East Balam, inside an inn.
"Tap."
Luther arrived through Spirit World Traversal. The moment he landed, he looked around and soon spotted Klein, as well as Azik Eggers seated in a chair nearby.
This son of Death wore a silk top hat and a black formal suit. He was of medium build, with bronze skin, eyes weathered by time, gentle features, and a tiny black mole beneath his right ear.
Compared with his time in Tingen, Azik now had a deeper, colder bearing that even gave Luther a sense of grave-like heaviness.
At that moment, he was examining Klein's human-skin glove and murmuring to himself. Their surroundings grew exceedingly dark as complex symbols and patterns, some pale and others an eerie green, appeared in the air. They intertwined to form a double-leaf Bronze Gate, which shrank and settled onto Creeping Hunger.
The glove, previously suffused with blood-red hues and malice, immediately became docile. All traces of red faded, restoring its original pallor.
I'd better not stare at him too long...
Luther felt signs that he was about to start seeing things again and hastily averted his gaze on instinct. Looking only at the floor in front of Azik, he greeted him calmly. "Mr. Azik, it's been a long time."
"...Yes, it has."
Azik returned the glove to Klein and looked at Luther. Then he paused slightly, saying nothing.
"Mr. Azik?" Klein took the glove and asked in puzzlement.
"Yes, it's nothing."
Azik collected himself and said to the two of them, "Let's leave once you're ready."
The two began disguising themselves. Klein took on the face of the Crazy Adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, while Luther adopted the face of the Blood Bishop, Alexander Gascoigne.
They intended to use Klein's divination to locate and pursue Vice Admiral Hell Ludwell, then obtain current