Within the ruins of Blackthorn Security Company, scorch marks and shattered objects littered the scene, silent as a grave.
Minutes later, Leonard Mitchell stirred, his eyes slowly opening.
He saw Daly sitting by Chanis Gate, as if soulless, leaning motionlessly against the door. Chanis Gate stood quietly shut, eerily serene amidst the wreckage.
Leonard glanced around, not seeing Klein, a pang of panic rising in his chest.
"Lady Daly, where's Klein? Klein's okay, right? We won, didn't we? He's resting, isn't he?" Leonard's voice trembled. Daly, back against Chanis Gate, didn't respond. After a moment, she looked up, tears streaking her face. Leonard shuddered, staring at her in disbelief.
"He saved Tingen," Daly's voice rasped. "He's behind Chanis Gate, with the True Creator's divine vessel."
No… Leonard choked out a word, stumbling half-crawling to Chanis Gate, pressing his hands gently against its cold surface.
Klein hadn't even left a body.
He numbly searched the rubble for Klein's remains, but could only accept the unchangeable truth. Lifting a piece of debris, he found three charred fingers.
Leonard's legs buckled, collapsing to his knees. Pain filled his green eyes, tears streaming down, washing away blood and dust.
He tilted his ear, listening for two seconds, then lunged forward, roaring, fists pounding the floor.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Leonard wept, hammering the ground, his grief laced with vivid hatred and self-loathing.
"Tingen's story has ended, but a good story never truly ends."
0-08 scribbled on the ground. Ince Zangwill, having consumed a prepared potion, struggled to contain his body's overflowing spirituality. His form grew younger, his prior injuries healing rapidly, soon appearing youthful and robust.
"An unsung hero saved Tingen, leaving the Evernight Church. His name will be remembered by only a few, forever unknown to others."
"Ince Zangwill fulfilled his lifelong wish, becoming a demigod. But unbeknownst to him, all things in the world are fated, cycles of destiny turning ceaselessly."
"All will be crushed by the fate they choose."
"You sure about writing this?" The High-Dimensional Overseer, holding 0-08—now thoroughly corrupted by His Beyonder characteristics—asked the Circle of Inevitability, invited to watch the spectacle.
The Circle of Inevitability, having whispered two riddles in His ear, nodded. The High-Dimensional Overseer added a final line:
"Thus, Backlund's story is about to begin."
He chuckled at the eager Circle of Inevitability.
Another fool tricked aboard.
…
Klein jolted awake from a dream, instinctively sitting up. He glanced around, bewildered, everything unfamiliar.
"Where am I?" Klein murmured, noticing his right hand wrapped in gauze, the fractured bone at his upper arm meticulously treated. The professional care dulled his pain significantly.
"You're awake, Your Excellency, the Favored?" Mr. A looked at Klein with concern, speaking softly:
"Welcome to Backlund, Mr. Moretti."
What?
Klein gaped, surveying his surroundings—a tranquil, peaceful scene. Oddly, for the Aurora Order, it felt serene, reminiscent of his life before transmigrating. He noticed most people passing outside his room were workers and commoners, with few Beyonders among them.
It was a scene impossible for this era. Observing the workers' appearances and attire, Klein spotted something odd: these clearly working-class people held worn but clean books.
Education was scarce in this era; even well-off commoners struggled to afford quality education for themselves or their children. Yet these workers were studying costly knowledge?
Mr. A noticed Klein's expression, chuckling softly. "This is the Lord's revelation, thanks to the Lord and another Favored's guidance. We root ourselves among the commoners, spreading the Lord's faith among them."
"…Gao?" Klein asked, puzzled, understanding the atmosphere. He knew Gao, like him, came from another world—their world. These "classrooms" mirrored his school days.
"Indeed, His Excellency Adrian," Mr. A nodded firmly, still thinking that the Favored One wasn't remembering things correctly. "I was ordered by His Excellency to head to Desi Bay, toward the Southern Continent. Passing through Tingen, I sensed our Lord's divinity—hm, where our Lord's divinity 'kicked' you, alongside a 'Demoness' holding an evil god's statue."
…Is it okay for an Aurora Order envoy to call the Demoness Sect an evil god?
"Demoness?" Klein echoed, curious. Mr. A nodded confidently, addressing the Creator's Favored: "I noticed this Demoness seemed to know His Excellency Gao, and with her holding the Demoness Sect's statue, I brought her along."
