Lord Of The Mysteries: A Slug of Time

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 wanna 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 acknowledgement. "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 slightly teased. 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, Malantha'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?" Malantha 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 Malantha 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?

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 the 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—no 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 Psychiatrist. 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.