Grand Summoner (Lord of Mysteries OC-I! Jumpchain!)

Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Empress Borough

"Praise The Fool." Those were the first words that left Abel's lips as he returned to the real world from the Sefirah Castle.

How could he not sing praises for his fellow twenty-first-century comrade, especially when the man came bearing such a gift during their first meeting?

Still—

"The Fool, huh?" Abel's face turned unusually serious as he thought about this contradictory Transmigrator.

Above the Gray Fog—within the Sefirah Castle—he had paid as much attention as possible to The Fool's every reaction. He had to give the man credit; his body control was excellent, likely the result of a Beyonder ability.

From the moment before he was summoned, right after he finished reciting The Fool's Honorific Name, Abel had felt himself being scryed, and then pulled upward. As his Spirit Body manifested above, his Sixth Sense picked up on another, even more intrusive gaze. Twice, in fact. The second one felt like a deliberate attempt to confirm something.

Then came what even Abel hadn't anticipated. 

When he looked at The Fool, he saw the familiar Gray Fog of the Sefirah Castle. But as he peered deeper, he witnessed a door of light formed from countless layers of spherical radiance. Each sphere encased writhing maggots. Some were transparent, others translucent. All of them were etched with symbols and patterns brimming with unknowable information.

[True Sefirah Castle]

And as right as he took it all in, words seemed to spill unconsciously from his lips, as if his spirituality had grasped something his mind had yet to comprehend.

"…Error."

"Door…"

"…Fool…"

"Uniqueness…"

"Dominator… Spirit World…"

"Mysteries."

"Sefirah Castle…"

Abel felt that he could have extracted more if not for the reaction of the Sefirah Castle, and its corruption. 

Indeed, it had been the Sefirah Castle's reaction—not Mr. Fool's.

While Abel's attention had been drawn by the shock of the Gray Fog burrowing into him, he didn't miss the panicked response of the Chinese Transmigrator—the way his hand had lashed out to stop the fog, the brief slip in his otherwise precise body control.

More importantly, Abel had felt his Sixth Sense react to a gaze. Yet how could that be, when The Fool wasn't looking directly at his Spirit Body within the Gray Fog? 

Through some means only visible to a Seer… he must have scryed my physical body again—perhaps to check for corruption. And maybe even tried to remove it… but failed.

"No, calling him Seer might be wrong…" Abel thought, recalling the two other Pathways he had muttered.

Error—the Marauder pathway.

Door—the Apprentice pathway.

But that wasn't the most important discovery that white-haired noble made.

"Communion…" This perk allowed him to contact and communicate with spiritual or cosmic beings—gods, demons, fae, and the like…

It was the same perk he had used to sense the godlike being—Demigod or Angel—raving within Fors' mind.

And it was this perk that had given him the awareness:

The Fool is indeed a God. 

No, perhaps more accurately, there was a godly being within The Fool. 

One that was now aware of Abel, just as Abel was aware of him.

'Him' might be more fitting than 'him'. This seems to surpass the capabilities of a Demigod, it even seems exaggerated for an Angel. But then again, I don't even know the prowess of Sequence 5 & 6, let alone an Angel.

This was the so-called paradox of The Fool. 

A mortal playing God…yet seemingly unaware of the God within him. 

It reminded Abel of a famous Chinese proverb that fit this situation quite well.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware that the oriole is behind." 

The mantis in this case being The Fool, the cicada being the Tarot Club members, and the oriole being the God within Mr. Fool.

"Mysteries…" The Gray Fog within Abel stirred at the utterance, trying to twist his mind and soul, only for its hold to slip as a result of Comprehension. "As expected."

Abel had made a connection, and already, a hypothesis was forming in his mind.

The Fool—the Transmigrator—was a revival vessel for "Mysteries," the godly being that Communion had sensed.

The first sign had been when the Gray Fog stirred and began to corrupt him. That moment coincided with his when he uttered the word "Mysteries." The corruption had accelerated when he mentioned "Sefirah Castle" itself, implying both names held significant weight. In other words, they existed on the same level.

From this, Abel could reasonably infer that the Sefirah Castle was something—a Sealed Artifact, or a divine mystical item, that belonged to Mysteries. The reason The Fool—the Chinese Transmigrator—could access it and use it to summon Tarot Club members was likely because he was a revival vessel. In computing terms, it was like he had administrator privileges—limited but high-level access.

