The "Magician's" meeting

With Neph's baffling remark and the silent smile that followed, the Tarot Club meeting came to an end. Klein kept Neph behind as usual. Before she could say anything, he took out a badge and said with a smile:

"I imagine you already know what happened this week. This belonged to Lanevus. Do you know what it represents?"

He raised a hand to beckon Neph over. She moved closer and sat down, taking the badge as she suggested:

"I think you could change the setting here next time there's nobody else around... Don't you find it awkward talking like this?"

"I suppose it is a little..." Klein nodded thoughtfully.

Neph had already lowered her head to examine the badge in her hand. It was the size of an eyeball, engraved with symbolic markings. Based on what she had learned recently, she identified them as symbols of fate and concealment. A ring of tiny, closely packed inscriptions covered the back.

Neph couldn't read the writing, but she knew it said, "The bearer of this item may join," in Ancient Hermes. It came from the Hermits of Fate, though Neph preferred to call them the "Amon Victims Association."

The organization had been founded by descendants of the Jacob Family and the Zoroast Family, together with other Beyonders of the Marauder Pathway, for the express purpose of guarding against Amon.

As Neph recalled the relevant plot, she looked up at Klein. "I'm not sure whether I should remind you... but I actually can't read."

"Huh?" Klein stared at her in surprise. After a moment of bewilderment, realization dawned on him. "Oh, you're still in your original body... You can't read the writing here?"

Neph shrugged. She tossed the badge back onto the table and told Klein:

"But I have a rough idea of what it is.

"Well, telling you about it now would probably spoil the surprise-how about this: ask me again after you've encountered Amon once."

"Amon?" Klein looked at her in confusion. "Who's that?"

Neph smiled without answering.

Klein understood that he shouldn't pursue the question. Instead, he asked, "From what you said, it sounds like you have other options besides the True Creator?"

"...I don't really want to choose Him." Neph gave Klein a chilly look. "He... He might be a good person, but I..."

I really can't accept Him writing The Breaking Ice... Just imagining Him gazing straight ahead with those clear eyes while writing... I just, I just...

Neph closed her eyes in anguish for a moment, then spoke with a serious expression:

"I can't tell you about His existence. I can't even mention His name, because once you know about Him, He knows about you too..."

...Come to think of it, won't Adam abduct me for that very reason once I leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods?

...Lord? Save me?

Neph's right index finger twitched, but in the end, she didn't lift it off the table. Klein frowned and ventured:

"'0-08'? Hmm, could the one you're talking about be a High Sequence Beyonder of the Spectator Pathway? Or perhaps the true god of the Spectator Pathway?"

Neph shook her head and answered, "If a Pathway has a Sequence 1, it can't have a true god. The same applies to Sealed Artifacts."

"Why?" Klein asked, puzzled.

Neph thought for a moment before telling him, "You'll know the answer once you get your first Card of Blasphemy."

Klein's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Neph added, "Don't ask me. Even if you ask now, I won't tell you."

Disappointed, Klein gave up. After some thought, he asked Neph another question. "Do you need textbooks? For the languages of different countries?"

"I think speedrunning it would be more reliable..." Neph shook her head, declining the offer. "Learning them myself would take far too long."

They didn't talk much more, and Neph took the initiative to say goodbye. In the real world, she still spent most of her time in the library. In her perception, the residual spirituality on the potion's outer layer was loosening bit by bit. Neph rubbed her fingertips together. She had a feeling that she would finish digesting the Ghoul potion within the next few days.

She saw Klein again on Wednesday evening. He seemed to be in an excellent mood, radiating delight. Neph heard him tell her happily:

"I've become a Magician!"

Neph paused. She suddenly thought of her younger sister. The little girl was still in kindergarten, and her tiny hand couldn't even hold her elder sister's. Whenever they walked together, she would grip Neph's little finger and ring finger.

-In her memories, her sister had spoken to her with that same expression and tone.

A trace of melancholy swept through Neph's heart. When she looked up at Klein again, her gaze was like falling snow, gentle yet tinged with a faint chill. She said softly:

"Congratulations."

Klein keenly sensed that something was wrong. He frowned slightly, about to ask, but stopped himself.

Neph paused as well. She looked toward a Crimson Star that was constantly surging within the grayish-white fog and suggested to Klein:

"Why don't you send me back down first, Mr. Fool?"

Klein hesitated. Neph reminded him, "That's the future Miss Magician. I'd rather not watch her die during this full moon."

Klein froze for a moment, then quickly realized that she meant the Magician tarot card. He asked, "Shall I contact you another time?"

Neph nodded. The scene Above the Gray Fog dissolved, and she returned to reality.

Klein had no intention of bringing her back up to ask who Mr. Door was, but Neph could no longer focus on her book either. She stood, slipped it back onto the shelf, and decided to go fight.

That was the quickest way to forget that little pang of sadness. Yet when Neph stepped out of the ring, she found High Priest Nim standing a short distance away, watching her with a smile. After a brief hesitation, she walked over and asked:

"Is there something you need?"

"I came to let you know," Nim said softly, "that we've finished preparing for the ritual. It will be held in Central Square in two days."

Neph was taken aback, though not particularly surprised. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Could I have a VIP seat?"

Nim blinked. He asked hesitantly, "...What is a VIP seat?"

Neph gave a light cough and explained:

"It's... the best spot.

"Somewhere you can easily see the entire venue.

"Is there one?"

Nim considered it briefly, then realization quickly dawned on him. "I know a place that meets your requirements. Please follow me."

Once again, he led the way, with Neph following behind. They entered the Black Tower and climbed the spiral staircase, finally arriving in the room at its very top. Nim brought her to the window and told her:

"Looking down from here, you can see the entire square."