Three days had passed since the ritual, and the changes in all three participants had become impossible to ignore. Welch's transformation into a Seer was the most dramatic—he would often stop mid-conversation, his eyes unfocusing as he witnessed visions of possible futures. Some were mundane: a neighbor's cat getting stuck in a tree, rain arriving an hour earlier than expected. Others were more disturbing: glimpses of shadowy figures moving through Tingen's streets, strange symbols appearing on building walls, and always, always, the sense of something vast and malevolent stirring in the depths beneath the city.
Klein had spent those three days studying the Antigonus notebook with an intensity that surprised even him. The more he read, the more he understood about the hidden world they had stumbled into. Beyonders weren't just individuals with supernatural powers—they were part of a complex ecosystem of secret organizations, ancient conspiracies, and cosmic entities that had been shaping human history from the shadows for millennia.
The notebook revealed that Tingen itself was a nexus of supernatural activity, built on the ruins of an ancient city that had been destroyed in what the text cryptically referred to as "the Cataclysm of the Fourth Epoch." Beneath the modern streets lay layers of history that most people would never suspect, and in the deepest layers, things that were better left undisturbed.
"Klein," Welch said suddenly, interrupting his reading. "I'm seeing something. A vision of... tonight. There's going to be trouble."
Klein looked up from the notebook. Welch's Seer abilities had been growing stronger each day, but his visions were often fragmented and difficult to interpret. "What kind of trouble?"
"I see you," Welch continued, his voice taking on the distant quality it acquired during his visions. "You're in a place I don't recognize—somewhere underground. There are people in robes, and they're performing some kind of ceremony. But something goes wrong. There's screaming, and then... darkness."
The vision seemed to exhaust Welch, and he slumped back in his chair. Klein felt a chill run down his spine. If Welch's visions were accurate—and they had been so far—then Klein was about to encounter other Beyonders, and the meeting wouldn't be pleasant.
"Did you see anything else?" Klein asked. "Any details that might help me avoid this fate?"
Welch shook his head. "The future isn't fixed, Klein. That's what I'm learning from these visions. They show possibilities, not certainties. But this one felt... strong. Like it's very likely to happen unless something significant changes."
Naya, who had been quietly observing their conversation, suddenly spoke up. "There's something else we need to discuss. I've been... sensing things. Emotions, thoughts that aren't my own. Yesterday, I could tell that Mrs. Henderson from downstairs was planning to evict her tenant before she even announced it. And this morning, I knew the baker was cheating on his wife just by looking at him."
Klein nodded. Naya's development as a Spectator was proceeding exactly as the notebook had predicted. Each of them was manifesting abilities related to different aspects of the supernatural world, but Klein's own changes remained the most mysterious.
Unlike Welch and Naya, Klein hadn't gained any obvious supernatural abilities. Instead, he felt a growing connection to something vast and distant—the entity he had contacted during the ritual. Sometimes, in moments of deep concentration, he could sense its presence, like a sleeping giant in the depths of his consciousness.
The notebook had revealed that this entity was known as "The Fool," one of the twenty-two "Outer Deities" that existed beyond the normal structure of reality. But unlike most Outer Deities, which were described as malevolent and insane, The Fool seemed to be different—more complex, more... human, somehow.
"I think," Klein said slowly, "that we need to be prepared for the possibility that we're not the only ones in Tingen who know about the supernatural world. If Welch's vision is accurate, there are other Beyonders here, and they might not be friendly."
As if summoned by his words, there was a knock at the door. All three of them froze. It was nearly midnight—far too late for a social call, and too early for any legitimate emergency services.
Welch's eyes went wide. "This is it," he whispered. "This is how the vision begins."
Klein felt the notebook grow warm in his hands, and suddenly he could sense presences outside the door—multiple individuals with the distinctive aura that he was learning to associate with Beyonders. But there was something else, something that made his skin crawl with instinctive fear.
"They're not here for a friendly chat," Klein said quietly. "Naya, is there another way out of this building?"
But before she could answer, the knocking stopped, and they heard the sound of the front door being forced open. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway below, accompanied by voices speaking in a language that sounded ancient and wrong.
Klein realized that Welch's vision was coming true, and whatever was about to happen would determine whether they survived their first encounter with the darker side of the Beyonder world. The notebook pulsed with energy in his hands, and for the first time since the ritual, he felt The Fool's presence stir in the depths of his mind.
The real test was about to begin.