Adrian ran.
He didn't stop.
Not when his lungs began to burn.
Not when every movement sent pain through his wounded ribs.
Not even when the blood soaking through his shirt became warm against his skin.
He simply kept running.
Behind him, somewhere in the darkness, came the sound of footsteps.
Steady.
Measured.
Relentless.
Ogun was still chasing him.
Adrian glanced over his shoulder.
For a moment, he saw the faint outline of the oni mask between the trees.
You're supposed to be injured.
Apparently, that hadn't been enough.
Adrian turned his attention forward and pushed himself harder.
Branches struck his face. His coat caught against the vegetation, and more than once he nearly lost his footing on the uneven ground.
He didn't care.
He had already fought Ogun once.
He knew the result.
If he stopped and fought again, there was a very good chance he wouldn't get another opportunity to run.
I don't need to beat him.
Adrian gritted his teeth.
I just need to disappear.
The forest gradually became thicker.
The sounds of Kanazawa faded behind him.
Eventually, even the distant lights of the city disappeared.
Adrian continued deeper into the darkness until he noticed something ahead.
A building.
Old.
Broken.
Abandoned.
Perfect.
He changed direction and disappeared between the trees.
The building turned out to be an old house outside the city.
The wooden gate had collapsed long ago.
Weeds covered the path.
Several windows were broken, and the walls had begun to decay.
Adrian pushed open the front door.
Creeeak.
He froze.
Silence.
Nothing followed.
He waited several seconds before finally entering.
Dust covered the floor.
Old furniture sat beneath torn sheets.
A broken table leaned against one wall, and several empty rooms disappeared into darkness.
Nobody had lived here for years.
Adrian quietly closed the door.
Then he leaned against it.
His breathing was heavy.
His entire body hurt.
"That..."
He took a painful breath.
"...was unpleasant."
He slid down the wall and sat on the floor.
For several minutes, he did nothing.
He simply breathed.
His hand moved toward his side.
Blood.
Too much blood.
He would have to deal with the wound soon.
But first, he needed to know whether Ogun was still following him.
Adrian looked toward one of the broken windows.
Then he reached into his coat.
A small mirror appeared in his hand.
He placed it against the window.
His spirituality slowly flowed into the glass.
The surface of the mirror rippled.
Adrian whispered,
"Show me the path of the person pursuing me."
The reflection disappeared.
Darkness filled the mirror.
Then an image slowly formed.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
Ogun.
The sorcerer was moving through the forest.
His injured leg had slowed him considerably, but he was still moving.
Adrian watched carefully.
Then the scene changed.
Ogun wasn't following Adrian's trail anymore.
He was heading somewhere else.
Adrian's expression hardened.
The image revealed the direction.
The Imperial military base.
Adrian stared at the mirror.
"So that's your plan."
He understood immediately.
Ogun couldn't find him.
So he was going to use the resources available to him.
The army.
Soldiers.
Search parties.
Perhaps even the entire military network surrounding Kanazawa.
Adrian slowly lowered the mirror.
He remained silent.
Then he sighed.
"Of course."
He rubbed his face.
"I steal one book and somehow end up being hunted by the military."
He looked beneath his coat.
The magical book was still there.
His fingers touched its cover.
At least he hadn't lost it.
That was what mattered.
He had come to Japan looking for something that could help him deal with Selene.
He had found a magical book in Ogun's collection.
He had nearly died obtaining it.
Now Ogun was preparing to involve the army.
There was no reason to stay.
Adrian stood.
Pain immediately shot through his side.
He winced.
"Right."
He looked down at his wounds.
"Time to leave."
Japan had become too dangerous.
He needed to find Naomi.
Then they needed to get out of the country as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, several miles away, Naomi sat quietly inside the room where she had been waiting.
She had been told to wait.
So she waited.
She didn't panic.
She didn't wonder whether Adrian had abandoned her.
She didn't question why he had disappeared.
Because Naomi's understanding of Adrian had changed completely.
She had already seen what lay beyond him.
The gray fog.
The enormous castle.
The throne.
The incomprehensible presence that existed beyond ordinary human understanding.
To Naomi, there was no longer any doubt.
Adrian was the Fool.
Perhaps not merely his servant.
Perhaps not merely an avatar.
To her, the distinction didn't matter.
The man she had met was connected to the Lord she had witnessed beyond the gray fog.
And that was enough.
Naomi slowly knelt.
She closed her eyes.
Her hands came together.
Then she began to pray.
"I pray thee..."
"The Fool."
"Dominator of Fate."
"Master of Sefirah Castle."
"Keeper of Mysteries."
Her voice was soft.
Reverent.
There was no hesitation in it.
No uncertainty.
Only faith.
She lowered her head.
"My Lord..."
She didn't know where he was.
She didn't know what he was doing.
But she knew one thing.
Her Lord had a purpose.
There had to be a reason for everything he did.
If he had disappeared, then it was because he needed to.
If he had sent her away, then it was because he had calculated something she couldn't understand.
If he returned, she would follow.
If he ordered her to leave, she would obey.
That was what it meant to serve the Fool.
Naomi opened her eyes.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"My Lord will return."
And she continued waiting.
Adrian had no idea that Naomi was praying.
He did, however, know that she would still be waiting for him.
And that made things considerably easier.
He didn't need to explain himself.
He didn't need to convince her to leave.
Unfortunately, that was also part of the problem.
Adrian still hadn't figured out how to deal with the fact that Naomi genuinely believed he was the Fool.
He knew what had caused it.
Or at least, he had a theory.
Her mutant ability had allowed her to see something she should never have been able to perceive.
Sefirah Castle had responded.
And somehow, its corruption had twisted what she saw into absolute faith.
Adrian had considered correcting her.
But every time he imagined doing so, he remembered the look in her eyes.
Absolute devotion.
If he told her the truth, what would happen?
Would she believe him?
Would she believe that the Fool was someone else?
Or would the corruption simply find another explanation?
Adrian didn't know.
And he wasn't willing to experiment.
For now, allowing her to believe was safer.
At least until he understood what had happened.
He stepped toward the door.
Before leaving, he looked back at the abandoned house.
It had provided him with a temporary refuge.
Nothing more.
He opened the door.
Cold night air entered.
Adrian pulled his coat tighter around himself.
He still had blood on his clothes.
His body still hurt.
Ogun was heading toward the army.
The magical book beneath his coat remained a mystery.
And Selene was still waiting somewhere beyond the horizon.
A normal person might have considered this a disaster.
Adrian simply sighed.
"One problem at a time."
He stepped into the darkness.
His destination was simple.
Naomi.
After that—
leave Japan.
As quickly as possible.
He had stayed in Kanazawa long enough.
Adrian disappeared into the night, moving toward the city once more.
Behind him, the abandoned house returned to silence.
And somewhere in that darkness, the Fool's newest devotee continued to pray.
She didn't know where her Lord was.
She didn't need to.
She trusted that he would return.
Because to Naomi, the Fool was not merely a mysterious being.
He was her Lord.
And whatever path he had chosen—
she would follow it.