ã€ŠLord Of The Mysteries: A Slug Of Timeã€‹


 "How did i.."

    It hurts!

    It hurts a lot!

    In a distant land, faraway from any civilizations, under a tree emerged countless transparent maggots, with three-dimensional patterns. These maggots slowly made their way towards each other, curling together, twisting-tangling, merging and shaping into a humanoid body.

    They formed a skeleton, then came the flesh and associated vessels and finally, the skin. In a few moments, a man laid there on the ground, on the very place where these countless maggots began merging. He was naked and curled into a fetal position . He was panting heavily and his eyes were tightly shut.

    Slowly the man loosened up a bit. His breath softened and his eyes, which were once closed, fluttered open. He had black hair, black eyes, and ordinary features. This was the King of King of Angels of the Seer Pathway, Klein Moretti.

    Klein clenched his chest for a moment and then eased with a sigh. He felt a piercing sensation curling through his entire body, as if every worm of spirit was being stabbed by a thousand needles. He slowly got up from his position and observed his surroundings. Well there was nothing to observe really. He was sitting under a tree in the middle of a forest surrounded by even more trees.

    Where am I? No the bigger questions should be, how did I even get here and what happened to me? Countless thoughts plagued Klein''s mind. It was then he noticed he was standing naked. He closed his eyes and transparent maggots emerged from his body, forming a well suited attire. It made him look like a well distinguished gentleman.

    Sighing, Klein diverted his thoughts back to his current predicament. He dived into his memories in search of finding some answers, and sure enough, his memories were shattered into bits and crumbles.

    His latest memory that he could recall was his conversation with the Evernight Goddess Amanises, when he had given her the river water of the sefirot, River of Eternal Darkness from one of its tributaries situated inside Calderon City in the spirit world, and she had told him to make preparations to ascend to Sequence 0: Fool.

    Then I returned to Sefirah Castle and then¡­ That was all he could recall. Klein couldn''t help but sigh again. This situation reminded him of the time he first awakened in his current body, the body of the Original Klein Moretti. Back then his memories where jumbled, and he could not recall the series of events that led to the original Klein''s suicide.

    Pushing that aside, Klein habitually began to consider all possibilities that could have led him to his predicament with the most obvious one being that he might have gotten into a fight with now Sequence 0: Error Amon and Sequence 0: Visionary Adam.

    This would explain his extremely bad condition and his unknown situation. Just as this thought popped into Klein''s mind, he discarded it. His reasoning being that he wouldn''t have been alive if he had really gotten into a fight with the father-son duo. However, Klein, ever the cautious person, kept the possibility lingering in his mind.

    Speaking of which, Klein closed his eyes once more, and felt his connection with Sefirah Castle, he realized that it was only very slight, and not on the level of complete ownership which he previously had.

    Still, just the fact that I have any level of connection with Sefirah Castle proves it wasn''t Amon. But then who¡­ Klein pondered. It was only then that he realized a very peculiar thing. There is divinity in the air. Klein immediately assumed a narrowed demeanor. At his level, he could sense the presence of Sequence 0 Deities, and this godhood that he could feel in air was originating from a Sequence 0 Deity.

    But there was one peculiarity about it, the godhood he felt was much more chaotic and madness stricken then the one he felt around Amanises, it almost gave him a headache.

    For the Deities to make a divine descent with their real body would mean... Klein''s head pierced up, he looked at the sky, looked at the world barrier. His expression became even more grave than before. The world barrier is way too stable! Forget about it breaking in the next 10 years, it probably won''t break for another thousands of years!

    But¡­ this would mean¡­ Klein stopped himself from thinking any further. Yet the thought kept ringing in his mind. The extreme amounts of divinity in the air, the strength of the world barrier and my unknown situation¡­ It can''t be right?!

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Klein stopped thinking, and extended his hand. He pulled out four portions of staple food from the historical void, and placed them in four corners forming a rectangle. Klein himself stood at the center, he closed his eyes and took a step forward counter-clockwise in the shape of a square and chanted softly.

    "The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.

    "The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.

    "The Exalted Therach of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.

    "The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."

    After chanting, Klein returned back to his original spot and stood there. Just as he expected, he heard familiar murmurs, the ravings of Celestial Worthy, the previous Lord of Mysteries. But this time, they were more grounded to the point Klein felt a slight shiver. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar grey fog.

    The greyish white fog vibrated, as a symbol consisting of 4 dots in a rectangular manner, surfaced in Klein''s right arm, prompting him to lift his hand in the air. Sefirah Castle itself began to shake as the greyish white fog churned violently and penetrated Klein''s raised arm, a sensationless feeling as the symbol on his hand brightly lit up, illuminating the entire Sefirah. Klein regained his connection with Sefirah Castle, becoming its owner once more. The fog settled down once again, while the symbol on his hand dissolved in his skin.

    Sighing again, he observed the mysterious space above the spirit world and found that it had gone through a reset. There was no Majestic ancient palace nor were there any high end molted table. The 22 High Back chairs were also not present. Sefirah Castle was exactly like how it was when Klein had entered it the first time. Only the grey fog and a deafening silence.

    His Junk pile was also gone.

    This further confirmed his suspicion, he took a step forward and appeared before a set of stairs that led upwards towards a Bluish black door. The Door of Light, the true body of Sefirah Castle. Klein climbed up the stairs, now standing before the Door of Light, he slowly lifted his gaze and saw the almost completely transparent cocoon of light. Inside the cocoon was a man, in his early thirties. He was wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans and held a smartphone in his right hand. His expression appeared normal and relaxing but his eyes were tightly shut.

    Countless others like him were inside these cocoons of light, hung up above Sefirah Castle by thin black threads, all wore different attires, had varying expressions and all belonged to various parts of the planet. However, one thing they all shared was their tightly shut eyes and their loneliness. That all of them have lost everything they lived for or cared about, without them even knowing about it.

    Klein slowly shifted his gaze and settled it on to a particular spot. His breathing grew heavy as his eyes widened. What Klein saw was the familiar cocoon of light that belonged to him. It was broken and empty. Besides this cocoon was another cocoon of light that belonged to his fellow countrymen, his friend and transmigrator senior Roselle Gustav. Also known as Huang Tao.

    This cocoon which should have been in the same condition as Klein''s was instead intact. It was still housing the spirit body of Huang Tao, who appeared relaxed while bearing a slight smile¡­

    Across Klein''s and Roselle''s cocoons was another, which should belong to the Evernight Goddess Amanises. As he expected, it was left broken and empty.

    Klein''s breathing worsened, his heart beating palpable, as he immediately pulled out a gold coin from the historical void and flipped it, the coin gained some height before gently landing in the palms of Klein''s hand and disappeared. Klein stared at his now empty hand and brought them to his face, he rubbed his forehead and loudly sighed.

    He divined the time period he was currently in, and sure enough it wasn''t the Fifth Epoch.

    He was currently in the Second Epoch. More specifically in the early era of fire. The darkest era of Humanity and the period of ancient gods.

    How did I¡­ Klein had no words to speak, his head was mostly empty, or more accurately numbed from shock. This wasn''t the first time this has happened to him, and this made him more terrified because this time around he had no hope to cling on to.

    Ha haha haahah¡­.I have already lost everything once, and now i have lost everything twice¡­. Klein couldn''t help but laugh, laugh like he had just heard the funniest joke in his life. No, at this point he felt like his very life was a joke.

    When Klein transmigrated from the modern age to the fifth epoch, he had a hope in his heart that he could return back to his world. This was brutally crushed when he came across Chernobyl, realizing everyone he once knew, and everything he once cared for was gone.

    So, he opted to focus on his other priorities, which included the tarot club, his family, his friends like Mr. Azik, WIll Auceptin, his church and his countless believers that were his anchors. And now all of it is gone.

    He had once again lost everything in his life.

    And this dealt a massive blow to his psyche. He couldn''t help but laugh.

    And this time, I can''t consult my psychiatrist. After all, her ancestors haven''t even been born yet... Klein laughed even louder than before and dropped to his knees, held his mouth and knelt down continuing to laugh like a madman.

    His laugh echoed through the empty Sefirah Castle.

 Sorting things out...

    Shrouded in gray fog stood the Ancient majestic palace with a vast dome supported by ancient pillars. Directly under the dome stood an Ancient, long bronze table, with Twenty-Two high back chairs, ten on both sides and two on ends.

    At the long end of the table, on the divine throne of The Fool sat Klein who had just recovered from his initial grief and loss.

    Well, let''s straighten things out... I am currently in the Second Epoch. At least, this can''t be the work of those brothers¡­ Klein pondered. As far as he knew, none of the deities in the fifth epoch had authority over time. Even Amon, who was a slug of time, should not have the level of authority required to send him so far back.

    Then it only leaves one existence that should be capable of such a feat, but I don''t see a reason why "He" would do so. After all, What benefit could "He" reap from sending me to a distant past? Klein then noted an anomaly with himself. Even though he had zero anchors in this time period, his condition was completely stable.

    "This..." Klein closed his eyes and began inspecting himself. Soon he realized that some unknown existence had erected a seal inside him that was preventing The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth from corrupting him and taking over his body.

    Klein was even more baffled now. Not only was this unknown existence capable of sending him to the past, it was also capable of sealing the corruption stemming from a Great Old One¡ªA True Pillar.

    As far as Klein knew, apart from the Mother Goddess of Depravity in "Her" peak, only one existence stood equal to the Lord of The Mysteries and that is God Almighty. But I fail to see a reason for "Him" to send me back in time either. And besides "He" does not possess authority over time. On top of that, is "He" even capable of sealing the very embodiment of a seal? Though Klein wanted to disregard this theory, he still kept it in mind.

    Regardless, I should probably stop thinking about how I am here. If this existence is capable of such feats, chances are I''ll never be able to know about "Them" in my lifetime¡­ Or until I am the Lord of Mysteries.

    A sigh escaped him as he deeply inspected this seal within him, mentally noting down its peculiarities and limits. This seal can completely resist the madness brought about by the Beyonder Characteristics. But it is a little fragile, it would probably break at some point before the world barrier fails.

    Hmm but still, its durability is a little insane for it to shield me from a Pillar. Also, from its current strength, I could potentially accommodate the Fool Uniqueness. I definitely can''t advance to Sequence 0¡ªthe qualitative change brought about will destroy it.

    Klein sighed once more (How many times has he sighed in a single day?). If only the seal maker was a little more generous, then I could have probably advanced to Sequence 0. Klein lampooned out of habit. His mood was slowly lighting up, as for a long time, he could push aside issues revolving around madness and corruption.

    Still, my situation is shrouded in mystery. While there''s no imminent danger, I should remain cautious. Klein reminded himself. He leaned back on his chair and began thinking about what he should do now.

    One thing is for certain, I shouldn''t be present at this time, and yet here I am. This means history has changed. Does this mean my existence has given birth to a new timeline? Klein paused and examined his hands. He rendered an image of his body in his mind and then wondered.

    I am still in Klein Moretti''s Body, which means I have physically traveled back in time, and not spiritually. I also have my two Sequence One Beyonder Characteristics with me. Klein slowly rubbed his chin.

    One Beyonder characteristic is from the curtain. The other belonging to Zaratul should technically be somewhere out there in this era. The other Sequence 1 Beyonder Characteristic should be with the Annihilation Demonic Wolf Flegrea as well as the Uniqueness.

    I am pretty sure the Beyonder characteristic corresponding to Zaratul in future and the one in the curtain should have disappeared in this timeline due to my existence. After all, except for certain special cases, there can only be 3 Sequence 1 beyonder characteristics. I, who has already digested the said characteristic holds overall higher authority over them, and so the current undigested beyonder characteristic would disappear under the law of beyonder characteristics indestructibility. There can never be more than 3 sequence 1 beyonder characteristics and there can never be less than that. Of course, under certain ''circumstances'' this law can be broken, but I doubt even the omnipotent and omniscient would be capable of maintaining "His" envisioning of characteristics, through time and history considering "He" shouldn''t have fully revived.

    This also explains why my cocoon broke open in the second epoch, when it was supposed to break in the 5th epoch, because I already exist here in this timeline. It''s similar to the principle of Uniqueness. Just like how there can never be 2 uniqueness of the same pathway, there can be two spirit bodies of the same person.

    Every being originates from The Original Creator and so every being is unique in one way or another. While consciousness may be replicable by a visionary, that isn''t the case with the spirit body, the very core of a person. When I came to this timeline, there were for a moment two versions of me, one inside the cocoon and one inside this body. Since my life order is much higher than the one inside the cocoon, it immediately broke and my soul probably merged with me. This explains my fragmented memories. I have double the memories for a portion of my life. This is also helping me strengthen my humanity!

    Klein couldn''t help but curl his lips. While he didn''t like the fact that he had lost all his anchors and friends, there were quite a substantial amount of pros to his situation too. And besides I haven''t completely lost them, I merely have to wait for them to be born. Klein then paused and giggled, This time I truly will be an Ancient Deity by the time I''ll form the tarot club again. Assuming I''ll survive till then.

    Klein composed himself, and leisurely laid back on his chair. I should take advantage of my situation. Considering my cocoon has already been broken, history has already been altered. Since it changed, I might as well cause mayhem and shift certain situations in my favor.

    Starting with acquiring and accommodating the Fools Uniqueness. Once I become the Half-Fool, my strength and authority will at the very least reach Sequence 0. This way, I''ll be able to better influence things, and won''t have to always worry about running into danger. I''ll also be able to borrow the Error and Door authorities of which would make life overall much easier.

    Nodding in affirmation, Klein came to a decision to acquire the Fools Uniqueness and accommodate it to become the Half-Fool. Speaking of which, I don''t even have to do the ritual considering my very existence is an anomaly in all History, Fate, and Time.

    When I came to this time period, my fog of history which spans up to 5th epoch collided with this time''s fog of history which only spans up to 2nd Epoch. This creates a contradiction since the 3rd, 4th and 5th epoch has yet to happen but the fog of history of those times already exists. In this way, History has been Fooled.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Not only that, originally I was supposed to be born in the 5th epoch and so I should have been inside the cocoon of light during this period. But not only is that not the case due to my existence, my fate which was to tread the Fools pathway in the 5th epoch has already been played out. However, I am now in the second epoch. In this way, Fate has also been Fooled!

    And Time has naturally been Fooled as well! Simply because I shouldn''t be in this era. My fate and history has overlapped with this timeline which naturally creates a contradiction in time!

    Klein lips curled up into a grin. The more he thought about it the more he realized just how much the pros outweigh the cons. If only I knew it would have been this easy, I would have agreed with whoever sent me back in time! Klein laughed a little, before settling his emotions and coming to a decision.

    It''s settled then. Currently The Fool''s Uniqueness should be with the Demonic Wolf Flegrea who has accommodated it and in result went mad... Wait!? Klein summoned a gold coin from the historical void and tossed the coin. It gained some height before landing back in his palm and disappeared.

    Klein had divined if the Annihilation Demonic wolf was still alive, and found the answer to be affirmative. This means the Giant King Aurmir''s betrayal hasn''t happened yet...

    Klein seriously divined his exact current time period and found that there was still quite a bit of time before Aurmir''s betrayal and the fall of Flegrea.

    At least another Ten years or so¡­ Klein nodded and formed a plan. Then, I should wait until Flegrea perishes and then retrieve the Fool Uniqueness from "His" body. I can leave the Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries characteristic for Antigonus so that The Antigonus family can be formed in the 4th epoch, and support the Tudor empire later on.

    Yes, while I will create changes in history according to my needs. I will still let the major events in history take place, so as to not birth any large, and unpredictable changes. For example the Fall of the Ancient Sun God, so the Era of Gods can take place or the War of the Four Emperors, since that led to the creation of Loen, Intis and other countries.

    I need to make sure that the changes I create wouldn''t hinder the overall development of this timeline. Klein summoned a pen and paper and wrote down this statement noting it as a rule that he must follow. He then went back to his plan to take the Fools Uniqueness and came across a single variable.

    Amanises.

    The Evernight Godd- No. ''Amanises'' shouldn''t really be a hindrance to this plan considering at the current time "She" is only a Sequence 2: Servant of Concealment. If I want to take the uniqueness "She" wouldn''t be able to prevent it. But this may cause me to be hunted down by "Her" church in the future and might ruin some of the changes I wish to make in the 3rd and 4th epoch.

    Klein came to a very easy solution for this problem. To befriend Amanises. It has only been maybe two years since "She" was born, and so naturally "She" is going to be in a much more vulnerable state due to naiveness and "Her" still very much unknown circumstances. If I can help "Her" during this time period and gain "Her" trust, then she can be a powerful ally of mine which would certainly allow things to be much easier.

    Yeah, I am definitely not going to manipulate "Her" to do my bidding, Klein seriously added.

    This wasn''t the only reason Klein wanted to befriend Amanises. He simply felt it was a natural thing to do. Amanises had aided him throughout his journey. "She" separated the Sequence 9-1 beyonder characteristic, saving him from his fate of losing control. "She" directly blessed him, an act which helped Klein on multiple occasions. "She" also helped him kill himself against Amon, betted on him from day 1 and went out of "Her" way to protect him against the Antigonus family notebook albeit by sending him into a dangerous spot.

    Klein was naturally grateful for "Her" help. So, now that the position was reversed, he felt it was the only right thing to do so.

    And, I would actually have someone to talk to. I won''t have to be completely alone which would certainly help with my mental sanity. Klein rubbed his temples and came to a decision. I''ll approach "Her" later on and gain "Her" trust during this time period. I can then help "Her" in digestion and in accommodating "Her" uniqueness and rising to Sequence 0.

    I''ll then have a Sequence 0 ally, and through "Her" I can keep my schemes concealed as well as myself. This would provide me with adequate room to do my own things. I can also teach and tell "Her" about various things she should be aware of such as outer deities, Great old ones, World Barrier¡­ And maybe also about how this world is Earth, I doubt "She" would be aware of it by now. More than likely, "She" got to know of this when "She" met the Ancient Sun God.

    Speaking of which, I should for the most part keep my existence hidden. Considering I am an individual that has authority over a Sefirah, I may very well be hunted down by the various deities and king of angels. It is better if they are not aware of The Fool¡­. I can get Amanises''s help as "She" can more effectively conceal me.

    Klein sighed and got up from his seat, This should be it for now. My main goal is to befriend Amanises and gain "Her" trust and make sure my existence wouldn''t be revealed¡­

    I also need to focus on maintaining my humanity. I don''t have any anchors currently. I can''t rely on avatars and the seal to keep me balanced. I''ll have to do it myself.

    Yes, this is supposed to be humanity''s darkest era. I should go around the world and connect with the now enslaved humanity, maybe even help them albeit groundly. Klein looked down and slowly shook his head.

    Humanity doesn''t come just from anchors but also from "meaningless" human interactions. If I can help people and share a part in their suffering, it will in turn strengthen my connection with humanity and help me in keeping my mental condition stable. I need to remain as ''humane'' as possible. This needs to be one of my top priorities.

    Remember, You are he not a "He".

    Klein nodded, He then extended his right hand and pulled a historical projection of himself from when he was a Sequence 2: Miracle Invoker. Klein then entered a concealed state, allowing him to descend in the projection.

    The reason Klein used a historical projection instead of his real body or an avatar was to minimize the effect of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence. Amanises was a subsidiary god to the Annihilation demonic wolf Flegrea, who had accommodated the Fools Uniqueness. If Klein were to pop with his real body, he would inevitably attract Flegrea''s attention.

    But through the use of a historical projection of a lower sequence, and at the same sequence as Flegrea''s subsidiary gods, Klein could minimize the effects to an extent. Albeit the possibility of attracting "His" attention still wasn''t negligible. So even if Klein were to get in trouble, he would be able to easily escape by simply canceling the projection.

    Klein''s projection took a step forward leaving Sefirah Castle and immediately appearing back into the forest he had awoken in. He canceled the historical projection of staple foods which he had used for the luck enhancement ritual.

    He then closed his eyes and borrowed Door''s pathway authority from Sefirah castle and entered the spirit world. Klein kept his eyes close and focused as if trying to sense something. He then began walking in a certain direction and continued onwards for a while before coming to a halt. He then walked outside to the real world appearing on the edge of a cliff.

    The ground beneath him appeared fractured, crumbling away while the crimson moon shined atop. Further away from him, layed a sprawling settlement stretched across the desolate landscape. An amalgamation of various grotesque cities inhabited by humans and monsters alike. Their movements and appearance resemble corpses, marionettes with their string''s cut off, wandering through the desolate lands like forgotten souls.

    Majestic mansions, each one of them crafted with extravagant style and detail, layed in starking contrast along the decay surrounding them. It was as if to mock all the passerbys who looked at them with envy.

    Drilling from these lifelike-lifeless corpses were illusory, thin lines which extended to the sky, stretching to an infinite height. These extensions vanished into a swirling greyish-white fog that hung heavy over the settlements.

    This greyish white fog concealed at its center an ancient black chapel, the crimson moon hanging just above it, naturally complementing its appearance. An eerie silence enveloped it, as if no living nor non-living thing had dared come close to it for over a millenia.

    This was the Divine Kingdom of the Ancient God, King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea!

    Klein slowly moved his head, observing the various small and large cities set up by "His" Subsidiary gods. His gaze then pierced through the whole settlement landing at its furthest outskirt. There he saw a small house that appeared more lively than the rest. Moon flowers and night vanillas flourished around the house, their delicate petals glowing faintly in the eerie crimson light.

    This was the small abode of one of the subsidiary gods of Flegrea, The Goddess of Misfortune, Amanises.

    A slight smile spread to Klein''s lips.

 A Wish

    Haa!

    Nightmares, nightmares once again!

    Panting heavily, she shut her eyes tightly, trying to gain control over her breath, but it was futile. The trembling wouldn''t stop and neither would the tears.

    This had become a normal routine for Amanises. After a while, she managed to steady her breath enough for her to rise from her resting place and walk towards the mirror at the corner of her room. She stopped right in front of it and stared at her still foreign reflection.

    Sighing, her gaze shifted down to the floorboards, lingering there. A part of her wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, while the other part wanted to continue her research of finding a way to go back home.

    And yet all of it is for nothing¡­ Nearly a year had passed since she had opened her eyes in this world, trapped in a body that wasn''t hers. Reminiscing about her old home, her parents and friends, Amanises just stood there rooted to ground.

    Suddenly a sound almost like a murmur intercepted the silence and pierced her ears. Amanises quickly grew alert, turning her body toward the door to her room, her attention fully focused on the sound.

    She stood there patiently, yet nothing else happened. It was only then she payed serious attention to the murmur and realized it sounded extremely familiar.

    This¡­ Auditory illusion? Amanises was intrigued. After listening to it for a few more seconds, she felt a sense of familiarity and soon came to a shocking realization. This was a piece of tune from a famous song that was getting popular back in her world!

    It was a song from her world, her home!

    Amanises''s mood instantly shifted. Without hesitation, she quickly leaped out of her room, rushing downstairs and out of her house to the beautiful garden inlaid with moon flower and night vanilla. She closed her eyes, heightening her sense of hearing, and began walking in a certain direction, the song growing clearer with every step. Before long, she broke into a sprint and followed the melody that tugged her forward.

    Before she knew it, she had crossed the boundaries of Flegrea''s Divine Kingdom. Amanises knew all too well how dangerous it was, aware that she was potentially being lured into a trap. But this was the first time she had encountered something, anything, that resembled her old home¡ªher true home.

    That was enough reason for her to keep going even if it was nothing more than a trap.

    Of course, while Amanises was driven by her emotions, it didn''t cloud her intelligence. She had long concealed herself and was ready to flee at a moment''s notice. Darkness teleportation, one of the abilities of a Sequence 3 Horror Bishop, was ready in the back of her mind in case things went south and her life was threatened.

    She wasn''t reckless¡ªjust determined.

    ¡­

    After what felt like an eternity of sprinting, Amanises arrived at the edge of a cliff, not far from Flegrea''s Divine Kingdom. There, she saw a humanoid figure, a man sitting at a cliff''s edge, his legs dangling over the cliff. He wore a black robe, and a classic hat adorned with red feathers on his head, his back facing her.

    Though his face remained unseen, Amanises noticed something peculiar about the mysterious man. His demeanor and presence were unnervingly ordinary, lacking any special traits to them. This wouldn''t have been a big deal if it wasn''t for the fact that, this time period, she currently found herself in was ruled by ancient mythical races that regarded humans as slaves.

    For an ordinary person like him to be roaming around so freely means, he was by no means ''Ordinary''. Amanises also took notice that the melody she followed, the one that guided her over here had abruptly stopped.

    As if sensing her gaze, the man slowly shifted his head from staring at the crimson moon to meeting her eyes, a smile on his face. Amanises observed the man, his appearance was just as ordinary as his demeanor. This man slowly rose from his sitting position. Once on his feet, he took off his hat and gave her a gentlemanly bow.

    His attire resembled that of a magician she had seen illustration of, in the various story books she read back on earth.

    "Good evening, Lady of Misfortune," the man greeted in a calm, steady tone as he placed his hat back on his head. His smile was unwavering even though he was facing a Demonic wolf which were known for their cruelty. Amanises acutely noted this fact. The man before her, despite his plain appearance, was clearly anything but ordinary.

    Or he is just stupid. But that seems unlikely¡­ Amanises lampooned inwardly. She kept her gaze fixed on the man and calmly spoke, "Who are you?"

    "Me? I am just an Ordinary Wandering Magician." The man calmly replied, pulling out a magician''s wand from under his coat, as if he was going to put on a magic show in front of her. Amanises expression remained unchanged, as she continued in a flat tone,

    "Ordinary you say? Well, if you were, I am afraid you wouldn''t have been able to roam around so freely.

    "Either you are really good at concealing yourself from the various beings that litter these lands, or you are not ''Ordinary'' at all." Amanises rebuked. The man''s expression didn''t change, as he slowly replied,

    "You are right, I am not ''Ordinary'' but I am still a wandering magician. My speciality is wish fulfilling magic.

    "Tell me, do you have any wish you would like fulfilled?" Amanises expressions changed to an amusing one.

    "A Miracle Invoker?" She enquired.

    Silence.

    The man did not reply, his gaze fixed at her, his smile unchanged, as if waiting for her to state her wish.

    Amanises softly spoke,

    "You did refer to me as ''The Lady of Misfortune'', which means you should be aware that I am one of the subsidiary gods of the king of Demonic wolves.

    "That, I am.

    "Then you should also be aware of the fact that 2 out of the 5 subsidiary gods under our God are Miracle Invokers like you.

    "If I had any wish that I would like fulfilled, then I would rather ask them. Why you?"

    Amanises rebutted with reason attempting to gauge any sort of reaction from this suspicious fellow. And she succeeded. The man''s expression softened and he spoke in an alluring tone,

    "You are right, that you would.

    "But can they fulfill the wish that is closest to your heart, the one that you hold the dearest from the very moment you opened your eyes to this world?"

    Pause¡­ Amanises expression twisted indescribably. She immediately responded, raising her tone in a threatening way, "Who are you?!"

    "I am just like you, a being that does not belong to this era."

    Amanises eyes widened, a chill ran up her spine as the man in front of her continued,

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Yes Amanises, I am a ''Transmigator'' like you. Someone who opened his eyes in an unfamiliar body and bore witness to a world he never knew of." The man said with a smile that seem to hide the pain in his words.

    Amanises mind was blank. The possibility that there might be others like her in this world had never crossed her mind. But now, standing before her was a man, whom she did not even know the name of, yet she shared with him a history no other being was aware of.

    The surge of emotions she felt in those brief moments was overwhelming, so much so that her mind seemed to have gone numb.

    Wait, should I be happy that there are others like me or should I be saddened? She lampooned inwardly to calm her mind. She wanted to ask this person so many questions but when she went to open her mouth, the man raised his hand signaling her to stop.

    His smile dropped and his expressions became grave. For a few moments he stayed motionless, before his lips slowly curled up and he began to speak, "While I would love to continue our chat, I am afraid I''ll have to take my leave. Otherwise I will attract "His" attention."

    Flegrea Amanises thought, and remembered that this man seemed to be a Miracle Invoker, the sequence 2 of Fools Pathway which the Annihilation Demonic wolf Flegrea held authority over.

    "But if you ''wish'' to continue this convo of ours then¡­" The man took out a white piece of paper from under his coat. He threw that paper at Amanises like a sharp dagger, which pierced itself in the ground just beside her paws.

    "Pray to me." The man waved his hand casually as he turned and began walking toward the edge of the cliff. Amanises glanced down at the white piece of paper, then at the man. For a brief instant, she hesitated, before finally shouting,

    "What should I call you? At least give me your name?!" The man stopped. He remained silent for a moment before saying without turning around,

    "Klein, Klein Moretti."

    Amanises witnessed as Klein walked off the cliff. For some time she stood there and processed the whole conversation that had just taken place between the two strangers that shared a distant past. She then shifted her gaze to the piece of paper Klein had given her. On it was what seemed to be his honorific name in a beautiful handwriting and written in english. It read,

    "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era;

    "The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;

    "The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."

    As soon as Amanises was done reading the Honorific name written on the white piece of paper, it went up in flames and reduced to ash. Suddenly Amanises felt an intense gaze on herself. She froze up in fear and stood there, not daring to do as much as breath.

    After a while, the gaze receded and Amanises, not wanting to stay there for even a second longer, turned her body around and sprinted her way back home.

    ¡­

    When Amanises first awoke in this world, she found herself lying in a pool of blood. Her own blood. As if not horrifying enough, she quickly realized that she was no longer in her body, but instead she found herself in the body of a giant eight-legged, black furred demonic wolf. That was when she had realized that she had transmigrated.

    The Original Amanises, the goddess of misfortune was killed in a power struggle among her siblings that wished to dethrone her from her position as one of the subsidiary gods to King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea.

    This was her first introduction to this cruel world, and the starting point of her nightmares.

    In the hopes of finding a way to return back to her world, she began to study mysticism, distancing herself from the other subsidiary gods and Demonic Wolves as well as her master Flegrea. She moved to the outskirts of "His" Divine kingdom and set up her abode over there.

    It wasn''t actually the outskirts of "His" divine kingdom as, that only stretched up to the length of his Divine Chapel, with the rest of the settlement and small towns, set by "His" Subsidiary gods and Demonic wolves, situated around it.

    Due to the grey fog that covered the entire settlement, many demonic wolves and other subsidiary gods began to consider the entire land as Flegrea''s Divine kingdom. They called it a blessed land that no mortal dare tread on, unless wanting to become prey.

    Flegrea was a mad god. "He" had accommodated the Fools Pathway Uniqueness which wasn''t a neighboring pathway to "His" original pathway, Darkness. Due to which, "He" very rarely called anyone inside "His" divine kingdom, and if anywhere dared approach it or even got a little bit close to it without "His" permission, "He" would kill them and then eat their body.

    Due to this, there ran a deep fear in the mind of everyone that served under Flegrea, not wanting to anger this Deity. On one special occasion, were Flegrea did call "His" Subsidiary gods in "His" divine realm, Amanises once asked "Him",

    "Great master, Do you think there might be some Mysteries in this world that truly bear no answer to themselves." Amanises had asked "Him" this, due to feeling lost in her pursuit of returning home. She had pretty much studied all knowledge Demonic wolves had on mysticism and had come into contact with various old spirits that roam the unfounded. Yet her effort yielded nothing as she did not find single clue regarding her research

    In "His" rare moment of sanity, Flegrea answered albeit not one in the way she expected. "He" told her about an ''Ancient Relic'' left behind by the Original Creator, the maker of everything in this universe. "He" said that, when the original creator went into slumber, from "His" body formed an ancient relic which "He" had named Sefirah Castle.

    According to "Him", "It was a place shrouded in grey fog, a divine kingdom belonging to ''The Omnipresent Ruler of the Spirit World.''"

    While Flegrea truly believed that Sefirah Castle existed, "He" could not for "His" life find this ancient relic, hence a mystery that truly bears no answer to itself.

    This only left Amanises feeling even more lost. At some point in time, she had reached a giant wall in her research, preventing her from progressing any further. As the dead ends piled up, Amanies grew tired of her endless pursuit in searching for a way back home.

    She even began to believe that there was no way to go back, this combined with the loneliness she felt and her longing for her home had long pushed her into a deep abyss. She began to believe this was how the rest of her life was going to be, a never ending suffering that will slowly eat her away until there would be left nothing but the Goddess of Misfortune.

    But this changed today, because she had met someone that was from her world, from her home. Lying in her room, Amanises analyzed her previous conversation with the man named Klein. She softly chanted his honorific name in her mind, not daring to say it out.

    The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era;

    The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;

    The King of Yellow and Black who wields Good Luck.

    "The Fool..." Amanises softly muttered, His Honorific name doesn''t make much sense¡­ At best he, no "He" should be a sequence 2 or 1 and maybe from Fools pathway. That does not make "Him" ''The Fool'', yet "His" honorific name directly refers to "Him" as such. Not only that, it only contains three lines which are used for deities¡­

    And what does "He" mean by ''The Mysterious Ruler above the grey fog''?

    Amanises instinctually looked out of her window to a distant spectacle of the demonic wolves settlement that was shrouded in a thin grey fog. She observed it for a moment before slowly muttering in her head,

    Sefirah Castle?

    It seems far stretched but if an ancient relic like that does exist then¡­ Amanises pondered for some moments, she then shook her head and sighs, There is no way to really know without meeting "Him".

    And finally, ''The king of Yellow and Black who wields good luck''. I am pretty sure, a miracle invoker can to a certain extent alter the probability of future events. This can be inferred as luck to a certain extent...

    Amanises then slowly giggled, Aren''t you ''The God of Fortune'' instead?

    Amanises then began to contemplate if she should pray to him or not. Usually, praying to a hidden, unknown existence would be a faux pas, even for a subsidiary god like her. But here, Amanises was sure that Klein was definitely not a deity since the Fool Uniqueness was with Flegrea.

    And he didn''t appear to be a deity from another pathway, otherwise his honorific name wouldn''t have had himself referred to as ''The Fool''.

    Merely reciting the honorific name shouldn''t be a problem... As far as my mysticism knowledge goes, reciting someone''s honorific name should only attract their attention, but "He" shouldn''t be capable of doing anything else with this connection.

    If my previous conjectures were correct, then "He" should at best be a Sequence 1¡ªan Attendant of Mysteries. There shouldn''t be too much of a gap between us, so I should be capable of resistance in case "He" tries to do something¡­

    Amanises acutely weighted all possibilities before ultimately coming to the decision to pray.

    Forgive me Master, for I am about to sin. Amanises lampooned and giggled inwardly. She actually felt a little happy about contacting someone that shared something common with her, in this case their home.

    Standing upright she closed her eyes and softly chanted in jotun,

    "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era;

    "The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;

    "The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck¡­"

    ¡­

    In the majestic towering palace, propped up by various stone pillars, a crimson star shines brightly with ripples, its illumination dampened by the thick fog around it. It flew over a high back chair that was situated closest to the seat of The Fool.

    Klein gazed at the shining crimson star with a smile, he leaned back and reached out his hand touching the rippling circle of light. Following that, he expanded his spirituality enveloping the crimson star.

    ¡­

    Amanises suddenly felt a tug. She opened her eyes and found an endless greyish-white fog beneath her, and in front of her was an ancient, mottled bronze table.

    What? Surprised, she looked around and saw various towering stone pillars, as well as a towering palace propped up by those stone pillars.

    She then slowly turned her head towards the end of the long bronze table and saw a man of average looks. He had black hair and black eyes and was average built. The man was also looking at her while smiling,

    The man slowly got up from his seat, took his hat off and gave her a gentlemanly bow.

    "Welcome Amanises. Let me reintroduce myself,"

    "Klein, Klein Moretti."

 Friends

    "Klein, Klein Moretti." Klein introduced himself, and returned to his seat. He then witnessed, as Amanises also stood up, bowed and formally introduced herself.

    Afterward, she sat back down and began to look around, she then curiously asked, "Is this¡­ Sefirah Castle?" Klein was amused. He leaned back on his chair and leisurely replied,

    "Yep, in a way. I am actually surprised you are aware of it." Amanises gave him a deep look, she noticed that his attire, and bearings were different from the "Ordinary" Wandering Magician she had previously conversed with.

    As expected, a top level faceless would never appear in his ''real self''. "He" would always dawn a disguise, so as to never reveal his true identity. If things went south, this man can just quietly leave the stage and discard the mask among "His" many.

    I wonder if this is his¡­

    As if reading her mind, he said,

    "The appearance before you is the real deal." Amanises remained silent and nodded, she then saw Klein stretch his hand and snap his fingers. Suddenly, two porcelain cups, with sweet latte tea appeared at the table before her.

    "Forgive me, I should treat my guests on their first visit to my humble palace," Klein smiled and conjured some desi pie for the both of them. Following that, he summoned various sweets such as donuts, and pastry from the historical void.

    Amanises acutely noticed his choice of food and thought, Does "He" have a sweet tooth? She then looked at the porcelain cup, then down at her paws and then back at Klein, who had already begun sipping his tea.

    Klein noticed her gaze and expressed confusion. He looked at the porcelain cup and then at her. He then showed enlightenment through his expression which spelled "Oh".

    "Ahh¡ªForgive me, I forgot about your¡­ Physical anomaly." Klein sincerely apologized. He poured tea in the saucer allowing Amanises to drink the tea, although like a dog.

    Aren''t you the thoughtful one! Amanises lampooned and sipped her tea. She then looked at Klein and said,

    "If I may ask, how did you get into Sefirah Castle?" Klein put his cup down, and took a slice of his chocolate pastry.

    "There is no need for formalities." Klein said in a casual tone. "Does that mean I can refer to you as he and not "He"?" Amanises casually asked,

    "Were you referring to me as such?" Klein asked with an amused expression, he then continued, "Yes you may. In fact I don''t like being called a "He". Besides, there is only a Sequence difference between us."

    Indeed Amanises mentally noted the fact and sipped on her tea. She took a bite out of a donut and made a satisfied expression. This was the first time she was able to eat something reminiscent of her old home.

    "You do not like being called a "He"? Klein shook his head and replied, "I''d rather be treated as a human than some high, mighty deity.

    "As for your other question, It''s quite a story but I first need to know, how did you transmigrate?" Klein asked, it was an actual question Klein had ever since he deduced that Amanises might be a fellow "transmigator".

    "How did I transmigrate?" Amanises looked down at her paws and began to ponder, Come to think of it, how did I transmigrate?! Noticing her confused expression, Klein visibly sighed and asked,

    "What''s your last memory of Earth? Did you perform some sort of ritual or brought some ancient silverplate?" Amanises tilted her head and displayed further confusion at his examples. She then said,

    "I was¡­ Trying to pirate this one show my friend kept talking about and I think I saw something mysterious on that website and¡­" That was all she could remember.

    Klein''s expression twisted indescribably, Are you fucking with me! I performed an ancient ritual, Roselle brought some ancient silverplate with mysterious engravings, and you were just pirating some random ass show?! What website were you even on??!!

    Amanises noticed his change as her mood brightened. She then proceeded to ask, "How did you transmigrate?"

    "Performed a luck enhancement ritual, written in an old book from my hometown¡­"

    Now that makes sense! Though that ritual doesn''t seem to enhance luck. In fact I would say, you''d have to possess some extremely bad luck to be transferred to another world¡­ Amanises nodded and watched as Klein leand forward on his chair, he clasped his hands and continued,

    "When I woke up in this world, I performed the luck enhancement ritual again in hopes of going back. Ended up getting Sefirah Castle instead." Klein looked at the ancient majestic palace and at the bronze table in front of him, he sighed and picked his cup of tea and sipped on it.

    Is that the reason ''Master'' was never able to find Sefirah Castle? Because you need to perform a certain ritual to access this place? But then what was the information about this ritual doing in our world?? Amanises habitually analyzed Klein''s statement and began to ponder.

    Klein gauged her reaction and an important thought crossed his mind, Should I tell her the truth of this world? Or¡­ No wait, Klein internally sighed and asked, "So¡­ How is life going for you?"

    Amanises found his question a bit weird but regardless, she honestly answered, "Pretty bad. I spent most of my time researching on finding a way ba¡ª" She abruptly stopped, looked at Klein in the eye and seriously asked,

    "Have you found a way back home?" This time, Klein visibly sighed and a small smile appeared on his face. Yeah I can''t tell her that this is our world right now. If I did, she would immediately lose control.

    She has spent the last year or so doing nothing but researching a way back home. She had isolated herself from everyone, and as a result suffered from loneliness. Not to mention the fact that she had transmigrated into a place where one wouldn''t even trust their own kin¡­ She was already looking pretty depressed the first time I saw her.

    I can relate to this feeling, I had also felt that way after all. The difference between us being that, when I found out the truth, I had a lot of people I sincerely cared for. They acted as my anchors and prevented me from succumbing to madness. On the other hand, she has no one in this world. The terrible blow would result in her death¡­

    Klein came to the decision to not disclose the fact that they had never left their home. Yes, I''ll personally tell her this when the time is right¡­ But for now... Noticing his prolonged silence, Amanises had a bad feeling. Next minute, it came true as Klein said with a solemn expression,

    "I am afraid not¡­ Though to be honest I have stopped actively searching for a way¡­" Klein told her half the truth. Amanises expression grimaced and she asked, "Why?"

    "Hehe, you do realize, I have been alive for longer than you?" Klein lied with a straight face. Amanises nodded, but inwardly she thought, I had not. Thanks for the enlightenment.

    "I have searched far and wide, going from eastern to northern continent, the spirit world, and even the vast astral world. And yet, all that added up to a grand total of nothing... I eventually grew tired and¡­. Came to ''accept'' my fate¡­" Amanises expression became even more twisted. She looked down at her paws and slowly thought, What he is implying is that there might not be a way back¡­ Amanises felt her hopes shattering bit by bit.

    Klein had intentionally revealed some bits of information in a roundabout manner to prevent saying the obvious out loud, and to possibly have Amanises stir away from her research so as to dampen the inevitable impact, she''ll suffer from knowing the truth.

    For a long time, the majestic palace returned to its original serenity, as neither of them uttered a word or tried to eat the various sweets sitting in front of them. Both remained silent, although for varying reasoning. Amanises was silently digesting the fact that her hard work and research she put into finding her way back home, may have been truly useless as that ''way'' may or may not even exist. Though she had long considered this possibility, she couldn''t bring herself to believe it.

    After all, if there is a way to come, there must be a way to leave, right?

    But now listening to this same possibility, although in a roundabout manner from Klein, who had lived for far longer than her and probably had a deeper research in this aspect, made her think otherwise. She had instinctively begun to consider that this might be the case, and it only worsened her situation.

    Klein, on the other hand, remained silent to let Amanises digest the crumble of information he had dropped on her but also due to his own grief.

    The yearning for a home that does not exist... Klein sighed and looked at Amanises warmly. After a while when he felt her condition recovering, he picked up his cup of tea, which was still warm because it was not real, and said,

    "What''s your name?" Amanises slowly looked up to him. She sat silent for a long while before uttering her name.

    Her Real Name.

    Klein maintained his smile and nodded, he took a sip from his tea and beckoned Amanises to do so too. He then playfully said, "Zhou Minguri."

    "Chinese?" Amanises spoke. "Yep Chinese, you seem to be from Europe?" Amanises nodded, she hesitated for a moment but then proceeded to ask, "How many transmigrators are there?"

    "Just the two of us¡­ For now at least..." Klein sat his empty cup down and breathed a sigh of relief. He limply leaned back on his high chair, and rested his head in his hands, while leaning sideways.

    "Though I am pretty sure there might be one more, but the method through which he transmigrated might be different from ours." Amanises curiosity peaked, she also assumed a resting position, leaning back on her high chair and slowly uttered,

    "How different?" Klein''s expression remained unchanged, he measly uttered, "You do not need to know for now."

    Not need to know for now... Amanises didn''t probe him any further. In her spent as the subsidiary god to the Annihilation Demonic Wolf, she had learn one very important lesson and that is,

    There are some things that make it easier to be ''infected'' the more you know. To stir away the conversation from previous topic, Amanises looked at the bronze table and asked,

    "What exactly is ''Sefirah Castle''? While the Annihilation demonic wolf referred to it as an Ancient Relic, born from the ''Original Creator''s'' body, how much of it is actually true?

    "And what''s the meaning behind ''The Omnipresent Ruler of the spirit world''?"

    Celestial Worthy¡­ Klein thought immediately, he remained silent for a moment before cautiously asking, "Do you have any knowledge about Transcending the Sequence?"

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    "Transcending Sequence?!" Amanises pupil dilated and she shouted at him. "There is way to transcend the sequence entirely?!" Klein chuckled a bit and then continued,

    "Yes, though I like to refer to it as the Great Old Ones." Klein sighed and looked at Amanises amusingly, "I''m sure you know of the saying; ''the higher in the sequence you go, the more the will of ''The Primordial One'' awakens in you,'' right?"

    Amanises nodded, "Well, where do you think this corruption stems from? That''s right, it''s the remaining will of the Great old ones of that pathway, inside the beyonder characteristics, which awakens within you the further you advance in sequence, as they try to make you lose control and take over your body." Klein paused to gauge her reaction. He then continued,

    "There are a total of 22 Beyonder pathways on this planet, among these exist 9 high sequence groups, as in some of the pathways are interchangeable at higher sequence such as Darkness, Twilight Giant and Death, or Red Priest and Demoness or Seer, Apprentice and Marauder pathways." Klein deliberately didn''t use the sequence 0 terms for the Marauder pathway, as he was not aware of what Error was called before Ancient Sun God bestowed this name.

    Amanises nodded in a continuous manner. This was an extreme amount of information she was receiving and hence she was taking mental notes in her mind. "Hence, there are 9 high sequence Beyonder pathway groups on this planet. And it just so happens that there are 9 Sefirot in this world."

    "Sefirot?" Amanises acutely pointed out. Klein nodded and continued, "When the ''Original Creator'' split apart, he left behind 9 legacies that were born from "His" body¡ªSefirot." Klein then looked at the majestic palace and slowly uttered, "Sefirah Castle is one of them."

    The relic left behind by the original creator is in fact a Sefirot!! Amanises silently nodded. "For a Sequence 0 to become a Great old one, "They" must accommodate the Sefirah corresponding to their pathway. It is the most important thing, in becoming a Great old one, and without one, "They" would remain a dual or triple pathway true deity.

    "Aside from Sefirah Castle, there is the Chaos sea, River of Eternal Darkness, Key of LIght, Brood Hive, Tenebrous World, City of Calamity, Nation of Disorder and the Knowledge Moor. Each Sefirah corresponds to a Great old one. For example, the River of Eternal Darkness corresponds to the Great old one Eternal Darkness. City of Calamity corresponds to the Calamity of Destruction. Knowledge Moor corresponds to the Demon of Knowledge, while the Nation of Disorder corresponds to the Anarchy. Tenebrous World corresponds to the Father of Devils, and the Brood Hive corresponds to the Goddess of Origin. Finally, the Key of Light corresponds to the Key of light, and yes, the sefirah and the Great old share a similar name."

    Klein suddenly felt silent, he looked up at the greyish white fog and continued, "Chaos sea corresponds to the Great old one, the True Pillar, God Almighty." He fell silent again and let out an audible sigh. He then chuckled and Amanises could notice his troubled expression and strong emotions.

    "And finally, Sefirah Castle belongs to the¡­" Klein looked at her, a small smile on his face and finally uttered,

    "Lord of Mysteries."

    Amanises remained silent. She slowly digested and analyzed the heavy information he shared. The key point she picked up was Klein''s strong emotions when referring to the ''Lord of Mysteries''.

    Klein is from the Fool pathway, whose sequence 9 is Seer. He mentioned before that the Seer, Apprentice and Marauder pathway are interchangeable at higher sequence. Considering, he can control Sefirah Castle and ''Master'' was also looking for Sefirah Castle. It is safe to assume that the Lord of Mysteries is the Great old one belonging to the Seer, Apprentice and Marauder pathway group.

    But why did he have such a strong emotional reaction when referring to the Lord of Mysteries? it was almost like he was¡­ Saddened and pained¡­ Amanises wanted to ask him about it, but before she could, he continued, "Currently there are no Great Old Ones on this planet, all of them perished at some point in the First Epoch.

    "Not only that, 7 out of the 9 Sefirot were sealed in the western continent by the Lord of Mysteries right before "His" death."

    !!! Amanises eyes widened, she immediately shouted, "Sealed the Sefirot? And on top of that, 7 of them??! But¡­ How is this even possible??" Amanises bombarded him with questions, to which Klein just chuckled.

    He then said, "Well, that''s because the Lord of Mysteries is an existence that stands far above a Sefirah. "He" is a persona of the Original Creator and a True pillar."

    Persona of the creator¡­ Pillar? He referred to ''God Almighty'' the same way. Noticing her shocked expression, Klein chuckled once more, and said in a soft voice. "While there may only be 22 pathways and 9 Great old ones in this world, there are an unknown number of beyonder pathways and Great old ones in the cosmos. Above "Them" stood three beings.

    "They were," Klein smiled widened an he continued,

    "Mother Goddess of Depravity;

    "Origin of Evil;

    "The Indestructible."

    "God Almighty

    "Creator; Maker;

    "The Omnipotent and Omniscient;

    "Lord of the Astral World."

    "And Finally,"

    "King of Space-Time; Beacon of Destiny;

    "Embodiment of Sefirah Castle; Dominator of the Spirit World."

    Klein smiled continuously and slowly uttered, "Lord of Mysteries."

    Silence.

    Neither of them uttered another word. Klein let Amanises digest the information while the latter felt like her mind was malfunctioning. She did not intend to receive this high level of information and so she was naturally having trouble absorbing it.

    After a long while, Klein uttered, "The Omnipresent Ruler of the Spirit refers to the Lord of Mysteries."

    Yeah, I think I already made that connection long ago! Amanises lampooned. She for a fact, did not want to continue this topic anymore. She needed serious time to fully analyze this info. That''s when a question popped in her mind.

    "Where did you learn this information?" Klein looked at her and said, "From the Seven lights," He half-lied and saw as her expression twisted further, "Sefirah Castle exists above the Spirit world and its owner is the dominator of the whole realm. As the current owner of Sefirah Castle, I am treated by the seven lights the same way they treat their Omnipresent Ruler." Klein explained.

    "But, how can a sequence 1 control a sefirot and be its owner." Amanises asked again. "Because I am not just a regular sequence 1. I have a mystical connection with Sefirah castle and it recognizes me as its owner as well as a contender for the divine throne of Mysteries."

    Indeed¡­ His Honorific name makes sense now. Since Sefirah castle represents the Lord of Mysteries, I assume as its owner, and a contender for "His" Divine throne, Klein would be more of a "Fool" then the actual Fool¡­ Amanises nodded and then sighed. She felt really tired from all this talk of Great old ones. Klein noticed her weariness and decided to stir away the topic to something else.

    "By the way, what''s the current status of Flegrea?" He asked. Amanises bobbed her head up and looked at him. "Mad. "He" rarely calls us to "His" divine kingdom." Amanises had no shame divulging any info on her Master, in fact she only considered "Him" her master due to influence from memories of the original Amanises.

    Besides, she was slowly humbling up to Klein. He hasn''t shown any hostility and appeared friendly and easy to talk to. Of course, Amanises still couldn''t fully trust him. That was one of her biggest principles, after all the original Amanises was killed by her own siblings. But she was currently feeling a rare sense of easiness that she hasn''t felt ever since she transmigrated into this world.

    Klein was nice to talk to, and she wanted to talk to him more.

    Amanises then remembered the piercing gaze she felt when Klein left that cliff''s edge. "By the way, when you left, I felt a chilling gaze upon myself.

    "I am pretty sure it was ''Master''. He may have noticed you when you were leaving." Amanises warned him. Though Klein''s expression didn''t change, he nonchalantly said, "Not possible. I concealed the space using Sefirah Castle power. Even if "He" is a true Deity, all "He" should have seen was a Greyish white fog." Amanises bopped her head in enlightenment and astonishment. She then immediately analyzed his words and suddenly noticed something,

    Concealment¡­ The Fool pathway doesn''t have much authority over concealment. Even if he is using Sefirah Castle power, he should only be able to use abilities from the three pathways corresponding to the Lord of Mysteries¡­ Lord of Mysteries¡­ ''Mysteries''... Yes it doesn''t seem far stretched that either Apprentice or Marauder pathway probably possess authority over concealment¡­

    Now that I think about it, the Phoenix Ancestor has also shown authority over concealment despite "Her" pathway,¡ªPhoenix not having much authority over it. And "She" is also an insane goddess¡­

    Could it be possible that "She" has accommodated a non-neighboring pathway''s uniqueness? Maybe, Apprentice or Marauder... Amanises pushed aside her trail of thought and inwardly sighed, My brain is on overdrive¡­ This reminds me of my previous job, where I always had to stay overtime to handle company affairs¡­

    Those were such good times now that I look back at them. Even though I came home tired and out of my wits, I could at least crash-land on my couch and just doze off without having to worry about my fucking life¡­ She chuckled, much to Klein''s confusion though he slowly figured out what she was thinking and joined her.

    "But wouldn''t it be dangerous if ''Master'' saw the Greyish white fog of Sefirah Castle?" Amanises asked with a smile to which Klein reciprocated and replied, "Even if "He" could feel Sefirah Castle''s presence, "He" would be incapable of doing anything about it.

    "Sefirah Castle yields to me, I can control who enters this place or not. The only thing I need to be wary of is your connection to me and subsequently to this place, and for that I''ll need a little bit of your help." Amanises keenly listened and nodded indicating he had her support. Klein smiled and continued,

    "It''s simple, let''s first set up a time for our meeting, and when this time approaches you just need to fall asleep and conceal your Astral Projection, so that I can pull it above the gray fog without drawing attention. More specifically "His".

    "While pulling the astral projection is usually a problem, since it''s the manifestation of a person''s emotions and conflicts, you who is a beyonder of the Sleepless pathway can maintain lucidity in dreams. It''s also more concealed since it''s an outer manifestation of a person''s soul body. And when you return, make sure to erase any presence of Sefirah castle from your astral projection as that can be sensed by Flegrea."

    Smart¡­ He thought of everything before pulling me up here Amanises continued smiling and so did Klein. They finally took notice of the food sitting on the table, and each grabbed their own choice of sweet and began eating.

    They ate and talked, talked about random things.

    "How is the world outside?" Amanises has never left Flegrea''s divine kingdom so she naturally had no knowledge of the outside world. True, how is the outside world again? Klein lampooned and began to speak, "Chaotic, though the northern continent is a bit better." Klein explicitly was referring to Humanity''s condition. "Though it has been a long time since I left the eastern continent, I am not too sure of the current situation."

    "I see, so this is the eastern continent?" Amanises asked, to which Klein simply nodded his head. Klein then looked at her up and down and said, "How does it feel to be a demonic wolf?" Amanises just stared at him, and slowly replied,

    "I feel like a dog." She noticed Klein''s expression changing a bit before immediately returning to normal. You damn clown! She cursed in her mind.

    "Actually I know of a way to give you a physical body." Amanises eyes lit up, she immediately asked, "How! Tell me!" Klein chuckled a bit then said, "Simple, by having human anchors,

    "If you can have enough human believers that think of you as a humanoid deity, then the corruption stemming from those anchors will morph your physical appearance to the corresponding image."

    "Oh, I already knew of that method." Amanises looked down in disappointment, "The plan is good, but the flaw in it being that, how am I to gain believers?" Amanises said in a low voice. Klein looked at his friend and calmly said, "If you want to, I can help you with it." Her head immediately bobbed up and she replied, "R-Really?

    "But why would you¡ª" Klein shook his head and chuckled, "It''s not like I am doing it for free. You''d owe me a favor in exchange." Klein casually added. Amanises expression calmed down a bit, albeit a bit tense as to what favor Klein was going to ask for.

    "The favor I want is pretty simple, but I first need to know something." Klein gaze locked in with her as he continued, "Do you feel any familial love towards the other demonic wolves? Or your Master? You don''t have to give the answer today, savor it for our next meeting." Klein stated, and leaned back on his chair.

    Amanises continued staring at him and thought in her mind, Do I?

    They continued chatting onwards until the time came for Amanises to return. Both felt a sense of serine and calmness as they let down their guards and chatted about.

    On that day, a new friendship blossomed.

    And finally, when it was time for Amanises to leave. Klein remembered something important and said to her, "You remember the third transmigrator I talked about?" Amanises nodded, showing acknowledgement. Klein''s expression became grave. "If you ever happen to cross paths with him, do not under any circumstances, try to approach "Him" or talk to "Him", and absolutely do not divulge the fact that you are a transmigrator.

    "Trust me, it''s for your own safety. And do tell me if you ever see "Him", you can just pray to me." Klein warned with a serious expression. Amanises did not question him. She noted his warning in her mind and then asked, "How would I know "He" is a transmigrator?"

    "Oh you''d recognize "Him" immediately, don''t worry about that." Amanises tilted her head and expressed confusion. Regardless, I should take his words seriously. While the other transmigrator may be from our world that doesn''t mean "He" would be like Klein, smart and friendly. Also Klein referred to him as "Him", that means "He" must be a true deity¡­ Maybe "He" has gone mad from power or lost control or something...

    She and him then set up a meeting time, "Every two days, let''s meet every two days at this exact time!" Klein said and Amanises agreed.

    Klein and her then bid farewell as Klein severed his mystical connection from her, letting her Astral projection descend back into her real body.

    ¡­

    When Amanises came to her senses, she immediately collapsed on the floor and sighed. She felt exhausted from all the information she received today but at the same time, happy and relieved having chatted with someone whom she could potentially call a friend.

    What a wild day... Amanises thought and limply made her way to her resting place. She then slowly uttered "Klein" before falling asleep.

    ¡­

    Inside Sefirah Castle, Klein leaned back on his chair and sighed, Part one of my many plans is successful. I now have an actual friend with whom I can talk to.

    Amanises truly is different from the one I know. She has more humanity and displays more emotions. It''s a good thing, I can potentially help her maintain her humanity. Also chatting with her will naturally help me.

    Phew¡­ Life sure requires hard work. Klein lampooned and chuckled. He looked up at the Greyish white fog and sat there, in it calm and deafening silence.

    The fog gently swayed around him.

 The World of the Second Epoch.

    Now that this is sorted out.

    Sitting inside the majestic ancient palace above the spirit world, Klein straightened himself on his chair. He extended his hand and pulled a historical projection of himself when he was a Miracle Invoker.

    Now that I have effectively befriended Amanises, I can put matters regarding the Fools uniqueness aside for now... My next main objective should be maintaining my humanity... Right now, I lack anchors, and I can only rely on myself.

    But before that I should brief myself on the current world situation. After all, a ''magician'' never performs unprepared.

    Klein nodded and then concealed himself within Sefirah castle. His consciousness descended into the historical projection. He then extended his hand bringing out creeping hunger from the historical void. He wore it on his left hand and Klein, now donning the face and identity of Merlin Hermes, grinned to himself.

    He stretched his hands, turned around and looked at the divine chair of Fool. He then leaned back and began to fall, the ancient majestic palace leaving his sight immediately as his body felt the chilling sensation of dropping down.

    In just a moment, he saw the seven lights that preceded over the spirit world, the embodiment of limitless knowledge. Klein closed his eyes and felt countless gazes on him, as if he was being watched from every direction. His smile only widened as he opened his eyes and twisted his body around, the image of the Spirit world entering his eyes.

    The thick Greyish white fog that permeated the space, concealing indescribable figures that wandered the unfound, the saturated colors, forming a spectrum that seemed to resemble the seven pure light above. Countless murmurs, almost ravings, entered Klein''s ears. This was part of the abysmal land ruled by the various mythical races, this was the spirit world of the Second Epoch. The realm of chaos and knowledge.

    Klein swiftly landed on his feet like a cat, and began to observe his surroundings. There wasn''t much visible difference between the spirit world he was familiar with, and the spirit world he was currently in. Yet, Klein could feel countless beings eyeing him.

    Klein laughed and clasped his hands. Looking up, he gazed at the seven lights above. In just a few moments, the orange light began to flicker and descend, landing just beside Klein. It took on a humanoid shape, and now standing in front of Klein was an old plump man in an orange robe. His appearance and demeanor appeared amiable.

    The Orange Light Hilarion.

    He smiled at Klein and nodded. "Your Excellency, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Orange Light Hilarion."

    Why do I feel like this is a reenactment... While inwardly lampooning, Klein responded with a smile, "I am aware." Hilarion''s expression didn''t falter as he nodded. He then said in a confused tone, "Your Excellency, I have a question I wish to ask of you."

    "State," Klein replied. Hilarion calmly asked, "Your Excellency, It eludes us as to how your existence only came to be a few hours ago.. Not only that, but a Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Seer Pathway disappeared as soon as you manifested. My brothers and I have been very confused regarding this matter and have been meaning to meet you."

    Klein''s eyes twitched. He contemplated for a moment before saying to Hilarion, "Of course, It will be my honor."

    As soon as he finished speaking, different colors of lights arose from the ground, each of them transforming into an old man.

    "Your Excellency, Shall I introduce each of us to you?" Hilarion asked politely, to which Klein simply shook his head and replied, "There is no need. I am aware of each and every one of you." Klein smiled and showed his friendliness and gratitude. He then added,

    "Let us sit down and have a chat." Suddenly dark red flames arose as various high back chairs appeared. Klein sat down gesturing to the other Seven lights. After they were all settled, Klein looked at them with a smile and said amiably,

    "I am aware of the various questions you have and I am willing to answer all of them." The seven lights nodded as Klein continued, "You should be made aware that I am not the previous Lord Of Mysteries¡ªThe Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth. I am merely a contender for "His" divine throne, and the current owner of Sefirah Castle."

    The seven lights nodded in acknowledgement and Hilarion said, "Yes, while we weren''t sure of it, we did infer if you were the great ruler of the spirit world or not. We couldn''t divine or prophesies it, since that would have resulted in direct failure¡­

    "While we weren''t sure if you were ''Him'' or not. This possibility was the most optimal... It would explain the sudden appearance of a great existence like Your Excellency in this time." Klein nodded as Orange Light looked at his brothers. They all gave curt nods as Orange light Hilarion continued, "While you may not be the great ruler of the spirit world, you are still the owner of Sefirah Castle, and a contender for ''His'' divine throne¡­" Hilarion paused and then continued, "This fact in itself makes you a great existence. And so in our eyes, you are equivalent to the Great ruler of the spirit world, and Your Excellency!" The seven stood up at the same time, and gave a gentlemanly bow. Klein followed after them indicating his gratefulness.

    "We will help you in whatever way we can." Orange light Hilarion smiled at Klein, followed by the other six lights. Klein returned the gesture and stated, "The reason why you were only able to sense my existence a few hours ago, was because I somehow managed to travel back from the 5th epoch to this time, the 2nd epoch." The seven lights'' expressions visibly twisted before contorting. Klein didn''t bother hiding anything as he considered that whether the seven lights knew he was from the future or not didn''t change anything as long as they didn''t divulge this secret.

    Yellow light Venithan slowly stated, "While I did expect that time travel should be possible, I didn''t think there would come a day where I would witness one..." Klein chuckled a bit as Venithan continued slowly, "Your Excellency, do you think it might be the work of the great ruler?" Klein shook his head in decline. "I have considered all possibilities and it doesn''t seem to be the work of the Celestial Worthy, God Almighty, nor the outer deities.

    "While I am not sure which existence has enough authority to send me back in time. I am not too keen on knowing about ''Them''... For now¡­"

    The seven lights nodded in response. Klein leaned back on his chair and continued, "The one sequence 1 characteristic of the seer pathway also disappeared since I currently have the characteristic within myself¡­ In fact I possess two."

    "That means Your Excellency is only a step away from becoming a True Deity!" The red light Aiur Moria exclaimed. Klein smiled, "Yes, but I am not keen on becoming one right now. Probably won''t until the apocalypse is nigh." Klein paused and then asked, "Are you all aware of the apocalypse?"

    Yellow Light Venithan nodded, "I have already deduced that this world will reach its end when the will of the Original Creator fades to a certain limit. Is that the apocalypse Your Excellency speaks of?" Klein sighed, and said, "1368 of the Fifth Epoch. That will be the day when the world barrier will break open¡­

    "The day when the Greatest Oldest One will enter this land¡­" Klein paused feeling a little heavy then continued, "I came from 1353 of the Fifth Epoch, so I have yet to witness the apocalypse, not that I am keen on it hehe¡­"

    The Seven Lights nodded and the Blue Light Kuthumi said, "We share the sentiment Your Excellency." Klein looked at him and smiled. "Very well. I need your help, more particularly I seek some information." Orange light Hilarion immediately spoke, "Please speak Your mind!" Klein chuckled at this.

    "What''s the current situation of the Eastern Continent?" Klein asked, assuming a more serious tone. Orange Light Hilarion replied slowly,

    "The eastern continent as you should already be aware of Your Excellency is in a state of complete chaos. It''s being overrun by the various races such as the Giants, Demonic Wolves, Sanguines, and so on.

    "These races took over this land a few hundred years after the death of our Great Ruler. Since then, most of their kind have been at war with each other, while others such as the demonic wolves have vowed to annihilate all life from this planet leaving only darkness, horror and misfortune.

    "They have also enslaved the humans whose ancestors once used to roam these lands under the dominion of The Omnipotent and Omniscient." Klein''s eyelids twitched.

    God Almighty... "He dictated the humans in the first epoch?" The orange light tilted his head, and slowly spoke, "It was more like, just letting them live in "His" lands. "He" never interacted with them, just observed."

    Interesting, it seems weirdly fit for a Visionary like "Him" to observe Humanity¡­ Klein silently took note of the fact. "In current times, Giant King Aurmir, Sanguine ancestor Lilith and Elf King Soniathyrm are on one side fighting against Phoenix Ancestor Gregace, Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt and Mutated King Kvastir.

    "Whereas the King of Demonic Wolves, the annihilation king Flegrea and Devil monarch Farbauti just wish to corrupt and destroy everything." Klein nodded in acknowledgement. It''s exactly as I remember... That confirms that other than my presence in this era, there are so far no additional anomalies¡­

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "What about the Northern and Southern Continents?" This was something Klein was genuinely curious about. Any information he had on the second epoch stemmed mostly from Amon and the City of Silver''s records. He had no idea about the condition of the northern and southern continents during this period.

    "The northern continent isn''t as chaotic and desolate as the eastern

    continent. It is mostly ruled by Human families that are disconnected from the outside world. Hehe, of course, it isn''t all rainbows and sunshine either.. Most of humanity are living in small villages, and a majority are fighting against the Mythical Races that have been wanting to infiltrate the northern continent. This mainly includes the Elves.

    "As for the Southern Continent, it is probably the safest place in the current world. It is completely inhabited by humans which are safe from the invasion of other races due to the extremely bad weather at the seashore, restraining transportation. The central continent which connects the southern and northern continents is also very dangerous, overrun by unintelligent beyonder creatures. This makes it way too dangerous to traverse through. As for traversing using the spirit world, its exact coordinates are unknown to most, and due to the bad weather and the still very much developing humans, its coordinates are unsettled and change often, preventing most from entering the place."

    Klein displayed astonishment. It seems the Southern Continent has always been weird¡­ Doesn''t help that it used to be South America at some point. Also the Central continent is here, it was probably destroyed by Salinger during the beginning of 4th epoch or maybe the end of 3rd epoch. Or was it in the Pale Era? Klein thought. He then began to analyze the information.

    The Northern and Southern continents haven''t been invaded by the Mythical races yet... Considering that some of these Mythical creatures are going to fall in the next 10 or so years, it''s safe to assume that it won''t happen. It also makes sense why Antigonus and Mother of the Sky fled to the Northern Continent after the death of Flegrea.

    The Northern continent should be in a state of disorder, with only a few loosely organized factions that are probably fighting off the Elves on the coast. Could this be the place where Leodero, Aucuses and Ouroboros were born? And later when Aurmir betrayed Lilith and caused "Her", as well as Kvastir and Flegrea to fall, these angels or demigods came together, drove all of the mythical races to extinction and later became King of Angels under the Ancient Sun God.

    If that is the case, then I suppose Hermes is probably also from the northern continent... When did Ancient Hermes come to be then? Most likely, after the Mythical races fell so somewhere at the end of the second epoch... What was Hermes doing for the rest of the third and fourth epoch then?

    Countless questions flooded Klein''s thoughts. He decided to put matters regarding Hermes in the back of his mind. He then looked at Hilarion and asked, "What''s the situation of the Abyss?"

    "Devil Monarch Farbauti is currently looking for it. Besides that, there isn''t much going on in the Abyss." Hilarion paused for a moment and then continued with a heavy tone, "At least on the surface¡­ There seems to be something going on in the deeper parts of it. Forgive us Your Excellency but we are unable to go deeper than that, otherwise we will suffer corruption¡­" Klein nodded, and then thought,

    Farbauti is looking for the abyss. If I recall, Amon mentioned that this ancient God, later known as the Dark Side of the Universe, was the only one bar Lilith, surviving Ancient God¡­ That means "He" fled to the Abyss during the rise of the Ancient Sun God and later changed "His" name. So "He" began searching for the abyss this far back... But wait, how did "He" even get to know of its existence? The Abyss is in the far west whereas "He" should be in the eastern continent¡­

    As if reading his thoughts, Hilarion spoke, "We are not aware of how "He" got to know of its existence. We only know that "He" began to search for its whereabouts a few years ago."

    Is that so... Farbauti is the Sequence 0: Abyss. This pathway originally belonged to the Mother Tree of Desire... Could it be that "He" is being subtly influenced? But what''s there in the abyss for "Her" to influence someone from "Her" pathway to seek?

    At that moment Klein''s head snapped, he immediately asked, "How is the situation with Giant Queen Omebella?" Hilarion tilted his head in confusion from the sudden shift in tone. "Nothing to take note of. The Kingdom of silver worships "Her".

    "''She'' would descend on the kingdom from time to time, sometimes to bestow a good harvest while other times¡­" Hilarion''s voice became distant and hesitant. Seeing his brother troubled, Blue Light Kuthumi continued in his stead, "It''s a little complex, Your Excellency please allow me to elaborate,

    "When the Goddess of Harvest Omebella descends on the Kingdom of silver, "She" displays two images. One corresponds to light and goodness with ''The Harvest grace, life''s precious embrace'' as the core of fate, viewing the people of the Kingdom of Silver as "Her" own children, always ensuring bountiful harvest, an abundance of livestock and poultry. This is the main reason why the Kingdom of silver can prosper, and not suffer meaningless slaughter. This is also the reason why this Kingdom is the only successful human one within the Eastern Continent."

    Klein bobbed his head up and down in enlightenment. Kuthumi continued, "As for the other image¡­ More often than not, Omebella would descend in a different form than the one I just stated. This form of "Hers" corresponds to Death and Desolation, and brings forth extreme despair in all of the Kingdom of Silver. When Omebella descends in this form, "She" would demand for bloody sacrifices, with large numbers of humans as offerings. Even if the Kingdom of silver obeys to "Her", sacrificing their own family members and friends, they would still sometimes suffer famine, lasting up to a year. If they don''t do so, then the famine might last up to 3-5 years."

    Klein silently listened. He then sighed and thought, The city of silver always had one problem after another huh... Probably the Ancient Sun God''s era was their only true ''peaceful'' moment...

    I wonder if I can do something for them... Klein then diverted his thoughts to Omebella. "She" has two completely contradictory faces. Omebella should be an angel of the Mother pathway, probably a sequence 1 Naturewalker¡­ Could it be that "She" is being affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity?! If someone like Farbauti can be affected by the Mother Tree of Desire, who isn''t even a pillar, then the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who used to be a one and still has its mark on "Her", could probably better penetrate the barrier and influence creatures from "Her" pathway.

    I should pay a visit in a convoluted manner to confirm my theory. Of course, I can''t just show up out of nowhere, that would probably lead to my death, and especially not now when the situation is this tense in this place¡­

    Klein noted down this fact and added it in his To-Do list. When the time is right, I will head to the Giant King''s Court... Until then I could visit the Kingdom of Silver to better know the situation and also provide some help. Klein looked at Blue Light Kuthumi and asked slowly, "When was the last time Omebella descended on the Kingdom of silver?"

    "Around a year ago." Kuthumi immediately replied, Klein followed with another question. "Is there any set pattern for "Her" descent or is it random?" Kuthumi shook his head, "It''s random Your Excellency, but "She" does seem to descend once every 3-5 years. But this could be longer than that or shorter." Klein nodded.

    He began thinking of what to ask next. After pondering for many moments, Klein calmly asked, "Do you know anything about Leodero, Aucuses and Herabergen?"

    The Seven lights were a bit confused, but soon remembered that Klein was from the future. For him to specifically ask about someone must mean they are special in future! The Red Light Aiur Moria replied, "Leodero and Aucuses are Saints that are fighting off the Elven invasion in the northern continent.

    "Herabergen, better known as the Dragon of Wisdom Herabergen, is one of the subsidiary gods under the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt. "He" is a Sequence 1 Angel of the White Tower Pathway. Other than that there is nothing interesting about these three." Red Light Aiur Moria paused, looked at his brothers and then said, "But if you wish Your Excellency then we, the seven lights, will keep a special eye on them and alert you on any development!" Klein chuckled at Seven Light''s willingness to serve him. He shook his hands and uttered, "There is no need."

    The seven lights simply nodded and smiled. Klein rubbed his chin for a moment and began pondering. I want to ask them about Medici and Ouroboros but I''m pretty sure those are names given by the Ancient Sun God, and I am not aware of what "Their" original names were. Forget it. They are probably in a similar position as others.

    Then what else is there¡­ Suddenly Klein remembered something. "How is the Sanguine Ancestor Lilith?"

    Orange light Hilarion cleared his throat and replied, "Nothing different than the other gods. "She" commands the entire Sanguine Race and is the Sequence 0: Moon. The only thing ''appropriate'' to mention about "Her" would be the interesting fact that one of "Her" Sequence 1 Characteristics appear to be impure which allowed one of "Her" Subsidiary god, Auernia, to retain "Her" status as a Sequence 1 despite Lilith being the Goddess of the Moon pathway.

    "There is also the Moon City, which houses both Sanguine and Humans alike. Although Humans are treated as slaves and ''livestock'' by this race..." Hilarion''s voice trailed off. He then suddenly asked, "Your Excellency, were you used to being a human once?" Klein nodded in affirmation. "Huh, forgive me, then I should have stated about Humanity''s condition long ago...

    "Other than what I have already told you about Humans in the Northern and Southern Continents. The Sanguine race treats Humans as low level workers and slaves, and even livestock to quench their thirst. Elves treat humans as mere slaves, albeit providing them sufficient food and rest. Giants, on the other hand, treat humans as subordinates, providing them with food, shelter, and clothes. They do not view them as equals and believe these low level species need to be nurtured. A major part of their military forces encompasses humans, and within the Giant King''s Court, they usually work as laborers or servants.

    "Of course, due to the Giants bad temper, it is still dangerous to work for them. But it can be considered the safest place to be in as a human. The other races such as Mutants, Devils and Demonic Wolves do not care about humans at all and kill indiscriminately."

    Klein remained silent and analyzed the information, he noticed a particular point of interest being the Giant''s temperament against humans. It makes sense when I think about it. Giant King Aurmir should be aware that "His" origins were Human so "He" is naturally not hard towards this species... If only that was the case with the other races. Klein sighed and waved his head. Suddenly something snapped in him as his eyes widened and he thought to himself.

    Did I just... Refer to ''Humans'' as ''this species''? Klein audibly sighed and rubbed his temples. That''s not good. I am growing detached from humanity. Even if I may not be susceptible to losing control, I can still lose ''myself''.

    I should go around and explore these situations myself. Only when I witness the cruelty and harshness of ''mortals'' as well as their suffering, would I be able to connect with them, and further strengthen my humanity... Klein came to a decision. He looked at the seven lights and spoke,

    "That''s all for now." Klein stood up from his seat, the seven lights following after him. He bowed and said with a smile. "Thank you for your answers."

    "It was our pleasure. May Your Excellency return to the throne of the great ruler above the spirit world as quickly as possible." The seven responded in unison. This is literally a replay of previous events. These guys haven''t changed at all¡­ Klein lampooned as he politely sent the seven lights away.

    Klein sighed and stood there for some moments, his head hanging down. Finally, he looked up and began walking in a certain direction.

    Wherever fate led him.

 The most basic wish.

    Woosh~

    My name is Fred. I am a 20 year old man, or maybe 21¡­ I don''t know¡­ I don''t remember what my age is anymore. Not that it matters much. I live in Moon City, and work as a servant for Lord Quan. I am just an ordinary man trying to live. Even if that''s the hardest thing a human can achieve.

    As a house servant, I always woke up as soon as the crimson moon descended. Me and my friends'' living quarters aren''t that big, half the size of the barn out in the garden. It gets really cramped at night, but, hey at least we get to sleep!

    Our first duty of the day is to clean the mansion thoroughly, not leaving so much as a speck of dust. Lord Quan''s mansion is big, really big, and so it always takes a long amount of time before we are done with cleaning. We are then allowed to have our first meal of the day, I think they call it ''Breakfast.''

    "Hey Fred!" I heard a familiar voice as I was grabbing my plate. I slowly turned around and saw one of my close friends, Khin, approach me with his ''Breakfast.'' "Wanna eat together?" Of course, why wouldn''t I wanna?

    We both walked towards a wall and sat down on the hard ground, our plates in hand and our stomachs growling. We first chewed on the uncooked ration and then my friend Khin said, "Man, I feel like an old guy from all this work... Wouldn''t it be nice if we received some breaks more often than not?"

    "The mere fact that we are alive is already more than enough in my eyes." I said without hesitation as Khin gave me an annoyed look. "But what''s the point of living such a life?" I don''t even know what he is talking about anymore. We are alive, we are eating and we are able to sleep. What more could a person want in their life other than to live?

    I shook my head and silently ate my food, while Khin continued to babble about all sorts of stuff, much of which I couldn''t make sense of, but I still listened anyway. Me and Khin have been friends since we were kids, so I was more or less used to his gibberish.

    It gave me a rare moment of calm.

    After lunch we all had varying work. Some went to do laundry while others worked on farmland, some took care of ''animal livestock'' while some had the task to take care of the ''human'' ones. Thankfully I had none of that. Instead I had the task to deliver important things from Lord Quan''s Mansion to Lord Semirun''s Mansion. Lord Quan and Lord Semirun were brothers and lived opposite each other on the furthest ends of Moon city, so the whole trip took 2 days.

    This task was much better because I got to stay the night at Lord Semirun''s place whose living quarters for slaves were much bigger, and so I could sleep comfortably in my own corner. They also gave blankets!

    Today I received one such task. It was a small box, the size of my palm. I received the order to deliver it to Lord Semirun''s mansion. Just the usual things I thought as I put the small box in my bag, and left Lord Quan''s mansion.

    The path to Moon city wasn''t anything noteworthy. It was a simple dirt road that connected to the City''s outlet. Nothing too interesting, not too shabby either. The path is surrounded by trees of varying length, in fact the entire place is situated in a forest area. I simply walked forth, not wanting to be late to my destination or attract danger.

    In about half a day, I reached the city''s central area. According to one of my friends, Moon city is akin to a kingdom of sorts rather than a city. Not that I understand the difference between them, but I''ll take his word.

    I lower my head and slowly make my way through the ''city.'' I have long memorized my route, and so I had no need to look up. I have gone through this place countless times, yet it still gives me chills. The atmosphere is cold, really cold and there is always this stench, a foul smell that invades my nostrils. Even though the ''Sanguines'' have a better sense of smell than humans, this stench of sorts doesn''t seem to bother them, in fact it makes them eccentric in a twisted manner.

    I have never paid attention to this city in detail. Not because I was uninterested or anything, but because I always had this sense of danger of sorts. That if I dare to look up something bad will happen to me. My biggest goal in life was to live, and so I had no intentions of taking risks.

    But this wasn''t the case with my friend Jese, who seems to be really interested in this city. She had described it as ''A grotesque of buildings, bodies and flesh.'' I think I vaguely understood what she meant.

    But I need not concern myself with this.

    Thankfully, I managed to leave the city without any mishaps. The foul stench still lingered in my nostrils, but at this point I was very much used to it. Just before the Crimson Moon rose, I manage to reach Lord Semirun''s mansion and deliver the small box. I was then led to the servants quarter where I spent the night.

    I don''t know if it was just me, but the overall environment in the servants quarters seemed gloomy, as if something bad had happened. I almost wanted to ask about it but decided not to. It didn''t concern me and so I had no reason to, and I knew better than myself to keep my curiosity in check.

    In the morning, when I was preparing to leave, I heard a shrill noise. Since it was already morning, and Lord Semirun''s place was relatively safe, I decided to check it out. I left the servant quarters and followed the shrill noise until I reached the garden area.

    There I saw a bunch of people, their expression pained and some even had tears in their eyes. They gathered around the center of a clearing, surrounding a man. He laid there on the solid, cold ground. His skin pale, and his eyes devoid of any color. His expression lifeless, unmoving, displaying a strange sense of horror.

    Besides him lies a woman, her head buried in his chest. She was crying silently to herself. I didn''t even have to get close to know that the man was dead. Not because of his pale skin, or lifeless features but because of the bright red grotesque wound on his neck. His skin and flesh ripped out and his blood sucked dry until there remained nothing but bones and skin.

    It wasn''t anything new. I have seen this image countless times now. I simply turned around and made my way back.

    Ignorance is bliss.

    I didn''t try to approach the scene any further than I needed to. Neither did I try to know how had happened. Not like I already didn''t know.

    Ignorance is bliss

    I simply wish to live. I have no need to concern myself with matters that have no connection to me. I walked inside the living quarters, and picked up my bag. I then silently and slowly made my way outside Lord Semirun''s mansion, turned and bowed. Then I politely walked off not wanting to stay a second longer.

