His whole body was cold, his vision growing blurrier. He could clearly feel his strength draining away, little by little.
Was this what death felt like?
Resentment, terror, fear-his emotions shifted bit by bit, until only bewilderment remained.
He had neither resisted nor struggled, humbling himself to the bone. Joey couldn't understand why the man had still chosen to kill him.
His consciousness seemed to enter a boundless expanse of chaos. He could sense nothing but emptiness, drifting aimlessly like a wisp of wind, going wherever it carried him.
There was neither sun nor moon here, no passage of time. It was like a dream he could never wake from.
After an unknown stretch of time, the dream ended. Joey emerged from his numb stupor, his eyes gradually coming into focus.
The cottage was still the same cottage. What had changed was the raging fire surrounding him. Acrid smoke flooded his nostrils, making it difficult to breathe.
Before he could even react, a beam fell from overhead and pinned him beneath it. Searing pain struck at once, leaving him struggling desperately.
Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared. The pain scorching his entire body vanished in an instant, and the flames dissipated with it.
Vade Wisker held a cane in his hand, murmuring an incomprehensible prayer. The gemstone mounted on the cane pulsed with blue light, extinguishing every flame it touched.
The fire went out, leaving a floor strewn with charcoal. The burning pain kept Joey painfully alert.
"You're still alive?"
Vade Wisker lifted the beam away and gave Joey a long, searching look.
There was no madness, no hysterical howling over the loss of his family. Joey was frighteningly calm.
His skin had stuck to his clothes. He tore them off without hesitation, and crimson blood seeped from the exposed flesh.
"Could you let me be alone for a while?"
Katrin had considered the possibility that they might attack Joey, but she had never expected such madness. For a moment, her expression grew uneasy.
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, Wade signaled her with a look and pulled her aside. After whispering a few words, he led everyone away, leaving Joey alone.
"Captain Wisker, will he be all right like this?" Katrin asked anxiously.
Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps something else.
Vade Wisker didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave Joey a long look, then shook his head.
"His injuries are only superficial. They're nothing serious. Right now, his physical wounds aren't what most need treatment. I suggest you leave him alone."
Katrin murmured an assent, her expression complicated. There was no telling what she was thinking.
His home was gone. So was Old Tony.
Joey sat numbly amid the ruins. Old Tony's body had been reduced to charred remains, and the cupboard where Alisa had hidden was burned beyond recognition.
"Why did you let me live?"
Looking down at his hands, he could clearly sense that he had completely digested the Fortune Teller Potion.
Wayne's bullet hadn't struck his heart. It had missed by a fraction, because there had been a silver coin in his breast pocket-a silver coin of luck.
"Joey!"
"Dad?" he blurted out, looking up in delight. "You're all right?"
Reality, however, was cruel. Old Tony's body gave no response.
"A hallucination?"
How could someone who was already dead come back to life?
Perhaps a Beyonder of a high Sequence on some Pathway possessed that ability.
But Old Tony had merely been a Sequence 9 Beyonder of the lowly, disreputable sort.
Before Joey's thoughts could spiral, that steady, low voice sounded again.
"Joey, my boy. You're all right. Thank goodness."
Joey raised his head numbly and looked toward the voice. A little magical paper figure, with only half its body remaining, drifted unsteadily toward him.
The little figure stopped before him, its features, drawn in watercolor marker, looking delighted.
"Dad, tell me you're still alive."
In truth, he had known the answer the moment he saw the paper figure.
It was only the last remnant of Old Tony's supernatural power. Once that power was spent, it would vanish completely.
The little paper figure settled gently on Joey's shoulder. It reached out a tiny hand to stroke his face, trying to wipe away the gloom that refused to leave.
"Joey, I'm sorry I won't be able to stay by your side anymore. I'm sorry you'll have to face life's storms alone."
Joey drew a silent breath. It felt as though a boulder were pressing against his chest, making even breathing difficult.
"Don't let hatred blind you. Don't seek revenge, all right?"
He clenched his teeth and stubbornly refused to look. He couldn't agree to that.
The seed of hatred had already taken deep root. Before this, he had wanted only a quiet, ordinary life, without fighting or competing with anyone.
"You can't defeat them. Even the Imperial Knights can't do anything about them."
