By the time Hal left the congregation, the sun had set below the horizon, and only the minuscule light of dusk remained.
He quickly got a carriage and returned home to the mansion, where he took off the suit and put on more comfortable nightwear before taking a seat at his reading table.
He opened the drawer on the table to reveal his notebook that was glowing with a violent radiance.
He slowly picked it up and watched as the book flipped through its own pages until it suddenly stopped, and glowing words began to appear on its pages.
[Took you long enough to get here, do you know how long I have been waiting here for you?]
Hal's eyes twitched
"What do you mean? I am just an ordinary human, and you are some sort of omnipotent being, so don't compare us"
The words moved and morphed to form a new statement
[It doesn't matter that you are a human blessed by me, so at least you should be special in one way or the other]
Hal resisted the urge to shut the book. He needed information, and he was the only source right now. He let out a deep sigh as he finally placed the book on the table
"Okay, whatever you say, but let's get to business. Why are you talking to me after so long?"
The words glowed and morphed on the page as they changed to become a new statement for Hal to read.
[I want to help you solve your mystery, just the usual stuff a concept does for its unquenchable novel, or is it that you don't require my help"
"Of course I do, I want to know what happened to the rest of Gregory's forbidden knowledge"
Hal's voice carried his frustration. Who or what even had the capability to steal forbidden knowledge from a scholar's journal
[Isn't it obvious, it's the one behind all this, why do you think the curse started again after fifty years?]
It all made sense to Hal now, of course, there must have been someone who was able to gain Gregory's book and extract its knowledge, at least that was the only explanation for it.
"Was it a scholar who did it?" The words turned red as they wrote
[No, any scholar would be wise enough to heed another's warning; they would never make a mistake and trust an outside force.]
'Outside force, so this king must really be from outside this world, but then what's its agenda? What does this king want?'
The page glowed again as it brought his attention back to the book
[SO, shall we begin this Q and A then?]
"Q and A: What do you mean by that?"
[Well, you are asking questions and I'm giving answers, a Q and A]
The fact that the lord called their conversation was not what shocked him; the reason that he knew what a Q and A was is what left Hal perturbed
Q and As aren't usually common in fantasy worlds; in fact, they are unheard of, but yet a concept dwelling in a world like this knew what it was
Could this mean the Lord of stars knows about the world's from, and would he be willing to share the information he had thought about for a while and decided to hold back the urge to ask such a question
"So, can you tell me where I can find the rest of the knowledge I'm looking for?" The book immediately glowed as the words formed his reply
[If I told you then, the novel would not be that interesting now, would it?]
Hal felt a frustration fill his soul as he leaned forward
"Then give me a clue at least" There was a moment of hesitation before the letters finally answered his question
[The Knowledge you seek in a place that cannot be perceived or intruded, a place where the hard worker cries, and in the midst of tears of haunting madness, the king is sure to rise]
The words he read in the book rang out through his head as he read them over and over till they were glued there
But what did they mean by a place that can't be perceived? Then, how is he supposed to find it? He scratched his head as he turned again to the book with a frown on his face
"So how is this supposed to help me solve my case?"
[I don't know, get creative]
The words this time moved and formed the image of a person who, with a magnifying glass and a windpipe.
[But he can be a can of use to your creativity, all you have to do is follow his lead, and all the answers you seek will be laid bare for you]
'So, the detective is a key to cracking this case open. Could there be some information apart from the lead on the cultist that he kept from me?
He turned back to the book and decided to use this opportunity to ask
"What is this king anyway, and what this he want from this world?"
The book hesitated longer this time before illuminating its pages once more.
[You read the book that was written by one of my scholars, JJ., who was fascinated with the concept of god, even blinded by it]
[but in his endeavour, he ended up learning knowledge he shouldn't have known, the knowledge forbidden even to scholars]
[The knowledge of whatever exists outside this world, forbidden knowledge, is more like secrets that the world doesn't want you to know and being a scholar is like being chosen to comprehend these secrets]
[But there are also secrets outside this world, secrets that not even you, in your current state of mind, can fathom]
"And what if I try to attain this knowledge, and find out what actually lies outside this world?"
The book suddenly burst into a violent red light that almost blinded Hal
Different whispers flew into his mind as words finally manifested themselves on the page
[For all those who seek information they are not worthy of. For all those that commit blasphemy to the mind, only one thing awaits, and that is MADNESS.]
Hal froze as he stumbled back and fell as a voice escaped from the book's pages.
[So tell me, do you wish to know true and attar madness, my little scholar? If you do, then become like me, ascend beyond human comprehension, and become a higher being.]