    Ignorance is bliss

    ¡­

    One week later, I received another task to deliver a rectangular box, the size of my hand. Immediately I noticed the foul stench akin to the one I smelled in moon city, coming from the box. Okay, it shouldn''t be too hard. I thought to myself as I packed the rectangular box in my bag. Beside me stood Khin, he curiously looked at the box and then at me. He then opened his mouth and said, "That smell from that box¡­ Isn''t that like blood?"

    I didn''t answer him. I simply kept packing. He didn''t bother me either. After a while, I bid him farewell and left. The journey to Lord Semirun''s mansion went smoothly with no mishaps on the way.

    The only notable thing was a rumor I heard when I was crossing the city. It was about a man in strange attire that was spotted a few distance away from the city. Some of the servants of Lord Marqus and Lady Sheey ran into him. He describes himself as a ''wandering magician'' that can grant wishes.

    What a joke.

    I paid no mind to the rumor, thinking it was just a baseless story. But when I returned to Lord Quan''s mansion, this ''wandering magician'' had become the hot topic of discussion over here. All because my friend Khin claims that he has met this magician.

    "I swear to the goddess, I ran into him!" Khin exclaimed with an excited expression. But I wasn''t buying it that easily, "And how can I believe you?" Khin''s expression remained unchanged and he said in an excited, almost shaking tone. "I knew it! I knew you were going to ask me something like this, which is the reason I got this from that magician!" Khin put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a shiny accessory.

    It was a golden chain with a circular flat object hanging from it. On closer inspection, the flat object appeared to be a casing hiding something inside of it. It had what appeared to be a pressable ''disk'' of sorts on top. Khin put his thumb on the disk and pressed it gently, causing the cover to flip open.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Inside the cover was a strange mechanism of sorts, compromising various strange machinery. It had 12 weird symbols inlaid in a circular manner, and three thin flat sheets or sticks of sorts. One extremely small, one a little taller and one tall one. The tallest stick kept rotating in a flat orbit. It is strangely very beautiful, possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

    "That wandering magician gave this to me! He said it''s called a ''Pocket Watch''." Pocket watch? What''s that? As if reading my thoughts Khin continued, "He said this ''Pocket watch'' can tell the time of the day! Isn''t this amazing?" Tell the time of the day? How exactly? Regardless, I have never seen something like this¡­ Maybe Khin is telling the truth.

    But then what was this wandering magician doing in moon city? Even more so, how hasn''t he been caught by the sanguines? Various thoughts flooded my mind as it tried to make sense of this magician situation. But it was futile, I opened my mouth but before I could ask Khin any further, he went to show his ''pocket watch'' to others. I could only close my mouth and silently watch as he excitedly went around showing off his little toy to the others, earning amazement and wow''s.

    In a rare moment, the cramped room was bright, filled with joy and smiles and laughter.

    A small smile crept up on my face. I think¡­ I like this.

    ¡­

    Again? I thought as I received another delivery task, this time a glass encasing holding in it a bloody heart. I looked at the glass encasing with a disgusted expression before putting it away in my bag.

    I bid farewell to my friend Khin who still hasn''t gotten over his excitement of having met the magician. Oh Khin, how simple are you my friend? Never change. I chuckled and left Lord Quan''s mansion.

    Isn''t the frequency of these deliveries increasing? I thought to myself while slowly walking on the dirt road. I looked up and saw black clouds hanging up above in the sky. The Sun couldn''t be seen and the air itself felt a little heavy. Suddenly I had a bad premonition. I almost wished to turn around and go back, but I knew all too well how that would turn out.

    I shook my head and focused on the path ahead. It is always a little dangerous when you are carrying a bloodied organ through a city whose inhabitants main course in food is blood.

    In a few hours, I reached the moon city. Sighing heavily, I put my head down and began walking my way across the city. Lots of people on the streets today¡­ No ''Saungines'', not people... I thought as I kept my head down and sigh inwardly.

    Suddenly the air became heavier and thicker. The bustling environment became silent as everybody looked up. I had a bad feeling. I slowly lifted my head and looked at the sky, the once dark clouds receding away and the blood red crimson shone brightly atop.

    The Crimson Moon.

    The Blood Moon.

    I felt my heartbeat increasing, as crowds of praise erupted in my ears. "Praise the Goddess!" I heard the same exact three words back to back, from different voices, from different tones, from different people. And then I felt a chilling gaze landing on me.

    "P-Praise the Goddess!!" I shouted instinctively. The gazes did not move away from me, they only increased in number and became more piercing, as if a predator eyeing its prey.

    I wanted to scream.

    I wanted to run.

    I slowly began to move forwards, slowly reciting the honorable name of Goddess. My voice was shaking¡ªNo, my entire body was shaking. Whenever the blood moon happens, the sanguines become more ferocious, deadlier and more bloodthirsty, sometimes outright losing control and becoming mindless beasts with the sole purpose of mating and devouring.

    Currently, I stood in the middle of Moon city, a place inhabited by saungines, and it just so happened that there is a blood moon. How bad can my luck be? Regardless, I continued walking and eventually made my way out of moon city in one piece.

    Thank the goddess! I sincerely prayed to the Sanguine goddess. But the danger wasn''t over yet. The blood moon still lay hanging in the sky, its color intensifying with no signs of receding. Since I was now a distance away from Moon city, I broke into a sprint wanting to reach Lord Semirun''s mansion as soon as possible.

    In about a quarter of a day, I reached my destination. The blood moon has receded behind the dark clouds. That gives me time for a breather.

    It was only then that I noticed an anomaly. The guards at the gate of the mansion were absent and the gate itself was wide open. I had a bad feeling again, yet something compelled me to go inside. I remained standing before finally taking a step forward and past the gate.

    The garden that usually bustled with servants was empty, not a being in sight. There was an eerie silence which only heightened my tension. I slowly made my way towards the front door. I reached out and grabbed the handle as I began to push open the door. It creaked revealing the bloody content inside.

    I saw a bloody trail on the floor and not far away a body of a woman. Her limbs were torn off and her flesh mutilated. I could clearly see her face whose expression had frozen in time. The expression of horror and pain. I immediately knew what had happened here.

    Lord Semirun has lost control.

    My body went numb at this realization. In my shocked state, the bag that I clenched tightly with my hand dropped to the floor creating a sharp noise that could clearly be heard in this eerie environment. Immediately I heard a horrifying growl, akin to that of a hungry beast, and the loud steps of someone¡ªno something running towards me. I was not stupid so I immediately turned around and ran out, the approaching footsteps only becoming louder before breaking into a sprint.

    As I ran outside into the garden, I quickly made my way towards the gate and ran into the dark forest. I didn''t dare look back¡ªI was too scared to. I continued to run through the forest, trying to shake whatever the hideous ''thing'' Lord Semirun may have become.

    At that moment, time became meaningless for me as I ran and ran for my dear life, extinguishing every bad thought that came to my mind, giving myself assurance that ''I will live''. The dark forest flashed past my eyes as I made one leap after another, avoiding the various obstacles on the way. I had never been good at physical activities like running.

    But it seems fear can bring the best and worst out of people.

    Suddenly my vision began to blur. Only then, did I hear the sharp noises of my own breath, the sound of panting. Under the effects of fear, I had lost all sensation of my body, and my primal instinct to survive took over, in that regard I had also failed to notice my own exhaustion.

    This wave of exhaustion finally began to catch up to me, as my vision blurred further and I collapsed on the ground, rolling and tumbling, before settling before a giant boulder. Immediately I felt a stinging sensation on my right knee. I slowly tried to get back up only to drop back down. Panting heavily, I twisted my body around and raised my head to look at my bloodied knee, which had been scraped and mutilated badly when I had collapsed.

    This can''t be happening now! I cursed and tried to get up, only to tumble back down on my feet. The sensation of pain washing over me. I began to panic again. In my current condition, I wouldn''t be able to run no matter how hard I try, and if I couldn''t then I can kiss my life goodbye.

    Only then did I notice the eerie silence around me. I calmed my breath and slowly looked up at the towering trees that prevented sunlight from fully illuminating this dark gloomy forest. After staying like that for a few more moments, I let out a sigh of relief. I had come to realize that nothing was chasing me.

    Perhaps I did succeed in losing him... I thought and realized that I hadn''t been chased since I left Lord Semirun''s mansion. I had no interest in knowing the reasoning behind that, I was simply glad that I was still alive.

    Still I can''t stay here for much longer either¡­ I nodded and looked at my scraped knee. I grabbed my right sleeve and tore it into a piece of cloth. I dusted it off and then carefully tied it around my wound, temporarily stopping the intensive blood loss.

    I leaned myself against the boulder, and looked down, letting the fresh pain settle in. Never had I thought in my wildest dreams, that one of these days, this seemingly nice job would go so horribly wrong. I couldn''t help but chuckle at my own bad fate. First the blood moon, then this¡­

    After settling down for a little while longer, I felt the pain settling itself, and felt like I could move again. I smiled. Seems like my bad luck was turning around.

    Then I felt the air changing, and a crimson hue settling in. Bright crimson light pierced the lush green, thick forest, illuminating everything and nothingness. Then I heard a sharp noise, an inhuman growl that seemed to originate from a giant. A devouring beast read to rip anything its eyes laid on to satisfy his hunger.

    I slowly looked up from the ground, my smile no more and my expression terrific.

    As a mere servant, I never had the opportunity to meet Lord Semirun in person, in that matter Lord Quan too. Hence, I couldn''t tell just how much of Lord Semirun was left in the abomination in front of me. It was dawning a humanoid appearance, its eyes a darker shade of red than blood, its nails bigger than my arm and pieces of flesh that still hung from its teeth. The pitch black wings on his back complimenting his hideous appearance.

    His dark red eyes, that seemed to be filled with indescribable madness, stared at me. Staring at its prey. Immediately I tried to get back up, only to realize my body had become paralyzed due to fear. I tried to command my body, my legs, my arms, my lower abdomen but nothing seemed to listen.

    As my body became motionless, he leapt up from his position, his hand displaced in air, and his sharp nails pointing at me, ready to pierce me, and rip me to shreds. I closed my eyes.

    I felt at that moment, an indescribable emotion. Despair, sadness, grief, loss... I don''t know what it was. I had always wished to live, not to enjoy but to simply live. To be alive anyhow, even if it meant living a meaningless life everyday.

    Yet this most basic wish, seemed too far fetched to ever be fulfilled. It hurt realizing it only in my last moments.

    I waited and waited. Waiting for a sharp pain to take over all my body and my senses. I waited to die, yet nothing happened.

    Still shaking, I slowly opened my eyes to see the hideous monster staring at me. It was not a look of madness, or that of a wild beast, but that of a calm and elegant man. Confusion began to wash over, as I couldn''t help but tilt my head, my expression twisting to match my feelings.

    Slowly "he" took a step back, bowed down and turned around raising his hands in a welcoming gesture, towards an individual that slowly approached me. This individual, a man, stood a few feet before me. He wore strange clothes, ones I have never seen before and a tall hat. His dark eyes, locked with my blue ones. A small smile on his unremarkable face. He took a step forward, stopping just before me. He then slowly extended his hand in what can be described as an ''elegant manner''.

    "Get up, good sir. The dirty ground isn''t the best place for someone as hurt as you." His voice strangely calmed my nerves, the panic and tension slowly washing away. I contemplated for a moment before taking his hand and getting back up on my feet with his help.

    It was then I took a good look at the Lord Semirun, who had bowed down to this man, despite having lost control and turning into a hideous monster, he had seemed to have temporarily regained his manners. Yet, still shaken from the previous incident, I did not take a chance and got away from the man, leaning my back on the boulder.

    I slowly asked in a hesitating, almost shaky voice, "W-Who are you?" The man''s relaxed expression remained unchanged as he chuckled. He looked at me with an unfazed expression and said in a honey sweet voice.

    "Don''t be so tense. I am just an ordinary wandering magician." My eyes widened and the realization slowly hit me as the man continued, "You may refer to me as¡­

    "Merlin Hermes."

 Demonic Wolves

    Yawn.

    Amanises'' eyes fluttered open as she lazily propped herself up from her resting place. Her eyes were still half closed, as she yawned and licked her paws like a wolf. However, she soon regained full lucidity and stopped her actions.

    I need to stop doing that every time I get up¡­ she mused to herself. Amanises lazily turned her head towards the mirror at the corner of her room and dragged her body towards it. She looked at her disheveled reflection and continued staring at it.

    Then a realization dawned on her: she did not have any nightmares today! Slowly the memories of the previous ethereal conversation that took place between her and her newly found and only friend, Klein came back to Amanises. She couldn''t help but let out a sigh and shake her head.

    Perhaps knowing you are not alone does help... She thought to herself, a small smile on her face. She then began to analyze the information Klein divulged to her in their previous meeting.

    Above the Sequence, Great Old Ones, Sefirah, High Sequence neighboring pathways¡­ He did not hold back. Amanises felt her head a little heavy, as she began to digest the information piece by piece, noting down the important points in her mind.

    So, there are nine High sequence pathway groups on this planet, each belonging to a Great old one and nine Sefirah. In usual circumstances, Amanises would have had a hard time believing such extreme information from a person she has only met twice. But considering the fact that she herself has gone inside Sefirah Castle, one of the nine Sefirah belonging to the Lord of Mysteries, she was inclined to believe it.

    Still, isn''t this a bit too insane? Probably no one in this world is aware of this information. And besides, he had no qualms about revealing such extensive information... The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was weird for anyone to reveal such info for absolutely no payment. Her suspicion steadily rose as she began to question Klein''s motives.

    Still, he appeared very much relaxed, as if it was no big deal to him.... But then again, this is a sequence 1 of the Fool pathway. They are adept at keeping their motives hidden. Amanises seriously contemplated as to what extent she could trust Klein.

    If she was to be honest to herself, she wanted to trust him. After all, this has been the first time someone had shown kindness and friendliness to her ever since she transmigrated to this world. At the same time, Amanises knew the danger of blindly trusting someone in this world. While Klein may appear friendly on the surface, who knows what agenda he might have beneath his relaxed expression.

    After a long process of thinking and analyzing Klein''s behavior, Amanises came to a conclusion. She would partially trust Klein for now, and remain cautious of him until she could truly gauge his true motives.

    Speaking of which, there was also the thing with the favor he wished to ask of me... Amanises had an idea as to what this favor may be. Considering he is from the Fool pathway and a sequence 1 at that, there is only one thing he could ask of me. And that is to help acquire the Fool''s Uniqueness. It would also explain why he asked me if I had any familial love towards the demonic wolves¡­

    Amanises'' expression became grave.. She could understand why Klein would want the Fools uniqueness. After all, what deity would not want their authority. Even Amanises herself would like to have the Darkness Uniqueness.

    But that would only be possible with the death of Annihilation Demonic Wolf Flegrea. Even if he has Sefirah Castle, he shouldn''t be capable of killing an ancient god, even with my help.... Only then, Amanises suddenly recalled the third transmigrator, more specifically due to how Klein referred to him as "Him".

    While a sequence 1 and sequence 2 wouldn''t be capable of killing a True Deity. If we were to have a true deity on our side¡­ Amanises contemplated. In the end, she decided to let go of this thought for now, as it was nothing more than a preposterous speculation. It was very possible that Klein might want something entirely different than what she had in mind.

    Shaking her head, she began to think of what to do today. Suddenly, She felt her body and mind settle down as though she was in a half awakened state.

    Darkness purged itself, blanketing her vision and all senses. After an unknown period of time, the darkness slowly receded, revealing the interior of an ancient black chapel, inlaid with thick gray fog. Amanises herself lay flat on the cold ground, and in front of her, lay mountains of dead bodies. Some were demonic wolves, others phoenixes, giants, humans, and even devils.

    The Black chapel, the divine kingdom of Annihilation Demonic Wolf Flegrea! Its interior was mostly concealed by pure darkness and a greyish-white fog. Several towering stone arches seemingly held the place. The bright crimson light shone through its intricate windows, accompanied by a pure silence that made one hear their own heartbeat.

    Amanises instantly knew where she was. Immediately, she got up on her paws and bowed her head down, her body visibly shaking. She then heard a light whimper and felt something tugging beside her. Amanises, still keeping her head down, only slightly moved her gaze to the right to see a short eight legged demonic wolf with transparent maggots twisting among "His" thick black hairs.

    "His" body was quivering, almost convulsing, while "His" head was bashed against the cold hard floor, extreme fear radiating from every fiber of his being. Amanises instantly recognized "Him".

    This was one of the Subsidiary Gods of the Annihilation wolf and "His" youngest son. The god of miracles, Antigonus. Beside "Him" was "His" sister, Melantha[1]. "Her" head down like Amanises and "Her" body visibly shaken, though not as bad as her younger brother.

    Amanises slowly shifted her gaze to the left and saw a white feathered serpent, its entire body coiled in itself in a twisted and indescribable manner. The God of dead Salinger. Beside "Him" was another eight legged giant demonic wolf, with short Greyish white fur on "His" forehead. "His" body was profoundly shaking and extreme fear and tension aroused from "Him". The God of Wishes, Kotar.

    These were all the Subsidiary Gods of the King of Demonic wolf, Annihilation Flegrea, that have been summoned to "His" divine kingdom. Amanises slowly shifted her gaze back to the concrete floor. The crimson moon shining brightly through the window, illuminating each of the Subsidiary God''s terror.

    After an unknown period of time, a voice spoke in a calm tone. "I saw the aura of Sefirah castle." Each Subsidiary God felt like they were on the verge of losing control. The mere voice made them feel as if their skulls were pierced in half and their soul body were crushed, shattered to pieces.

    Antigonus'' body convulsed badly before disintegrating into transparent maggots, these maggots wriggled and tangled with each other trying to reform "His" body but to no avail. Antigonus hasn''t lost control, "He" was simply too terrified and therefore couldn''t maintain "His" physical body. Similarly, Kotar also began to show transparent maggots on "His" fur. The other Subsidiary Gods also reacted badly with only Amanises somewhat composed.

    Klein! She thought. The voice remained silent for a few more moments before speaking once more. "Amanises." At that moment, Amanises could not have described the terror she felt hearing her name. Her entire body froze and her blood ran dry. She silently waited for "Him" to continue, "You left your ''house'' the other day and went out of this settlement. Why is that?"

    "I heard a strange sound, an auditory illusion while I was doing my research. The sound felt strangely familiar, so I was driven by my curiosity and failed to realize when I had left your kingdom¡­" Amanises softly gave her response. She wasn''t worried that Flegrea might have found out about Klein. Afterall even if "He" did, as according to Klein, ''It isn''t like he''ll be able to do anything''.

    The voice went silent once more, the dark chapel returning to its eerie silence. "Investigate all nearby settlements and areas, Find anything regarding anyone from the Fool pathway that isn''t a demonic wolf."

    With that said, darkness purged Amanises'' eyes once more. After a while, she found herself back inside her room, in front of her mirror. She immediately collapsed on the floor, panting and still shivering. Her heart raced faster than she could imagine.

    She remained like that for a long time.

    ¡­

    ''Do you feel any familial love towards the other demonic wolves? Or your Master?''

    I need to figure this out too. Amanises thought while gently walking in her garden. She liked the scent and texture of moon flowers and night vanilla a lot. So she filled her entire garden with these beautiful flowers and regularly maintained it. In truth, one of Amanises'' hobbies was gardening back in her world. She hadn''t let go of that.

    She admired the beauty of her garden and praised herself, before hopping onto and lying down on a bench. Her house wasn''t big, it only had two floors. The ground floor being her living room and library, while the upstairs being her bedroom. Since she was a mythical creature, she did not have any need to eat, and hence she did not require a kitchen. She did not have any need to sleep either, she simply did it as an act of maintaining humanity and because she liked sleeping.

    Sighing, she looked up at the crimson moon. I am pretty sure I don''t have any familial or in that matter, any love towards the demonic wolves... Amanises reasoned with herself, but then came to notice something, pretty sure¡­ Not 100% certain. But why?

    It didn''t take Amanises long to figure out what was wrong with her. The memories and emotions of the original Amanises were still very much prevalent on her. The Original Amanises was madly loyal to the demonic wolf Flegrea, so anything that even potentially threatened "His" life, was "Her" biggest enemy.

    Even if this Amanises had faded away, incorporating "Her" body naturally affected the current Amanises. Now, how do I get rid of this latent influence¡­ She began to contemplate.

    Suddenly she remembered something. Antigonus would hold a banquet at "His" villa for the occasion of "His" birthday. And "He" had naturally invited all the Subsidiary Gods, even the ones "He" hated. Amanises wasn''t planning to go initially but now seeing her internal struggle, she remembered a quote she had read on the internet in her world.

    "Sometimes, cruelty can be the best form of medicine." The demonic wolves were cruel, that was what they were best known for. Even if Amanises is currently one, she had never truly considered herself part of them, still believing that she is a human at heart.

    After all, how couldn''t she? She is a Human.

    The only reason she was internally struggling was due to the remaining will of the Original Amanises. Even if "She" had been killed by "Her" siblings, "She" was still loyal to Flegrea, and did not want to bring harm to "Her" Master. This wasn''t the case with the current Amanises.

    Amanises thought that, by exposing herself to the cruelty and madness of the demonic wolf, that she had avoided so far and was the main reason she completely isolated herself, she could get rid of any latent influence the Original Amanises had on her by invoking the shaking Humanity inside her.

    Amanises, while not some ''heroine of justice'', still didn''t like seeing innocent people die for the sake of pleasure for some.

    After a long while of going back and forth, she decided to attend this Subsidiary God''s banquet.

    Leaping from her bench, she looked back at her house and thought to herself, What if I get ambushed again... Those guys should be pretty salty that I am still alive, so the possibility isn''t far fetched

    She thought about it for a while and then softly muttered,

    "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era;

    "The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;

    "The King of Yellow and Black who wields Good Luck."

    Suddenly, Amanises saw a crimson hue and then the thick Greyish white fog. In front of her, stood the Ancient Majestic Palace, with towering pillars helding an ancient dome, under which, where the fog gathered, an ancient long bronze table with 22 high back chairs stood. At the end of the table sat Klein, looking down on her with a peculiar expression.

    "I wish for you to watch over me for some time. At least until I return home." Klein remained silent and continued staring at her. After a while, a small smile appeared on his face and he gently nodded. Lifting his hand, he flicked it and sent her back into the real world.

    Amanises gained back control over her body and looked up at the sky. That guy¡­ He sure knows how to act like a god doesn''t he? Making himself look all grand and lofty, while he couldn''t even remember that a wolf can''t drink tea through a small porcelain cup!! Amanises cursed and lampooned.

    She sighed once more, and left her house heading for Antigonus''s mansion.

    ¡­

    The demonic wolf settlement couldn''t be described as anything less than nightmarish. Ridden with desolate and cracked buildings¡ªthe ruins of the previous civilization that had lived there. The eerie fog that enveloped the entire landscape, hiding beneath the marionettes, some of the King of Demonic wolves, while others of "His" Subsidiary Gods.

    The Crimson moon that shone atop brightly illuminating the decaying settlements, under the rule of its King. An insane King. Everyone knew it, and perhaps that''s why no one dared roam the streets freely, in fear of turning into a lifeless doll, to wander this dead place for the rest of eternity.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    The Crimson Moon never receded away from this grotesque amalgamation of cities, it continued to shine atop of the ancient black chapel, the true divine kingdom of the King of demonic wolves. Day and night had no meaning, as the landscape never changed. The starry sky always blanketed the place, bearing witness, as the number of the lifeless slowly increased, the place becoming more dead by the passing.

    Yet, the ancient chapel stood there unmoving and untouched, and with it, the beautiful intricate mansions of "His" Subsidiary Gods.

    Amanises currently stood in front of one of them. The sprawling mansion that stood at front, mainly of bright red, yellow and white. It''s beautiful design, and well neatness seemed like a miracle in the dead that surrounded it.

    A funky style... Not gonna lie, the color scheme closely resembles that of a clown. Amanises noted the fact and slowly walked towards the mansion''s front gate. She stood there for a moment, before the door slowly creaked open itself. She saw a featureless mannequin walking out, its faceless head turned towards her as it elegantly bowed, and dictated with its hands for her to come inside.

    She coldly looked at it and walked inside the mansion. As soon as she entered, she promptly lifted her head to witness more mannequins, eerily hung up above by thin, illusory black lines. Amanises felt a cold wind pass her by, as these lifeless dolls slowly turned their heads towards her.

    "I didn''t expect you to come. What a pleasant surprise!" Amanises heard a sweet laced voice. The mannequins slowly cleared up revealing behind them a short, eight legged demonic wolf, transparent maggots sprawling from his body, twisting and turning continuously.

    Antigonus.

    Amanises smiled and slowly walked towards him, the short demonic wolf reclining a little. She lifted her paw and gently patted "His" head, saying in a gentle and calm voice. "Happy Birthday." Antigonus''s tail went wild, displacing the air around "Him", as "He" made gentle grunts of satisfaction. "His" body was shivering a little.

    Amanises found it amusing. She retracted her paw and noticed the visible disappointment that crept on "His" face. "Th-Thanks, come inside please!" Antigonos said, trying to hide his mild embarrassment. "But I am already inside." Amanises flashed "Him" a beautiful smile, seemingly teasing the short demonic wolf in front of her.

    "I mean, let''s go to the banquet hall! Everyone else is already here." Amanises'' smile immediately dropped and she nodded.

    As they walked inside, Amanises felt the air around her grow cold. With each step she took, the environment became eerier, and the number of marionettes that hung above in the air, seemingly decorating the roof of the mansion, increased.

    Antigonus''s mansion wasn''t too big, especially when put in comparison with others. Soon they reached the banquet hall, and Amanises felt uneasy as Antigonus opened the grand door to the banquet hall.

    Immediately, Amanises witnessed as her surroundings began to swell and twist in an indescribable manner, before shattering apart like glass. She now found herself comfortably seated on a giant cushion, with a grand empty table standing in front of her, and surrounding it and her fellow Subsidiary Gods was pure darkness, closed in on them like a box.

    She felt multiple gazes land upon her at once, some cold, some amazed and some nonchalant. Amanises sighed and moved her head to look at the Subsidiary Gods sitting at the table. To her right, was Antigonus and to her left, was Melantha. Right in front of her was Kotar, and beside "Him" Salinger.

    "What a surprise¡­ I never expected you to come. Then again, I didn''t expect either Salinger or Kotar to show up." Amanises heard a serene, calm voice coming from her left. She slowly turned her head towards Melantha and gave her a simple smile.

    Before she could say anything, she heard a distant noise. A damped scream, carrying with it a great sense of terror. The next moment, the noise disappeared. Amanises gulped.

    "Wasn''t like I was planning to..." Kotar said nonchalantly, as if without a care in this world. "Neither was I keen on having you¡­" Antigonus rebuked in a rude manner, causing Kotar to turn "His" attention towards "Him". "He" then said in an arrogant tone, "You should know that I only showed up because of your sister''s request, and for the ''entertainment'' I was promised. Otherwise I have no reason to be here."

    "And that''s the only reason I am tolerating you here. If it wasn''t for Melantha, I would have kicked you out by now." Kotar leaned forward, bearing "His" teeth into a smile, before breaking into ugly laughter.

    "You would have kicked me out!? How funny!" "He" then stopped laughing and said in a threatening tone, "Look at your size and mine. You are barely half me and you think you can do anything? Such an idiot."

    "Kotar¡­" Melantha gazed at "Him" intensely. "And Antigonus, didn''t I tell you to not bicker?" Kotar leaned back and said in a nonchalant tone, "Then keep a leash on your little brother. "He" needs to learn how to talk with "His" superiors." Suddenly Kotar felt "His" hair stand. "He" looked to "His" left to see Salinger, gazing at "Him" with the corner of "His" eye, "His" tail slowly coiling about Kotar''s cushion.

    "I don''t think you are any superior than the rest of us." Salinger hissed at "Him", causing Kotar to nearly fall from "His" cushion to the endless void below them. Melantha sighed heavily and spoke, "I am not in the mood to deal with your troubles. You have been invited to this party because of Antigonus''s birthday. Whether you care for "Him" or not is your own choice." She paused for a moment and then added,

    "As for me, the one that cares about this special occasion, I would like to not have my mood ruined." Everyone present nodded. Amanises watched this unhealthy conversation from the sidelines, not wanting to interrupt the two from having their moment.

    Antigonus and Kotar truly hate each other... So, Melantha arranged this party¡­ Typical of "Her", but how "She" managed to get Salinger to show up is beyond me. Amanises tilted her head. She heard the distant screams once more, this time more intense and closer. Salinger suddenly snapped his head to a certain spot and intensely looked at it, causing everyone in the room to shiver. The screams disappeared once again and silence fell on the place.

    Amanises'' nerves tensed. She had a vague idea about what these screams were, and she knew more than enough that her guess was more or less right.

    The banquet hall fell silent. The Subsidiary Gods just stared at each other, none of them spoke a word. Amanises tried her best to stir away her mind, and began to think of a topic of conversation.

    It was then she remembered something important. Didn''t Klein ask me about the condition of Flegrea? The information I gave him was based on my last meeting, which was months ago. But now that I think about the meeting that took place yesterday, Flegrea feels more on the verge of losing control than just being mad...

    Should I ask them about the current situations regarding Flegrea and the demonic wolves? Klein should be watching over me currently.. At Least I hope so¡­ Amanises could not sense Klein gaze over her. Usually she could feel it when Flegrea''s gaze fell on her, but this wasn''t the case with this Sequence 1, who had control over his Sefirah.

    Then again, If I could sense it then so could everyone else. That would have been a bigger problem explaining why some secret existence is watching over me... Hmm, Klein can definitely see more than I can in this darkness¡­ Does that mean he can see what''s happening to the people? It wasn''t that Amanises couldn''t see through the darkness. She intentionally avoided it as she knew the sight she would witness would be beyond horrifying. Amanises knew she would eventually have to take a look, but she wanted to hold off on it for as long as she could.

    "About Master¡­" Amanises paused and witnessed the head of everyone turning towards her, ""He" seems to be more than mad at this point, almost like "He" is on the verge of losing control..."

    Salinger slightly nodded, while Melantha said, ""His" condition has been like this for some time at this point, and it seems to only be worsening¡­"

    Amanises nodded and asked, "And what about the dead kingdom outside?"

    "This is also the reason behind the increasingly dead kingdom. ''Master'' seems to be turning everyone and everything into "His" marionettes, afterwards they disappear never to be seen again." Melantha looked at Amanises in a strange way.

    "Did you walk your way over?" Amanises nodded, but then heard Antigonus shout beside her. "That''s dangerous! "He" could have turned you into "His" marionette!"

    I am pretty sure I would have been pulled inside a majestic palace before that happened. Amanises turned towards "Him" and nodded. She looked back at Melantha who said, "I see¡­" Amanises looked down in the empty darkness. She almost wanted to ask about the captured ''prey'', but at the same time, she was mildly aware of what had happened to them.

    Or should I say, what is happening to them right now... Amanises thought. Melantha turned towards Salinger and hesitantly asked, "That makes me remember, didn''t you recently take a pack of wolves and leave to explore?

    "Rumor has it that you went to the Phoenix ancestor." Everyone, including Amanises turned their head towards Salinger. "He", however, merely gazed at Melantha, causing "Her" to slightly shiver. He then said in a calm tone, "What is it that you are trying to imply?"

    "I am merely asking." Melantha replied immediately. The environment became slightly heavy, Salinger remained silent, though his gaze remained fixed on Melantha, as if ready to attack "Her" at any moment. This caused Antigonus to put "His" guard up to protect "His" sister, while Kotar slightly distanced himself from Salinger and was ready to cancel the historical projection through which he appeared.

    After a long while, Salinger said in a heavy tone, "I was invited." Amanises eyes widened, as Salinger continued. "There is a lot in this world we are not aware of. We have been living a luxurious life, but who knows how long that will remain.

    "This world is unpredictable. Especially when it comes to matters that concern true deities, that is something we can never fathom. Of course neither you or I or anyone sitting here is stupid. You should have all noticed the changing times, and how this world is heading towards the end of an era...

    "Whenever the end approaches, it brings about an unforeseen change. I am merely preparing myself for it." Everyone silently listened to Salinger. While his words didn''t make resonance with most of them due to them never having left Flegrea''s divine kingdom. They could see where their fellow Subsidiary God was coming from, and could indeed notice the worsening situation of the world.

    More specially, the condition of their own Master served a better example to them. "I don''t think I invited everyone here to discuss¡­ The inevitable." Antigonus said, earning an annoyed snicker from Kotar. "He" ignored "Him" and looked down at the empty void. "Besides, the prey is almost done hoisting." "He" said in a casual tone, "His" teeth bearing a crude smile.

    Amanises knew it was about time. She took a deep breath and slowly looked down from her couch to the endless darkness below. She gulped and slowly extended her field of view, looking through the darkness.

    Amanises saw ruins, ruins of a big city. There were buildings, towers, small houses, streets, everything a normal city would have, except they were crumbling. The stone building bearing cracks over cracks, glass shattered into crumbles, the towers fallen, and the ground crumbled and desolate.

    This was a one-on-one replica of the demonic wolves'' settlement, except the black chapel, the divine kingdom of Flegrea. Amanises saw moving figures inside this replica, these figures bore resemblance to humans, some demonic wolves, some undead and others indescribable entities.

    It didn''t take long for Amanises to realize that the only living beings there were Humans. The demonic wolves were marionettes of Kotar, the undead were that of Salinger and the indescribable entities were horrors conjured by Melantha.

    This was a twisted game of survival and horror. Humans tasked to survive against the conjured horrors of the three Subsidiary Gods. A game that they were never meant to survive. This was Antigonus twisted way of hoisting "His" prey.

    Once a human died, they were simply pulled up by thin black threads and hung above the replica. Those that survived were to be the main course of this banquet. Amanises knew these twisted and crude methods all too well.

    Some humans were bathed in blood, while others were missing limbs, some hugging their legs with lost expressions, and then there were some that were praying in their final moments. Amanises looked at them, looked in their eyes, their dead eyes that had suffered immutable horror and terror, having witnessed their loved ones passing in front of their eyes, their frail figure unable to stop the madness and cruelty.

    And then she felt fear.

    Amanises'' reason for coming here was so she could witness the cruelty and madness of mythical creatures and invoke her humanity, so as to not leave a scent of doubt in her mind, for if she ever had to betray the demonic wolves, especially her Master. This plan of hers worked.

    She no longer had any doubt in her mind about annihilating this race. She had now discarded any influence the original Amanises had on her¡­ But not because of her invoking humanity, but because she didn''t like to see people die for petty reasons.

    And that''s what scared her. This wasn''t a feeling but a logical decision. It wasn''t because she was feeling bad for the people, but because she didn''t like the sight she was seeing. Realizing this, Amanises had to question her entire motive for coming here.

    Did she really need to see countless people suffer to their death, for her to realize "Oh I am human, after all". And if that was the case, then how was "She" any different than the rest of Subsidiary Gods?

    Using low level species for their own gain, just because they couldn''t fight back. Amanises was using their suffering to invoke something "She" wasn''t even sure "She" had anymore, while others were using them for entertainment.

    ¡­

    Perhaps.. In my isolation, other than the hope of going back home, I had also lost something important¡­ My Humanity.

    At that point, she felt her entire world crumble down, as she sat there in a daze.

    "Over One hundred humans survived..." Melantha said in a crude manner, but then noticed Amanises'' anomaly. Before "She" could ask anything, "She" heard Kotar say,

    "Let''s just get this over with, I am getting hungry.." Salinger beside "Him" nodded. "He" slowly shifted "His head downwards and looked at the various pathetic humans down inside the replica of the dead kingdom. Kotar controlled "His" marionettes, making them head to the closest humans.

    This time, these survivors did not attempt to escape. They were tired and perhaps death would be a better solution to their suffering. Melantha also retracted "Her" attention from Amanises, and shifted it back on the replica. Antigonus leaned forward.

    Amanises'' head still hung low as she waited for another bloodbath to happen, knowing well she wouldn''t stop it.

    Then, a miracle happened.

    In the next moment, countless doors of light opened beneath the surviving humans, as they fell inside these doors and disappeared. The Subsidiary Gods with the exception of Amanises stood up, shocked as they witnessed hundreds of doors of lights open up, and their prey falling into them.

    "What the..." Before any of them could react, a thick Greyish white fog began enveloping the entire replica of the settlement. This thick fog began to eerily rise up. Rise towards them.

    The darkness surrounding the Subsidiary Gods began to be ripped apart, as the very box of darkness began to be filled with the thick Greyish white fog. These Subsidiary Gods for the first time in centuries fell into panic.

    Suddenly all of them saw a dark figure in the gray fog. His appearance concealed, with only the bare outline visible. Behind him stood a massive Bluish-black door, formed of countless spherical lights, each enveloped by translucent maggots.

    Klein!!! Amanises thought, as the figure in the fog slowly raised his hand, a finger on his lips, "Shhh". Amanises vision instantly went black, leaving her unable to look at anything. Immediately the Subsidiary Gods felt as if their mind was being torn apart. Unimaginable pain began to recede in their soul body as it began to be ripped apart.

    This was the corruption of Sefirah Castle! The corruption from an actual Sefirah.

    Kotar canceled "His" historical projection, Antigonus switched "His" position with the marionette outside of "His" palace, while Salinger and Melantha escaped into the spirit world.

    All that was left was Amanises and the Greyish white fog. Her vision returned to herself as she looked at the figure shrouded in gray fog. The figure looked at her, before turning around, the bluish black door slowly receded away and so did the Greyish white fog. Suddenly, Amanises now found herself in an open field, just a bit away from her house.

    She stood there in daze, trying to process what had happened back at Antigonus''s mansion. After a while, she began to walk albeit still in a bit of a daze. She slowly made her way back to her house.

    As she approached, she suddenly noticed a figure sitting at the bench in her garden, looking over the moon flowers and night vanillas. She slowly turned her figure towards him. It was a man wearing a clergyman robe, with a crucifix hung from his neck He had raven black hair with a hint of blond at its end. His eyes gold in color and his skin, rather white skin.

    The man had a warm smile on his face, as he slowly turned his head towards her. Amanises upon looking at his outfit and analyzing it, fell out of her daze. She looked at him deeply and a single thought rang through her mind.

    The third Transmigator??!!

    The man noticed her increasingly twisting expression. He slowly opened his mouth, but before any words could escape his lips, he saw Amanises lighting up in a crimson flame before vanishing.

    A thick Greyish white fog gathered around the spot where Amanises previously stood. From the fog, emerged Klein. He looked at the man in front of him and walked towards him, stopping a few steps away.

    Klein and the man stared at each other for a moment; then, Klein lifted his hand, took off his hat, and offered a gentlemanly bow.

    "Good Evening" Klein said in English, as he put his hat back on his head. "Sun God."

    [1] - Name given to Mother of the sky.

 Old Friends

    What the fuck has been going on with my life?! Amanises cursed in her mind. She was sitting inside Sefirah Castle besides the Fool''s high back chair. She was beyond baffled, extremely confused and most prominently tired.

    Maybe I should have remained shut in¡­ In the span of two days, Amanises not only came across a transmigrator like her, but got her hopes of going back crushed, got to know about Great Old Ones among other high level secrets, entered a Sefirah, got called in Flegrea''s divine kingdom, realized she had lost a big chunk of her humanity, and now ran across the third transmigrator, whom she was told to avoid at all cost. All of this in the span of two days!

    This was, possibly, the most chaotic two days she had experienced in her entire two lives. And now she was sitting inside Sefirah Castle, waiting for Klein and the third transmigrator to be finished with their conversation.

    I just want to go home and rest¡­ Please. Amanises banged her head on the table, leaned her entire body forward as she rested on it.

    She silently laid there, grumpily waiting to be called back to the waking world.

    ¡­

    The Sun God slowly rose up from the bench and nodded in acknowledgment. "He" maintained "His" smile and slowly responded to Klein in English, "Good evening, very nice to meet you." "His" voice was deep, yet affirming, making Klein feel a strange sense of security.

    No wonder "He" was able to gain so many followers... Klein thought with slight amusement. The Sun God continued, "Might I have your introductions?" Klein smiled at "Him". He contemplated for a moment, before slowly saying in english. "Isn''t it polite to first introduce yourself?"

    "But you are already aware of who I am?" The sun god asked in confusion, slightly tilting "His" head. "I am not aware of who you are. As in, who you truly are.

    "Better start with your name." Klein smiled brightly. Sun God slowly nodded in enlightenment. "He" seemed to contemplate for a moment before saying, "My name is Grisha [1]. I am from Ukraine." Silence enveloped the place once more.

    Is that all... Either this guy is hopelessly bad at conversation or "He" isn''t too keen on conversing with me... Klein lampooned. "My name is Zhou Minguri, I am from China." Klein introduced himself, earning a nod from Grisha.

    "What a twisted turn of events. I expected to come here and meet the goddess of misfortune, but now I am face to face with another person from prehistoric times." Grisha said with a hint of amazement. "He" keenly looked at Klein and asked,

    "Did you also fall in Chernobyl?" Klein shook his head. "Only you." Grisha now showed visible confusion. "So are there other places like chernobyl?"

