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's 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 controted 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 sefirah? The one belonging to God Almighty? How is "He" aware of it? Did the seven lights tell "Him" this too? Countless questions flooded Amansies, 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 Amansies 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 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.
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's 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's 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—" 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.
Amansids 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.