Hobart first asked the question that had long lingered in his heart: "How did the Trensoost Family's curse come about?"
"Don't misunderstand. Not all descendants of the Trensoost Family suffer from the torment of the curse." Trensoost smiled. "Only the descendants of Olernia and me bear this curse."
With a wave of his hand, Hobart fashioned a Stone Chair for Trensoost. "Please, sit. We can take our time and talk it through."
Trensoost sat down, seeming to have no intention of concealing anything from Hobart. "Where would you like to start?"
"From the very beginning, of course," Hobart said.
After speaking for a few sentences, Trensoost's voice became increasingly rich and pleasant, and he kept smiling throughout. "Let me think.
"I first learned of the concept of Ancient Ones from a few scattered remarks by Solomon. Later, Adam showed me the second Blasphemy Slate, giving me a complete understanding of Ancient Ones."
Hobart asked, "Wasn't Adam always an opponent of the Trensoost Empire?"
"Do you think Adam let me see the Blasphemy Slate out of kindness?" Trensoost gave a cold laugh. "It was precisely because I saw the Blasphemy Slate that I later fell out with the Six Gods over becoming an Ancient One."
Hobart grunted. That made sense.
"After becoming the Kingslayer Prince, I discovered a paradox." Trensoost continued, "To become an Ancient One, one must enter the Country of Disorder. But to enter the Country of Disorder, one must obtain the Mist of Uncertainty's help."
He explained, "During the Fourth Epoch, Mysteries' seal over the Sefirah was nowhere near as loose as it is now. Back then, the only way to enter the Country of Disorder was to use the Connection between the Mist of Uncertainty and the Country of Disorder.
"But once one came into contact with