A wave of excitement rippled through the group. The addition of Liam and his Harbinger, Essokinesis, would undoubtedly bolster their ranks.
"Let's go welcome him then," Dove said, a smile spreading across her face.
"I'll get him. He's waiting outside," I said, leaving the room with a sense of purpose.
I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, my footsteps echoing in the quiet building. The receptionist, who was just finishing up her shift, looked up in surprise as I approached.
"Mr. Xian? Are you leaving already?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Just for a moment," I reassured her with a smile. "I'll be back soon."
I pushed open the glass doors and stepped out into the cool night air. Liam was standing patiently by the entrance, his hands tucked into his pockets and a nervous smile on his face. Beside him, Essokinesis shimmered in and out of existence, his ethereal form a stark contrast to the solid concrete and steel of the cityscape.
"Hey, Liam," I greeted him warmly. "Thanks for coming."
Liam's smile widened. "Thanks... I've been waiting here for 10 minutes."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I... well, I didn't want to disturb you?" he replied, his voice hesitant.
I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's already inside."
I led Liam and Essokinesis back into the building, a sense of anticipation building within me.
***
Creak! The door opened, revealing me, Liam, and his Harbinger, Essokinesis, stepping into the office.
The Unveiled Family, gathered around the table, looked up in surprise as we entered. Their faces lit up with smiles as they saw Liam, their expressions a mix of welcome and curiosity.
Dove walked closer to him, extending her hand with a warm smile. "Welcome, I'm Domura Dove, the CEO of this building."
Liam, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention, shook her hand hesitantly. "I-It's an honor to meet you, Miss Dove," he stammered, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Essokinesis, ever the composed one, bowed gracefully. "Greetings, Domura Dove. I am Essokinesis, Harbinger to Liam."
"Ah, you again," Dove nodded, recognizing the Harbinger from their previous encounter.
"Alright, so we're currently researching our ancestor's book," I explained, gesturing towards the stack of papers on the table. "Essokinesis, you're an ancient being, aren't you? Would you happen to know anything about the pentagrams in the book?"
Essokinesis's ethereal form shimmered as he pondered the question. "Pentagrams, you say?" he mused, his voice echoing with ancient wisdom. "Indeed, I am familiar with such symbols. They are often used to channel and control magical energies, to bind or summon entities from other realms."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the pages of the open book. "Somehow I can read this, but halfway through, I can't. It seems... changed a lot."
A sense of unease settled over the group. The realization that the Seers had tampered with their ancestor's book, corrupting its sacred knowledge, filled them with a mix of anger and apprehension. The weight of their heritage, once a source of pride and guidance, now felt tainted, its true purpose obscured.
"They've defiled our history," Lili said, her voice laced with bitterness. "They've twisted our legacy for their own twisted purposes."
I nodded, my determination hardening. "We need to find a way to undo their damage, to restore the book to its original state."
"But how?" Yolan asked, her brow furrowed in thought. "We don't have the knowledge or the power to undo such ancient magic."
Essokinesis, driven by a newfound sense of purpose, leaned closer to the book, carefully examining the altered text. He held it up to the lamp, his ethereal eyes peering intently at the faint traces of erased words beneath the new inscriptions.
"...This book..." Essokinesis's voice trailed off, his eyes widening in shock.
The room fell silent, everyone's attention focused on Essokinesis. His usually calm demeanor was replaced by a look of intense concentration, his ethereal form flickering with an otherworldly energy. The air crackled with anticipation, everyone holding their breath, waiting for him to speak.
"What is it, Essokinesis?" I asked, my voice hushed with anticipation.
He slowly lowered the book, his gaze meeting mine with a gravity I had never seen before. "This book... it's how we prayed to the Fool God back then..."
A wave of astonishment washed over the group. The revelation that the book held the key to communicating with the Fool God, the very entity they believed Xian to be a fragment of, was both exhilarating and terrifying. The implications were staggering, the potential consequences both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.
"But... why would the Seers tamper with it?" Lili asked, her voice trembling slightly. The thought of such a sacred artifact being defiled sent shivers down her spine.
"To control it," Essokinesis replied, his voice grave. "To twist its power to their own ends. They fear the Fool God, but they also crave their power. By corrupting this book, they hoped to manipulate the prayers and rituals, to bend the Fool God's will to their own."
