God's Attendant

Last night, after Abel drank that mysterious liquid, even stronger Beyonder power enveloped them both.

"The most primitive Spirituality within the God Blood has, through my Order Aspect as a nexus, flowed into the vessel formed by the mist around us."

Gais raised an eyebrow and exhaled a puff of faintly rose-scented smoke. Instead of drifting upward, it flowed like water into the ring of mist.

"Here, even I, the one who sets the rules, cannot lie. Otherwise, I would never have told you any of this."

"All right, Gais. Can you tell me now about your Beyonder abilities and that other accomplice who could control plants?"

His deep eyes fixed on Gais's movements. As the latter's lips opened and closed, he still spoke the words Abel least wanted to hear.

"Respected sir, I have no Beyonder abilities, nor do I know what accomplice you speak of."

"Can you trust me now?"

The smile from their first meeting hung on his face, looking like that of a devil in Abel's eyes.

"How could this be? Could it be... you have reached the fourth step on the Beyonder path?"

Abel could not help rising to his feet, and the chair behind him crashed to the floor.

"No, impossible. If you were a fourth-tier Beyonder, I would have suffered backlash when I used external power to cast ritual magic."

"There is only one possibility. What happened behind the chapel truly had nothing to do with you."

Abel rubbed his tightly furrowed brow. Though only in his thirties, deep vertical wrinkles had already formed across his forehead.

"As you can see, I'm afraid that is the case."

As if all the air had gone out of him, Abel's spirit rapidly drained away. He sat back down on the chair he had righted.

Gais had also become curious about the "things that happened afterward" Abel had mentioned. Before the smoke dispersed, he asked the Night Watchman across from him.

"Sir, after we left, what exactly happened at the chapel that made you so nervous?"

Abel pondered for a moment, seeming to recall something, before answering.

"There is no harm in telling you. On the way back after bringing you here, I sensed that the aura of the rule domain I had left behind suddenly vanished.

"Well, this is a special ability of the Order Aspect."

"I hurried back and saw only that the water tank on the stage had shattered all over the floor. That Jellyfish had disappeared."

"I carefully investigated the surroundings, but only found a newly sprouted green leaf left behind, carrying an Aspect aura that did not belong to God."

As though he had found someone to confide in, Abel spilled everything out at once.

Gais's mouth fell open, and he felt a little heartbroken.

"You mean my glowing Jellyfish disappeared? Only a green leaf was left at the scene?"

"Could someone who attended the gathering earlier have stolen it?"

He did not care at all about the supernatural powers in Abel's words. They had nothing to do with him anyway.

But the loss of the Jellyfish made him terribly anxious.

It had cost him a full five Gold Pounds!

"My respected sir, could you please catch that Beyonder as soon as possible, and ask about the whereabouts of my poor Jellyfish while you're at it?"

Gais's eyes were full of sincerity, making him look like a victimized resident.

"Of course. Since this involves secret Beyonder powers, it is an enormous threat to the city's stability."

Abel nodded without refusing. Maintaining order was his duty, after all.

"Thank you. The Night Watchmen truly are the well-deserved guardians of Trino City!"

"Then, sir, may I go home now? It should be nearly dawn. I think both of us need to find somewhere to get some proper sleep."

The swelling around Gais's eyes had darkened them. Now that his tense nerves had relaxed, drowsiness was constantly gnawing at his mind.

The mist around them slowly dissipated. Abel rose and opened the interrogation room's door. Fresh, cold air streamed into the room, making them feel dizzy.

"You may go. It has been proven that you were not involved in the Beyonder incident. As for the charge of deceiving the public, that is not under the Night Watchmen's jurisdiction."

"I will truthfully report your situation to the Peace Officers at the police station and have them assist in recovering the public's losses."

Abel answered his question expressionlessly, as if he had lost all interest in him.

"Of course, my respected Night Watchman sir."

Gais smiled and nodded. He did not believe those Peace Officers could do much to him.

At most, he would just have to spend a few more Gold Pounds.

Abel said nothing more. He merely stepped aside beside the heavy oak door and made a gesture inviting him out.

Gais walked past him and out the door. The moment he took a breath of fresh air, he felt a tremendous force strike the back of his neck.

"Sorry."

The final sound slowly faded away. His vision went black, and the memory abruptly ended there.

Ivan watched these scenes unfold in his mind at the same time, as though he were watching a first-person film.

That was right. He discovered that when a connected believer recalled something, he could enter the memory and experience it from the believer's perspective.

"The Night Watchman knocked him out, then handed him over to someone from the church to have his memories altered?"

"That's a lot to take in. It seems this Night Watchman knew Gais's memories would eventually be modified, which was why he had spoken so freely."

"Luckily, this part of the memory had not vanished. It had merely been buried."

Ivan silently rejoiced, while also marveling at his own strange ability.

"What exactly is my ability? I have no Aspect traits, nor have I sensed any of the so-called steps on the Beyonder path..."

"Based on the Night Watchman's description and the way I broke Gais's memory seal, it seems to have some suppressive effect on Aspects..."

Ivan wanted to investigate further, but he had no clue where to begin. He could only set the question aside for the moment.

"My understanding of this world is still far too limited."

Below him, Gais also awoke from his memories.

The feeling of regaining what he had lost finally erased the sense of discord he had felt all day.

He was incredibly excited and could not help whispering a praise.

"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits. Your gift has allowed me to awaken from the Church of Divine Grace's evil trickery."

Ivan could feel that Gais truly believed in him now, because a strand of faith energy flew from his body.

"Heh, this guy."

Unaware that his lord was mocking him, Gais continued thinking excitedly.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, confusion remains in the heart of Your most devout believer. I need Your guidance."

"What exactly are Beyonders, and where do their miraculous abilities come from?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat troubled.

"What a question. Your great lord doesn't know either, but I can't exactly say that I don't know."

He considered it carefully, then finally decided to answer using his own gift as an example.

"God's Attendant."