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Chapter 23 - Behind the door

Under the rain that blurred any view of the outside with several blurred buildings passing by, Klein and Leonard looked at each other for a few seconds without saying a single word.

Leonard broke the silence in a deep tone:

— That woman was Olive...

Olive... The same Olive he mentioned in the morning? The same one who was following me that day? Isn't that too much of a coincidence? Coincidence... — several thoughts arose amidst the horror that Klein felt.

— A few days ago, she was following me when the circus was in town. It was the same day that you and the Captain knocked on my door to interrogate me. I managed to lose her back then... — he said, trying to reorganize his mind.

Leonard leaned back in his seat without taking his green eyes off the fogged window.

He feared that perhaps someone could be following them.

— Did she have the notebook? I mean, if she followed you, she may have managed to get a gap to take the notebook without raising suspicion, for example, at some point when you and your brothers were not at home. — he gave his guess with a thoughtful expression on his face.

But if she took the notebook, who was the man who was losing control? And more importantly, did she lose control and shoot herself or did someone shoot her? — Klein wondered internally.

— That could be it... Olive was already in a somewhat crazy state when I saw her. — he didn't feel like sharing any more information until they reached the cathedral, his thoughts remained in the strange place of Hornacis peak until they finally arrived at the Church.

They didn't delay a second longer and entered the Church, going straight to the underground where they found Old Neil calmly drinking tea.

— What happened? You guys seem in a hurry... Did you find any Beyonders among the kidnappers? — he asked in a worried tone.

— Where's the captain? — Klein asked urgently.

— In his office, signing some paperwork. — Old Neil answered simply.

He just nodded before they hurriedly went to the room two corridors away.

 Leonard didn't even knock on the door, he opened it with force.

Dunn Smith, who was reading some documents, stopped to look at them with his cloudy gaze, he seemed somewhat surprised and serious.

— Did something happen in Elliot's case?

Klein sighed silently and said:

— The Antigonus family's notebook. It's in the apartment next to the kidnappers'.

With a serious expression on his face, Leonard narrowed his eyes, seeming to remember the things that had happened not long ago.

— Also, Olive from the case where the merchant Ulriah died, she died in front of us in the same apartment where the notebook is.

With a questioning look, Dunn Smith seemed thoughtful.

— Explain. — he said calmly.

— When we were about to leave, I sensed the notebook in the apartment next door along with a Beyonder on the verge of losing control, so we were almost leaving that street when we looked back at the window and saw Olive's head crack… She had a second face growing… In the end, there was a gunshot and the window was stained with blood. — Klein recounted in detail, leaving out only the part about the view of the Gothic cathedral of Hornacis.

There was no need for anyone to know about this anyway, it would only raise more suspicions about whether Klein was really sane.

— From what Klein said, Olive was following him the day we first questioned him. She was already on the verge of losing control. — Leonard added confidently. — If she was a Beyonder before, then she must have been the one who stole the notebook or was involved in it. 

 Dunn didn't ask for any more details, just told them to get Royalle to replace Old Neil on his shift and to bring Corpse Collector Frye with them.

...

As soon as they reached the street, Klein pointed to the apartment across from the kidnappers'.

— It's that one over there. — he said thoughtfully.

For some reason, there wasn't even a trace of blood. The window was perfectly fogged up by the rain as if nothing had happened.

When they got closer, Klein saw the door and activated his spiritual vision.

There was some kind of seal there.

— What a coincidence, it almost feels like we're going around in circles. — Leonard joked, however his face no longer had that frivolous demeanor it had before.

If it weren't for what Leonard said about the kidnappers not being occultists or anything like that, I would think there might be someone setting this up... But I still feel like something's wrong... — Klein thought internally. The doubt still remained in his heart as well as a chill.

 Leonard stepped forward and punched the doorknob, breaking it in his hands as he had done before.

 Klein felt the seal disappear.

 At the same moment, a rotten smell invaded everyone's nostrils, it was enough to turn their stomachs. 

Dunn didn't seem affected, he stepped forward and cautiously opened the door, with a gun in his hands.

