Rhaps

  Everyone greeted Lady Keter. The monochrome world, with its quiet screams, made its presence known once everyone had settled into their seat.

  "I offer this to Lady Keter.", Bathory presented a book, "To add to your infinite and ever-expanding library."

  It was a fairy tale anthology, folktales about how people in the past expined the natural phenomena without understanding them deeply.

  "I accept.", Lady Keter nodded, the book vanished in front of Bathory, "Now, what is your question?"

  "Well... I think I've found a clue to a divine entity, or at least, a demigod.", she presented a piece of bone in a gss box, putting it on the table, "From what I know, this little piece of bone contains the power of Regression."

  "So, Respectable Lady Keter, what is the identity of the person this bone belonged to?"

  The dy merely smiled, teasing, "What makes you think I know the answer?"

  "I've been with you for a year straight, it wouldn't be normal for you not to know.", she boldly smiles, "Please, tell me what you know."

  After a moment of quiet, Lady Keter chuckled.

  "Indeed, I know. There is a god unknown to all who wields authority over the very concept of Absolution. Wielding powers over Regression, Correction, and Legacy."

  Everyone except Lea reacted violently over that. Rasputin tensed up, Bathory's eyes widened in the revetion, and Zorro felt very uncomfortable.

  "What is so special about Legacy?", she asked, wondering.

  Everyone just stares at her in surprise.

  "Legacy is the single most important Path in the world!!", Bathory excimed, "The domain over Legacy means this god knows everything about the world!! The mysteries, the history, even the events during and after the Bckout!!"

  "It's difficult to obtain, not only that, the power you obtain is completely random.", Zorro added.

  "But first, you need to find a legacy first. That is 'obtain a relic of the past that had made its mark on this world', and it is the only Path that can be inherited.", Eric added his part.

  "And above all, it does not affect the ritual if it isn't your main Path. However, I must warn you, on the Path of Divinity, you must not take it.", Lady Keter ended the whole convo.

  Lea was a bit stunned... Legacy is this powerful? But unfortunately, I can't do anything about it...

  She must not get Legacy...

  "Back to our conversation.", Lady Keter reined the conversation back, "The Ascended One and All is the name you are looking for, and this bone piece is the clue."

  After that, Lady Keter stayed silent, "If there is no more offering in exchange for my answers, then let's discuss amongst yourselves."

  Casually, she leaned back on her chair, letting the members talk to each other.

  Lea started first, recounting yesterday night, the circus, the Wondertainment Troupe member, the demigod, the appearance of "Miss Mashhith", and the summoning of the Tome of Light. When finished, she broke down and cried, having Bathory came over and hugged her until she calmed down.

  "It's alright, there was nothing that could've been done.", she patted Lea's back.

  "Y-Yes... thank you...", Lea sniffled, still shaken but retively alright.

  "But still...", Zorro said, mulling over a detail, "To allow the Tome of Light to be summoned... who could've given the Wondertainment Troupe such ability, and why didn't the so-called Hero do anything about it?"

  Bathory frowned, "Auger Maxwell... never did think he was a demigod..."

  Hearing that, Lea and the others were intrigued. They were not natives to Ryteline; they didn't know much about Count Maxwell.

  Seeing that, Bathory began to expin who he was.

  "A hero who helped the first king annex the nd into the Ryteline you see today. Not only that, he helped countless people and established the current education system still in use today. Countless times he defended the borders against the Great Desert tribes, Renlou's massive army, Zankur's endless siege... he is always there delivering speeches, dealing the final blow, hundreds of peace treaties and economic deals came from his battles."

  Auger was someone greater than Lea had imagined, someone truly fitting the title of Hero...

  "And he was also a member of this little book club of mine, but that was a time long ago.", Lady Keter added, remembering him fondly, "I called him Gandalf. As for why he didn't do anything, he didn't want to ruin someone's lesson."

  Lea remembered something about the reason why Auger stopped visiting this pce, because Lady Keter 'doesn't care about this world'.

  Was it merely apathy or, in the literal sense, that Lady Keter is an outsider to the fate of this world?

  Rasputin was having simir thoughts, thinking about Saintess Olivier's words, how she described this pce, the Eyes of the Void, the One hidden in the cracks of Time.

  He had wondered about this before, too, that this pce might exist outside of time and space, a location so difficult that nobody is able to reach.

  "Will there be a time when you walk the world?", Lea asked.

  She wanted to know if she could descend, just like the Tome of Light, and if there was anything different between orthodox and rogue gods.

  "Yes."

  The answer shocked everyone. The others weren't bold enough to straight up ask, and the answer was unexpected, also.

  She is trapped here. How can she get out of her prison?

  "But the price is steep for calling upon me.", she smiled, getting up from the chair, "Repce the first line of my Honorific Title with 'Chosen One of Time' and I can invade reality, the price is very simple."

  "For a second of my time, you must pay a year of your life."

  A year for a single second...

  That price is huge.

