Under the crimson sun, inside a bar in Blackhead, a figure with long black hair falling loosely over his face crouched on the toilet, as though trapped in extreme terror.
With both hands pressed against his temples, the figure slowly began to calm down as he processed his thoughts.
"What did Mr. Hayes mean by side effects? Could he be a sorcerer? And what does he mean by laws?"
Lumian straightened his back and leaned against the toilet, staring at the ceiling as his racing heartbeat gradually slowed.
" 'Laws'… what exactly does that mean? Performing the role of my order?" His brows furrowed. "If that's the case, then what are diviners even supposed to do?"
From what he knew, diviners were closer to oracles—interpreting signs and delivering messages to others.
"Does that mean before I can gain a law for advancing, I must first truly perform that role?"
At that moment, a knock sounded on the toilet door.
Startled, Lumian quickly stood up and unlocked it.
Outside stood a tall, muscular man. Lumian immediately put on a friendly smile.
"What took you so long?" the man said. "I've been waiting here for almost an hour."
Lumian stepped aside. "Hehe, sorry sir… there were, uh, some disturbances."
The man chuckled and pinched his nose as he entered. "No problem. I've been holding it in for a long time."
He closed the door behind him.
Lumian let out an awkward chuckle, briefly pondering the absurdity of the situation, before leaving the restroom and returning to the bar.
Spotting him, the bartender called out, "Boy, your drink's ready. Where are you going?"
Lumian turned back with a self-deprecating smile. "Ah, sir, my stomach feels a bit full. Maybe tomorrow I'll come back and make a better purchase."
The bartender didn't seem too concerned. He simply wiped a glass and replied, "Alright."
And just like that, Lumian stepped out of the bar and into the street.
He hailed a taxi and quickly got in—completely ignoring his earlier statement.
...
Soon, Lumian reached the Moonlight Watchers' facility and stepped out of the taxi. Thankfully, he had the courage to argue with the driver and managed to get his full change back.
With a smile, he entered the building—only to suddenly stop.
Ahead, Hargreaves was talking to a rather beautiful, mature woman with brown hair.
Noticing Lumian, Hargreaves smiled and waved. "Good morning, Lumian. How does it feel to be a sorcerer?"
Lumian tried to hide the shock on his face, scratching his head awkwardly. "Captain, it's… going well. I wanted to ask you something, but it can wait, hehe."
He chuckled stiffly and moved toward the door beside him.
Hargreaves remained unfazed. "You can still ask me. I won't be busy until eleven."
Lumian chuckled again, placing his hand on the knob. "Captain, I'd rather wait."
He opened the door and stepped inside.
Inside were two familiar figures— of Vincent and Alice. The room was filled with books on the left and right. Alice, with her silver hair, was reading at the front, while Vincent browsed the shelves nearby.
Noticing Lumian, Alice looked up and waved. "Good morning, Lumian. It's been a long time. I heard you recently became a sorcerer?"
Lumian walked forward and chuckled. "Yes, Alice, I did." His expression then turned serious. "But right now, that's not important. Something far more serious is happening."
Vincent picked up a book and raised a brow. "What could be so serious this early in the morning?"
Lumian clenched his fist like a determined superhero. "Captain is getting hit on."
Alice gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh no… not my brother."
Vincent's expression turned grave as he dropped the book onto the table. "What should we do? This is completely unacceptable."
Lumian gave a sly smile. "We proceed with Formation B."
...
At that very moment, Lumian and Alice came running toward Hargreaves like two sad little babies, both clinging tightly to him. They began saying the dumbest things simultaneously while Hargreaves could only let out a long sigh.
The woman beside them chuckled softly. "It looks like someone's missing their father?"
Still being pulled from both sides,
Hargreaves sighed again. "Can you two please stop behaving so childishly?"
At that moment, Vincent appeared, looking unusually charming with his black hair and green eyes. He crossed his arms and spoke calmly, "You two, stop disturbing him. He and I have a tea date by two. You vile homewreckers."
Lumian, still clinging tightly, let out a sigh inwardly. This level of acting… with acting this good, I'm not even sure you're not gay.
...
Hargreaves chuckled and pushed both Lumian and Alice away.
"Hehe, don't mind them. They're just messing around."
The woman giggled. "I see."
Turning her gaze to Lumian, she continued, "And you—you just became a sorcerer, right? From which order, if I may ask?"
"From the Diviner order, ma'am," Lumian replied.
The woman raised her brows slightly. "The Diviner order? That's quite a coincidence. I'm also from the Diviner order. Tell me—when you plan to advance, do you intend to continue along the respective phase order, or do you plan to change orders?"
Lumian placed a hand on his philtrum and thought for a moment.
"Hmm… I don't really know, ma'am. I think I'll follow the respective phase order, since that's what most people choose."