 They saw a half-extinguished fireplace and right in front of it, in a wooden rocking chair, was an old woman with green skin and so swollen that she could probably explode.

 Her face was covered in protruding maggots and larvae that writhed back into her grotesquely torn face with dried blood. 

Suddenly, his index finger fell to the already rotten floor as well as his eyes that rolled across the floor.

 Seeing this, Klein felt strange for not having vomited yet or at least expressed anything other than something as mild as just feeling discomfort. 

 He remembered the corpse of that Sequence 5 who lost control and all the meaningless dreams, they were worse than this vision. 

Maybe it's because of everything that happened before... — he thought simply, not paying much attention to it. There were more important things after all. 

Old Neil gave a surprised look. 

— You really have a very strong mind not to have vomited, the first time I didn't even manage to complete the mission. — he spoke sympathetically. 

With his cold gaze, Frye assessed the woman carefully without touching the corpse. 

— She's in an advanced state of decomposition, dead for at least a week. To have reached this state, it's possible that she died supernaturally since there are no cuts or gunshot marks. 

Looking around, Leonard picked up a bloodstained pocket watch that was on a table in the corner. 

— Olive's body isn't here. There's only blood. — he spoke thoughtfully. 

— Leonard, call the police. — Dunn gave a gentle look — Klein, could you divine on this?

Klein nodded, taking out a paper he carried with him as well as a quill. He wrote the divination he wanted:

"Olive's Death."

 His consciousness sank into a sea of dreams. 

In front of the table was a man paralyzed like a statue, tears rolling madly down his face covered by a hood with only his mouth illuminated by the crimson moon above the heavens.

 In front of him, brutally thrown on the ground, was a woman with short, disheveled black hair that covered her expression of abnormal happiness, an exaggerated smile remained frozen on her bloody face. 

There were no nails on any of her nine blood-covered fingers, one grotesquely torn off and placed next to her body. 

Her blue-gray eyes seemed to have a hint of joy, with blood still flowing like a waterfall as well as in her mouth and ears. 

Her blue dress that reached her ankles was completely stained with a red and viscous liquid. 

 — Haaahahahahahahahha! 

— Hahahhaha! 

— HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHA! 

The man suddenly laughed. 

The corners of his mouth slightly curved, showing a hint of madness. 

— Don't forgive me or blame me, sister, after all, this was my choice and yours. 

— I-I… I'm sorry… 

— No… 

On top of the woman's body was a yellowed piece of paper with grotesque black letters and a phrase in Ancient Hermes: 

"Peek into the past, only to find that you cannot escape it." 

The dream shattered into several different pieces. 

What was that? — Klein wondered in a daze. His thoughts were inexplicably a little confused for a moment.

— Did you see something? — Dunn asked seriously. 

— Olive is really dead, she lost control… — Klein continued explaining the details of his vision. 

 — It seems there was nothing much besides that and the corpse. There was only a seal on the door that was forcibly removed. — Old Neil said somewhat skeptically.

When Leonard returned, he was accompanied by another brown-haired police officer.

The police officer sighed as he saw the scene inside the apartment. His voice sounded somewhat serious and confused:

— Katy Stefania Bieber has lived here for ten years. Two children, Ray Bieber who ran a good business and Olive Bieber. She worked in a library at Khoy University and in a fortune-telling club and earned a few pounds a week.

She worked at Khoy University... — Klein repeated these words in his mind. A cold shiver ran up his spine.

That was too much of a coincidence!

After some time, Old Neil drew the suspect's face using a ritual. They returned to Saint Selena Cathedral with the crimson moonlight under the sky.

...

Old Neil smiled.

— After this, The Secret Order will no longer try to look for you. Their focus will be on the whereabouts of Ray Bieber and Olive Bieber's corpse. Well, there's no need to worry about the notebook's disappearance either, since you weren't the one who sent it to Ray Bieber's house. 

— Who could have done this? — Klein asked, taking two tarot cards from the pile in front of him. 

— Who would have known? Maybe Ray and Olive Bieber are descendants of the Antigonus family or it could be because of his Life Path Number. — Old Neil laughed. 

