ajfa

Chapter 32 - Trauma

It's a good thing the captain gave me a few days off after the chaotic fight with Ray Bieber. — Klein added in his heart as he unconsciously counted what he had received.

It was enough, and he didn't need to worry either, his dirty and torn clothes from the battle would be reimbursed by the Nighthawks.

There was no better job in this world than in the church!

Melissa glared at him, as if she were staring straight into the depths of his soul, leaving him confused.

She had been looking at him that way for some time now, actually, ever since he had woken up in the morning to make breakfast.

Did I do something…? Uh… Benson was also watching me with the same gaze… — Klein brought the cup of herbal tea to his mouth, unable to help but wonder what was going on.

— Klein, are you okay? — Melissa finally asked in a skeptical tone. Her brows were furrowed, and that only happened when she was suspicious.

— Yes. — he answered without understanding his sister's doubt.

— Are you sure? — she insisted.

Eh... Hey, there's no need to worry. — Klein sighed wearily in his heart.

It wasn't a lie. With so many things hitting him every second of his life, he felt like he was going to go crazy at any second.

Besides, he probably hadn't slept since he had transmigrated to this world. Even so, he still felt normal. It was hard to explain, but it was as if he really didn't need to sleep.

— You look really tired, I mean... Your body seems completely rested, but don't you think you should take a break and rest? — Melissa pulled a piece of paper out from under the coat she was wearing before he could say anything.

It was a shopping list, and there seemed to be a lot of words written on it. Since it was close to the beginning of August, it was necessary to go shopping since what they had bought before was running out.

— Come with me, you know a lot about prices. — she justified, not wanting to say the real reason she was asking this.

— Okay. — Klein smiled in response.

He took his own money from his pocket, standing up and heading towards the door to accompany his sister.

Before that, he gave her some money.

— Thank you. — she said, hiding her face as she left the house.

— By the way, Benson told me someone had an invitation for you. — Klein commented as he locked the door, calmly going downstairs.

— It was Selena! — she quickly justified herself.

She knew that her brother constantly had divergent thoughts that led him to very strange guesses.

Melissa coughed once before continuing:

— She invited us to her birthday, a banquet, which will be in a few days.

— So we should think of a gift for your friend. — Klein felt as if he were watching a child grow up in front of him.

— I was thinking about that... She has a necklace with a watch that I can fix and she loves supernatural things and fortune-telling and the mystical. — Melissa answered, seeming to be alarmed in a good way by the part about fixing something.

Her weakness is machinery... — he thought in his heart.

That was also one of the only ways to convince her to buy something for herself without her thinking too much about the costs.

— So you need tools? — he got to the root of the matter.

His sister paused for a moment, clearly too interested and, at the same time, hesitant to say anything.

— Yes. — she said with all the self-control she had, surreptitiously counting the money in her hand to see if it was worth it.

One thing the three brothers shared was money. Benson sometimes said it was strange, but Klein and Melissa had caught him doing it several times.

They went straight to buy vegetables, but it seemed like another circus was passing through town.

Scattered along the street, there were flutists playing while poets passionately recited a text from one of Emperor Roselle's famous books from the Age of Steam and Machinery.

This is almost a copy of Homer's Iliad... Emperor, couldn't you be more original? — the stunned Klein couldn't help but remember that old book of poems.

This was Roselle copying another famous work from Earth once again! Wasn't Count de San Cristo, The Metamorphosis, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, some tales by the Brothers Grimms and countless other copied book ideas enough?

Where are the copyrights?!

I remember he created a law about that... Hypocrite! My compatriot should be careful with people knocking on his door and demanding their rights that he himself created. — Klein satirized in his mind, feeling a familiarity in those poems and songs.

Acrobats passed by at all times, performing difficult maneuvers like natural professionals. This reminded Klein of the previous day.

Clowns with painted faces and extravagant and flashy clothes followed close behind and mixed in, playing with the audience that was watching everything happen.

In several corners, there were singers who were thin and slender due to malnutrition. They recited different songs in search of opportunities to earn at least some soli.

