Ralph smiled, "This might not be the right time, and maybe it's just part of my imagination. However, I want to apologize to all of you, the people I consider family, you experienced this because of me." He quickly expressed his regret, different from before. Now the word apologize had a deeper meaning, and it would become the foundation for his thoughts.
The corpses in front of him then looked at Ralph with gentle smiles before disappearing into the dark of the night.
Ralph found himself standing in front of the All-seeing Eye church, holding his dying daughter.
"Oh, my little girl. Forgive your father for not being able to save you," he said softly, looking at the face of his little daughter, whom he hadn't seen for years, gazing at the innocence of that little baby. Ralph shed tears, but this time they did not come from anger and despair but from a blessing and relief to see his daughter's face one last time.
At that moment, a small hand touched his nose. Sarah Hume, chuckling, looked adorable as if all her illness had vanished, she caressed her father's cheek and nose. Ralph laughed and followed that thread of imagination.
In front of a burning house, Ralph approached a charred figure.
Holding the figure's cheek, he smiled bitterly, "You blame me... That's fine. But, at least I want our quarrel to end, do you think that's a good idea?"
"You killed me!" The figure exclaimed.
Ralph hugged the figure, the remnants of the fire began to burn him too.
"I promise not to let Eloise suffer the same fate as you, so please, forgive me for being a bad husband, a bad father."
"We never said goodbye properly..." Ralph paused for a moment then continued with a heavy heart, "Goodbye Margaret, I love you."
The figure in Ralph's embrace tried to resist and push away, but its strength was weaker. After a few seconds, the fire began to engulf Ralph.
The heat spread throughout his body, his clothes consumed by the flames.
At that moment, a silhouette of a woman enveloped the figure, as if revealing another part of herself, showing her true appearance vaguely before the tragedy.
A woman with wavy brown hair, captivating green eyes, and a radiant smile. She wrapped her charred arms around Ralph's waist. With a soft voice, she said, "As always, my anger is soothed by your warm embrace... Goodbye Ralph, give my regards to Eloise, I love you both."
...
On a stage, Ralph stood, his appearance returned to normal, without any signs of being burned. He wore a gentle and relieved smile.
Applause erupted accompanied by cheers from the illusory audience.
This is the circus...
He recalled Gareth's words, "There is only one way, and that is to accept the truth."
Ralph flipped the card in his hand, looking at the clown depicted on it, now turning its back on the world. At that moment, Ralph saw a contraction within the card, a strange wave of black ink, like a tide ready to sweep away the image. The clown in the card turned towards him, smiling broadly before being swept away by the ink tide.
The card dissolved into ash, disintegrated, and scattered into the air.
Ralph returned to a meadow where strange creatures gathered and lived in harmony. He felt a surge within him, vaguely a knowledge seeped into his mind.
This is mystical power...
In the next blink, he found himself in a vast hall where he stepped through a door with an open-eye symbol with a vertical line. Unlike before, this time he stepped into the hall, or rather out of the symbolic world.
At that moment, a majestic and deep voice echoed in the hall, making Ralph feel a warmth that almost made him lose his negative thoughts.
"You cursed your fate and even Me. I can't entirely blame you, but still, it is an insult."
"I understand the pain and suffering you experienced, but insult requires punishment."
Ralph couldn't discern the source of the voice, but he knew for sure, all this was related to his past despair, leading him to curse the God.
"What is my punishment?" Ralph asked, placing three fingers on his eyes and then moving them to his left chest.
The deep and majestic voice laughed, "Your life is your punishment, accept it."
Ralph was stunned, "Praise the All-Knowing!"
...
In the living room, Gareth waited patiently. Occasionally, he glanced at the window and the wall clock. The clock hands moved continuously, creating an eerie sound and making the atmosphere even gloomier. He was the one who brought Ralph to this path; if Ralph didn't return safely, he couldn't imagine the life Eloise, a six-year-old girl, would lead alone.
His worries soon disappeared as suddenly, the dust scattered on the floor right where Ralph had previously stood began to react. The dust swirled, forming a vortex before eventually merging, gradually forming Ralph's figure.
As Ralph realized he had returned home, a feeling of relief emerged in his heart. He removed his half-top hat and smiled calmly, trying to recall his last memories with the people who had left him.
Gareth waited for Ralph to adjust, then after nearly five full minutes, Gareth spoke up, "I'm grateful you returned safely."
