«Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun.»
The instant Klein heard distinctly the voices in the depths of the grey-white mist, he gave a slight shudder; the back of his head went numb in an instant.
That feeling spread swiftly upward, then to every part of his body, raising one small goosebump after another upon the surface of his skin.
This was the second time in the real world that he had heard the name «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun» from someone other than himself; the first had been when
So, in essence, this was the very first time.
Upon the edge of the legendary «Western Continent», outside the vanished homeland of his, Klein heard for the first time, in the real world, the incantation that had caused his «crossing-over»; heard one of the most important secrets hidden within his heart; heard that Eastern-style honorific that pointed to which Existence none could say.
He stood there with a mind almost wholly blank, and what echoed in his ears was the now blurred, now clear intoning, the cries:
«Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun…»
«Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun…»
«Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun…»
Only when those voices grew fainter and fainter, all but vanished, did Klein recover his thoughts.
As a false god who had done many a 'guilty deed', his first reaction was:
«I have changed 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' into 'King of Yellow and Black who governs good fortune' — shall I suffer the wrath of Heaven?»
When he had set the three-part honorific of the «Fool» in the first place, the first part described his own experience and state: at that time he had thought it was a 'crossing-over' and, afraid of giving away the matter, had changed «Fool come from another world» into «Fool who does not belong to this era», which, on the contrary, came out closer to the truth. The second part bound the grey fog and «Origin Fortress» to himself, making the reference clearer.
And to delimit fully and avoid ambiguity, Klein had, in the third part of the honorific, directly translated, by meaning, the last sentence of the incantation — that is, «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun».
He had originally thought it nothing, but later came to suspect that the former master of that strange door of light within «Origin Fortress», which had caused his crossing-over, was «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun»; or, to put it otherwise, some Existence wearing an Eastern-style garb. Of course, it might also be that «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun» was the true body, who had later put on a garb better suited to this world; which garb that was, Klein could not yet guess.
Because he had never, outside of himself, heard the honorific «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun» in the real world, suspicion as Klein might, fear as he might, dread as he might, in actuality he did not greatly mind the matter; he seemed already accustomed to it.
But at this moment those repeated cries of «Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun» were like cannons of warships, hammering one after another upon his heart, hammering within his mind; the worries and fears collected in his subconscious surged forth.
Steadying himself, Klein began to force himself to weigh the situation by reason:
«These voices — are they harboured within the grey-white mist, or do they come from the vanished 'Western Continent'?
«As I said: the colour and state of this mist are very close to those beneath 'Origin Fortress'… Is its power also drawn from 'History'? Must one have the proper power of the domain of Time to open it?
«Goshname, the 'Queen of Calamity', once said that, when the End of the World comes, the Western Continent will certainly reappear… that is, only when time is borne forward to that very point will this grey-white mist come alive, and only then may it be opened by the corresponding incantation?
«Was it 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' — the suspected former master of 'Origin Fortress' — who made the 'Western Continent' vanish, sealed it, or set up a protective isolation?
«By every account, 'Origin Fortress' and the other eight things were left behind by the First Creator — different parts of His body, or things wrought by His hand… 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' is roughly equal to the former master of 'Origin Fortress', and roughly equal to the First Creator? But 'Origin Fortress' arose only after the First Creator had been sundered; and moreover, these incantations of 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' can refer only to 'Origin Fortress' — they cannot reach to the 'Sea of Chaos' or any like place…
«Furthermore, the disappearance of the Western Continent surely happened before the Second Epoch; even Suniya Solem, the Elf King, an Ancient God, could not return to his homeland…
«That is, in the chaotic and frenzied First Epoch — or even before — after the First Creator had split off 'the Sea of Chaos', 'Origin Fortress' and the rest, but before the
«The prophecy of the
«Mm — round and round, I have come here again and met the people of Moon City… The Ancient Sun God's prophecy has indeed been fulfilled, only that the path was a winding one, and the manner of its fulfilment beyond anyone's surmise…»
Amid such reflections Klein's mood gradually lightened a touch; for the scene before him and his spiritual intuition told him that the Western Continent, severed by the grey-white mist, still bore civilisation, that no small number lived on within.
«The manner in which the Western Continent was made to vanish puts me in mind of the rite of the 'Miracle Master', and it carries the power of time-and-space, which belongs chiefly to the 'Apprentice' pathway and the 'Thief' pathway… So the former master of 'Origin Fortress', that to which 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' truly corresponds, is one of these three kindred pathways?» Klein gathered up his scattering thoughts and took two steps forward.
He at once turned to High Priest
«I heard those voices clearly.»
«…What did they say?» Nim's grey-white eyes widened abruptly; an ungovernable agitation came over his furrowed face.
Adar, Sin, Russ and the rest reacted similarly, and even more violently still.
Their bodies trembled visibly.
This was a problem that had vexed the residents of Moon City for more than a thousand years; to solve it had, in their hearts, become a token of their casting off the present plight.
Klein quietly drew in a breath and said, in the cadence of a sermon-monger:
«They are praying to my Lord.»