Chapter 43: Secrets
Chapter 43: Secrets
William watched as the priest banished Ince Zangwill from existence. He posed no challenge, after all the former archbishop was just a Sequence 5 Beyonder.
Adam's Corpse Cathedral gave a holy aura to the scene as if God himself was initiating judgment on a sinner.
'He planned all this?' William realized that Adam had grabbed the Quill of Alzuhod. Somehow he was much calmer than he should be. 'Have I developed immunity to these situations after everything that happened today?'
He took it humorously, but deep down he was intrigued. Adam and the True Creator, these two seemingly all-powerful entities seemed to sense something in him that he was unaware of.
The True Creator had said that there was no corruption in it, and that probably had a lot to do with it. But he did not fully understand what the Evil God was referring to.
"KLEIN!" He suddenly remembered his friend and ran to check if he was okay.
His body was limp, with a large hole where his heart had been. William clenched his teeth.
"Damn, what am I going to tell Benson and Melissa?" A couple of tears fell from his eyes. Klein had been a person with whom he could share his situation, both had suddenly arrived in an unknown world, forced to leave behind everything they knew.
"Don't worry about him." Adam's voice came from behind him.
His golden beard was still the same as before the fight, and there was not a single speck of dust on his body, as if taking out a former archbishop was as simple as walking.
"What are you talking about?" William stood over Klein's corpse.
Adam smirked through narrowed eyes like he was pulling a hilarious in-joke.
"Klein Moretti; he's definitely not your average Beyonder. Even I have to strain to see through the fog that surrounds him. It gathers around him like a tornado, getting thicker and thicker." He folded his hands behind his back and looked at the corpse.
'That fog I saw when I first met him?' William thought, remembering their first meeting.
"After all, even the Gods must be careful when a matter involves a sefirot, their methods are incredibly deep and mysterious, especially the Sephirah Castle." He commented casually.
"Sephirah Castle?" William questioned Adam, who just smiled.
"That's not something to talk about in a place like this. The envoys from the Churches are already arriving, your companions will be fine." He turned to leave, but the Nighthawk stopped him just in time.
"Wait! Did you plan this whole incident?" William looked at him questioningly.
Adam just kept an innocent smile on him.
"You are wrong, I only took advantage of the situation. There is currently no one in this world who can see fate." After these words, for the first time, his smile faded and he became serious. "However, that is precisely why your fate is yet to be determined. You need to grow up fast, William Hastur. Because of your situation, you will soon discover the truth, and whether or not you are ready at that time will determine many things. "
Leaving these words behind, he vanished without a trace just in time for a group of Mandated Punishers to arrive.
"We received the information from the Church of the Evernight Goddess in Backlund!" The team captain announced.
William sighed.
"It's good that you are here, we have managed to stop the True Creator's descent into Tingen City. I am fine, but my companions will need medical treatment." He quickly explained. "I must report to my superiors in Backlund, I would appreciate it if someone would accompany me to the nearest Church, I am exhausted."
The Mandated Punishers were dumbfounded by this casual guy. However, they reacted quickly.
"Of course, we will help move everyone. There is no doubt that you have made a great contribution to humanity today, we are indebted to you." The captain ordered his men to load the wounded Dunn and Leonard, as well as Klein's body.
Six days later, there was a funeral for the fallen Nighthawk. His brothers and the rest of the Tingen Nighthawks attended, including a man who had been Klein's professor at the University, and other people he had known.
William felt like a stranger at the funeral. Somehow he could now clearly see the swirls of gray fog entering the coffin.
He had an idea and felt that if he didn't do that, Klein might do something foolish.
Before leaving the funeral, he approached Benson and Melissa. Benson had been unable to hold back the tears, and Melissa stood in her place unable to speak, enduring the pain in silence.
"Can you stay a while longer? I assure you that you will not regret it." William knew that what he was about to do went against many things, most likely Klein's own will among them. However, these two deserved to know the truth, especially since they would be involved in the supernatural anyway.
'That's right, in this world, no one can completely avoid this hidden reality. Even Melissa has already experienced something up close according to what Klein told me.' He mused as he sat down in front of the tombstone.
"William... what do you mean?" Benson spoke with a shaky voice.
The Nighthawk sighed. It was already beginning to get dark.
"What they told you about Klein's death is false, he was not murdered by a criminal, at least not a conventional one." He let the words sink in both of them.
Before he could continue, another person appeared. She had brown skin and long hair tied up in a ponytail.
"Are you sure you want to tell them about that, William Hastur?" The man asked in a flat tone.
William was not surprised by his appearance, the man's presence was like a bonfire in the middle of the ice. He seemed to not have much control over his powers, and yet there was no doubt that he was extremely powerful.
"Heh, I don't know who you are but I'm sure with your power you should be able to appreciate what's going on." William replied.
The man approached with a bouquet of white flowers that he left on the grave.
"My name is Azik Eggers. You seem to be more perceptive than I thought. However, I lost my memories and with them a good part of my abilities, I don't understand what you mean." He explained as Benson and Melissa were confused by this exchange.
William's eyes widened.
"My, to think that even angels can have these problems. Anyway, the three of you will understand what I mean in a few seconds." He said.
Azik registered the word angel in his head with surprise. Somehow, some of his memories had just come back to him, although he would need time to analyze them.
He was going to ask William something when the four of them froze.
The moon shone softly in a crimson hue, illuminating the graveyard. Suddenly, the stone slab that sealed the tomb opened, and a hand emerged from the ground.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone