Alexandria's Keeper - Lord of the Mysteries

Klein regained his balance with lightning speed, just barely avoiding a fall that would've left him with bruised knees. His hands instinctively shot out to steady himself, and that's when Irina finally shook off her paralysis, managing to suppress her reaction to the oppressive aura that had filled the air. She took a slow, deliberate step toward him, controlling her spirituality with care, ensuring no sudden flares of energy would escape.

"... the True Creator, as they call 'Him' now, is…" Klein's mind seemed lost in the remnants of the ritual.

Whatever, Irina thought. He saw it and lived to tell the tale.

By the time she reached him, Klein had just managed to stand again. Through her spirit vision, she could see his spirituality was unusually depleted, his aura dim. She watched him closely as he recovered, resisting the urge to touch or interrupt him. She knew he was deep in thought, likely processing everything that had just happened. Probably overanalyzing, as usual.

Klein completed the ritual with the appropriate gestures, but before he could finish entirely, Irina tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned, and she gave him a warm smile, followed by a thumbs-up before stepping back to give him space.

He's still alive, she thought smugly. My job here is done.

Klein dismantled what he thought was an intact wall of spirituality. A gust of wind whooshed past as he forced himself to look at Sirius's corpse.

"Ew," she muttered, her gaze locking on a disturbing sight—a dark purple wart, almost black, glistening with some strange liquid on Sirius's mangled face.

Irina, fanning herself, grimaced. "Gross..." She studied the wart carefully before offering her analysis. "Judging by that thing, we've got two options. One, he lost control by listening to something he shouldn't have—corruption, most likely. That wart's a dead giveaway. The second possibility could be linked to his Sequence. Some Pathways inherit strange abilities as they raise through them."

Hope I didn't say too much, she thought, glancing at Klein, who was already looking back at her, considering her words.

The seer nodded so she continued. "Though the second option seems unlikely, the first makes sense. Losing control is pretty common with his Pathway. Have you not learned that under Old Neil?"

"I did," Klein replied, rubbing his temples, "but thanks for the refresher. Are those the only two options?"

Irina smiled, shutting her fan with a snap. "There are always more options, but only one truth. It could've been an artifact, but I don't sense any strange energy. Besides, he doesn't have any suspicious objects on him. If he had a weapon, he'd have posed a greater threat. Someone like him wouldn't have run, he'd have taken hostages or created chaos on the spot."

Klein stalled for a moment, then gave a small smile. "I understand. Thanks for the lecture."

He bent down to retrieve his cane, using it to support his weight. Irina suddenly felt a strange surge of energy flow through her, disappearing as quickly as it arrived.

Wait... did I just...? She raised her hands looking at them, her mind racing. No way… I think it actually happened. I'M A CUSTODIAN!

A flood of new information engraved itself in her mind. She swore under her breath, unable to contain her excitement.

Hell yeah! Sequence Seven, here I come!

Klein gave her a confused look but said nothing.

Not long after, Captain Dunn arrived with Leonard and Kenley in tow. The poet was the first to comment, eyeing the corpse on the ground. "It seems your fate is tied to Beyonders and evil forces. In just a few weeks, you've come across more supernatural incidents than we usually see in months."

Irina smirked. "You better be talking about him and not me."

Of course, he's talking about the protagonist, she thought with a snort.

Klein tried to defend himself. "It might not be a coincidence."

Duh, she thought. But try arguing with 'them' when you're just a Sequence Nine.

Leonard gave a playful smile. "Who knows~"

What?! Why?! What did I cause this time?! Irina wondered, exasperated.

Dunn scanned the area, his gray eyes eventually locking onto Klein. "You tried channeling his spirit?" He asked.

The traces of Holy Night Powder and the lingering scent of essential oils made it clear Klein had performed a ritual. He nodded, answering truthfully. "Yes. I was worried you'd arrive too late, and his spirituality would scatter."

Kenley, looking concerned, stepped closer. "You don't look well. Are you alright?"

If this man didn't stick his nose where it didn't belong, he wouldn't be in half the messes he's in, Irina mused, still riding the high of her newly acquired powers.

Klein passed Sirius's undelivered letters to Dunn and began recounting the entire situation. Irina, now utterly bored with the explanation, tuned it out and instead focused on her own new sequence.

Leonard, standing to the side with a smile, suddenly interrupted Klein's retelling. "And you brought your identification and badge to flip through the borrowing records? I'm curious, Klein, why come into conflict with this man? Even if it was a direct encounter, with your usual style, wouldn't you have pretended you didn't know him? You could've just left the library and asked for help on Zouteland Street."

Dunn nodded in agreement, his tone firm. "Yes, there was no need for you to take the risk. As long as you confirmed the target hadn't left Tingen, we could have found him."

Klein cleared his throat, trying to shake off his embarrassment. "The librarian recognized him and called for the police. There was no way I could pretend not to hear that…"

Just his usual luck, Irina mused.