    "If you are talking about the Chaos sea, then yes." Klein began to walk in the beautiful garden, crafted by Amanises. Grisha walked towards him and joined him on his walk. "Then, how many like us are out there?" Grisha asked looking up at the crimson moon, "His" tone calm carrying with a strange sense of serenity and peacefulness.

    "Just you, me and the Goddess of Misfortune... At least for now." Grisha keenly picked up on Klein''s remark but decided to not ask him about it. "How long have you been alive?" "He" asked, to which Klein replied. "Longer than you and her."

    Grisha nodded. "He" extended "His" hand, letting "His" fingers touch the beautiful and serene moon flowers, their soft glowing petals brushing against "His" fingers. "How long have you known her?"

    Klein stopped walking and lifted his head towards the starry sky. Grisha stopped beside him and looked at him curiously. They both remained silent for some moments, before Klein softly spoke. "Take a guess."

    Grisha''s eyes slightly twitched. "He" thought for a moment and then said, "I sensed an anomaly around 2 days ago. It''s not exactly describable, but my spirituality could sense the presence of a great existence." Grisha paused to notice any changes in Klein''s calmed expression but alas his smile remained unchanged.

    "I spent some time pondering as to why a great existence suddenly appeared in this era. I began to deduce the reason, but before long its presence disappeared entirely." Grisha slowly walked in front of Klein. Klein''s head shifted from the starry sky to the innocent and nonchalant face of Grisha, as the man softly continued.

    "I can sense the same presence from you." Klein smiled remained still, if not widening a little. "Considering it has been two days since then, I believe it shouldn''t be longer than that."

    "Bingo." Klein pointed a finger gun at "Him". He pushed his hands back in his pockets, and said "You are right, I only ''met'' her not longer than two days ago." Klein paused, pondered and then continued.

    "Or at least, she has." Grisha raised "His" eyebrows, picking up on the subtle clues Klein was leaving. Klein began to walk again, brushing his shoulders with that of Grisha, prompting "Him" to walk alongside him.

    They continued in silence for a while.

    ¡­

    In a concealed place, Melantha''s figure suddenly appeared as "She" dropped unto the floor, grunting heavily. "She" slammed "Her" head on the hard floor, gritting "Her" teeth as "She" clutched "Her" head with the help of "Her" paws. "Her" vision blurred as "She" felt as if "Her" head would explode any moment.

    After what felt to "Her" like an eternity, "She" slowly began to grow composed. Using "Her" own godhood, "She" slowly began to get rid of the corruption invading "Her" soul body. After a long while, "She" finally got up from "Her" spot, albeit limply.

    I need to report this to the Master immediately!! Just as "She" opened "Her" mouth to pray to the Evernight Demonic Wolf, "She" completely froze. "Her" eyes dulled and "Her" face became devoid of any expression. Melantha stood there in darkness, in complete silence.

    Suddenly the life in "Her" eyes came back, as confusion dawned on "Her" face. "She" looked down at the ground with a weird expression and muttered, "What¡­ Why do I feel like I was about to do something important?" Melantha stood, rooted to the ground, trying hard to remember.

    In "Her" daze, "She" did not take notice of the worm of spirit that was crawling on "Her" neck. This sinister patterned maggot rubbed itself, before disappearing into a thick Greyish white fog, leaving Melantha dumbfounded,

    Almost like a fool.

    ¡­

    Amanises eyelids twitched as she saw four transparent maggots suddenly appearing in front of her. These maggots also noticed her presence and crawled towards her, twisting and tangling together. Amanises stood up and looked at them, she leaned forward ''booping'' the transparent maggots with her nose.

    They smell nice... She almost wanted to give them a lick, but stopped herself upon realizing that they were a part of Klein''s body. Licking these maggots would have been equivalent to licking Klein.

    I don''t think I would be able to give him any explanation for this one. She shook her head, and laid down beside these maggots. These worms of spirits... There are 4 of them so Klein had left them with the subsidiary gods¡­ When?

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Speaking of, why did he bother to save those people at all? What will he achieve from doing that? And where did he even send them? Also those doors of lights, Phoenix Ancestor Gregace and her subsidiary gods have also shown to be able to do something similar... This confirms my suspicion that "She" has also accommodated a non neighboring pathway uniqueness. That means "She" is, as expected, also mad.

    So, Klein can use high level abilities from the apprentice and marauder pathways. This¡­ That makes that guy much MUCH stronger than any Sequence 1 out there¡­ Possibly the strongest Sequence 1 beyonder to have ever lived!

    And if he get his hands on the uniqueness.. Amanises shuddered to think about Klein''s strength. At least, Sequence 0 level strength and authority. He can also just straight up advance to Sequence 0. Would that make his strength equivalent to a Great old one?

    Amanises shook her hand, and decided to rest the topic. I thought I had a good grasp on the power scaling of this world, but nevermind. She shifted her thoughts to Klein''s interference with Antigonus''s banquet. Wouldn''t the other subsidiary gods have reported this to the Master?

    There is also the third transmigrator and Klein in my garden! Wouldn''t Master have sensed their presence by now!? ¡­ Actually, now that I think about it, those two don''t seem stupid. They probably have done something to prevent Flegrea from noticing their presence. Klein probably did something similar when he showed up at the banquet.

    He also likely did something to prevent the subsidiary gods from praying to Flegrea; these worms of spirits were probably left with them for this purpose... Amanises the let out a sigh. In a matter of two days, my life has been flipped on its tail.

    I wonder what kind of person¡ªno being the third transmigrator is?

    ¡­

    "How exactly did you fall in chernobyl?" Klein turned his head towards Grisha and asked. Grisha''s expression slightly changed before returning back to normal. "He" turned to Klein and slowly said, "I was about to ask this. Did you and the Goddess of misfortune also fall into a place similar to the Chaos sea?"

    "You can say that, though we didn''t fall in it." Klein answered, but then fell silent, before spreading his lips into a smile. "By the rule of reciprocity, you need to answer my previous question." He slightly chuckled remembering a certain mirror. I''ll look out for when Arrodes will be born¡­

    Grisha nodded and slowly said, "I used to be a lead researcher in chernobyl. One day, we stumbled upon a dried up oil field that suddenly began to produce crude oil again. As we began to research this anomaly, we noticed the people stationed near the oil field disappear one after another and that the volume of oil was slowly increasing. With each missing person, the volume of oil expanded.

    "It didn''t take us long to realize that something was wrong with this oil field. Yet, things only turned for the worse as more and more vanished. This time, it wasn''t just the stationed staff but also the scientists and other researchers, even the cleaning and maintenance crew. The CCTV footage captured nothing of the disappearances.

    "One day all hell broke loose, as we began to hear strange noises, almost murmurs, coming from that oil field. And then, I saw it with my very own eyes, as people beside me began to melt before turning into a black puddle." Grisha paused and looked at Klein with a serious expression.

    "It was madness. More and more people began to turn into black puddles, and those that had yet to become one, sealed off the facility to prevent anyone from leaving. It only took people a little more, before they began to kill each other. Friends or family or other relationships didn''t matter at that point, as they became desperate to survive.

    "I remember locking myself inside my room amidst the chaos¡­ But that''s all. I don''t know how I fell into the borehole that led to the oil field, I now call chaos sea." Klein silently and keenly listened. Pretty much the same as what I read in those documents, but now hearing it from an eye witness, I can only imagine the horror... Klein inwardly commented and then nodded.

    He contemplated for a moment and then said, "I did a luck enhancement ritual..." Grisha''s expression grew strange as "He" turned "His" head towards Klein. Klein, unbothered, continued, " The Goddess of Misfortune was trying to pirate this one show her friend kept talking about." Grisha couldn''t help but stop walking as he stared at Klein with bewilderment.

    Silence enveloped them once more, as Grisha''s head remained fixed on Klein while Klein just silently stared at the garden before them. "By the way, don''t tell Amanises that this is our world. She thinks she has been transmigrated, not coming to terms with the harsh truth."

    "But why? Why keep her in the dark?" Grisha immediately followed with a question. Klein simply shook his head and waved with his hands, "Because she will lose control and if not that, her hopes will be shattered." Klein looked up at the sky and solemnly continued. "Above all¡­" Amanises despecracy to return back home flashed through Klein''s eyes. Without turning his head, he asked Grisha.

    "How much humanity do you have?" Grisha remained calm, and focused on Klein''s unchanging expression. He thought about it for a moment and replied, "Perhaps, not as much as you would like."

    "Do you still have enough humanity to understand concepts like hope and despair?" Grisha remained silent, Klein received his answer from Grisha''s silence. He chuckled, and said in a bitter tone,

    "It''s strange. Even in the worst of circumstances, people will try to find any last bit of hope, completely aware that it will eventually be shattered, leaving nothing behind but despair and hopelessness. Yet, time after time, people have pursued hope, even if the possibility of it coming true is beyond.

    "I have seen the same hope in her. Even if her humanity is as dwindled as yours, there is this last bit of hope in her, the hope of going back home, that allows her to maintain her connection with humanity. The hope of one day, waking back in her real body, in her bed, showering, making breakfast, leaving for work, coming back rekt. There is a hope to resume those meaningful yet meaningless actions, and the hope to see the people she cared for, once more.

    "This very hope is her anchor. If this anchor were to be shattered right now... I am afraid she will succumb into madness."

    Grisha remained silent. While "He" wasn''t a visionary, "His" connection with the chaos sea allowed "Him" to borrow the relevant powers . The Sequence 7 of the Visionary pathway was Psyche Analyst. Naturally, Grisha could look through Klein''s words, and find that, while they were meant for Amanises, the emotions in them were that of Klein.

    He was indirectly talking about his own hope he once held, only for it to be mercilessly shattered due to a certain monocle man. Grisha felt from Klein, an incredible sense of sadness and loneliness. He doesn''t seem to be a bad person, especially considering how he saved all those people from before...

    He seems to have retained his humanity much better than I and goddess of misfortune... This also means he is more susceptible to turbulent emotion, and unstable mental health.

    Grisha very calmly nodded. He hesitated for a moment, before deciding to say, "While I may no longer have much humanity, I am still very much capable of understanding emotions and can comprehend the concepts of Hope and Grief, albeit only logically." He paused for a moment and then continued,

    "I won''t tell her about the truth. But, in return, I leave that responsibility to you." Klein nodded in agreement. "I will tell her when the time is right."

    Silence befell over them. Grisha and Klein continued staring at each other, waiting for the other person to say or ask something. When it became apparent to them, that the other part had nothing to say anymore. They both sighed simultaneously.

    "Perhaps, I should actually discuss what I came here for." Klein smiled and replied, "I am already aware." Somehow Grisha did not find it surprising even a bit. He had long confirmed that Klein was much smarter and sharper than he appeared to be.

    "But perhaps, it''s about time we include the Goddess of misfortune in our conversation. You also need to introduce yourself." Klein continued, with a mischievous grin.

    "Speaking of her, why is she a demonic wolf and not a human?" Grisha asked, to which Klein simply shook his head.

    "As I said, unlike you, we did not fall inside the chaos sea. While we are all from an ancient, long forgotten time, our methods of ''transmigration'' are widely different." Klein sighed, remembering a certain cape and a mask. Grisha was instantly reminded of the methods through which Klein and Goddess of misfortune had so called ''Transmigrated''.

    That''s right, they seem to have encountered an anomaly just by doing everyday mundane tasks¡­. Except Klein''s ritual, that is not something you do everyday He sighed.

    "I''ll tell you more about it later, but for now..." Klein extended his hands towards Grisha. "Wanna see something majestic?" Grisha looked at Klein''s hand, and slowly took it.

    Then a crimson hue entered his vision. As he saw a Greyish white fog enter his vision. Shrouded in fog, stood an ancient majestic palace with a dome propped up by ancient pillars of carrying heights. Under the Dome, a long bronze mollted table, with 22 high back chairs. Grisha was seated in one of them, in front of him, the bronze mottled long table, on the table a big black furred, demonic wolf.

    Amanises instantly felt the presence of two people staring at her, as she lazily propped herself up and saw Klein sitting at the end of the table on the chair belonging to the Fool, and beside him on the left, a man wearing a clergyman robe.

    They looked at her, she looked at them.

    The environment became awkward.

    [1]- Real name of Ancient Sun God, taken from Circle of Inevitability

 Ancient people

    That took a while. Klein''s lips twitched.

    It took him over a minute to settle down Amanises and Grisha, after the previous ''awkward'' moment. Amanises was sitting to the right of Klein, whereas Grisha was sitting to his left.

    As they both finally sat down on their high-back chairs. Klein felt a shift, he observed behind Amanises'' chair, as a symbol appeared. The symbol composed of a swirling design with curving lines and bright small stars aligning it. It had a blue tint to it.

    Klein instantly knew what it was.

    The Darkness Pathway emblem. He turned his head towards Grisha who was curiously looking at the palace that lay before "Him". Sure enough, a profound symbol had appeared behind "His" high-back chair. It was a giant cross, with a bright sun behind it. It had an indescribable holiness to it.

    This.. Could this be God Almighty''s sacred emblem? Klein instinctively looked up, observing the constellations that formed the sacred emblem of Mysteries; a pupil-less eye, with contorted lines representing secrecy and change.

    He suddenly felt a bit tense.

    Grisha keenly observed the giant majestic palace, and the thick Greyish white fog that surrounded "Him". "He" looked at the bronze mottled table and touched it, "His" fingers brushing against cold metal that formed the table.

    Without turning towards Klein, "He" asked, "Is this the same place as chaos sea?" "He" looked up at the goddess of misfortune, only to find that she was observing "Him" intensely.

    Chaos sea... Isn''t that one of the Sefirot? The one belonging to God Almighty? How is "He" aware of it? Did the seven lights tell "Him" this too? Countless questions flooded Amanises, as she kept her caution against the newcomer whom she was sure was a Sequence 0.

    She did not wish to take any chances, the one time she did, her entire life was flipped from its tail. Seriously, never in my wildest dreams did I think acquainting with Klein would result in all of this! Well¡­ I never dreamt of it either... She silently teased herself.

    "Yes, its name is Sefirah Castle." Klein replied, leaning back on his chair leisurely.

    So he is just like me huh¡­ We both bear control over these mystical spaces. Sefirah Castle¡­ How many more of these things are out there? Grisha reflected.

    Klein looked at Amanises and then towards Grisha, both of whom understood his implications.

    "Myself, Grisha." Grisha introduced himself with a smile. "Amanises." She curtly responded, and continued staring down Grisha, keeping her caution at maximum.

    Klein inwardly facepalmed. These two are hopeless! Grisha is somehow bad at introducing "Himself", whereas Amanises is way too cautious of "Him" to bother with it! He instantly felt that this conversation that was about to take place was not going to be anything less than awkward.

    Instantly deciding to take hold of the conversation so as to not make things difficult for himself, he cleared his throat attracting the attention of the demonic wolf and the man in clergyman''s robe.

    "Let''s not waste time here." He turned towards Grisha, "What did you want to talk about?" Grisha nodded, keeping "His" smile plastered. "He" turned towards Amanises, and began speaking. "You are probably aware of me, since you have acquainted yourself with Zhou-"

    Klein cut off Grisha and said, "Call me Klein." Grisha nodded again and continued, "I wish to form a cooperative alliance with you."

    Silence.

    "What?!" Amanises blurted out in mild shock. She did not expect this Sequence 0 True Deity to want to form an alliance with her. After all, what would she offer "Him"?

    "You heard it right. I wish to form a temporary alliance with you." Grisha maintained "His" smile, while Klein remained nonchalant. He had anticipated something like this. "And why would you want that?"

    "It''s pretty simple when you think about it. I wish to take down Flegrea." Amanises was a bit surprised, but then composed herself. "But what can a subsidiary god like me do in taking down a real god?"

    "Not much, but it would be nice to have an insider." Amanises continued staring at him.

    Klein curled his lips upwards. As straightforward as I would imagine "Him" to be. I now wonder how their first conversation actually went? Grisha continued, "While in an actual fight you would prove useless, seeing how you now have such a formidable ally," Grisha turned "His" head towards Klein, "Perhaps that might not be the case."

    Klein flashed "Him" a smile as Amanises kept her gaze fixed on "Him". She then looked at Klein and back at Grisha and thought to herself, As I thought. If a Sequence 0 can help me and Klein, then taking down Flegrea may not be so unfeasible...

    She contemplated for a moment and then asked, "What would I get from this?" Grisha had anticipated this question, so "He" calmly replied. "Spoils of war."

    The uniqueness and Sequence 1 characteristics¡­ Amanises calmly nodded. She thought about it for a moment, then turned her head towards Klein and said, "I wish to have a personal conversation with you."

    Klein keenly looked at her and then at Grisha, who said, "It''s fine. I can wait on that bench." Klein chuckled and said, "No need." He flicked his hand as thick greyish fog surrounded Grisha, obscuring his perception.

    Grisha remained motionless. After staying still for a while, "He" tried to use "His" Listener abilities to pry into their conversation, but found that "He" was incapable of doing so.

    As expected, this is a concealment done through the use of this place. I can not penetrate through it. It seems Klein has better control over this mystical place than I have over Chaos sea at the moment. Not only is his connection much stronger than mine, he seems to be able to exercise absolute control within it.

    Grisha was taking quite a risk here. Not only had "He" accepted being pulled into an unknown person''s territory, "He" had soon realized that Klein was not by any means stupid. Due to the difference between our connections to our respective mystical places, Klein is able to forcefully suppress my connection to Chaos sea... I can still use the abilities of the five pathways that correspond to the chaos sea, but not on the level that I am capable of in the real world...

    Still he shouldn''t be capable of hurting me¡­ Neither can I. This place provides him a formidable defense that wouldn''t be shattered by even a Sequence 0. Not only that, I am only able to sit here due to the connection formed between Klein and I; he can cut that connection anytime¡­

    I''ll simply have to comply with the situation at the moment. Neither Amanises or Klein is stupid, especially the latter. He was dominating our previous conversations, deliberately letting off some hints which would make me cautious of him. Even Amanises, who seems to be more naive, is exercising absolute caution. Even subtle manipulation wouldn''t work here.

    Grisha shook "His" head. "He" was sure of one thing from the previous conversation "He" had with Klein: Klein knew much, MUCH more than Grisha did at the moment. Any forms of manipulation or deception wouldn''t work on him. And as soon as they failed on Klein, he wouldn''t let them work on Amanises either.

    This situation was completely and utterly indomitable.

    On the other hand, Amanises keenly stared at Klein, who was smiling intently. "I have made my decision." Klein nodded as Amanises sighed and said,

    "I don''t have any forms of feelings towards the Demonic wolves." Amanises noticed Klein''s smile slightly widened. "I know."

    Amanises wasn''t surprised. After all this was a Sequence 1 of Fool pathway. "Then shall I talk about my deal?" Amanises nodded.

    "You should have figured it out by now, but I wish to obtain the Fool uniqueness. For that, I will have to kill Flegrea." Amanises nodded again. Subconsciously she got tense, waiting for Klein to continue.

    Klein maintained his smile and said, "I merely wish for your support. In return, I will help you gain followers." Amanises remained silent.

    It''s just as I expected. But, he only wants me to ''support'' him. The term is quite vague, but it seems he simply wants me to back him up, while he obtains the uniqueness. Amanises let out a sigh of relief. The terms are quite good, Infact really good. I merely have to support him, while he will help me gain followers and a human form. Eventually when the demonic wolves fall, I wouldn''t have to suffer from lack of anchors and I would have the uniqueness and the Sequence 1 characteristics of the Darkness pathway, if I were to accept Grisha''s deal. This is equivalent to hitting a gold mine! I would also be able to leave them and go my separate way if I wish¡­

    Suddenly Amanises thoughts fell silent. It was then she remembered how Klein had saved all those people before. She slowly turned her head towards Klein and asked, "Why did you save all those people from before?"

    Klein gaze fixed on her, his smile becoming a little weary. There was an empty silence between them only to be broken by a sigh and a chuckle. Klein, in an empty and calm tone slowly said, "No reason."

    No reason... Amanises stared at him, stared at his expressions, his smile, his eyes, his cheeks. Even if Klein was a clown, Amanises knew it, perhaps from her soul, that Klein did not mean anything ulterior.

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    He truly had no reason for saving those people. He simply did it because he could.

    I''d rather be treated as a human than some high and mighty deity.'' Klein''s words rang through Amanises'' mind.

    Her perception of Klein changed a little. Up until now she had only considered him to be a friendly being closest to becoming a deity. But now she had come to notice a side of him, contradictory yet non contradictory to her initial perception. Perhaps¡­ He is more ''Human'' than a god.

    Silence dawned as their gazes remained fixed on each other. Amansies, slowly adjusted her perception of Klein to be:

    A person who would go out of his way to save people.

    Unknowingly she smiled. She envied him. Having still maintained his humanity despite living longer than her. She wished to experience the same, not needing to find a reason to do something. Then, she noticed, as Klein opened his mouth and said, "If¡­ You want to,

    "I will help you maintain your humanity. And I''ll do it for free." Amanises opened her mouth to ask why, but then stopped. She thought about it for a moment and then said in an ethereal voice. "I appreciate it."

    They both smiled at each other in silence.

    After a while, Amanises asked with a suspicious tone, "What''s with that guy?" Klein rubbed his chin and replied, "Dual Pathway True Deity, with preliminary control over chaos sea." Amanises'' eyes widened. She exclaimed in a shocked tone, "Control over chaos sea!! So "He" is like you?" Klein nodded in agreement. "Yes and no. While "He" is like me, a being that has control over a Sefirah, there is a massive difference between our level of connection." Klein leaned back on his chair, pooping his one leg on the other.

    "Grisha only has preliminary control over the chaos sea, which allows "Him" to use the abilities of the pathway corresponding to God Almighty But his overall authority over chaos sea is still relatively weak. Of course, this is because it has only been some months since "He" has ''transmigrated''. Over time, "His" connection will become stronger, and "His" authority will deepen." Amanises keenly listened, nodding from time to time.

    "On the other hand, I have near complete control over Sefirah castle and near complete ownership of it. My connection with this sefirah is much stronger than what Grisha has, at the moment. And my control will only further deepen once I have the Fool uniqueness."

    Amanises picked up on the little detail Klein had spoiled and thought, My deduction was right. Klein will only become stronger when he gains the Fools uniqueness with a strength comparable to a true deity... It seems that the Sefirah are not only capable of amplifying one''s strength, but also capable of bestowment of abilities...

    Amanises facepalmed. Damn it! There are two transmigrators and both of them have their Sefirah. Where is mine?! When will I get one!!

    She shook her head in defeat, and opted to wait until her fate bestowed her with her respective Sefirah. "So, what should we do about "Him" now?" Klein seemingly thought for a moment and then rapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, an action he was very much used to performing as his role of the Fool.

    "Let''s roll with it. It would make killing Flegrea much easier, and we''ll gain a new ally, albeit only temporary." Amanises nodded. She remained calm and asked, "What are the pathways that correspond to God Almighty?"

    "Visionary, Hanged Man, White Tower, Sun and Tyrant." Amanises face increasingly twisted. I-Isn''t this a little too many? No wonder "He" is called God Almighty, the omnipotent and omniscient!

    Amanises was not aware of any of these pathways, but remembered that Klein had always used the Sequence 0 terms of the pathways. Then she noticed a difference: Klein had not used the Sequence 0 terms for seer, apprentice and marauder pathway when referring to the Lord of Mysteries. Before she could ask him about it, Klein opened his mouth and uttered, "Shall we have "Him" back?"

    Amanises instinctively wanted to say "No". But decided against it and simply nodded. Klein raised his hand and flicked it, as Grisha reappeared on "His" seat. "He" looked around for a bit, looking at Klein and then at Amanises and asked, "So, have you made a decision?"

    Amanises nodded and said, "I-No, we accept." Klein eyelids slightly twitched as he chuckled. Grisha nodded and said, "Then it''s settled. I have to make some other preparations so we will have to hold on for a while."

    Ahh yes, ''preparation'' to kill Kavastir, and ''kill'' Lilith too. It should be at least ten years before the early era of fire ends. Good enough time for me to help Amanises gain followers and gain her complete trust. Klein mentally noted down his tasks, and slightly nodded.

    Grisha thought about it for a moment and then turned towards Klein and asked, "May I have your honorific name? if I wish to contact you." Klein looked at him and uttered in jotun,

    "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this era;

    "The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;

    "The King of Yellow and Black who wields Good Luck."

    Grisha keenly listened and thought to himself, The Fool¡­ The zeroth card of the arcana and the Sequence 0 name of the seer pathway..

    Amanises also listened to Klein''s honorific name and thought to herself, Shouldn''t I also have an honorific name? Especially considering I am about to have human followers, and they probably would need a honorific name so as to pray to me.

    She mentally noted down the task and pushed in the back of her mind. She noticed Grisha glancing at her. She tilted her head in confusion before realizing that Grisha was asking her for her honorific name.

    Ahh, what should I say? I can''t just make an honorific name on the fly! She racked her brain for a moment before saying, "Just tell Klein if you have anything for me." Grisha nodded and smiled.

    "I haven''t thought of an honorific name yet, so if you wish to contact me, you''ll just have to track me down." Klein nodded, and said, "That won''t be an issue."

    Sefirah castle returned to its original serenity. None of them uttered another word, as they stared at the gray fog surrounding them. "Do you know the reason for our ''transmigration''?" Grisha said, and turned towards Klein. Amanises also turned towards him, in a bit of a surprise. She had not considered that Klein might be aware of the reasons behind transmigration. After all, he had lived far longer than her, in her perception.

    Klein leaned back on his high-back chair, and turned his head toward Grisha and leisurely said, "Weren''t you a researcher before?"

    Amanises eyes widened as she looked towards Grisha, who nodded on Klein''s statement. Klein continued with a grin. "And you also have The Blasphemy slate. You have all the resources needed so figure it out yourself."

    Blasphemy slate? What''s that? Amanises questioned in her head. On the other end, Grisha''s expressions slightly twisted, he was surprised, beyond surprised. He is aware of the blasphemy slate?! I thought I had kept it well hidden but it seems to not be the case. Or could it be that Klein had entered the chaos sea before I awoke? His control over Sefirah castle should allow him to fight the corruptive and degenerative forces of Chaos sea¡­

    But then why would he leave the blasphemy slate there? He could have just taken it away and kept it inside this place. Could it be due to the connection between it and chaos sea? But no, that connection shouldn''t have interfered with Klein wanting to take it away. In fact, under long exposure, the blasphemy slate should have been corrupted by Sefirah castle and its connection with chaos would have been repressed.

    I was still underestimating him. But no, this guy could be an actual threat in the future. It will be much better to have him as an ally then an enemy. I need to keep this in mind.

    Grisha became extremely wary of Klein, whom mentioned his smile as if telling Grisha, "There is no secret between us."

    Amanises noticed Grisha''s change and made the connection that the Blasphemy slate had to be an extremely important and hidden topic for Grisha to have such a reaction by Klein merely mentioning it. She decided not to ask about it at the moment, and instead later ask Klein.

    "I see. I''ll try..." Grisha replied, his tone audibly much more wary and low. The smile no longer dawned on "His" face. Klein maintained his grin, only widening it further. Amanises face remained expressionless.

    She then remembered the people from before and asked, "By the way, what did you do to those people? Where did you send them?" Klein leisurely replied, "Send them to an isolated area in the northern continent. I left an avatar there, to dictate the people as to form a civilization and get used to their new life.

    "When they asked about who saved them, "I" as in that avatar said," Klein leaned forward towards Amanises, lifting some of the seals inside Sefirah castle and uttered, "Goddess of Misfortune." At that very moment, hundreds of distinct voices entered Amanises ears, each and every one of them a prayer of thanks and devotion towards the Demonic wolf.

    Amanises instantly became extremely calm, managing the hundreds of prayers she had received and was receiving. It took her a long while, before stabilizing her condition and managing the stemming corruption from the faith of the new anchors.

    She then began thinking, You really can''t let your guard down around this guy¡­ Avatars? That''s not an ability of the Fool pathway so either Apprentice or Marauder. Now that I think about it, the fool pathway allows one to turn people into marionettes, whereas either the Marauder or the apprentice pathway allow one to make an avatar of themselves, or am I assuming too much? This can be considered a similarity between the pathways, so the neighboring pathways have similar abilities that compliment each other.

    I am not too sure about the abilities of the phoenix or the ''death'' pathway, but I am pretty sure they can command spirits to a certain extent, which is quite similar to what those of the darkness pathway can do. Yes, perhaps it has to do with the Great Old one of the pathways which cause these pathways to have similarities between them..

    Amanises found yet another interesting fact about the pathways, that she updated in her knowledge over the pathways. She leaned back on her chair and rubbed her head with her paws. "Give me a warning next time, for¡ª" she was about to say "For god''s sake" but then paused in thought, Which god''s sake though? There are like 7 or 8 of them.

    Shaking her head, she shook her paw, shaking off the topic entirely. Klein nodded and leaned back, he rubbed his chin then rested his hands on the armrest of his chair. He said in a monotone tone, "If there is nothing else, then let''s end this meeting ladies and gentlemen."

    He stood up from his seat, prompting both Amanises and Grisha to sit up. They both nodded. "Then let''s meet here again every 7 days, if you both agree of course." Grisha nodded indicating "His" agreement whereas Amanises thought, Wait we are extending our meeting time. Klein and Amanises had agreed on their previous meeting to meet every 2 to 3 days, but now Klein had officially expanded the time between the meetings.

    Klein stared at the Greyish white fog in front of him and raised his hand, flicking it causing Grisha to light up in a crimson flame before the flame completely consumed "Him". In the place he stood, now had a bright crimson star that settled on the seat.

    Amanises still remained on her spot, she looked at Klein confused as to why he hadn''t sent her back yet. Before she could ask him anything, Klein turned towards her with a serious expression and said in a serious tone, "Do not under any circumstances think of Grisha''s name in the real world. Merely thinking about "Him" or uttering "His" name will cause you to be fully exposed to "Him".. Even your concealment authority wouldn''t be able to stop "His" meta awareness."

    Amanises eyes widened in shock. The omnipotent and omniscient.. She nodded with a serious expression. Klein continued, "Our personal meeting length would not change. You and I will still meet every 2 days. But we would only meet with Grisha every 7 days. Remember my warning and do not expose the content of our subsequent meetings in the meeting involving Grisha. I know of the questions you have and I will give you their answers when I see the time to be right. Have trust in me, on that one."

    Amanises seriously listened and her eyebrows ever so slightly dulled. She did not have full trust in Klein, but after witnessing how Klein had saved all those people, even blowing his own cover away for that. She had a natural increase in trust towards him.

    She slightly nodded, indicating her increasing trust towards him. Klein smiled towards Her, prompting her to do so as well. "Then, till fate brings us together once more." Crimson hue entered Amanises eyes as the familiar garden, inlaid with moon flower and vanilla night entered her sight again.

    She immediately noticed a barrier formed of Greyish white fog around her house. Slowly the barrier receded away as the crimson light penetrated her garden once more, returning it to its original serenity.

    She sighed, shook her head and went inside her house with a single name ringing in her head,

    Klein.

 Hope and Trust

    "And I have to do work!"

    Standing on top of a house. Klein Moretti, overlooked the hundreds of people he had just saved from death a few hours ago. Many confused, scared, shaking, kneeled on the ground, praying to the goddess of misfortune, who had presumably saved them.

    At least, that''s what Klein told them.

    He gazed at the masses and sighed in his heart. Many of them are badly wounded and most of them are still afraid and shaken from the recent and lifetime of hellish experiences they have endured... He shook his head, and witnessed as the brave among these survivors, a few whom still had some level of rationality began to roam the small town Klein had erected through the power of wishes.

    He had chosen a random, and isolated area in the northern continent, so as to safely rehabilitate these survivors from the demonic wolf settlement. Then through the power of wishes of a Miracle Invoker, Klein had invoked a miracle, erecting a small town, with all the basic necessities¡ªlivestock, ration, farm land and clothes included within, giving these poor survivors an easy start to their new reality.

    The land where this small town lay was surrounded by hilly regions and a lush green forest. The crimson moon shining above, ever so brightly greatly complemented the appearance of the surroundings. The small town in the middle, torches lining the roads illuminating the area brightly together with the ominous crimson moon, reflected the petrified look of most who lay on the ground, leaned on the walls, weary, tired, terrified, and mourning those they have lost.

    Yet, these people continued to struggle at the sight of new hope, evident by the few individuals that took command, when they noticed that perhaps they may still be able to live a fulfilling life, and leave the past horrors behind for good.

    "All thanks to the Goddess of Misfortune." That''s what Klein said.

    Yet, hesitancy and fear dawned on even the bravest one. They slowly began to fall back, as if their past trauma lurked the surroundings.

    Seeing this, Klein took a step forward, falling from the roof of the house to the grassy ground, attracting the attention of everyone present. He slowly walked towards the center of the town and summoned a pedestal from the historical void.

    He stood on the pedestal, cleared his throat and said loud and clearly,

    "Stay calm everybody! Do not be afraid!" Klein said, his voice resonating in a strange way to the people. This further startled the people surrounding the pedestal, as many of them began to back away. Klein, noticing this, sighed, feeling the misery and fear of people.

    Even though he had already introduced himself when informing them of their situation, reassuring them that they were completely safe, the people were still visibly shaken, believing that this was yet another twisted way the gods will toy with them. Klein knew well that their trust could not be easily bought, after all, these people have gone through scenarios like these countless times¡ªgiven false hope of freedom and tranquility only for it to to be ruthlessly crushed.

    But he had to try right? He thought to himself, closed his eyes, cleared his throat once more and said in a reassuring and affirming tone, "I know what every single one of you are going through currently. I can understand your fear...

    "But just being petrified like this isn''t going to make things better!" Klein tried to reason with the hesitant survivors, yet his attempt only seemed to worsen things.

    You can''t reason with those that have lost reason... Klein mused looking at the mutilated faces of the survivors. Their faces lined with hesitance and fear. Klein stood at the pedestal motionless, looking down on them. He took a moment and analyzed the words he had just uttered and thought to himself,

    Hehe, seems like godhood has begun to show its effect now that I don''t have any anchors¡­ These words are not ''mine'' but words stemming from my godhood. I am trying to reason with these hesitant and traumatized people, who have long lost hope. Even the prayers from before were done out of fear instead of devotion¡­

    I need to do something otherwise these people will succumb to their internal trauma and madness... If only Ms. Justice was here! Klein suddenly paused his initial train of thoughts and then went on. Ms. Justice... How would she have taken care of these survivors and the follow-up rehabilitation?

    Klein imagined a scenario. He took this same situation he was in currently, but replaced himself with the kind, beautiful and caring Ms Justice. He began to emulate the scenario in his mind as to how Ms Justice would have gained these people''s trust.

    He simulated the scenario further and further in his mind and a smile slowly formed on his face. Klein looked down at the frightened people, flashing them a smile. He canceled the projection of the mic and pedestal, causing him to drop down on the ground, though Klein, slick as a cat, landed on his feet.

    He maintained his smile as he extended his hand pulling out the Life''s cane from the historical void. Holding the mystical artifact, Klein walked towards a lady who lay on the ground, missing an arm, while her face and neck were badly mutilated. She noticed Klein approaching her and began to back away. Due to her badly mutilated face and neck, she had long lost her voice preventing her from creating any noise.

    Yet the fear was evident. The panic shone through what remained of her face, she stumbled and backed away extending her only arm in defense. The people surrounding her dispersed in fear. The disabled women hopelessly watched as Klein lifted the hand that held the Life''s cane. He extended the cane vertically pointing its tip towards the woman.

    Before she could back away any further, he leaped forward gently tapping her body with the tip of the cane. The woman, witnessing this, fell in despair, and closed her eyes waiting for the worst to happen.

    Then, she felt an indescribable sensation crawling up her body, towards the cut off area of the limb she dearly missed. There, she felt a chilling sensation that intensified, taking a familiar shape that resembled that of an arm. An arm!

    She opened her eyes and looked down to witness as her arm regenerated itself! Instinctually she curled her fingers, feeling the sensation of her nails poking against the skin of her palm.

    "Hu-" In surprise, she brought her arms up and felt her thin lips. She repeatedly touched her face, feeling the smooth sensation of her skin radiating both from her fingers and her face. Tears unconsciously began to flow down her cheeks, as the lady, now completely healed, devoid of any deformities she once had, broke down into a shrill cry.

    Hearing her own voice she had lost long ago once more caused her cries to intensify, just so she could hear herself more. She looked up at Klein, and saw a mirror in his hands. The mirror clearly reflecting her intact features. She saw the tears and snout, running down her skinny cheeks, and a smile which soon turned into a wide grin, formed on her face.

    Her bright grin made her happiness evident to all those who wearily observed from a distance.

    Having witnessed this miracle, the people that once surrounded her and then backed away, returned. The sound of murmurs and the faces of awe dominating the environment. Klein looked at these people with an innocent smile, and inwardly sighed. He looked back at the women before him and saw her hands and her head lowered to the floor, in pure reverence. A gesture of extreme gratitude and worship from the women.

    Klein chuckled and nonchalantly shook his hands. He clutched Life''s cane tightly in his hands, and began to walk towards the surrounding people. Having bore witness to a profound miracle and an act of benevolence, these people held themselves firmly to the ground, not letting their fears take over.

    Klein gently bumped the cane''s tip to each and everyone present, healing away wounds, mutations and disease. These people having been ridden of their aliments roared in joy, a moment of pure bliss taking over them and the fear they possessed within themselves.

    Perhaps in a long while, for some, the first time in their lives, they could feel a moment of joy having not to worry about death hanging over their necks.

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    Witnessing this joy and happiness spreading, Klein smiled feeling his own humanity increase.

    More often than not, words aren''t enough to move people, especially those that have become incapable of trust. Only actions can speak to them, and show them that perhaps, this world still cherishes and nurtures hope, and that there are still people out there that are willing to help with everything they can! Ms Justice''s voice rang through Klein''s ears, beckoning him to curl his lips further.

    He chuckled before breaking into a short laughter. Klein brought his hands up and rubbed his temples. Hehe, my relation with the Tarot club runs far deeper than merely the relation between a god and his believers. In fact, so deep it surpasses the barrier of time separating us¡­

    I''ll patiently wait for the day to convey that meeting once more. After all, it''s the tarot club that makes me ''The Fool''. Klein shook his head and clasped his hands, attracting the attention of everyone in the small town.

    This time he didn''t summon a pedestal. He remained standing at his spot and began to speak audibly. "I can''t understand what you all went through. I am incapable of feeling your emotions, especially your fears, loss and nightmares. I have neither borne witness to the horrors and tragedies that you have all faced nor have I suffered anything similar." Klein paused to gauge the reaction of the crowd. Seeing the mixed faces of grief and slight fear, he continued,

    "Yet¡­ I can understand them, even if that''s not enough. I can understand why you would not want to trust me, or anyone else, for your life was once reduced to nothing but playthings to the gods of this world." Klein''s gaze grew dull and his smile distant, making it seem like he was going through great pain while speaking.

    He was in fact using his Clown prowess to produce facial emotions that would warm these people up. "But you are safe now. Even if it''s hard to believe, or that your fear prevents you from doing so, you are safe here. This town has been¡­" He paused and internally cringed for what he was about to say.

    "This town has been built by the goddess of misfortune for you all to live here peacefully!!" Klein exclaimed, trying his best to maintain his affirming tone. Internally, his thoughts were running wild. This reminds me of when I was preaching about myself! Ahh cringe memories~!!

    ""She" is a benevolent deity that has not long ago infiltrated the wicked forces of the demonic wolves so as to help the common man out! The scene you all saw earlier including those doors were "Her" doing!" Klein felt his chest tightening from embarrassment. If it wasn''t for a clown''s facial control, Klein would have produced the most abstract facial expression known to man.

    For some weird reason, this is a good way to strengthen humanity. I suppose embarrassment is quite a strong human emotion¡­ Actually, if i can feel embarrassment that means my humanity is indeed strengthening and that''s good!

    Klein further preached about Amanises, or the Goddess of misfortune. About her benevolence, her good nature, will and kindness. By the end, he had successfully managed to convert the faith of people to the goddess of misfortune, yet some remained on edge. It wasn''t easy to suddenly believe in a deity especially after their lifelong experiences.

    "This town rightfully belongs to you now. Make this your new home and build a friendly and strong civilization!!" Cheers erupted as the people began to explore the town. What was once a mass of empty structures was now a bustling town, with people slowly warming up and accepting it as their new home.

    Klein observed this beautiful development and sighed, maintaining his smile. I suppose for now this should be good enough. He thought and walked towards the wall of a building and leaned against it.

    The reason "Klein" didn''t return to Sefirah Castle was because of the ongoing meeting between his real body and Amanises and Grisha. Until that meeting concluded he couldn''t return to the main body.

    Hence, this "Klein" simply waited on the outskirts of the town. After an unknown amount of time, he felt his surroundings thicken as the Greyish white fog enveloped him. The next moment, he appeared seated at the high back of The World, in front him the copper mottled long table, and above beautiful stars.

    At the end of the table, at the high back chair of the fool, sat the main body looking at his avatar. He smiled and spoke softly, "You did a great job."