But from the way The Fool had failed to remove the corruption from Abel, it was clear he didn't have root access. He wasn't the true master—at least, not yet. That, however, could change as he grew stronger.

And therein lies the danger.

In most stories, getting stronger is what protagonists must do. But here, the stronger The Fool became, the closer Mysteries might come to awakening. The vessel growing in power could very well be the enemy's goal.

There were the three Pathways Abel had muttered—Error, Door, and Seer—along with the phrase Spirit World Dominator.

Given that Mysteries was a god, these were likely his domains—Pathways that fell under his authority. The Spirit World as well.

As for what the Spirit World actually was, Abel knew a fair amount, partially thanks to Dominique, who was, in all but name, an Official Beyonder affiliated with the Church of the Earth Mother. He'd also learned bits through his own perk Folkloric Interest.

The Spirit World was a higher dimensional plane that overlapped with reality, a realm where information flowed freely from the past, present, and, occasionally, the future. Because of this overlap, it wasn't uncommon for ordinary people to receive revelations or hallucinations sourced from the Spirit World.

That's why, when he'd told Dominique about the smog-filled East Borough and what he had seen within it, she hadn't doubted him, especially considering how often he was around Beyonders, their own family, and the potions she brewed back during her Apothecary days, which he tested.

The Spirit World was also a place from which Diviners drew their revelations and answers. It was inhabited by Spirit World creatures, mysterious beings often contracted by Beyonders to serve as messengers. Since the Spirit World overlapped with physical space, these creatures could travel anywhere, allowing messages to be sent across vast distances instantly.

Anyway…he digressed.

If Spirit World Dominator was one of Mysteries' titles or authorities, then it likely meant this god could control all Spirit World creatures, teleport anywhere via the Spirit World, intercept revelations, and possess an extreme level of divination when combined with the Seer Pathway.

As for "Uniqueness," Abel didn't yet have enough information. But given the way he had uttered it—right after listing the Pathways—it was likely something essential for a god. A requirement, perhaps. 

Obsession Whispers made itself known, not because his information and deductions were incorrect, but rather, incomplete.

Abel leaned into his Intuition in hopes of seeing where the problem lay, and he found himself going through his deductions and the clues again, until, he zeroed in on three words.

Mysteries.

Sefirah Castle.

Corruption.

Abel habitually ignored the restlessness of the Gray Fog within him at the thought of the first two. As they were unfamiliar with him, he decided to focus on the word that he understood. 

And just like when he was interpreting The Fool's Honorific Name, he let Loremaster remind him instantly of things related to Corruption.

"Forbidden Knowledge."

What does Forbidden Knowledge remind him of?

Loremaster provided him with an answer.

That Which Man Was Not Meant to Know.

Memetic Hazards.

Eldritch—

Abel suddenly felt his spirituality flaring, not in warning of danger, but rather, signaling him that he was close, that the answer was right there.

H.P. Lovecraft.

And then the existences written by the mad author—

Beings that existed beyond comprehension, whose very forms shattered causality, whose names were not names but fractures in the mind.

Entities that could not be categorized as divine or demonic, for they were older than those words, older than the concept of worship or fear.

Entities that inhabited the deep places of the Cosmos—

"Great Old Ones and Outer Gods…" The moment the first title left Abel's lips, his vision shifted.

Before him, the countless planets in the solar system filled his mind.

As the closest to Earth, the Crimson Moon dominated his vision. The light on the surface of the crimson moon stretched out as if it were alive. Abel's eyes widened in shock as he saw the moon overflowing with a blood-red sea, seemingly drowning a satellite-like object.

Soon after, ravings filled Abel's ears—grating, though not mind-breaking:

"Mother Goddess of Depravity;"

"The One and only Crimson Moon;"

"Origin of Evil; The Indestructible—"

"The Symbol of Life and Beauty—"

….

"Great Old Ones and Outer Gods…" The moment the first title left Abel's lips, his vision shifted.

Before him, the countless planets in the solar system filled his mind.

This time, his gaze was drawn toward Saturn. The planet spun slowly, its rings no longer composed of cold, lifeless debris, but of shifting, metallic fragments that shimmered with a faint, temporal glow, golden at one edge, black at another.

There, before the drifting planet, he saw an entity formed by three bodies arranged in a circle.

The one facing left was pitch black, with a sinister, malicious visage seemingly composed of the deepest, most chaotic sins.

