Deep within the Forsaken Land of the Gods, atop a mountain peak stands a colossal cross that exists between reality and illusion.
There hung a blurry figure upside down, several ancient wooden stakes piercing its body, stained with blood that was still flowing but not dripping, nailed to the frame.
At the base of the cross, Ouroboros, the " Angel of Fate," dressed in a simple linen robe and with silver hair reaching his waist, sat slumped there, his eyes closed in a gentle and devout prayer.
Adam, whose face was half-covered by a pale golden beard, walked over step by step, stopped in front of the huge cross, raised his head, and silently looked at the upside-down figure.
He held the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes in one hand and the second " Blasphemy Slate " in the other, his eyes clear and his expression calm.
After an unknown amount of time, the Hanged Man on the giant cross suddenly faded, spreading into a curtain of shadow that stretched from the sky to the earth. Behind the curtain, it seemed, lay a pair of indifferent eyes that watched over the entire world.
The next second, the curtain of shadows cracked open, revealing a dark and gloomy interior, with the faint echo of illusory waves.
Adam then raised his left hand, causing the ancient and mysterious " Magic Mirror " to emit a faint glow.
In the dim light, a viscous but illusory black liquid surged and spread out, revealing a boundless sea that seemed to encompass all colors and possibilities. It appeared within reach, yet it had no effect on reality.
Then, Adam placed the second " Blasphemy Slate " into this illusory scene.
The illusory sea scene in the infinite distance began to sway gently, surrounding the second " Blasphemy Slate " and establishing a certain connection with it.
--The second " Blasphemy Slate " was formed from a portion of the remains of Ancient The Sun God who was very close to the Great Old One and roughly equal to the master of the " Chaos Sea ".
Seeing this, Adam slightly moved his left hand, causing the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes to fly up and land at the base of the giant cross, where the " Angel of Fate " Ouroboros stood.
He himself, holding the subtly altered second " Blasphemy Slate," stepped through the crack in the veil of shadow and entered it step by step.
The curtain of shadows immediately closed, quickly faded, and disappeared, leaving only an empty, enormous cross in place.
Throughout the entire process, no one uttered a word; everything proceeded in silence. Even the " Angel of Fate," Ouroboros, did not attempt to open his eyes.
Meanwhile, Amon became a god and used the first " Blasphemy Slate " to block the passage for the " Mother Goddess of Depravity " to invade, while the " Lord of Storms " shattered the Envisioning Corpse Cathedral and one of Adam's identities.
After a while, " The Tail Devourer " Ouroboros opened his eyes and turned his gaze to " Magic Mirror " Arrodes, which had landed on his lap.
On the surface of the " Magic Mirror," silver words stood out amidst the shimmering, illusory ripples:
"You should know what it feels like to have devout faith and to pursue a great being, right?"
Ouroboros nodded with a slightly indifferent expression.
"So, can you send me back to my Lord's side?" On the surface of the " Magic Mirror," the silver words wriggled and Reorganization, forming a new sentence. "After you finish answering, you can ask me two questions."
Ouroboros stared silently at the ancient-looking mirror, remaining silent for a very long time.
Finally, the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes couldn't help but raise a new question:
Why don't you answer?
As Ouroboros looked at himself in the mirror, he calmly replied:
I haven't decided yet.
"Three questions..." On the surface of the " Magic Mirror," two words were slowly outlined by silver light.
Backlund, on the lawn of a detached house.
Two-year-old Will Auceptin happily chased after a large, shiny golden cat with its short legs, accompanied by a nanny and a maid.
--Since the birth of this " Snake of Fate," Allen Kreis. Today, he owns a private hospital that provides medical services to the upper class.
As he ran, Will Auceptin stepped on a slippery patch. With a whoosh, his body involuntarily leaned backward.
He took several steps back and stepped on a stone.
This provided a forward-falling tendency, which allowed Will Auceptin to miraculously maintain his balance.
The chubby-cheeked child was quite wary of his predicament, because with his luck, it was impossible for him to have stepped on a place that would make someone slip.
A familiar figure quickly appeared in his eyes.
That was Sherlock Moriarty, wearing a top silk hat and a black double-breasted coat.
Will Auceptin abruptly turned his head to look at his nanny and maid, only to find that they were completely unaware of the stranger on the lawn.
"I always felt you were going to say, 'Go ahead and scream for help, no one will hear you,'" the well-dressed two-year-old mumbled as he turned around.
Before Klein could respond, He spread his hands again and said:
In short, congratulations on becoming the Angel King.
"Bullying children is not in line with your current status."
Klein chuckled and said:
Do you know how to Fooling Fate?
