Amid the Prayers

Neph knew she could not investigate that part for now, so she soon turned her attention to another line.

-Sequence 3: Pure White Walker.

...I'm calling myself the White Angel from now on.

Neph stared at that line in silence for a long time. Only when the surrounding chill seeped into her skin, pierced her cold resistance, and began dealing direct damage did she come to her senses and hurriedly leave the space.

Before praying to Klein and obtaining food through the Tarot Club, Neph knew there was something else she needed to do. After all, she could not actually have Klein deliver three meals a day, and keeping the food in Moon City seemed inappropriate no matter how she looked at it.

So she still needed to find a way to bring things into that pure white space.

Rather than resorting to sophisticated options like sacrificial rituals or rituals to request a bestowal, Neph, who had no materials on hand, tried something simpler and more direct-she held a chair and activated her spirituality, appearing in the pure white space along with it.

After all, she had been wearing clothes every time she entered and left before...

Once she confirmed that anything she held could enter with her, Neph had nothing more to worry about. After checking her remaining spirituality, she decided to finish her meditation first.

She had actually already completed half of the meditation. The next step was to imagine something that did not exist, which was not difficult for Neph. She could just pick something from a game. What really interested her was Spirit Vision.

She raised both hands before her eyes, her index fingers pointing toward each other without touching, then slowly moved her hands in front of her.

This came from Old Neil's instructions. Neph also relaxed as much as she could, and the results were decent. After several attempts, she saw a patch of pure white on her fingers.

Neph frowned.

This differed from Old Neil's explanation of Spirit Vision. Normally, she should have seen red on her fingers. Moreover, this white was excessively pure, even conveying a chill through her vision that reminded Neph of the pure white space. Her gaze darkened as she realized this was likely a special form of Spirit Vision.

-Yet nothing of the sort had been mentioned among a Ghoul's abilities.

It might have come from a higher Sequence. Neph wanted to enter the pure white space to check, but after sensing her remaining spirituality, she abandoned the idea and decided to rest first. She simply changed the activation gesture to clicking her teeth together twice in succession.

When she woke again, it was already nighttime in Moon City. After some thought, Neph decided to eat something, then try praying to Klein.

So noisy...

The overlapping, echoing prayers were like an unceasing whisper, circling Klein's ears and rousing his consciousness from deep darkness. Instinctively, he tried to move.

But his body would not obey him, so he could only listen to those overlapping prayers while recalling what had happened.

Megose barged into the Blackthorn Security Company...

The True Creator's offspring descended...

Captain took out Saint Selena's Ashes...

Captain died...

I died too...

That hand! It was the owner of that hand!

The image of a slightly pale hand surfaced in Klein's memory. His emotions surged once more, and he struggled to get up.

Some sensation returned to his body, but he still could not move. Klein tried to guess his current circumstances. The dark, enclosed space, coupled with his memories of dying, led him to an unpleasant suspicion. Panic suddenly seized him.

...Am I inside a coffin?

At that thought, he struggled even harder.

"Looks like it isn't time yet... I remember he was supposed to revive at night?" Neph opened her eyes and looked at the lights outside the window. "My sleep schedule feels like a complete mess... Tsk, I'll check where that special Spirit Vision came from first. Everything else can wait until daytime in Moon City..."

With a thought, Neph appeared in the Pure White Space. Growing increasingly adept at using the Blank Canvas's search function, she quickly found the origin of this special Spirit Vision. It came from the Sequence 6 Faded Painter. Different traces appeared as colors in a Faded Painter's Spirit Vision.

Neph did not linger. Returning to the real world, she recalled her fear of the Unshadowed, and another idea formed in her mind:

Corruption should count as a lingering trace too...

Fading... Could fading at a high Sequence erase the color of corruption?

Neph licked her lips and looked out the window, rubbing her fingers lightly together as she reassured herself:

No rush, no rush... There are Beyonder characteristics stored in that space. With potions available, I don't need the Beyonder characteristics. Once it's daytime, I can ask whether Moon City has an Artisan... I could consider having an Artisan turn the corresponding Beyonder characteristics into Mystical Items.

Also, I need to find a safe way to take things out... Otherwise, the Beyonder characteristics might seep straight into my body, just like the potion did before...

And I'd better verify whether the color of corruption will show up, like the white on me... Hmm, I'd better not choose a demigod to look at.

But would looking at traces of corruption make me see its source? Tsk... Right, could I try it in Sefirah Castle? It should be safe there! But first, I need a response...

Again... This is the third time, isn't it? It sounds like a woman's voice. Does Miss Justice need something? Didn't she ask to be absent from this week's Tarot Club gathering? Since both she and Mr. Hanged Man asked to be absent, I even told little Sun that this week's Tarot Club gathering was canceled...

...Has a week already passed? Did my revival take that long?

At that possibility, Klein struggled even harder. This time was different from his earlier attempts. He distinctly felt one of his fingers move.

Raphael Cemetery, at night.

Holding a bouquet of white flowers, the bronze-skinned Azik stood before Klein's grave without speaking for a long time. Finally, he sighed and murmured to himself:

"I'm sorry. I was ten minutes late.

"But I think I know who it was..."

He bent down and placed the bouquet on the ground. Just as he was about to straighten up, his gaze and movements suddenly froze.

-Before his eyes, the solid stone slab sealing the grave shifted upward little by little, showing faint signs of being pushed open, as though something were about to crawl out from within.

Crimson moonlight shone over the scene, lending it an indescribable eeriness. Azik stared unblinkingly at the slab, slowly straightening and stepping backward.

His brows knitted tightly, but he did not attack.

"It isn't the power of death..." he muttered to himself. "Nor is it a monster..."

He paused, confusion entering his eyes. "...It seems to be a living person?"