Klein had just put on his double-breasted long coat and picked up his half-top silk hat when, heading for the door, he suddenly heard layers of echoing, ethereal prayer.
Who? He furrowed his brow slightly and listened for a moment, but could only confirm that the supplicant was a woman, her voice halting and intermittent, seemingly carrying immense suffering.
Thinking there was nothing particularly urgent, the newly promoted "Magician" Klein casually tossed his hat, letting the half-top silk hat land squarely back on the coat rack. He then returned to his bedroom, took four steps in reverse, and entered the towering, magnificent palace.
This time, he didn't see any illusory star swelling and contracting with deep crimson light. But at the far end of the ancient, mottled bronze long table, to the side of the Fool's seat, a clear radiance was rippling outward in successive circles.
"A prayer from someone who isn't a
Since he had already emptied the funds from the unregistered account, he didn't suspect anyone of trying to steal his wealth.
Leaning back slightly, Klein extended his left hand, spreading out his spirituality to touch the ring of light that kept rippling.
The surroundings shifted abruptly. He saw an overturned coffee table, a tilted sofa, books and papers scattered all over the floor, and a brown-haired woman who looked like she was dying a struggling death.
At the same time, Klein made out the woman's prayer clearly: "Belongs not to... this era... The Fool..."
"Above the
"Master of good fortune... the King of Yellow and Black..."
"Save me, save me..."
"Save me"? From her appearance, she looked like she was on the verge of losing control—her hair was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a layer of sinister white sheen had already formed over the keratin of her skin. How could I possibly save her... After observing carefully for several seconds, Klein muttered to himself with considerable difficulty.
Just then, he detected a faint, ethereal, barely noticeable murmur amid the woman's pain-filled prayer.
Yes, murmurings!
These were similar to the horrifying murmurings one heard before ascending above the Gray Fog, yet they didn't feel at all maddening, nor evil, and carried no obvious malice.
"So this woman's near-losing-control state was caused by hearing those murmurings... If she stops hearing them, would she calm down and recover?" Klein thought pensively, extending his hand toward the ring of light that kept rippling outward.
He then allowed his spirituality to surge outward wildly, establishing a stable, mysterious connection.
—After his promotion to "Magician," his spirituality had become far more abundant, and the corresponding burden in this area had decreased significantly.
…………
Fors's mind grew increasingly muddled. It felt as though her thoughts were like boiling water, constantly bubbling and pressing against the confines of her skull.
"Am I going to die... I don't want to, don't want to become a monster..." The moment this sorrowful thought flashed through her mind, a tide of pain crashed over her.
Suddenly, she snapped fully awake. The bone-deep pain, agitation, madness, and despair from before—all of it seemed to have never existed at all. It was nothing but an illusion.
She had gotten through it that quickly today? During a blood moon, didn't the episodes always last longer? Fors suspiciously opened her eyes, which she had unconsciously shut earlier, and saw that beneath her was an endless expanse of gray-white fog, while before her stood an ancient, mottled bronze long table.
Where was this? She looked around in astonishment, taking in towering stone pillars on all sides, and the majestic palace they supported.
Then, she noticed that at the head of the bronze table sat a mysterious figure, enshrouded in thick gray fog, seemingly gazing down upon everything.
What place was this? Who was he? Fors posed the questions warily in her mind once more.
Then, she remembered what she had just done!
In the depths of her agony, she had recited the mysterious incantation that Melissa had found in the "History of the
No, not just an evil spirit! He had actually been able to temporarily free her from the torment of that terrible mumbling… and had pulled her into this strange world… this… Fors suppressed the fear rising within her, propped herself halfway up, and bowed: "May I ask who you are…"
At that moment, she suddenly recalled the exact contents of the incantation and blurted out: "You are The Fool! Er, sir."
"You are Mr. Fool?"
Klein smiled and nodded: "You may simply call me Mr. Fool."
As he spoke, he noticed that behind the chair where Fors was seated, the symbol composed of brilliant stars and mysterious patterns was changing rapidly.
In the span of just one or two seconds, a layered door had taken shape there—a door formed by the overlapping of countless illusory doors of the same kind!
"A 'Door'?" The moment Klein laid eyes on that symbol, he instantly thought of "Mr. Door" from Roselle's diary.
That person would draw close to the real world during a full moon, crying out for help!
Could the mumbling she had heard be connected to "Mr. Door"? Hmm… tonight was the blood moon, an intensified version of a full moon… this woman corresponded to the "Door," while the symbol behind Miss Melissa's seat had resembled a "Sword of Judgment"… Klein gave an almost imperceptible nod.
He had now confirmed something—that once a stable connection was established and the other party was a Beyonder, the symbol behind their corresponding seat would shift according to their actual situation. It wasn't necessary for them to formally join the Tarot Club or regularly ascend above the Gray Fog.
At that moment, however, a storm was raging inside Fors's mind: The Fool… it really is The Fool… that honorific really does point toward a powerful existence!
What does he want? Will he demand my soul in exchange?
Well, at the very least, at the very least this is better than losing control during that terrible mumbling… I've basically gotten my life back—anything that happens from here on out is pure profit…
As her thoughts tumbled over one another, she suddenly heard the "Mr. Fool" figure ask with a smile in his voice: