NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: Interlude 2: Fors Wall
After Mr. A's Beyonder Gathering…An hour after departing the De Sade siblings carriage.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
After she finished chanting Mr. Fool's honorific name, Fors explained the situation, how His name had been exposed, and how Mr. A had even placed a bounty on believers of The Fool.
After a few minutes, a deep yet gentle voice—one that exuded calmness—sounded in her ears.
"Dont worry about it."
Don't worry about it…Fors echoed His response, before nodding. It was only natural for Mr. Fool to not place mortals like those of the Aurora Order in His eyes.
Would a person pay attention to ants scurrying under foot when they walk across the plaza?
That was the difference between a mortal and a God.
Fors exhaled at the reassurance. With Mr. Fool watching over me, there's nothing to be afraid of. More importantly, this must be a confrontation between Mr. Fool and the True Creator, a conflict between gods!
The Apprentice then recalled the other existence mentioned during the gathering. Reciting His name again, she asked curiously, "Honourable Mr. Fool, what kind of being is The Summoner?"
There was a brief pause.
Then the vision before her shifted. A figure sat on a majestic high-backed chair, surrounded by endless, roiling grey fog.
"The Summoner…"
A deep, nostalgic and weighty sigh sounded, catching Fors off guard.
From Mr. Fool's tone, she could sense He was reminiscing. It was as though He hadn't heard that name in a very, very long time.
But, before she could analyse further, His voice returned. This time quieter, yet filled with unshakeable certainty as He said.
"It's only a matter of time now, before everyone remembers The Summoner again."
Remembers? Fors instantly latched onto the word. So The Summoner was once known in the past? Perhaps he's from the Fourth Epoch, where it was said that Gods walked the mortal world…Is He, umm, or She like Mr. Fool, only now awakening?
The writer's thoughts whirled, curiosity surging. She imagined tales of ancient conflicts, of truths buried beneath the weight of time.
Perhaps The Summoner and The Fool once stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a battle that shook the pillars of reality, two gods resisting a tide of madness or fate…
Or maybe, The Summoner had sealed themselves away? Or was he sealed by others, gods jealous and fearing Their dominion over True Names and the creatures of all realms?
And what if The Fool… had been the one to remember him all this time, waiting in silence while the world forgot?
Fors felt her fingers twitch, feeling the urge to write down all the ideas in mind, it was only for a moment though. She quickly remembered that it was blasphemous, and that Mr. Fool may still be watching her.
Her gaze then drifted to a green notebook that could easily fit her hand, and the bronze words inscribed in ancient Feysac.
I Came, I Saw, I recorded.
I'll ask Mr. Fool's opinion on the matter about Lawrence Abraham. Fors thought, once more praying to The Fool and recounting her experience earlier in the day, after leaving Viscount Glaint's manor.
She had gone out to pay respects to Miss Aulisa at the Grimm Cemetery after learning about the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation and Indestructibility.
It was said that Beyonder Characteristics can never be destroyed. Indestructible, immutable, unable to be erased even by time or death.
Even when a Beyonder fully digests their potion, that "characteristic" remains within them. And upon their death, it would return to the world, to be reabsorbed, inherited… claimed.
That was the truth behind the Law of Indestructibility.
And alongside it was the Law of Similar Sequence Conservation, that said the number of Beyonder Characteristics in the world remains fixed. That all power was a cycle of inheritance, of accumulation, of return. When a Sequence 7 dies, another Sequence 7 is born.
When Fors learnt this, she realised that it was Miss Aulisa's Beyonder Characteristic which allowed her to become an Apprentice. She had inherited her mother-like figure's powers.
And with that realisation came a simple truth.
Miss Aulisa was still with me.
It might not be in body, nor in spirit, but it was in the Characteristic, the legacy she left her.
That was why Fors had gone to the cemetery. Not merely to mourn, but to thank her.
And it was during this visit, that she once again met Lawrence Abraham, a member of the Abraham Beyonder Family, which controlled the Apprentice pathway.
Lawrence was Miss Aulisa's brother-in-law, and it was he who had entrusted her with the ancient green book that was, more than likely, a mystical item.
Along with his Beyonder Characteristic.
And his will.
He had passed away a few hours after their meeting today.
Fors rubbed her temples, So much time I could have spent lazing around was wasted today…she complained inwardly, bowing her head slightly as she asked Mr. Fool for guidance on her next steps.
A soft chuckle sounded in her ears as Mr. Fool simply said:
"Follow the true desires in your heart."
Follow the true desires in my heart…The Apprentice mulled over His words, finding only one desire rooted there.
With a grateful expression, she bowed reverently, "I understand. Thank you, Mr. Fool."
She would send the items to Lawrence's relative, Dorian Gray—Abraham—at Pritz Harbour tomorrow.
With all important matters now addressed, Fors requested that Mr. Fool preside over a sacrificial and bestowal ritual so she could receive the Sheriff Beyonder Characteristic from The World, in exchange for the 600 pounds Xio had given her from Abel's 2,500-pound commission.
Moments later, an illusory, fog-wreathed door appeared in the air before her, absorbing the 600 pounds. Then, it dropped a fist-shaped object that shimmered with hues of iron black, dark red, and silver.
After thanking Mr. Fool once more, Fors rose from her kneeling position and stared at the Beyonder Characteristic with a flicker of envy.
"While I'm still an Apprentice, Xio has already gathered the supplementary ingredients for the Sheriff potion… I wonder how long it'll take me to become a Trickmaster?" she sighed dejectedly, before a thought popped into her head.
Xio had been subconsciously acting as an Arbiter in East Borough, so her potion had been passively digesting. But now that she was about to become a Sheriff, the same principles of the Arbiter Sequence wouldn't apply.
"Should I ask Mr. Fool if I can teach her the Acting Method? Or should I suggest that she join the police force?" Fors hesitated she'd already bothered Mr. Fool quite a bit today.
As for the second option, with Xio's short stature and baby face, getting into the police force might be difficult.
"Unless she uses her usual physical methods of persuasion." She chuckled to herself before suddenly recalling the De Sade siblings.
"They're aware of Beyonder Characteristics and likely the Law of Indestructibility and Conservation…So the Acting Method shouldn't be unknown to them" With a hand on her chin, a mischievous smile crossed Fors' lips as she thought back to the occurrence in the carriage.
Abel seemed fond of Xio, interested even. The soon to be Sheriff too wasn't put off by the kiss he placed on her hand before they left.
So, exceptions could be made, it's only natural to help your possible mistress, no?
Still, Fors came to a sudden realisation.
"Intisians are dangerous."
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A/N: Another Interlude, and another short chapter. Sorry for that, just been extra busy with work these last two weeks, doing night shifts for 12 hours, and after getting home I would drop to sleep straight away.
Anyways, next chapter we will see another Interlude, but this time, it will be of the man and legend himself…The God of Poverty—Mr. Foooooool!
[The Fool]