Will Auceptin raised his head, glanced warily at Klein, and said:
Giving me fake ice cream is not the same as Fooling Fate.
At this point, He complained:
"Why don't you squat down? At my age, keeping my head tilted back like that all the time is bad for my cervical spine development."
Klein, without any airs of a newly Angel King, smiled and crouched down so that Will Auceptin could look him in the eye.
Will Auceptin held the nanny's hand and said:
"Unless I have already advanced to Sequence 0 and become the ' Wheel of Fortune,' any Fooling of me is not tantamount to Fooling Fate."
Klein asked thoughtfully:
"Haven't you found a way to incorporate the ' Die of Probability ' yet?"
"No." Will Auceptin shook his head, then added, "I have a feeling it's coming soon."
Klein stared at the chubby-cheeked two-year-old for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed:
"If I give you and the ' Die of Probability ' to Ouroboros, will He quickly advance to Sequence 0?"
Will Auceptin glanced at Klein and said:
"He also needs to wait for the right opportunity to accommodate it, and the opportunity required to become the ' Wheel of Fortune ' is different from the opportunity required to accommodate the ' Die of Probability '."
As he spoke, Will Auceptin pursed his lips:
"If you only require that the ' The Fool ' Uniqueness, then the corresponding rituals can be simplified and will not be so difficult."
"In this situation, by cleverly utilizing the power of the ' Fate Trojan Horse ' and making certain sacrifices, one has the opportunity to Fooling Fate."
"However, when you attempt to advance to Sequence 0, even if you have already incorporated Uniqueness and absorbed three Sequence 1 Beyonder Characteristic, you still need to truly and without compromise perform a ritual to fully aggregate the corresponding elements and bring about a qualitative change."
I see... In other words, choosing to prioritize Uniqueness is merely a clever trick, ultimately still a way to truly Fooling time, history, or Fate... Klein nodded slightly.
"I think I understand."
He then smiled and added:
"Enjoy your childhood while you can; who knows how long this will last."
After saying that, Klein's figure became transparent and disappeared onto the lawn.
Will Auceptin instinctively reached out with his other hand, which wasn't holding the nanny's, and then weakly pulled it back.
"They just left like that... How rude of them, coming to visit without even bringing a gift..." the child muttered to himself.
Backlund, North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Klein, now in the form of Dawn Dantès, entered the Great Prayer Hall and found a corner seat.
He glanced at the symbol of Evernight on the altar, lowered his head, clasped his hands, and began to pray:
"More sublime than the Starry Sky, more enduring than Evernight Goddess, you are the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror..."
As he prayed, Klein's mind and body gradually calmed and became peaceful with his eyes closed, as if he had entered a state between sleep and wakefulness.
He didn't know how much time had passed when an endless darkness appeared before his eyes, with clumps of night-blooming jasmine and deep-sleeping flowers at his feet.
It was so quiet here that even breathing seemed to disturb the sleeping creatures around.
Before Klein could even take in his surroundings, a figure suddenly descended from the depths of darkness.
There was clearly no distinction between sky and earth here, yet the figure seemed to come from the high-hanging red moon or stars.
He wore a layered yet simple dark gown, adorned with countless sparkles, as if the Starry Sky night sky had been draped over his body.
Her head was indistinct and difficult to see clearly; the only certainty was that she was a woman.
"Long time no see," the figure said softly before Klein could speak.
His voice was like a lullaby in the night.
Klein bowed politely and said:
"Is this addressed to the former ' Lord of Mysteries,' or to me, suspended atop the ' Sefirah Castle '?"
Klein was certain that this was a dream, but a dream didn't necessarily mean it was unreal.
The projection of the " Evernight Goddess " said with a hint of a smile:
"I'm not sure where you were suspended above that Door of Light. I've never been back since I left there."
As expected... Klein sighed inwardly, confirming the origin of " Evernight Goddess " Amanises from the details.
"The three cocoons of light that broke open were next to each other," he replied simply.
The projection of the " Evernight Goddess " in the dream stands in the quietly rippling darkness, giving people a very unreal feeling.
He said in a soft voice:
"The people there were all candidates for the resurrection of the ' Lord of Mysteries,' but something unexpected happened to Him, and He lost control of many things."
"If it weren't for that, I would have died long ago, living on as the ' Lord of Mysteries,' and you and Roselle would have had no chance to return to reality."
This means that the " Celestial Worthy " perished quite thoroughly, and could only be resurrected through the residual will within his Beyonder Characteristic and the mechanical arrangements of the " Sefirah Castle "? Klein sighed, then smiled and said:
"I can already hear Him whispering in my ear."