Magicians also appeared, whether from stable backgrounds or from poor areas. They performed magic tricks around, and sometimes were lucky enough to receive some money.

Malnourished children danced among them, a few of them probably taking advantage of the only chance of their lives to hear a song like this, and others, many waiting for the opportunity to steal a wallet or something of value. This was the only way to sustain themselves.

There were also some dancers, one of them was wearing tattered and old clothes and you could tell he was falling from exhaustion or pain by his pale and sickly skin, but he kept dancing.

— Fresh fish for only half a soli! — a vendor shouted among several others.

Klein and Melissa made their way to a stand selling tomatoes, spices and lettuce that was close to them.

Passing through the crowd, they finally arrived at the small stall.

There was a woman of at least thirty years old who looked hardened by life. She was tall and strong-looking, with a face marked by paleness and dark brown hair cut unevenly, as if it had been cut by a knife.

Her brown eyes seemed lifeless, as if they were completely empty and filled with a well-hidden feeling.

— What would you like? — she asked hoarsely, but she seemed to force herself to do so no matter how much she hid it.

— Four tomatoes, salt, two onions, and lettuce. — Klein remembered that Benson had said he would buy some spices and the meat.

— Okay. — When she raised her hands, it was possible to see that on her wrists there was a severe laceration mark on her right arm that almost showed the flesh.

And the other arm was broken in a strange way, as if it had been twisted in a specific way.

Klein knew what it was, but didn't want to think about it.

Abuse, she probably had to sell her own body to eat enough to survive the next day or perhaps she was brutally raped.

— Thank you very much. — Klein thanked her, giving her the solis and leaving with Melissa in another direction.

When Klein looked around, he decided it would be a good idea to go to Miss. Wendy Smyrin, who always sold bread and pastries.

— Last time I came, Miss Wendy was on vacation to see her grandchildren with her children. She's been talking about them a lot lately. — Melissa commented as she looked at the bread in the window.

— I heard that one of her youngest daughters graduated from the military. A very hard-working young woman who received medals of honor.

— That's good. Miss Wendy was always concerned about her children, just like her late husband was. — Klein said as he remembered how Wendy and her husband spoke with pride and kindness about their children.

Sometimes, it was even embarrassing things about their childhoods or when they seemed to feel a little sad about them, but at those times they didn't talk about it and tried to act normal even though they were distressed.

Even after so many years, Wendy still had the same habits.

When the gray-haired lady saw them, she came out from behind the counter with a big smile.

— Klein and Melissa, would you like the usual? — she asked as kindly as always.

— Yes, please. — Klein replied politely.

As she went to pick up the bread, Wendy laughed.

— You've really become such kind and responsible children! Soon, you'll also be able to graduate in machinery, Melissa.

— I really hope I can do it. — Melissa's voice came out anxious no matter how much she tried to contain it.

Suddenly, a beautiful light blue flower fell in front of Klein and Melissa.

It had been thrown by a clown, but a slender child who was too small for her real age picked it up from the ground.

He carefully placed the flower in his hands like a valuable treasure, but he was still fast.

When he saw them standing still, the young man ran off with the blue flower.

The child hid the flower under his ragged coat so that none of the other hungry and watchful wolves, who were everywhere, would see what he was carrying.

Klein and Melissa swerved, already accustomed to this sight. There was a chance of being mugged if they didn't pay attention.

As they were heading to another street, Klein noticed a man dressed in a double-breasted suit and half top hat near the bakery. He seemed to be carrying a sweet made from a recipe from East Balam.

— Isn't that your history teacher? — Melissa recognized him even from afar.

It turned out that she had seen him before, but it was a long time ago and even then he seemed the same as he always was.

— He looks very young as always and wise... But doesn't he look the same as before? — she seemed a little curious.

Melissa, you really have an eagle eye for everything... — Klein was stunned by his sister's quick judgment.

But she can't even imagine knowing about the Beyonders! It's too dangerous for Benson or Melissa!

— Maybe it's just an impression... — he gave a quick excuse.

— I don't think so... — she narrowed her eyes slightly skeptically.

Azik seemed to notice the presence of the two talking near the exit of the bakery, because he was already heading towards them very calmly.

— Good morning Klein and Melissa. — he spoke with his same calm tone.

— Good morning, Mr. Azik. — Klein and Melissa spoke almost at the same time.

Azik seemed to be talking to one of his students, his voice seemed to sound gentle:

— I heard a lot about you with your brother. A young woman very interested in steam engines, a great area of work since Emperor Roselle created it. He even showed me one of the inventions you put together, a brilliant machine.

That... — Klein's smile almost fell.

Melissa was a person very focused on machines, but he was sure she might be a little embarrassed if he showed one of her inventions.

His sister stared at him for a moment with a hint of confusion in her eyes before sighing in her heart.

— Uh… Really? — Happiness welled up in her chest for someone older and smarter to praise her, but she was still a little embarrassed.

— Yes. If you study harder, I'm sure you can become an inventor. I know a brilliant professor in the field of machinery if you want to go to university after you finish your studies. — Azik said.

Melissa seemed distressed upon hearing those words. This is such a great opportunity, how could she refuse!

Even so, she still felt that she should reflect properly!

— Think about your time. — Azik smiled and looked at Klein, as if he were looking at a child growing up over time.

Melissa sighed deeply in her heart again, her agitated thoughts seemed to be in full swing.

— Mr. Azik, thank you very much for teaching Klein everything. I-I'll think about it.— Melissa thanked her honestly from the bottom of her heart, her surprise was apparent even if she tried to hide it a little.

— He's an excellent student, so he learned very quickly. — Azik answered the young woman kindly.

— ... — Now it was Klein who was embarrassed.

Fortunately, someone asked them for directions to Saint Selena Cathedral. He looked very out of place.

He was a tall man. He had long red hair that flowed like a waterfall, fiery red like blood, and eyes the same shade.

His outfit was a double-breasted suit with all black clothes and dark leather boots, which made him look very stand out among so many.

He was staring at Klein with different contradictory emotions.

Even though there was a bright confusion on his face mixed with nostalgia for past eras and hidden horror.

— Do I know you? And you too? — The sudden question from the man with long red hair seemed confused, sounding almost like a statement. On his face was an expression that seemed a little strange, almost disbelieving.

Looking at the young man, his Medici head seemed like it would explode at any second.

A thick and endless veil of mystery stretched across his vision. It surrounded and was entirely part of the Seer, making him seem somewhat enigmatic and unsolvable.

It could be described as the exact description of something utterly terrifying, but not even that could describe that feeling of eternal secrets.

Several layers gave him a bizarre, inexplicable and indiscernible air. It was something that should not be peeked at.

The velvet veil was terrifying.

Melissa's eyebrow arched.

— My brother knows you...? — She entered her suspicious mode out of pure instinct. That strange man could be a charlatan!Chapter 33 - A Seer

Melissa's sharp gaze analyzed Medici from head to toe with all the attention she had.

— Sir, how could my brother know you? — she asked firmly. Her discreet focus never left that strange man.

— I'm not sure. — Medici answered simply. He had noticed the young woman's strange behavior, but he didn't know why.

— Sir, no offense intended. Do you have a memory problem? — she asked carefully, her suspicion growing by the second.

If you define forgetting everything about your life and more as a memory problem, then yes. — Medici thought with a smile appearing on his face.

Melissa suddenly made a strange expression before she quickly returned to normal.

Klein, on the other hand, was strangely quiet, his thoughts diverging to a darker side on this subject.

In the astral body of that red-haired man was an endless sea of red-orange flames burning with a majestic glow.

It was a condensation of absolute and imposing feelings of a true conqueror.

He has a very strong astral body... — he noticed immediately before his mind turned to another subject.

Wait, I lost part of some memory I had... — he remembered. That was true, but he never stopped to pay much attention to that detail.

They were only small gaps, and about the life of the original Klein and only minimally about his childhood and adolescence as Zhou Mingrui, since he didn't remember much about his parents or his brother and that man wasn't from Earth anyway.

