He couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality as he opened his eyes. The images of the world that had built itself in his slumber, drawing on his memories of the time before the First Epoch, lingered in his sight.
He had fused with the Lord of Mysteries, gaining dominance in his own body, but the drawn-out fight meant he woke up exhausted despite his long rest, his mind muddled.
What brought him clarity was the distant sound of illusory pleas, stacked on one another, different voices echoing similar words.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era..."
"Honourable Mr. Fool..."
"... I pray for your loving grace..."
"Angel of Retribution..."
There were too many, ones he recognised and ones he didn't, but if he focused, he could pick out the Tarot Club—Little Sun and Miss Justice and even Leonard—praying not for an answer but simply out of devotion, to the Fool and to the World. There were even... Melissa and Benson?
His breath hitched. Hearing them was enough to make him tear up. He had several questions, but the most important thing was that the people he cherished were safe.
He didn't try to suppress the wave of emotions he felt. It was proof that he still had his humanity.
Klein left through the door of light, preparing himself to figure out what all he had missed in whatever time had passed.
Down the stairs, into the palatial hall with the familiar mottled table and chairs, and...
... when had the floor turned white?
The fog hovering thick at the base of the hall dispersed with a thought, revealing what exactly had happened.
Letters. Probably hundreds of them, spread all over in disarray.
How had they gotten here?
Klein made one at random drift into his hand and opened it, quickly scanning the contents.
"I was in Azshara until last week. Lenburg places great importance on the arts, and Azshara as its capital holds a variety to explore. I went to see a play in the Altis Theatre that was based on a famous local fairytale..."
"... I've written articles for a few notable history journals under a nom de plume. There's some controversy regarding the contents, but hopefully in time it can be accepted as authentic, shedding light on the events of the Fourth Epoch for the rest of the world..."
"... A book was released this fall by Fors Wall, a well-known author. It's not the kind I usually read, but I was rather interested in this one. It claimed to be the mostly-true biography of Gehrman Sparrow. I'll enclose a copy..."
Klein took a closer look to realise there were more than letters around him. A few trinkets, postcards and books were part of the chaos too.
Mr. Azik... Knowing he was awake, and had been for quite a while judging by the sheer quantity of letters, was a relief. After all, there were hardly two decades left for the apocalypse– or well, had been two, Klein wasn't sure about now.
He looked at the date of the letter. November 1358. He had been asleep for at least a couple of years, then. And in all that time, Mr. Azik had written to him, just like he had once done for his teacher.
Sitting down at the head of the table, the seat of The Fool, Klein waved a hand, arranging the letters from oldest to newest to his left and the accompanying gifts to the right.
He still wasn't sure how they had been left in Sefirah Castle– no, he was getting a faint memory of the prayers he had answered while asleep... the frequent chanting by a voice that he had never expected to hear using The Fool's name:
"I pray for you to take my offering. I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom..."
A sacrificial ritual.
Of course Mr. Azik knew. He had been there for him from Klein Moretti to Dwayne Dantès, and after that, with all the letters that Klein had diligently sent him, whenever he saw something that he thought Mr. Azik might be interested in hearing about, it wasn't surprising that he had figured out the truth.
Klein was glad for it.
Although... he dearly hoped Mr. Azik hadn't read the Bible of the Church of The Fool. He didn't think he could live through the double embarrassment of his teacher learning he had unknowingly been conscripted into The Fool's angels and that the same Fool was multitasking as his own angel and Blessed.
Before he answered any of the prayers from the stars all around him, he started to read the letters from the very first one.
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Azik was in his study when his vision was flooded by grey fog. He tensed, but only for an instant, because in the midst of the fog, his face unobscured, was an undoubtedly familiar figure.
Whether he was an ordinary person or a god, in Azik's eyes, he would always be a dear student and friend.
"Welcome back, Klein," he said, mirroring the smile of the other.
