Capítulo 190: The True Essence of Facelessness! (II)
Kai's entire posture had straightened, the drowsiness getting smothered within him.
He didn't know what this Saying was. Nor did he know the implications behind the Chief Bishop letting him know of it. All he knew was that his Instincts were screaming that something truly amazing was happening, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
It was a primal feeling Kai had developed in his previous life.
And the feeling had a unique smell, known only to him.
The smell of — Opportunity.
Kai stared at the priest, waiting to hear the words.
The Chief Bishop opened his mouth, his pale green eyes solemn.
"The Gates of the True Essence of Facelessness open when the White acts as Black and the Black acts as White."
This… Kai's mind immediately ran, trying to fit this sentence somewhere, meanwhile deciphering what these words meant. A vast blackness fell over him. Then came the whiteness, intermingling purely, yet distinctively with the blackness.
Kai couldn't fathom the changes happening in front of his eyes; within his mind.
A sudden push jolted him awake, and his eyes squinted as he saw the sun resting high in the sky.
What?! Kai was shocked. Is this some hallucination? Another magical trick?
But when he turned to look at the Chief Bishop, he saw the truth on his face. "How long…?" Kai asked, stunned.
"7 hours."
Kai gulped and wondered how much longer he would have stayed in that trance if the faceless man hadn't bothered to bring him out.
"You must be careful while meditating over this Saying, Red," the Chief Bishop warned. "Always have someone with you to bring you to reality. Otherwise…
"… the Gulf between the Black and White will consume you."
Kai ran his hands through his hair and felt their roughened texture. He was hungry, and delicious, roasted Pokemon-meat was waiting for him inside his MRB. But he would only have it after going well out of the Temple's reach.
Kai was on the last step when the Chief Bishop's voice reached him.
"Wait!"
Kai doubled back and saw the faceless man looking down at him.
"Are you going to attend tonight's auction?" the Chief Bishop asked.
Kai felt confused but nodded. He just knew that this man already knew he would attend. He was just glad the Chief Bishop didn't raise any questions about Mission Credits. Kai wasn't sure he could lie without getting found out.
"Good," the white-black cloaked man said, nodding. "Remember, Red. The most important object in this auction is — a Clue."
Eh?! Kai didn't get to ask what this statement meant. The Chief Bishop turned around and went back in, the doors closing behind him majestically.
Not knowing what to do, Kai just shook his head and traced his steps back.
The moment Kai felt a tingling sensation, the House of Black and White behind him vanished.
*
*
Inside the House of Black and White
Main Hall
The doors closed, and the Chief Bishop approached the Pool of Truth.
Simon was waiting for him there, standing strong, his back slightly hunched.
"What was the need of telling him about the Saying and even passing it onto him?" Simon demanded, his tone expressionless. "Red is not HIS priest yet."
The Chief Bishop whispered something to himself before speaking out. "The strings of fate have been shaking since his arrival," he told Simon. "It was a gamble. Drastic? Yes. But necessary as well. Red will not come back to us. Not this Red, at least."
Simon narrowed his eye and went silent. After nodding to himself, he asked, "Then what about the Clue? Do you think he can decipher it? Do you think he has… it?"
The Chief Bishop looked thoughtful. "If Red can trace the Clue back to its source successfully, finding The-One-Who-Returned… Then, yes, he has it."
Simon and the Chief Bishop exchanged a glance.
Suddenly, they both laughed, but no sound escaped their throats.
Their heads dropped to look down into the Pool of Truth, but unlike before, the mirror-like sheet of water wasn't reflecting their faces. There was only a blur. A blur that kept shaking, transforming into a hundred faces. Suddenly, all faces collapsed, becoming a single face.
White hair and reptilian, hazel eyes. It was Kai Stormborn, alright.
Little by little, the corners of this Kai's mouth lifted.
Then he too laughed… silently.
*
*
11:00 pm,
The capital city of Buckfastleigh
Wake up…
"Wake up, master," a sharp voice shook him.
Kai opened his eyes and immediately felt as if there were tiny stones in them, burning hot. He rubbed his eyes, and sat up on the bed, trying to make sense of the place he was in.
Someone dabbed his face gently with a cool, wet cloth, moistening away the sweat, and then used a dry towel to clean his face. By the time he smelled coffee and took the cup from Meg's hand, old memories had already resurfaced.
Six hours had gone by since Kai's arrival at the hotel.
Even before buying the ticket to the capital, Kai had eaten his fill, along with Selene.
She wanted to hunt, she kept saying while swallowing as much flesh as she could. But there was no magical creature around them, and both of them were already more like two ravenous beasts by that time.
A full stomach brought massive waves of sleep, and Kai had trouble recalling how and when he had arrived at the hotel. So the moment he had stepped into the room, a dreamless black gulf had claimed his senses.
And now, Kai was feeling worse than before.
There was such tiredness infused in his body that Kai couldn't fathom the reason for it. He was a Contestant, not an ordinary human. Yet, he seemed to have pushed the limits of even inhumane Stats.
He took a sip, a hot, bitter taste opening up his nerves as it went down his throat. Only then did he fully open his eyes. They were redder than blood, he knew, his face getting reflected by the tall mirror on the opposite wall.
"Report," Kai ordered, turning to look at Meg. She had yet to ready herself for the auction that would start after midnight.
Meg smiled, having a hard time controlling her emotions. He must teach her what he had learned in some roundabout way, Kai reflected and put the matter in the back of his head.
"I got a sword for you, master," Meg said, her hand reaching to the table behind her.
When she brought it forward, she was holding a long Katana gracefully. It had a square gray guard and red-colored hilt and sheath. Tied at the hilt's butt was a golden-red string with a small cowrie shell at its end.
Kai gawked at it, controlled his emotions, and then drank the rest of the coffee in one burning gulp. He threw himself off the bed, forgetting his immense tiredness, and snatched the sword out of Meg's hand.
Kai felt its power instantaneously. He gripped the hilt, and then with the faintest of a jerk, unsheathed the sword, taking it out inch by inch. The blade's edge seemed as thin as sunlight, but the strength hidden in the steel couldn't be faked.
Kai felt a thrum inside his bones and smiled.
The sword had accepted him, it seemed. If Meg had stored this sword in her Inventory, then this Item would have been hers, not his.
"It's a replica of a Named Item from the Random World of Afro Samurai," Meg told him. "Under Rare Grade, it's one of the top swords."
Kai ran his fingers across the blade's length.
Then, with a grin on his face, Kai's eyes landed on the Stats hovering over it.
***************
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