Klein seemed to be recovering very slowly, even if he still couldn't even think of some things.

Even so, he didn't dare talk about it.

Melissa was right next to him listening to the whole strange and bizarre conversation that was unfolding!

I'm sure she and Benson would give me a lecture that would last a whole year if I even thought of telling them that I asked for a part of my memory... — Klein remembered the last scolding he got from Benson.

It was a long time ago, mainly because he was never the type to cause any trouble, no matter how small.

Uh... I think I know you too... Eh... I would certainly have remembered someone so strange... — with his brow furrowed indiscernibly, he was stunned.

I would certainly have remembered someone as unique and bizarre as this man!

— I don't know... Maybe yes or no... — he answered honestly.

Azik's life-giving eyes seemed to darken momentarily in purest nostalgia.

— I don't remember meeting you either, but I feel like I've seen you before... Did you study history? — he asked, looking a bit confused.

— No, I'm part of the military.— Medici replied carefreely.

He knew that the bizarre man with golden eyes was also familiar and strange. He exuded a strong smell of death that left him very confused.

Medici never imagined that he would feel so much familiarity and nostalgia as he did at that very moment.

Klein almost sank into thoughts and guesses. There was a familiarity that not even he could say where it came from, but it was so great that it almost felt like an old friend.

— Sir, what's your name? — Azik asked with interest.

— Medici. — he answered simply.

Actually, I sometimes use Yvaine's surname because I don't have one… Ah... That's because Yvaine basically listed me as her brother on all my documents so that no one outside the organization would be too suspicious of my name or the family I belonged to...

Did my parents, whom I don't even know, want to curse me when they named me Medici? — he added in his heart with great deprecation.

This caused him a lot of trouble, such as strange persecution from some organizations like a part of MI9 and even the royal family. Of course, none of them had the right to try to spy on the Hunters of the Order, so they didn't get any information at all.

As for the reason for this, he doesn't know. From what he heard, it was because of the Medici family's involvement in some complicated matters. Furthermore, the blood red hair was very reminiscent of the ancient families of the Hunter Pathway.

His appearance along with his name was a huge target on his back ever since he woke up with no memories!

— You've heard the tale of the Creator, right? Are you interested in mysticism? — Medici asked, his tone seemed to hide something else.

Azik looked at him in no hurry to say anything, he seemed to understand what he meant, as did Klein who became momentarily even more thoughtful and apprehensive.

The red-haired man wanted to know if they had any connection with the Beyonder world!

— ... — Melissa, who was not understanding a word, sank into her divergent thoughts and thought that the red-haired boy was probably some kind of scholar who unfortunately could not pursue a career in history for some reason.

Maybe he even tried and even went to Khoy University, but unfortunately they did not succeed. That was why Azik and Klein found him a little familiar, but none of the three knew why.

She even looked at him with a little pity, however her dark gaze seemed a little too sharp and fixed than usual.

It seemed that Melissa was observing the depths of Medici's thoughts, not letting anything pass.

Hey, why is this girl staring at me like that? It's just like her brother a few seconds ago... What a strange family... — Medici couldn't look back at the young woman who continued to stare at his soul.

It gave him the creeps.

He sighed in his mind and spoke cautiously:

— Well, I didn't expect to see something so strange when I arrived in Tingen to go to the Midnight Cathedral.

— Wait... Are you going to the Cathedral of Saint Selena? — Klein started to get even more thoughtful.

He didn't doubt that this man was a Beyonder, so it definitely had something to do with the church or some official organization.

He said he was in the military, if that's true... Since no Church has a close relationship with MI9, I can rule out that possibility and only the Hunters of the Order are left... He's from that organization, a Mentor of Abolition. — Klein concluded as soon as he looked at a certain badge on the man's suit.

It was indeed a badge belonging to that part of the military.

While still deep in thought, Medici had a bold guess.

Descendants of some old friend...? No, I'm pretty sure that this boy and the man are at least Demigods!... There's also something strange about the girl... She is a Beyonder?

Hey, could it be that they are some old friends?

I've lived a long time, probably more than a few hundred years or so, it wouldn't be surprising if that was the case...

