Fren thought he should feel lucky.
After all, he had surpassed most people and become a Beyonder—someone with supernatural power, walking a path few ever tread.
But Fren considered himself unfortunate.
He had stepped onto the Apprentice pathway—one of the infamous Cowardly Trio, along with the Seer and Error pathways. Not because the pathway itself was weak—quite the opposite—but because its most notable representatives were often either miserable or outright cursed.
The Seer pathway had Klein Moretti, Zaratul, Antigonus, and even Demonic Wolf Flegrea—legends who were gods or madmen or both.
The Error pathway had names like Amon and Pallez Zoroast—monsters who walked chaos and deceit.
But the Apprentice pathway?
Only one name stood tall: Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham—the ancestor of the Abraham family, once a King of Angels, now a cosmic nightmare. A man so powerful, his existence was a beacon of pride and a curse of endless madness for his bloodline.
And that was Fren's real misfortune—his full name was Fren Abraham.
That meant the best-case scenario for him was quietly becoming a Astrologer (Sequence 7), dying of old age, or going mad from the whispering rift in the stars—Bethel's never-ending "Full Moon" call. Perhaps he'd fall to an evil god, or end up enslaved by a righteous one. None of the paths ahead looked clean.
But that morning, something strange happened.
Fren opened the Trier Daily and read:
"Congratulations to His Excellency Roselle Gustav, Great Consul of the Republic of Intis, on the Eleventh Anniversary of His Reign."
The date? July 5, 1183.
And that changed everything.
As a loyal reader of Lord of the Mysteries, Fren knew what this meant. The timeline matched. This was the exact year that Bethel Abraham's Full Moon Call would begin—an event known only to the Abraham bloodline, an invisible curse spanning the Beyonder world.
On November 18, 1183, Roselle would answer Bethel's call, initiating a dialogue with the ancient Door that would continue sporadically until Roselle's death in 1198.
While Roselle's death would eventually silence the call, those fifteen years would be a living hell for every Abraham.
Fren remembered that somewhere during this period, the mysterious tome Mystical Knowledge was written—likely by a Scribe or Traveler who managed to resist Bethel's whispers just long enough to pass something down. The author had talent but never became a demigod. The curse claimed them too soon.
Fren also remembered Fors Wall's crisis.
When Fors reached Secrets Sorcerer (Sequence 4), the threshold of demigodhood, Mr. Door's voice nearly drove her insane.
She only survived thanks to Klein Moretti's intervention—and sheer luck.
And Fors wasn't even a true Abraham.
For a blood descendant like Fren, rising to Secrets Sorcerer would be a climb over corpses—with Bethel's voice echoing louder at each step.
That's why Fren knew he had only one real choice:
Advance fast. Reach demigod, saint, and maybe even angel before the whispers consumed him.
He had fifteen years. No rest. No hesitation. No time to waste.
The "acting method" would help—mimicking the traits and behaviors of each Sequence to speed digestion of the potion—but even that required immense willpower, wisdom, and knowledge.
If Fren did nothing, he might live quietly as an Astrologer.
But old age would eventually claim his strength. His mental defenses would erode.
And Bethel would still be calling.
Death would come without dignity—perhaps even without a body.
So, he had no choice but to become a Secrets Sorcerer, then a Wanderer, and if he dared, a Planeswalker or even the Key of Stars—all before Bethel's voice tore him apart.
Thankfully, as a member of the Abraham family, Fren had the resources to support his climb to Secrets Sorcerer. Beyond that, the cost—and risk—grew steeper.
He even wondered if he might one day take Zaratul's discarded potion—the Servant of Mysteries—to alter his fate. But that path, too, was fraught with madness.
For now, he focused on what he had.
Fren Abraham was young, unmarried, and alone. His parents were dead, and he had no siblings. The classic start of a Beyonder protagonist.
He owned 2% of the Trier Merchant Bank, bringing in £3,000 annually. His home at 34 Cothorne Street in Kinghamston sat among Trier's elite. His savings reached £20,000, with an annual interest of £800. His liquid capital? £1,342.
Rich enough to provoke envy. Poor enough to be alone.
But money was only a tool. His real need was knowledge.
The Apprentice pathway demanded mastery of mysticism. Mages, witches, and warlocks—those who walked this path—were expected to hold secrets deeper than the sea.
Thankfully, Fren's father had left behind a solid foundation: grimoires, mystic scrolls, and forbidden tomes.
And Trier's National Library—famous across the Northern Continent—was open to him.
Fren needed practical knowledge for the Sequences ahead.
The Apprentice Pathway:
Sequence 9 – Apprentice
Sequence 8 – Trickmaster
Sequence 7 – Astrologer
Sequence 6 – Scribe
Sequence 5 – Traveler
Sequence 4 – Secrets Sorcerer (Demigod)
Sequence 3 – Wanderer (Saint)
Sequence 2 – Planeswalker (Angel)
Sequence 1 – Key of Stars (King of Angels)
Sequence 0 – Door (True God)
The mortal phase extended from Sequence 9 to 5. The demigod threshold started at 4. Saints emerged at Sequence 3. Angels at 2 and 1. And God at 0.
Fors Wall's successful progression—thanks to acting methods and friends—showed it could be done.
Fren knew he'd need proficiency in arcane knowledge, astrology, geography, and the planes.
But more than anything, the Apprentice pathway was built around leadership, keys, travel, and knowledge.
And at the top stood Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham.
His divine title?
"The Great Gate of All Doors, the Guide of the Endless Starry Sky, the Key to All Mysterious Worlds."
His title alone revealed the pathway's authority.
Fren whispered it to himself as a curse—and a vow.
This is what it means to be an Abraham. This is what it means to be an Apprentice.
In the mystical world, only one thing is absolute:
Knowledge is power.