I felt a surge of anger, the realization of the Seers' audacity fueling my resolve.
"Wait, wait, wait... hold up, I'm so confused right now," I interrupted, my mind reeling from the influx of information. "So what's the truth? I've heard so many versions of our ancestor's story, about the Seers and the Unveiled. From my own family, I heard that the Seers wanted to kill us because they wanted to be the only ones with power. But then I found Nyi Roro Kidul, who said it was because the Unveiled's power was too dangerous. But now... huh... because the ancestor's book was a book to pray to me... the Fool God!?" I exclaimed, my confusion evident.
Essokinesis nodded solemnly. "The truth, young Xian, is often multifaceted, obscured by layers of time and interpretation. The Seers' motivations may have evolved over the centuries, their desires shifting from a simple lust for power to a more complex ambition to control the very forces that govern reality."
He paused, his ethereal form shimmering with an otherworldly light. "But one thing remains clear: they fear the Fool God's power, and they will stop at nothing to bend it to their will. They see you, Xian, as a threat, a wildcard they cannot control. And they will do everything in their power to eliminate you, or to corrupt you, to make you serve their agenda."
His words hung heavy in the air, the gravity of the situation pressing down on us like a tangible force. The Seers, once a distant threat, now felt closer than ever, their malevolent intentions casting a long shadow over our future.
I looked at my family, their faces reflecting a mix of determination and apprehension. We were facing a powerful enemy, one that had been operating in the shadows for centuries.
"So... what now?" I asked, my voice firm despite the lingering unease. "Wait, first, I forgot to ask, how did the Fool God disappear?" I turned to Essokinesis, seeking answers from the ancient Harbinger.
"They simply vanished," Essokinesis replied, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "No trace, no explanation. One moment they were there, the next they were gone."
Liam, still trying to piece together the fragments of information, looked around in confusion. The others, however, were focused intently on Essokinesis, eager to hear more about the enigmatic Fool God and the mysteries surrounding their lineage.
"Also!" Elang suddenly interjected, his voice rising above the hushed whispers. "That book mentioned a project to create hybrids of Unveiled and Seers... and that's me! How can you explain that?" He raised his hands, his frustration evident.
Essokinesis turned his gaze towards Elang, his ethereal form shimmering with a mix of empathy and sorrow. "Your existence, young Elang, is a testament to the Seers' relentless pursuit of power," he explained, his voice a gentle rumble. "They sought to combine the raw strength of Harbingers with the adaptability and cunning of humans, hoping to create the ultimate weapon."
He paused, his gaze softening as he looked at Elang. "But they failed to understand the true nature of both. Harbingers are beings of pure energy, their powers fueled by emotions and desires. Humans, on the other hand, are complex creatures, their minds and souls intertwined with the fabric of their world. The Seers' experiments were doomed from the start, a violation of the natural order."
"But I survived," Elang countered, his voice a mix of defiance and confusion. "I'm proof that their experiments weren't entirely unsuccessful."
Essokinesis nodded slowly. "Indeed, you are a testament to their folly," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "But you are also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. You have overcome their manipulations, their attempts to control you. You have found your own path, your own purpose."
Elang fell silent, his expression thoughtful. The weight of his past, the knowledge of his origins, hung heavy in the air.
I looked back at Essokinesis, my curiosity piqued. "Do you know the real manuscript of this book? Do you have one?"
Essokinesis's ethereal form flickered, a hint of sadness crossing his translucent features. "Alas, I do not," he replied, his voice a somber echo in the room. "The original manuscript was lost long ago, hidden away or destroyed by the Seers themselves. All that remains are scattered fragments, whispers of the true knowledge that once existed."
"Hmm, so it's just an edited manuscript, I see," Yolan mused, her finger tapping thoughtfully on her chin.
A sense of disappointment washed over the group. The hope of finding a way to purify the book and restore its original knowledge seemed to dwindle with each passing moment. The Seers had not only corrupted the text but had also ensured that the true teachings remained hidden, their secrets buried deep within the annals of time. The Unveiled Family was left with a fragmented legacy, its full potential shrouded in mystery.
"So, what do we do now?" Lili asked, her voice laced with a hint of despair. "Without the original manuscript, how can we ever hope to understand our full potential?"
< Chapter 183 > Fin.