"The Fool" Klein slowly looked around the circle. Instead of explaining as everyone expected, he suppressed his sigh and posed a question with a smile: "Where do you think the source of the twenty-two Beyonder pathways lies?"
This was one of the three most fundamental questions in mysticism, and it had never had a universally accepted answer. Every school of thought had its own theory, and none could convince the others.
"The Hermit"
She was presenting the theory of the
"The seven major churches all believe that Beyonder characteristics originate from the initial Creator, who incarnated into all things, including gods, humans, the sea, the land, and Beyonder characteristics," "The Star" Leonard described simply. "Of course, this is an explanation only given to deacons and above. Official Beyonders below Sequence 6 do not need to know this much."
Then, he glanced at "The Moon" Emlyn and continued: "The School of Life of Thought believes the world is divided into three layers: the material world, the soul world, and the absolute rational world. Beyonder characteristics are the projections of certain things from the absolute rational world onto the material and soul worlds. Thus, characteristics are indestructible; they merely recombine."
It seemed the absolute rational world promoted by the School of Life of Thought might refer to things like that "River of Fate"... "The Fool" Klein thought of Will Aucesy but remained silent, not interrupting the exchange between the
"The Moon" Emlyn glanced back at "The Star" and said: "As one of the rulers of the Second Epoch, we vampires believe that Beyonder characteristics indeed originate from the initial Creator. Then, the accumulation of different characteristics gave birth to the
This was the vampires' explanation for the First Epoch, though "The Moon" Emlyn already harbored some doubts about it, having been exposed to many secrets through the Tarot Club.
"The Hanged Man" Alger nodded slightly and said: "Although there are many explanations for the origin of Beyonder characteristics, most point to the initial Creator. The orthodox churches hold this view, the Aurora Society holds this view, and the
"So, the understanding that Beyonder characteristics originate from the initial Creator is relatively consistent?" "Justice" Audrey asked thoughtfully.
The Psychoanalytic Society primarily studied the spiritual world and the sea of the collective subconscious, lacking a complete theoretical explanation for the origin of Beyonder characteristics.
"That is about correct," "The Hanged Man" Alger admitted, not hiding his own view.
Just then, "The Fool" Klein said with a slight sigh: "Not entirely."
He offered no lengthy explanation, only this somewhat vague answer.
Not entirely... Did Mr. Fool mean that while Beyonder characteristics indeed originate from the initial Creator, it is not entirely the case, and there are a few special exceptions? Was this the reason the "Sower" and "Moon" pathways were special? "The Hanged Man" Alger's mind raced, instantly grasping the core of the issue.
Since the matter did not concern her, "The Magician" Fors had been listening leisurely from the side. Now, filled with curiosity, she asked: "Honorable Mr. Fool, your words seem to suggest that the vast majority of Beyonder characteristics originate from the initial Creator, but the 'Sower' and 'Moon' pathways are exceptions. Where, then, do they come from?"
"The Fool" Klein said rather concisely: "Starlight."
"Starlight"... "The Moon" Emlyn felt a jolt of alarm, realizing that the matter might be more serious than he had imagined.
Within the Tarot Club, the underground corruption and the dangers of starlight had already been shared — all members knew that merely learning about these two concepts could result in erosion.
When "Justice" Audrey and "The Hermit" Cattleya exchanged glances, "The Fool" Klein maintained that slightly sighing tone and added: "It's not just those two pathways."
He had been in constant communication with the Seven Lights, and had already confirmed that among the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, six belonged to the Outer Deities.
"Respected Mr. Fool, which other ones come from 'starlight'?" "Justice" Audrey habitually raised her hand and asked with a mix of wariness and curiosity.
"The Fool" Klein responded succinctly: "The 'Prisoner', the 'Criminal', the 'Lawyer', and the 'Arbiter'."
The first two stemmed from the "Tree of Desire," while the latter two, along with the "Kingdom of Chaos," all came from the "Child of Chaos."
Chaos gave birth to order, and order carried its own shadow.
"The Arbiter"... "The Magician" Fors turned her head in surprise and glanced at "Judgment" Xio.
Just a moment ago, she had felt this matter had nothing to do with her — she could simply observe without worry. Yet, before she knew it, the fire had suddenly reached her doorstep.
"Judgment" Xio furrowed her brows slightly and looked toward the head of the bronze long table: