Some time later. In her apartment.
Amanises plopped down on her bed with a thud. The soft sheets shifted underneath, but brought both warmth and comfort to the tired woman.
She didn't feel like sleeping at all, but exhaustion creeped in her mind.
Acting can start tomorrow. I don't care.
Daly explained in more detail about the acting method, and the captain shared his own thoughts for the Sleepless sequence. 'It's not all about staying up late. But enjoying the night.'
I'll process everything tomorrow. My brain is fried.
Using her new skill, Cogitation, she fell asleep almost instantly. Her body relaxed, tension gone, released in the soft sheets.
Crimson moonlight filled the room, bathing her body and giving the room an eerie glow.
***
Grunts and whimpers filled the small bedroom.
Holding her head tightly, a woman squirmed in her bed. Tossing and turning with no end in sight.
"Th-this is—Torture!" This was all she managed to slip between her bitten lips.
***
Splash! Splash!
The water of the running colorless river splashed against multiple disfigured silhouettes. All kinds of beings were drifting in it.
It's the nightmare again...
Her consciousness returned to her body, along with some senses.
I can still see everything but unlike before, I can actually feel the cold temperature.
How strange, I feel that it's cold, but it doesn't bother me at all!
It was indeed strange. The terrifying figures moved in strange motions, some passed right through her. Their withered appearances still caused her to grimace, but not to the point of inducing vomit.
Moreover—
I can move! She took a step on the water. The waves were small and leveled so it didn't hinder her walk.
She began strolling in light steps, analyzing the figures more, taking in the details.
None seemed to notice her, but some kept their strange march towards one end.
I wonder... where does this river lead?
She chose a side and began walking, after a while, changed to running.
Huff! Huff! This feels—endless, goddammit!
She stopped to catch her breath, it felt strange inhaling that air, if it could even be called that.
Does this thing even lead somewhere? Or is it just an endless river, like one who flows from the future to the past?
She changed her course, instead of following the current, her direction switched sideways. To the riverbank.
This feels shorter!
It felt like there was actual progress!
In time, the waters started to change. They turned from colorless into a mix of pale white and pure black. Being together, but never mixing, either in streaks or spirals.
It looks like yin and yang...
Suddenly, her walking stopped completely.
The riverbank—
Didn't exist.
Or at least it wasn't touchable.
Dark-gray fog swallowed the sides of the endless river, creeping in but never reaching too far.
As if trying to envelope it in its entirety, but being blocked by an invisible barrier.
From the corner of her soul, Amanises felt terror. That fog concealed something terrifying. Something that should never exist!
As if on cue, a huge dark shadow appeared under her feet. In the water, it felt distant but impossibly close. Like it could swallow her in an instant, without leaving a slither of a soul behind.
Enveloped by that terror, her mind automatically left the nightmare, leaving the river behind.
***
Few days later.
It was midday between 2PM and 3PM. The weather was warm, with high temperature and protruding sun rays.
Through her open window, a light breeze brought fresh air and the chirping of birds inside.
She closed a document. Everything was finalized. The Dusk manor was now sold.
Phew. It's over.
As much as it hurt, it was all necessary. Cutting ties with this life was the first step towards her return.
I have my own family and home. I can't waste time in a delusion.
The past few days were spent in an organized way.
In the morning she would practice Cogitation, and memorize all sorts of information from different books that Theodore lent her.
For noon, she would practice her cooking. It still sucked, but it became edible over time. Her neighbors would sometimes pay a visit and chat about regular stuff, keeping the lonely woman company.
Evening—it was time to head to the 'office' as she would call it. But it was more of a classroom. As the entirety of her time there was spent with a notebook in hand, listening with full focus to Theodore and Daly.
At night she would practice her acting. Reading novels and taking strolls through the empty streets.
Her night vision allowed for a nicer time, and not being afraid of bumping into things. The spiritual intuition she gained also helped in avoiding possible danger.
Overall, everything was kept in a nice and steady cycle.
Almost a week passed that way and now it was finally time for her second Tarot Club meeting. And her first as a Beyonder with new acquired knowledge.
Excitement bumped in her chest. I won't be an outcast anymore!
She looked at the time displayed on the wall clock and noted. 5 more minutes.
Relaxing in her seat, and emptying her mind she entered a state of inner peace. Suddenly, everything turned upside down. Whispers assaulted her ears and she felt the hard material of the engraved seat.
The ravings are quieter than the ones from the potion. She took note of it. Could Mr. Fool suppress the whispers for us?
A sing-song voice echoed through the castle above the gray fog. It carried a melodic tune, as if one of the most famous opera singers gave a private concert in an empty room.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~" Following Justice, each of the members present paid their respects to the one at the head of the table.
Once The Fool gave his nod, everyone sat back down in their seats, relaxing as if it was a barbecue event.
So, Miss Justice only greets each member individually when there's a new one. That way personal introductions aren't necessary.
Amanises was quite disappointed to not receive a personal greeting, but soon understood the reason. She really enjoyed the carefree way Justice addressed everyone. It reminded her of Evelyn's old friend, who was actually more of a niece by now.
The World announced his acquisition of more Roselle diary pages, so Mr. Fool's reading time has begun.
Justice Audrey threw a glance around the grand palace, admiring the small bright red lights hovering in the air. But her attention was grabbed by the person on her right.
At the mention of Roselle's diary, Lady Death's breathing has stilled. I can't tell if she's lost in thought or displays genuine worry.