— The Secret Order may still have doubts about the death of that member of the Secret Order, but he was probably low Sequence, so there's no need to worry. Even if he was in Sequence 7, His Excellency Crestet Cesimir was present that day, so they'll attribute that member's death to him. 

— The Order of Mysteries doesn't seem to want to show up either, maybe they're just silent spectators for now. They haven't shown any interest in participating in this fight, or maybe they're waiting for the best opportunity.

— Congratulations, now you can move on with your life outside the shadows of the past, you can move on with your life in the light.

 That's good, but I feel like there's something wrong… Something wrong with everything… — Klein thought silently in his heart.

— I hope that's true. — he said. Even so, he didn't have any confidence in his words.

Turning his gaze, he saw the cards he had drawn.

On it was an image of a goddess pouring holy water, with stars scattered across the background. However, the card was turned upside down.

"The Star."

In the second one, there was a man hanging by his left leg, from a gallows. His arms were crossed behind him.

"The Hanged Man."

Hearing his answer, the first thing Old Neil did was scoff.

— A devout believer would make the symbol of crimson light on his chest and say 'Praise be to the Lady.'

Klein put the cards back in the deck and retorted:

— And no devout believer of the Goddess would ever say to follow my path in the light.

They both laughed, making a symbol of the crimson moon on their chests.

Chapter 24 - Hunt

On Howes Street, Klein entered the Divination Club.

— Good morning, Mr. Moretti. — Angelica greeted him politely.

She explained a few things before saying:

— Mr. Hanass Vincent is explaining about astrolabe in the meeting room. If you want to listen, you can go there.

After some conversation, Klein headed to the room where there were five tables with four men and three women around a middle-aged man, Hanass Vincent.

He had obvious dark circles on his face. His hair was thick and each strand was as firm as a porcupine's.

Hanas Vincent gave a calm look to everyone gathered in the room.

— There's also mirror divination.

Uh… That's dangerous… — Klein focused on his next words.

With a smile, Hanass explained everything from beginning to end.

Luckily, it wasn't anything serious. He had merely described the conventional method of mirror divination that would result in a prayer to one of the Seven Orthodox Gods.

As soon as he activated his spiritual vision, Klein eventually realized that he could see Hanass Vincent's astral body!

There was a distorted, dark glow that almost replaced any other vision of the dark red color. It was calm, yet as inexplicable as endless darkness.

His astral body is completely deranged… This is worse than any madman I have ever seen normally. And that glint of worry… What a bizarre fellow, I seriously doubt that he is not some lunatic. — Klein silently evaluated in his heart. His eyes narrowed indiscernibly.

...

Port Enmat, in a bar.

With a smile on his face, Medici did not hesitate to look directly at the blond-haired man in front of him.

The blood-red-haired man did not take long to pick up the two papers that were on the table. One of them was filled with verses of poetry and the other was filled with symbols and complicated notes of information.

— Damn! Medici! What are you doing here? — Danitz asked irritably, his expression almost looking dazed.

What is this madman doing here?! Shit! Why do I have to find him when it's my turn to leave?! So that's why the captain gave me these papers… Couldn't it have been for Steel Skin or anyone else? Besides, shouldn't this guy be somewhere else in the world? — Danitz felt like he was perhaps a bit unlucky.

— Let me see… Guess. — Medici smiled as he looked at Danitz calmly.

Guess?! — Danitz cursed in his mind angrily.

— You… Anyway, why were you in such a hurry to get this information? You have an affair with someone from the Red Theater… — he was quickly interrupted by Medici who had mockery in his voice:

— Tell me, didn't you say you were going to declare your love to Edwina Edwards with a poem? Maybe I should send it to her through my messenger and help you out, okay? Have you signed your name on the paper yet? Hehe, I'll tell her you asked me to send it.

Danitz's face paled.

— If you have nothing else to say, goodbye. — Medici didn't wait another second before standing up. He left without looking back, leaving a frozen white Danitz with the drink in his trembling hands.

As he walked thoughtfully, he saw a familiar figure pass by him.

Not far away was a young woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her dark eyes had a cloudy layer, completely impassive.

She discreetly handed him some documents as if she were just walking and disappeared into the crowd without a trace.

