Capítulo 363: Chapter 24: Familiar Face
Making sure that the candles were in place and that the symbol drawn on the paper was identical to the one behind his seat of honor atop the Gray Fog. Klein could only draw a tense sigh.
This was the sixth time he had checked that everything was for his experiment. This time, the experiment would be much more dangerous so everything had to be perfect, there could be no mistakes.
In front of Klein was a simple altar. On it were two candles, one large and one smaller. The larger candle was above the pupil-less eye and contorted lines, and the smaller one was placed in the middle of the symbol.
In front of all these things... was a single gold coin, one pound.
Having finished checking, Klein could only nod with narrowed eyes. 'Okay, everything seems to be ready...'
This time, he would try to sacrifice the coin to himself. Using Chariot's messenger summoning method only modified it so that, instead of targeting a messenger, it would target his identity as The Fool.
Rising, Klein grabbed the silver dagger he had prepared earlier and raised a wall of spirituality around the altar. He then took four steps...
Taking his place in the Seat of Honor in the Space above the Grey Mist. Klein remained calm, extended his arm from which his topaz pendulum was already hanging, and closed his eyes.
Going into semicogitation, he repeated in his mind 7 times....
'It's safe to pray to me... It's safe to pray to me... It's safe to pray to me...'
Opening his eyes after the seventh repetition, Klein nodded as he saw how the pendulum was swinging with a decent clockwise speed.
Having confirmed that it was safe, Klein wasted no time and quickly simulated the sensation of falling.
Returning to his body, the clown did not hurry but sat back and waited for the spirituality he had expended to recover.
After 20 minutes and feeling his tank full, everything was ready for his experiment. Lighting the candles, Klein closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and prayed in Ancient Hermes...
'The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck...
Your fervent servant prays for your attention,
I pray that you take these offerings,
I pray that you will open the gates to your kingdom.'
The ancient language reverberated in the wall of spirituality, and a wind formed in it. All this condensed into the larger candle that represented the Fool, concentrating and breaking through an illusory door!
Distant whispers reached his ears. He retraced the four steps along with the chants, returning to his seat of honor.
His attention was immediately caught by the spirituality that seemed to move through the air and stimulate this mysterious space. Without wasting time and following his instinct, the clown extended his spirituality towards it.
The illusory door that had appeared in the real world also formed in the Space Above the Grey Mist, and with a thought, it opened.
Klein could see himself kneeling in front of the altar and the gold coin in front of it. Without wasting a second, stretching out his will, he watched as the coin trembled for an instant before shooting back out of the doorway and through it, flying to stand in front of him.
Feeling his spirituality draining ridiculously fast, Klein cut off the supply to the door, and it closed.
Huff!
With a mighty exhale of air escaping him, Klein sank back in his seat and stared agitatedly at the crimson star-filled dome.
Calming down a little more, the clown grabbed the gold coin and began to play with it. His face filled with excitement.
'Now the Tarot Club will be more magnificent than before... And just in time to celebrate the arrival of a new member... Sigh' Sulking, Klein placed the coin on the table and began to roll it around.
With his experiment paying off, the clown did not stay in the mysterious space any longer and returned to his body. Shortly after, he ate the food he had prepared before coming and took a one-hour nap to regain his lost spirituality.
Once that was done, Klein put on the costume he had bought. He left his rented room and returned to his flat by carriage. But he didn't go anywhere near his house.
He got off several blocks earlier and changed into his normal appearance in an alley. He made several detours, and only once did he return home. It was early morning when he arrived, so he had to avoid making too much noise to wake the neighbors.
'I know how annoying it is to wake up because the guy upstairs just decided to remodel the living room at 5 a.m....'
Remembering old times, Klein used his clown powers to move silently through the corridors to his flat.
His movements were similar to those of a house cat who went out at night to see his stray companion and was only just returning home after a night of adventures.
Tired after such a night, Klein just made himself a quick and simple breakfast and lay down to sleep, waking up about 4 hours later.
When he recovered, the clown tidied himself up and took the 'Do Not Disturb' sign off his door. He waited to see if anyone would come in need of his skills. To his luck, only two hours after he removed the sign, a loud Ding! Dong! Sounded.
Someone had pulled the rope on the door!
Rising from the sofa, Klein calmly walked to the door. The image of the person behind it already forming in his mind, an image that made him pause for a moment, was that of two men.
Both wore similar clothes: simple shirts with brown cloth belts and black baggy trousers. They looked pretty large, with the physique of someone who goes to the gym frequently but doesn't watch their diet.
Their features were not typical of a Lenburg; they looked more like those of the Loen Kingdom.
None of them were saying anything, just glancing occasionally at the ends of the hallway as if waiting for someone to come along.
Klein processed this mental image and seriously considered whether or not he should open the door or jump out the window and escape.
Those guys looked very suspicious!
'I didn't just choose the neighborhood where I have to pay extra 'rent,' did I? That would be terrible luck...' Klein regretted not having a gun with him.
If things escalated, he could only defend himself with the cards in his pockets and his combat skills. Even if he was Sequence 8 and the people outside were ordinary people, he didn't know if they were armed.
If he had the time, he would climb into the space above the grey mist to divine over these guys. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury now.
