looked at Leonard dazedly.
If one ignored his laziness and casual attitude, Leonard really was a very reliable Captain. Even after running away midway, he was there when Klein needed his protection.
Klein complemented Leonard deeply in his heart.
"You okay? What happened?" Leonard put away his revolver and watched Hood Eugen's mostly headless body slowly fall to the floor.
Just as Klein was about to organize his words, he saw that the body had become a pile of bloody flesh within a few seconds and Hood Eugen's corpse was left with very few complete items. There were dozens of scales twinkling with a black shimmer and his heart had turned crystalline and faint blue.
The heart had a magical luster like a diamond refracting incoming light.
The Sequence 7 Psychiatrist characteristics. It could either be used as the main ingredient for a Psychiatrist potion or be used to make Beyonder things like artifacts and bullets.
As Klein explained what had happened to Leonard the air grew heavier and heavier by the second.
"Lanevus's visit to Hood Eugen was related to the True Creator… So the Aurora Order is involved?" Leonard thought out loud.
Klein quickly repeated the conversation he'd had during the communication, how Lavenous had tempeted Hood Eugen with the Acting Method and godhood.
"Does… does this have anything to do with that letter?" Klein asked in a small voice.
"Which one?" Leonard looked at Klein though he was holding his head as if staving off a headache.
"The one written to Mr. Z we got from that member from Aurora order we killed. It said something about offering Tingen's lambs to their God as well as about the arrival of the end-days…"
The end-days… the perfect time… and what did that person mean by the 'lambs' of Tingen? As far as Klein knew there weren't many lamb rearers over here… which only meant that they were referring to an entirely different species.
As Klein and Leonard continued discussing their future plans and actions and possible collaboration with the Machinery Hiveminds as well as the Mandated Punishers, he noticed the way Leonard kept wincing randomly as well as holding his head like he was fighting off a headache.
Leonard hadn't really done much except for making Hood Eugen sleep and then shooting him with his revolver so Klein had no idea why Leonard seemed so spent.
"You look a little tired, we should clean up quickly and go back." Klein finally announced in a gentle tone.
"I- alright…" Leonard sighed, now his cute junior was ordering him around thinking he was weak and incompetent and it was all Amon's fault! What was up with him and this True Creator case anyways? Not to mention Amon had also made him leave the room for a minute leaving Klein all alone when it was Amon who always kept reminding Leonard to protect Klein.
Who said having two angels of the Marauder pathway in his head was a good idea- no one that is! They just invited themselves into his brain without his consent and stayed around like a bunch of freeloaders!
Not to mention Amon was also refusing to tell Leonard anything about this entire mystery about Lavenous's plans as well as the involvement of the Aurora Order… just that he had 'plans' or something.
As Klein went back to his house in a separate carriage, he saw a bony white hand appear in front of him holding a letter-
Mr. Azik had replied.