Backlund...
"So, you took on a protection job these past few days, only to find out the person you were guarding wasn't exactly a model citizen. Young, impressionable, and learning spirit dances from their teacher, messing around with corpse revival. You thought the teacher was a Corpse Collector, but after investigating, you found out they were just an ordinary person with no real skill?"
Wearing his Jack Jones persona, Alaric summarized Klein's recent tale with a smile, then glanced at the feather and copper whistle on the table. "And these are what you got from them?"
"Yes." Klein nodded. "I suspect these items might be connected to the Numinous Episcopate's so-called Artificial Death."
"That makes sense." Alaric said, nodding. Having read the original story, he knew exactly what these were. Suddenly, he pulled a newspaper from under the tea table, pointing to the front-page headline with a hint of curiosity. "But more than your little discovery while playing bodyguard, I'm curious about what else you ran into."
The headline blared: Death of a Swindler: Did the Mysterious Tarot Club Strike Again?!
A catchy title. Alaric, in his Jack Jones persona, had only noticed this explosive morning news upon returning home. It jogged his memory of a forgotten figure... Lanevus, the swindler, one of the culprits behind the Tingen incident, a thoroughly despicable man.
Alaric had genuinely forgotten about him, considering Lanevus was little more than a minor character in the grand scheme.
In the original story, Lanevus was used by the half-mad True Creator as a vessel for a divine descent. To escape that fate, he leveraged the Nighthawks' power, burned through the True Creator's divinity in his body, and fled... only to run straight into Mr. Fool, who delivered justice.
But now, the True Creator had no need for Lanevus as a vessel. Though Klein had been investigating him, he'd found no leads. So how did this scoundrel cross paths with Klein and meet his end?
Klein's expression stiffened at the question, clearly recalling something unpleasant. He sighed, a touch exasperated. "Before I went to investigate that teacher, I ran into Lanevus by chance... the swindler I mentioned before. He seemed to have just escaped from something, and there were… strange changes in him. It felt similar to facing an evil god's spawn, though not as powerful."
His face showed a flicker of fear as he glanced at the black glove on his hand. "Good thing I had Creeping Hunger and a Sun Charm with me, or I wouldn't have stood a chance against Lanevus. But because of that, things got a bit messy. I didn't want to deal with official Beyonders, so I scattered a deck of Tarot cards before leaving."
While Klein wasn't afraid of tangling with official Beyonders, avoiding trouble was always preferable. He had no desire to be arrested and bailed out by someone like Lady Daly or Captain Dunn. Worse yet, if someone from this side came to get him, it'd likely be Mr. Lucifer himself.
Klein didn't even want to imagine how Lucifer... who already looked at him with disdain... would react to bailing him out from a church.
So, he'd left a deck of Tarot cards to signal the Tarot Club's involvement. It might not do much, but it was better than nothing.
Alaric smirked, understanding the situation. In this altered timeline, Lanevus had been seeded with the True Creator's divinity long before Alaric arrived in this world. But without being used as a vessel, Lanevus gained some strength... stronger than an average Beyonder, but not overwhelmingly so. He likely fled the Aurora Order, only to stumble into Klein, the ultimate wildcard, and get taken out.
"Well, the process may differ, but the outcome's the same." Alaric mused to himself. "It fits the nature of fate's convergence. The only difference is that the Tarot Club's name is bigger and better now. Give it some time, and if the Tarot Club openly recruits, people might actually join."
Before he could say more, Azik descended from the second floor. "Mr. Azik, you're awake?" Alaric called out.
"Sorry, I napped a bit longer than intended." Azik said, rubbing his temple. His gaze landed on the two items on the table, and he froze, lips tightening. "Klein, it seems you've had a small incident."
"Yes." Klein nodded, briefly recounting the events to Azik. "Mr. Azik, I suspect these items might be connected to you."
This wasn't a wild guess. The Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death was almost certainly tied to Azik's other half, his soul.
Azik's expression showed little surprise. He picked up the items, examining them. When he grasped the copper whistle, he closed his eyes, and a chilling aura radiated from him.
Clearly, compared to the Azik in the original story... who had barely recovered his memories or power... this Azik, having faced his past as the Death Consul, had far more tools at his disposal.
Moments later, Azik opened his eyes, his expression complex. "I sensed it... Him. It's indeed another me. But unlike me, I felt no emotion from Him. He… He's like a machine without consciousness. Perhaps Death erased His will."
Alaric wasn't surprised by this. Leaning on the tea table, he looked at Azik with concern. "Mr. Azik, is He affecting you?"
"There's some influence." Azik admitted, shaking his head. "But too much separates us, and I've regained enough strength that He can't deeply affect me before we meet face-to-face. The reverse is true as well." He paused, then gave a small smile. "But with this medium, as another Azik, I might be able to influence those connected to Him."
Alaric's eyes lit up. "You mean the Artificial Death faction?"
The Numinous Episcopate was divided into three main factions: the Royal Family Faction, the Artificial Death Faction, and various minor groups.
The Royal Family Faction was the strongest, led by the Pale-White Empress, Sia, a descendant of Death... possibly even Azik's relative... wielding a Sequence 1 characteristic of the Death Pathway.
Next was the Artificial Death Faction, led by an angel named Haiter, heavily influenced by the Artificial Death, though his loyalty was questionable.
The minor factions were insignificant. If the first two could be brought under control, the rest of the Numinous Episcopate would fall in line.
***
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