Boom!
Selina thoughts rang. The dreamworld formed a ring of flowers around her, to soothe it. She quickly recovered but she felt the seed was being gripped by the shadows.
She had to escape!
Luckily, for whatever reason, the fetus went back to sleep. The seed suffered a dark blemish, and it rushed out of the crevice, back to the fireplace and outside.
After exiting the unit. It rolled again, very fast into the street.
...
In the entertainment room.
Leonard had won three consecutive times. It slowly felt like he was leveraging these women in front of him.
There is now about twelve solis in his side of the board. Though he felt penitent, he was smiling, figuring that it is best to return a few change at the end of the game.
Then, just as Seeka was about to draw cards for them. Leonard noticed a seed by the window. It was familiar and its roots are retracting back.
Is that my...? He instinctively fished out the vial from his pocket, that is now empty.
Selina? You've been controlling my seed?
Leonard instantly became anxious about his teammates noticing. He smiled and laughed very fervently.
Seeka and Royale exchanged a peculiar looks and the former said, "Just because you've been winning doesn't mean you have to rub it in..."
"Heh." Leonard stopped, but that's because the seed had arrived right beside the soles of his shoe. He stooped down and quietly offered the vial to it.
It naturally entered by itself.
Did Selina used the seed to leave and visit Megose? Was the first thing that came to Leonard after he withdrew the vial back.
...
In the dreamworld.
Selina was panting audibly as her heart raced with the discovery.
If she wasn't in the dreamworld. If she were to see it personally. The intense darkness would've consumed her.
Thankfully, she was able to purify the dark blemishes on the seed as if she's dusting off her arms. But it didn't changed the fact that a monstrous spawn is here in Tingen!
"If Megose were to give birth..." Just thinking about it made Selina trembled, her mind teetering to the worst outcome.
"We have to stop it. W-We... have to kill Megose's child!"
...
In an alleyway beside Blackthorn Security company.
The juvenile plant that had sprouted immediately with dark-tipped leaves grew exponentially by the hour.
Soon, it had grown a stem, and from that stem are patterns of chains binding an incomplete person.
At the same time. All over Selina's resting body are chains of the same pattern, flickering from being deep-black to fading into her skin.
But just as it flickered for the third time. Her eyes fluttered open, and it halted altogether.
Laid in the bed. Selina was sweating profusely and heart racing. She picked up the dry towel beside her and walked to the door.
She paused in front of it. Afraid that she might be crossing a rule, breaching Klein's effort and worrying everyone in the company.
As she her fingers was about to touch the cold handle. Selina suddenly pulled away.
"Tomorrow." She placed another hand to her palm as she place it closer to herself. "Klein is already asleep. If I were to say more, Captain would become much more worried and so do everyone.
"I have to refrain. I can't act rash ever again."
Swallowing a lump in her throat. She forced herself back to the bed.
In the cold night. She couldn't sleep properly. Figuring that exhausting herself would do, she visited the dreamworld again for the last time today.
...
In the Moretti residence.
After folding the letter he wrote in concern for his superior's state, Dunn Smith. Klein took out the copper whistle, put it to his lips, and blew hard.
In the silence, illusory white bones came flying up from the desk like a fountain and finally formed a huge monster. It was almost four meters tall, still covered in a faint glow. Its head was still poking through the ceiling, looking no different from before.
Klein flicked his wrist and threw the letter. The white bone monster caught the letter and gripped it tight
Klein blew the copper whistle again and saw the messenger break into illusory white bones and fall like rain before vanishing through the surface of the desk.
Klein felt much calmer after finishing everything, but he didn't stop trying. He moved the chair back and stood up. He then walked four steps counterclockwise and entered the world above the gray fog.
The lofty palace and the ancient mottled table appeared before his eyes, as though it would stay the same for tens of thousand of years.
Klein sat at The Fool's seat of honor. Then, he took out the spirit pendulum from his left sleeve and conjured a yellowish-brown goatskin and a fountain pen in front of him.
He wanted to divine multiple things. Concerns about Ince Zangwill and the Captain!
He needed to determine and believe Selina fast!
After some thought, Klein wrote the first divination statement.
"What Selina said about Ince Zangwill is true."
He held the pendulum with his left hand as he recited the divination statement seven times. He closed his eyes and entered a Cogitation state.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and they returned to their normal color.
He looked at the topaz pendant, and immediately, his expression sank. The pendulum was spinning clockwise! The rotation was relatively fast!
Klein gritted then contemplated about another sentence.
"Selina is in danger." was written in Ancient Hermes. Similarly, it bore confirmation at a paced rotation.
The atmosphere in the gray fog became grim and dark. On the table, laid two goatskin parchment that independently contain a sentence:
"Ince Zangwill's location."
"Ince Zangwill's plans."
He put away the topaz pendant and leaned back into the chair. He recited the divination statement as he entered a dream with the aid of Cogitation.
In the blurry illusory world, he couldn't see or discover anything. There was nothing except gray fog.
