The trio watched Panatiya depart, and Adrian let out a derisive chuckle. Mr. Z, waiting nearby, bowed slightly and asked, "Your Excellency Adrian, what's next…?"
"No change; continue supporting their plan. Start preparing our Lord's divine descent ritual now. I'm confident we can bring our Lord back to the world. Don't harm the civilians here—they're the Lord's flock. This is a feint; Mr. A's escort of the divine child is our true hope for the Lord's descent."
Mr. Z nodded eagerly. Adrian smiled and headed back inside.
The High-Dimensional Overseer owed Qilangos a great debt for this opportunity. Adrian had been struggling to secretly bolster the True Creator's anchors and to send the fully corrupted Hidden Sage beyond the barrier. After the Backlund Great Smog, the Aurora Order could rally those who lost everything, sending them overseas.
With such massive death tolls, no one would notice a few thousand missing. The High-Dimensional Overseer could infiltrate the barrier, gradually usurping earthly authority. After dispatching the Hidden Sage, He could dive into the sea, where even Adam or Leodero couldn't easily track Him at sufficient status.
If needed, the High-Dimensional Overseer might even invite Outer Gods to this unprecedented barrier-spanning melee, as the Primordial Hunger seemed intrigued by Earth's beings.
After a brief chat with Klein, Adrian returned to his room. As if drawn, he looked up at the pitch-black night sky.
—A full moon bathed the earth in light.
Hearing the whispers in his mind surge, Adrian's lips curled into a faint smile. His body faded into the air, vanishing into boundless darkness.
In Hillston District, inside a house, Fors Wall, sleeping apart from Xio, bolted upright, clutching her head. Her decent face twisted in agony, as if demonic.
Pressing her ears, Fors thrashed on the bed, battling illusory whispers. Sweat dripped from her forehead, veins bulging on her hands. Her body tensed and rolled, her playful, languid blue eyes filled with pain.
In her pupils' depths, countless shifting, layered lights flickered.
She screamed and writhed, like a tortured prisoner. Tear streaks marred her face, shed in her earlier torment.
After prolonged agony came long silence. Eventually, Fors recovered slightly, leaning exhausted against the wall, despairing: "Each time it gettinh worse… Will the next make me lose control…?"
Suddenly, a "thud thud" came from the door. Fors struggled to turn, hearing persistent knocking.
"Who's there…?" she muttered. "Who visits at this hour… What time is it…?"
Despite her thoughts, Fors didn't move, too drained from her ordeal to care about the unknown caller—especially in their neighborhood, where nighttime knocks were suspicious, likely a drunk or fugitive.
"It's me," Fors saw cold text flash in her mind, and a pair of icy, lashless eyes materialized in the air. The chilling text restored some clarity, reminding her of the one pushing her to digest her potion relentlessly. Dragging her numb, weary body from bed, she shouted, "I'm coming! Wait, Teacher!"
Fors barely draped a thin blanket over herself, rushing barefoot to the door with a patter. Opening it, she saw Adrian, sweat beading on his forehead, and gasped, "Teacher, why are you here?"
"How many times have you used that bracelet?" Adrian feigned urgency, grabbing Fors's wrist. Noting only two beads remained, he fixed her with a deep gaze. "Let's go inside. Also, your clothes are sweat-soaked; deal with that first," he said, "gravely."
"Oh… I'll change!" Fors's foggy mind cleared under the cold text and Adrian's voice. Blushing, she lit a living room lamp and darted to her room.
Adrian sat under the dim yellow light, settling on a slightly creased sofa, staring at the air as if something fascinating lingered there. The lamp burned, casting his cold features in a soft glow.
After a while, Fors emerged in clean clothes, stepping lightly to avoid waking Xio in the next room. Adrian patted the sofa beside him, saying, "Sit."
Seeing his expression, Fors sat obediently, like a scolded child. She opened her mouth, unsure what to say. Adrian studied her pale face and spoke abruptly: "You heard the whispers?"
"Uh, no… Yes," Fors lowered her head. "Sorry, Teacher. I used the bracelet again, chasing Qilangos when we were spotted…"
"No need to apologize," Adrian said calmly. "Compared to potential dangers, survival matters most. You chose correctly. But the whispers you hear now are an urgent issue."