    "I suppose being complimented by myself is a good thing?" the real body chuckled and so did the avatar. The avatar Klein gazed at the real body with a smile before turning into a cluster of maggots. These clusters of worms of spirits jumped on the ancient table and crawled towards the real Klein and merged back into his body, becoming whole again.

    Klein closed his eyes and felt one of his Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker characteristics return to his body. Interesting... Usually a Trojan horse of Destiny is incapable of creating Avatars of other pathways. All his avatars would have to be from the error pathway due to them being formed from Worms of time... This isn''t the case for me. Due to my authority over Sefirah castle, I can use Error and Door pathways abilities, which allows my worms of spirits to split from my body and form Avatars of the Fool pathway... If I had any characteristics of error or door within me, I would probably be able to form an avatar of them too¡­

    Klein, when creating this particular avatar, had split one of the two miracle invokers'' characteristics from within his body, which allowed him to create a sequence 2 avatar. This way Klein was able to perform two separate actions simultaneously without having to split his attention between.

    Avatars truly are a useful ability... Still, marionettes are much better. Unlike Avatars where I have to split parts of my own body to form them, marionettes are merely puppets that I can control and have no relation to me except my control over their spirit body threads.

    As a King of angels, I can create tens of thousands of marionettes at any given moment, and the best thing is, these marionettes can be of any sequence, even my own! Klein grinned widely and chuckled. He leaned back on his chair and leisurely thought.

    Still, in situations like my previous meeting with Grisha, I had to pay all my attention to "Him" to make sure "He" doesn''t do anything funny. Controlling a marionette on top of that would have been a little tipsy and Grisha would have sensed the anomaly. Avatars are much better in times like these since they have their own consciousness and autonomy without me having to control their every step. Klein summoned a pen and paper and began to note down the strength and weakness of his various abilities.

    While writing, Klein thought to himself. I''ll try to gather the Sequence 2 characteristics of Error, Door and the Fool pathway so as to experiment further with Avatars. Definitely not sequence 1, merely holding them might cause the convergence effect to take place...

    After thoroughly reading the paper, Klein canceled the projection and leaned back once more, diverting his thoughts to some of more important matters. Good, I was able to strengthen my humanity! This also proves my previous theory that simply being between humans isn''t going to cut it. I need to form an actual, real connection with the people to be able to maintain and strengthen my humanity.

    Now that I have also promised Amanises to help her maintain her humanity, I can deploy this method to efficiently help her¡­ Actually, no. After the mess I made today, the subsidiary gods definitely won''t be allowed to leave their settlement anytime soon¡­

    And, here I was thinking I needed to prioritize keeping myself hidden. That plan didn''t even last like 2 days¡­

    Klein shook his head in disappointment. I suppose it isn''t that big of a deal, after all these demonic wolves aren''t going to stay alive for long. I will need to pay attention to Flegrea''s subsidiary gods though. While I have stolen their memories of the recent incident, they should have realized the inconsistencies by now which would arouse suspicion... Once I get the Fool uniqueness, I''ll imbue that incident with a fooling effect so as to truly conceal it.

    I need to take more precautions than ever before. So long as word of my existence doesn''t spread out of the demonic wolf settlement, I should be fine. In that regard, I can ask Amanises''s help. I also need to stay wary of Grisha... I gave "Him" quite a scare before, a taste of "His" own medicine. Now, "He" would either evade me completely, or "He" would want to soon contact and meet me so "He" can deduce some more information out of me.

    Hehe, there are so many things to take care of, some of which I never even considered when initially formulating my plans¡­ I thought I would just silently observe whatever developments will occur, but here I am now...

    The biggest variable I did not consider was my own Humanity and emotions. I can''t just sit still and watch as people die for no reason other than the pleasure of some random sequence 2. Klein sighed and rubbed his temples. He smiled and affirmed himself,

    If given the opportunity, I will help people in whatever way I can¡­ Even if it means blowing my own cover. Now as for the task with helping Amanises, I suppose i''ll need more help from Ms. Justice... Hehe, I sure miss them. He nodded and began to ponder over his current task. Realizing he had nothing to do in particular, Klein stood up from his seat and pulled out Merlin Hermes from the historical void. He concealed his real self, allowing his consciousness to descend into his own projection.

    Assuming the demeanor of Merlin Hermes, Klein smiled brightly, took off his magician hat and bowed at the seat of the fool. He left Sefirah Castle shortly after, appearing in the spirit world. Klein rubbed his chin, thought for a moment and began to walk in a certain direction.

    He had been meaning to thoroughly visit a place from the beginning, but hasn''t gotten around in doing so. Now that he had nothing else to do, Klein decided it was a good time to drop by Moon City and witness the horrors of the Sanguine Ancestor, Future Earth Mother, Lilith.

    In a few moments, Klein left the spirit world appearing some distance away from a gross amalgamation of wood, stone and flesh. He witnessed humans, and Sanguines alike walking on dirt roads, a clear distinction among them from the style and state of their clothing and appearance.

    Before Klein could observe any further, a crimson hue began to envelope the area surrounding the city. Klein immediately looked up to witness the bright crimson moon rising from the clouds in the bluish sky, its illumination overpowering that of the already faint sun.

    He felt a strange attraction and looked straight ahead, broadening his field of view further from the city to witness a giant mountain range of flesh rising from a thick black fog. From its top, all kinds of strange reproductive organs spewed out, while constantly giving birth to all sorts of strange, ugly creatures.

    This was the manifestation of the Sanguine Ancestor, Sequence 0: Moon, Lilith.

 The Moon City

    What the actual fuck?!

    Klein immediately moved his gaze away and canceled his projection. Regaining control of his real body inside Sefirah Castle, Klein abruptly leaned forward and panted.

    He suddenly felt a bulge in his pants. Then his stomach began to expand, while his bulge grew, threatening to tear his clothes off. Klein facepalmed with a disgusted expression and used his connection with Sefirah Castle to cleanse himself of the various mutations happening all over his body. The Greyish white fog immediately gathered around him as black vapor erupted from his body. Slowly, his growing stomach and bulging pants halted, and returned to normal.

    While I have read about that form, it''s much scarier in person. If I overstayed my welcome, the instinct to mate would have taken over¡­ Klein gulped loudly, imagining the sight of himself and that mountain of flesh.

    He immediately dispelled his imagination, shaking his head vigorously. I should wait before getting near that place. He sat down on his chair and rubbed his chin. Habitually, he began to analyze the sight he had just witnessed.

    Lilith is most certainly mad, or at least partially. This means the same could be said for Sanguines since they originate from "Her". There is also the crimson moon¡­

    Lilith should be the Sequence 0 Moon currently. There is a high chance "She" may be influenced by the Mother Goddess of Depravity, which would explain that¡­ things. It seems I was correct, the influence a former pillar has on "Her" pathways is much stronger, even with the resilient and stable barrier.

    Hehe, I need to be extra wary, out of all the people that should discover my existence, the Great Mother is the last one! No, in that regard, all Outer deities are ranked last!

    Klein nodded and remained patient. After over an hour of sitting in silence, he slowly got up from his chair. He closed his eyes, and analyzed his body for any latent mutations, but found that everything had returned to normalcy.

    Sighing in relief, Klein resummoned his Sequence 2 projection, and used it to descend into the real world once more, this time much further away from Moon City. Standing on his foot on the solid ground, Klein felt the warm rays of sun tearing from the clouds, and the gentle breeze of air fluttering his hair and clothes with it.

    He closed his eyes, letting his mind enjoy the rare moment of calm. Then, slowly, he began to walk towards the Moon City, assuming the demeanor of a Wandering Magician.

    A wandering magician that just happened to come across the city of Sanguines.

    ¡­

    Walking on an empty dirt road, Klein reached the periphery of the Moon City, the crimson moon no longer in the sky, but neither the bright sun. Moon City was surrounded by a thick forest and always ridden with dark clouds, preventing sunlight from reaching it. As Klein slowly walked by, minding his business, he heard a noise growing closer, and not long after, he saw a group of humans, their clothes ragged and torn, carrying some bags solemnly walking forwards, their heads hanging low.

    Sensing his gaze, they slowly looked up to see the man in strange attire looking at them with a faint smile. Klein slowly and cautiously approached, so as to not startle these normal humans. Stopping some feet away from them, he contemplated for a moment before speaking in a soft tone,

    "Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." The group of people continued to stare him down for a moment before silently nodding. Among them, a woman of short stature spoke up with hesitancy, "You don''t seem to be from¡­ Here?"

    Klein maintained his smile and asked with puzzlement, "How did you know?" The woman remained silent, her gaze fixed on Klein. Her companions also stared at him in silence, none of them daring to speak another word. Klein noticed their lifelike yet lifeless eyes that reflected his image, and their slow and calmed breath that made them seem almost dead, yet the warmth radiating from their skin proved otherwise.

    After a long and awkward silence, the woman from before spoke in a tone devoid of any emotion, "Leave." Her expression slightly twisted before returning to a strange calmness, an emotionless face¡ªlike an empty husk. She took a step forward and so did her companions as they left in a hurry, leaving Klein to ponder over their strange behavior.

    Klein during all of this remained motionless. Standing there for a while, staring at the empty road, he walked forward towards the Moon City central, disregarding the warning he had been given.

    The wind unmoving, the shadows of the dark clouds enlarging, and the stillness and frigidness of the air, surrounded this King of Angels with each step he took towards Moon City. He soon noticed the increasingly distant and silent environment that filled the place. Usually, Klein would have been extremely cautious and wary upon witnessing such eeriness. But currently, his spiritual intuition had not provided him any premonition of even the slightest danger, which lessened some of his worries. Of course, as a Beyonder of the Seer pathway, Klein still exercised caution, ready to cancel his projection any moment.

    Soon after, sights of wooden buildings, stone towers, majestic mansions made out of cobble, wood and giant parts of oozing and rotting flesh entered Klein''s vision. He walked a little further before coming to a halt. Standing at his spot, he observed the peculiar city of crimson.

    Moon City was for a fact massive. It was much bigger than its counterpart in the Fifth Epoch. The buildings within the city, mostly composed of stone and cobble with semicircular arches combined with massive cylindrical pillars. Each building radiating an austere and fortress-like quality.

    These buildings were connected to each other through the massive stone arches, giving the whole city the likeness of one massive fortress. The mansions, in between, had massive thick walls with high rise buildings attached to rectangular shaped ones. There were small openings in the walls and small circular shaped red tinted windows letting small packets of light illuminate their interior.

    Klein observed the massive and intricate buildings and thought to himself, These buildings closely resemble Norman Architecture... He rubbed his chin and diverted his attention to the giant oozing crumbles of flesh that engulfed the walls, arches and domes of the buildings. These crimson pieces of flesh littered the entire place. They leached on the exteriors of the buildings, twisting, dangling and sucking on the giant arches and extended down to the roads as if slowly absorbing them.

    Klein instantly thought back to the giant fleshy mountain range he had seen previously, and deciphered that they were likely all part of Lilith. He then observed as these crumbles of flesh oozed out a thin black fog that gently swayed with the air.

    There wasn''t a person or ''Sanguine'' in sight, not even an animal. There were no birds in the dark sky, as the whole of Moon City remained still, almost giving a feeling of abandonment. The longer Klein remained, the more eerie he felt, yet his spiritual intuition did not alarm him of any unforeseen danger.

    After standing still for quite a while, Klein finally decided to explore further, he walked towards a wall and climbed over it, landing on one of the many stone arches. The entire city was connected through a series of stone arches, which connected all mundane buildings and even mansions in Moon City.

    Klein began to traverse through the city, walking along the arches. As he walked, he noticed the black fog thickening and the style of the buildings turning more chaotic, with the number of arches growing, as well as the complexity of the connection between them.

    This, of course, wasn''t a problem for Klein as he walked in silence letting his spiritual intuition guide him. What once were small pieces of flesh lined on the walls and arches of the buildings, were now entire organs that stuck to their spots, sucking everything around them with the intention of engulfing its entirety.

    Eventually, he heard some noises resembling moans. Klein looked at a certain direction and began to walk towards the growing sound of moaning and groans. He soon noticed that these noises were originating from the center of the city, the part where the black fog was the thickest. He held his breath and began to contemplate before ultimately deciding to walk further.

    As he reached the place, having long concealed himself through illusions. The sight that entered Klein''s eyes made his guts rise up and his lips twitched indescribably.

    Giant fleshy organs entailed the entirety of the area engulfing everything in its sheath. The fleshy organs in themselves were indescribable making no sense in their structure and deformity. They seemed to simply exist holding a form yet seemingly formless. Klein saw, Sanguines, humans and animals alike mating with these organs. The fleshy walls of the organs formed various reproductive organs allowing both men and womens alike to mate mindlessly while the giant organ constantly reproduced strange and indescribable creatures, these strange creatures also immediately crawled back towards the fleshy organ and mindlessly mated with them, creating an endless cycle.

    Moans, groans and screams filled the whole place as all creatures in the area seemingly attracted by the organs begin to mate with it. They had seemingly lost their minds and any semblance of rationality. Their groans of pleasure and pain alike intermixed, as the giant fleshy organs produced pointy tentacles engulfing everyone around it.

    Then, suddenly everything stopped.

    Silence engulfed the area, as the various creatures stopped mating with the giant flesh organs. Klein noticed the organ itself begin to swell. It ballooned in size rapidly before exploding into a thick black fog that instantly engulfed the entire city. The various creatures that were once mating with these organs, in a daze, dressed themselves and began to walk towards various places in the city like puppets being led back.

    Klein, having witnessed the whole incident, had to firmly hold himself and deceive his ever growing instinct to mate and reproduce. He witnessed as the creatures that were born from the indescribable organ began to swell before exploding into flesh and crumbles, with these remains attaching themselves to the various walls and arches surrounding them.

    Lilith¡­ Klein thought, watching as the Sanguines and humans returned to their original lives completely discarding the previous incident as if it had never happened. Yeah, Lilith is corrupted by the Great Mother... Definitely.

    Actually it''s not just Lilith, due to "Her" connection with the Sanguine as their ''ancestor'', the whole Sanguine race should be affected by "Her" madness and be partially mad. This would affect the humans living in the city too...

    Also, the characteristics displayed by those flesh organs... Could it be that Lilith has a Sequence 1 Naturewalker characteristic within "Her"? I remember that the ancient gods all possessed impure characteristics during these times so it isn''t far-fetched. There is also the Sanguine Queen Aurenia who is a Sequence 1 in this time¡­

    Yeah, Lilith definitely has a Sequence 1 Naturewalker characteristic. The way those creatures were produced from the giant fleshy organ and then immediately return to their birth place, is essentially a semblance from mother and moon pathway¡­

    If that is the case, then Lilith''s condition makes even more sense. Possessing High level pure and impure characteristics from the Brood Hive pathways would probably drive anyone mad. That giant organ from before is likely one of the many organs that were spewed out by the fleshy mountain. The fleshy mountain range appeared when the Crimson moon did¡­

    Now that I think about it, is it really Lilith that is consciously causing the blood moon to appear, or is it a symbolism of the increasing influence of the Great Mother? As Klein analyzed Lilith''s condition further, his attention was suddenly dragged by the black fog that gently swayed around him.

    Suddenly his eyes widened, as he observed the various small organs and crumbles and bits of flesh that engulfed the entire city. From these pieces of flesh spewed out thickish black fog that gently swayed around. If these organs and pieces of flesh are a part of Lilith''s body or at least parts of the organs created by "Her" then¡­

    He looked back on the spot where the giant fleshy organ had exploded and saw the crumbles of flesh attaching themselves to any places, buildings, roads, walls. He gulped the saliva in his mouth and asked himself a question,

    What happens to them during the Blood Moon? It was at that moment a chilling realization dawned on him. Moon City was much more than just the ''city of Sanguines'',

    It was alive.

    No matter where Klein gazed, what entered his vision was a thick black fog, and the infrastructure that was ridden with pieces of flesh. No matter where he looked in this city, the black fog and pieces were always present.

    Whenever the blood moon happened, these pieces of flesh came together at the center and formed the giant organs, attracting everyone in the city to mate with them. It then gave birth to those indescribable entities who would later explode into the crumbles of flesh and latch onto the infrastructure in the city, effectively growing this infestation. Eventually, as the time passed, the whole of Moon City would be engulfed by the flesh of the Ancestor, forming one large organ with the sole purpose of mating and reproduction.

    It was like a perpetual motion machine that would slowly eat away everything in its wake. This city of Sanguines was very much alive, breathing and exhaling the black fog.

    Klein took a deep breath, filtering the black fog while doing so, and composed himself. He looked down at the Sanguines and the people, going about their mundane tasks, completely ignoring the pieces of flesh around them. He slowly exhaled and narrowed his eyes, before taking a step forward disappearing, not attracting anyone''s attention.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    A grotesque of buildings, bodies and flesh.

    ¡­

    Klein wasn''t too worried about Moon City.

    The reason behind that being, he already knew what was going to happen to it. The Sun God would eventually take Moon City under "His" roof, saving them from their damning fate. Hence, Klein didn''t have to worry about the inhabitant''s future. What he was more interested in was the Sanguine ancestor Lilith.

    Lilith was mad. That much Klein could confirm. But he also knew that "Her" condition was stabilized at some point, as shown from "Her" attitude as Earth Mother, and the fact that Grisha and Amanises had helped "Her" steal Giant Queen Ombella''s identity.

    But then how did "Her" condition stabilize? And just to what extent was Lilith mad? These were questions Klein was interested in. Of course, he had his guesses, particularly with the former one being that Grisha might have helped Lilith and cut her connection with the Mother Goddess of Depravity through Chaos sea. But, Grisha wasn''t a saint. "He" wouldn''t just help anyone without gaining something in return. Then, what did Lilith have in offer that prompted this quasi Great old one, to not only help "Her" stabilize from madness, but also help "Her" obtain Omebella''s identity?

    For the latter one, this was the question that prompted Klein to stay for a while in Moon City and wait for another blood moon, so as to witness the waking city. Klein knew this was dangerous, extremely so as the last time, merely looking at the crimson moon and the giant mountain of flesh had invoked mutations in his body.

    But as King of the King of Angels, and a Sequence 1 that had nigh complete control over his corresponding Sefirot, Klein had his own ways to deal with the corresponding corruption and protect himself. Hence, instead of using a historical projection to loiter around, he had set up a three way system to deal with any possible madness.

    First, he created an avatar from one of the Sequence 2 characteristics. By using this Avatar, Klein had obtained a marionette and gave it a worm of spirit, allowing it to use the abilities of a Miracle Invoker. Then, this Avatar Klein had hidden himself within the historical void in a spot much further away from Moon City, and through the use of Klein''s real body, swapped the location of the spirit body threads of his marionette closest to his avatar, allowing unprecedented control.

    In this way, Klein had set up a large system which made sure that his real body sitting inside Sefirah Castle would remain unaffected by the corruption that may be caused during the Blood Moon.

    Smiling, the marionette Klein who had dawned the appearance of Merlin Hermes loitered around the periphery of Moon City, which he considered the safest in this place. It didn''t have the black fog or the pieces and crumbles of flesh that surrounded the main city.

    As Klein randomly wandered, looking up at the clouds, he suddenly heard a noise and looked straight to see a group of people, different from the ones he had seen during his first visit. These people stopped and curiously looked at Klein, mostly attracted to his strange attire. Klein instantly noticed that these groups of workers were in a much better condition than the ones he had previously seen. Their clothing was proper, and faces clean.

    Seems like not everyone treats their slaves harshly... Klein flashed a smile at them and slowly approached, displaying his friendliness. These workers were slightly startled, and looked at each other in confusion as to what to do. As Klein stopped some meters away from them, he raised his hand, taking his hat off and bowed down in a gentlemanly fashion. "Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen." Klein spoke in a soft and amiable tone, while resting his hat back on his head.

    These workers witnessed this act of courtesy, and abruptly bowed their heads in response, greeting the gentlemen in front of them. An awkward silence settled in, as Klein continued to stare at the various people in front of him. Finally, one among them, a man resting at the same height as Klein, spoke with some level of hesitancy, "Good Evening sir, uh, can we know who you are?"

    "Of course, I am just an ordinary Wandering Magician. As for my name I bear many." His response only further confused the people before him, as they exchanged glances, displaying bewilderment. Among them, a man with a light beard and short stature picked up on the key detail Klein had presented and pointed out,

    "Wandering Magician?" Klein nodded and said, "Yes, I am a wandering magician that specializes in wish fulfilling magic. Do you have any wish you would like fulfilled?" This interested everyone. None of them had ever seen a magician in their life, let alone a wandering one that specializes in fulfilling wishes.

    As some of them began to ponder over the wandering magician part, a quick witted woman among them raised her hand and spoke up with slight hesitancy, "You can fulfill wishes right? I am a little hungry, so I wish for some good food to eat!" Klein upon hearing this innocent wish couldn''t help but chuckle calmly, while the women''s peers stared over her with weird faces.

    "Sure. Your wish is granted!" Klein extended his hand and pulled out desi pie from the historical void. In the eyes of spectators though, he had pulled that dish from thin air, he had just performed magic! Any hesitancy or doubt this group of people had instantly vanished as they all watched, baffled, as Klein handed over the sweet pie to the sweet women in front of him.

    The women held the plate containing desi pie, with a surprised and confused look. However, her hunger soon took over as she began to munch down on the sweet dish, presenting a delighted expression that her wish had been fulfilled. Having witnessed this magic trick, her companions also begin to wish for a plethora of things. One wished for relief from back pain, another person wished for better clothes, some other wished for happiness and prosperity for himself and his friends.

    It was a rare happy moment for everyone. They all wished for something, their wishes simple, a reflection of their simple lives, and all were fulfilled. After a moment of happiness and bliss, the group of people and the wandering magician parted ways but not before a question, "Who do you serve?" Klein asked softly as the people, their faces beaming, looked at him. The woman who had wished for some food before, replied, "Us? We are servants of the Blood Queen." Klein immediately became extremely calm and silent. He slowly nodded and waved his hands as he and the servants of Blood Queen continued on their way.

    This was the starting point of the tale of the Wandering Magician. A tale that soon spread out like wildfire, engulfing the entirety of Moon City, gripping the very throat of each and everyone. Eventually the tale of the Wandering Magician became a common tale around the Moon City and reached the ear of a certain delivery man, a servant of Sanguine Quan.

    What a Joke.

    ¡­

    At this point Klein had spent over a week inside the Moon city. Between this, he had Two personal meetings with Amanises, and one normal meeting with Grisha and Amanises[1]. Nothing particular happened in either of them, except Amanises panicking the hell out.

    During this week, Klein had ran countless times into Humans and Sanguines alike, who were amazed in having met the famous wandering magician. They wished for something, and their wishes were fulfilled. For more greedier wishes, Klein ended up distorting them to teach the people a lesson.

    Today, he ran into one such person. A servant of Lord Quan, Mr Khin. "You are the famous Wandering Magician!!" Khin pointed at Klein in amazement, to which Klein chuckled and nodded. "That''s right. Do you also have any wishes you would like to have fulfilled?" Khin assumed a thoughtful expression and lifted his chin upwards, as he began to ponder.

    After quite a while of thinking, he looked at the wandering magician and replied with a soft tone, "I wish for my friend, Fred, to have a happy and fulfilling life. He always worries about living, neglecting the simple joys of life. What''s the point in living a life that is constantly shrouded in fear and misery?" Khin chuckled, his face displaying his sincerity for the happiness of his friend.

    Klein stared at Khin in silence and nodded. He brought his hands up and snapped his fingers. "Your wish has been fulfilled." Khin nodded with a smile. He then thought for a moment and asked, pointing his fingers upwards, "Uhh, Mr Magician can I ask you for something else too? You see, if I were to just go back and tell others I met the wandering magician, they wouldn''t believe me.

    Klein nodded and chuckled again. His hand reached inside his black cloak and pulled out a pocket watch from under it. He took Khin''s hand and handed him over the pocket watch, while saying, "Now they will." Klein then taught Khin how to open and close the pocket watch, and how to use it to read time of the day.

    By the end of their meeting, Khin was more than delighted, considering this day as one of the best in his life. He waved his hands back at Klein, while running back to Lord Quan''s mansion, holding the pocket watch firmly in his hands, like a child that has been provided with the most wonderful toy of his life.

    Klein looked back at him and sighed in his heart. He turned around while thinking to himself, The most basic of wishes¡­

    ¡­

    While loitering around in the Moon City, having concealed himself through illusions and deception, Klein observed the everyday mundane life of the people in the city, and had come to notice something very interesting. Not every Sanguine in the Moon City was a bad person, as despite them treating humans as mere slaves, a lot of the sanguines took great care of their slaves, providing them with good food, clothing and even days off to rest up.

    Of course, there were a lot of them that treated slaves as disposable workers. Worked them to their deaths, and disposed of the bodies. Klein took care of such workers, which is why there was a lot of news of missing slaves going around in the city.

    This wasn''t all that Klein found in his time. Klein had come to understand the hierarchy between humans, sanguines and vampires. Yes, Vampires. A Lot of times, some sanguines had to get rid of extra characteristics within their body and for that they had to mate. While mating with another Sanguine would be more ideal, and liking to their taste, not every male Sanguine had a female sanguine who would be ready to copulate with them.

    But they did have Female Humans.

    Hence birth, Vampires. Vampires were also born from human experimentation done by some of the Sanguines. This included them, injecting Beyonder Characteristics within the humans. Most of them died due to forceful advancement. Those that did survive became Vampires.

    Vampires were bloodthirsty, mad, and cruel. They were like wild ferocious beasts, who only knew how to kill and mate. Which is the reason they were the lowest in the hierarchy and made to do labor and street work. Among them were humans, who served in the mansions and houses of Sanguines as their workers and rarely even companions. And of course, above all were Sanguines.

    Sanguines also had an internal hierarchy, but that was setup by Sanguine Ancestor Lilith. Klein didn''t bother with this particular subject, since he knew that Blood Queen Aurenia was at the top of the hierarchy and dictated the entire Sanguine race under the command of the Sanguine Ancestor.

    As Klein continued to walk his way through the Moon City, his gaze suddenly landed on one particular fellow. Fred, this was a friend of Khin, and the person he had sincerely wished would lead a happy life. Klein walked towards Fred and began alongside him. Fred kept his head hanging low, as if avoiding showing his face or meeting anyones eye.

    As they walked, Klein suddenly felt the air change. His spiritual intuition immediately provided him with a warning and a detailed scene of what was to happen, which prompted Klein to ever so slightly look up at the sky, and saw crimson rays. He immediately turned his head towards Fred who was looking up at the sky, looking at the crimson moon.

    The Blood Moon.

    Klein witnessed as Fred turned his head back down, and hastened his pace wanting to leave the Moon City as quickly as possible. He sighed and used a Planeswaker ability to swap Fred''s location to a tree branch much further out of Moon City, and then used illusions to conceal the sudden action.

    Klein himself leapt up at the sky, landing on one of the many arches in the city. He used the wandering ability from the door''s pathway and traveled to the center of the city, on the arch where he had previously witnessed the giant reproductive organs. He did not open a door for this task, as that would have been sensed by Lilith during the blood moon.

    As his feet landed on the solid surface of the arch Klein let out a sigh and used his real body to form a cocoon of gray fog around the marionette. He sighed once more, and looked up at the sky, his vision penetrating the thick black fog. As he expected, he saw the giant fleshy mountain range in the distance. From its surface thick black fog erupted and from its peaks, giant reproduction organs constantly spawned. While Klein''s body would have begun to undergo a number of mutations and develop an irresistible urge to mate with anything, upon witnessing this scene, this wasn''t the case anymore. The cocoon formed from the powers of Sefirah Castle, prevented Klein marionette from being corrupted and mutated and subsequently prevented Klein''s avatar and main body from being likewise affected.

    Klein couldn''t help but grin widely. He looked back down and saw as the pieces of flesh began to sew back up and slowly began to form the giant fleshy organs. He also witnessed as the giant fleshy organs that were spewing out from the mountain of flesh landed on the Moon City. These organs did not damage the city''s infrastructure but instead swallowed its entirety.

    From these organs, erupted thick blackish fog erupted that penetrated the city. In less than a few moments, the entire Moon City was covered in the black fog, with the crimson moon light shining, as these giant flesh organs began to attract each and every living being in the city to mate with them.

    Klein observed as Sanguines and Humans alike began to run towards the flesh organ closest to them and began to mate with it, like wild ferocious beasts with the sole purpose of giving birth. The entire city descended into chaos and madness, every being in the city attracted by the flesh organs, letting themselves fall into their carnal urges.

    Klein felt his guts rise up as he witnessed this scene of horror and madness. He looked back up at the giant flesh mountain range and then at the blood red moon and sighed again, bringing his hand upwards rubbing his temples. He now had the answer to one of the remaining questions he had a week ago.

    Lilith is mad? Yes. To what extent? Resistable, under normal circumstances. Klein noted in his head. Having witnessed this whole scene, Klein had confirmed one thing. The Blood Moon wasn''t caused by Lilith but by the Primordial Moon "Herself". Lilith was very much being affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity but due to the still resilient and strong barrier, "Her" influence wasn''t able to take its full effects on the Sanguine Ancestor.

    Hence, The Great Mother had to choose an alternative method to affect this ancient deity¡ªThe Brood Hive of Filth. Through the use of the cut off part of "Her" original Sefirah, the brood hive, the great mother began to subtly influence the mother and moon pathway. Due to Lilith having high level characteristics of both pathways of the Brood Hive, "She" was "mildly" corrupted by the influence of the Sefirah, sealed within the Western Continent not far from Moon City. Whenever the blood moon happened, this corruption grew in intensity causing Lilith to turn into that monstrosity.

    Of course, the corruption was still very much resolvable. After all, the Brood Hive was sealed inside the western continent, and so its influence wasn''t that strong on her. If the connection between "Her" and this Sefirah can be severed, then Lilith''s condition would begin to somewhat stabilize.

    Klein silently witnessed as the blood moon came and passed. Yet the effects lingered for a bit, before everything eventually returned to normalcy. Klein witnessed the whole event and finally decided to move on. He took a step, appearing at the periphery of Moon City.

    As Klein''s avatar was just about to give up the control over the marionette and return to the main body, he suddenly heard a noise. Looking back, he thought for a moment before deciding to investigate it. Klein''s avatar controlled the marionette and entered the spirit world and traversed through it appearing at the source that was a giant mansion.

    The reason Klein immediately knew the source of the noise was through the abilities of the door pathway, more specifically Positioning. This ability allowed Klein to accurately pin down the source of the noise, preventing the hassle of searching. As Klein looked around, his gaze immediately landed on the torn up body of a woman on the entrance and a torn bag, which Klein instantly recognized to be that of Fred''s.

    Immediately, Klein used positioning and tracked down Fred''s current location. He opened a door of light to that place and while in a "secret state" he saw a Sanguine, seemingly having lost control eyeing the poor man, who had seemed to scrape his knee, making him unable to move.

    Klein sighed, as he saw the maddened Sanguine leaping towards Fred raising his fangs to strike him down. Klein controlled his marionette and raised its hands, and grabbed the spirit body threads of this insane Sanguine. Almost immediately, Klein gained the initial control and in the next 2 seconds, he had turned the maddened Sanguine into his marionette.

    Sighing again, Klein''s marionette left his spot. Controlling the Sanguine marionette, he made it take a step back, bow down and present his hands towards the approaching Klein. Fred raised his head up and looked at Klein, his hands shaking, his face expressing his horror. Klein smiled and presented a relaxed expressing as he stopped a few feats before him, and extended his hands towards the knelt down Fred and spoke in a soft tone,

    "Get up, good sir. The dirty ground isn''t the best place for someone as hurt as you." Fred, seemingly contemplating for a moment, decided to take his hands and got back up on his feet. Klein witnessed as Fred turned his head back towards the Sanguine and then, in horror, took a step back from Klein. He looked back at him and asked, his voice full of hesitancy and fear, "W-Who are you?"

    Klein maintained his smile and slowly replied, "Don''t be so tense. I am just an ordinary wandering magician." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "You may refer to me as¡­

    "Merlin Hermes."

 Humans & Elves

    Thud

    Up above the spirit world, inside the ancient majestic palace shrouded in gray fog, Klein Moretti sat leisurely at the high back chair that belonged to The Fool. In front of him the copper mottled long table, and above the ancient majestic dome, propped up by pillars of varying height.

    Klein rapped the arm rest of his chair, while leaning back letting his back rest on it. He brought his hands to his head and rubbed his temples, sighing slowly.

    Well, I was able to gauge Lilith''s current condition, and I got to know of the current situation of the inhabitants of Moon City. A successful trip if you ask me. Klein commended himself and nodded. I never expected the Outer Deities'' influence was present so far back...

    Lilith, as a sequence 0 of the Moon pathway, and suspected to have at least one naturewalker characteristic is affected to such an extent. Then, it is safe to assume the same for Omebella, who should have the Uniqueness and either the rest or one Sequence 1 characteristic of the Mother Pathway.

    Then, it is likely that other deities such as the Mutant King Kvastir and Devil Monarch Farbauti, both of which are from the Chained and Abyss pathways respectively, would be affected by the Mother Tree of Desire. Or at least, the part of "Her" original Sefirah on Earth, the Tenebrous World¡­ Wait a minute?

    Farbauti is looking for the Abyss¡­ I previously deduced that it might be due to the influence of the Mother Tree of Desire. But, could it actually be the influence from "Her" will within the Tenebrous world that is attracting the Devil Monarch towards the Abyss? But then, what about the Mutated King? What''s "His" deal?

    Klein racked his brain for some moments, but was unable to come to any definite conclusions. Shaking his head, he couldn''t help but think to himself. Hehe, There is so much I am aware of, yet so little¡­ I thought to myself at the beginning, that I knew everything about the third and fourth epoch. But now I can''t help but question, as to how many mysteries hide within the holes in my historical knowledge.

    He felt the portion of the Fog of History that belonged to the Second Epoch clear up further, which only made him chuckle. After laughing to himself for a moment, he turned his attention towards his possible next task. But, before Klein could begin ruminating on it, he heard illusory whispers in his ears. Someone is praying to me¡­ Klein tilted his head to listen to the murmurs.

    "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this Era;

    "The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;

    "The King of Yellow and Black who wields Good Luck."

    Following his Honorific name, Klein was provided a series of coordinates, and was asked to descend there as soon as possible by a¡­ A fucking Cuttlefish??! Never in my life did I think a cuttlefish would pray to me¡­ This was done by Grisha, of course, Klein instantly realized that.

    After cursing his fellow ally for a bit, Klein focused on the details of the prayer he had just received. Grisha wishes to meet me, huh... Klein softly recited the coordinates had been provided by Grisha, in his mind. He then used the positonting ability of the Door Pathway and immediately traced the location from the coordinates in the real world.

    Klein''s eyelids slightly twitched as his lips curled into a small smile. Interesting... Bansy Harbor, or at least the place which will be named that in the future. Klein leisurely rested himself on his chair, propping his one leg on the other. Bansy huh... Could the City of Calamity have begun to show its effects on the place? That would explain why this Dual Pathway true deity would be interested in it. But then, what motive could "He" have for calling me? Klein thought to himself, and caressed his chin with his fingers.

    He tapped the armrest of his chair once more, while summoning a gold coin. Klein positioned the coin in his fingers and tossed it in the air, divining whether or not meeting Grisha was safe. His pupils dilated for a moment, as the coin flipped in the air, before landing back in his palm. Klein''s pupils returned to normal, while he dispelled the projection of the coin.

    The answer he received was that it was relatively safe. While a King of King of Angels like Klein would not have received such a vague answer upon divination, this matter concerned a Dual Pathway True Deity with a level of control over Chaos Sea. Klein was surprised by the fact that he even received an answer from his divination, having fully expected it to fail. This immediately made him suspicious that his divination was interfered by the chaos sea, to make it seem safe. Well of course, Grisha must have expected me to divine it.

    Usually, interference in his divination would have been a major bad sign for Klein, and it still was. But considering he was divining about Grisha, Klein knew well that it was "His" twisted way of telling him that it was indeed safe to come. After all, Grisha isn''t stupid, neither does "He" consider me one. "He" knows well that interference in the divination of a seer, is a hostile sign unless "He" is trying to check my level of competence and reverse thinking. Klein bobbed his head up and down. After contemplating for some moment, he decided to head to Grisha''s call and visit Bansy Harbour.

    But then something else came to mind. Now that I think of it, Bansy is in Sonia Sea, which is the home of the Elves. It is also pretty close to the part of the northern continent that will later become the Loen Kingdom. Klein instantly nodded again, This opportunity is too perfect to miss! I am already going to Bansy, so why not drop to the shores of the Northern Continent. The Seven Lights said that the Elves and Humans are in constant battle there. I can witness the fight myself and be able to better my understanding of Human and Elven Factions! Klein instantly came to the decision to visit the Northern continent first, before heading towards Bansy Harbour.

    Grinning, he extended his hand, and pulled out his projection from moments ago. The reason Klein didn''t pull out Merlin Hermes this time around, was because he was leaving the eastern continent which would lessen the effects of Convergence, easing his worry of Flegrea tracking him down. And for the fact that he was meeting with Grisha in a place that was suspected to be affected by the City of Calamity, a Sefirah. The trip was going to be anything less than Safe. On top of that, Klein''s divination was already altered, making him discard the answer received from it. Merlin Hermes, The miracle invoker, a sequence 2 would likely not be enough to deal with all the dangers that might come his way.

    Klein concealed himself through Sefirah Castle, and descended inside his historical projection. He stretched his body, smiled, and then left towards the spirit world.

    ¡­

    Sea.

    To everywhere one could sow their eyes on was a large expanse of water, housing thousands of aquatic life beneath its surface. The violent clouds that hung above in the sky, a display of the chaotic weather that loomed over the entire Sonia sea.

    The vortex of waters, the tsunami rising towards the very clouds in the sky, and the lightning bolts that often smote and ocean thunderstorms that hovered above the sea. The entirety of Sonia sea was ridden with natural disasters and calamity threatening any and all that dared tread its waters.

    But this wasn''t a natural disaster, but a calamity born from the war that had gone on for thousands of years, from the very beginning of this world, to this very day, this very hour, this very second.

    Boom! Boom!

    Explosions occurred in the chaotic sea, as the tides rose up towards the sky, washing over the various seafarers that were swimming in its waters. Up above the gigantic tidal waves, floating in the sky was a figure shrouded by the clouds, reflected by the lightning storm.

    Blue hair, blue eyes, pointy ears and fair skin with only a leather cloth covering his reproductive organs. This Sea King Elf, gazed at the vast expanse of water and the land that laid not too far from him. The mere reflection of his gaze instilled fear in all that caught its glimpses.

    He slowly breathed out, raised his hand, pointing towards the land with his index finger. In the very next moment, large water cannons shoot out from the gigantic tide, some landing on water, while others landing on land, their impact shattering the very ground as rubbles flew up in the air, carried on by the swift strives of air, aiming towards each and every human on land and sea.

    The Sea king in the air, extended his hands and then clapped, creating an enormous shockwave that traveled through the water at insane speed giving birth to even larger tides. Between them formed a giant vortex of water, a tsunami that traveled at unfathomable speed towards the land and the part of the water on which humans were floating.

    Suddenly, the wind seemingly took a tangible shape, as its speed grew, it curved, and formed a windblade. This windblade traveled at hypersonic speeds sliced through the giant tides and the tsunami that was heading its way, with the sliced halves calmly returning back into the water. However, the windblade did not stop there, as it traveled and changed its aim to the Sea King hovering among the clouds, looking to cut through his body and dye the sea with his blood.

    The Sea King Elf, witnessing the spectacle, took a singular step forward as the surroundings itself also moved, with the lightning storms booming in the background, its sound soon shattering the eardrums of the people within a ten kilometers radius. The windblade which was of extreme speeds slowed down, and was completely halted by giant walls of water which had instantly risen from the sea below.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    These walls were lined one after another, creating an impenetrable barrier between the Sea King and the edge of the massive windblade. Yet, the wind blade seemed to magically gain momentum and fight back against the barrier. It suddenly grew in size, as it cut through numerous water walls, and continued on its path to the Sea King.

    Witnessing this scene, the Sea King nonchalantly lifted his arm and flicked it, as the air obeyed his command and instantly formed a swirling windblade with equal size and momentum to the approaching one. The two windblades collided, creating a massive shock wave that split apart the very sea beneath them, shoved the remaining clouds away, and cracked the ocean floor.

    The sky ruptured due to the collision of the two massive forces, giving birth to a chaotic rainstorm that poured down to the ocean floor, fixing its cracks. The violent undulating sea suddenly rose, and soon shaped into a gigantic hand, with a figure standing on its palm.

    The figure had dark blue hair, tied in a bun of the same color, his face wrinkled yet bore a calm expression. He looked as if in his middle ages, yet dignified, clad in a dark blue robe. His gaze fixated on the Sea King in front of him, as lightning streaked behind him, illuminating the area with his own figure.

    Holy Lord of Stor¡ªNo. Leodero! In a far away place, Klein observed this grand spectacle, featuring a fight between two Sea Kings; Leodero, and an Elf. While traversing through the spirit world, his attention was drawn to the chaos in the corresponding region, which had now brought him here.

