Proof of Identity

Klein had written about this. Bringing ancient history to the present for an advancement ritual but also because he wished to help them...

"He is the ruler of the Spirit World", "He is the past, present and future"... all of this was in line with Klein's current abilities.

There were several astonishing things in the Bible, but Azik was brought to a halt when he reached the part about the Fool's angels.

"The Angel of Mercury, the Lord's most cherished angel... The Angel of Death, the consul of the underworld and the one who followed the Lord for the longest period of time..."

He read that last line again. And then twice more.

Azik hadn't realised it until now, but his state on waking up was incredibly stable. Part of it could be attributed to him lacking the connection to his other half. Another part could be attributed to Klein's letters bringing his memories back.

And the last part... he had a lot more anchors than before.

He chuckled softly, continuing his read.

How things changed. Once upon a time, he had been protecting his student whenever asked, providing advice even from afar. But Klein had risen meteorically, and now Azik was the one under his wings.

He couldn't deny that there was pain for this distance, with Klein's choice making him approach a level of danger that Azik could do nothing for. But it couldn't be denied that it was also the proudest thing for a teacher to be surpassed.

He didn't plan to stay in one place. With all the pasts he had lost—and abandoned, in the case of the very first one—he needed to know this world to once again root himself in it.

But along the way, it wouldn't hurt to be the Angel of Death.

.

ii.

Backlund had not changed too much, if one could ignore the healing wounds in the city's body and heart. It felt rather strange to learn he had slept through a World War that ravaged the Northern Continent.

Azik planned to travel the world and see for himself everything he had missed, but he first felt a need to explore this country that he had lived in for so many decades.

He was walking on the well-kept streets of Hillston Borough when his gaze was drawn by a blond boy playing in the nearby park. There should have been nothing to note of someone so young, but Azik could see the fates of life and death. This boy's existence was like an infinite loop, a snake biting its own tail.

And moreover, there was the slightest aura of Sefirah Castle that matched with his coin.

The boy's foot caught on some wild grass and he flailed, luckily managing to keep his balance. Frowning, he turned his head and his dark eyes fixed on Azik's. It did not feel like the gaze of a child.

Three seconds later, he ran off, back to a couple that looked similar to him. That couple however had an ordinary fate.

...A Beyonder of the Fate pathway and an ally of Klein. The Angel of Mercury?

Azik didn't linger. He was no doubt curious, but it couldn't be explained to the child's parents. Perhaps a better time would approach.

That night, he dreamt of desolate black plains, at the centre of which was a steeple. There was no sense of malice from the place, so cautiously, he took steps forward.

The arrangment was puzzling and chaotic, but he didn't have to finish finding his way through it, because the boy from before appeared in front of him.