North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Just as Klein entered the main prayer hall, he used the points of light that shone from the back of the altar to survey his surroundings, taking in all the believers inside.
In one glance, Klein rapidly locked onto a target. He followed the aisle and walked forward without showing any abnormal signs.
In the first row was an elder wearing a black clergyman's robe, but he exuded a cold aura. His face was pale, and his hair was withered and yellow. He had his eyes closed tightly as he prayed with great focus. He was one of the Keepers that Klein had previously sensed.
His shift is usually on Friday... Klein didn't approach him and instead sat two pews away from him. After finding a spot to sit down, he handed over his hat and cane to Richardson.
Then, while sitting down, he tapped his left thumb on the first segment of his index finger twice, silently activating his Spirit Body Threads vision.
Suddenly, black illusory threads appeared in front of Klein as they densely extended out of different Spirit Bodies endlessly.
Having just taken his seat, Klein shifted his gaze, casting it onto the Keeper.
He nearly exclaimed from what he saw, but thanks to his self-control as a Clown, and his ability to expect abnormal situations, he managed to relax and maintain his staid attitude.
In his vision, although the yellow-haired elder had Spirit Body Threads extending out, his body was entirely black in color on the inside as the darkness swallowed the origins of the illusory threads in a way that was completely different from ordinary Beyonders!
Indeed, they have already been eroded by the core seal, causing a mutation at the level of the soul... From the looks of it, the problem is closer to my second guess. They are, in a sense, part of the core seal. Once they show signs of losing control, they will immediately trigger the item's instinctive reaction that forcefully quells them... It's no wonder the Keepers need to be a voluntary role and be advanced in their years. They probably understand the outcome... Klein sighed as he prepared to deactivate his Spirit Body Threads senses and retract his gaze.
At this moment, he saw a pair of eyes. They were black without any emotions within.
Beside the eyes, there were pronounced wrinkles that extended bit by bit, as though they were distorted, strange mysterious symbols.
They were the Keeper's eyes!
At some point in time, he had straightened his body, turned around, and looked blankly at Dwayne Dantès!
Klein's scalp instantly went numb as he forced a smile and nodded at him as though it was a normal meeting of eyes.
The Keeper slowly moved his head as a response.
Then, Klein felt as though he was extracted from his surroundings as things turned blurry before turning clear.
At that instant, he knew that he had been pulled into a dream.
Hence, as he maintained his image as Dwayne Dantès, he sized up his surroundings, only to realize that he was still inside Saint Samuel Cathedral. However, all the pews were either damaged or overturned and strewn everywhere. It looked as though it had met with a raid.
The altar up ahead was filled with cracks and weeds. The thick layer of dust made it seem like it had been in such desolate conditions since a long time ago.
The Keeper with yellow, withered hair was in front of the collapsed donation box, coldly staring at Dwayne Dantès who was suited in black.
Upon seeing Klein look over, he widened his mouth to reveal white, sharp, irregular teeth.
And these teeth were embedded with blurry, indistinct, and tiny figures. They had complete facial features and limbs, and their expressions were different but were colored with the same pain as though they were imprisoned there and unable to escape.
"Grunt..." The Keeper's throat let out a growl that sounded like a beast as his back hunched over.
By his spine and waist, his clothes swelled as four blood-vessel-covered arms without any skin grew out.
Right on the heels of that, they grew fine black hair as the tips of his fingers grew sharp nails with a smacking sound.
In just three short seconds, the Keeper who looked normal had turned into an eight-legged monster that sprawled on the ground. It looked like a spider that had silently woven its web in the night while awaiting its prey, and also like a deformed black wolf that struck intense fear into one's heart.
Meanwhile, two gigantic palms filled with black hair extended out of the desolate altar without any warning. They pressed onto the sides as black gas condensed into slippery tentacles that extended in every direction. Soon, they filled the entire prayer hall.
The aura that left him trembling, the extreme sense of fear, and the huge, illusory figure were penetrating an invisible barrier as they manifested more clearly.
He lost control? That Keeper lost control? Klein stood there, subconsciously wishing to react and use his uniqueness to forcibly escape the dream, but suddenly, he figured out the series of events that had happened. His expression changed as he wore a terrified expression as he ran to the door, trembling. It looked like he was struggling in a dream.
In the time it took to take a breath, a dark chill spread out from the outside world like a tidal wave, inundating the entire dream and quelling everything.
Klein snapped his eyes open and realized that he had fallen asleep at some point in time. As for the yellow-haired Keeper, he had long turned his head to continue praying.
Dwayne Dantès's eyes darted around as he looked around in horror as though he was still immersed in the dream and unable to escape the horror that had gripped him.
After nearly a minute, he took two deep breaths and looked at the Sacred Emblem again, drawing a sign of the crimson moon on his chest.
Only then did Klein have the time to recall the experience he had and began speculating as to what had happened.
As I had spied on his Spirit Body Threads, it caused him to show signs of losing control; thus, causing an excessive reaction by pulling me into a dream and attempting to deal with me?
Later, the core seal behind Chanis Gate sensed the anomaly and quelled the problem...
Now, the crux of the matter is if the Keeper still remembers the source of his near-mutation... If he's already used to it, he should find the cause of the problem very vague considering his present state... Of course, it might not be my problem. Perhaps he was already on the brink of losing control...
Klein looked at the elder once again to observe what he would do next to determine how he should react.
If all else fails, I'll directly use Creeping Hunger and escape with Traveling... Klein rapidly made up his mind as he patiently waited for the possible repercussions.
A few minutes later, he saw Bishop Elektra walk in from the side door towards him.
Klein's heart tightened as he spread open his left fingers in preparation to activate Creeping Hunger.
At that moment, he suddenly had an idea and stopped his actions.
If the Keeper has already informed the bishops about my problematic situation via a dream, I would be the victim of a collective assault by the Church's Beyonders. After all, pulling me into a dream can avoid harming the other believers. Therefore, they have no need to find a bishop I'm familiar with to come over... It's likely more to extend their regards and to placate me... Klein retracted his gaze and continued a praying pose.
In less than a minute, he finally sensed someone approach as he looked up and saw Bishop Elektra softly say, "You don't look too well?"
"I fell asleep without realizing it and had a nightmare. I still feel a little afraid," Klein said with a self-deprecating smile.
Bishop Elektra sat beside him and said in a staid manner, "Dreams are sometimes the manifestation of the fear within you.
"You will feel better as long as you sincerely pray to the Goddess and consume holy water.
"Of course, the most important thing is to not suppress yourself usually. Learn to confess to the Goddess. At times, wailing in secret can reduce a lot of your stress."
Klein secretly observed the bishop's attitude and read his tone before heaving a sigh of relief.
"I understand."
He cast his gaze forward again, bowed his head, and clasped his hands to begin praying silently.
While doing so, he saw the Keeper in front of him stand up and walk to the side door where a bishop was waiting.
Phew... Klein silently exhaled as he truly became one with the serene environment.
Suddenly, he heard a voice that was his, but it wasn't something that he could control.
"Did you think what you did was well-hidden?
"No! Not at all! Have you forgotten that you've touched the Evernight Goddess's Holy Artifact?"