Ralph nodded. "As you said, the process was indeed painful..." He said, recalling those memories.
"Now, you are officially an Anomaly, there is no turning back." Gareth reminded.
Ralph understood well. Instead of answering, he asked a question, "How long has it been?"
Gareth glanced at the wall clock, "Five hours."
For Ralph, in the symbolic world, it lasted less than thirty minutes. However, he did not question this anomaly; after all, he understood that there were no limits in the mystical world; anything could happen.
"How do you feel now?" Gareth observed Ralph's condition and then asked.
Ralph frowned slightly, "I can feel the mystical power within me, and I've gained some knowledge about it." He replied.
Gareth nodded, exhaling in relief. "Good, that means there are no complications... With that mystical power, you should now be able to see mystical creatures. Remember not to be too surprised when you see them."
Gareth took his hat while standing up. He looked at Ralph seriously, then asked, shedding his friendly demeanor to show the seriousness of his question, "Tell me once again, what is your goal in having mystical power?"
Ralph sat in the chair, looking up slightly to see the wise face of the middle-aged man before him. With strong consideration, Ralph answered firmly, "To become strong enough to remove the lingering negative influences on my fate," He hesitated for a moment and then continued, "And to make the entities behind my fate's misery face the consequences of their actions."
Gareth was not surprised by the grand goal; instead, he felt relieved. "An anomaly must have a great goal, even if it is something impossible..." He said casually.
Then he continued, "With you officially becoming an Anomaly, considering you gained that mystical power from me, as per our previous agreement, I will be your mentor, and in return, you will help me with tasks related to the mystical world,"
Ralph understood, he nodded confidently.
"To start, you need to know that I am part of an organization tasked with handling mystical disasters in the world, Six Truth. I have reported your case to the higher-ups, and you will become a member under my guidance." Gareth reminded again.
At their first meeting, when Gareth proposed this choice to gain mystical power, Ralph already knew about it. He no longer had doubts. As long as Ralph's conditions were met, which was that any help or actions he took to assist Gareth would not endanger his daughter.
"I understand." Ralph said firmly.
Gareth smiled in satisfaction, "Alright, as your mentor, I will give you your first task before involving you in handling mystical disasters."
Ralph waited.
"You need to learn the abilities you have gained as a Clown anomaly. It would also be good for you to learn to fight and make use of situations and conditions because in handling mystical disasters, combat is something unavoidable."
"And remember that the enemies are not limited to people misusing anomaly abilities but also dangerous mystical creatures."
Gareth wiggled his fingers in the air, as if opening a small tear. An object gradually appeared in his hand, a revolver with a mahogany grip with unique patterns, its metal part made of strong steel with a nickel coating, making the revolver shine under the night lantern.
Handing the revolver to Ralph, Gareth said, "This is an item prepared for you by the higher-ups at my request. Even though mystical power is already the best weapon one can have, in some situations, a firearm will be more useful."
"This is a regular revolver without any additional mystical power, but in the future, you can ask someone to modify it to add the effects you want."
"Remember that the side effect of the Clown mystical power is creating a condition where you will be laughed at. Most of these conditions will involve or be created by the people around you. I can imagine that people who see you will tend to have the urge to disturb your peace and may start to play tricks on you. This revolver will be the best self-defense against people without mystical power. Remember, only to scare, not harm. Of course, if circumstances force you to fire a bullet at someone, the resolution will depend on you. And there will be no punishment from the Six Truth; on the other hand, the police might be a different matter."
"Therefore, you need to hide your abilities and not stand out too much."
Ralph listened intently, calmly accepting the six-inch revolver with six bullet chambers.
This was Ralph's first time holding a firearm directly, considering how difficult it was to obtain a firearm license. Of course, for some people accustomed to getting involved in crime, they would tend to have illegal firearms.
After that, Gareth looked at the wall clock, took his gold-embellished cane, and said, "I will contact you again when I need help. In the meantime, I hope you are fully prepared to engage in combat."
He turned towards the door, before saying again, "Don't hesitate to ask for my help if you encounter problems; you know how to find me."
He walked, stepping towards the door, and it was as if an invisible cloak covered him, making him disappear instantly. Ralph did not show an excessive reaction; he knew that Gareth Linsite's mystical power was Concealment, which was in the Sealer path.