Klein felt deprived, but he adjusted nonetheless.
"Sigh, well, it's not surprising that we couldn't find him." He said as his voice went soft. "If we did, that would've been more astonishing."
I've been disappointed many times regarding this matter anyway... he added in his heart.
Azik took another glance at the coffin before him. He turned around slowly and said, "Would you prefer if I answer the questions you've sent me recently? It was the least I could do to compensate for your help..."
Really? Klein heard and was overjoyed.
But on the last second, considering that most of the questions he had were merely just verifications. He opt for a different one.
Instead, he replied, "Actually, can you give me any seals I could use in making this a charm instead?"
After all, the remaining questions other than seal brandings, symbols, and dream siphoning were the actual ones he is oblivious of. He already has mapped out the bestowment and sacrificial ritual in his knowledge.
For this, Klein felt he can safely tell Azik of the seed. Of course he divined this prior during the carriage trip.
He fished out and presented what looked like a button, the size of a thumb, with an embedded stone.
Azik's eyes regained its luster a bit. "This isn't a simple seed. Where did you get it?"
However, before Klein could even answer. Azik deduced already.
"I sense distant corruption from this seed. I suppose that's the White Maiden?"
Klein nodded and handed the seed in Azik's request.
After inspecting it on his hand, Azik said, "As much as possible, limit your ties with this Goddess. I can't tell if this is malice or from a supercilious nature.
"'She' may have impervious reasons for this. Evil deities don't usually able to affect anyone normally in this era, especially if it's an ancient deity.
"Do you have a possession that connects you to this Goddess? Or perhaps a person?"
"It's Selina." Klein hesitated but ultimately answered.
He didn't intend to be in opposition. However, he do understand that there's reasons for why Selina is being targeted.
Being Mrs. White's blessed and caught in the crossfire of Ms. Lovers and the Rose School of Thought is one but simply wouldn't cut it.
"..." Azik observed the seed once more as he smeared it with his blood.
The still air churned but ultimately died down in an anti-climactic fashion. Nothing happened.
"The divine essence within this had faded. Likely due to the hollowing and storing of a dream you've done on the seed." He said reflectively.
"Klein." but on the transition, he stopped. "Selina herself isn't dangerous, but the fate revolving her is.
"If she meant to you deeply. I could only hope that you know what you're doing and succeed unscathed."
Klein's eyes deepened by he nodded firmly. "I know."
After that last advice, Azik instantly moved on to fulfilling his words. He described,
"It can be used as a charm just as it is. You only need seals corresponding to the Evernight over the dark, the symbols of the dreams, and mutations."
Huh? Klein was perplexed by the last word.
"Mr. Azik what do you mean by mutations?"
"The mutation of life. That is what I sensed in this seed. You can exploit it for various effects, such as the dream itself affecting the body." answered Azik before handing it back with an open palm.
Klein gasped inwardly as he felt a mix of joy from getting the scope of that effect.
Mr. Azik, you're the best! He praised deeply in his heart.
After receiving back the seed. Klein asked just one more, "I want the effect to limit on one target only. Is that possible?"
Azik was staring at the coffin. But he heard Klein's voice, he pulled away and answered, "Yes, that is possible.
"But it requires a seal of the Apprentice pathway's direct siphon."
Apprentice? Klein always found joy in knowing the other 22 pathways.
That makes it 17!
Seer, Spectator, Bard, Sailor, Secret Suppliant, Sleepless, Corpse Collector, Warrior, Assassin, Mystery Pryer, Savant, Monster, Planter, Apothecary, Arbiter and Apprentice!
"Can I ask where can I possibly know one?" Klein wasn't about to decline on the opportunity of safeguarding his allies.
"I can give you one. Alongside the ones you requested." Azik said in passing. Taking his finger that was started bleeding again and used it to etch symbols on the walls.
"Remember that." he added after finishing.
Klein narrowed his eyes and stared intently. Minute later, he closed his eyes and pictured the symbols.
Hmm, yes this should do... He opened them again and smiled toward Azik. "Thank you Mr. Azik."
"It's nothing." Azik nodded slightly and slowly faced the coffin again. "I'll continue investigating and I hope that I will still have your assistance."
At that moment, behind their backs, Azik's blood melted and seeped. Vanishing.
"No problem. This is exactly what I wanted to do." This time, Klein held back his urge to tell Azik about the red chimney.
Because it was useless to bring it up. He could only rely on himself to confirm his target.
However, that solved one of his major problems, which was how he should involve the Nighthawks after he found the red chimney house. He didn't believe that he could take out such a mysterious and scary puppet master alone.
Now, he could ask for Mr. Azik's help!
Azik widened his mouth, but didn't say anything in the end. All he did was sigh and walk towards the stairway quietly.
After leaving the basement and closing the secret door, the two of them walked along the road covered with weeds and brambles. Neither one of them spoke as they walked back from the abandoned ancient castle.
In the dark night, Azik suddenly said,
"Until this matter is resolved, I will quit my job and leave Tingen, to look for my lost past."
