Weak light shone through the narrow window from high above, making the interior of Morse Cathedral a little more visible.
Klein put his top hat on his knee while he leaned his leg against his cane and sat quietly on the first row of the left pew, looking at the altar before him.
There weren't any statues of the Goddess except for a massive Dark Sacred Emblem. Its base was black, with a crimson half-moon that was surrounded by radiant points of light.
On the wall behind the Sacred Emblem, there were a few openings that allowed sunlight to shine in from the outside, focused into tiny specks of pure light, which combined with the dark surroundings formed a scene that resembled that of a lofty starry night sky.
None of the traditional Gods ever left behind an actual image. Only their symbols are worshiped and glorified by people.
Klein took out his silver vine-leaf pocket watch, flipped it open, and took a glance.
Twenty minutes have passed... He muttered to himself and set his silk top hat and silver-edged black cane by the side, got up, and walked towards a hidden corner near the altar.
At first, he faced the side of the altar, but once he saw the large Dark Sacred Emblem and the holy scenery, he felt uncomfortable. Hence, he turned his back to the altar.
Then, Klein took out the Sealed Artifact 3-0782 from the inner pocket of his black tuxedo and bent down to place the golden unadorned badge on the ground.
He looked at the Sun symbol that was filled with abstract meanings, took out a small candle mixed with sandalwood, and put it right at the bottom of Sealed Artifact 3-0782.
This was the dualistic ritual that he learned from the Eternal Blazing Sun. He used an item that was closely related to the deity to represent "Him" while he used the candle to represent himself.
Klein then took out the items required for the ritual, one after another, including a carving knife, two thin gold slices, Sun essential oil extracted from the combination of black-rimmed sunflower, golden-rimmed sunflower, and white-rimmed sunflower, Golden Hand fingered citron powder, and also rosemary powder.
After that, Klein adeptly used the silver ritual dagger to guide the flow of spirituality around the simple altar and create a shapeless sealed wall.
He squatted down, placed the silver dagger down, and lit up the candle that represented himself by rubbing his spirituality.
Under the flickering dim light, Klein picked up the Sun essential oil and dripped a drop onto the flame.
With a puff, an illusory fog spread out with the slight scent of sunlight.
After burning the fingered citron and rosemary powder, Klein held the carving knife and golden slices. He stood up, took a step back, and then recited in Hermes, "The blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
You are the Inextinguishable Light, the Embodiment of Order, the God of Deeds, the Guardian of Businesses."
Inextinguishable Light, Embodiment of Order, God of Deeds, and Guardian of Businesses were all parts of Eternal Blazing Sun's honorable titles. If there wasn't the prefix of the blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the ritual would require the god's response to proceed.
The ritual had to be conducted via Ancient Hermes, a ritualistic language that stemmed from nature. Only a language without any protection but with outstanding effects could allow an incantation to sidestep around the Eternal Blazing Sun and point towards the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem.
At the same time, as he was stealing the power from a deity, Klein had no way to divine if it would be successful ahead of time. He felt that it would result in him directly dealing with the deity again. So, he could only recite the rest of the incantation with a strained heart, "I pray to you,
I pray for you to give me strength.
Give me strength to complete the Flaring Sun Charm.
The blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun, please transfer your strength into my charm...
Oh fingered citron, a herb that belongs to the Sun, please bestow your powers to my charm..."
As the incantation neared completion, Klein suddenly felt something light up before him.
The simple gold badge radiated with an intense light.
Klein found himself enveloped in extreme heat. In that instance, he felt that he needed to do something to let the burning energies out. Otherwise, he would turn into a human candle.
It required almost zero thought as Klein lifted both his hands and relied on the combination of his spirituality and the strong winds, as well as his instincts and ritualistic guidance, to begin etching symbols, corresponding Path Numbers, magical characteristics, and ancient incantations onto both sides of the gold slices with his carving knife.
Outside the church, Leonard was standing in the shadows to hide from coming into contact with direct sunlight.
Suddenly, the sunlight intensified, like the hottest days of a year in early July.
The blazing sunlight remained intense for a few minutes before it returned to normal.
In the cathedral, Klein's carving knife finished the final stroke, and as he finished the magical characteristic that represented light, the spirituality on both sides of the gold slices suddenly melded together as the light converged onto the metal.
Klein, finally relieved from the boiling and burning sensations, examined the two Flaring Sun Charms in his hands with a clear mind.
The golden luster on the surface of the charms had turned dim, and the pattern looked ancient yet complex.
"Not bad. I finally have a more impressive trump card." Klein sighed.
He set the activation incantation for the Flaring Sun Charms as the word "light" in Ancient Hermes.
Then, he put the Flaring Sun Charms into another pocket and didn't put them with the Slumber, Requiem, and Dream Charms because the Flaring Sun Charms would decrease their efficacy period.
"Yes, the power of the Flaring Sun Charms can be maintained for at least a year, or even longer." Klein reined his thoughts back and looked at the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem on the ground that didn't look any different on the surface, still giving off feelings of warmth and purity.
Klein finally relaxed and quickly completed the ritual and removed the spiritual wall. At that point, he thought to examine himself and realized that his clothes were almost drenched, and he was covered in sweat.
Klein put away his things and returned to his original seat. He was so exhausted that he slept the moment he sat down until he was woken up by footsteps.
"You don't look alright." Leonard asked as he entered the cathedral.
Klein stood up. "I'm nearing my limit."
He took out his silver pocket watch and took a glance. "Just in time. It's your turn to look after Sealed Artifact 3-0782."
Before he finished speaking, Klein took off the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem and passed it to Leonard.
...
After the shifts ended, the three Nighthawks began their journey back.
Before that, they told Priest Siur to take note of the town's situation. If there were any paranormal incidents, he was to immediately send a telegram to Saint Selena Cathedral.
At twenty minutes past seven that night, they finally arrived at Zouteland Street and returned Sealed Artifact 3-0782.
Klein left the Blackthorn Security Company and arrived home before eight.
...
The next day, Klein entered the Blackthorn Security Company in a good mood.
"Good morning." Rozanne looked to the left and then the right. "Old Neil is sick; let's go and visit him at noon. What say you?"
"Old Neil is sick?" Klein asked.
Rozanne nodded. "Yeah, he sent someone to the Captain to request some time off."
Klein said, "Let's visit him at noon. Sigh, Old Neil sure is pitiful. His wife passed away early, and his son is busy in some other city. When he's sick, all he can do is stay at home in loneliness and helplessness."
That was the first thing he recalled from his first visit to Old Neil's house.
Listening to Klein's sigh, Rozanne asked, "When did Old Neil get married?"