    Klein continued to observe the battlefield, having concealed himself. He initially planned on saving the people that might get caught in the crossfire between these two demigods, but he soon realized that Leodero was ensuring the safety of his men on the battlefield, by creating protective air bubbles around them and controlling the sea to safely wash them to the shore.

    Despite his irascible nature, Leodero does seem to care about his men... Klein thought for a moment, before turning his attention back to the battle.

    In the tense atmosphere, Leodero and the Sea King elf stared each other down, their gazes locked on eachother. For the longest of time, the sea remained mostly unchanging with only waves rising and crashing, lightning streak through the clouds, illuminating the dark environment, as everyone''s gaze were fixed on the two Kings of the Ocean.

    Boom!

    An ear shattering boom roared in the sky, as both demigods disappeared from their spots! Suddenly, large tides grew from the sea''s surface, resurging up to cloud length. Whereas, the wind took a tangible form, the raindrops that were pouring from the sky changed their trajectory under the wind''s influence, as tens of thousands of these drops came together, swirling with the wind forming innumerable water blades.

    The water and wind blades clashed with the giant tides, creating massive explosions that cracked the very ground beneath the sea. In between the clashing tides and the water blades, the two saints clashed with each other at hypersonic speeds.

    The Elf Sea King controlled the wind forming miniscule yet extremely sharpened wind blades. He pointed towards Leodero as these wind blades traveled at supersonic speed looking to cut him in half. Leodero, noticing this, roared loudly at them, his roar created a massive shockwave that completely changed the wind''s direction at his side, dissipating these wind blades into nothingness.

    The shockwave created by Leodero shook the entire sea around them, as well as the clouds, causing the rain storm to grow in intensity, lightning streaking brightly due to the impact between the clouds.

    As these two demigods further clashed with each other, the surrounding sea headed on their call. Those several kilometers away on land, and those deep underwater couldn''t help but watch in awe at the sheer strength of the two beings that were closest to godhood.

    Klein on the other hand, while amazed, couldn''t help but muse to himself, I can dodge all of them through Door''s ability¡­ Actually I don''t even have to dodge them, the wind blade isn''t sturdy enough to cut through me, and what''s water gonna do to me? Wet my clothes? Dishelve my hair? He chuckled. Klein had to specifically remind himself to lampoon so as to maintain a connection with his humanity.

    On a more serious note... Klein''s eyes suddenly turned glint, as a mysterious symbol appeared, traveling up his eyeball and disappearing within them. The torrential rain is disrupting the flow of spirituality, which makes it harder to use Beyonder powers. Not just that, the waves around them are interfering in the spirit world, causing a kind of seal to be erected in its place. The humidity, air pressure, and overall environment has become hostile to most saints in the 10 km radius of their battlefield. Also, there seems to be an illusory barrier around this place, possibly formed from their dominion ability. Both the sea kings have claimed this area of the sea as their domain, which allows them to suppress anyone in the area, inhibiting their spirituality as a whole, and even inhibiting teleportation, realm shifting¡­ No wonder, Sea King is possibly one of the strongest Sequence 3 of any pathway. They are near impossible to deal with at the sea!

    He shook his head, when he suddenly felt the surroundings shaking. Klein immediately looked down at the sea, his eyes reflecting a giant shadow that was rapidly making its way upwards. As a Mythical Creature, Klein''s vision was capable of penetrating the water and seeing through it, which was the reason why his expression grew slightly twisted upon seeing the monstrosity that was heading its way towards the battle field.

    The¡­. The fuck?!

    Leodero observed his opponent grinning and mocking him. The elf then extended his hand outward, as he plummeted down to the sea. Leodero was about to follow him, but he noticed something and halted. He felt the very air change, and the water level rising up, as it shook far greater than ever before.

    Leodero witnessed, as a shadow began to rise from the depths of the sea, and shortly, a giant monstrosity, a sea creature half the size of Sonia Island itself rose from the surface of the water, displacing the entire sea with its rise. Leodero upon noticing the rising water, shifted his attention and controlled the water so as to not submerge the shore behind him. The elf sea king, who was but a dot in comparison, leisurely sat on its head, as the giant sea monster rose making its way towards Leodero with the intention to swallow him whole.

    Leodero seeing this monstrosity, released out a sigh, his facial expression remaining calm. He slowly raised his hands, curling his fingers, and brought them down. Seeing this, the sea king elf immediately moved away from the head creature. Suddenly, a lightning bolt snaked through the sky, striking the giant sea creature, then the lightning began to branch out through the rain drops in the environment, hitting the sea creature in various spots.

    In an instant, the thunder completely branched to all parts of the sea creature hitting every point of its skin. It creaked loudly burning the creature on various spots. Leodero did not stop there, he repeatedly hit the creature with lightning and controlled the rain storm, making it even more violent, allowing the bolt to branch out further and further until it enveloped the entire creature.

    Eventually, the creature dropped back into the ocean, incapable of handling any more damage to its body. As it fell, the entire ocean rose back up before submerging within it, once more. The Sea king, watching the death of the giant sea creature clicked his tongue in annoyance, and suddenly moved at hypersonic speeds barely avoiding a lightning bolt. More lightning bolts began to come his way, as he continued to dodge them with mild easiness.

    Suddenly the Sea King Elf halted his movements and clasped his hands creating a massive shockwave that split apart the very sea beneath them. Leodero immediately created various layers of wind wall, halting the shockwave from hitting him. He extended his hands and brought them upwards in a swinging motion. Suddenly, thousands and thousands of water spears began to rise from the ocean, each one of them aiming towards the Sea King elf. The rain drops around them also took the form of small water spears, and aimed themselves towards the sea king.

    Leodero slightly grinned as he snapped his fingers. All the water spears both in air and ocean immediately launched themselves at incredible speed towards the sea king, aiming to impale his body. In a singular second, this sea king was completely surrounded by the water spears, with no space to escape from. Yet he didn''t lose his cool, shaking his hands, he controlled the already violent wind, and created a torpedo, which grew larger and larger in size, disrupting the trajectories of water spears that were enveloped in it.

    In some moments, the torpedo grew larger, developing into a full sea storm. The Sea King Elf controlled the wind and water around the storm, making thousands and thousands of wind and water blades, making the storm a shredder that was heading Leodero''s way, looking to shred him.

    The Sea King Elf grinned widely, as he extended his hands in splendour. He looked up at the dark sky, and softly began to whisper a hymn in elvish, he softly muttered certain words in a beautiful voice.

    Suddenly, Leodero''s heart stopped and fear took over him. He watched as the sea king elf began to be surrounded by an unopposable and terrifying tyrannical aura that could drive anyone into fear and submission.

    A Tyrannical aura. The Aura of the Tyrant, the Elf King Soniathyrm!

    Leodero''s face twisted, as panic overcame him. It was then, other than the imposing fear and awe, he felt a sting of madness that began to take root in his mind, as he felt like his head was splitting apart. This wasn''t a tyrannical aura, but genuine madness that seemed to originate from nowhere.

    Far away, Klein suddenly felt the surrounding temperature rise up by several degrees, prompting his eyebrows to rise. As he began to ponder over the sudden anomaly that originated from the sea king who borrowed some of the Tyrant''s aura. He continued observing the battlefield and the panicking Leodero that began to mount several walls of water and wind, but stopped as a voice echoed in his ears.

    "Retreat" A soft ethereal voice sounded everywhere and nowhere at the same time in the entirety of the environment, even overcoming the sounds of the violent wind and the noisy sea. The Sea King Elf''s attack suddenly halted before disappearing entirely, whereas he himself turned to look in a certain direction far away from where he was floating.

    It wasn''t just him, but all the Elves looked back in the distance, as the soft ethereal voice continued, "The envoys of Death loiter, return immediately." Without waiting for another second, the sea king left the area, his speed overcoming that of sound, causing a sonic boom. With his leave, the other elves also retreated from the battlefield, not paying another gaze to the humans who were in awe and shock.

    The sea slowly calmed itself, as the sunlight penetrated through the dark clouds. What once was a chaotic shore, ridden with calamities, was now a calm ocean with the sound of water hitting the shore. Shortly, cheers erupted from humans, as they commended their captain, Leodero, for having fended off another Elven attack.

    Leodero, still floating in mid air, remained unmoving. He neither took part in the celebrations, nor did he intend to stop them. He wasn''t happy at all, since he hadn''t won the battle, he didn''t even succeed in winning the battle against them. If it wasn''t for that ethereal voice calling the sea king elf back¡­

    He sighed and turned around floating back to the shore. As soon as he landed, he was surrounded by people, each of whom tried to pat his back. Yet, Leodero''s expression remained still.

    Queen of Calamity, Cohinem... Far away, Klein sighed. He continued to watch over the humans at the shore, before disappearing from his spot, entering the spirit world. Immediately, he noticed the chaotic state of this particular area of the spirit world, and shook his head. He began to traverse through the place, before leaving the spirit world, arriving at a foggy shore.

    He heard the distant sound of waves crashing at the high ground, and the sound of birds chirping. Klein''s vision was dampened by the white fog that surrounded the entire second epoch bansy harbor. Before he could examine the place closely, a soft familiar voice entered his ears.

    "You sure took your time."

 God Of War

    "You sure took your time."

    Klein heard a familiar voice call out to him. He slowly breathed out, witnessing as a figure emerged from the thick white fog in front of him. It was a man wearing a black clergyman robe, with a silver cross dangling from "His" neck. Sun God, Grisha.

    Klein immediately noticed a figure standing beside "Him". A man in a black cloak. "He" had dark curly hair over "His" shoulder and a pair of eyes that seemed to be covered with shadows. While the specific appearance was not very clear and quite difficult to see. However, Klein noticed silver threads, complicated patterns and luxuriant accessories on "His" clothes.

    Dark Angel Sasir¡­ Klein instantly recognized the King of Angel standing before him. He looked at Grisha then back at Sasir, whose gaze was fixated on Klein, while "His" temperament remained nonchalant and unchanging. His face displayed no emotions, making him appear rather stoic and calm.

    Grisha tilted "His" head and nodded towards Klein. "So, what did you call me here for?" Klein asked, his tone nonchalant and calm. Grisha remained silent, "His" smile fixated on his pretty face. "You are aware of the reason. There is no need for me to mention it to you." Klein''s eyebrows ever so slightly twitched upon hearing that. He didn''t reply, and instead opted to simply nod.

    Grisha maintained "His" smile and raised "His" hands pointing towards the silent island before "Him". "Shall we?" Klein observed "His" actions, and took a step forward, stopping just beside "Him" and Sasir. The three then began their journey through the barren island shrouded in white mist. Grisha, contemplating for a moment, began to speak in a distant voice as if questioning this very world.

    "How many of these Mystical Places are there on this Planet?" Klein narrowed his gaze, trying to penetrate through the thick mist, yet found himself unable to do so.

    Fog¡­

    "9." Grisha nodded in acknowledgment, letting the silence dawn in again. Beside "Him", Sasir shifted "His" gaze towards Klein, observing the thick Greyish white fog that surrounded his very figure.

    Remaining silent for a moment, "He" slowly asked in a calm and heavy tone. "How many like us are out there that have control over these mystical places?" Klein also shifted his gaze towards Sasir. "None." As the both of them looked at each other, when suddenly the ground beneath them exploded!

    Rubbles flew upwards as a massive explosion occurred in the place where Klein, Grisha and Sasir were standing, leaving only fog and dust. As this dust slowly cleared up, and the fog thickened, specks of burning crumbles of paper flew off, beneath them a moving giant shadow.

    A little further away from the ground of the explosion, Klein Moretti stood, observing the flying rubbles and burning paper. He took a step to his right, avoiding a sword that was about to slash his shoulder. The creature holding the sword, an Elf, swung his sword sideways towards Klein, prompting the latter to bend down. With the support of his hands, Klein lifted the lower half of his body upwards, and delivered two consecutive kicks to the chin of the Elf, knocking him down instantly.

    Standing back at his feet, Klein quickly rolled forward, dodging a flying phoenix that flew down at his previous spot. Klein quickly observed as various figures, Elfs, Humans, Phoenixes, appeared out of the thickish white fog that surrounded him, blanketing his vision. As the army of creatures gathered around him quickly, Klein remained motionless observing their tactical coordination, and armed weapons, which were made out of steel, with some of them on fire.

    In less than a few moments, Klein was completely surrounded by the army of creatures who formed a tactical dome, covering both ground and in the sky, leaving him no point of escape. They quickly began to close the distance between him and themselves, raising their weapons ready to strike him down from all directions. As the weapons were about to come in contact with him, their trajectories suddenly changed, as the ones holding them swung their weapons at each other instead of him!

    Shocked screams and cries resounded, as the pointy steel penetrated the bodies of the various creatures. Klein remained untouched and unharmed, while the large army of creatures stood confused, and horrified as to why they had swung their weapons at each other instead of their targets.

    In reality, Klein had reassembled the target of this army from himself to each other!

    Fog of war, Army of creatures, and this rising temperature¡­ Could it be¡­

    The King of King of Angels stood at his spot, closed his eyes as he used the connection between the Army of creatures and their commander, to track down his location. In less than a few moments, Klein decrypted "His" location, through his positioning and authority over decryption.

    He entered the spirit world, but as soon as his figure came into direct contact with it, he was suddenly ignited! Before Klein could even react, every single worm of spirit was burned to crisp, killing him instantly!

    This was a trap set up by the Weather warlock, whom had turned the spirit world area corresponding to Bansy Harbour, into a death trap, instantly scorching any being that dared enter it once the "War" had commenced. Far away, a Calamity Giant, dozens of meters tall, with a giant iron skull blazing in purple flames observed the death of one of the intruders that had entered "His" home turf.

    It was then "He" suddenly felt a presence behind "Him"! Turning "His" head, "His" retina quickly rendered the image of a man, with black hair, black eyes, and formal clothing. The same man "He" had seen burn to ashes through "His" trap.

    What the Calamity Giant had seen, was a Blinked image of Klein, which was turned real through a Mentor of Deceit''s deception of rules at the level of a Worm of Spirit, effectively fooling his opponent. Immediately bright purple flames engulfed the calamity giant as "He" disappeared into ashes, only to reappear from a pool of fire barely ten feet away from "His" original position, dumbfounding the mythical creature.

    Klein had swapped the location of the pool of fire, created by this Calamity Giant prior to attacking them. Suddenly the fog of war around Klein shrank as it ignited itself, lighting to flames. But before these flames could extend further, a shadow penetrated the fog of war, putting out the flames and surrounding the entire area, as it dampened the very fog itself. Before the Calamity Giant could react to such assault, "His" movements were instantly restricted by "His" own shadow, which had tangled with "Him".

    As the Calamity Giant briefly stood, stunned for a moment, the shadow began to cloak around "Him", as bright sunlight penetrated the thickish fog of war, making the Calamity Giant feel as if his very essence was burning away. "He" immediately transferred most of the damage to "His" army, but in the process felt as if the connection between them and "Him" was becoming purified.

    Suddenly the fog of war shunned again, as the weather suddenly shifted from a clear sky with the bright sun illuminating the land to heavy dark clouds who immediately busted as heavy rainstorm suddenly enveloped the entire island. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped to way below freezing, causing even the falling raindrops and the very air to immediately solidify, with the rainstorm morphing into a hailstorm. The ground beneath them froze under such extreme cold temperatures. The wind began to suddenly sway, while the hailstorm intensified. Concurrently to this, the temperature suddenly shot up, rising to that of hot molten magma.

    The swaying wind increased its speed, as well as its trajectory, quickly forming a hurricane. The increasingly rising temperature ignited the thickish fog of war that had swayed with the violent hurricane, causing the hurricane to turn into a giant firestorm. The firestorm rapidly grew in size as the temperature constantly fluctuated from scorching hot to ice cold. The hailstorm despite the constant high temperature did not stop, in fact, it intensified further.

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    In just a few moments, there laid before the Calamity Giant a storm of death that "He" had conjured through "His" control over Weather as a Weather Warlock. "He" had done so not with the intention of killing the intruders as "He" was aware that such a storm was simply not enough, but to distract them and escape immediately!

    And this was seemingly successful, as "He" witnessed Klein turning his head around and watching over the Death Storm that was approaching his way, as well as the shadow that had tangled with "Him" loosen up. The Calamity Giant took the opportunity as "He" opened his mouth, letting out a shrill war cry, which greatly enhanced "His" strength. Immediately "He" broke free from the shadow that had tangled with "Him" and gathered the fog of war around himself. Through it and the fire that had erupted from the death storm, just as "He" was about to escape through the use of Fire teleportation, "He" heard a loud¡­

    Dong!

    The Calamity Giant witnessed as the fire that had been around "Him" as well as the giant death storm, suddenly slowed down to a halt.

    Dong!

    The death storm still remained in its place, in all its glory, yet unmoving and unchanging. The fire still burned, yet it did not sway. The Calamity Giant tried to move "His" limbs but found himself incapable of doing so.

    Dong!

    Another loud gong sound resounded across the lands, across the oceans, across the air, across the world barrier, as time itself seemingly came to a halt, moving forward yet seemingly unmoving.

    The hand that marched towards the end of giant, and ancient mottled wall Clock remained fixated in its place, as the Calamity Giant finally took notice of the giant monument, a grandfather Clock that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, not too far away from "Him".

    In front of the stone clock, stood the gentlemen that fixed his hat on his head, took hold of the longest hand of the clock through his left hand, and moved it upwards, as the death storm once again became active. Klein lifted his other hand, erecting a barrier around the death storm trapping and sealing it in a singular place.

    As the death storm became active and began to move, it quickly collided with the walls of the barrier, unable to penetrate it. It collided again and again, each time clashing with the barrier, yet incapable of even scratching it. In what imposing manner the calamity had appeared, it halted and returned to dust the same.

    The Calamity Giant had lost control over the Calamity "He" had created, both due to interference in the flow time, rendering "Him" incapable of using "His" abilities, but also due to the barrier Klein had erected, cutting off the connection in between them.

    The imposing clock disappeared, as time returned to its original flow. Klein quickly turned around, and twisted his hands as he tampered with the connection between the Calamity Giant and the Fog of War, grafting the entire fog of war that had enveloped Bansy to a different location in the world.

    The surroundings immediately cleared up, as the sunlight once again penetrated the area. The Calamity Giant couldn''t even take a last stance, as countless dark eyes appeared around and before "Him", "His" shadow tangled with himself once more, this time far more tightly, locking "Him" in place. "He" sensed "His" abilities vanish with the scrutinizing shadowy eyes, like it had degenerated into nothingness, while the bright sun penetrated deeper, burning "His" very essence.

    Suddenly a bright light shined in front of the Calamity Giant, blinding "His" vision and senses, subjugating any last bit of strength "He" had left. "He" felt "His" entire existence relaxing before eventually succumbing into total inactivity, as a fair hand slowly rested itself on "His" head.

    "Shall we talk now?"

    A voice sounded in "His" mind, soothing every fiber of "His" being, "His" very mind was the most calm it has ever been, as "He" slowly lifted "His" gaze witnessing as white clouds descended from the sky, cloaking the figure of a man in a clergyman robe, a tall shadow loomed over seemingly supporting the world itself, while the sun shone brightly above concentrating its light; like its sole purpose was to illuminate the man''s figure.

    The Calamity Giant took notice of the innocent and pure eyes of the man, the golden starry gentle eyes he possessed, his very figure reflecting in the clear surface of them seemingly burning away all "His" sins and worries, washing away "His" congenital madness.

    Suddenly the Calamity Giant found himself in front of a tall dark mountain. Beneath "Him" was a clear surface, seemingly made of water yet "He" wasn''t sinking in. Above "Him" was the bright blue sky with white clouds floating in the air, the sun illuminating the surroundings as well as the dark tall mountain that stood imposingly before "Him".

    "He" lifted "His" head, and bore witness as a singular figure stood at its peak. His shadow looming over all dark and evil. His gentle eyes looking over the whole world that lay before him, as if a king¡ªno, a God looking over "His" creation. "He" stood at an unimaginable, inconceivable height, displaying "His" superiority over anything and everything.

    The Calamity Giant returned to "His" previous position, tangled with "His" shadow, a hand that rested on "His" head. "He" dropped to "His" knees, while "His" gaze remained fixated on the ''God'' that stood before "Him".

    A bit further away from the both of them, Klein and Sasir stood side by side, Sasir admiring "His" Lord''s (?) apprehension while Klein... T-This... And here I thought my acting was often too lofty and stuff, but this guy is on a whole nother level! "He" truly is Jesus wannabe! He inwardly lampooned in his head, while bringing forth a potion of his incomplete divine kingdom in his mind¡ªRealm of Mysteries. This was a Miracle! A Miracle which isolated his thoughts from Grisha.

    "W-Who are you?" The Calamity giant spoke in a broken Elvish, "His" words near incomprehensible. It took even Klein a moment to decipher what this subsidiary god had said. Grisha smiled, displaying "His" amiableness. "He" retracted "His" hand and took a step back from the Calamity Giant and spoke in a calm and innocent voice that seemed to resonate with the mythical creature''s very soul.

    "That depends on how you perceive me." The Calamity Giant became visibly confused, and mildly displayed "His" confusion through "His" facial expression. "What do you say I am?" Grisha asked "Him" a simple question, a question that contained innumerable answers.

    The Calamity Giant thought for a moment, keeping "His" gaze fixed on Grisha. After some moments of pondering, "He" spoke calmly, "A Deity." "His" language became audibly more fluid and clearer, a display of the intellect of a high sequence conspirer.

    "Hehe, As I said. It depends on how you wish to perceive me. To some, I appear a Deity, while to others, a normal Human. Perhaps a devil in flesh, or a savior of Mankind." Grisha spoke, "His" tone full of conviction.

    "He" is deliberately making himself appear more enigmatic, as if an existence that remains incomprehensible no matter the thought put into "Him". Previously, the question this ''Calamity'' asked of "Him" was merely to gauge the entity in front of "Him", after having acknowledged "His" superiority. Of course, this is a Pseudo Visionary, in terms of mind game, maybe only a certain dragon can currently come close. Klein analyzed while remaining still. Curiously, he moved his gaze towards Sasir, only to catch the glimpses of "His" gaze that was locked on him.

    Klein didn''t flinch, instead opting to turn his head completely towards Sasir, and speak. "Is there anything you wish to ask of me?" Klein displayed a small smile, while Sasir''s facial expression and gaze remained still. "Not at the moment, as our Lord is speaking. But, I do wish to speak with you after."

    What do you mean by ''Our''?! He is not my lord! Klein displayed a smile, his gaze narrowing as he nodded in affirmation. He turned his head back to Grisha and the Calamity Giant, who had remained silent ever since the former''s enigmatic reply.

    "What do you want from me?" The Calamity Giant asked, "His" tone much more cautious than ever before. Grisha maintained "His" smile, taking a singular step forward before halting immediately. "He" closed "His" eyes, remaining still for a moment before speaking gently, "Nothing."

    This increased the Giant''s confusion. Almost immediately, "He" followed with a question, "Nothing? Then why did you intrude on my territory?" Grisha slowly opened "His" eyes, "His" golden iris slightly constricting. "Our intention wasn''t that. We merely came to investigate a peculiarity about this place, but fate brought us into this predicament." Grisha replied, half honestly.

    "But you have caught my interest now." Grisha continued, "His" gaze narrowing, penetrating the Calamity Giant. The former felt an inexplicable chill, and gulped. Grisha''s smile widened into a grin before lifting "His" hand upwards, he pointed to the sky with his index finger and said, "You are, what I would describe as¡­ A Mythical Creature, Yes. Mythical Creatures aren''t just born from nothing.

    "You are a Warlock, a Weather Warlock, capable of creating Calamities, a God of War¡ªa symbol of Iron and Blood. An exceptional hunter adept at using all sorts of traps and all sorts of tricks to catch their prey. The only other hunter like you in this world that I am aware of is the God of War of the Mutated King." Grisha paused, as "He" noticed the slightly twisting expression of the Calamity Giant in front of "Him". Smiling, "He" continued.

    "It just so happens to be that "He" was spotted here about 30-35 days ago, at this very island, your home ground. I wonder what attracted "Him" over here? It surely can''t be you considering you were born in the same time period as "His" return to the Eastern continent¡­" The Calamity Giant face completely devolved into a troubled and shocked expression. "He" was able to catch on as to what the ''God'' in front of "Him" was implying. Grisha maintained "His" smile, brightening the whole world under "His" shed, casting a shadow that seemed larger than the very sky above them.

    "I wonder¡­"

 The Angel of Red

    "I Wonder if that has something to do with your birth. Isn''t this a bit too much of a coincidence that both events took place roughly the same time?"

    Silent. The Calamity Giant could not utter another word, neither could "He" think of one. "His" head remained mostly empty, incredibly silent, yet numerous thoughts continuously ruptured in "His" stale mind. "He" watched, as the ''God'' in front of "Him", "His" smile ever so bright and alluring, took another step forward, now standing not even a foot away from "Him".

    Grisha opened "His" mouth, while "His" gaze remained fixed on the Calamity Giant, who limply sat in front of "Him". "His" words, ethereal in nature, a voice that seemed to penetrate through all evil and degeneracy, seemingly echoed through the environment, resounding in the ears of everyone present. "You seem to possess a lot of questions with no answers in sight. Shall I help with them?" "His" ethereal voice, carried with it a strange sense of serenity, which instantly calmed the minds of everyone that heard it.

    Subsequently, The Calamity Giant felt himself at ease, and noticed the ''God'', extending "His" hand towards "Him", "His" fair palm stilled itself in the air, waiting for the Calamity Giant to either refuse or accept it. The latter, first calmed himself completely, before pondering on "His" options. After a while, "He" let a sigh escape and got up from "His" position, neither accepting nor refusing the ''God''s'' offer. "His" figure towered over Grisha, Klein and Sasir.

    "He" looked back down at the ''God'' in front of "Him", witnessing "Him" retracing "His" hand to "His" back, while lifting "His" head up, the two gazes locked in with each other, while the smiling ''God'' only seemed to turn brighter.

    Further away from them, Klein Moretti, leaned against a rock, taking the role of a spectator in the convo between a Dual pathway true deity and a Sequence 2: Weather Warlock. As expected of a hunter. "He" is taking caution, but Grisha did manage to peak "His" curiosity regarding "His" origins. This should make "Him" roll with whatever "He" has in mind¡­

    As Klein narrowed his gaze, he noticed The Calamity Giant''s open mouth "His" mouth and asked, "What do you know of me?" Grisha remained silent for a moment, before slowly speaking, "Not much. In fact, I have already stated everything I know about you at the moment¡­

    "Of course, this doesn''t mean I can''t know more." The Calamity Giant narrowed "His" gaze and leaned back a little. After some moments of contemplation, "He" spoke once more in a calm tone, "And about my¡­ father?" His voice became slightly distanced at the end, seemingly an influx of emotions taking over, as the Calamity Giant''s mouth slowly closed itself.

    Klein narrowed his gaze further, and tilted his head. Whereas Grisha remained unfazed, maintaining "His" smile, "He" spoke up. ""He" is a servant of the Mutant King, Kvastir. One of "His" Subsidiary gods, the God of War." Grisha provided the most basic information, making the Calamity Giant bob "His" head vertically. "Why did "He" give birth to me then?"

    "Hehe, who knows?" Grisha''s response slightly made the Calamity Giant frustrated, not because of the lack of information in them, but due to the failed conspiracy.

    A Conspiracy. Hehe, As a born Mythical Creature, "He" is incapable of feeling emotions such as love or longing, especially without a shred of humanity. This Mythical Creature, who had only learned to properly speak just now, naturally does not possess any humanity, and hence the distant emotions "He" displayed at the end of his previous question does not make sense. This immediately gave away the conspiracy "He" was brewing using misdirection¡­ Should have learned from me, a senior Mentor of Deceit! Klein had a mischievous grin plastered on his face as he couldn''t help but tease himself ever so slightly. He felt his humanity slightly strengthened, which only turned his mischievous grin more genuine, as he inwardly chuckled.

    As far as I know, a born Mythical Creature wouldn''t care for how they were born. "They" only care about their current existence. Very solemnly would one be interested in their origins; a Red Priest Mythical Creature isn''t one of them. But then, what was the end goal of "His" Conspiracy? What was "He" trying to achieve? Klein rubbed his chin, as the smile on his place disappeared. He wasn''t worried about the King of king Angels, Sasrir that stood beside him, noticing his change of moods or expression due to long having erected his nascent divine kingdom. This not only concealed his thoughts from Grisha, but if Klein wished, also "His" physical actions.

    The Calamity Giant, who had remained silent ever since Grisha''s response, did not attempt to hide "His" annoyance. After a moment, "He" took a deep breath, closing "His" eyes and then opening them once more, while "His" lips slowly parted from each other, "What do you seek of me?" "He" did not attempt to beat around the bush, coming straight to the main point after realizing mental games were futile before this ''God''. Grisha chuckled, and continued to do so for a while. Finally, the smile on "His" pretty face slowly disappeared as "He" looked up back at the Calamity Giant, and asked.

    "Would you like to become an angel under me?" The Calamity Giant eyes widened. It took "Him", no longer than a second, to fully recognize the opportunity that was being presented. Yet, of course, "He" remained skeptical of the words that left this Deity''s mouth, and very cautiously questioned, "An Angel? You mean one of those ''subsidiary gods''?"

    Seeing Grisha nod, the Calamity Giant quickly followed, "And why do you think I would want to?" "He" was a bit tense while stating this, as "He" had long confirmed that "He" stood no chance against this Deity . Neither did "He" stand a chance against the other two that remained by the side. This situation was absolutely unfavorable towards "Him" and so "He" naturally didn''t wish to provoke any of them.

    "He" noticed Grisha''s unchanging expression, and inwardly sighed a breath of relief. "Don''t you wish to rise in strength?" Grisha replied, narrowing "His" gaze, "His" lips curling back upwards into a smile. The Calamity Giant was instantly taken aback, before calming himself and tilting "His" head.

    "You have already bore witness to the sheer strength my Angels possess, capable of empowering entire armies at moments." "He" turned around pointing towards Sasrir, and looked at Klein, who shook his head and moved away from Grisha''s gaze, refusing to be called "His" angel.

    The Calamity Giant looked at Sasrir and remembered how "He" had been trapped within "His" Fog of War, a previously believed impenetrable barrier that should have protected "Him" from all outward interference. Yet, not only were "His" movement and powers restricted, the very fog of war dampened due to the strange, illusory shadow that cloaked the entire island.

    "You can reach that strength." Grisha chuckled upon saying that. While the Calamity Giant, whose gaze remained fixed on Sasrir, seriously began to consider "His" options and this lucrative opportunity. Several minutes passed, as the Calamity Giant stood still, "His" eyes blank, while "His" temperament remained stoic and still. At a glance, "He" seemed to have been frozen in time. When suddenly, his fiery skull moved, turning from Sasrir back to Grisha, as "His" jaws moved. A calm yet rough voice cut through the silence that had enveloped the environment.

    "How can I become stronger?" Grisha''s smile visibly widened, as "His" hands reached behind "His" back and slowly pulled from it an ancient weathered stone slate, on its surface was the record of all 22 Pathways potion formulas, sequence names and rituals.

    Klein immediately recognized this ancient slate as The First Blasphemy Slate! Klein was about to use the observational abilities of Error Pathway to take a look at the first Blasphemy slate, before completely halting his activity, as he immediately noticed from the corner of his eyes, Grisha''s gaze that was fixed on him.

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    Klein''s eyes twitched and turned completely towards Grisha while flashing "Him" a slight smile. During this, the Calamity was completely and utterly shocked, as "He" looked at the engraved words on the strange stone slate. While having not ever seen those words before, he immediately understood them at a conceptual level.

    Sequence 9: Hunter, Sequence 8: Provoker, Sequence 7: Fire Mage, Sequence 6: Conspirer, Sequence 5: Reaper, Sequence 4: Iron Blooded Knight, Sequence 3: War Bishop, Sequence 2: Weather Warlock, Sequence 1: Conqueror¡­. The Calamity Giant was incapable of reading the last sequence, due to it being blurred out. Even then, the sheer knowledge that the Blasphemy Slate provided "Him", it opened an entire realm of possibilities.

    Quickly, The Calamity Giant remembered being referred to as a Weather Warlock by this powerful Deity. Making the connection, "His" gaze instantly wandered to Sequence 1: Conqueror potion formula and ritual as the realization dawned on him that¡­

    Yes, "He" can become stronger.

    Without any further thoughts, "He" bowed down "His" head and dropped to a knee, as "He" solemnly muttered, "I swear in the name that you may provide, to serve you and only you from this day forth until the very end of mine." Grisha put away the Blasphemy Slate and raised "His" right hand, resting it on his head. As "He" did so, the surroundings immediately brightened far more than ever before, burning away any and all sins that this ''Calamity'' had committed ever since "His" birth, washing away all "His" ''regrets'', all his ''worries'', morphing him once again, into a pure soul born from the fires of War, and the molten iron tainted with blood of countless.

    He felt his very words being tied with his soul forever and ever, It was like his statement had been engraved deep within his very soul, tying him to the ''God'' forever and ever.

    "Hehe, If you so wish then so it shall be. I, The Resplendent and decadent Sun, have you as my Second Angel¡­

    "The Angel of Red, Medici."

    Grisha''s voice echoed through the entire Harbour, traveling through the vast sea, the air, the land and even through the spirit world and the astral world. It was akin to an absolute declaration to this entire world-No, the entire cosmos. The weather itself began to change as a storm occurred amidst the bright sky and the clear clouds. A shadow taller than this very world loomed over as it extended beyond just the material plane, but also penetrated the astral world. It was a spectacle that could not have been put into words, a spectacle that could not be described, comprehended, or even thought about.

    As Klein bore witness to this massive spectacle, he suddenly came to notice, at the foot of the shadow, erupted a liquid that seemingly contained within itself all colors, a sea that encompassed within itself, Everything and nothing. Light but Darkness, Purity yet Degeneracy. A sea that encompassed within itself, all possibilities, all colors, and essentially the mind of all existence, even that of the Original Creator. It was utter Chaos.

    The Chaos Sea. Klein chuckled upon viewing that, before breaking into a short yet simple laughter. Amazing. It has only been some weeks, yet his connection with the Chaos Sea has already deepened this much! Wearing a grin, Klein clapped with his hands, seemingly congratulating his ''Friend'' upon gaining a new servant.

    As the environment soon returned to normalcy. Medici stood up from "His" position, feeling both at ease and serenity. His mind was clear as "He" faced the one and only Deity he had sworn to serve from this day onwards. Grisha maintained "His" smile, and walked away from Medici towards Klein while Sasrir approached the angel of red.

    Grisha stopped a few meters away from Klein, both of them staring at each other for some moments. Grisha''s smile slowly disappeared from "His" face, as "He" tilted his head and began to speak,

    "This place¡­. It has a Mystical connection with a higher level object or existence. Considering Medici was born here and that a Conqueror was attracted here, I am assuming¡­" He paused for a moment, before continuing. "This Mystical Place correspond to the Red Priest pathway? And since the Demoness neighbors the Red Priest, I am assuming the High Sequence group corresponding to this mystical place constitutes the both of them." Klein, in response, simply displayed a slight smile, and said.

    "Guess."

    Grisha narrowed "His" gaze and continued to stare at Klein. "Just¡­ What are these Mystical Places?" Klein''s smile slowly faded away from his beautiful and handsome face, as he seemingly pondered for some moments. Finally, he spoke up, not replying to Grisha''s question but instead asserting a statement.

    "There are some things that make it easier to be ''infected'', the more you know. The knowledge you seek is something I do not wish to provide you at the moment. Only, once you gain partial authority over omniscience, should you deduce the answers." Grisha remained unfazed from Klein''s statement, and simply nodded.

    "He" the. thought for a moment before saying, "Where are the other Mystical places? Unlike Sefirah Castle and Chaos Sea, this island only seems to possess an extremely weak, almost imperceptible connection to it, so it can''t be the proxy. I am assuming you can answer this much." Klein slightly chuckled and replied, "Sealed."

    Sealed? Grisha nodded, not making an attempt to ask who had sealed them, as "He" knew Klein would not answer. Besides, Klein''s simple response gave Grisha more than enough information. These Mystical Places should, at the very least, be above the sequence 0 level. If an existence is capable of sealing these high level items or existence, then it is safe to assume there are existence above sequence 0¡­

    While I am not sure if rising to the level of this existence is possible, the fact that my status as well as that of some of the other deities can be elevated to beyond sequence 0 strength simply due to me having a level of control over Chaos Sea, it is safe to assume that is the case. All of these Mystical places seem to also possess a high level neighboring group, such as Seer, Apprentice and Marauder, or Red Priest and Demoness. So, perhaps by gaining the authority of all neighboring pathways as well as nigh absolute control over the corresponding mystical place would one ascend to¡­ Above the Sequence?

    Grisha paused his instantaneous train of thought, and slowly smiled reassessing "His" usual demeanor. "He" had decided to investigate more on this later, in isolation. Grisha turned away from Klein, before turning back at "Him" and curiously asking. "Was Medici born due to corruption subjected to the God of War of Kvastir by¡­."

    "The City of Calamity. And yes. The God of War was likely attracted by the convergence effect erupting from this place. Once "He" came here, "He" likely suffered some corruption and got rid of a high level characteristic to somewhat stabilize "His" already delicate condition. Medici was later born when this sequence 2 characteristics came to life due to the corruption it acquired through the "City of Calamity."

    Grisha keenly listened and followed after Klein, "That means "He" should have some level of connection with the City of Calamity..." Observing Klein''s nod, Grisha smiled and walked away. This prompted Klein to lean forward back again and walk towards Medici, only to be halted by Sasrir. "Remember I talked about having something to discuss with you?"

    Klein nodded, in acknowledgment. Sasrir tilted "His" head for a moment and spoke, "Why don''t you consider coming under the shed of our lord?" Klein smiled, and replied in a nonchalant tone. "Because I neither see "Him" as one, nor do I wish to serve any in that matter."

    In a similarly nonchalant manner, the Dark Angel continued. "The ability you previously displayed¡ªpartial authority over time. If I am not mistaken, it should be an ability of the Marauder pathway, whose Uniqueness is possessed by our lord. You would eventually need it from "Him", if you were to try and ascend to Sequence 0 of the corresponding pathway and become a dual pathway true deity, which I don''t see a reason why you wouldn''t. Wouldn''t it be better for you then to serve under "Him" and with time be bestowed the Uniqueness?"

    Sasrir was soon a bit taken aback when Klein began to chuckle. Composing himself, Klein extended his hand and tipped his hat. "Nice try. But here''s the thing Sasrir, I won''t need to serve or even fight "Him" for it. By the time, I''ll be needing the Uniqueness, the trend of times would have long gone through multiple, uncontrollable changes."

    Klein slowly walked away from Sasrir, while maintaining his smile. He walked towards Grisha and Medici and looked at the former, speaking to him in an eloquent manner, "If there is nothing else you need from me, shall I take my leave?"

    Grisha nodded, indicating he could take his leave. Seeing this, Klein turned his head towards Medici. "I suppose we will be seeing each other often." Medici remained motionless, only "His" gaze seemed to ever so slightly flickered. Klein chuckled once more and waved his hands as his figure disappeared from the Bansy Harbour towards his next destination.

    ¡­

    [A Few days ago]

    Sitting in her comfy pillow, Amanises yawned, tired, while wearing a solemn face. There was only one thought that constantly rang through her mind, sharply, prompting her to repeatedly shake her head.

    I was wrong about Klein not being mad¡­ That guy is clinically insane¡­.

 Tiresome Amanises

    Amanises has had an eventful time.

    In the two days that had passed since her second meeting with Klein and first meeting with Grisha, a lot had gone down on her side. All this stemmed from a single existence¡ªa fool that remained seated at his divine chair.

    Klein Moretti¡­ You truly are one troublesome individual, even towards your acquaintance. When she returned back to her house after the gathering between her, Klein and the One whose name must not be thought of, ended, the Evernight demonic wolf had pulled "His" subsidiary gods into another meeting. During it, "He" had interrogated them of the anomalies that had occurred in Antigonus''s mansion, but surprisingly none of them had any recollection of the events whatsoever. They couldn''t even recall showing up to Antigonus'' mansion; not even Antigonus "Himself" had any memories of what "He" had done for the whole day. This prompted the evernight demonic wolf to speculate Giant''s king''s involvement in this matter.

    On the other hand, even if Amanises had expected something from Klein, even she was mildly taken aback by the level of sealing that was done on the memories of these Subsidiary gods. No, this is more like theft than sealing. Entire memories have vanished from their minds¡­

    As if not chaotic enough, multiple massive barriers composed of greyish white fog had been erected on the outskirts of the Annihilation demonic wolf''s kingdom and on each of the Subsidiary god''s mansion. This put the entire settlement in a state of panic and disorder as they felt like they had been under enemy siege.

    Once Amanises got to know of this, she immediately put the details together and came to a shocking realisation. Klein! He erected multiple barriers all around the Master''s Divine Kingdom! This created a sort of misdirection, allowing him to conceal my disappearance but also the suspicion that would have aroused from having a random barrier around my house!