Leonard and Kenley exchanged glances, both trying to hide their amusement, one smiling widely while the other quickly turned his head away.

Dunn's eyes left the letters in his hands and nodded. "Did you get anything from channeling his spirit?"

Klein gave an honest account. "I saw a pendulum that took the shape of a Hanged Giant. A blood-red glow flashed in the giant's only eye before I was forced out of the ritual."

Look at him, leaving out the part where he saw the Clown formula. Sneaky~ Irina thought, grinning behind her fan.

Dunn muttered something to himself before continuing his line of questioning. "Aurora Order?"

The seer answered all of them, and when the Captain noticed the fatigue in his eyes, he waved his cane with a slight nod. "You did well. You foiled a scheme targeting Tingen. Go home and rest. Kenley, bring Old Neil here."

Suddenly, Leonard turned to Irina. "So, you helped him run some errands?"

Irina shook her head immediately. "Absolutely not. I was minding my own business until I heard glass shattering and gunshots. As a competent human being, I went to check."

Dunn, who had turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow. "So, you weren't with Klein all day?"

She looked taken aback. "What? No! I was at the library, helping some students with their research as usual."

Dunn's expression remained serious. "I see. And after hearing the commotion, you ran after Klein? Aiding him in the fight, or... staying back and warning him?"

She quickly interrupted. "Nope! I saw him jump out of a window in pursuit and I stopped in my tracks. There was no way I was jumping out of another window. Once was enough, thank you very much."

Never again, she thought with a sigh.

Leonard snorted, and Irina's eyes narrowed as she pointed her fan at him threateningly. "Don't you dare, Mr. 'Let's test my new Sleepless powers by tumbling down the stairs.' Or was it rolling? I should confirm—"

The poet quickly cut in. "How did you catch up with Klein then?"

Changing the subject, are we? Oh, it's not over, Mr. Poet. Mark my words, she thought, shooting him a glare.

"I ran through the alleys after leaving the front door," Irina explained. "By the time I got there, Klein was already standing over the body. I missed the whole fight. But I stayed for the spirit channeling—saw the anomaly then."

Dunn questioned her a bit more, and Irina shared the rest of her side of the story. After a moment, the Captain shook his head, smiling bitterly. "Before Sequence Six, Beyonders of the Sleepless Pathway lack many auxiliary abilities. We can only perform the simplest of rituals."

Klein, curious, asked, "Captain, does that mean from Sequence Six onward, Sleepless Beyonders improve in those aspects?"

Dunn nodded. "Yes." He then turned to Irina. "I hope I'm not interrupting your afternoon by asking you to come with us?"

She waved it off, grinning. "Don't worry. It's better if I tag along—if there's anything like the Antigonus notebook, I'll spot it right away. Might save us some trouble." She paused, then added, "But I do hope this gets me an extra afternoon off soon~"

The next morning, Irina sat in the duty room outside Chanis Gate, chatting with her coworkers while waiting for Klein to arrive. When the seer finally stepped through the door, Dunn's gray eyes flicked toward him, a small smile tugging at his lips. "We have a routine meeting every Thursday to summarize missions and discuss any challenges."

Klein found a seat, humor in his voice. "Do I need to introduce myself?"

Irina smirked, playing along. "Oh please do. You aren't famous enough yet~"

Mr. Protagonist~ She thought with a chuckle.

Dunn turned his attention to Kenley. "Give us a brief on the investigation into Sirius Arapis."

Kenley nodded. "With Old Neil's help, we found Sirius's hideout. It was filled with books and items, which Irina declared safe after her examination. From what we've gathered, Sirius was a member of the Aurora Order—a Secrets Suppliant."

He continued. "There's also evidence connecting him and Hanass Vincent to the sale of the Antigonus family notebook to Welch. For those unfamiliar, you can ask Klein. We also found three valuable Sequence potion formulas: Seer, Apprentice, and Clown…"

Someone's advancing soon, hehe~ Irina thought with a satisfied grin, enjoying the familiar flow of events.

Seeka Tron, the quiet Midnight Poet, spoke up. "We haven't found any clues about Instigator Tris. I suspect he's already fled Tingen."

Huh. You mean her, Irina thought, shaking her head slightly.

As the meeting wrapped up, Klein excused himself and headed out to find Old Neil for his mysticism lessons, while Irina joined the others for a casual poker game in the lounge.

Sunday morning came with a more lighthearted atmosphere. Irina was cheerfully teasing Leonard in the lounge when Royale and Kenley entered, balancing trays of tea and pastries. The moment they stepped through the door, though, they froze—mouths agape, staring at the strange sight in front of them.

Dunn, who happened to be walking down the hallway, stopped in confusion, his gray eyes narrowing. "What's going on over there?"

Meanwhile, Irina, barely holding in her laughter, grinned mischievously behind her black fan.

Kenley opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Royale's face broke into a sly smile as she spoke.

"Leonard is pink."

"Pft—" Irina couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter, nearly falling off the couch.

