Lord of the Mysteries: Catalyst of Shadows

Inside a dark cathedral, lacking a deity's statue, hidden beneath shadows but slightly illuminated by the crimson light from the moon, laid a dead man. Or so it was believed.

The man opened his eyes, straightening himself up in a sitting position, fatigued and barely breathing for air, as sweat trickled over his forehead. Suffering from a piercing migraine capable of popping a vein, he groaned heavily, loud enough to be heard within the lofty, lonesome dark church.

"Ugh, what a damned headache! This is more like an aneurysm than anything", said the man in pain. At once, he heard loud roars and murmurs coming from a distance high above, from an unknown terrifying existence he had no chance of resisting, worsening his condition, almost losing his own self to such a menacing threat amidst dissociation. Suddenly, he felt another sway infinitesimally similar to the previous hold he felt, this time forcibly stopping the previous horrifying influence and a searing and burning pain on his chest, overcoming all other thoughts in his mind, quelling most of his mental capacities.

As time flowed by, slowly, the remaining influences were quashed and the searing pain steadily declined. In a slow and patient manner, the man could finally start to catch a breath and calm his state, reorganizing his thoughts, step by step.

"I thought this was the end. Again". While recovering more from his fatigue and memories, he looked upon his chest to discover what happened to it, widening his eyes in shock to what he saw.

A particular bluish-black symbol made of patterns resembling an eye and distorted lines beneath.

"No, unbelievable! You have got to be kidding me! I have been transmigrated to this world!?" The man lampooned, baffled and surprised. The more of his memories returned, old and new, the more he realized the truth. "And in a former Scholar of Yore, Leader of the Secret Order, now newly advanced Miracle Invoker, Jack Layne no less... How crazy is that!", Jack exclaimed, further appalled by the situation.

In an attempt to discover what has happened to get to this situation, Jack started rationalizing his thoughts and memories, albeit sluggishly, with a slight migraine.

"Ugh, despite being way better than before, there are still some lingering issues..." Jack swiftly concluded his current state.

"Ah, I see. Due to inconspicuous clues and some crucial revelations, this body slowly uncovered the secrets and mysteries as much as he could, arriving in this place. The oh so infamous Dylan Castle". As Jack took another look around, the shadowy expanse illuminated by the crimson light, at the walls made of delicate, well-made stones with an intriguing architecture, alongside the vast ceiling up his own head and on the black-stoned floor he was currently sitting.

"As he entered this cathedral, although figuring out its secrets was undoubtedly important, he was focused on Zaratul's remaining Miracle Invoker Beyonder Characteristic, finding it and trying to advance in the spot. Little did he know about the underlying issues and other otherworldly corruption he would face, dying immediately."

"If it weren't for "His" interference, I would've died again and either Zaratul or the Celestial Worthy would have taken over me." Jack reminisced while laughing as loudly and maniacally as he could. "That fraud couldn't finish his preparations this time and will remain dead. The previous Jack most likely arrived here due to "His" arrangements and guidance as well, with myself probably being released and stored within the Beyonder Characteristics, with a special help of certain authorities, kept as a soul-bomb, awaiting the trap to be triggered.".

Jack immediately stood up, held his right hand to his chest, bowing down slightly. "Praise the Fool!" He said loudly. Gathering his bearings, he took a look at himself and the short area around him to see what he possessed.

A black, lustrous brooch set upon the chest of his suit, a Frenzied Mage artifact, from the Black Emperor pathway. A dual set of dark-red gloves upon his hands, a Reaper Artifact from the Red Priest pathway, and a black-blue cane on the floor to his side, a Traveler Artifact, from the Door pathway.

For his clothes, he sported a white clean shirt, dark-blue vest and a black suit.

"Not bad. He was quite resourceful, indeed. Now, let's take a definite look at this Cathedral and finally learn what's so special about this damned castle"

Despite having a very extensive knowledge of this world, coming from both sides of his memories and soul, this particular place remained an enigma for both, remaining a mystery to the very end. Jack undoubtedly knew this place would have more than only a Sequence 2 beyonder characteristic, aside from the cathedral itself.

After grabbing his cane, he started walking towards other rooms, when all of a sudden he wavered on his step and stumbled upon himself, whilst hearing piercing roars, inducing a light dissociation. In response to this, Jack stretched his hands outwards, prickling his fingers onto the void in an attempt to pull something. After a handful of attempts, he succeeded, pulling out a particular figure from history.

He was an elder with complete white hair, albeit lush and thick. With a pair of blue eyes and a warm and elegant bearing. It was the one and only, the Sequence 4 Manipulator of the Spectator pathway, Hvis Rambis!

Due to his extensive knowledge from before his transmigration regarding this world, Jack knew a great deal of people, artifacts and events, through the adventures of a now great Existence. And through the authority of a Scholar of Yore, the more knowledge and familiarity you have, the higher the success of summoning a historical projection! With this, he could summon the likes of Rambis, amongst others things.