Medici pulled the paper from his inside pocket, reading it quickly.

 — This brings me to Backlund again... — he muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The paper suddenly burst into flames, not even leaving its ashes.

...

Sea Sonia.

With the waves crashing into the sea, Alger sighed internally. His thoughts were hidden by his impassive expression.

Monday is coming... — he narrowed his eyes indiscernibly.

A young sailor approached, even though he tried to hide his curiosity, he couldn't completely.

— Captain, where will our destination be?

Alger turned and in a deep tone said:

— Hunt the Listener of the Aurora Order.

...

North Borough, in a relatively large mansion.

Solveig turned the doorknob calmly, entering without any apparent expression on her face.

The first thing she saw was her brother with his head resting on one hand while holding a quill with the other, writing something on the papers above the table.

 His white hair, a little longer than hers, was loose and tied in a few small braids.

His blue eyes, so clear they resembled a frozen lake, were looking at her.

— You arrived early. Father is already asleep, as are the younger ones. How was the search?

— Horrible, we didn't find anything. We kept going around in circles like last time. We just collected statements and came back with nothing. Besides, there was normal movement in the more stable areas of the West Borough. It seems like those people just disappeared suddenly… — Solveig narrowed her eyes. — Maybe they're just normal disappearances… 

Dain smiled, looking relieved.

— You really have grown up. Still, be careful of anything out there.

Solveig nodded slightly.

— And did everything go well at the meeting? 

He stopped writing. His expression gradually became strange.

— If I told you that a stone could grow wings and fly away, would you believe me? — Dain asked seriously.

— What? — Solveig frowned slightly, remembering everything she had seen — Yes? The world is strange...

Have you finally gone mad? Well, he never really had any idea... What does he mean by that? — She looked away, stunned.

Dain chuckled at her confused expression before composing himself. With a thoughtful look, he leaned back in his chair.

— Well, it's no secret to you that there are many things without explanation, like the ancient stories. If you ever find anything related to the beginning of the Fourth Epoch. Please don't think too much about the name of anything if you find something.

— It's just that things were strange. You'll understand as time goes on. After the defeat at Balam, it seems only a matter of time before a revolt breaks out in one of the colonies. The Church of Storms is getting more agitated than usual...

Listening to Dain continue speaking, Solveig had several thoughts.

The Fool... The next meeting will be some time in the future... Could this be the change of times He mentioned?

...

Silver City.

Derrick's eyes widened as he turned to the next page of the book he was reading.

He was trying to get more stories to give to the Fool, but since he didn't read much he had to spend a long time in the library.

After his first meeting at the Tarot Club, it was clear that there was a different world outside of the Silver City.

There is a sun, a moon, and even stars...

There is light and the sea...

We thought the Lord had blessed us... Has He abandoned us forever...?

Derrick almost froze in his thoughts.

The Fool is a deity... He has a mysterious and unfathomable presence... Does He know what happened to The Creator? The inhabitants of that Moon City worshipped Him, so perhaps... No, I shouldn't bother Him with that kind of question. — Derrick tried to stop thinking about such things. 

He turned his focus to the yellowed pages of the book in his hands. 

"Under the stormy skies, an endless light fell into thousands of pieces...

...

— By the way, look at this here. This is a newly appointed archbishop, Ince Zangwil. He stole a Sealed Artifact from St. Samuel's Cathedral, 0-08 some time ago. Memorize his face. If you ever meet him, just ignore him and come to me immediately, otherwise your chances of living will be below zero. — Dunn handed him the photo, looking somewhat thoughtful. 

It was the image of a man in a beret and clerical robe with dark blond hair. His eyes were so blue they looked more like black, but he was blind in one eye. His nose was upturned and his face was unwrinkled. 

Below was some information about him. 

 He stole a Sealed Artifact at rank 0... But what is 0-08? — Klein felt a little confused, and at the same time, apprehensive.

— 0-08... — he muttered, frowning slightly.

— 0-08 is like a feather, but it doesn't write. That's all you need to know. — Dunn Smith explained without giving any details.

This is almost close to the total number of Sealed Artifacts... How terrifying does this feather hav