"What's her name?" Klein asked, intrigued.
"Trissy," Mr. A replied. "She's Trissy Cheek of the Demoness Sect, but under our guidance, she's repented, willing to convert to our Lord."
…
At 2 Daffodil Street, Melissa sat on a single sofa, repeatedly studying three tickets, examining the text, dates, and seat numbers.
Benson sat beside her, smiling at his focused sister, his posture relaxed.
Suddenly, the doorbell chimed—ding-dong, ding-dong.
Melissa glanced at Bella, busy in the kitchen, grabbed the tickets, and rose, slightly puzzled, hurrying to the door.
Her black hair was glossier than before, her face no longer gaunt, with a healthy flush, her brown eyes bright and lively.
Twisting the handle, she opened the door and froze, not recognizing the visitor.
A young man with black hair and green eyes, handsome but deathly pale, his eyes heavy with sorrow.
"Who are you?" Melissa asked, confused.
Leonard, wearing a black suit over a white shirt, answered in a hoarse voice:
"I'm your brother Klein's colleague."
Melissa's heart sank, instinctively peering past Leonard, finding nothing.
Her voice trembled inexplicably: "Where's Klein?"
Leonard closed his eyes, inhaling: "I'm sorry, your brother Klein died saving others from a vicious criminal. He's a hero, a true hero."
Melissa's eyes widened, her body swaying faintly, the three tickets slipping to the floor.
Face-up, they bore the title The Earl's Return.
"Where's his body?" Benson's hand shook, placed before his face, addressing Leonard. Leonard saw bloodshot veins creeping toward Benson's pupils, reddening his eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Leonard closed his eyes, pained and guilty. "We couldn't preserve Klein's body…"
Leonard knew Klein and the True Creator's divine vessel were sealed in the cold, dark Chanis Gate. Under the True Creator's pollution and the gate's deathly aura, Klein's body couldn't remain intact. Until Backlund's diocese sent specialized personnel, entering Chanis Gate to retrieve Klein's remains was impossible.
Without professionals, venturing into the potentially polluted Chanis Gate was suicide.
Melissa's body softened, collapsing to her knees, eyes vacant. Gazing at Leonard's pained expression, darkness slowly clouded her vision.
…
Tingen's story ended.
No one was harmed, he save a young Nighthawk, his companions, and a tearful sibling pair. Adrian strode toward the Aurora Order's manor, expression serious, steps light. Nearing Klein's room, he deliberately slowed, gently knocking.
"Klein?"
Adrian called in a low voice. Klein turned, seeing Addian leaning against the doorframe. Adrian stepped forward, reaching Klein's window: "Klein, glad you're alive."
Klein's lips curved into a bitter smile, looking at Adrian, softly saying, "Glad to see you, Old Gao."
Adrian sat by Klein's bed, quietly listening as Klein recounted Tingen's events. Adrian nodded silently: "You've been through a lot…"
"Anyway, I can't stay with the Evernight Church," Klein took a deep breath, speaking slowly to Gao. "In their eyes, I'm likely a traitor now. Sigh… To orthodox Beyonders, reciting the True Creator's Honorific Name probably equals 'corruption.'"
"That's the Nighthawks' heretical bias!" Mr. A said indignantly, but quieted under Adria's glance. Adrian looked at Klein, comforting him: "Here's the deal, Klein. Since you can't return to the Evernight Church, why not stay here? You'll need an alias to survive in Backlund."
"Backlund…" Klein absently tapped his bedrail. "Old Gao, what job could I do?"
"Given your Beyonder role, you could be a detective," Adrian Abraham said slowly. "We provide education and humanitarian aid to commoners. Using that as cover, you can return here to exchange intelligence."
"Isn't that a bit…" Klein hesitated.
"As a detective, we'll provide a salary and lodging."
"Thanks, Old Gao," Klein's mood lifted.
Adrian coughed, speaking gravely: "Klein, did you see who attacked you? I suspect someone wielding… cough, a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact won't limit their sights to Tingen. Their next move might be Backlund."
"We need the murderer's identity to predict their actions. Storm clouds often hide more storm clouds. Klein, we may be entangled in a vast conspiracy."
"I saw," Klein's eyes hardened, gritting his teeth at Adrian:
"It was Ince Zangwill."
"..."
"By the way, my name's Adrian, not Gao," Adrian said as he looked at Mr. A.
(End of Chapter)