    Though these hadn''t lasted too long and shortly dissipated. The king of demonic wolves had been enraged from this chaos, and at the same time amazed. His previous speculation was immediately discarded as "He" could confirm that this was the work of Sefirah Castle, but "He" was even more amazed by the sheer fact that some entity out there had control over the relic left behind by the Original Creator.

    This had ignited a spark within this ancient god, as "He" sent out a large pack of wolves outside the demonic wolves settlement, to investigate any Miracle, wishes, puppets, or abstract activities that may have suddenly began to occur in the world. In addition, "He" handed over the same task to all "His" subsidiary gods, strictly expecting some results. If it wasn''t for Flegrea''s extreme condition, "He" may as well have gone out himself to search for the existence that may have gained control over Sefirah Castle.

    Due to these reasons, the last two days in Demonic wolf settlement, had been anything less than chaotic. It was only now that Amanises finally had the leverage to relax and rest herself after having been tirelessly handling the situations from the previous incidents. I am too tired to even think. Lying on her comfy cushion, Amanises sighed and wagged her tail.

    As she yawned and bumped her head downwards, an ethereal voice suddenly interrupted her rest. "Prepare." Amanises instantly recognized the voice to be that of Klein, and only then remembered that today was a meeting day. Instantly she stood up from her cushion and sat back down, concealing her entire house, while she herself stopped all her motions, patiently waiting for her ''Friend'' to pull her inside Sefirah Castle.

    She didn''t have to wait too long, as in just a few moments, a crimson hue entered her vision as her surroundings immediately became filled with an ancient castle, dotted with a greyish white fog. Amanises now found herself seated on an ancient high back chair, in front of her stood the ancient copper mottled long table, the thickish greyish fog gently swaying at its surface. Above her, an ancient dome held by various long pillars of varying heights, while the thousands and millions of stars in the sky brightly shone.

    At the long end of the table, sat the Attendant of Mysteries, Klein Moretti. Klein wore a smile on his face, as he brought his hands upwards and tipped with his long hate, while his lips parted with themselves, allowing a sweet and charming voice escape from them. "Nice to meet you again! And, what''s this? Your condition seems much more stabilised than ever before!"

    "Same here. And all the credit is due upon you!" Amanises greeted him in the same gesture, while her lips subconsciously curled upwards, forming a grin. Their gazes remained fixated on each other, as Amanises leaned herself back, so did Klein, propping one of his legs on the other, he thought for a second and spoke. "How is the situation?"

    Amanises gaze narrowed. "Not very good thanks to a certain fool that doesn''t belong to this era¡­" She snickered, causing Klein to tip his top hat and scratch his head. "Ehe~" He slightly chuckled and waved his hand, smiling once more while looking at her, waiting for her to continue. Amanises couldn''t help but sigh and shake her head once more. "Flegrea has confirmed that there is someone with control over Sefirah Castle... He has sent out a pack of wolves as well as tasked all "His" subsidiary gods to investigate any unrelated Miracle Invoker and Attendant of Mysteries activities... "He" is hell bent on finding you." Amanises tilted her head waiting for Klein to respond.

    Klein keenly listened to her and then began to ponder. I see, well I did expect Flegrea to begin looking for me in full force after the Antigonus incident¡­ I wonder if this will affect the future events. Klein caressed his chin while his slender fingers tapped the armrest of his chair.

    A few moments later, he spoke up. "I expected that." Klein paused and looked up at the starry sky as he continued, "There is no need to worry. I am currently in the City of Sanguines, the demonic wolves shouldn''t be able to reach me there¡­ Hehe, even if they did, dealing with them won''t be troublesome." Amanises nodded, as the detail of him being potentially the strongest sequence 1 ever flashed in her mind. She also picked up on another key detail, City of Sanguines¡­ Moon City. What business might he have over there?

    Some "peculiar" details and knowledge of the city surfaced in her mind, as Amanises couldn''t help but slightly frown. Nonetheless, she took in Klein''s words and sighed. Klein, only just now, picked up on detail he had not paid attention to in the past; Amanises being aware of sequence and potion names. "By the way, How do you know about Sequences, Potion names, and all that?"

    Amanises looked up at him. "How do I know? Red Light Aiur Moria told me." Klein was baffled, and he did not attempt to hide it. His body straightened up and leaned forward on his chair resting his arms on the table. A gesture that spelled "Go on." Amanises, noticing this, explained. "While doing mysticism research, I went on a stroll through the spirit world and eventually came across an old spirit. I asked some questions and ended up getting Red Light''s Honorific Name. Though I was warned that it was unlikely I would receive a response. I decided to pray anyway and actually got the Red light to converse with me.

    ""He" didn''t say anything very useful, but when I asked about what these pathways were, "He" very vaguely gave out some information. Mostly, "He" told me about the concept of sequence, and that ''The Pathways are much more than what they seem on the surface. Another way, or dare I say, the best way to describe them would be ''These are the Natures of the Oldest Ones, the characteristics being the embodiment of "Their" will.'' I also got some of the sequence names of Fool pathway, as well as Darkness and Death."

    Klein keenly listened to her, while analysing each and every word. Hmm, she probably received a response due to her unique condition of being perfectly "sane" unlike other subsidiary gods. It could also be due to the overlap in past, present and future that happens in the spirit world, which might have very vaguely made the Red light aware of some future connection she would hold with me, the great ruler above the spirit world. Regardless, the analogy is interesting and Amanises should have made sense of it after getting the knowledge of Great Old Ones. Klein nodded and paused for a moment, as he analysed the peculiar look Amanises was giving him.

    He tilted his head, confusion visibly dawning on his face. The environment returned to serenity, as the two of them stared at each other, one wore a look of confusion while other that of peculiarity. What do you want? Just say it? Why are women so complicated?! Klein inwardly lampooned , and finally, after some long stress inducing time, Klein deduced the hint Amanises was dropping him and sighed inwardly.

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    "You want me to explain pathways in detail to you?" Amanises instantly shook her head vigorously. Even if she is a Mythical Creature, cliche tendencies still follow her¡­ I suppose it is a good thing; her humanity is strengthening¡­ Klein shook his head. Leaning back on his high back chair, he thought for a moment and then began speaking.

    "There is another way to refer to Pathways that is The Paths of the Divine. The Paths of the Divine are a series of 10 Potions that grants its consumer Mystical Abilities and authorities allowing them to transcend the normal boundaries." Amanises nodded and then asked, "Potions?" Klein smiled and continued, "Yes, Potions. The Mythical races all possess within them characteristics that can be used as the main ingredient to create potions. These potions once consumed by Humans or any race for that matter, allow them to rise the sequence, and transcend their boundaries becoming something¡­ Extraordinary. To tread the paths of the divine, the potion formulas are specifically or even potions themselves are specifically made for Humans."

    For Humans... but? Before Amanises could think further, Klein leaned forward and asked, "What do you think is the essence of the paths of the divine?" Amanises thought for a moment, and linked Klein''s question to his previous statements. Potions specifically made for Humans to rise the sequence... She slowly parted her lips and replied, "For¡­ Normal humans to rise to true deities?"

    Klein grinned, and elaborated

    "The essence of the paths of the divine is for normal humans to ascend to true deities. The Mythical creatures that wander around unprecedentedly and rule over this current world are but mere ingredients for humans to use to rise in power and to tread on the pathways." Klein leaned forward towards Amanises and slowly said, "In fact, the heart of a dark demonic wolf like you is the main ingredient for Servant of Concealment potion."

    Amanises felt a chill run down her spine as Klein leaned back on his chair. So what you are telling me is that I am essentially an ingredient for some random guy to use and rise to be a Servant of Concealment¡­ Amanises began to think of herself as an ingredient and then shook the thought away. I need to gain a human body quickly!

    "I see¡­ So I am assuming these potions are essentially a liquefied version of Characteristics." Klein shook his head. "Liquid isn''t essential. Some of the potions can be both liquid and gaseous. Regardless, You are right. The potions are essentially characteristics." Amanises narrowed her gaze, "Then why can''t one directly consume the characteristics?" As soon as she said that, the answer itself popped in her mind.

    "Because doing so is dangerous for normal humans and might lead to loss of control and becoming a monster. The potion formulas are designed in a way where it reduces the chance of losing control, and for this reason they have a main ingredient and a supplementary ingredient, and at a certain level rituals. Main ingredients for actual potions, while supplementary ingredients are to neutralise the madness within the potion. As you said, Potions are essentially characteristics."

    Amanises nodded in acknowledgement and then asked. "But who designed these potion formulas?" Klein rubbed his temples and rapped the edge of the copper mottled long table. He turned his head towards Grisha''s seat and slowly asked a question. "Do you remember when I mentioned the Blasphemy Slate, in our previous meeting with Grisha?"

    Amanises recalled the scene and nodded. Klein remained silent for a few more seconds before turning his head back towards Amanises and replying in a serious tone. "The Blasphemy Slate is a mystical document that holds the potion formulas of all 22 Paths of the Divine." Klein paused, gauging her reaction which was that of amazement and curiosity. He then dropped the bombshell. "It is also what remains of God Almighty''s dead body, other than the characteristics of "His" pathway."

    Upon hearing this, Amanises mind went blank. It took her a few moments in processing this information, but as soon as she did, she immediately blurted out. "Remains of the Omnipotent and Omniscient?!" Klein chuckled, bringing his hands to his mouth. Amanises also quickly composed herself, reassessing her usual demeanour.

    "I doubt even Grisha is aware of this at the moment, but, Yes. When God Almighty died at some point at the end of the first epoch, part "His" remains within the chaos sea condensed into the Blasphemy slate that Grisha now possesses." Amanises listened with great detail and picked up on two key points.

    Considering Grisha now possesses the Blasphemy slate, and that it is the remains of God Almighty, it makes sense why "He" managed to gain a connection to the Chaos Sea¡­ Also, Klein previously mentioned that all Great Old Ones perished at some point in the first epoch¡­ Including God Almighty and Lord of Mysteries¡­ But¡­

    She hesitated for a moment and then slowly asked in a calm and ethereal tone, "How did "They" died? What caused these great existence to perish in the first epoch?" Amanises noticed Klein visibly becoming motionless. He remained silent, while his gaze remained fixated on her. After a while, Klein spoke up, replying "Lord of Mysteries and God Almighty fought with each other. They both perished."

    !!!

    Lord of the mysteries and God Almighty fought and killed each other?! Did the other Great Old Ones died in the fight between these two pillars? Also, Why did they fight? What caused such a great catastrophe? Countless questions invaded her mind, prompting Amanises to sort them out one by one. She slowly calmed her mind again. While sorting her thoughts, she had put one question above all others that occurred from the release of such information.

    "How are you aware of all this information?" Klein''s smile widened into a grin as he leaned back, eloquently resting his body on his high back chair. "You don''t have to know." Amanises wasn''t surprised by his answer, in fact, she had expected such a reply. Pushing the matter of his knowledge aside once more, before Amanises could ask him anything, Klein waved his hand and said, "Don''t bother. I can''t reveal as to why "They" fought at the moment. When the time is right, you will get to know." Amansies opened her mouth then closed it again.

    The reason Klein could not make Amanises aware as to why the two pillars fought was that he would have had to reveal the info over Outer Deities, eventually getting on to explain the World Barrier. This would have only raised many more questions, which Klein was neither in the mood of answering nor did he see Amanises current condition fit to know so much unknown knowledge. Besides it isn''t like he knew the details of the fight.

    One thing at a time. First, is to get your condition and humanity fully stabilised, then I can gradually reveal the secrets of this world¡­ Eventually it''s very truth.

    The palace was soon engulfed by a thick veil of silence as neither of them spoke for sometime. The thickish greyish white fog gently swayed around, as Amanises further cleared her mind and decided to get back on the previous topic. "If Grisha possesses the Blasphemy slate, then I am assuming "He" wishes to use it for the betterment of Humanity?"

    "In fact, Yes. "He" wishes to get rid of the Mythical Races and redeem humanity from "Their" shadows. I also wish for that too, but I do not have the strength to fight against a sequence 0. This is the main reason why I must obtain the Fool Uniqueness." Klein explained, in a nonchalant tone. Amanises remained still, as she asked once more, "By the way, What exactly is Uniqueness?"

    Klein tilted his head and replied, "A Uniqueness is the embodiment of a pathway''s authority. It is what allows a sequence 0 to bear absolute control over the pathway, and the corresponding authority that originates from it. You can consider it as the main ingredient to become a Sequence 0, alongside the three sequence 1 characteristics."

    Amanises mentally noted the explanation. "You need three sequence 1 characteristics to become a sequence 0?" She asked to which Klein nodded and replied, "In fact, there are only three for each pathway. The number of characteristics are limited, and hence, there are only three sequence 1 characteristics and at least nine sequence 2. But in normal cases with the sequence 1 Beyonder Characteristic being a complete set, the number of sequence 2 Beyonder characteristics will decrease by three.

    Amanises repeatedly nodded. She then took note of something and asked, "Are you aware of the potion formulas of all Pathways? As in, have you read the blasphemy slate?" Klein nodded, causing Amanises to gasp in shock. Amazing! He knows so much more than I initially thought! She didn''t try to hide her amazement, letting it form her face.

    "I am assuming you have to do more than just merely drinking a potion to advance? The ingredients should have their corresponding mental imprint within them." Klein nodded and explained. "You are right. Starting from sequence 5, a human being must perform a certain ritual and then drink a potion to advance. Not doing so would greatly increase the risk of losing control and dying or turning into a monster.

    "The rituals are needed to anchor one''s humanity, so that they could maintain their mental stability during advancement and fight against godhood. Speaking of which, starting from sequence 4, a human begins to gain godhood within them. In fact, they can be considered demigods at this point. Their body would also begin to undergo mutation under divinity, as they gain an incomplete Mythical creature form. This form becomes completed at Sequence 2, which at that point, a human being truly transcends his boundaries becoming an angel¡ªa subsidiary god, and a true Mythical Creature."

    Amanises keenly listened and took her mental notes. Mythical Creature¡­ It seems Klein was either born as a human and somehow managed to rise to Sequence 1, becoming a Mythical creature in the process or perhaps he was transmigrated into the body of one like me¡­ Likely the latter, since I am pretty sure no one is aware of the info of pathways as a whole, other than him, me and Grisha. Well, there''s I guess that also includes the seven lights¡­ And maybe some other hidden existence which I am not aware of¡­

    She smiled, proud of herself, more specifically on her ability to pick up so many details and quickly analyze them. To be honest, I don''t think there is anything Klein could tell me that would surprise me too much... She witnessed Klein continuing. "There is another thing I should have mentioned by now, and that is¡­

    "All Mythical Races have originated from Humans."

    Pause. Hold on. What!? Amanises was, in fact, immediately baffled by Klein.

 The Origins

    Amanises was baffled.

    She was taken aback beyond belief by the info Klein had dropped on her. Mythical races originated from Humans? Originated from Humans?! She took a deep breath to calm herself down and began sorting her thoughts. After a bout of cogitation, she looked back at Klein, who had been waiting for her to restabilize herself.

    "How?" Amanises uttered. Her questioning embedded her confusion and her shock. Klein lightly chuckled and thought to himself, Her reactions are quite similar to mine. The Amanises I met and the Amanises I am getting to know are far removed¡­ I wonder how this version of her will eventually turn out. He leaned back on his chair, and began to explain.

    "While I am not aware as to ''How'' Humans developed or mutated into the various Mythical Races we know of today. It is definite that most if not every Mythical race has originated from humans, and that humans are the old ancestor of every being, Sanguine, Giants, Elves, Mutants." Amanises keenly listened and nodded.

    "How I got to know about this is through Giant''s King Aurmir''s parents." Amanises was immediately intrigued and adequately displayed it. Klein smiled and continued in a soft tone, "Well, let me ask you something. What do you think the parents of a Giant should look like?" Amanises almost immediately answered. "Giant-like." Klein shook his head and explained, "While this is the case for a normal giant, that does not hold true for the Giant king. The skeleton of "His" parents are that of humans, rather than Giant." Amanises eyes slightly widened but then retracted again as she thought,

    Interesting. She witnessed as Klein continued "This led me to find more similarities in Humanoid Mythical Races, such as Elves, they are very much identical to Humans except their point ears. Mutants such as Wraiths, zombies, and werewolves also bear human resemblance, same goes for devils. While Dragons, Phoenixes, and Demonic Wolves may seem contradictory to it, there is also the fact that, at Sequence 0, one is capable of changing the Mythical Creature form of their pathway."

    "Wait what?" Amanises blurted out, knowingly. "Hmm, let''s look at it this way." Klein said, leaning forward. "The difference between you and me is that you are a born Mythical Creature, while I am a human that became a Mythical Creature through potions. This led me to have two forms: the one I''m currently displaying and¡­"

    Klein paused, as his figure slowly began to distort. Amanises immediately noticed as the Sefirah Castle itself began to shake violently, while Klein''s figure became more and more distorted before turning into a cluster of maggots. This cluster spun around on the Fool''s seat, before converging itself on to a point, on to a bluish black door that had emerged with Klein''s body. From the bluish black door more translucent maggots emerged forming a spiral in all directions. As more and more spirals emerged, the cluster of maggots slowly took the form of a vortex of maggots, from which countless translucent tentacles emerged swaying in all directions, while the vortex of maggots settled itself on to the Fool''s high back chair.

    This was the Mythical Creature Form of Fool Pathway!

    Amanises witnessed this spectacle with interest. I see... A vortex of maggots with tentacles emerging from it, not too far from those two. She was less intrigued by the Mythical Creature form but more so on the bluish black door at its centre. Amanises could tell, from a feeling she received, that the bluish black door was not a part of this creature. Instead, it held a much more imposing aura than the rest of the Mythical Creature form. Even merely gazing at the bluish black door made Amanises feel like her thoughts were turning sluggish, while her ears ringed, as an illusory, distant raving sounded.

    She turned her head away from the Mythical Creature, and looked at one of the many imposing pillars that held the ancient dome above them. She used her own abilities to restabilize her condition, while clearing her thoughts. "The Mythical Creature form." An illusory voice rang in all directions, seemingly having no source to itself. Amanises immediately recognized the voice to be that of Klein, and nodded indicating acknowledgment.

    The vortex of maggots separated itself, before quickly taking the form of Klein Moretti once more. With the appearance of his human figure, the bluish black door also disappeared, seemingly drilling itself back in Klein''s body. Amanises took a breath and turned her head back towards Klein. Her gaze locked with his dark eyes. "The Mythical Creature is the truest form of an Angel and above; one that directly corresponds with the very Godhood of this being. This form can be changed by a Sequence 0 of the corresponding pathway, presumably through the Uniqueness.

    "Now here is the thing. You shouldn''t be unaware of the concept of depleting characteristics through giving birth. That''s how most creatures remove excess characteristics within them. The result of such copulation is, of course, another Mythical Creature. Since Sequence 0''s can change the entire Mythical Creature form, the human origins of non-humanoid races doesn''t seem far-fetched."

    Amanises nodded and began to analyse. Indeed... There is also visible mutation brought about by characteristics, such as gradient white fur formed of translucent maggots on Antigonus and Kotar''s body. If these born Mythical Creatures can be affected, then humans developing into today''s Mythical races truly isn''t far fetched. In fact, with the giant king''s parents'' skeleton being that of a Human, this theory seems very likely.

    Amanises shook her head and then thought, That means I do have something of a Human in me... I don''t know how I feel about this. She sighed and looked down at her paws. She let out another sigh and then looked back up at Klein, saying "I understand." She paused for a moment and then asked. "Is that why corruption from anchors can change once form because Mythical Creatures themselves do not possess a definite one?"

    "Yes. A Mythical Creature is different and cannot be measured in terms of Mass, Length, Breadth or any of other conventional methods. They are essentially pure godhood and pure knowledge given a ''physical'' form in a sense. You can think of them as an eldritch creature. This is also one of the reasons corruption stemming from the views of anchors can affect one''s form." Klein paused for a moment, and then softly uttered,

    "Every Being has Divinity."

    "When enough anchors form a collective view of an entity, their faith and devotion takes the form of corruption. This can be used to fight against the godhood that stems from the characteristics, the very will of the Original Creator, the mental imprint of the Greatest Oldest One. This is also the most reliable way to sustain humanity."

    Amanises took note of this, greatly paying attention to every word Klein spoke. Every Being has Divinity¡­ Yes, if all is a creation of the Original Creator then every being must possess some level of godhood within them, including humans. By consuming potions, and rising in sequence, they are essentially increasing the amount of divinity within them, eventually completely surpassing the boundaries of Humans.

    Red Light Aiur Moria was right. The pathways are much more than what they seem¡­ ''The nature of the oldest ones''. She turned her head to the long copper mottled table, and began to sort her thoughts. Klein also decided to give his throat a rest as he summoned two cups of sweet latte tea. He poured one cup of tea on the dish and then handed the dish full of tea to Amanises, while he sipped from the remaining cup.

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    As the two enjoyed their tea in silence, Amanises suddenly said in a nonchalant tone. "I may be leaving the demonic wolf''s settlement under the guise of ''investigating'' any Miracle Invoker related activities." Klein tipped his hat hearing this, and took another sip. "That''s good! Then shall we meet?"

    "Of course. I also wish to see the town you made and populated with the people you ''stole'' back then." This was another one of the things that caused an uproar in Demonic wolf''s settlement, as any and all human slaves they had vanished, causing a short shortage of food. Amanises never cared about this, as a Mythical Creature, she never had any need to eat. This wasn''t the case with other subsidiary gods, they eat so as to fill the void that was their stomach.

    Klein chuckled, and asked "So, when are you planning to leave?" Amanises picked the dish from her mouth and gulped the rest of the tea down her throat. She rested the dish back on the table, and smiled, feeling the sweet taste of the tea.

    "A little more than a week." She said, while Klein thought¡­

    She¡­ She is like a dog! Klein lampooned, and thought about the mistress of horror, the Evernight Goddess and then compared that goddess to this demonic wolf sitting in front of him. Incomparable! How did Amanises even develop into that Genocidal Deity?! Actually¡­. Time and godhood should''ve done the trick. Klein lampooned again and used his clown and swindler prowess to hide the peculiar expression he would have made otherwise.

    He finished his tea and rested the cup on the table. "This reminds me. Have you thought of an Honorific name? Your believers have a way to more efficiently pray to you." Amanises nodded. "In fact, I have." She closed her eyes and then reopened them again as she slowly uttered in a beautiful, calm and serene voice.

    "An Existence from a Bygone time;

    "The Lady of Concealment;

    "Herald of Misfortune;

    "Mistress of Repose and Silence."

    Klein''s breath immediately became heavy. An Existence from a Bygone time¡­ It was almost like Klein could hear his own heartbeats, as the first line of his very honorific name, "The Fool that doesn''t belong to this Era", rang in his ears. It was like an ominous raving prompting him to swallow his own saliva.

    You have no idea just how spot on you are. Klein nodded at Amanises, while maintaining his composure, though the latter did take notice of the slight change that occurred in his temperament for a singular moment. This is weird. Did he take notice of the fact that I took inspiration from his Honorific name?

    Suddenly the memory of her creating her honorific name flashed through her mind:

    It was just yesterday, when she had some luxury of time to rest up a bit. That''s when the thought about having an honorific name crossed her mind. Honorific name¡­ She began to rack her brain with a number of ideas, remembering her third grade poetry lessons she had back in her home world, eventually making her think of her mom, who used to be a poet, making her sigh. She then remembered Klein''s Honorific name, and decided to take some inspiration from it, to structure hers.

    I am sure he won''t mind. She slightly grinned and began thinking. I can''t state that I am a demonic wolf, that would scare people, so maybe a creature¡­ No¡ªAn Existence would work wonders! She nodded and continued onwards. An Existence from another world? Too blatant and might attract some unwanted gazes. An existence from a forgotten time? Bygone time? Yeah, that would work. After all, how many people are even aware of the existence of other worlds? Amanises nodded once again and settled on the first line of her Honorific name.

    "An Existence from a Bygone time."

    She softly uttered, and plunged herself back into her thoughts. First line settled. Then maybe, specifying some authorities? I don''t have any mysterious space like Klein, so I can''t mention that. Then¡­ Yes, Concealment. It''s one of the main authorities of a Servant of Concealment such as myself, so I should mention it in my Honorific name. Then¡­ Amanises pondered for a moment longer before uttering in a soft tone,

    "The Lady of Concealment."

    Amanises quickly settled with the second line of her honorific name. Now, about the third line. Maybe Goddess of Misfortune? Yeah, but a slight problem is that I am referred to as such here too. That might create some problems Mystical wise¡­ Amanises closed her eyes, as her ears twitched. Opening them again, she grinned and uttered.

    "Herald of Misfortune."

    Nodding once more. Amanises settled the third line. Now should I have a fourth line too? Klein only has three lines to his Honorific name. She pondered for a moment before deciding on adding another line. Then¡­ Maybe the nature of the pathway? Klein''s honorific name, in a way, also diplayes the nature of Fool pathway. It''s enigmatic and ''ancient'' in some way, signifying Mysteries and History. The Darkness pathway''s symbolism is¡­ ''Serenity''! And... ''Dreams''! So maybe Repose and Silence? She racked her brain a bit more before softly and slowly uttering.

    "Mistress of Repose and Silence." Amanises grin became wider. Perhaps those literature and poetry classes weren''t for nothing. Now, should I add my name at the end too? Maybe "The Great Amanises". She immediately shook her head, while her expression became slightly twisted. Yeah, No. That''s Cringe!

    A four line Honorific name should be enough. There is no need for people to know who I am, just that, I am a benevolent deity that has helped them from their inevitable fate of being eaten. The more enigmatic I remain, the better. Amanises nodded. She took a deep breath and softly said, her voice calm and serene.

    "An Existence from a Bygone Time;

    "The Lady of Concealment;

    "Herald of Misfortune;

    "Mistress of Repose and Silence."

    ...

    Back to the present day. Amanises thought of asking Klein about it, but then decided against it, as she considered that it might be a bit too much. Maybe he was just taken aback¡­ But again, he is a Clown. For him to display any emotion would mean he was truly and utterly taken aback. Last time, I managed to take note of any high emotional radiance when he referred to the Lord of Mysteries, who is the great old one of his pathway, and a true pillar. Amanises was going through an internal strife, which was quickly broken by the voice of Klein.

    "Very Good. I''ll make the people in the town aware of it." Amanises quickly nodded. Since he has moved on from the topic, let''s save this question for another time. She nodded again. "By the way, have you given a name to the town?" She quickly noticed Klein''s lips twitch, as they curled upwards, forming a warm smile that seemed to contain many emotions, sadness, happiness, nostalgia, and a distant feeling of pain and loneliness. Klein himself looked down at the greyish white fog

    "Tingen."

    Klein uttered in a soft tone. His voice was a clear reflection of all the varying emotions that seemed to erupt from his figure. It was uncontrollable, neither did Klein wish to control them. Amanises became motionless as she looked at the smiling Klein. At that moment, Amanises felt something: Sorrow. She could feel Klein''s sorrow. You¡­ Haha, Just what are you? What have you suffered from in your life? Just what secrets do you hold¡­ Mysteries? You have told me so much about this world; its secrets, its mysteries. But where do you fit in all this?

    At that moment Amanises felt like laughing out loud. They had only known each other for merely a little more than four or five days at best. Yet, not only have they managed to become friends, albeit with some mistrust, Klein managed to make her feel something she thought she had lost by now. Humanity.

    Unknowingly, a smile formed on her face. Her pretty, demonic wolf''s face. Perhaps she wanted to know Klein a bit better, even if it was to simply have the knowledge of one very mysterious figure in this world, or just a friend wanting to know the other.

    They both enjoyed their own little moments in Silence. After an unknown amount of time, both gazed at each other as Klein softly mused, "Considering we are going to be meeting in a week and potentially travel for a while, let''s not hold any other meeting for the week except the one with Grisha." Amanises agreed.

    "Then shall we end this meeting today?" Amanises maintained her smile and replied, "Sure." She extended her paw, which confused Klein for a moment, before he understood her implication and extended his left hand, shaking hands (paws?) with her.

    With that, Klein cut off the mystical connection between them, allowing Amanises astral body to descend back into her real body. While Klein, watching her figure disappear into crimson, slowly sighed and leaned back against his chair. He lifted his left hand and looked at his palm.

    A tiresome smile formed on his face.

 The Fool and The Demonic Wolf

    Bustle, Bustle

    As the dust swayed by on the road, the bustling sound of people walking on its rough surface resonated through the surroundings. People went by, some coming and some going, some talking to each other, while others simply stood by looking over at the bright crimson sky, littered with countless stars, casting their illumination on the planet.

    It was a peaceful time, a blissful time for the newly established Tingen City. The people that were once subjected to a terrible, harsh life, with death being their only moment of rest, had now slowly begun to be rejuvenated with their new life; one actually worth living. They could now wear extravagant clothing that wasn''t tattered, or ripped. Clean proper clothes that protected them from the harsh weather and made them appear like living, breathing people.

    They had the luxury of foot wears, providing their feets protection from dust, pebbles and a number of other things. They had plentiful and scrumptious meals, allowing them the luxury of choice. They had their own houses providing them ample shelter, and had the autonomy to choose their own vocations in life unlike merely hoping they''ll peacefully see the next day.

    To most, this felt like a dream. A lustrous one they would soon wake up from, back into their harsh reality, a scary thought that constantly plagued their minds, creeping at every corner. Yet, even if it did turn out to be nothing more than a dream, the people having slowly learned to enjoy it, were slowly escaping from their previous nightmare.

    As the constant bustle on the streets went by, with people going back to their home or some preferring to wander around in the starry night; suddenly, everyone froze. The town itself became motionless as if frozen in time, as the hundreds of people all stood at their spot, their eyes widened with shock as an illusory voice drilled into their head, ringing itself into their ears like an illusory raving.

    An unknown amount of time went by, as one by one, the people in town dropped to their knees, clasped their hands together, and in unison spoke out loudly, their varying voices mystically tuning together, as certain words escaped their lips.

    "An Existence from a Bygone Time;

    "The Lady of Concealment;

    "Herald of Misfortune;

    "Mistress of Repose and Silence."

    Hundreds of people chanted the Honorific name of Goddess of Misfortune, a revelation they have just received providing them with a means of praying to their benevolent deity. They chanted the Honorific name over and over again, an act of genuine piousness towards the deity.

    Their chorus spread far and wide, as the morning Sun faintly parted the sky.

    The sound of chanting filled the entire area, making itself known. Perhaps far away, landing in the ears of a certain Sun God.

    ¡­

    Far away from Tingen, even further than the Northern Continent. Klein Moretti, the King of King of Angels of Fool pathway, leaned against a giant boulder in the middle of a lush forest. His eyes were closed, while his relatively slender body bathed in the bright sunlight, giving birth to a massive shadow. He was relaxed, seemingly having no worries in his life, as he comfortably stood, patiently waiting for someone.

    That someone didn''t take much of his time, as Klein felt a certain change in his surroundings, most noticeably the shadows created by the trees and that of his own thicken. It wasn''t exactly the shadow, but the commutative darkness that was created from so many shadows gathering together. Klein observed as the darkness around him gathered at a spot, and then shaped into a corporal figure, resembling a wolf with 8 legs.

    The darkness suddenly scattered by, as a figure approached Klein¡ªa black furred, 8-legged demonic wolf, who had dark eyes that appeared serene, having the ability to calm one''s soul. Klein chuckled, lifted his hand, and took off his hat, soon placing it on his chest. After offering her a gentlemanly bow, he spoke out in a soft but mischievous tone, "Good Afternoon. Isn''t the weather nice today?"

    I don''t know why, but I suddenly don''t have a nice feeling about this¡­ The Servant of Concealment, Amanises, frowned. She let out a sigh and laughed, "I would say, it''s a little too bright today." She spoke, trying to replicate his tone. Klein''s eyes narrowed slightly as put his hat back on, and through the use of his clown prowess, immediately took notice of a change that had occurred in Amanises body.

    She has gotten much smaller! He thought as the image of the goddess of misfortune surfaced in his mind. Comparing that image to the demonic wolf in front of him, Klein confirmed his observation, and took notice of a number of more differences.

    Not only has her body reduced in size, it seems her internal skeleton is contracting alongside her organs. Her body has begun to change! Klein was amazed to a certain extent, as the figure of the Evernight Goddess flashed in front of his eyes. Though, It''s not by too much. She is still a demonic wolf, just a smaller one. With the rate, it would still take quite a while before she will truly gain a Human form¡­ I wonder if she will have those six arms.

    Amanises took notice of his prolonged stare and felt awkward. "So¡­ From where shall we begin this adventure?" Klein, unbothered by her weird expression, replied nonchalantly, "I haven''t actually decided yet. Where do you wanna go?"

    Where do I wanna go? I thought you had something in mind, that''s why I didn''t bother thinking¡­ Amanises lampooned inwardly. She then looked up at the bluish sky and thought of the various places she knew of by name. Moon city? No¡­ Anywhere but that. Giant King''s court? Too dangerous. Actually, I''d rather not be in the Eastern Continent because of Master¡­

    Then, How about the Northern or Southern Continent? I did want to visit Tingen, that should be a good place to start! Amanises looked back at Klein, and softly spoke, "How about Tingen for starters? We can explore from there." She saw Klein smile, and gave a thumbs up.

    "Very well then. Though I''ll need to hide you through illusion. They wouldn''t take a demonic wolf entering their newly established town lightly? No?" Amanises nodded, indicating understanding. I need to gain a human body quickly... She emphasised in her mind, as they both entered the spirit world. "Follow me." Klein said, waving his hand, as the two wandered through the illusory realm.

    Tingen it is then¡­ Actually, I wonder if¡­ Klein thought for a moment, as he caressed his chin. Turning around, his gaze landed at Amanises as he asked, "Do you want to directly go there, or should we just go to the Northern Continent and travel to Tingen by foot from there. I am asking this, because we are essentially ''adventuring'' together. What fun would it be, if we were to directly reach our destination without experiencing a Journey?"

    Klein had another unspoken reason. That was, that he had, so far, only seen the condition of this world in the more prominent places, such as Moon City, or the shores of the Northern Continent. He had not truly borne witness to this world of the second epoch, being utterly unaware of what might be happening in secrets. His main goal for exploring the world was to strengthen his humanity, so by embarking on a true journey of sorts, he could achieve just that.

    On a side note, the bluff I made in front of her, would become true too. Klein inwardly nodded to himself, as he waited for his friend to give a reply. Amanises thought, weighing his words, before ultimately nodding, indicating agreement. Not gonna lie, with how this is shaping, I feel like I have isekaied into an RPG world¡­

    Amanises teased herself, as she and Klein got a move on again. After travelling for a bit further, while having a small chatter among themselves, they finally exited the spirit world, appearing not too further away from a shore. Amanises gazed at the shore, looking over the various tents, burnt out campfires littered with ashes, and the hundreds of humans that assumed a defensive stance against the sea at all times.

    Her gaze naturally moved over at sea, where she saw enormous tsunamis, capable of levelling entire cities, approaching the shore at high speed. Immediately her head turned towards Klein, who wore a nonchalant expression, displaying no care. Amanises took it as a good sign, and turned her head back towards the enormous tsunamis approaching their way. But before they could get dangerously closer, a giant, sharpened, windblade slashed through the body of water. This windblade was followed by thousands more, as they quickly took care of the sea calamities.

    "Get used to this. This is essentially life outside the Demonic wolves settlement." Klein paused for a moment, as his gaze settled on Amanises. "Constant War." The demonic wolf remained incredibly still, feeling her companion''s emphasis on ''war'' at the end. She then silently nodded as they began to walk away from the shore, while Klein gave her a rundown.

    "The Humans and Elves are at war with each other on the shores of the continent and its neighbouring island. The southern continent is mostly uncharted, with only phoenixes loitering around. The Eastern Continent situation is something you are already aware of..." Amanises listened calmly, before posing a question. "What about Dragons, and Devils?"

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    "I don''t have much of an idea on Devil''s but Dragons usually stay in the City of Miracles, Liveseyd. Only on special occasions would they come out of this divine kingdom and descend on to the real world." Her curiosity instantly peaked. "City of Miracles, Liveseyd?"

    She and Klein were walking down in a forest on a makeshift dirt road, presumably built for easy transportation of goods. While Amanises did not know of the route to Tingen, she had at least this much trust on Klein that they were heading in the right direction. While Klein¡­

    I have zero idea where this road leads us. He had an extremely innocent expression on his face as he explained, "Do you know of Divine Kingdoms? Well regardless, at Sequence 0, you became capable of manifesting a complete divine kingdom. It is essentially a realm that embodies the concept represented by the corresponding True Deity. City of Miracles, Liveseyd is¡­"

    As Klein spoke, Amanises took notice of their darkening surroundings, as seemingly a shadowy veil enveloped the whole area, cutting off any and all connection from the outside world. She blinked as she felt her connection with the spirit world, and the surroundings darkness vanished. Not only this, all her abilities felt suppressed, weakening her.

    "Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt''s divine kingdom." Klein uttered the true name of ''The one who must not be named'' causing Amanises to freeze up and gulp her own saliva. She remained still for the longest of time, waiting for a fleet of dragons to suddenly rain down upon the both of them. But as time went by, and nothing came to be, she slowly loosened herself, still on guard, and gave Klein a look of "What''s wrong with you?" Klein in response, presented the most innocent looking smile ever, like that of a newborn, yet beneath it was a poorly concealed spite that very loudly spelled out, "Everything".

    I was correct. Travelling with this guy is gonna be stressful and troublesome! Amanises spited on her poor choice of companion. "Do not worry. Before uttering Dragon of Imagination real name, I brought forth the embryonic form of my Divine Kingdom¡­" Klein paused and looked around for a moment, gazing at the thick shadowy curtain that veiled the area. "Realm of Mysteries. It has the capability of distorting Space and time to separate; blocking information transfer. You can think of anything or anyone in here, without having to worry about them being aware of it. You can even think of Grisha."

    Amanises face slowly morphed into that of amusement. Embryonic form? That means it''s still incomplete. But even more of a fact, that at sequence 1 you can create an embryonic form of a divine kingdom? Interesting. Or could it be due to Klein''s connection to his corresponding Great Old One Sefirah? I am pretty sure his level is much above Sequence 1 but below Sequence 0, so it would make sense if that is the case¡­ I suppose, I can only discover that once I became one myself.

    It seems to be that The Realm of Mysteries has extremely high concealment authority for it to completely separate itself from material, spirit and even the astral world. The concealment authority doesn''t seem to be any less potent than in the Darkness path, but their way of concealment is wildly different. Back to topic. So, the city of dragons is in fact a divine kingdom? Is that why no one could ever discover it?

    Countless thoughts plagued the Servant of Concealments mind, as she bent her head down and began to make a few more connections which she hadn''t thought of yet. Also, now that I can think of it. Merely thinking about Dragon of Imagination can cause "Him" to be aware of you, this same applies for Grisha according to Klein. Does that mean one of the pathways of Chaos Sea, or should I say, God Almighty''s is the Dragon pathway?

    Klein silently stood there, letting her ruminate over her thoughts and make necessary connections. I am bored¡­ He took out some cards from the historical void, and began to cut the deck in various ways to pass the time. A few moments later, Amanises finally looked back at him, and quickly noticed his activities as well as his stoic and bored expression. This is weirdly cute¡­ She complimented in her head, and coughed lightly causing Klein to come out of his trance. "You done?" Amanises smiled and nodded. She then noticed the surroundings returning back to normalcy as the thick shadowy curtain retreated to void.

    Klein put away his deck of cards, and tipped his head. "Then shall we get going?" Amanises chuckled at his gentlemanly activities as they began to move again.

    Time flew by, as The Fool and the Demonic wolf continued on their journey, occasionally chattering, while sometime silently ruminating. Occasionally stopping in their route to eat too.

    "But we are Mythical Creatures, we don''t have any need to eat?" Amanises questioned as Klein rolled over a picnic carpet, and took out a basket from the historical void. "Simple. Another way to maintain humanity is to perform mundane human tasks. For how meaningless they may be, they, to beings like us, hold a significant connection, a corresponding memory of sorts, that evokes emotion."

    Does that include washroom business too? Amanises tilted her head, but regardless laid down on the picnic carpet that was smaller than her body. Klein put on some jam and butter on a piece of white bread and then handed it over to her. Amanises sniffed the bread for a moment and then bit on it with her wolf teeths, before completely snatching it away from Klein''s hand and eating the entire sandwich in one large bite.

    Klein chuckled upon seeing this, causing Amanises to feel slight embarrassment. I truly am acting like a dog now¡­ Like a talking dog! She looked away as her ears twitched wildly. They both ate their picnic fills, before lying down on the carpet, laid on a grassy field. Klein looked at the bright sun that was hanging on top of them, signifying mid-day. He couldn''t help but gulp his own saliva and narrowed his gaze while looking at the bright ''Sun'', before ultimately relaxing himself. Hehe, Taking out that worry over the ''Sun''. I have never been this relaxed in a long while¡­ Seems like coming to this age wasn''t a bad thing after all. He silently chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes, feeling the warm breeze flutter his hairs specks.