The woman nodded in acceptance.
"Yes, I did the same. I followed the respective phase— which phase 8 was Magician. But even so, many people still fail and turn into curses, despite knowing the correct phase."
She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"The sorcery world is truly dangerous and confusing."
Hargreaves gave a small cough.
"Everyone, this is Mrs. Hathway—a phase 6 from the Celestial Brigade of Montmartre Heights. She came to Betyl to inspect a few matters before other officials arrive."
Alice stepped forward and extended her hand enthusiastically.
"Wow, you're phase 6 and still good-looking."
Hathway chuckled. "Thank you, I'm flattered."
...
Alice chuckled as she removed her hand.
"Of course you must be flattered. You look simply divine."
Hathway smiled. "Thank you for the praise."
Turning to Hargreaves, she continued, "At least you all are better than your captain, hehe… Alright, I should take my leave now."
Before she could turn away, Lumian interrupted, "Ma'am, please, I would like to ask you a question as a fellow Diviner."
Hathway nodded with a smile. "Go ahead."
Lumian chuckled awkwardly before asking, "Ma'am, I would like to ask—when the first emergence of the crimson sun happened, how did we come to understand powers and the turning into curses?"
Hathway nodded, clearly satisfied with the question.
"If you remember Saint Mary's texts, it was mentioned that whenever the crimson sun appears every century, many unknown things occur. She later traced this to the creation myth. After that, we began experimenting, using ritualistic methods to seek answers from higher entities and obtain recipes for some orders."
She paused, then continued,
"As for curses, when a member once attempted a ritual, he went completely mad. After subduing him, we experimented further and summarized it as using an unsuitable potion for the individual. That was what led to our first precaution."
"I see…" Lumian said thoughtfully.
"But Mrs. Hathway, is there anything mentioned about laws given by the Creator?"
"Laws?" Hathway pondered briefly before replying.
"I've seen something similar in the last book Saint Mary ever wrote. But I don't know much—the pages were written as though she had already gone mad, heh. Still, I do remember seeing the word 'law', though I couldn't fully understand the text."
Hmm… the word was mentioned even in Saint Mary's writings, Lumian thought inwardly.
He sighed and said aloud, "Alright, ma'am. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it."
She turned and began walking toward the door.
"Don't worry about it."
Just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned back to Lumian.
"Do you want to see something cool?"
Lumian smiled and nodded. "Of course, ma'am."
She smiled, walked forward, and opened her purse, suddenly a butterfly flew out.
Vincent nearly chuckled—he had clearly expected something far more epic.
...
As the golden-winged butterfly flew around, it gracefully landed on Hathway's finger.
"What I want to show you now is my little trick. Normally, I was a very curious girl back then, so I tried many things using my Diviner powers, hehe."
Lumian nodded.
Noticing that Lumian's reaction was unfazed, Hathway continued, "The cool thing is about your spirituality. Just take a look."
She smiled at the butterfly.
Suddenly—pa! pa!—it exploded.
Hargreaves smiled and joked, "Wow, so cool."
Hathway's mouth twitched. "Yes… it is, hehe."
She turned her gaze back to Lumian and continued,
"What I did was remove a portion of my spirituality and transfer it to the butterfly, expanding its spiritual level until it burst. Using this method, you can also communicate with animals by sharing your spirituality."
Lumian nodded. "Hmm, this is like invigoration Derrick told me about."
He immediately smiled and thanked her sincerely. Hathway simply nodded and turned, leaving the faculty.
…
Soon enough, night had settled. Lumian sat by his window, the pale moon the only source of light.
He looked at the box in front of him and thought inwardly, Hmm, so that's what releasing spirituality actually does. But when I release my spirituality into the box, it doesn't seem to react.
He chewed on the tip of his pen and stared at the moon for a while before turning his gaze back to the box.
Fuck… I forgot to ask Mrs. Hathway what Diviners normally do.
Lumian was taken aback by his own forgetfulness.
…But Mr. Derrick did mention something about invigoration—that the spiritual world and the environment are all connected through Diviners.
Rubbing his chin, Lumian pondered. He then sighed softly and leaned back in his chair, gazing at the stars.
Gradually, the stars began to form lines, as though someone had drawn them.
Lumian raised his brows in surprise, understanding the sign immediately.
"This is part of divination! Star-alignment divination. Even though I haven't learned the readings, I can still understand a little."
He chuckled and continued observing.
"Hmm… the stars seem scattered near the moon. But what does that say about my fate?"
Lumian sighed and looked back at the box.
"Or… let me just try pouring my spirituality again."
He closed his eyes and focused, expelling his spirituality. Faint blue particles drifted from his body and into the box.
He opened his eyes slowly but saw no change. Without much concern, he closed them again and expelled more spirituality.
This time, the box began to shake on the table by itself.