Fors nodded, wanting to ask about the whispers, but Adrian cut in bluntly: "You're hearing Mr. Door's voice, our Abraham family ancestor. Our family hears His whispers, so we often take non-family students to bolster our strength."
"Logically, non-Abraham Door pathway Beyonders shouldn't hear our bloodline curse. But your bracelet's side effect—overuse makes you hear what only we do. I call it the Full Moon Curse.The higher the sequence, the greater our risk of losing control."
Adrian's lips curved into a cold smile, eyeing Fors, now a Sequence 8 Trickmaster, with pity. "With a Blood Moon, at Sequence 8, your loss of control is near certain."
Inevitable loss of control? No, I don't want to die! "But…!" Fors's pupils shrank, seeing sweat on Adrian's brow, her voice rising. "Tacher, you said you're Sequence 6 Scribe, right? You must have ways to resist this curse?"
Recalling her hellish ordeal, Fors's emotions flared but quickly cooled. She asked, "Teacher, any solutions? You're two sequences above me. By your logic, your risk should be higher, yet…"
"I know what you're asking," Adrian said, feigning weariness. "If the curse is so dire, why haven't I lost control, right?"
The weariness was staged, the sweat mere water droplets. Having come here, Adrian aimed to guide Fors with words. She nodded, awaiting his response.
"You can seek a god's protection. Orthodox gods likely won't answer, but I can provide some honorific names if needed," Adrian said, propping his chin. "Otherwise, you'll have to endure the curse alone."
"I didn't take the Door pathway, choosing another to suppress my bloodline's curse. That's why, at Sequence 6, I'm still in control."
Orthodox gods won't help, so only… evil gods might. Fors swallowed hard, unprepared to invoke an evil god.
From stories, those praying to evil gods or demons met grim fates, with a few "saved" by kind priests, repenting in churches lifelong. As a Beyonder, Fors knew the latter was nonsense—any tie to demons or evil gods meant church imprisonment at best.
"Think it over, Fors," Adrian said, feigning fatigue, heading out. "I'll have my messenger leave some ancient beings' honorific names. Choose the least dangerous—though, with evil gods and hidden existences, none are safe."
"I understand…" Fors sighed, watching Adrian leave.
Should I recite those evil gods' or hidden beings' names…? Fors pondered, when a neutral voice came from behind: "Fors, why's the lamp on? Did someone visit…?"
Turning, Fors saw Xio in pajamas, rubbing sleepy eyes. Her expression froze, scrambling to deflect.
…
The sun rose, soon reaching its zenith. Klein, after a grueling morning of study, passed the half-day. Spotting Adrian return, he greeted wearily, "Morning, Old Adrian…"
"Not morning, Klein," Adrian chuckled. "It's nearly noon. Busy morning?"
"I'm scared I'll fail as a teacher…" Klein joked. "I've never taught, Old Adrian. I was just a humble programmer, not a mentor."
"I get it," Adrian nodded, speaking softly. "I have a student troubled by my family's full-moon whispers, risking loss of control. Klein, I need your help."
"Loss of control?" Klein's face grew serious. "How? If I can help, I will…"
"If the whispers return, I'll have her recite your honorific name to pray to you. See if you can pull her to the gray fog," Adrian said, "troubled," rubbing his temples. "My 'cheat' is tricky for marking people; your gray fog is more convenient."
Fusheng Xuanhuang Celestial Worthy's Sefirah Castle is indeed more versatile than the High-Dimensional Overseer's Sefirot Veil Court in some ways—Adrian wasn't lying.
Klein nodded. "Don't worry, Old Adrian. I'll respond promptly to prayers. Share her appearance, and I'll keep an eye out."
With Adrian's help, Klein was eager to return the favor. Adrian nodded. "I'll write her details. Her name's Fors Wall, with brown hair."
Klein agreed readily. "Got it, I'll watch for her."
Checking his wristwatch, Adrian's expression softened. Smiling faintly, he said, "Alright, it's time. Let's grab lunch and prepare for today's Tarot Club."
(End of Chapter)