'How curious...' Flora showed no reaction to that information.
Not only had her family worked alongside a family that used it as their main pathway in the Fourth Epoch, but it was one of the three pathways adjacent to her own!
Of course, she would know immediately what was being alluded to. She didn't even need to use decryption.
And even so... A hint of genuine confusion made her raise an eyebrow.
'That guy thinks the Princess is a Bizarro Sorcerer? Seriously?'
But why?
'No matter how bad my condition was back then, I would have noticed an anomaly while in his spirit body. So what does he mean by saying he has no melody…?' The realization hit her at the same time as a chill ran through her.
That emptiness, the countless stares, and those screams in that strange language...
'That thing!'
What Cordis believed to be a Bizarro Sorcerer controlling a marionette was actually one of the blessings the Princess had!
'He really chose the worst person to solve his doubts,' Jacob sighed inwardly.
'To think that it also extends to protecting that...'
Once again, Flora realized that she didn't really understand what it meant to be the Blessed One of a God and what that entailed.
Thinking about it, the Dream Stealer found the mere possibility that the princess was a marionette impossible. 'I'm sure that if anyone or anything tries to touch the princess's spirit in any way, that "thing" would greet them.'
And she seriously doubted that it would be as merciful as the first time...
For his part, Maric narrowed his eyes slightly. The malice in them grew a little as he crouched slightly, like a dog about to attack. Sharron's blue eyes grew a little colder, and her skin a little more translucent.
Vivian clutched the watch in her hands, taking a few steps back as she held it up in front of her, pointing it at the two seated men.
'Are you high?' Adryan could barely stop his more vulgar side from coming out at what he had just heard.
A demigod? He was still a long way from that!
Once again, faceless mode had just saved him from showing a reaction.
Although stunned by what had been said, once he digested the information, he didn't find it surprising.
Spirit Body Threats... It turns out that the Note pathway could see them!
But they are silent. What does that mean?
'Could it be because of Hunters Hallow? Or because of the poor state of my soul?' A thought crossed his mind, but he quickly responded, playing along naturally with a smile.
"Oh? I didn't expect you could see them."
Cordis smiled back, "As a composer, how could I not see them? It's the least I can do~"
'Composer... What sequence is that, 6 or 5?' The black-haired man kept smiling; his mind drew an almost instant conclusion connecting the information.
'This is the only other path besides Seer that I know of that can see and interact with Spirit Body Threats. But the question is: to what level?
'Would it be like the Marionetist who can use them to directly affect the soul and control the body?'
In his eyes, and as was shown in the original story multiple times, that was the most dangerous ability among the Sequence 5 of the 22 paths he knew. Unless one was a Marionettist, there was no way to protect these threads, so they were at the mercy of being controlled.
Now he wasn't surprised that Maric and Sharron were unable to resist the urge to dance. People with a will strong enough to resist the curse of their paths would not be so easily controlled by captivating music.
And that in turn indicated that Cordis could not be lower than Sequence 6 or higher than Sequence 5. If he were a demigod, he wouldn't be so nervous about having a 'real' one in front of him. Also, he would probably know that his Spirit Body Threats were only mute, not controlled.
Narrowing his eyes internally, Adryan sighed slowly and calmly.
'And from the looks of it, the way the Note Pathway interacts with them has something to do with fate. And quite profoundly so if it was able to see the change in Flora's fate...'
Two names popped into his mind. Two possible candidates.
A cheerful smile appeared on his face as his eyes narrowed, and Adryan then asked sweetly:
"What kind of relationship do the Armonos have with the Primordial Demoness or the Demoness Sect?"
The musician's face soured into a grimace, but he answered nonetheless.
"We… know each other." Cordis scratched the back of his neck with disdain. "We're not on good terms. They're the main reason we don't leave the Mirror World.
"To them, we're just part of their promotion rituals or carriages to move around the Mirror World. So we always try to avoid them as best we can."
The black-haired, red-eyed man showed no reaction to his answer; he kept that sweet smile that was so uncomfortable to see.
"Why did you choose to leave the Mirror World knowing that?"
Cordis snorted, rolling his eyes to the side, "Too monotonous. Too much for my taste.
"Apart from dealing with the Disharmonious who get too close and the occasional prank from the others, there's nothing to do!"
With that said, and before he could say anything else, his yellow gaze returned to him. "The Disharmonious are all creatures without consciousness who can play their own melody, but do not understand it, which means that when they play it, it only brings harm and destruction."