Hearing the sound, Lumian stopped and stared at the box.
...
Lumian looked at the box, daring not to open it. Suddenly, it shook a little more, then stopped. Lumian's brows furrowed as he stared at it. Moments later, it began to shake up and down, as though something was fighting its way out.
Gradually, the box opened.
Startled, Lumian raised his arm to shield his face. He only lowered it when he realized everything had gone silent. Looking closely, he saw a blue-winged butterfly resting calmly on the edge of the box.
Lumian chuckled. "So this is the thing Derrick performed that ritual for, hehe." He smiled and muttered, "Why does it look so harmless?"
As if responding with sarcasm, the butterfly suddenly flew straight into Lumian's ear.
At that instant, two pairs of brown eyes opened high in the night sky.
...
Meanwhile, on the Lad River, a ship sailed forward under a heavy storm. Benson stood on the deck beside the pilot, surveying the surroundings. After a while, he sighed and went inside.
Entering the small cabin, Benson passed a flower pot and smiled faintly as images of a happy family replayed in his mind. His gaze fell on a picture hanging on the wall, and suddenly images of a young girl crying out for her father and a black-haired woman quietly sitting beside her, reading a book, surfaced.
This was Benson's ship. Though small, his family often used it to travel short distances on weekdays.
With a soft sigh and a smile, he removed his coat and collapsed onto the couch. His eyes gradually closed. Suddenly, his figure blurred—and disappeared.
...
In Betyl, within the king's mansion, Catherine lay on her bed, enjoying the silence of the night as she gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. A knock suddenly came at her door.
"Come in," she said softly.
The door opened, revealing three maids. One of them bowed. "Lady Catherine, are you not joining the family for dinner?"
Catherine fixed her gaze on the maid and suddenly saw her burning with a red light, a grotesque smiling face looming behind her. She turned over slightly and replied calmly, "Don't worry. Just package it. I'll eat it later."
"Alright," the maid said, bowing again before leaving.
Catherine sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling once more. Using her Order power—Venerable—she could see people's true motives and their future intentions toward her. Because of that, it was difficult for her to make friends. Even her own father harbored ill intentions toward her.
With another sigh, she pulled the blanket closer and gradually fell asleep. Soon, her body blurred—and disappeared.
...
On the streets of Betyl, a hooded figure entered a narrow alley and glanced at his reflection in a shallow pool of water. Moments later, his body blurred and also vanished.
...
Suddenly, thier figures outlined within a white kingdom, in a dark space, illuminated by an invisible sun overhead. Before them stood a table and several chairs engraved with the image of a sun. At the head of the table sat a blurred figure, of none other than Lumian.
He didn't understand what had just happened.
Was this place created by the butterfly within his subconscious?
Were they brought here because it sensed his desire to form a secret organization with these three?
Questions flooded Lumian's mind.
Seemingly grasping the situation, Catherine, with her image blurred and leaving after images spoke softly. "V18... Is that you?"
Lumian remained silent for a moment before replying, "Yes, it's me."
Catherine nodded. "I expected that, but I didn't expect you to form the secret organization so early."
Lumian chuckled. "I think starting early is better. That way, we can prepare and discuss things before officially informing the king."
Benson nodded. "Yes. Without preparation, persuading the king later would be troublesome."
"Exactly," Lumian said. "Please, take your seats."
The trio stepped forward and sat down, each keeping a cautious distance from one another.
"Before we begin," Lumian continued, "let's introduce ourselves. Also, state our goals and what we can contribute to this organization."
Silence followed until Catherine spoke in a soft, honeyed voice. "You may call me The Venerable. My goal is to completely destroy the linkton family, and to perform certain duties in the southern continent."
Lumian's mouth twitched slightly. "What do you mean by 'duties'?"
"As for what I can offer," she said after a brief pause, "resources, services, and communication with high-ranking families."
The others nodded, acknowledging her value.
Benson spoke next with a chuckle. "You may refer to me as The Revenger. My goal is to bypass bureaucracy so I can investigate certain matters freely. As for what I offer, well, information."
Lumian nodded and turned to the final figure.
After a moment of silence, the person spoke. "You may call me The Plunderer. I seek protection and information. As for what I can offer, heh, my skills."
Lumian hummed in acknowledgment.
Catherine then turned to him with a smile. "Sir, won't you introduce yourself?"
Lumian was briefly startled. He hadn't expected to be asked.
In that instant, many titles flashed through his mind, such as the Enigma, the Sleeper, and so on.
Just before his thoughts became chaotic, he recalled a scene from a novel he once read with Dorothy during their school days.
With that inspiration, Lumian crossed his legs, rested an arm on the chair, and spoke calmly.
"I am a man with little ambition. I simply seek the mysteries of the world."
"You may call me… The Beyond."