"Mr. Living Wheel, regarding my request for information about the Angel of Creation, have you found anything yet?"
"Lady Mother, unfortunately, I still haven't found anything about 'Him.' Even divination doesn't seem to help for some reason; it's as if 'He' doesn't even exist…"
Huh, the Angel of Creation? The archangel of the Church of Light? Isn't he dead? Why would they be looking for him? Are they after his characteristics?
And why did that guy use 'Him' to refer to the Angel? Since they're speaking Intisian, shouldn't they be using 'him'? 'Him' is a pronoun used only for deities, and 'him' for angels and other important religious figures like saints...
Do they know some secret about the Angel of Creation? Maybe they just have a weird sense of humor and are using 'Him' as a way to mock the Angel of Creation…
Heh… if that's the case, then I'm not that different from them since I just use regular pronouns for everyone…
As Michael listened to the members' conversation, he had the uneasy feeling that the Path was watching him.
"Lady Mother, I think we can narrow down 'His' pathway based on a discovery I made last week."
"What discovery was that, Mr. Sage?"
Tsk… these guys sound like robots. Beep boop, what was your discovery, Mr. Sage, beep boop.
Michael mocked them in his mind.
"I believe I've found 'His' Pathway."
The Sage paused for a moment before continuing.
Michael didn't understand why they cared so much about the Angel's pathway, but he still listened attentively.
"Based on my recent research-"
As the Sage started explaining his findings, his words became incomprehensible to Michael. Although he hadn't changed languages, Michael couldn't understand a single word.
Michael felt like his whole brain had turned to mush as his consciousness began to fade.
…
New Trier, Intis. March 31, 428, 16:00 P.M. Sienna Quartier.
Lana entered a café to calm down after what had just happened.
She ordered a cup of coffee with milk, no sugar.
"Tsk… at times like this, I really miss Balam. The food here in Trier is good, but I miss home..."
"Now that I think about it, what happened to that boy to make him run like that…"
Lana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A deafening sound began to ring in her ears.
Initially, it was an indistinct mixture of noises, but it gradually took form. Lana heard the sound of waves, the ticking of a clock, and the sound of rain, blending into different contradictory words.
Lana exhaled deeply and opened her eyes.
She took a sip of her coffee, left enough money for two cups, and hurried out.
…
Suddenly, Michael felt a shock surge through his body, jolting him back to consciousness.
He looked around. The fog that had been baby blue was now gray once more.
He glanced at the chairs where the members of the meeting had been sitting, and all of them were empty except for the Path's chair.
He looked at the Path in silence, waiting for the host to say something.
"Now we can talk in private, Mr. Princess."
"I'd like to propose a little game as an icebreaker. What do you think?"
The fog covering the Path's face faded as he changed his appearance to that of a young man, no older than twenty, with dark blonde hair, light brown eyes, and a tan that suggested he'd spent his whole life on the beach.
"Sure, do what you want. But change that appearance, it's really creepy having to stare at myself…"
Michael said, his face showing clear disgust.
"Oh my, you're hurting my feelings."
The Path shifted his appearance again. Now he looked like a young man with light brown hair, green eyes, a thin face, and a mole on his right cheek.
"Well, how about we play a little game I like to call 'Monkey's Paw' but don't worry; I won't twist your words. I'm not a genie, nor am I interested in being one."
"You can only ask questions, and in exchange, I'll take a memory of equal value. How does that sound?"
The Path asked in an excited tone.
Tsk… this guy is creepy as hell, but it's not like i have much of a choice, its liks they say 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'.
"How can I trust that you won't lie to me or steal unrelated memories?"
Michael asked in a suspicious tone.
"Why would I do that? It's not like you know any secrets of the universe or something. If I wanted to steal your memories, I'd have done it already. So, let's just trust each other, little Princess."
"You're lucky I can't do anything. If I could, I'd beat you up, you weirdo." Michael said as he stretched his back.
"Well, let's get this over with. What Pathway does Michael Burey belong to?"
Michael asked, looking deep into the Path's eyes.
The Path smiled before responding: "Wow, you're really direct, huh? I thought you'd ask some useless questions to test me or something."
"I'm crazy, not insane. Testing you would just waste memories and time. Now answer my question."
The Path's smile faded.
"Don't you think you're being a bit disrespectful, Mr. Abel? I could kill you here and now…"
"Then do it. It's not like I have much to lose anyway. Answer my question or kill me; either works for me."
"If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it already. If I guessed right, this is exactly how you wanted me to behave, am I wrong?"
The Path broke into a wide smile before laughing loudly.
"This is going to be a fun game…"