Chapter 6: Spring

Chapter 6: Spring

“King of Space-Time,” “Beacon of Destiny,” “Embodiment of Sefirah Castle,” “Dominator of the Spirit World,” “Lord of the Mysteries”… So the “Mysteries” the Ancient Sun God spoke of refers to the Lord of the Mysteries… Klein silently repeated the titles, feeling the shadow in his heart deepen further.

Immediately, he thought of a question. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “As far as I know, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings already existed long before the previous civilization ended.”

The Seven Lights looked at one another. Then the Yellow Light Venithan, whose thin figure was semi-transparent like other spirit world creatures, sighed.

“We do not know about that. When the previous civilization ended and the Original One awakened, the Seven Lights from before were erased. We are the pure lights nurtured anew by the spirit world in the First Epoch.

“However, we do have a certain conjecture regarding the Great Ruler Above the Spirit World. Perhaps it can answer your doubt, Your Highness.”

Klein’s spirit stirred, and he immediately adopted the posture of one listening attentively.

The Yellow Light Venithan continued, “We suspect that among the Great Old Ones active in the First Epoch, some were Outer Deities directly drawn to this planet, while others were formed from sefirot that had come to life. In other words, some Great Old Ones were equivalent to the Original One, the materialization of different personalities split off from Him.

“What is separated must converge, and what converges must separate. This does not describe only Beyonder characteristics. It also refers to the Original One Himself. Because the majority of sefirot and characteristics originate from this supreme existence, they naturally have the tendency to gather and recombine. Yet the Original One is the aggregate of all contradictions in the universe. Once sefirot and characteristics gather together, they will inevitably and irresistibly split apart.”

So this is the essence and root of the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence? Was the Genie an unlucky Outer Deity who was drawn to this world and then encountered the Lord of the Mysteries? Klein nodded slightly without interrupting, patiently waiting for the Yellow Light to state their conjecture.

Venithan, wearing a lemon-yellow robe, looked at Klein and said, “Perhaps the Original One’s tendency toward division already existed while He was asleep. Thus, His spirit separated into different parts, using different honorific names to secretly interfere with the real world and make preparations for the split that would occur when His main body awakened. For example, ‘God Almighty.’ For example, ‘The Celestial Worthy’…”

A reasonable conjecture. It explains many of my doubts… Klein suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

After briefly considering his words, he said, “In other words, you believe the Great Ruler Above the Spirit World is part of the Original One, and to a certain extent can be considered the Original One?”

“That is indeed the case,” the Orange Light Hilarion confirmed. Then he offered Klein a few words of comfort. “Judging from the current situation, that Great Ruler, like the other parts of the Original One, has had His will and power fade over time. Whether Your Highness is Him or not, that does not prevent you from offering a certain resistance, preserving your present humanity, and achieving a kind of balance with Him. Heh, separation is an inevitable law.”

What kind of comfort is that? Klein couldn’t help lampooning.

Then he realized a problem.

“Since the Original One’s spirit split into different parts, then the mental imprints within the high-Sequence Beyonders of the corresponding pathways should also belong to different Great Old Ones.

“If what awakened inside the Ancient Sun God was the Primordial, or the ‘God Almighty’ described by the Seven Lights earlier, then who does the mental imprint of the Original One, the part that is currently growing active and corroding me, point to?”

The answer to this question was obvious. Klein did not need to think to arrive at it.

That “Lord of the Mysteries,” “Dominator of the Spirit World,” “The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings”!

In other words, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings was not without traces left behind, as Klein had believed. He had already begun to awaken within Klein!

Shit… Klein felt a chill sweep through his entire body. For some reason, he understood, in that moment, how the Ancient Sun God had once felt.

At that instant, he was deeply afraid that one day, without realizing it, he would become someone else entirely—the resurrected Lord of the Mysteries, the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.

Still, the degree of awakening seems no different from what other angels encounter. It isn’t as strong or irresistible as I imagined… Is that because, unlike the Ancient Sun God, I wasn’t born with angelic status or even control over a Uniqueness? I advanced step by step and completed digestion in stages? If so, I have to thank whoever cast that “curtain” into the grayish-white fog in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Perhaps one or several existences helped with that… Mm, still not right. I’ve already become the master of Sefirah Castle. There’s no reason the corrosion and contamination I face should still be at the same level as other Sequence 2 angels… Klein inwardly shook his head and did not ask the Seven Lights about it.

To him, this was one of his most central secrets. He absolutely could not let other existences know exactly what his present state was.

He then lifted his right hand, put it near his mouth, and coughed lightly.

“I roughly understand.”