Winking, Cordis laughed, "'On the house'."
Sighing again and returning to the topic at hand, he waved his hand dismissively.
"I came to this 'side of the mirror' to see if there was anything more interesting to do. Nothing else."
'Boredom is a deadly thing in its own way. With nothing to do, one is willing to try anything...' In a way, Adryan understood that.
These last few days, he and his dear worm had moved around almost all of Azshara because they were bored.
Putting that aside, Adryan continued with the next question.
"What is the relationship between the Note Pathway and destiny?"
"Very far from the Monster, but more personal than Seer.
"Someone's melodies don't tell us a fixed destiny, only where they seem to be going. If someone has an aggressive melody, featuring drums and trumpets, it's related to battles, but not necessarily of a specific kind. Perfectly, it could be bloody combat in wars and battles or even professional fights in the ring.
"It's a general idea."
'A lot but not much yet.' The black-haired man wasn't in a hurry; he just raised an eyebrow.
"..."
Seeing that, Cordis gave a shaky smile and added, "We can also see the other possible music their strings can play. Whether they are good or bad for themselves or us."
'Ah, there it is. Possible futures, huh? His red gaze softened somewhat, and the musician cringed in his seat.
"Last two questions. What is the door? Why did you believe Miss Vivian found it?"
With a 180-degree turn, a big smile appeared on Cordis's face, his eyes shining like gems.
He happily perched on the edge of his seat, spreading his hands and laughing softly.
"It is the one that safeguards the most beautiful of all melodies! The complete musical score that the Creator played when He formed the universe!
"Any living being that comes into contact with it will have its harmony fundamentally changed."
There was a short pause, and the thin man looked at the woman he had brought to his house with some regret.
"Although, as you can see, changing a melody is not really that rare. The type of environment a person lives in is enough to change them if they move from the city to the countryside and vice versa, for example. Making mistakes when it comes to knowing whether someone has had contact with the door is really common. Much more than you think.
"The only thing that would attract attention would be if the same change appears in more than one harmony, especially if it is considered." The last part was said while looking at the spectators in the background.
A heavy sigh escaped him, one that emptied his lungs of all the air. "Unfortunately, it was an oversight on my part.
"Encountering beings with divinity also causes changes in the notes. It's the first time I've encountered such a significant change, so I was taken aback.
"It was my mistake; again, I apologize profusely for that."
'That's why he was so calm when he caught Vivian and lost his temper when Flora and the rest showed up,' Adryan thought, understanding where this Composer's mistake had been.
All these people should never have been here; they should never even have met. And the common factor in that was him.
"You really are unlucky." The reaper couldn't help but empathize a little.
He understood very well what it was like to be an Unlucky Bastard.
Getting up from the poor table, which cried a little, Adryan patted the musician's shoulder half-heartedly.
"Don't let this happen again."
Thrown off balance, the yellow-eyed man blinked.
"Are we done?"
The funeral music had stopped, but that only confused him more.
"Yup. I said it, didn't I? Those were my last questions." Adryan put one hand in his pocket and covered his mouth with the other as he yawned.
"It's late and I'm tired. Let's continue another day."
"Oh... Understood," Cordis just nodded, watching silently as the tall man walked over to his group, noticing their reaction.
Vivian was pointing her finger at her interrogator, a vein in her forehead throbbing as her lips moved rapidly, but no sound came out.
The white-haired woman, who bore a resemblance to Abigail, closed her eyes and turned away, walking calmly alongside the black-haired man. The blonde woman in a black tunic closed her eyes and disappeared from her spot, vanishing into thin air.
The only one who returned his gaze was the pale man, who looked at him sideways before following the rest, pulling Vivian, who looked visibly furious, but reluctantly followed them after grabbing her umbrella.
Taking a yellowed book from his tunic and opening it, the tall, red-eyed man looked at him disinterestedly.
Nodding cordially, he said.
"Have a good night, Mr Cordis."
The old pages of the book glowed a soft light blue, and in the next moment, the small group disappeared from the room.
"..."
Cordis remained on his sofa for a long time, barely blinking as he stared at the place where the group had disappeared. Waiting for them to return at any second and finish the job...
But as the minutes passed, nothing happened. No one returned, and the shadows remained still.
Pressing his lips together slightly and thinking deeply, he slowly got up from the sofa. Still looking around him suspiciously, he slowly moved and walked to the back of the room.