The one facing forward was silvery, emaciated, and filled with pain.

The one facing right radiated pure, redemptive holy light, emanating solemnity and compassion toward all things.

The light of the three bodies intertwined into a silvery-black hue.

And then, the ravings returned—this time, different:

"The Eternal Cycle;

The Predestined Destiny;

Embodiment of Cause, Effect, and Process;

Symbol of Past, Present, and Future."

….

Once more, his vision shifted. 

This time, She appeared.

Three bodies stood side by side, each in the form of a woman dressed in simple, elegant white dresses.

The figure on the left had hollow eyes and skillfully wove silvery drops of destiny on an illusory loom into a net, which converged into a stream. These streams flowed toward the middle body, which lacked arms, arriving at the present node of the River of Fate, merging into it, surging toward the void's edge.

The figure on the right was headless and held an illusory silver-black knife, cutting away portions of the River of Fate's tributaries.

Her voice was gentle, soft, and clear.

"How curious, for a mortal's Fate to be untouchable to the Goddess of Fate." 

She stepped forward, making no motion, yet distance closed, as if the concept of space bent for Her.

"Even the River of Fate bends around you…I could not have touched your fate had you not offered it. I did not Weave you here—you placed yourself upon My Loom…Why?" 

A moment passed. The streams of destiny rippled.

"Poor Circle of Inevitability. For all his authority, even He could not tell that you willingly entered his Loop."

The headless figure raised her knife. A single tributary of fate was severed, and a faint tremor rippled through reality.

"I do not ask for submission, young man. Only recognition. Recognition that your path can be more than predetermined, more than bound to the Process and Effect that is the Circle of Inevitability. I offer you a different future."

She extended Her hand, and the rivers calmed.

"Become My Blessed. My Angel. I will ensure your family and loved ones' Fate will not end, I will grant them all Eternal Life."

Her voice became gentler, warm.

"And do not worry. My descent into the world shall cause no harm, and if need be, I can Weave Eternal Life into all the mortals so they can survive our descent." 

She lowered Her hand. Silvery-black threads began to weave gently around him.

"When you're ready, speak my Name and I shall grant you My Boons."

She smiled, though She had no facial features.

"The Weaver of All Fate;

The Symbol of of Ultimate Judgement;

The Eternal Goddess of the Future."

….

Communion is truly a double-edged sword. Abel realised, as his vision returned to reality, his own room.

Everything made sense now.

"A LovecraftIan Horror world hidden beneath steampunk and supernatural." He should have realised it earlier given the existing clues.

Beyonder's losing control.

Evil Hidden Existences and Gods.

Ravings and Unknown whispers.

Abel hadn't put much thought into them before, let alone connect them. But now the veil—ironic considering his perk Unveiled—has been torn off, by said Horrors themselves.

"Mother Goddess of Depravity, Crimson Moon, Goddess of Fate, Circle of Inevitability, and…Mysteries." At the mention of each Outer God, the corruption that had settled thanks to Comprehension, once more became active. 

It clashed and collided within him, each one trying to twist him toward its own will.

The will of the Outer Gods.

Abel sneered, recalling the Goddess of Fate's words. "Blessed? Angel? Not asking for my submission? Yet you still try to corrupt me?"

The only reason She and the Circle of Inevitability were able to influence him at all was because he had willingly lowered the defense granted by Outer Reaches—his perk that granted immunity to reality-warping and fate manipulation.

And both Circle of Inevitability's Looping power and the Goddess of Fate's Weaving fell squarely within that category.

He had let them take hold—intentionally—because he had a premonition:

The Mother Goddess of Depravity was more dangerous than either of them.

The fact that she resided on the Moon—the closest celestial body to Earth—proved that. Her position was clearly uncontested.

So he had allowed himself to be pulled away, severed from the encounter, before he could hear her Honorific Names.

"Because of course… she has two." That fact alone only further solidified his resolve.

That said, these back-to-back encounters with Outer Gods was not without its benefits. 

The Book of Shadows pages turned, and Abel's eyes landed on the new section in his General Information.

