Chapter Text
"What a pain," Leonard grumbled. "It'll be at least a month before I can return to Backlund..."
"It's because you took that dead-end tarot case," Pallez snapped. "Treat this as your vacation."
Leonard sighed. He'd been called in for a spirit pacifying operation despite not being a Sequence 6 Soul Assurer yet.
After his Red Gloves team had completed a particularly harrowing mass poisoning mission, they’d all broken off to handle their individual cases. All of them except Leonard, who was 'lucky' enough to have a relatively open schedule. Said open schedule led to his Captain immediately shipping him off to the Rorsted Archipelago to assist with the operation in Bayam. They were tasked with calming down the spirits that had been awakened in the demigod Kalvetua's rampage.
If that was their only reason for coming here, however, they would have sent over a sealed artifact instead of a bunch of Red Gloves. The team's true goal was to find clues to Death's Chronicles and the Numinous Episcopate. Rumors related to Death's Key had fished out quite a few potential suspects, and Leonard was responsible for their dream interrogation when not on soul-assuring duty. It was tedious work that Leonard normally wouldn't have minded, but today was different.
"It had to be today, of all days..." Leonard muttered.
After the incident with Megose, he'd flipped through Klein's and Captain Dunn's profiles in an attempt to get to know them better. It was a bit too late by now, but he figured it was the thought that counted. It's not like they're here to judge me, Leonard thought ruefully.
Though the majority of their files were redacted due to their positions as Nighthawks Captain and Grade 1 Sealed Artifact victim, respectively, he still found some new information. Their birthdays, for example.
Captain Dunn's was on August 16th. Klein's was March 4th.
Today was March 4th.
It took their deaths for me to think about such a thing... what a wonderful comrade I was. Leonard looked on idly as the Red Gloves team began the operation to pacify the spirits around the hospital. Such places were prone to collecting resentment, and Kalvetua's rampage had stirred some of the remnant spirituality in the surroundings. It was negligible for a Beyonder, but such powers had significant adverse effects on ordinary people. Especially so, for the sick and injured.
Leonard was responsible for maintaining the perimeter to ensure that no unauthorized personnel entered while the team was preoccupied with the pacification.
As the the awakening spirits were on the weaker end, only a few people were dispatched to this location. Apart from Leonard, there were only two... which meant it would be obvious if he slacked off. Pushing his self-deprecating thoughts aside, Leonard signaled to the team that the area was clear, and the operation began.
It wasn't surprising that the majority of the spirits were of the deceased instead of the natural variety - they were next to a hospital, after all. What was surprising, however, was that the deceased spirits immediately flew into a nearby building upon being awoken. Even the team leader's Soul Soothing was futile. It was as if there was some invisible force luring the spirits away.
The team leader looked on in bewilderment, before quickly collecting herself. She turned to Leonard. "Did you discover anything related to this in your patrol?"
Leonard shook his head. "I didn't detect any powerful remnant spirituality or sealed artifacts." He looked up at the inn, roughly determining the room where the spirits had disappeared. "Since it was my error, I'll go up and conduct a preliminary investigation while you contact the Captain. It would be bad if the spirits harmed any residents."
---
When Klein took out the copper whistle to send a letter to Mr. Azik, his spiritual intuition triggered before it even touched his lips.
He immediately activated his spirit vision. A swarm of spectral figures had appeared, clamoring for the whistle in his hands. They weren't particularly strong, but they were corporeal enough that a strong chill washed over Klein as they phased through him.
Klein frowned. This has never happened before... is someone around here stirring up the surrounding spirits? He usually never bothered creating a wall of spirituality around himself before summoning Azik's messenger, as the transaction only lasted a moment. The whistle would always be sealed back in his cigarette case or tossed above the grey fog within a few seconds.
Unless the spirits were quite literally right outside his doorstep, the chance of a situation like this happening wasn't worth considering.
As for why his spiritual intuition didn't trigger earlier, Klein wasn't surprised. Detecting the presence of weak spirits that didn't possess any interest or malice towards him was difficult without his Spirit Vision - that ability aligned more with the Death and Darkness domains than a Seer's.
Without a change in expression, Klein blew on the whistle. A fountain of bones spewed out from the floor, arranging themselves into a massive skeletal messenger. The flames in its eyes flickered before landing on the lesser spirits.
The spirits flew into a panic, dispersing into dark-colored mist as they fled the room.
Klein looked up at the messenger, handing it the letter. "Thanks."
The messenger nodded before vanishing. Klein quickly put away the whistle before it could attract any more spirits, sealing it with a wall of spirituality.
Moments later, a knock sounded on the door.
A visitor? 'This persona doesn't have any connections, and I've avoided connecting him to Gehrman Sparrow... Klein pondered as he reached for the handle. A vision of the visitor flashed in his mind, and he nearly jumped in surprise at what he saw.
A somewhat desultory figure with unkempt black hair and dark green eyes stood outside the door. He was dressed in a police uniform, but it was worn in such a casual way that it was difficult to recognize him as an officer at first glance.
Leonard?!
Klein rapidly used his Clown powers to adjust his facial expression before turning the knob. Fortunately, he was currently volunteering and had adopted the appearance of Sinbad Voluntier instead of Gehrman Sparrow.
-
When Leonard knocked on the door to the room where he sensed the spirits' remnant energy, he wasn't sure what to expect. At most, he figured it was a ritual or a sealed artifact. The Red Gloves' operations in Bayam weren't advertised, so the chance of the interference being intentional was low.
The handle turned, and the man who opened the door didn’t at all seem like someone capable of such a thing.
Of course, the Old Man immediately proved him wrong.
"This one is problematic," Pallez muttered. "He has an ancient aura around him..."
What? This plain-looking guy? Leonard examined him closely. The middle-aged man before him had short-cropped brown hair and blue-green eyes. His features were ordinary, and he looked Loenese. To attract so many spirits from such a distance, however, and for Pallez to say that… was he actually facing an ancient monster from the Death pathway?!
-
Klein realized Leonard was staring at him intently - far more intently than what his actions would warrant, even considering the spirits' attraction to him.
He came to a realization: there was an angel of the Marauder pathway in Leonard's body, and some of the grey fog's powers had fused with him after becoming sequence 6. If Blasphemer Amon could discover the presence of the grey fog through Derrick, it was highly possible Pallez Zoroast could sense it on his real body. This, combined with Azik's copper whistle attracting the spirits, would have outlined a clear picture in Leonard's mind: that Klein was a powerful figure closely related to Ancient Death!
After coming to this conclusion, Klein put on an amicable smile. "Hello, Mr. Red Glove. What brings you to Bayam?" The Red Gloves being in Bayam was certainly odd, as Evernight's influence at sea was relatively weak.
He refrained from mentioning the parasite, Pallez Zoroast. There was still too little information, and Leonard had caught Klein completely off guard. If the parasite reacted badly, there was absolutely nothing Klein could do to counter it.
Leonard gazed at him warily.
To assuage Leonard's worries and prevent him from calling on the rest of the Red Gloves, Klein spoke further. "Rest assured that I am not affiliated with the Numinous Episcopate, nor do I intend to harm you." He paused for a moment. Considering the many layers to his identity and the fact that the Tarot Club already knew of Mr. Azik, a Sequence 2 Death Consul, it wouldn't be contradictory for him to reveal some of the truth. "I serve the one who does not belong to this era," he added simply, referencing the first line of The Fool's honorific name.
Leonard's expression turned complicated, and he muttered something briefly to himself.
He's talking to himself- no, to Pallez Zoroast? Klein internally sighed in relief. With this, he could temporarily confirm that the parasite hadn't taken full control of Leonard.
Since Klein had revealed his intentions, it seemed Leonard was comfortable giving information in return. "We're searching for Death's Chronicles," he replied, his expression visibly less anxious.
Death's Chronicles? Wasn't the Nightmare I released from Creeping Hunger also looking for Death's Chronicles? For the church to send out multiple search teams... could the Evernight Goddess be seeking the authority of the Death pathway?
Klein was pulled out of his train of thought by Leonard's next statement.
"There are rumors that Death's Key was discovered by Vice Admiral Edwina Edwards, along with Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy possessing documents related to the Chronicles."
Klein tilted his head. The Nighthawks' information channels were surprisingly good. You came a month too late for the documents, though... "That key is a trap," Klein said calmly. "It is not related to Death." He paused. "And the documents have long left Tracy's hands."
Leonard sighed. "That's about what we expected..." He reached up a hand to scratch at his unkempt hair.
As he observed Leonard more closely, Klein noticed that he looked unusually haggard. For someone of the Sleepless pathway, this was rather rare. I wonder what could have left him in such a state...
It wasn't Klein's business to know, and it certainly didn't matter to 'Sinbad Voluntier'... but Leonard was still his friend. He'd already somewhat equated Mr. Azik with this current persona, so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to act a little more like his kind and gentle mentor.
Channeling a bit of Mr. Azik's warm demeanor, Klein gazed into Leonard's eyes and smiled. "If you wish to converse further, you may meet me in my dreams."
According to his knowledge of the Sleepless and Marauder pathway's abilities, Pallez Zoroast's level of parasitization shouldn't be enough to interfere with Leonard's dreams unless something threatened his life. Klein's words were both a gesture of goodwill and a signal that their conversation was over. Leonard was cautious when he needed to be; he wouldn't attempt to eliminate Klein when he hadn't shown any ill intent.
As for how Leonard would explain this to the Red Gloves, that was for him to figure out. Since Klein could change his identity at any time, he wasn't at any risk.
Leonard appeared confused for a moment, before he quickly collected himself and bowed. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Klein nodded lightly, and watched as Leonard turned and walked away. There wasn't a trace of the pride or obstinacy that colored his demeanor from back when Klein had first known him. It seemed to have been replaced with a firm resolve and bone-deep exhaustion that weighed heavily on his shoulders.
He's changed a lot from before... Then again, I'm not the same person either.
Klein hoped Leonard wasn't too tied down by the past. Excessive obsession over negative emotions would lead to a loss of control later down the line. The parasite in Leonard's body would prevent that from happening, but it was better if such risks were averted entirely.
As Leonard's figure disappeared down the hall, Klein felt his spirituality stir.
The Faceless potion had further digested.
Klein smiled ruefully. "It was good to see you again... my dear poet."