Bending down, he carefully picked up his instrument, which had been broken in two. He lifted it with some pain.
"It was a collector's item..." Cordis whispered softly.
This is what he gets for meddling where he shouldn't.
Luckily, it was only his guitar that was broken in half...
...
Back in the theater's VIP room.
Leaving the Mind World, Adryan let go of Maric's shoulder, and Maric let go of the barbarian.
Vivian immediately stood in front of him, her face red and pointing at her mouth with both hands.
She may not have had a voice, but he had an idea of what she was shouting.
Already feeling pressure in his brain, Adryan rubbed his forehead with two fingers.
The glove on his left hand changed, switching from Faceless Mode to the Disciplinary Paladin of Creeping Hunger. The black remained, but elegant bronze details spread across the leather of the glove.
At the same time, his black hair began to grow while taking on a scarlet glow...
The Barbarian froze, her mouth hanging and eyebrows touching her hair as she witnessed her boss's simple face quickly change to a fantasy one.
"He..." Back in his real appearance, the redhead couldn't help but find that expression very amusing.
Laughing a little, he shook his head.
"You have a very expressive face. You know that?"
Opening his palm to the ground, his gaze hardened and a command in Hermes left his voice.
"Confiment!"
There was a pause, and in the next instant, the entire room seemed to glow and shake before returning to normal.
This sudden movement stunned the Barbarian a little, who quickly looked around to see what had changed. It was strange, but she could feel that the room had separated from the rest of the theater.
'Seal a room with just his voice? But what kind of artifact is that!? Not only changing his form, but also giving commands...' Surprised, Vivian couldn't help but look with some envy at the glove in the man's hand.
Two abilities from different paths in a single artifact? She wanted one!
Meanwhile, with a sigh, Adryan tilted his head to his right. "Miss Worm, could you?"
Flora looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing. Raising her hand, she twisted her wrist. Returning what she had stolen.
Immediately after that, a loud scream echoed through the room.
"Finally!" Relief practically gushed out of Vivian, who held her throat with both hands.
Going from being able to scream about the injustices committed against her to suddenly being mute was NOT a nice feeling.
"Ah ah, oh oh." Checking that her voice had indeed returned, the barbarian turned her attention back to the more important matter at hand.
Turning around, she faced her boss, pure indignation on her face.
"That's it?! Seriously?! Is that how the Wise Owls act?!"
"They kidnap one of their own, and all they do is chat? Not even an arrest or something? Come on!"
"I'd rather not have to arrest the person in charge of the movie soundtrack; besides, he apologized, didn't he?" Scratching his neck, the Reaper rolled his shoulders boredly.
"Are you serious?" Vivian was speechless.
Just because he worked for something 'important' to you, you would let him off the hook?
Where is the justice in that?!
Wasn't everything she had done to earn his approval enough?
Sighing again, the redhead looked her straight in the eye, "Right now, the priorities are different. A situation has arisen that is more serious than arresting a guy who plays the guitar."
Vivian snorted sarcastically, making no attempt to hide how annoyed she was. "What kind of situation could be worse than one of your team members being kidnapped?"
Mr K didn't even blink when he replied. "Another member being in real danger."
Vivian pressed her lips together tightly, cutting off what she was about to say.
After a few seconds, she slowly lowered her fists, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Well, that changed things.
If they really believed what Cordis had said about just wanting to ask a few questions, then her life wasn't in danger at any point.
'Besides, his appearance changed... Is this the real Mr. K? If he's willing to reveal his face despite last time, then this situation is serious...' Vivian said nothing for several seconds, her brow furrowed deeply.
After a while, the silence was broken by her.
"...How bad is it?
This time, a mischievous gleam appeared in the man's ruby eyes, "The kind you don't talk about."
"..." The barbarian just looked at him, with a tense smile and a twitching eyelid on her face.
At her side, her fists were clenched again, white from the force used.
"...I want to hit you."
"You're free to do so. Just don't complain when I hit you back." Disinterested, the redhead waved his left hand, igniting it in crimson flames.
Feeling the heat of that fire even several steps away, Vivian relaxed her fists.
"I didn't say anything."
Nodding and extinguishing his hand, Adryan adjusted his sleeve and, where he was standing, took a seat. His threads extended to the ceiling, tying themselves to some scaffolding, creating a chair for him.
Watching her boss take a seat in midair, she no longer knew how to react or what to say.
'Is this another one of his abilities, or does he just have good legs? Given his height and physique, it's clear he's from Feysac. Those muscleheads always train.' Unable to help herself, and with a cooler head, her gaze seriously scanned his body, wanting to test her hypothesis.
'Tch. Just as I thought. Thick legs and thighs, lucky guy... Wait! What is that waist?! Why does a man have one like that?!' Vivian could feel her temper rising again, and she could only growl internally.
Not only a model-worthy face, but a body to match... She really wanted to hit him!
Even more annoyed than before, her sight rose-
The barbarian's mind went blank for a moment, her lips seized the opportunity and fired before their master could stop them.
"You could feed a village with those two tanks! They're huge!" In disbelief, Vivian blinked, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.
The robes hid it well, but even so, they were noticeable!
"..." With a flat face, Adryan extended his hand, and his overcoat, which he had left behind, flew to him, silently covering him.
Suddenly, he felt that the words of his dear worm carried more weight...
Still with an expressionless face, he said, "If I were a woman, I would arrest you."
Realizing her slip, the Barbarian shrank back and laughed, "Forgive me, Mr K, it's just that I was surprised... Pft- ahahaha!"
Giggling, she stretched her arms out as far as she could, as if trying to hold up the entire sky.
With a bright smile, she exclaimed, "I just didn't expect you to have such big ones! Hahahaha!"
Thud!
"My legs! What—"
For the second time that night, her next words were stolen from her mouth, never coming out and remaining lost in the air.
Her boss didn't seem surprised by this at all; it seemed as if he had already expected it. Casually, he glanced to his side, the corners of his lips turned up.
"I was wondering why you were taking so long."
The white-haired woman in the purple dress looked disinterestedly at her nails from where she stood. Oblivious to her surroundings.
Dazed, the Barbarian tried to get up, but she had a hard time just moving her legs. She barely managed to bring them up to her chest and tried to stand up; she could only get up to her knees before falling back to the ground.
Thud!
'Not just my voice, but my legs now too? Miss Abigail! Why are you so cruel?!' Cursing, she focused her attention on the culprit.
The gray of that gaze saw beyond her, to her deepest secrets and most intimate thoughts, laid bare before her.
"Are you done?" Flora said, her eyes moving boredly towards her.
At that moment, Vivian felt that her most precious treasures would be taken from her without her being able to do anything about it.
Flora watched the lawyer on the floor, unperturbed.
"The Princess is spoken for. So hold back on those kinds of comments. This is the only time I will say this; there will be no next time."
With casual steps, she positioned herself behind the redhead and placed her hands on his shoulders, resting her chin on his head.
It was quite simple, but Vivian understood the message.
Miss Abigail was marking her territory.
'Come on!? How was I supposed to know the wife was here?! Cursing under her breath, Vivian followed her teachings and raised her hands in surrender.
She was not willing to deal with someone with those kinds of eyes, NO SIR!
Every good Intisian knows when food should not be touched! And that was reason number one!
It seemed that her signal of surrender worked, as Miss Abigail closed her eyes, Vivian felt her legs working properly again.
Jumping up, Vivian patted her dress, trying to clean it as best she could.
After that, she looked up at the duo in front of her with some hesitation, not daring to bring up what had just happened and not wanting to think about it. Taking a moment to think about what she was going to say, she spoke.
"Now what?"
"Now you go back to your house, young lady," Mr K said simply, turning his attention to Maric.
"Mr Zombie will accompany you on the way."
The named man turned to look at him for a moment, silently, expressionless. But finally, the pale man nodded slightly, his eyelid twitching for an instant.
"He doesn't seem to like the idea," Vivian couldn't help but point out, giving a side-eye to the guy who was supposed to escort her.
Mr K chuckled a little, "Ignore him, that's his usual face. He can't change it. Just try not to annoy him, I think he bites."
"It seems so."
Maric's eyelid twitched again, this time twice.
'Great, now there are two of these...'
...
A little later, Astope Quarter. Room 145.
"You look tired," Flora said without looking up from the purple-covered book in her right hand. Her left hand played boredly with a strand of red hair.
"Mmhm," Adryan replied from beside her, lying on the bed with his face buried in the pillow, but his voice was muffled by the softness of it.
They had returned from the theater a while ago and, after changing into more comfortable clothes, the duo was now back in what was now their bed. Outside the windows covered by curtains, the storm could still be heard lashing the city.
Now wearing a nightgown, the white-haired woman sighed, closed the book in her hands, and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. The twinge in her mind was already more than she was willing to tolerate at this hour.
With her other hand now free, she used both to play with the strand of hair in her hand. This had already become a pastime; the softness of her companion's hair made it very relaxing to touch. Of course, it was just one of the things she enjoyed touching.
Ignoring that sudden thought, Flora spoke up suddenly.
"I guess everything is still the same?"
Settling down so that only his cheek was on the pillow, Adryan yawned, "For now, yes."
While Hazel's problem was worrying and carried considerable risk, they still had room to maneuver with it. So Sharron and Maric could be allowed to take care of the young lady's "safety" for now. Of course, accompanied by five bird soldiers who would notify him of anything.
Flora nodded, having already expected that.
After all, the problem you know about is always easier to deal with than the problem you don't know about.
Her partner settled himself more comfortably in bed; his back now rested against the headboard, revealing that he was wearing nothing under the blanket apart from his pants.
As soon as that happened, the Dream Stealer didn't waste a second and quickly took her place on her companion's lap, resting her head against his chest. Without thinking, the redhead wrapped his arms around the woman and pulled her closer to him in a deep embrace.
Sighing, Adryan closed his eyes for a moment, resting his cheek against the head of his dear worm.
"Do you know anything about the Armonos?"
"This is the first time I've heard of them. There's no mention of them in my family's library," Flora said somewhat sleepily, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth that now enveloped her.
"Not even the Jacobs have anything, huh..." Narrowing his eyes, Adryan clicked his tongue.
An angel family from the 4th Epoch had no information about a humanoid race? That was ridiculous!
"It seems our 'composer' wasn't lying when he said they were evasive..."
At those words, Flora opened her eyes and raised her head, "You didn't take his blood like you did with that weird doll lover?"
Laughing softly at how the future 'Messiah of the Sanguine' had been called, the redhead nodded and extended his right hand in front of the white-haired woman.
"I did, but I don't think Mirror Divination will work this time."
Flora internally raised an eyebrow, moving her gray gaze to the princess's hand covered in black cracks.
On the cracked pale palm, a thin, semi-transparent thread appeared. But unlike last time when it was red, this one was clean.
Eyebrows rose slightly at that. She knew how sharp her partner's threads had become after his promotion, having seen him practice with them these days. It was impossible for them not to have a single drop of blood!
Turning her attention back to her partner, she spoke, somewhat surprised, "He doesn't have blood?"
Adryan smiled slightly, nodding as he closed his fist, "Cordis looks like a human. He has a normal body temperature, normal weight, and normal sense smell. But, he is a reflection after all, he doesn't need blood like humans."
"Or like the Sanguines," Flora added, remembering the man's clear disdain at the mention of them.
"Honestly, I should have seen it coming." Adryan sighed, "Everything that comes from the Mirror World has no blood, they're a reflection after all. Why would it be any different with the Armonos?"
Well, even so, he was satisfied that he had at least tried. Which was something...
Right now, he could barely contain his desire to go up to the City of Calamities to think more clearly about everything that had happened today, but he decided to wait.
As with Ademisaul, today had really been too strange. The encounter with Hazel and her strange and uncomfortable smell, the existence of a new path and the Armonos, and whatever that encounter with Cordis had been.
Everything had been... too random! Without foundation or structure!
It was impossible that 'that guy' had organized this; the method used was too convenient to be his delicate and well-planned style.
It seemed much more like a strange encounter of fate!
With that thought, Adryan already knew he had to consult with an expert on the subject. 'Looks like I'll have to visit that diabetic snake again...'
"You can't always win." The white-haired woman closed her eyes, breathing calmly.
"You're not very good at consoling people." Smiling a little, the redhead shook his head. "It's late. We'd better get some rest for now. Sunday is coming."
"Mhm," Flora murmured in agreement without opening her eyes, already on her way to the world of dreams.
Covering them both with the blanket while increasing his body temperature with his spirituality, Adryan closed his eyes and, with a thought, the flames of the lights went out. The room fell into a comfortable darkness.
This Friday night really was heavy.
In the darkness, a voice spoke.
"By the way, I'll be introducing you to someone soon."
"... Why do I feel like I don't have to ask who it is?"
"It's a snake."
There was a pause.
"... A heater should be quiet, so keep your mouth shut and go to sleep, Princess."