Joey was torn. He had never disobeyed Tony's wishes, but this time, he wanted to be a bad son just once.
The paper figure's voice grew fainter and fainter, a sign that its magic was nearly exhausted. Without its creator's power to replenish it, it would inevitably fade away.
Like a father about to leave on a long journey, it reminded his child over and over.
In the end, Joey chose to compromise.
"I promise I won't seek revenge. Joey Cleavey died in the fire. I'll start a new life."
As though its final wish had been fulfilled, the magical paper figure began to disintegrate, little by little. At the very end, its painted features bore a peaceful smile.
"Joey, don't give up. Your world isn't all darkness. Alisa isn't dead. She's a Marionette. As long as her core remains intact, she won't die."
With those final words, Tony Crevi ceased to exist.
There was no time for grief. Joey rose and went to the burned wreckage, lifting away the collapsed debris. After several minutes of digging, he finally saw the figure buried underneath.
Alisa's entire body was unharmed. The flames hadn't even touched her hair.
Alisa lay quietly curled up, like a sleeping sprite. If not for her breathing, he would have thought she was dead.
Hide his identity? Start over?
Joey had never entertained that idea. Nobody would care about an insignificant person like him.
He had no intention of repairing the house either. He would leave it as it was. At worst, they could live underground from now on. It was safer there anyway.
By the time Alisa woke, it was the following day. Neither of them spoke. There were no words of comfort, only an unspoken understanding.
"Alisa, I'm going to the Sheriff's Office."
Alisa nodded and gave him a long look.
"Come back soon. I'll be waiting."
After changing into simple clothes, Joey left the town with light, unhurried steps and headed straight for the Sheriff's Office.
At the center of the Sheriff's Office, in the captain's office.
"You're stronger than I imagined," Vade Wisker said, regarding Joey with his deep-set eyes.
Joey bent at the waist in a bow.
"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Wisker."
Wade removed his military cap and returned the gesture with a smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. Vade Wisker, Punisher, head of the Survey Corps in West District 9."
A Punisher? Sequence 7 of the Pathway of Light. Recalling the magic he had used earlier, Joey immediately understood.
The primary ability of a Punisher on the Pathway of Light was control over the elements.
"Do all of you in the Survey Corps have another public identity?"
Vade Wisker hung his cap on the coat rack and opened a cupboard. Inside stood a collection of glass jars.
"Black tea or green tea?"
His voice was gentle, as though he were entertaining an old friend he had known for years.
"Thank you, but I don't need any."
"All right. Please, sit!" Wade went ahead and boiled water to brew his tea.
"Mr. Wisker, isn't there anything you want to ask me?"
"I prefer to let things take their course. You're not a criminal, are you?" Wade took a sip of tea and smacked his lips.
"Then could I say nothing at all?" Joey asked tentatively.
Wade blew across the foam on his tea, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "I think you'll tell me."
Their eyes met. For a long time, neither spoke.
"You win." Joey sighed, then added, "Were you really that certain I'd cooperate?"
"Humans are social creatures. When they encounter difficulties they can't overcome, they tend to band together."
Before Joey could say anything more, Vade's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his voice dropped.
"Your eyes tell me one thing-revenge."
Joey's expression went blank, and he froze for a moment.
In the eyes of these seasoned old hands, he couldn't hide a single thought.
"Can I join you?" Joey asked tentatively after a brief silence.
Revenge?
Vade Wisker was right. He wanted revenge, not only against the Necromancer Sect, but also against Katrin Winter.
His hatred for Katrin was even stronger than his hatred for the Necromancer Sect. Her betrayal had destroyed the home on which his survival depended.
But reason told him not to act rashly. Katrin's background was anything but simple. Otherwise, even after she had disappeared for so long, the Necromancer Sect wouldn't have been afraid to touch her.
The only option he could think of was joining the Survey Corps.
Revenge wouldn't come overnight. In his inexperience, he could only take things one step at a time. Sooner or later, an opportunity would come.
"Before that, I need you to tell me everything," Wade said evenly, fixing Joey with an intent gaze.
Joey rose, walked to the window, and opened it. The sunless sky was gray and hazy. Farther away, there was only endless darkness.