After discussing several other matters with the Seven Lights, Klein stood and bowed.

“Thank you for your answers.”

“It is our honor. May Your Highness return soon to the throne of the Great Ruler Above the Spirit World.” The Seven Lights rose at the same time and responded with warm attitudes.

Are you cursing me to die? Klein lampooned inwardly, then politely saw the seven pure lights off.

Afterward, he opened Teleportation again and returned to a secluded alley in Backlund.

Pressing down on the top hat on his head, Klein strolled out onto the street.

The first things that entered his eyes were people in all manner of states, and a clamor that seemed to form a wave of heat.

He saw people in linen clothing gathering in groups of three or five, using saws and tools to cut down trees that had grown abnormally tall. He saw teams busily repairing street-side houses that had not suffered too much damage. He saw people carrying Dixie pies and sweet iced tea, hurrying past him as though rushing to their workplaces. He saw freight carriages loaded with grain, meat, and vegetables driving toward different places.

Though a large portion of these people wore simple clothing, much of it patched, and though traces of numbness and pain still lingered on their faces, the vitality bursting from within them seemed to weave before Klein’s eyes into a light of hope, tenaciously overflowing with the vigor of life.

They were like blades of grass struggling to push aside stones after a bitter winter.

Klein slowed his steps, gazing deeply at the bustling scene.

Though he had not personally seen the tragic world near the end of the war, he had heard many details from Miss Justice and Leonard. And before this, he had been traveling through the even darker, more oppressive Forsaken Land of the Gods. Now, inevitably, certain feelings rose in him, too strong to suppress.

Spring had arrived.

Klein’s expression gradually relaxed, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He walked through the streets and alleys being rebuilt after the war, making his way to Saint Samuel Cathedral in the North Borough.

The square here was filled with potholes, and workers were doing preliminary cleanup. A small number of white doves had returned from somewhere, landing again in the area they had once known so well.

Klein looked around and found no vendors. He could only take some food from historical projections and toss it to the ground.

As the white doves flew over one after another, he crossed the square and entered the cathedral, whose clock tower was under repair. He sat down in the front rows of the great prayer hall.

After glancing at the sacred emblem of stars surrounding the crimson moon, Klein removed his hat, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes in the peaceful, tranquil environment.

His emotions gradually settled. He felt as if he were truly praying.

At that moment, Leonard, whose black hair had grown slightly longer and whose green eyes had deepened somewhat, entered through the main door. Wearing a black trench coat and red gloves, he walked down the aisle and sat on a chair two seats away from Klein. Then he began to pray.

In absolute silence, Klein opened his eyes, stood, put on his hat, and passed in front of Leonard.

When he was about to reach the door, Leonard slowly rose and followed behind him.

Before long, the two of them, one ahead and one behind, arrived at a corner of the square outside.

Leonard looked at the few white doves on the ground and spoke as though to himself.

“I’m already a Senior Deacon of the Nighthawks. In a few days, I’ll return to the Cathedral of Serenity to study for a while and receive the corresponding holy artifact.”

In the final stages of the war, he had advanced on the front line, becoming a Sequence 4 Nightwatcher.

“You don’t seem very happy.” Standing shoulder to shoulder with Leonard, Klein did not turn his head. He too watched the white doves.

Leonard gave a self-mocking laugh.

“I don’t have the right to be unhappy.

“I’m just wondering. The divine war ended so quickly, and the result was so unexpected. Does that mean the previous defeats and everyone’s suffering were all merely bait?”

“Before today, I thought the same as you. I was also confused and resentful. But now, I’m somewhat lost. Perhaps it was… a necessity.” Klein did not hide his feelings.

Leonard was silent for two seconds. Looking down at the white doves wandering near his feet, he said,

“The old man said the same thing…”

Without waiting for Klein to respond, he glanced sideways at his former colleague.

“You’ve become an angel?”

Pallez Zoroast had told him that what Klein had done before seemed to be preparation for advancing to angelhood.

“Mm.” Klein nodded slightly. “But this is not glory and power. It is pain, a curse, and responsibility.”

“Why?” Leonard asked subconsciously.

Klein did not immediately answer. He lowered his head and glanced at the shadow by his feet, then turned and walked toward the exit of the square.

A few steps later, with his back to Leonard, he spoke as though to himself.

“You should still remember those words.

“We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches constantly fighting against danger and madness.”

Leonard froze. Several seconds passed before he turned to look at Klein, but all he could see was the other man’s back—half top hat, black trench coat—just before he disappeared around the street corner.

With a flutter, the few white doves on the ground took flight, rising toward the pale blue sky.