    Amanises whose head was turned towards this Angel, watched his calm and relaxed expression, and felt herself feeling relaxed from it. It''s a shame I can''t feel sleepy without making it up¡­ She closed her eyes, letting the warm rays of sun and gentle breeze calm her soul. This was possibly the best time she has had ever since her transmigration.

    After resting for quite a while, Klein dispelled the Historical Projections, as he and Amanises continued on their journey, walking side by side.

    ¡­

    "The Sun has begun to set."

    Amanises commented as she and Klein walked inside a small abandoned village. The carcasses of wooden buildings and structures, and the settled dust on their wooden frames alongside the deafening silence, gave this deserted place an eerie feeling, as if it has been preserved in time, creaking on untold history. What could have happened here? What secrets might lie beneath? What untold story have these wooden buildings witnessed? What happened to the people who once called this their home? They both could only merely speculate, with no way of confirming their guesses.

    "Considering it''s about to be nighttime, shall we set up a campfire and rest here for today?" Klein asked, looking over at Amanises who stood a few feet away from him, her gaze fixed over a toppled house. You truly do consider it an adventure, huh? Amanises found it quite amusing and simply nodded.

    Since they were already in the middle of a forest and within the carcassess of a village that was made out of wood, it didn''t take Klein too long to set up a campfire. He quickly brought over some logs and set up a seating beside the bright burning fire. The environment grew increasingly quiet as time went by, the crimson slowly creaking in filling the night sky as well as illuminating the entire land, albeit faintly.

    Klein and Amanises mostly remained silent, while the former cooked pieces of meat on top of the fire. Amanises had zero idea where he even got them. It didn''t take too long as the meat was nicely grilled, Klein took out condiments from the historical void and sizzled the piece of meat, before a plate of them over to Amanises. She instinctively bent down and sniffed the plate, confirming that they weren''t human meat. Seems like beef or pork¡­ Wait? There are cows and pigs in this world? Amanises was slightly taken aback, having never considered the existence of normal animals in this world. She shook her head and ate her portion, admitting to herself that Klein is a good cook.

    "You enjoy cooking, huh?" Amanises commented, earning a stiff laughter from Klein. "Well¡­ I used to live alone in a rented apartment, and my salary wasn''t really that great, to be honest. So, I kinda just learned how to cook to save up on money." Amanises furrowed her eyebrows hearing this. This was the first time Klein had revealed anything regarding himself ever since their first meeting. Uhh should I also talk about myself??

    "I used to be a part of the higher management of a big company¡­ And I was kinda bad at cooking." Amanises said, and then instantly felt awkward. Seems like my communication skills have suffered from my godhood and prolonged isolation¡­ Amanises lampooned and looked up at Klein, who had an expression of amazement. "That''s really nice! I used to be an engineer." Amanises felt a tug upon hearing this, and further chatted.

    "Cool. My brother was an engineer too. Besides, I thought they had a good salary?''

    "Not really¡­I mean, it depends upon experience. I was freshly out of college."

    "That means you are younger than me. Hehe¡­"

    For some reason, that "Hehe" does not give me good vibes¡­ Klein lampooned as the both of them chatted their dinner away. Klein couldn''t help but bring out a genuine smile, as someone that didn''t have too many people to talk to, especially ever since his transmigration, it was a nice change to be able to talk freely without having to put up a character in place. He could truly just be himself.

    They both quickly finished their dinner, while continuing to chat about their profession and before long, Amanises felt like sleeping once more, an action she felt was quite important to her mental health. Klein only chuckled at this, as he summoned a blanket for her to rest upon, and before he knew it, this sleepless angel had fallen asleep.

    To think this woman would be the Sequence 0 of the sleepless pathway¡­ Klein leaned towards a tree and rested his head against the hardwood. He gazed at the starry crimson sky, letting a sigh escape himself. Moving his head towards the sleeping Amanises, Klein smiled and shook his head. She is much different than what I imagined. There is almost no semblance of this Amanises and the Evernight Goddess I am familiar with¡­

    Hmm, it only invokes my imagination further as to what that Goddess went through? How did "Her" and Grisha''s first meeting go without me? Did "She" ever experience these moments? Haha, Likely not. Another sigh escaped, as he felt bad for his fellow transmigrator and a true friend. But that''s not the case anymore¡­ I changed it. I wonder how "She" would have felt about this development? Hehe, In saying ''I wouldn''t change history too much'' to changing one of the biggest, most prominent figures in history. I truly did underestimate myself.

    Klein facepalmed while smiling like a madman. What has been done, has been done. There is nothing I can do anymore, neither do I wish to. I took a choice and I shall bear its consequences no matter how severe or serene they may be. He resonated with himself, affirming his past actions.

    But, there is one person I still can''t decide what to do with¡­ Klein''s smile dropped as he turned his head towards some trees. It wasn''t the trees that Klein was staring at, but far away in the direction of his head, hundred thousands and thousands of Kilometres away, was a certain pseudo Visionary whose gaze had been long fixated on the Fool and the Demonic Wolf.

    Grisha¡­ The contents of his last meeting flashed in Klein''s eyes.

 The Bright Blazing Sun

    A man must accomplish the task he has been entrusted with.

    That''s what Fred thought, as he walked over on the dirt road, surrounded by the lush green forest. His bag was slung over his shoulder as he silently ruminated over his past couple of days. Merlin¡­ It has been months since I last saw him...

    Ever since his fateful encounter with Merlin Hermes, the Wandering Magician, Fred''s thoughts had been completely plagued by the image of the latter, as well the horrific encounter that creeped up his soul every now and then. Fred wasn''t stupid; he knew for a fact that he had been mentally scarred. How couldn''t he? If it wasn''t for Merlin that day, he would have never been able to return back.

    To let him recover, Lord Quan gave him a month of rest. An act of kindness. This had proven effective as Fred was mostly recovered from his injuries, as well as his mental trauma. Yet the effects lingered. It wasn''t too much of a bother for Fred¡ªhe had simply learned to pay no mind to them.

    After a month of rest, Fred was assigned back to his duties. A delivery man though he was no longer given organs to deliver and was strictly forbidden to go anywhere near Lord Semirun''s mansion. Fred, being the obedient one, strictly followed. Currently, he was delivering some gems to the other part of the city, one that Fred has never visited before. For this, he was to follow one of his close friends, Jese.

    "And this is what happens when you strictly abide by a singular route. I get it, you never had to deliver anywhere else, but did you seriously never bother exploring?" Jese scolded her good friend. Well, she had been scolding him the entire way, so by this point, her words only fell on empty ears. Fred simply shook his head, presenting a tired expression, as he and Jese approached the Moon city.

    Jese, unexpectedly closed her mouth, and leaned forward towards Fred, whispering in his ears. "It isn''t over yet." The latter felt a chill run down his spine as he slowly gulped. "Are you kidding me¡­" He deeply said, expressing his intense mental tiredness. He and Jese hung their heads low as they slowly walked inside the Moon city. Almost instantly, their attention was caught by the abnormal silence that seemed to envelope the whole City of Sanguines. This caused Jese to raise her head, and look around wearing a confused look.

    Suddenly, she felt hundreds of gazes land upon her at once. Some filled with malice, while others held an indescribable essence within them, one that could not be easily discerned. Jese gulped, and so did Fred, whom had also felt the numerous gazes landing on them. His thoughts began to run wild, as the past trauma creeped itself back on to his mind, the scenes flashing past his eyes, as he felt his body turn stiff, before eventually succumbing to paralysis from fear.

    He felt a tug beside him, Jese, who now held his hands, squeezing them tightly, while she barely maintained her composure. Fred saw her side profile from the corner of his eyes, and tried to move his body, trying to overcome his fear, even if the attempt was to result in failure.

    It was then, suddenly, a bright glow enveloped his vision. A radiant warmth washed over his body, purging all his bad emotions, washing them away, far away from his cloudy mind. Fred immediately gained back control over his body, and simultaneously looked up, before instinctively shielding his eyes. Soon, his vision adapted to the bright light that illuminated from the sky. The clouds that enveloped the Moon City, began to clear up, as Fred and Jese for the first time in their lives, witnessed, a spectacle that they had only dreamt of witnessing.

    The Bright Blazing Sun!

    Golden rays erupted from the sky, shining over the City of Sanguines, illuminating every part of the city, far brighter than what the Crimson Moon could ever hope to output. The Sun, once always tucked away behind the dark clouds dotting the city''s skies, had for the first time showed its full glory. Its purifying rays illuminated the land, casting away the darkness and madness that permeated the land.

    It was a beautiful and wonderful sight, one that Fred or Jese could not have described in words. But for the Sanguines, it was nothing short of ugly. A despicable light that did nothing but harm them, burned their skin away. It was at that moment, Fred understood the reason behind the mostly empty streets of Moon city. Sun!

    It was the bright illumination from the Sun that had caused these ravenous beasts to retract into the shadows. "They" could not withstood this incandescent light.

    A slight chuckle escaped from his lips, as he squeezed Jese''s hands, smiling and looking up at the bright sun.

    The Incandescent Sun.

    ¡­

    Klein breathed out while stretching his body

    The King of King of Angels had donned on a winter fur jacket over his black waist coat, as if to protect himself from the chilly tendura that surrounded him. Of course, naturally, as a Mythical Creature, Klein would not feel the cold the same way humans did. For this reason, he had to deceive his own body, to interact with the harsh environment as the average human would; a minor way to reinforce his humanity.

    "So cold..." Klein rubbed his hands and exhaled on them. Besides him, Amanises took notice of his action, and couldn''t help but muse to herself. Good thing I am a demonic wolf, my fur is thick enough to protect me from the harsh cold! Just as she grinned, a patch of snow fell over from a tall tree, landing directly on her head.

    "..."

    ¡­ What are the chances? Amanises lampooned at her own bad luck even as the Lady of Misfortune, and shook off the snow from her head. She looked back at Klein, who covered a laugh, an action which caused the demonic wolf to crack a smile and then let out a chuckle. It had been a couple of months since the two had embarked on their adventure, with a natural result of the duo warming up to each other''s presence.

    They began to walk once more through the snowy tendura planes, while looking at the cloudy sky, with orange bright rays penetrating in some places, giving the sky as a whole, an holy look. Klein sighed looking at the cloudy figure of the sun, that was tucked behind by clouds. "His" influence is growing¡­ He thought, as a gentle cold breeze hitted his face, prompting Klein to shiver.

    "You should probably wear a head cap. Your ears and cheek are red." Just as Amanises said that, she tilted her head, gazing at Klein, who appeared quite pretty due to his bright red facials, and his snowy fair skin. "And your nose too. Your nose is red." Klein in response, shook his hands in front of his face, and nonchalantly said with a smile, "I get it¡­ I get it." The top hat on his head suddenly changed shape, as it turned into a pikachu head shaped cap that covered his ears.

    A Pokemon fan¡­ If only, I could pull my card collection from the historical void... Amanises felt solemn and displayed it adequately on her face. Klein noticed her expression, and tilted his head in confusion. Before he could have asked her anything regarding her weird expression, his spirituality triggered prompting him to look in a certain direction in the forest.

    "That¡­" Amanises had also seemingly sensed the strange attraction that had triggered both of their spirituality. Without exchanging words, they both advanced with caution towards the ominous attraction. In just a few moments, they reached an abandoned stone ruin, with moss and cobwebs covering its weathering form.

    This was a shocking matter for even Klein!

    "Stone ruin? Didn''t you say these planes are mostly untouched?" Amanises questioned, before pausing. Yeah¡­ He said ''Mostly''. Realization dawned on her, while Klein who was about to explain himself noticed her enlightened expression and opted to remain silent.

    A Stone ruin is pretty weird¡­ Also the strange pull coming from here¡­ Could it be that it has medium to high level characteristics of Fool, Error, or Door? This wasn''t a surprise for Klein, as he and Amanises had repeatedly encountered mid to high sequence characteristics monsters on their journey, with most of them being a mix of various non-neighbouring pathways.

    Without entertaining a talk, the duo walked inside the stone ruin, with Klein wishing away the cobwebs and moss layering the place. Soon, they noticed various decayed skeletons, resembling that of various races. The ruin itself was not too big, hence it didn''t take too long for Klein and Amanises to completely explore the entirety of it. Yet, they were unable to identify the source of the Mystical attraction.

    Suddenly, Amanises felt her weight decrease, as she looked down and noticed herself floating on top of a void hole. Almost immediately, her figure disappeared from the spot, reappearing a few feet away from the void hole, the surroundings darkness quickly gathered in spot, cloaking it entirely.

    The Darkness then began to shatter, as the void hole was completely melted away. Amanises didn''t melt just a hole, but the very deception of space that was applied on her! She was Deceived! The deception came along with an illusion, to mask the fake as real, making her feel like she was about to fall into the void, in spite of it not even being a real hole.

    The Darkness around her quickly began to expand, covering the whole ruin in a matter of seconds. Amanises looked down and clicked her tongue, as the darkness immediately melted away the entirety of ruin, skeletons within it, and even the figure of Klein, though it quickly turned into melted pieces of paper. Amanises didn''t stop there, as she controlled the darkness, expanding it into a large area outside the abandoned ruin, and melted and vanquished the whole area.

    From the darkness, her serene figure quickly took form, with her eyes devoid of the usual serenity that accompanied them. As she now stood in front of a staff, inlaid with gems, with the most brightest one presenting a bluish hue that shined on her face, she quickly retraced her vision as instead of the gems inlaid staff, there now stood, a figure of "Klein" himself. "He" raised "His" hand, as a door of light appeared at Amanises figure, entangling with her, locking her in a place. But then, the door of light damped, as the bright light that shone through it was converged by the darkness that gathered and poured through the door of light swiftly melting it to nothingness, with Amansies figure melting into darkness. "Klein" witnessing this, raised "His" hand once more, as more doors of lights swiftly appeared all around, yet just as fast as they appeared, they were quickly melted into nothingness.

    "Klein" suddenly felt countless gazes land on "Him" at once. "He" felt intense terror, and at the same time, an extreme feel of calm washed over "His" body, as before he could even react, "His" entire figure was torn apart by the surrounding darkness, with "Him" being unable to even use paper substituents. But then, from the torn apart body of "Klein", the staff inlaid with gems reappeared!

    This Klein, Amanises had fought and overpowered, was but a mere illusion that was turned real through the use of deception at conceptual level. Before, the staff could conjure anymore tricks, the darkness around it churned, as a fair hand took hold of the staff. Amanises, who was about to pounce over at the staff, stopped herself, as she looked over at the man whom the fair hand belonged to. Another Klein.

    Amanises quickly controlled the darkness, as it took a material form of a spear, launching itself onto Klein, only for the spear to suddenly halt as it was unable to penetrate the thick grayish white fog enveloping Klein''s figure, like a cocoon. The greyish white fog then expanded, overcoming the darkness around them, quickly engulfing the entire area. As soon as the greyish white fog made contact with Amanises figure, who was unable to dodge it due to the darkness around her having been consumed by the fog, she felt a wave of calm wash over her. Her thoughts became clear once more, as the serene calm returned in her eyes.

    What the? Amanises felt her clouded mind becoming clearer, as she remembered her previous action. She noticed the fog churning, as it soon disappeared, letting her take a look at the havoc she had wreaked. The entire 10 km radius surrounding the once abandoned ruin, was completely and utterly destroyed. Trees, ground, snow, everything appeared completely melted, with a black hue at the edges of what was left of them. The ground appeared completely ploughed, and the once abandoned ruins had nothing left of them. It appeared as if there was simply never a ruin there.

    This caused her eyes to widen and her mouth to hang open. What the??? Wait, what happened to me there??! Amanises was confused, beyond baffled. She turned her head towards Klein, who wore a look of amusement, and confusion. "I swear on my life, I have zero idea what happened to me!" She tried to explain herself, before being shunned away by Klein''s waving hand. "No, it''s not your fault. Don''t worry about that."

    Klein consoled her, before habitually beginning to analyze. In fact, it''s a little weird. For a goddess as serene and calm as her, that act of irrationality is out of character. Not even the Evernight Goddess had ever acted that immaturely¡­ Well, I have never seen her fight, but still.

    Klein had a vague guess regarding her condition, which he considered to be the likely case. He then took note of her spoiled mood. Sighing, he walked towards Amanises, whose head hung low as she was pondering over her sudden loss of calm, when she suddenly felt a hand pat her head. "Now, now, it''s okay. Sometimes we all get carried away." Klein grinned, as he took notice of the sudden moment of her tail. Amanises ears twitched, as she flinched away from him. "I may act like a dog at times, but that doesn''t equate to me being an actual dog damnit."

    Klein chuckled, as he raised his hand to tip his tophat, only to remember he wasn''t wearing one. Awkwardly laughing again, he put his hand against his chest, and gave a bow. "Sorry. I just thought it would lighten your mood a little, which it seems to have." Amanises opened her mouth to refute, before shutting it again. ¡­Damn it. I need a human body, how much more time would it take!

    She turned her gaze towards the staff, inlaid with gems, and slowly asked. "What is this thing?" Klein, without turning his head, answered. "I suppose you should be aware of artifacts. This is one such artifact belonging to Sequence 3: Mentor of Deceit and Sequence 4: Lie." Klein paused, as he extended his hand and pulled a gold coin from the historical void. Chuckling, he tossed the coin in the air, as his pupil dilated. The coin spun around in mid air, before landing back in his palm, and disappearing. Klein''s pupil also returned to normal, as he began to speak again. "It has living characteristics and has the capability to create various illusions, and make them seem real through deception. This deception is at a conceptual level, so even the effects are simulated to a certain extent. It first conjured the old trick in the book, simulating falling. Before conjuring an illusion of me from your memory. Of course, the illusions, especially at my level, are quite inaccurate, which is the reason you were able to get rid of it without much trouble."

    Amanises took note of the artifact, and nodded. Since my head wasn''t clear, I wasn''t able to discern the real Klein¡­ I suppose visually, the artifact can create a 1 to 1 replica¡­ Also, Mentor of Deceit? Amansies didn''t hold back on her curiosity and simply asked, "What pathway does Mentor of Deceit correspond to?"

    "Marauder." Klein replied. Marauder¡­ Seems fitting for a pathway named Marauder to have deceiving abilities, even more fitting when you consider that it is one of the pathways of Lord of Mysteries¡­ Actually now that I think about it, don''t Giant''s also have similar abilities?! Amanises thought to herself and nodded calmly.

    Klein looked at the staff, before looking back at Amanies. "Wanna name it?" Amanises interest was instantly piqued, as she pondered for a moment, before replying. "Lie." Klein smiled and nodded as the staff disappeared from his hand, appearing above the gray fog, within the ancient majestic palace.

    Lie had officially become the first member of Klein''s junk pile.

    Klein sighed, as he looked around at the destroyed expanse of land. He extended his hands, and spoke out loudly. "I wish for this place to return to how it was before." Just as Klein declared his wish, the surroundings churned, as the melted trees began to grow back at an abnormal rate. The melted snow quickly took back its original form, covering back the ploughed ground. In just a few moments, the place had returned back to how it was before Klein and Amanises''s arrival, with the exception of the ruins.

    This was because there was simply nothing left of them, not even pebbles. A miracle could not bring back what was lost in history. For Klein to be able to do that, he would have had to separate the past from present, something he was incapable of at the moment. Hence, he made the decision to leave it be.

    Amanises witnessed the miracle and felt somewhat relieved. I should stay away from fights¡­ She had also guessed by this point as to the reason behind her previous actions, which only served to increase her annoyance. "Shall we get a move on. Tingen city isn''t too far away from here." Amanises nodded, as she and Klein began to move on again, not before Amanises took another look back at where the ruins used to be.

    Used to be.

    ¡­

    "Have you¡­"

    Far away from any land, in a distant part of the sonia sea, a figure with pointy ears, blue eyes, blue hairs, and fair skin that was covered by exotic mystical beast leather, deeply spoke in elvish, his voice becoming distant at the end. This was a Calamity Elf, one of the many subsidiary gods of the Elven King, the Tyrant whose supreme reign united the skies and seas.

    Besides this Calamity, was a giant scaleless serpent, with dense patterns and complicated symbols representing godhood at its surface. Each symbol, while difficult to discern, seemingly represented a different shaped wheel that spun around slowly, representing the various future possibilities.

    "Yes. I have wondered as to why the Queen''s arrangements never allowed us to venture deep within human territory." The Scaleless serpent followed after the Calamity, as "His" tail wriggled, coiling around "His" own body. The Calamity remained silent, seemingly contemplating over "His" Queen''s numerous arrangements.

    "Well, the biggest reason must be because of those Envoys of Death! Those wretched, oily and puss filled giant birds keep loitering around the Lord''s territory, opening those annoying doors leading to everywhere! All the more reason why destroying their skeletal wings is my favourite pastime!" The Calamity Elve roared in Elvish, "His" tone carrying a deep sense of hatred, excitement and cruelty.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The Scaleless Serpent hissed. "And that is correct. If we don''t take care of those giant birds, then who will? The Giants are busy with dragons, while the Sanguines are busy with Mutants. The lower ranks can not handle that many just through "borrowing". They require "Us" to descend. And if the Lord "Himself" or the Queen have to step foot on the battlefield, then we may as well let the river of fate drown us for having failed the sole purpose of our lives."

    The Calamity Elf nodded, sharing the sentiment. "He" then began to think over again, a rare thing for a hot headed Elf like "Him", before turning "His" head back towards "His" ally. "When was the last attack?" "He" asked, to which, the scaleless serpent hissed once more, "His" giant tail moving around like it had a life of its own.

    "It has been quite a long while since we last suffered an attack from "Them". Why? Do your hands itch?" "He" spited openly, earning a deep but sinister chuckle from the Calamity that stood beside "Him". "I seek to bring forth a Calamity in this world. Those Envoys have not returned for a while now. Considering how close we are to the shores, and from how much trouble we have received from those Humans. How about it? It wouldn''t take too long to wipe them out.

    "An Umutable Calamity that befalls upon all those that oppose The Tyrant! "He" will be nothing short of pleased!" The Calamity Elf broke into a maniacal laughter, imagining the Tyrant commending "Him" for getting rid of a long term hindrance. Curiously, the surroundings seemed to resonate, as if the world''s rules and laws were bending with "His" wild emotions.

    The Scaleless Snake was unperturbed by this as "He" simply scoffed. "Or you will get executed. You are walking over the Queen''s arrangement."

    "I am aware of that. But think about it¡ªif we got rid of those humans on the shore, then we would finally be able to occupy that large piece of land. So much territory to rule over. The end results will justify the means!" The Calamity spoke loudly. "His" voice once more affecting the multitude of realms overlapping "His" surroundings. "Even if we may be stepping over the Queen''s arrangement, we are doing it for the greater good of our race. The Queen will understand our point of view!"

    The Scaleless serpent remained silent for the longest of time. Seemingly in thought, while the symbols resembling a wheel churned and turned, completing one full rotation. "His" tail spun around before coiling itself completely like a spiral. The tail soon retracted itself, while the Snake of Mercury narrowed "His" gaze, and proclaimed in a deep voice. "A True Calamity will soon sweep upon the enemies."

    It was a prophecy. A vague prophecy.

    The Calamity Elf''s lips curled upwards. Without wasting another moment, "He" turned around, and walked away, seemingly to gather an army.

    It didn''t take too long as the scaleless serpent quickly heard synchronised steps behind him. Turning "His" body, "He" saw the Calamity Elf walking towards "Him", behind was a sizable army of Elves of varying strength. But the Scaleless Serpent quickly discerned most of them to be at higher rankings (Around Sequence 5-4).

    Nodding, the Scaleless serpent''s body began to morph before taking the shape of an Elf that was slightly taller than the Calamity Elf, "His" hair was ruffled while his deep blue eyes had a wheel-like pupil.

    Sighing, the Snake of Mercury took a deep breath and dived into the ocean, followed by Calamity and other Elves. The Calamity Elf stretched "His" hands outwards at the vast sea expanse, as giant waves began to take form. Suddenly a giant whirlwind blade took form just beneath the Elves, engulfing all of them, as they began to traverse through the sea at supersonic speed.

    Giant waves, tornados, earthquakes, and even the sky shattered, as various calamities quickly took form one after another, lining themselves as they approached towards the shore at high speeds. The humans standing by, quickly took notice of the sudden attack approaching their way, as one of them went inside the tents, soon coming back with a middle aged, blue-haired man. Leodero.

    Leodero witnessed the approaching calamities and felt his heart sink. Quickly, he controlled the wind and began flying while reinforcing his dominion, forming various wind blades, high rising waves, rain storms, and a multitude of natural disasters, before clashing all of them with the approaching Calamities in a bid to stop them. Yet, it instantly proved futile, as the approaching calamities were not only unhindered by this, they even incorporated them into their forms, seemingly multiplying and growing in intensity.

    Before Leodero could make any further moves, the ground beneath him began to shake, prompting him to turn his head back down. Immediately various cracks produced from the earth, increasing in size as the earth began to split apart! The men standing on the fissuring ground quickly moved as they made distance away from the increasing cracks.

    Of course, not all of them were as quick-witted as the others. Some among the many, specifically those at lower sequence, were unable to react in time, causing them to fall into the cracks! Panic and fear quickly took over, as these helpless men stretched their arms out in an attempt to grab on to anything. Yet fate was cruel. Whatever they held on to broke after them, and whoever grabbed on to his falling ally only magically slipped after dooming the both of them.

    Leodero, watching this, quickly diverted his attention and controlled the wind, catching on to as many people as possible. He turned his head and looked at the approaching calamities and then back at his allies. His gaze grew heavier as an internal strife occurred in his mind.

    Try to stop the approaching calamities or save his Allies.

    Leodero had to make a decision and he had to make one fast. He gritted his teeth, contemplating, it was either the lives of many that will be lost once the calamity hit the shore, or the lives of those few that will be lost from falling inside the very land. His expressions twisted further and further, as his body began to shake uncontrollably.

    The calamity approaching towards the shore only took a more deadlier and deadlier form, looking to completely tear the entire shore apart. The earthquakes intensified in strength, causing the cracks to become widen. Eventually, the cracks developed into full ravines, swallowing everything at the shore, sand, water, and the various tents that were set up. More and more people began to fall in the newly created ravines, which caught Leodero''s attention as he controlled the wind, catching more people.

    It was at that moment, Leodero made his decision. Along the lines of the shore, the water began to rise upwards, eventually reaching the clouds themselves. Whereas at the shore, a windy tornado took shape in mid air, the winds swayed all those that had fallen in the large ravine safely throwing them further away from the shore into the forest behind it, many kilometers away.

    Leodero''s decision was pretty simple. He chose both. By creating a giant tornado, he threw away all his men far back into the forest, while erecting a water wall behind him, to potentially give him a singular moment to face the impending Calamity head on. He would not retreat.

    Leodero immediately turned around, as he witnessed the giant Calamity storm colliding with the water wall he had erected. The water wall upon collison was instantly destroyed, crumbling back into the ocean. Leodero''s gaze settled on top of the calamity storm, as he looked over at a figure radiating oppression and fearuring pointy ears, blue eyes, and blue hair. The Calamity Elf.

    From beneath the ocean, more Elves began to emerge from the waters, each of which Leodero recognized to be quite formidable. He remained motionless as the calamities were approaching one after the another, ready to hit shore any moment, while the Elves that had come with the calamities, began to advance towards him.

    Leodero took a deep breath, before exhaling, and readying himself for what was about to come. He manipulated the wind, and water to try and resist the Calamity storm heading the shores way when suddenly¡­

    The Calamity storm dissipated.

    It wasn''t just the calamity storm, but every other calamity that had been created by the Calamity Elf soon dissipated! Not a single one of them hit the Shore. Even the constant earthquakes had stopped. Leodero was surprised by the sudden halt in the impending attacks and looked up at the Calamity Elf, only to see the latter wearing the same look of surprise, and puzzlement.

    It was as if the very concept of Calamity was shattered from this plane. All Calamities throughout the world had halted.

    Then, Leodero''s eyes suddenly narrowed as a bright light flashed the area, causing him to hoist his hands upwards, putting them against his eyelids. Adjusting his vision, he looked back up, not at the Calamity Elf, but at the sky itself. The sky that usually held hundreds of dense clouds in this area, suddenly began to clear up as more and more bright rays penetrated into the dark atmosphere, reflecting the blue expanse of sea.

    As Leodero came to witness, in just a few moments, the sky had completely cleared up with The Bright Blazing Sun pulsating its illumination on to this sea, onto the land behind Leodero, shining over the very figures of Elves and Human alike. A rainbow came out of nowhere shining brightly in the sky, complimenting its appearance. It was a beautiful, almost enchanting spectacle, almost as if "Gods" had gazed upon this battlefield.

    And the "Gods" have decided to favour this measly Human, as Leodero noticed the sea trembling. Before he or the Elves that had also noticed the anomaly, could make any further sense of this situation, a giant hand emerged from the sea. Leodero immediately backed away, expecting it to be another attack, which proved true, except the attack was not meant for him.

    As the giant hand made of water emerged from the sea, it was followed by a shoulder, a head, neck, and chest. In just a few moments, what had emerged from the sea, was simply not describable. It appeared to be a giant body made of water, a titan whose lower half appeared to be submerged under the sea, while the other half the length of the sky itself. His "Jaw" was hanging low from its "head", so low to the point of touching the sea itself. While its giant arms flung around, caughting the Elves at the bottom of the sea. The Calamity Giant took who had been frozen from bearing witness to a "Calamity" larger than one "He" had seen in "His" entire life, took notice of this, but before "He" could have made a move, a blood curdling scream resounded through the air, as the arm emerged back from under the sea, this time dyed in crimson red.

    It opened its palms, letting the dead mutilated corpses of Elves fall into the ocean, The charred corpses appeared to have been struck by lightning over and over until the very bones had been burned to crisp. The arms then turned towards the Calamity Elf, the latter instantly felt fear, alongside a crazy tyrannical aura, one akin to that of the Tyrant "Himself".

    "His" mind was plagued by intense fear, as "He" turned around and tried to run away from this "Calamity". Suddenly, before the Calamity Elf could even react, one of the hands of the "Calamity" had gotten hold of the lower half of "His" figure, instantly crushing it, causing the Calamity Elf to feel a wave of pain. This immediately caused the rest of his figure to deform into what appeared to be a sea creature full of tentacles, but half the part of his body was absent.

    It was a ugly creature, and a slippery one at that. As it tries to make use of the slipperiness of its body to potentially try to escape, yet, it resulted in failure as the "Calamity" closed his hands on the creature, and before the Calamity Elf could even fathom his situation, his entire body was crushed. The Calamity Elf had hopelessly perished, unable to even put up any resistance against the True "Calamity". A Tyrant.

    "A True Calamity will soon sweep upon the enemies." The Prophecy had not described their victory, but indicated an inevitable failure, and the death that was soon to deliver onto them.

    Leodero was speechless, even beyond, senseless. His ears rang with the sounds of his own heartbeat beating, while his body trembled under the Tyrannical Aura that was radiated from the "Calamity" that stood before him, yet strangely, he also felt himself relaxing from under the warm rays of the sun. Suddenly, the "Calamity" before him trembled before exploding into a droplet of water that soon merged back with the sea, but Leodero''s gaze remained fixed on the spot where the "Calamity" previously stood.

    Only after a long time did he raise his head and look at the bright, eternally pulsating sun, its golden rays providing warmth to the entire world, hoisting life itself under its gaze. Leodero did not know of the emotions he was feeling, confusion, frustration, fear, enlightenment, happiness, sadness. He felt an influx of every emotion that dared to split apart his very psyche at any moment. Suddenly, Leodero noticed the land that had split apart from the earthquakes, began to sew itself back together, and just as he could have tuned his head to look at the insane development, the land was as good as untouched. The sea settled itself back down, while the sky remained clear with bright sun shining its rays upon the land and the ocean.

    Leodero landed back down on the ground, looking at the vast expanse of sea before him. He clasped his hands, closed his eyes and lifted his head to look at the Forever Brightening Sun.

    For the longest time, Leodero maintained his position, as a bright bluish sphere, with lightning strikes occurring within the sphere, was dropped in front of him. Leodero, opened his eyes, looking over at the bluish sphere. The Calamity Characteristic.

    ¡­

    "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."

    ¡ªQuote By John Milton.

    In the vast expanse of a clear sea, the bright sky that stretched outwards towards infinity, the small or large islands that stood like dots when watched from above. The magnificent, mighty scaled dragons soared above in the sky, that laid bare before their very eyes.

    In the City of Miracles, Livesyed, the divine kingdom belonging to The Dragon of Imagination. A realm that solely belongs to the dragons, a place where no corruption could uphold, no truth could be hidden, no lie could be spoken. It was a city where the mind itself laid bare. And laid in a place, inaccessible to most.

    Then, Why was this marvelous city now in chaos? Because, the dragons became incapable of soaring in the sky. It was a situation never seen before, never heard of, and never imagined. The City of Miracles, situated within the mind realm, was an incredibly hidden, and near impossible to access place. After all, no one except the dragons had the ability to navigate deep within the sea of collective subconsciousness. Yet, despite their imaginations, reality turned out beyond expectations.

    The, oh so mighty, forever unyielding dragons, the kings of sky that ruled over the chaos of the mind, had been affected by the chaos of this very realm. The ushering madness that enveloped many of the dragons'' minds, had put the city on a tether of destruction, leaving no choice for the Dragon of Imagination and "His" kins, to consult "His" very people himself.

    The Bright Sun Illuminated the realm, brightening over the City of Miracles. It was abnormal yet incredibly normal. The Sun that should have never been looming over the city, was suddenly there, casting its rays over the madness stricken dragons, providing them a gentle warmth, and a relief that was beyond imaginable.

    Why had the Sun suddenly appeared? No one knew the answer. Yet, it was very clearly a declaration. The cogs had begun to make a turn, the clock hand had moved by a unit, the trends of time had undergone a change.

    All because of a brightly, illuminating, forever blazing, sun.

    ¡­

    "The Sky is different."

    The God of Puppets, Antigonus uttered in a low distant voice, as if in a revervie. This relatively short demonic wolf stood at the balcony of his mansion, watching over the entire Demonic wolf settlement, more specifically at the distant black chapel, at the centre. The thick greyish white fog that enveloped the whole place, tucked the ancient black chapel behind it, while the crimson shone brighter as ever.

    That should have been the case. But, weirdly enough it wasn''t.

    The Crimson moon that always shone atop the demonic wolf settlement, casting its illumination to the entire expanse, that was of Evernight demonic wolf, had visibly dimmed. The Sky that was enveloped in a black curtain, had a faint tint of blue in it. The thick greyish white fog that envelope the space for as far as Antigonus'' eyes could see, had become ever so slightly darker in colour, bearing with it an aura of degeneracy and corruption.

    Merely staring at the white expanse of fog gave Antigonus a mad headache. Not only that, "He" felt "His" spirit body and his shadow wanting to become one and whole, which caused "Him" to wish to ask Malantha, "His" sister, to conceal himself, so as to not be affected by the weird nature of the fog. Regardless, "He" didn''t dare stare for too long as "He" turned "His" gaze to look at the very slightly bluish sky, and the dimmed crimson moon that shone, not so brightly, in the sky. What is happening¡­ Antigonus couldn''t help but think to himself, as "He" recalled the various anomalies that had occurred in the past couple of months, starting with "His" birthday where "He", as well as the other subsidiary gods, had all lost their memories of the day, memories they still haven''t been able to recover. Antigonus had initially tried to wish for "His" memories to return to "Him", but not only did the wish result in failure but a greyish white fog would also envelop "His" vision. Not only that, their "livestock" had also disappeared entirely.

    This was followed by the sudden appearance of giant barriers made of thick greyish white fog, that had ensued chaos in the entire settlement. Initially it was thought to be an attack from the Giant''s king due to the memory loss "He" and the other subsidiary gods have suffered from, but was quickly dismissed due to "His" master belief of it being related to an existence that had control over Sefirah Castle.

    Antigonus himself never understood what Sefirah Castle truly was. Just that, it was equivalent to an existence or an artifact that was way above gods level. Due to the importance, the King of Demonic Wolves had placed on this mystical castle of sorts, a large part of the Demonic wolves pack, while some Subsidiary gods such as Salinger, and Amanises, had been deployed out of the settlement in order to search and investigate on behalf of their master.

    Amanises¡­ Antigonus'' ears twitched, as "He" closed "His" eyes, remembering her pretty face. "He", Kotar, and Malantha had stayed behind so as to guard the settlement in case of a well timed enemy attack. Well¡­ At least, "He" and Malantha had stayed for this reason, Kotar only stayed behind because "He" was too lazy and because the outside world was scary.

    Coward¡­ Antigonous commented, remembering the hideous face of Kotar, which alway brought forth an urge to turn "Him" into "His" puppet. Ever since "His" birthday, there hadn''t been an occurrence of another "Visible" anomaly. In reality, numerous small changes, such as with the dimming of the surrounding darkness had occurred. The sky had gained a tint of blue, the crimson moon had dimmed in brightness, and the fog that enveloped the place had gained a corruptive, almost degenerative aura. There was also Flegrea''s worsening condition, which was slowly accelerating, prompting the King of Demonic wolves to become increasingly unstable, causing "His" kin, as well as the entire race to suffer from "His" corruption, causing irrationality and bad temper.

    Antigonus couldn''t help but narrow "His" gaze, sighing, as he looked back at the ancient black chapel, fixing "His" gaze at it for a moment, before turning "His" body back around, and walking back inside "His" mansion. I just hope whatever may be in the future doesn''t affect me and my sister¡­ And Amanises too much.

    "He" thought, controlling "His" marionettes, preparing a scrumptious meal with whatever "He" may have left. As "He" went inside, "He" failed to take notice of a giant looming shadow, seemingly erupting from the Astral World itself, casting its darkness on the demonic wolf settlement¡ªOn the ancient black chapel.

    ¡­

    The Bright sun was troublesome.

    Its glow that burned away all evil and got rid of all corruption, wasn''t a good thing for those that wielded curses, and evil. The Devils fled in fear, with their bodies burning under the bright illumination of the sun, suffering mutation as it washed away their curses. The Abyss and corruption fought against the sun''s sudden purification, and some times, it seemed to push forward while others times, it fled away unable to withstand the radiance from the bright ball of warmth. The Devil Monarch wasn''t happy with such a development, as "He" increased "His" search for the Abyss.

    The Mutants remained within the spirit world, not daring to step outside, as the fear of being burned alive washed over their every being. In a way, they had been trapped within the spirit world, incapable of stepping outside, no matter how much they tried to fight against the sun''s purification, all their efforts resulted in utter failures, with not even Mutant King able to "chain" it completely. They had been hopelessly contained.

    In the Giant''s king court, the light of dawn grew deeper, with the King himself gazing at the Eternally pulsating ball of light. A beautiful spectacle that seemed to signify glory beyond his, as well as holiness. While the phoenixes stopped their assaults, illusory doors closed everywhere around the world, to escape the illumination from the sun, but even more so, the gaze of the all seeing eye, present on the sun''s surface followed. It was invisible, yet every Sequence 0 and even a certain King of the King of Angels, was able to sense the Omniscient gaze that witnessed everything in the world at once.

    It witnessed the flourishing kindness, the struggles of mankind, the cruelty of Mythical Races, and a developing relationship between two mythical creatures. It witnessed everything; every sin, every sinner, every corrupt ruler to the smallest of slaves¡ªfor nothing was hidden to the bright omniscient sun.

    The Bright blazing sun.

    ¡­

    Amanises was delighted. Watching over, just a few meters away from them was the newly established Tingen City. It had been months over months since they began their journey together, to finally at the end reach Tingen. "So, was it worth it?" Klein asked while laughing in delight. It had been a long while, since he had to physically travel to some place. He was no longer wearing a jacket, and instead his normal clothing, with his tall tophat.

    "Every second." Amanises smiled while replying, as they both began to make their way towards Tingen. Klein Concealed their figures through the use of illusions, so as to not startle the city''s individuals. Just as they were about to reach the city, both Klein and Amanises, as well as the inhabitant of Tingen, came to notice crimson creeping in. Klein felt a chill run down his spine, as he looked up at the sky, his eyes widening immediately.

    There, in the sky, was a large, extremely bright crimson moon, its glow creeping in, overpowering the bright rays of the sun, as the crimson enveloped the whole area ¨CNo. The whole world. It was a true Blood Moon, one that enveloped the entirety of the world in it, as the crimson descended everywhere, giving respite to the various Mythical Races that were affected by the bright glow of sun.

    Klein, coldly looked at the crimson moon, as he began to contemplate. While Amanises was perturbed by the abnormal glow of crimson moon, and by the cold temperament of Klein towards it. Both of their trains of thoughts were cut short, as a bright light shone atop of them. This time, Klein truly was surprised.

    As the crimson began to be overshadowed by the bright golden rays of sun, that was right behind the crimson moon. The environment quickly shifted, as the world that was bathed in crimson, was now enveloped by the hue of an orange light. The crimson and bright rays came to mix together, as what was once a blood moon had now developed into a solar eclipse.

    A Solar Eclipse! Klein was baffled.