_____________________________________________

Name: Abel De Sade

Affiliation: House De Sade | Jump-chan | Tarot Club (New)

Alias: 

Race: Human

Sequence: 9 - Monster

Pathway: Wheel of Fortune

Acquired Power: Generic Summoner Jump, Urban Occultism Jump

GS Perks: Summoning Basics | Combat Skills | Calm & Collected | Academic | Presentation | Grounded | Observant | Good Rapport | Charming | Insight | Perspective | Comprehension | Lore-master | Intuition | Protected Soul | Communion | Polyglot | Summoner Archetype: Contracting | Spell-caster: Diabolism | Deny the Devil | Independence | Persistence | Swarm Summoner | Loyalty | Outer Reaches | Summon Magnet | Anchored Reality

UO Perks: Unveiled | Friend of the Strange | Beneath the Radar | Hang On | Sixth Sense | Making Connections | Folkloric Interest | Natural Magic | Aura Signature | Chosen One | Strange Minded | Rite Bound | Obsession Whispers (New)

Items: Book of Shadows | Contract Kit | Vault (Incomplete), Containment Room | Is This Your Card (New)

Extra-planar Connection: Dream Plane

Special Traits: Mystery Touched | Depravity Touched | Aeon Touched | Fate Touched

_____________________________________________

"How uncreative." Abel's lips twitched at the simple way the corruption within him had been classified. The only unique one among them was the Circle of Inevitability.

"Aeon… not that surprising given the Pathway he controls is called Eternal Aeon." 

The few seconds he had glanced at the True Form of Circle of Inevitability had filled his mind with myriad concepts and information.

Eternal Aeon.

Dancer.

Alms Monk.

Contractee.

Circle Inhabitant.

Mythical Creature Form.

Angel of Redemption.

He understood the general gist of the Inevitability pathway, even if he didn't get information on all of its sequences—only five.

"The past Sinner, the present Sufferer, and the future Angel of Redemption."

Thinking about it deeply, the Circle of Inevitability was not truly an Evil God.

Not in the same sense as the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who didn't even attempt to hide behind vague Names.

Origin of Evil and Depravity.

Circle of Inevitability, on the other hand, represented the inevitable process of sin, suffering, and eventual redemption. 

As the Outer God of the Eternal Aeon pathway, above even True Gods—if fiction had any merit, Outer Gods were meant to be stronger than worldly gods—he was naturally the ultimate redeemer, the greatest salvation a life form could have.

"Yet, it doesn't change the fact that He, along with other Outer Gods are targeting Earth for some reason." And judging by the words of the Goddess of Fate, Their descent would be anything but peaceful.

Abel, of course, didn't believe Her promises—about causing no harm or Weaving Eternal Life for every mortal and Beyonder who hadn't reached Demigod.

Why would She go to such lengths for the sake of mortals—special as he was, still a mere mortal?

"Could it be because of what She saw… or rather, what She couldn't see?" Abel mused. "If the Angel of Life School of Thought saw the futility of overcoming my Fate, did She see something similar? Is that why She's trying to win me over, thinking I'm only vaguely aware of my own abilities?"

Could She actually feel threatened by him?

But why?

For what reason were the Outer Gods targeting Earth?

Mysteries' goal was rather obvious: He wanted to revive. He was using The Fool—the Transmigrator—to make use of the Sefirah Castle, allowing him to climb the steps of Godhood. Once Mr. Fool reached the top, Mysteries would take control of the body and once more reign as the Outer God of the Fool, Door, and Error pathways…

Abel's thoughts trailed, his eyes widening as he realised something.

Mysteries controlled Door, Fool, Error. 

The Mother Goddess of Depravity, based on her Honorific Names, had ties to the Moon Pathway—also known as Apothecary—and the Mother Pathway, also known as Planter or Earth.

The Goddess of Fate controlled the Eternal Edict Pathway.

And the Circle of Inevitability presided over the Eternal Aeon pathway…

There was a problem here—

"How can the Mother Goddess of Depravity control the Mother Pathway… when Earth Mother is supposed to be the True God of that Pathway?"

Having watched an anime like Campione!, where usurping God's authorities was the bread and butter of the series, it wasn't hard to imagine a scenario.

The Pathway may have originally belonged to the Mother Goddess of Depravity, but something must have happened that allowed Earth Mother to ascend and become a True God of that same Pathway. 

In other words, control was now split.

Instead of one being holding full dominion over the Pathway, it was now divided—between a True God and an Outer God.

As for the Moon Pathway, it didn't appear to have a current True God, meaning the Mother Goddess' influence there would be stronger—uncontested, even. However, Abel couldn't be certain, especially considering that the Evernight Goddess bore the Honorific Name "Lady of Crimson."