"Mr. Azik, did you find out what happened to you?" Klein asked, having failed to hide his curiosity.
Azik suddenly looked ahead.
Amid the chirping of insects and the hooting of owls reverberated along the path back to the small town. He said after a few seconds of silence, "Even though I'm not entirely sure what happened to me, I do have a rough idea.
"Perhaps—perhaps I'm someone who has lived for a very, very long time."
Mr. Azik, you have to seriously consider if you still fit the definition of "someone"...Klein thought to himself, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.
"This wilderness, this silence, often makes one weak...
"I should've paid some sort of price in exchange for this long life. I've lived since the end of the Fourth Epoch, like a wandering spirit across the continent..." Azik's voice deepened, as if he was trying to suppress his emotions. "I don't remember the past. I've forgotten about the people and things that I've sworn to remember..."
Klein poked at the weeds in front of him and said, in thought, "Mr. Azik, I have a theory regarding your situation."
"What theory?" Azik looked to the side.
"I think that there's a cycle to your memory loss. Perhaps you 'die' once every few decades, and your memories of the events before that vanishes. Then, after some time, you wake up from the darkness of your slumber and begin on a new phase of life. This way, we can explain why you would have such varied dreams. Those are events that you came across over your several lives," Klein described his theory.
Azik slowed down his pace, as if the darkness had grabbed onto his sleeve. He looked ahead with a turbid look before saying after a while, "That is consistent with the memories that were jolted awake just now."
Memories that were jolted awake? Klein had an idea as he said immediately, "Mr. Azik, you might not have to leave Tingen to search for your lost past. You'll regain your memories slowly!"
"Why?" Azik turned his head in surprise.
Klein smiled and said, "Your memories aren't completely gone. The parts of your memory that jolted awake just now are proof of that.
"Furthermore, do you remember the moment you woke up in Backlund and discovered that you had forgotten all about the past?"
Azik nodded. "That's a nightmare that bothers me till this day."
Klein tapped downwards with his black cane and explained in detail, "Before today, I didn't think that there was a problem with that. But your description just now, together with my own conjecture, makes it feel a little weird. You had a document of identification and enough money when you woke up from your dream. You also appeared in a way that didn't startle anyone... All of that seems like it was arranged for you, allowing you to fit into society with little effort.
"Then, who made the arrangements?
"There is only one answer; the you from the past!
"The past you regained his memories and knew that you would have to usher in a new life. Thus, he prepared everything for you, trying his best to not let you attract suspicion from anyone else."
Azik stopped walking. He looked at the specks of light coming from the town, once again slipped into silence.
"Perhaps the 'parents' that I've been searching for were the past me all along..." He sighed, admitting that Klein's deduction was very plausible.
"Thus, you don't need to do anything. All you have to do is patiently wait for your memories to come back to you," Klein concluded and consoled Mr. Azik.
Azik subconsciously waved his cane before he turned still, like a sculpture carved out of marble.
After a long time, he looked into the distance and answered, "Perhaps—perhaps I'll only fully regain my memory when this life is nearing its end. I don't want to wait that long. I want to have plenty of time to understand and free myself from this destiny. So I have to be more proactive in searching for my past, to trigger my memories a little at a time. I have to get back my memories back before the time you hypothesized. Waiting would only make me repeat the cycle."
"Indeed that's the choice worth looking forward to the most." Klein didn't advise against it. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Azik, may I ask for your help in something trivial, other than finding the criminal that took the skull of your child and made my fate disharmonious?"
Azik nodded slightly.
"What do you need me to do?"
Klein organized his words and said, "I hope that you can head to a town between two and five hours away from Tingen by carriage next week, or the week after. I need you to cause a paranormal incident, something that wouldn't harm anyone. Judging from how you tried to search for the criminal using your bloodline's connection, I would think that you are fairly adept in the field of dead souls."
"No problem," Azik promised without any hesitation. He didn't ask Klein why he wanted him to do something like that.
At the same time, he had tacitly confirmed Klein's conjecture about his powers.
"Thank you. This is very important to me. Also, you can only choose a follower of the Evernight Goddess when you are picking a target. Also, don't leave any clues behind," Klein instructed.
Only through this method could the incident be relayed to the Tingen Nighthawks. Only then could he join the team on the mission and suggest using Sealed Artifact 3-0782. Only then could he extract the divine blood from the Sealed Artifact to create Flaring Sun Charms!
That was one of the most powerful item he and Selina could obtain at the moment.
Under the assumption that the culprit living in the house with the red chimney hasn't left Tingen, and that Klein was going to continue investigating, he had to become powerful!
Yes, according to the information I obtained, stealing a little of its powers wouldn't damage 3-0782. At the very most, it would only lessen the amount of time it takes to purify... This is for her safety and Tingen City's peace and stability... Klein inwardly tried to justify his actions.
Azik had enough of asking and thus, didn't care about his motives. He nodded.
"I will tell you the name of the town and the estimated time beforehand so you can prepare yourself."