"Who are you, exactly? What organization do you belong to?" God's Spellsinger, staring at the sheepified Admiral of Hurricanes Qilangos, couldn't hold back the question.
"You should know my name," Evah said with a smile, eyeing God's Cantor. "As for the rest…"
He paused, his grin taking on a playful edge. "Here's a hint: ever heard of something called Tarot cards?"
God's Spellsinger's face shifted to one of deep thought.
Evah's figure vanished, replaced by a flurry of Tarot cards scattering through the air—a dazzling, mystical curtain call to his performance.
Mr. Hanged Man, Alger, stared at the cards, his pupils contracting.
Could this be… a Blessed of Mr. Fool?
...
Meanwhile, Evah, having wrapped his grand exit, didn't actually leave. He'd only slipped nearby.
He faced Azik, who'd arrived earlier but held back from acting against Qilangos due to Evah's presence. Smiling, Evah said, "Hello, Azik. First time meeting. You can call me Lucifer."
Evah wasn't worried about Azik recognizing him. He'd masked his soul's aura thoroughly—there was no way Azik could link him to the "innocent junior" Jack Jones.
And indeed, Azik didn't. He studied the man before him, then said after a few seconds, "I thought you'd be from the Seer pathway."
"I'm no Seer, that's for sure. Nor am I Alien," Evah said with a chuckle, his words only deepening Azik's confusion.
"I'm guessing you won't tell me which pathway you are from," Azik said, picking up on Evah's reluctance to elaborate. He didn't press, though, and continued mildly, "Jack's letter to you probably mentioned me."
"Of course, I got Jack's letter. Honestly, it's giving me a headache. I knew I shouldn't have let him run wild. Not only did he end up center stage, but he's also tangled in a plot way above his Sequence's pay grade."
Evah's expression carried just the right touch of exasperation. He sighed, looking at Azik. "But my knowledge of you goes beyond what my dimwit student wrote."
"…You know me?" Azik caught the implication, his tone urgent.
"I don't know the old you personally. I just know your story," Evah said, shaking his head to dismiss Azik's assumption. He lowered his gaze, flipping through a thick book in his hands, stopping at a page. Looking up at Azik, he smiled.
"Death Consul Azik Eggers, once an heir of the Balam Empire's Death Emperor. After the Death Emperor's fall, your soul was split in two. One half became the vessel for the Death pathway's Uniqueness. The other became you, cleansed of madness and divinity through countless reincarnations, free of the Death Emperor's influence, shaping your soul into what it is now."
"Your story, even among all the tales I know, is nothing short of spectacular," Evah concluded with a smile.
Azik froze. Evah hadn't bothered to hide the book's page, and Azik could see it was blank—completely empty.
Yet, he had a gut feeling Evah was telling the truth. This might well be his past.
"…If I reclaim my other soul half, will I recover my memories and end this cycle?" Azik asked after a long silence.
"Of course. Reunite with your other half, and all your anomalies will vanish. You could even climb higher in Sequence. But there's a cost…" Evah paused, looking at Azik, his tone deliberate.
"You'd lose all the emotions you've gained over millennia of reincarnation. Those memories would become mere images to you."
Azik blinked, his brow furrowing instinctively. He clearly couldn't stomach that outcome. Looking at Evah, a thought struck him. "Why tell me this?"
"Every good actor deserves to know where their choices lead," Evah said, smiling as he fully embodied Lucifer's cryptic persona. "And I'm awfully curious, Azik, about what you'll choose between humanity and divinity."
Azik opened his mouth, then paused. He recalled Klein mentioning his encounter with Lucifer. Staring at the man before him, Azik gained a sharper sense of his slippery character.
With a wry smile, Azik said, "I might disappoint you. I don't even know what I'd choose."
His past was still a tangled mess. He remembered little of his millennia of reincarnations or his time as Death Consul. In that fog, Azik genuinely didn't know what he'd pick.
Would he reclaim his soul, turning his past into a fleeting dream? Or continue this life, letting the cycle roll on? Neither outcome sounded appealing.
"Understandable. No need to rush your choice. You've got time to think before the final act," Evah said with a grin, leaning hard into his riddle-slinger vibe.
Azik caught the hint. Looking at Evah, he said, "So, even if I try to avoid it, my other soul half will find me, won't it?"
"You're quick," Evah said, not denying it. The mutual pull between the two soul halves was unavoidable. Even if Azik dodged it this cycle, the next might see him unwittingly drawn to his other half, opening Pandora's box.
"Doesn't sound like good news," Azik said with another wry smile. He fell silent, likely wrestling with his thoughts. After a moment, he looked up at Evah.
"Then, at least before the end comes, I want to face my past."
Evah met his gaze, smiling. "Sounds like you're ready to make a deal with me, Azik."
"Exactly. You probably know what I'm after," Azik said, nodding. "I need Time Gems, Mr. Lucifer. What would it take to trade for those marvelous stones?"
"Sorry, Time Gems are off the market. Non-negotiable," Evah said, shaking his head. He had no intention of selling Time Gems to Azik—not that they even existed. Even if they did, controlling the pace of Azik's memory recovery meant keeping them out of reach.
Azik's eyes dimmed, but he wasn't ready to give up. "I know those gems are precious. Name your terms. If it's within my power, I'll do everything I can to meet them."
(End of Chapter)