Well, that man is from the Pathway of the Corpse Collector, the girl must have something to do with the Pathway her brother belongs to and the other one... Is a Seer! — he immediately became alarmed.

This was a rare Panthway belonging to two ancient organizations and only a few very rare Nighthawks, it wasn't very likely to find any of them around!

The only warning he had received from his superiors about Tingen was about the Pathway of the Seer!

Beware of the Pathway of the Seer... Now I understand the need for that warning... — Medici came to a conclusion.

These people were certainly Demigods, so he should be careful, however, it wouldn't be a risk to talk to them as long as he wasn't hostile. Maybe he could even gain some worthwhile friendship.

At some point, Medici remembered that he had to go to the cathedral and asked for directions again.

While Melissa was telling Medici the right direction to the street where Saint Selena Cathedral was located, Azik seemed to have something to say to Klein.

— Mr. Azik, has that man really never been to Khoy University? — Klein asked with mixed feelings.

It was terrifying how he remembered someone he had never seen before, and no matter how hard he tried to find any memory or anything like that, he failed.

— Not that I remember. Medici is very unique... He certainly has special abilities. — Azik replied. He seemed more mentally stable than last time, showing his characteristic calm and gentle feelings.

— Recently things seem different, it seems like everything is changing. However, we have time to discuss this later, keep walking with your sister. — Azik gave a solemn smile, but this smile seemed different.

He seemed happy that Klein was living as he always had, continuing to be a normal young man despite all the terrible things he had faced.

— Okay, have a good day. — Klein agreed with that.

He continued on his way with Melissa without noticing something about Azik and the red-haired man exchanging something like "messengers." and they continued to talk.

Before the two brothers crossed the street, Medici shouted:

— You're going to the Cathedral later, aren't you? We can talk another day. — As they walked far enough away, Melissa looked a little thoughtful.

— What strange and unique people you know... There was also that black-haired man who looked like a wandering poet, I thought he was some nobleman, or rich by the looks of it. — Her judgmental look was a little calmer.

Wandering poet? — Klein frowned at this strange description.

The only person who fit the description perfectly was Leonard!

He turned to Melissa in a daze. Klein spoke with confusion:

— Did you meet Leonard? When did this happen? I mean, how did it happen?

Her sister thought for a moment, seeming to remember what had happened.

— He was passing by the Deweyville library, when I was studying some books, and he recognized me. This Leonard said he was your friend from work, he even mentioned that you had already talked about me so he recognized me. He was frivolous and sloppy, but very kind.

— By the way, I didn't want to seem rude and nosy so I didn't ask, but he seemed to be gay.

Apparently, this term really has always existed in this world because of Roselle. Yes, the emperor was once again a copycat charlatan.

Roselle ended up creating the term for some reason in her time and specified the definition exactly, so they used the term normally.

Gay... Even Melissa came to the same conclusion...— the corners of Klein's mouth rose indiscernibly.

— Klein, he seemed to like you a lot and... — When Melissa started to speak, Klein immediately knew where her thoughts had gone.

— You can stay with him if that's the case. — He immediately interrupted her with embarrassment almost burning on his face.

Leonard, I'm sorry. However, I feel like throwing you out of the church when you start trying to convince me to divine for random, common things... It's a headache.

Besides... Sis, I want to be alone forever, so don't think about romantic things! —he added in his heart.

The moment Klein finished his sentence, Melissa retorted:

— Sure, but you're twenty years old. You should find someone you really like to be with, like a girl or a poet. Yeah, it doesn't matter, you have to be happy and...

She kept talking about it for a while because she knew how shy he was, so she was talking about it on purpose!

Is this revenge for what I said about her to Mr. Azik? I shouldn't provoke without expecting a bigger attack...— he felt dazed. His defenses and speech preparations were not prepared for such a strong attack.

Klein cursed the original Klein internally for showing Melissa's invention to Azik.

Klein and Melissa walked around, passing all sorts of different shops, talking about random things and couldn't help but laugh together.

When they realized, the crimson moon was above the sky with a majestic glow from all the previous nights.