The Captain, looking more confused than ever, approached them. "Pink? What do you mean pin—"

Dunn froze in his tracks, taking in the scene before him. Leonard was sitting casually on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Except for one detail: he was completely covered in pink confetti and glitter from head to toe.

Stunned, Dunn paused, first studying Leonard's stoic expression, then shifting his gaze to Irina, who was still laughing hysterically. "W-what happened here?"

The newly promoted custodian, gasping for breath between fits of laughter, wheezed out, "Sweet revenge~"

Leonard groaned. "I had it coming. I've been poking at her for days now."

Irina, nearly rolling off the couch, added, "Deserved. I told you I'd get back at you, dear Poet~"

Royale, clearly amused, tried to stifle her own laughter. "What a shame. You could've waited for Seeka to be on shift too."

Irina waved her fan dramatically, still giggling. "I just couldn't wait! I've been planning this for ages, and yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back."

The captain sighed, rubbing his temples. "You two are… just clean… well, here. There's glitter all over the floor."

Leonard pointed to the mess around him. "And on the couch too."

Dunn, shaking his head, left the lounge without another word. But none of them missed the slight smile tugging at his lips.

Royale placed the tea tray on the table with a soft laugh. "Tea?"

Irina elbowed Leonard in the ribs, making him yelp dramatically. "Get your feet off the table, you scoundrel!"

Leonard turned his head, sending even more glitter scattering around the room. "'Scoundrel'? Since when do you use such refined words?"

Before she could retort, Kenley intervened. "How about we take a break before helping you clean up? Let's not let the tea get cold."

Kenley saved him, tsk.

The four of them enjoyed a pleasant break, chatting about trivial things until the conversation shifted to yesterday's shift at Chanis Gate. When the tone turned serious, Irina raised an eyebrow, faking shock.

"You're joking. Nothing ever happens there, and Klein had the fortune—"

"Misfortune," Leonard corrected.

I swear this man…

That earned him another jab in the ribs, and some of his tea spilled onto his hand. "As I was saying—he got not only the doors opened, but also the Misfortune Cloth Puppet to make an appearance?!"

Leonard chuckled. "He also lost two soli to Royale~"

Poor Fool, his soul must've been crushed.

The Sleepless added, "You lost four soli and five pence instead."

And he's sneakily calling Klein the loser?

Leonard exclaimed, "Hey!" as the mood lightened, their conversation shifting to more cheerful topics.

All according to the novel, Irina thought with satisfaction.

Later that afternoon, Irina was whining as a very pink Leonard dragged her off to training. Just as they reached the door, it swung open, revealing Klein. He froze mid-step, staring in bewilderment, just as Kenley and Royale had that morning.

The three of them exchanged glances in silence until Dunn appeared behind Klein, raising an eyebrow. "You still haven't removed it?"

Leonard pouted. "I tried, but thanks to the oil she put on me earlier, it's practically impossible to get off."

Klein blinked, confused. "Oil?"

The poet sighed, still holding Irina's wrist as she subtly tried to slip away. "This morning, she gave me some moisturizing oil for my skin and a new scented one for my hair. I've taken her recommendations before, so I didn't think anything of it until it was too late."

How do you think Rozanne, Orianna, Seeka, and Royale found theirs? It's just a bonus that Leo was also interested.

Irina grinned. "It's hard enough to remove glitter and confetti, but mix in oil, and it becomes impossible~"

Klein looked bewildered. "How did you hide that much… well, you know…?"

"All in a very big bucket," Irina said cheerfully. "I came in early today, asked Rozanne to keep quiet, and hid it behind the big sofa. When our dear Poet sat down… I dumped it all over him~"

Klein chuckled. "Glitter is cruel."

Leonard sighed dramatically. "Tell me about it! I'll never get it out of my hair. She could've at least chosen red. It would've matched my aura of a refined poet."

Where's the fun in that?

Irina snorted. "You? A refined poet?! How about starting with Poetry for Dummies—"

Dunn cleared his throat, catching their attention. His lips twitched with the hint of a smile as he asked, "Have you cleaned the lounge?"

Leonard and Irina replied in unison. "Yep!"

Though there's still a pink shimmer when the sun hits it just right. Glitter's a nightmare to clean, Irina thought with a smirk.

Leonard seemed to realize something, glancing at Klein. "Wait, why are you here?"

Klein suppressed a laugh, trying to sound serious. "I came to check if we've had any response from the Holy Cathedral about last night's incident."

Irina perked up. "Oh! Tell me more. What was their reply—"

Leonard interrupted, dragging her away again. "You'll find out tomorrow. You're late for training, and I'm making sure you're not skipping it this time."

She groaned, trying to escape. "No, wait! I have something very important to do! Klein, help me! Please, as a friend!"

The seer, with a playful bow, placed his hat over his heart. "Farewell, my friend. Let us reunite after your arduous journey."

Irina shot him a glare, her tone filled with mock betrayal. "You traitor!"