Only after a long while did he suddenly speak.
"I killed Keen."
Wade didn't interrupt. He sipped his tea and waited quietly.
Joey turned around, pulled open his shirt, and pointed to the bullet wound over his heart.
"Here. A bullet hit me here before you came to save me."
Vade Wisker suddenly spoke. "You're a Transcendent."
Only a Transcendent could survive being struck by a bullet.
"Yes, that's right. I became a Beyonder during Keen's sacrificial ritual. Sequence 9, Fortune Teller."
"So while Keen was making his sacrifice, you were also making an offering to a god?"
Two deities had accepted sacrifices at the same time, one orthodox and one evil. Some accident might have occurred between them, causing the entire Carson Mine to collapse. It was a reasonable explanation.
"Then why did you choose to hide it when we first met?"
Before coming here, Joey had rehearsed his responses many times. He considered his answer.
"Fortune Teller isn't a Sequence belonging to one of the principal gods. I didn't want to be labeled a follower of an evil god."
"Mm. In your position, I might have made the same choice."
Apart from the three principal gods' Pathways, Senegal had developed many offshoot Sequences over the years. However, many were connected to evil gods or the Chained God.
Fortune Teller was a Sequence he had never heard of, but he could be certain that Joey wasn't a follower of an evil god.
Once the conversation opened up, the rest of their discussion went smoothly. Vade Wisker generously shared all sorts of everyday knowledge about the supernatural world.
Joey opened a cupboard in Wade's office and looked at the glass jars. They all contained tea leaves.
He casually opened the other side, which was filled with liquor, and helped himself to a bottle of wine.
"Mr. Wisker, how could you hide the good stuff?"
"Haha! Tea is for guests, wine is for friends."
"Then can I have a glass now?" Joey smiled. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the bottle and poured himself a full glass.
He had to admit that the winemaking in this world was truly terrible. After one sip, he had no desire to keep drinking.
Vade Wisker's thick eyebrows shifted slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.
It was hard to believe this was a young man who had just lost a loved one. There didn't seem to be the slightest trace of grief on his face.
Perhaps he needed a more thorough examination to determine whether an evil god had eroded his mind.
"Joey, I think you need a Psychiatrist."
Joey keenly caught the strange look that flashed through Wade's eyes.
Perhaps this was the final test. If he passed, he could join the Survey Corps.
He said nothing, merely nodding in response.
Vade Wisker left the office. Before long, he returned with an old woman wearing a cloak.
The cloak concealed her entire body, and she wore a face covering as well, leaving only a pair of cloudy eyes exposed.
The instant those eyes fixed on him, Joey felt as though he had fallen into an endless abyss.
With the Nightmare Spider's earlier example to learn from, Joey passed this psychological test easily. Under hypnosis, he wove a plausible answer for himself.
After a short while, the old woman slowly rose to leave.
"There is no taint on him."
After seeing the old woman off, Vade Wisker's normally composed face showed a rare look of relief.
He felt considerable sympathy for Joey's situation. If he could help, he didn't mind lending a hand.
But that depended on Joey being free of an evil god's corruption.
A breeze drifted through the window and brushed gently into the room. Its slight chill was refreshing.
"Welcome aboard, Officer Clive."
Joey smiled. "Captain!"
That other world, once so difficult to enter, and the things he had pursued for so long were now within reach.
He wanted to share this joy with someone.
He wanted to tell Old Tony.
I've become a transcendent and even joined the Survey Corps. From now on, neither Udir nor any farmer will dare bully us again.
At that thought, an inexplicable sadness welled up in his heart again.
"Captain, what is corruption?"
"Transcendents are lunatics who wrestle with the darkest emotions deep within their own hearts. One careless misstep, and the contamination from beneath the earth will consume them, turning them into lunatics-into mythical creatures with no humanity left."
Contamination from beneath the earth?
Joey picked up on that detail immediately and hurried to ask:
"The Night Demon?"
"Yes." Vade Wisker revealed the secret the Empire had suppressed without the slightest hesitation.
What had only been conjecture before was now a direct confrontation with the truth.
"What has trapped Senegal isn't a bloodthirsty monster, but the humans of the previous epoch. After the Sun fell, contamination from beneath the earth spread throughout Senegal."