— How did it get dark so quickly? — Melissa frowned with a bit of desperation visible on her expression.

She had to finish her homework!

Klein also showed despair, he had things to do that he had forgotten in the meantime!

They went as fast as they could to get home, but when they got there, Benson was at the door.

He seemed visibly worried, especially when he saw them running down the dark street to get home.

— Where were you two? — he asked. His voice was trembling, almost horrified.

— Sorry… We went to buy food, but we got distracted. — Klein acknowledged his mistake without hesitation.

Benson sighed, almost speechless with relief.

— Do you know how much danger there is out there? The number of kidnappings for all sorts of horrendous things imaginable is increasing all the time! Do you two know how many young people went missing last year? One of my colleagues' children disappeared and never showed up again.

Before Klein or Melissa could protest, he continued sternly:

— It's mostly twenty-year-olds, children who disappear! What would I do if either of you two went missing? How would I find a way to look for both of you?

— Couldn't you two have left a note? I was about to go out and look for or report the missing person to the police. What if you two found some crazy person? It was not long ago that the Bloody Butcher was killing people everywhere... What if he came back? What if there were crazy imitators of him?

I remember that, Miss Orianna mentioned that she almost fell victim to that fanatical follower of the devil... Eh... By the way... Sorry Benson... — Klein thought as he still listened to Benson speak.

They listened to many sermons and scoldings until dinner time, when Benson finally seemed about to collapse with relief like before.

The smell of the meat stew coming from the stove was very good. It had been Benson who had made the food before they arrived.

— I think the relief completely overwhelmed him. — Melissa commented quietly with a bit of guilt as she saw Benson leaving for his room, probably to get something like a newspaper.

— He won't forget this anytime soon... — Klein sighed with the guilt in his chest.

Benson had every reason in the world to be worried, especially since they lived in a place like Tingen.

Many cases of kidnappings can happen for various reasons, such as strange rituals or several thousand crazy and unimaginable reasons.

As he was deep in thought, Melissa pulled out a thick book that was on the other side of the wooden dining table.

The title was written in a dull gray:

"White Nights"

And Klein could already guess the author's name without the slightest effort, in fact he didn't even need to read the cover:

Emperor Roselle!

This almost completely broke his state of reflection from guilt to a bit of surprise.

I remember that the original Klein had already read this… Seriously, emperor? Even Fyodor Dostoevsky? My compatriot was really a charlatan! — Klein frowned slightly.

Suddenly, Melissa stared at him, trying to catch any sign of something that he couldn't quite determine.

Sis, why are you staring at me like that…? — Klein felt at the same moment that he might have done something wrong. That was the typical look of concern for his idiot brother.

However, she seemed genuinely too thoughtful, almost sinking into her own mind.

— Klein, there's something really strange going on… You know… That man was really strange, don't you think? He even looked like fire or something. By the way, are you sure you've never seen him? — she asked. Even though she tried to hide it as much as possible, it was clear that she was very confused about the previous conversation.

When Klein was about to answer, he stopped, realizing the term Melissa had used.

Fire!

What do you mean... Fire?

— Melissa, what do you mean by fire? — his voice was hesitant. His face showed shock that he couldn't hide at all.

She was also confused, not seeming to know exactly what she meant by that.

— Uh… How can I explain it? Just flames, a strange flame that shone brighter than anything and occupied my entire vision after a few seconds that I saw it and the fire disappeared very quickly... I don't know... That's what I saw. — Melissa spoke without much certainty in her voice.

She noticed the conflict in Klein's mind, because she immediately asked:

— Klein, are you okay? — At that moment, Klein's thoughts were thrown into confusion.

Is there something wrong with Melissa...?

How...?

Wait, I was also a Beyonder when I arrived and the original Klein was also a Beyonder since birth...

I remember Sr. Chariot said that Beyonder's children have a chance of being born Beyonders...

If I've been a Beyonde since forever, then there's definitely a chance that Melissa and Benson inherited something from our parents...!

I hadn't thought of that before...

Damn!

What am I going to do? It's too dangerous!

Notes: