Lord of the Mysteries

“Sequence 8: Instigator. They are adept at triggering the evil desires deep in people’s hearts, causing contradictions and inciting conflict, thus resulting in bloody massacres…”

The description isn’t detailed enough. From the looks of it, the Nighthawks do not understand the capabilities of this potion well enough… But it does match the characteristics of the Alfalfa tragedy… Klein cast his gaze up and read the corresponding Sequence 9 for Instigator.

“Sequence 9: Assassin. Can transform their bodies in a short period of time and become light as a feather. They can also utilize vision equal to that of an eagle. Every Assassin is adept at hiding in the shadows. They have dexterous steps and have the ability to release all their strength in one blow…”

After reading the description, Klein was left completely confused.

Assassin… The advancement from Assassin is Instigator?

This advancement is just as odd as how a Seer advances to a class that is good at fighting with artifice…

Some Sequence pathways advance in a very ordinary fashion, such as Spectator. Yet, there are Sequence pathways that seem to violate intuition and logic?

Well, that might not be completely true. Perhaps I just haven’t discovered some of the hidden common points…

For instance, Assassins and Instigators can both bring catastrophe to others…

But I can’t figure out the advancement of Seer! Hey! Could it be of the Gandalf ¹lineage? After adding some supportive magic, the other attribute points are dumped into strength and techniques?

As Klein lampooned in a speechless manner, he silently shook his head. He flipped to the section about the secret organization, the Theosophy Order that involved Instigators.

“Theosophy Order. A secret organization that appeared in the Fifth Epoch, which is the early era of the current epoch. They believe that the mind is fundamental to a person, while the physical flesh is a cage that restrains the mind. The reason why humans do evil is a result of the physical body’s influence. One has to use their spirituality to obtain knowledge, allowing the mind to gradually extricate from the body. Then, through the trials of the stars, they will eventually be separated from the material world, returning to the purest and truest self, obtaining eternal redemption.”

“Therefore, many extremist members of the Theosophy Order will make destroying the bodies of others their goal, which has led to many bloody massacres… It is obvious that they possess two Sequence pathways. The first is the more common Apprentice and Trickmaster potions among their members. The other Sequence comprised of Assassin and Instigator rarely appear… There is currently no evidence that indicates that the Theosophy Order possesses Sequence 7 or higher potions.

“It is unknown how the Theosophy Order established itself. Their possible origins can only be analyzed using the two Sequence pathways. Firstly, the Apprentice and Trickmaster Sequences easily remind people of the Abraham family of the Trickmaster Dynasty in the Fourth Epoch. The Tamara family, tied to the Abraham family through marriage for extended periods of time, cannot be eliminated as well. Secondly, Assassin and Instigator point towards the Demoness Sect.”

The Abraham, Tamara, Antigonus and Zaratul families, the Solomon Empire’s Dark Emperor, the Tudor Dynasty’s Blood Emperor, the Trunsoest Empire, and the Jacob and Amon families that the Hanged Man had mentioned… There are really lots of secrets buried in the history of the Fourth Epoch. There might be a lot of facts too…Klein was astounded from what he read. He had a deep appreciation for how the history of the Fourth Epoch was clouded in fog.

The outline he could see through the fog left him shuddering involuntarily. It was as though he could imagine a thriving era of Beyonders, an Epoch with blood and strangeness in a concerted dance or horror and distortion in a symphony.

Klein drew in a silent gasp and flipped through the book, but did not discover any corresponding descriptions of the Demoness Sect.

He looked up and saw Old Neil wrestling with some filter paper with his hand-ground coffee. He asked sincerely, “Mr. Neil, what organization is the Demoness Sect? I can’t find any introduction about them in the documents.”

Old Neil was in no hurry to respond. After wrestling with his coffee, he chuckled and said, “Your security clearance isn’t high enough. Even with Dunn’s permission, you would not be able to read the relevant information. It can also be said that a lot of the information is only available in the Holy Cathedral and isn’t stored behind Tingen City’s Chanis Gate. Perhaps wait till the day you become a captain of the Nighthawks. You would be sent to the Holy Cathedral for training and would then be able to access them.

“I do not understand much about the Demoness Sect. All I know is that they worship the Primordial Demoness. They believe that this secret existence is the true inheritor of the Creator. She was born out of the Chaos and was the earliest to be born from the Creator’s body. She is also the ultimate Ender that ends everything.

“Their Sequence pathways are related to this because to obtain the favor of the Primordial Demoness and to approach this secret existence, the upper echelons are all female. This is also why they are called the Demoness Sect.

“Anything else is not something a formal member like me will know. I’ve heard that the demonesses make it their mission to spread catastrophes.”

Spread catastrophes… This does match the hidden commonality of Assassin and Instigator… But this Mr. Tris’s future seems bleak. The subsequent potions seem to be more suited for females… Klein’s nodded slightly before he continued reading the information.

After he finished reading, he realized that the secret organizations were a lot more than he imagined. But on second thought, he found it very ordinary. After all, this world had so many years of history underlying it. There was once an era when Beyonder powers were extremely active.