After finishing the summoning, Jack immediately took control of his projection's Spirit Body threads, turning it into his marionette. With it, he relaxed himself as much as possible and through the actions of Rambis, placated himself thoroughly, despite the difficulties from the difference of rank.

A calming wave washed over his mind and psyche, overwhelming the underlying mental issues and remnant influences the roars and voices had, entering a state of further relaxation and calm.

"This is a much better feeling than before, although it doesn't solve it completely", Jack sighed as he ruminated over his circumstances.

Despite having the assistance and therapeutic work from a Manipulator and having a special mark quelling most of the backlashes, the issues still existed. Namely, the weak remnant will of Zaratul and the remnant will of the original Jack Layne. Being now a Miracle Invoker, one simple help from a Manipulator wasn't enough to solve this at its roots, only capable of providing a temporary solution and momentary relaxation.

"I'll have to find at least a Dreamweaver to further solve this, perhaps even a Discerner. Although, with the use of Anchors, the problem can be progressively solved, not needing additional assistance. Only time will tell", Jack sighed and concluded. After dispersing the projection of his, he restarted his stride to investigate this place.

He skillfully maneuvered himself, avoiding the various corpses he encountered along the way, all of varying sizes and people. "These must be the marionettes Zaratul once prepared and stored, hanging up from the ceiling. After his death, they must've had their strings "cut", falling to the floor like this. Heh, good for me as I'll be having a load of beyonder characteristics all to myself!" Jack lampooned as he strode to the closest door, turning the handle to open to the inside of the room.

Upon entering the room, various objects met Jack's eyes. From normal furniture such as sofas, chandeliers, lamps, to enticing and alluring treasures such as gold, jewelry and other old relics. In the same manner, there was a tall bookshelf to the side, the size of an entire 1/4 side of the room, on the wall. Observing the shelf, Jack's newfound intuition as an Angel drew his attention to one of the books in it.

A leather-bound notebook, its cover worn but intact. The surrounding air seemed thick with the passage of time, but this noteboom sat there, as if recently touched—its pages slightly disturbed, and a faint smudge of ink visible on one of its pages after opening it. The scent of parchment, mixed with a hint of something else, lingered in the air. There was an unsettling suggestion that someone had been here, but no other sign of life could be found in the room.

"A particular specialness... Dark-laid cathedral... Concealment... Solomon...". Jack amused himself as he started perusing the contents of said notebook, until arriving at a familiar name.

Zaratul.

"As expected. Converging my recent memories of the subtle discoveries of this place, the contents of this notebook and the revelations from before, I slightly guessed this had involvement from "Him"."Heh, fairly interesting the origins of this castle. It dates back to the Fourth Epoch, as early as the Solomon's Reign.", Jack lampooned the new information, piecing out the relevant facts.

Afterwards, holding the notebook on his left hand, he started divining its origins with a Dream Divination to fully ascertain his doubts. After a few seconds, with his eyes rummaging beneath his eyelids, he opened his eyes.

"Indeed, this notebook is from the old Angel of the ancient Zaratul Family from the Fourth Epoch, under Solomon's rule. Subsequently, he is involved in the origins of this place, having noticed some peculiarities on it firsthand, recognizing the potential and claiming it for himself."

According to the records written on the notebook, Zaratul discovered this cathedral, becoming intrigued by it. With temporary alliances with Bethel Abraham, from time to time, indirectly, he shaped the qualities of the cathedral even more, unlocking more of its unique factors. Not only that, he had asked for the assistance of Solomon himself, as a passing reward, due to his loyalty and actions within the Empire, being blessed with distortive qualities.

Unfortunately, Old Zaratul could not finish his work, being slain by Antigonus in the War of the Four Emperors, with Bethel's assistance. However, that did not mean his successor could not inherit the relic. Zaratul Jr. then continued his grandfather's work, and after decades of time, managed to finish, bringing it to the mysterious cathedral it is today.

"Of course, not only there were those influences, Zaratul Jr. managed to lock and secure it with a special honorific name, leveraging the specialness of it being more focused on beyonders from the Fool Pathway.

This might be a lingering arrangement from the Celestial Worthy, next to Bethel and Solomon's involvement" Jack concluded after finishing the notebook and returning it back to the bookshelf, reminiscing the name he had proclaimed before his untimely death.

"The Veiled Sanctum of Shifting Shadows,

Harbor of Secrets That Whisper Unseen,

Beacon to Truths Twisted and Reborn,

The Heart Where Deception Breathes Eternal."

After proclaiming aloud those words once more, the atmosphere in the cathedral began to stir and change. In an instant, Jack was drowned by a distant feeling of distorted mystery, as if something similar to the abyss gazed upon him, recognizing him as its new owner, before rapidly receding, returning to normalcy.

Even though Jack had once proclaimed that name to reveal Dylan Castle and inherited it, his posterior death cut that connection, needing to recite them once more.