From all this, Abel could piece together the likely reason the Outer Gods wanted to descend upon Earth.

"They want to reclaim Their Authorities, recover Their Characteristics from the Seven Gods…or seize vacant divine positions like Wheel of Fortune."

But rather than finding relief in this insight, Abel was filled with unease.

Because both his sisters, Dominique and Veronica, walked the Moon pathway that was controlled by the Mother Goddess.

That puts them in serious danger.

If Mysteries drew closer to revival the stronger The Fool became, then the same principle could apply to Dominique and Veronica:

The more they advanced on the Moon Pathway, the greater the risk of hearing Her whispers… and falling into corruption.

Dominique had even told him that when she advanced to Sequence 7: Vampire, the Church of Earth Mother had issued a warning. 

They disclosed that a hidden, evil god seduced Beyonders of the Moon Pathway. That this usually began at Sequence 7.

The Primordial Moon.

According to Church records, people who prayed to Her descended into madness—becoming cruel, consumed with nothing but the desire to reproduce. There had even been a case of a Sanguine—a natural-born vampire, not the Beyonder kind—who prayed to the Primordial Moon and turned into a writhing hunk of flesh, a creature driven solely by the instinct to mate and reproduce.

She, together with bulls, rams, stallions, mice—even plants and rocks—gave birth to one grotesque, monstrous offspring after another.

The thought alone made Abel shudder in revulsion, a wave of nausea welling in his chest.

And now that he had glimpsed the sea of blood on the Moon. Now that he had heard part of Her Honorific Name —"The One and Only Crimson Moon"—and seen how close She was to Earth in position and influence…

He was sure. 

The Primordial Moon and the Mother Goddess of Depravity were the same being.

And Dominique and Veronica were both walking a Pathway directly under Her influence.

The threat level of this world, in Abel's mind, skyrocketed. Nothing was safe. Not even the path to power, it was riddled with madness and traps at every step.

An idea he had been toying with before now crystallized into firm resolve. It needed to be acted on soon. 

Dominique and Veronica must become The Summoner's worshippers quickly.

Only by borrowing his perks could they be safe!

….

At that moment, unknown to Abel, when his need—no, his will—to protect his sisters was at its strongest…

The mercury-colored River of Fate trembled. 

Its normally slow, steady currents surged. Distributaries that should have remained dormant for years to come began shifting, twisting and weaving anew. 

Fates that were meant to unfold slowly were being accelerated.

Events that were never meant to happen were now being forced into existence.

Events that shouldn't happen until much later… were about to begin.

Only a few noticed the change clearly.

A certain Outer Goddess was flabbergasted at the sudden shift. The mortal whose Fate She couldn't manipulate suddenly appeared in her mind…

He couldn't have, could he…? 

Unsure, and unable to read his Fate, She could only guess.

Even She, with all her power and will, could not ensure the River of Fate always flowed according to Her control.

How could a mere mortal…? A strange fascination bloomed in the Outer Deity's nonexistent heart, an urge similar yet distinct from Convergence started to grow within Her.

At the same time as the Outer Goddess, only delayed by seconds, two Mercury Snakes felt and noticed the changes in River of Fate.

One paused his painting, and the other suddenly wanted to be born quickly.

Then, somewhere far away, within a humble chapel no different from any other—

A priest in a simple white cloak looked up from his prayer.

His golden hair and beard glowed faintly under the candlelight, and a silver cross rested against His chest.

Just like any ordinary priest.

But when He opened His eyes—eyes that were far too pure for any human—His blank expression wavered for the first time in centuries.

"…The trend of times…the fate of the era…shifted?"

[A Certain Imaginary Priest]

And elsewhere—

In a certain Castle filled with Gray Fog, buried within a Door of Light far beyond mortal reach…

Cocoons with humanoid figures suspended in stasis began to crack open.

[Cocoons]

Silence gave way to the sound of splintering shells.

+++++

A/N: What the hell did I just write? How did this go from me analysing how much of a paper tiger The Fool was, to suddenly meeting Outer Gods?

Trust me, I'm as baffled as all of you. I just wrote and it happened. Am I subconsciously a masochist? What other reason do I have to make this harder for myself by including characters from the second book?

For real though, I actually like how this chapter turned out, I really surprised myself.

Praise The Fool!