She couldn't help but ruminate over her fellow Tarot Club member's condition. Now that I think about it, last time her movements gradually slowed when it was mentioned.
I can't be sure whether Death knew that Roselle's notebook is actually his diary, but it's clear they have some sort of connection.
Audrey was indeed curious, Emperor Roselle was someone whom the world flipped itself upside down to understand, yet it still failed. Had it not been for the obvious connection to The Fool, the Emperor would still seem like a genius lunatic.
No, not really. But most of the nobles despise him with a passion. Which makes me like him even more!
On the other side of the table The Hanged Man nearly lamented his lack of diary pages. Thankfully for Mr. World, Mr. Fool won't remain without his weekly entertainment. If only I arrived on land earlier, I could've brought some more—
He analyzed Death's foggy silhouette for a bit, noting that she seemed even more confident this time. Her back was straighter but she appeared lost in thought.
They're all looking at me—even the far away Mr. World. She looked from the corner of her eye to the other end of the table. The gentleman's head was turned unceremoniously in her direction. I can delude myself into thinking he's looking at Miss Justice...
The pages brought by the man in question dissipated into countless sparks before The Fool.
Hmmm. His reading time was shorter today. Did the pages not have much content? Analyzed Audrey.
Leaning back into his seat, with elbow on the table, The Fool rested his temple on his fist.
This meant the gathering would officially start.
None of the members had any requests for the transaction segment. The Hanged Man Alger Wilson still hasn't digested his Seafarer potion, so he didn't need the formula or ingredients for the Wind Blessed sequence.
I don't have money either, so there's that.
Justice Audrey, on the other hand, has made significant progress in her digestion of the Spectator potion, but it was still not enough.
Death Amanises had just drunk her sequence 9, even if she also made progress in digesting Sleepless, the ingredients and formula could always be gained from The Arcanists.
The World stood quietly, not saying another word.
Guess he doesn't intend to advance either? I'm still confused about him.
Amanises commented inwardly.
Since there were no transactions to be made, everyone unanimously agreed to start the free exchange segment.
The Hanged Man mentioned that he has already returned to land and is dealing with some matters. He will once again begin looking for Roselle Diary pages as soon as he's free.
Miss Justice had more to say. She revealed the status of her potion digestion to be almost done, having observed many high class society members and intervened discussions, influencing them with just small comments, while taking note of their changes in demeanor.
People are truly easy to sway.
She inquired about the number of members in the Tarot Club.
"Mr. Fool, I have observed two possible members, eligible to join our Tarot Club. I've been trying to get into their Beyonder circle and get closer to them gradually."
She also mentioned contacting them to The Fool, but wasn't sure how to do that.
Once that question echoed through the palace above the gray fog, the man at the head of the table extended his hand while curling his lips.
Immediately, small hexagonal diamond-like shapes engraved with countless overlapping symbols appeared before each person seated at the table, with the exception of The Fool, of course.
Each of them floated lightly in the air, as if waiting for their owners to pick them up. Amanises extended her hand and caught it, running her thumb along the engraved symbols.
This is—a charm! Theodore introduced their crafting process to me not long ago!
He taught her about charms and how to make them, and that official church Beyonders craft them by praying to their respective deity. Each charm is but an insignificant spark of power taken from the deity, akin to a tiny incandescent droplet of molten metal ejected from the weld pool.
Charms also have a set period of time, before their power runs out.
Justice Audrey was not educated in mysticism, being extremely confused at the small hexagon in her palm.
"Mr. Fool, what are these?"
"They are called charms. Made from my power, they can offer you a temporary effect once the activation code is spoken."
He materialized another one of these charms and played it around in his fingers.
"But these ones are special. They have two activation codes."
Two?! Is that even possible?
This wasn't mentioned in her mysticism classes!
The Hanged Man was equally as surprised, he had never heard of a charm holding two incantation codes!
The Fool noticed their perplexed behavior, he let out a playful huff and continued:
"One code is "The Fool" if you're holding this charm in your head while saying this word, it will point to me, similar to a prayer."
The Hanged Man Alger already had an idea of why Mr. Fool was doing this. These must be a replacement for His honorific name! In order for us to not be discovered chanting and unknown beings' honorific names, we can simply hold onto His charm!
Death Amanises was in thought for a while longer, but she reached the same conclusion as The Hanged Man soon after.
Justice nodded her head, taking in the explanation.
"If you are unable to join the gathering for any reason, feel free to use the charm to notify me."
He moved his fingers and two more charms materialized before Justice.
"Hand these to the two candidates, I will be keeping an eye on them!"
She caught them in her hands while beaming with happiness.
"Understood, Mr Fool!"
Resting his head back on the long mottled table, he began speaking again.
"The second activation code is Miracle in ancient Hermes. By chanting this you can make aloud a singular wish which will be fulfilled the moment it is cast. Beware, this is a one-time use, once the wish is fulfilled it will disappear and you will have to wait until the next Tarot Club meeting to receive another one. Treat it as a final resort."
Everyone took in the explanation, nodding their heads at the benevolence displayed by the deity. He was even concerned about their safety!
"Once you're back, inject your spirituality in it, you will learn about the limitations of the charm."
Once the final lesson was given, everything went still.
No one had anything else to share with the others. Amanises hadn't heard of anything new, and The World kept quiet.
The Fool sighed, this was the call that the gathering would end.
He waved his hand, and one by one, each figure crumbled into grayish-white fog. Their sparks of red light return to hover around in the palace.