According to the provided information, Klein categorized the secret organizations into three based on era.

First were the ancient organizations born in the Fourth Epoch. They included but were not limited to the Moses Ascetic Order, Secret Order, and the Blood Sanctify Sect which were followers of the Devil. However, the information only mentioned the Demoness Sect.

The second was the secret organizations early in the Fifth Epoch, the present Epoch. For instance, the Theosophy Order or the Death-worshiping Numinous Episcopate. There is also the Life School of Thought which employs a master-disciple heritage and the Rose School of Thought known among Beyonders for its bloody sacrifices.

The third category were new organizations that appeared in the recent century or two. They include the Aurora Order, the Iron and Blood Cross Order, the Element Dawn, and the Psychology Alchemists, which Klein learned about much earlier.

Apart from them, there were other organizations that did not do anything major.

“Benson and Melissa must have never imagined that the world is so dangerous… it’s not only limited to wars…” Klein shook his head with a wry smile. He stacked the classified documents neatly before pushing it to Old Neil.

Meanwhile, he added silently in his heart.

Please don’t let my Tarot Club be on the list…

Old Neil never suspected that a leader of a secret organization was sitting opposite to him. He chuckled and took the documents and headed to Chanis Gate.

Klein sat there and wondered if he should divine the location of Instigator Tris. But he abandoned the thought after less than twenty seconds. After all, he only had a vague idea of Tris’s appearance and did not know if the name was genuine. If he could figure out his location with that, he would not be a Seer, but a Prophet!

By the time Old Neil returned, Klein had straightened his thought processes and continued his revision of mysticism studies to grasp even more forms of ritualistic magic.

He spent the day studying and revising. He did not participate in the joint operation needed for capturing Instigator Tris. He did hear that the delivery of Sealed Artifact 2-049 from Backlund had been delayed due to some reason or another. The actual time of arrival was still pending.

As he had earned nearly two soli from yesterday’s divination, Klein spent ten pence to buy a two-liter barrel of Enmat Beer for Benson on the way home. He also bought some lemon cakes fresh out of the oven for Melissa.

“Klein, I know you care for us deeply, but there’s no need. There’s no need to keep spending money on such matters,” said Benson after he saw the tiny barrel of beer and deliberating over his words.

Melissa stood beside him and nodded slightly.

This is probably how our consumerist habits differ… Klein sighed in amusement.

“Benson, Melissa, don’t worry. This was bought with my additional reimbursement. Yeah, I earn an additional two to four soli every week.”

I can’t tell them that these are the earnings I got from doing divinations for others, right… He added inwardly.

“…That job of yours is much better than I imagined.” Benson was taken aback as he made an objective assessment.

That’s right. I even learned divination from it… Klein mused silently before turning toward the kitchen.

Under the combined efforts of the trio of siblings, a sumptuous dinner was ready for eating.

After having their fill, Klein, Benson, and Melissa lay slumped in the living hall. It took them quite a while before they got up to clean up, chat, and study.

When Benson and Melissa fall asleep, I’ll head above the gray fog to see the effects of the ritual… As Klein revised his history textbooks, he shot a glance at his siblings.

…

West Borough. Iron Cross Street Lower Street.

A three-storied apartment was immersed in darkness. There were no street lamps or any additional light.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out of a window from the third floor. It landed gently on the ground like a feather without causing so much as a stir.

His body crouched and suddenly vanished as though he had blended into the shadows. All that could be seen was the outline of his body.

As he traveled quickly, the figure arrived at the harbor. He headed for a corner devoid of anything except for a pile of goods.

He seriously observed for a moment, circling the area twice before the leaving the darkness and entering the corner.

One could see his round and amiable face. He was Instigator Tris, who had single handedly caused the tragedy of the Alfalfa.

“How does it feel?” A mysterious figure wearing a black hooded robe walked out of the shadows. The hoarse voice obviously belonged to a woman.

Tris revealed a friendly and satisfied smile.

“Feels great. It was a scene I dreamed and yearned for.

“I think I have appropriately completed the mission and have taken the necessary preparations for the advancement.”

The black-robed woman nodded indiscernibly and said, “Very well. According to the promise, I’ll hand you the Sequence 7 formula and the three main ingredients. You will have to gather the rest by yourself.”

“No problem.” Tris answered, seemingly prepared.

The mysterious woman raised her hand and handed a book-like object to Tris.

The “book” had an ancient and mottled bronze exterior cover with a strange star-shaped lock on its side.

Tris knew that inside the “book” was the formula and ingredients. He instantly became thrilled.

He tried hard to compose himself as he looked curiously at the potion’s name on the bronze outer cover.

“Witch!”

Tris exclaimed. He found it unbelievable that the word written in ancient Hermes was “Witch.”

Witch? I’ll advance to become a Witch? What a joke!

The mysterious woman covered her mouth and let out a chortle. It took her quite some time before she answered, “Weren’t you always curious? Curious about why our upper echelons are all female…

“That is the answer.”