This meant insufficient information. The divination failed.
Klein woke up. He was silent. Then, multiple parchments appeared out of thin fog each with common written names "Ince Zangwill."
All of it, down to the most petty of descriptions, resulted in nothing but thin strips of gray fog that remained aqueous. Klein was getting sick of seeing it.
"Will Selina die?" Relatively positive.
"Will Selina live?" Relatively positive.
Turning clockwise. Again and again and again...
Damn it! Why? Klein slammed a fist onto the armrest of his chair. The dark strands of his hair got onto his face.
If only he had seen Ince Zangwill personally.
If only he could enter Selina's dream.
If only he was in Selina's shoes for a moment.
He could've easily divined Ince Zangwill's whereabouts. Expose him or hunt him down himself!
Klein has resources. The Blood-Curdling Charm would be his ace in killing Ince Zangwill, assassinating him. Just to end that terrible destiny.
However, what pains and appalled him is that even in the gray fog, he couldn't find Ince Zangwill!
At this moment, Klein completely slipped about Dunn Smith. At some point he finally chose to see this in another angle—the Sealed Artifact 0-08!
At least he knew that it exists. He knew of its danger but not it's actual appearance, nature or properties.
Klein had to try! Everything at this point is as crucial and important!
"Information regarding Sealed Artifact 0-08."
The divination failed, again. Klein is aware the slim chance but it is still devastating to see it unfold.
Pant... Pant... Pant... Klein was breathing loudly, helplessly, which frustrates him to the extreme. Hand pressed against his forehead as he contemplates what actions to take next.
"The Captain's condition." He almost forgot.
He made one last modification, "The reason for Dunn Smith's abnormality." onto one of the goatskin parchment that remained.
Once again, it lacked information.
"..."
Klein sat onto his high-back chair. Silently overseeing the bronze table.
...
The next morning, Klein arrived early at the Blackthorn Security Company.
His eyes were vacant and dull, he was shown with obvious signs of weariness and fatigue. The nagging of his siblings why Selina didn't returned haunted him even in his sleep.
"S-Selina moved out already? You're lying, Sis said she'd stay! Falacy is here!"
"Klein, where's Selina? Did you had a fight with her? Just tell us..."
Klein couldn't stop thinking about the tens of attempts at determining Ince Zangwill's whereabouts that at some point, he reached he second floor and stopped before the health room, where Selina is admitted.
He snapped awake to realize where he is. Klein gulped and prepared for a lecture.
He knocked. Thud! Thud! Thud!
But there was no response.
She must be asleep... Klein was just about to turn away when he heard a lovely, familiar voice.
"Who is it?"
Right away. Klein replied, "It's me."
Then, silence grew louder. It was only broke when after twenty seconds, behind the door, Selina's voice said, "Stay there. I'll open it."
Click!
The door swung open inwardly in the room and Selina, her heir cascading from her shoulders, look up to see Klein, completely out of shape.
There was dark circles around his eyes. He was pungent with sandalwood, smoke, and herbs that Selina could name the materials he had with him.
She smiled gently, "I was just away for a day, and you already look like this?"
Klein was stunned, his eyes widened. What he expected to be a lecture, anger, disappointment or coldness from her turned into something he had always known.
"You're... not mad?"
Selina exhaled faintly as she extend her hand to touch Klein's blazer. "Why would I be mad if you came here like this?"
She fixed the flares of his blazer, took hold of his bowtie that appeared fastened with indifference. The bowtie came loose.
"Sigh..." Selina half-closed her eyes and focused onto tying the bowtie back. "So? Why did you came here?"
One knot turned. Klein said, "I came here, without thinking, then I knocked when I suddenly remembered you're here."
"Mhm." Selina made another knot. "What happened yesterday?"
"We entered Madam Sharon's house. Kenley was killed." Klein said, he felt heavy in the chest. "I tried divining Ince Zangwill... B-But I..."
Then, his voice was faintly trembling, "I couldn't divine him. I can't find anything remotely close to him. I wanted to believe you, but..."
"Kenley was killed..." Selina interrupted as her eyes turn sullen. "This is normal. There's a strong chances Captain had already said this to you...
"And about Ince Zangwill..." She lifted a warm smile. "Do your best. I'll do mine, so today again. Keep yourself safe."
Casted by the sunlight. Selina let go of the neatly tied bowtie and her silhouette went for Klein's face.
Without saying anything. She closed the door.
Klein stood there. Heavy in his chest, but also determined. If he wanted to find Ince Zangwill, he'll have to simply assume the coincidences was caused by him and trace it.
The most recent coincidence was with Hood Eugen, connecting to a ritual with Lanevus and finally Megose.
...
After an unknown time had passed. Selina heard another knock on the door, followed by the voice of Rozanne checking in,
"Selina? Here' your breakfast."
Right... I had to tell Captain and Klein about Megose... At that moment, her blood run cold.
I forgot to say it Klein earlier...