  "Ah, I forgot to introduce you to somebody, since you had made it to the Second Step, there is someone you can call for help anytime you need assistance.", she cpped her hands twice, "Mashhith, please come here."

  In response to her, bck smoke and darkness condensed at the other end of the table. Everyone here was hit with an intense feeling of wrongness.

  That creature shouldn't exist!! It shouldn't have been born!! A living contradiction of existence, absence given will!!

  Lea's pupils contracted, feeling unease all over again. It was the same creature yesterday!!

  "Error of Existence;Monster of Infinity, Everywhere and Nowhere;The Actor under the Lightless Shine."

  "This is Mashhith, you can call her "Miss Mashhith" if you like. Just chant her Honorific Title and she will come to you, and the price you'll pay depends on her mood."

  Everyone else has a bad experience with "Miss Mashhith", seeing as they shift uncomfortably in their seat.

  Zorro had called upon it for help twice; it threw him right into a territory war between pirates the first time and took his liver the second time.

  Bathory had only called it once; that was more than enough. It repced her heart with a mechanical heart for a week.

  Rasputin had called it multiple times, bearing various injuries and pced in unfortunate situations, like being sent across the continent.

  With a wave, it vanished, going back to doing its own thing. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Now, can you write the Honorific Title of that book?", Lady Keter casually sat back in her seat.

  Lea slowly nodded, not sure what the dy would do...

  Writing the chant she remembered on a piece of paper that appeared, her hands still shaking from the experience.

  "Very well.", the dy of the library took it and quickly read it.

  Then...

  "All Revealing Light;Keeper of the Forbidden;Book and Knowledge of Truth."

  She chanted the Honorific Title!!

  In that instant, the horrific form of the God of Light appeared in this monochrome world, shining its light down like a sun, and filled this world with color for a moment. They saw the true appearance of this monochrome world, an old, cssical library with each wooden shelf polished beautifully.

  And Lea saw a glimpse of Lady Keter's true form, a beautiful and aloof dy, dressed in a blue and silver robe, with a bck leather corset wrapped around her clothes. And the most striking features, her argent white hair, like flowing molten silver, and azure eyes full of crity and purity.

  Blinking, the monochrome world returned, then she noticed something odd... no ravings, no madness, no scriptures coming out of the book. The Argonauts were already in position to make a run for it.

  Everyone looks on in confusion.

  Is this the power of the library?

  "The only way to counter the Tome of Light seems to be...", Bathory looks around at the library, shelves extending to the horizon, its ancient and unknowable hums haunt every corner, "To possess more knowledge than it."

  "Correct.", Lady Keter smiled, her eyes never moved away from the blinding light, "This pce is far older and more ancient than this god... but it is indeed a bit too gaudy for a mere projection."

  Lea saw her tapping the compass on her hip. Motes of light began to swarm around the Lady of the Library...

  "Fallen Starlight."

  A rifle that looked like it was made of marble, carved with circuits and ancient runes, formed in her hand. Even Bathory was surprised, trying to comprehend the structure of the weapon... yet everything was beyond her understanding; no established ws supported the weapon that came out of thin air.

  With a press of the trigger, there was no sound of gunpowder igniting... only eight streaks of light, rising up further and further, dancing and forming a spiraling light— piercing the Tome of Light.

  But that was not all. The eight beams of light merged into one... and dropped down, piercing the book and dragging it down. The Tome of Light dims, falling from the bck sky...

  Like a Fallen Starlight...

  The book nded on the table, now with a hole in it, and began to disintegrate.

  "Information is the most dangerous thing in this world, so tread carefully.", her eyes nded on Bathory, "And you should really take another Path, having just a single Attribute, especially Erudition, is dangerous."

  "Then... what Path should I take?", she had yet gotten over the sudden summoning of the Tome of Light.

  "Creation, Construct, or Order. You basically completed the prerequisite for all of them.", she said lightly, "For now, think about your Fifth Step."

  "Yes, Lady Keter.", Bathory nodded.

  After a few more word exchanges, some advice from Lady Keter to be careful, the meeting was about to end.

  But Rasputin spoke up, "The Church of Sacrifice is aware of your presence, Lady Keter. And one of its Cardinals is with me at the moment for my Pilgrimage."

  "A Cardinal sounds interesting.", the Lady merely smiled, "Don't worry about her, as long as you don't tell her about my existence, you should be fine."

  His worries were casually brushed aside...

  "Then that will be all for today's meeting. I hope you all have a good night, or day."

  Everyone except Lea vanished from their seat, making her a bit bewildered.

  "As a congratutory gift for achieving the Second Step, I give you this parasol.", Lady Keter spoke.

  In front of Lea was the parasol she wanted before, the mystical weapon carrying four Paths. She widens her eyes, wondering how it got here.

  "I've already given Accord five spells; there are three more slots for your own use. And if you have anything to ask, ask Maxwell."

  "Finally, I bid you goodbye."