Their eyes met briefly Helena Morrow's sharp gaze clashing with Klaus's startled one. Without delay, she raised the subject that had brought her over.
"Have you seen my brother, Quinn Morrow?" she asked coolly.
Klaus straightened himself.
"I haven't seen him."
Helena clicked her tongue.
"I thought the two of you were meant to be friends. Yet you cannot even keep track of him? How foolish."
Klaus clenched his jaw. What kind of sister talks like this…? he muttered inwardly.
Helena continued, completely unbothered by his expression.
"I came to see him because he has also moved up in rank."
Klaus blinked.
"Rank? He never mentioned anything."
"Do not trouble yourself," she replied dismissively.
"All he's done is move from Tier Zero to Tier One. He has awakened, yes, but that hardly changes anything. He has always been rather useless. It should not surprise you."
Klaus's face twisted in anger, though he quickly masked it with a stiff salute before turning away. He scanned the entire hall, searching for Quinn Morrow who now housed the soul of Edin Shan.
Edin wandered through the Court's grand corridors, searching for a library.
How can a place this large not contain a single library? Why call it a Court if knowledge is nowhere to be found? he grumbled silently.
After passing countless doors, he finally found one that led downward. A cold breeze met him as he descended, and the stone stairway opened into a vast underground chamber.
Beneath the Court lay the hidden archive known simply as the Librarian a vault of forbidden texts and secret histories.
The moment Edin stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. The air felt heavier, older… almost sacred. Towering bookshelves rose like ancient gates, circling the room in a grand labyrinth.
He took a cautious step forward, awe colouring his expression.
At last, a library… though not the kind I expected. Still, this will do.
He struggled to steady his thoughts.
What exactly am I searching for again? Right… transmigration. The meaning of transmigration.
The library was enormous an endless maze. He wondered how he could possibly find a single book within it.
But just as doubt clouded his mind, his gaze fell on a lone book resting openly before him. On its cover, in bold lettering, was the word:
TRANSMIGRATION
It felt as though the library itself had answered him.
Edin approached the small altar where the book lay, lifted it gently, and whispered the title under his breath.
"Transmigration…"
He stared at the cover in disbelief only for a stern voice to cut through the silence.
"Young man. What are you doing here? This archive is restricted to high-rank officers only. What level are you?"
Edin froze. He knew nothing of Quinn Morrow's memories, nor his place in this world. He could not reply.
The man stepped closer, studying him.
"You are dressed as a Holy Knight… then where is your badge?"
Edin's heart jolted. The badge.
He swiftly reached into the pocket of Quinn's uniform and produced it.
The man examined it closely.
"A Tier One officer. Today is for those ascending in rank why are you not at the ceremony? And why are you hiding your hand behind your back? Stand properly."
His voice was sharp and commanding. Instinctively, Edin kept the book hidden behind him, refusing to reveal it.
Before he could raise his hand, a voice interrupted:
"Quinn. So this is where you are… breaking the rules again."
It was Helena Morrow.
Edin turned quickly. The voice was familiar, yet he did not truly recognise her.
"Ah yes. I am here."
The officer stiffened, bowing his head at once.
"Commander Helena my apologies. I did not realise he was related to you."
Edin offered the man a brief salute and an apology before stepping away to follow Helena.
She said nothing as they walked, and he remained silent as well aware only that she was Quinn Morrow's sister… and he was inhabiting the body that once belonged to her brother.
As they left the underground library, climbing the narrow stone stairs toward the upper halls, Helena finally spoke.
"You are as troublesome as ever… yet congratulations on your promotion," she said, her tone a strange mix of irritation and formality.
"Father has decided you should return home with us. Though, as usual, I expect you will refuse. Since Mother's death and everything that followed, you have rejected every offer we've made every attempt to help you."
Though Quinn's feet carried him beside her, the mind within the body was Edin Shan's. His thoughts drifted back to the book he had hidden beneath his clothes
Transmigration.
Helena noticed his distraction and narrowed her eyes.
"Quinn."
Her voice cracked like a whip.
"I'm speaking to you as family but do not forget I am a commander. Show some respect."
Edin quickly bowed his head.
"My apologies. My thoughts were elsewhere."
"As I was saying," Helena resumed, "what is your decision?"
"Decision?" Edin asked. "Could you explain?"
Helena scoffed, exasperated.
"How unreliable can you be? I truly do not know what Father sees in giving you another chance. You move from nothing to Tier One and suddenly think you understand the world."
She sighed sharply.
"Father offered for you to come home now that you've risen in rank. Will you accept it?"
Edin hesitated internally. He knew nothing of Quinn Morrow's past, nor his family's history. Yet he felt instinctively that returning to Quinn's home might reveal more about the body he now inhabited.
"Yes," he replied without much thought. "I accept."
Helena paused mid-step, surprised. She studied him briefly, then simply said:
"Understood."
And walked ahead.
Back at the Ceremony
The celebration of the Holy Knights continued in full splendour. The hall remained crowded, filled with the fragrance of wine and the sound of lively music. Officers danced, laughed, and raised their glasses in honour of their advancement.
Klaus, however, searched relentlessly for Quinn.
He travelled through every hall, every corner, yet Quinn was nowhere to be found. With a frustrated sigh, he made his way outside. Quinn often slipped behind buildings when overwhelmed so Klaus headed there, certain he would find him.
Behind the Court Hall
Behind the grand structure, a woman staggered along the stone wall. She dragged her feet as though her body no longer belonged to her. A crimson tattoo shaped like a wilted rose pulsed at her neck, its glow fading as though life itself was draining from it.
Her veins bulged across her face. Sweat poured down in unnatural torrents. Her eyes darkened, threaded with crimson veins that pulsed with each beat of her heart. Her breath turned ragged, her body swelling and distorting.
She screamed
a sound torn between agony and transformation.
Moonlight cast her shadow across the ground as her body twisted further.
Klaus approached unknowingly, still thinking Quinn might be waiting for him.
Then he froze.
The dying rose tattoo peeled away from the woman's skin like a shedding flower petal. Her body cracked, warped and then completed its horrific shift.
She had become a Chaos.
An alchemist of souls.
A forbidden practitioner who shifted souls between bodies magic so dangerous no one, no matter their spiritual strength, could ever fully control the vessel they took.
The woman's body erupted with monstrous growths, forming into a predatory shape both terrifying and strangely beautiful. When her roar broke the night air, it silenced the entire Court Hall.
Everyone heard it the cry of a monster.
The Response
Jäger Frost shouted orders at once:
"Evacuate every civilian within a five-metre radius! Block the surrounding streets immediately no citizen is to approach the Court Hall!"
His voice cut through the chaos like steel.
"If any Iron Order officers are present, we require assistance at once!"
"Summoners! Raise a force field seal the area so the public sees nothing!"
Panic spread as knights and attendants rushed to secure the grounds.
Klaus's Battle
Klaus now stood face-to-face with the beast. He was the only knight close enough to confront it while the others prepared.
He had no choice.
He drew his pistol, loaded a round, and fired.
The beast lunged.
Klaus rolled aside, ducking behind a stone pillar. He slipped another bullet into the gun, emerging to fire two more shots. The creature shrieked, though barely slowed.
He slid across the dirt, sprinting in the opposite direction attempting to lure the monster toward the reinforcements.
The hunt had begun.