'Why must it be so hard to find a dealer when you need one?' Klein complained as, with a flick of his wrist, his topaz pendulum hung.
Closing his eyes, he went into semi-cogitation and repeated seven times in his mind.
'It is safe to open the door... It is safe to open the door...'
He could only rely on his Danger Sense as a Clown and a simple divination, which was better than nothing.
Opening his eyes and watching the pendulum swing clockwise, Klein made another two divinations.
Having gone through Seer, he knew that divination was powerful but not omnipotent. It could be manipulated and tricked.
After 2 more positive results, Klein took this as a thumbs up and opened the door to his house with a casual smile: "Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry, I'm late-"
"You are Sherlock Moriarty, the Detective?" one of the men asked, holding a newspaper advertising his services.
He just sighed internally at their distinct lack of manners and the fact that they had never mentioned any book they were reading, the usual polite way to start a conversation in Lenburg when visiting someone.
'I'm an idiot.' Klein thought in disgust with himself, suddenly realizing what a horrible idea it had been to put his home address; he could only lament inwardly, outwardly he gave a small smile and nodded:
"That's me. Would you like to come in so we can talk more comfortably?"
The big men gave each other a momentary glance before nodding.
Klein moved to the side and opened the door further, giving them enough room to pass through. Without turning his back on them, he closed the door but did not lock it; he just motioned with the key.
This was so that if he had to escape, he would have another escape route other than jumping out the window.
"Would you like some coffee or tea?"
"We don't have time for that." The brown man cut in, "We're looking for one of our own who went missing two weeks ago. We need you to help us find him."
Klein watched this with a flat expression, "Am I going to help find a debtor for the mob? Should I do it?"
What if it was just a person who had made a wrong decision and escaped? Or what if they were just a snitch or a traitor to them?
The mere thought that his decision might kill someone 'innocent' caused a lurch in his stomach that he didn't show. But it gave him an idea!
"Could you tell me more about this person you seek? Their appearance, what did they wear before they dissapeared?"
One of the men pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his waistcoat and handed it to him. "These are all the details about the person we're looking for."
Grabbing the outstretched paper, Klein unfolded it, and the first thing he noticed was the half-decent handwriting.
'15 years old, damaged and oily black hair, light green eyes. 5'6' tall...'
'He keeps muttering things to the air, usually about things he sees but they're not there. The last time he was seen he was wearing a tattered brown shirt and black sailor's trousers, with plain shoes and no socks.'
'What is this? A guy with mental problems who escaped from the asylum? These guys aren't mobsters but somewhat aggressive psychiatrists?' The clown found himself a little surprised.
A sense of familiarity scratched his cheek, and Klein immediately noticed it.
This was a reminder of his spirituality!
Lowering the paper and smiling at the duo, Klein said, "Excuse me, but I have to go to the bathroom; I'll be back in a moment."
Somewhat shocked, the men only nodded in confusion.
Ignoring his embarrassment for using such a preschool excuse, Klein held back his desire to walk quickly as he moved to his bathroom.
Click.
Now alone and with the door locked, the smile on his face was broken and bitter; it was such that he might as well have been crying.
'What a shame!!!'
Shaking his head in resignation, Klein grabbed the silver dagger in his bathroom for each Tarot Club and raised a wall of spirituality. His pride smaller than before.
...
In the Great Palace above the Gray Fog.
Taking his place in the seat of honor, Klein grabbed the red fountain pen that manifested itself next to a parchment and wrote a sentence on it.
<The person these men are looking for and the reason for my familiarity.>
Repeating those lines 7 times, Klein placed the paper on his chest, hugged it and closed his eyes, falling asleep in a moment with the help of cogitation.
In the dream, countless lights of infinite colors danced and intermingled, quickly creating a scene.
It is a beautiful city, with morning sunbathing. One of the two rivers, the Khoy River, comes from the northern York Mountains and passes through the university district in the East Borough. The Tussock River merges with the city.
Tingen!
Klein couldn't look at his home for long because the next second, the scenery changed.
Now, he saw two people walking down a rather ugly street: a young man wearing cheap formal clothes and an older man wearing a black tunic and a felt black hat with a rounded Edge.
Both were talking about the area when suddenly, the young man turned to the side. To where he turned was a young man standing with his hands on his head.
The young man was quite dirty. His black hair looked greasy, oily, and badly groomed, and his skin was also quite pale.
The young boy looked up as if feeling he was being watched. His dark green, almost black eyes, lacking luster, looked demoralized and had a hint of madness.
As soon as his eyes met the young boy's, he began to weep blood. A dead laugh escaped his lips.
"Ah... You have the stench of death..."
The stage shattered like a mirror being struck by a hammer but Klein did not wake up.
The fragments condensed into one, revealing an older man with a deep gaze. In his calloused hands, he was holding a coat guard that was open in two.
In one of the pictures was a visibly pregnant woman with shining black eyes and silver blonde hair. Hugging her from behind was a man slightly younger than her, with short black hair and small eyes.
On the other, there was a much older photo. This one was of a man much like the one holding the necklace, holding in his hands a chubby baby with a bit of platinum blond hair on its little head.
Then the dream broke, and Klein awoke with a deep breath of air.
'That's why he looked so familiar! It's that Half-Monster boy at the Evil Dragon Bar!
Ademisaul!'
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