"Now that's a somewhat bizarre feeling, with a slight refreshing trace" Jack sighed, after reclaiming the Castle for himself.

Being connected to the cathedral once more, he could finally intrude on the rest of factors regarding it.

All in all, through Bethel's involvement, the cathedral gained hints of concealment and a personal-created space made specially for the castle. After Solomon's blessings, it obtained the effects related to Distortion, mixing with the Door authorities, permitting it to exit simultaneously between its personal dimension and the real world, flickering in and out intermittently in a concealed manner, shadowed from prying eyes. With the tinge of Distortion, any attempt at prying or act of deception or through any inconspicuous loophole made to the cathedral would be unmistakably distorted. That's the remnant status of a True Sequence 0 God!

Not only that, Zaratul Jr's involvement, with the honorific name, further leveraged all these special influences, making it a key of sorts, and a way to exert control over Dylan Castle. No matter the effort spent, without this crucial point, it would all be in vain.

Jack proceeded to smile, from one side to the other, laughing maniacally out loud, making echoes reverberate within the walls of Dylan Castle.

"Who would've thought of such a thing! Moreso, not only do I inherit treasure such as this, I also squash all the remaining efforts of Zaratul resurrecting, steal his Beyonder Characteristic, become an Angel and take over the organization known as the Secret Order." Jack laughed till his belly ached, as if it was the best joke of the entire world.

After his humorous bout, Jack composed himself and ruminated about his future actions.

Turning around, he exited the room, closing the door behind him. He then walked back to the first room, swaying around, collecting the remnant Beyonder Characteristics from the corpses all around the floor, ranging from Sequence 9 to Sequence 5, majoritarily, with a few handful of them being at the Demigod level.

As he returned to his initial spot, he pulled a projection of a gold Loenese coin from the Historical Void, flickering in-between his fingers as a form of Divination and closing his eyes.

After confirming that he was safe and hadn't been pursued, he pulled an ordinary table and chair from the Void, sitting comfortably

"So I've awoken on April 30th of the year 1358. How annoying. This should be after the incident in Cordu Village... I'm too late to change it. That is, if I could change it by myself, given there are Outer Deities involved. Multiple of them". Jack remarked. "Since it's already begun, there is nothing I can do for that moment, all I can do is interfere and help the subsequent events. In this regard, I should approximate myself to the Tarot Club and the Church of the Fool, but it won't be easy to believe the leader of a secret organization of Seers turned a leaf so suddenly... Eh, dealing with them directly isn't the only way to do things, nor expecting an alliance on the first day of the job is feasible." Jack shrugged offhandedly.

"I also need to consider the whole Secret Order, too... Albeit I'm their fearsome and traumatizing leader, I can't act freely to the extent of disowning them. I intend to use them to the fullest, working them to the bone like slaves. It doesn't matter whether it's morally correct or not, these guys can be ruthless if one allows them to," Jack lampooned with a discernible smile on his face.

"Due to Zaratul's weakened and flawed state, his return was mostly intermittent, giving me the opportunity of still maintaining my position, even if honorary. Given Loki's occasional visits here as well, it's a process in the works. Fortunately, I can swiftly deal with Loki and already quench that annoyance out of my worries." Jack immediately stood up and dispelled the projections, prompting to leave the cathedral.

Although it would be perfect to finish scavenging the entire castle and discover all its secrets, time was of essence and connections needed to be made. He would have various opportunities later to scour the place, being its owner as well as a Miracle Invoker.

Jack exited the cathedral, stepping outside, squinting as the sunlight poured over him. Before him lay the shore, a wide expanse of sand kissed by the gentle caress of the sea's tide. The waves, their rhythm soothing, lapped softly at the beach, sending a cool mist to the air. The scent of salt and earth mingled with the faint fragrance of pine, as the edge of the forest stood just beyond the sands.

Tall trees, their trunks grand and moss-covered, loomed like silent watchers, the forest's dense shadows offering a quiet contrast to the sunlit shore.

As he felt this new scenery, Jack turned around to his back, watching as the cathedral seamlessly rippled through space, quickly disappearing as if it weren't there to begin with.

The current location of Dylan Castle was none other than the coastal shore of Midseashire, a few kilometers away from Tilisi City, Intis's Republic biggest coastal city. It was quite ingenuous to leave it in such a distant, remote place.

Despite his desire to quickly transfer Dylan Castle to another location, Jack decided to leave it be for now, as a trap to use against Loki.

While Loki did have access to Dylan Castle in the recent years and it being used as a convening place for festivals in occasions, currently, Jack's control superseded Loki's, being of a much higher status, he naturally overcame the opposition and inherited the cathedral to the fullest.

Of course, now under his possession, Jack could permit a "backdoor" for Loki to use, to deceive him with a false sense of control over Dylan Castle, to effectively trap him for good. The moment Loki enters it, Jack can sense it automatically and deliberately shut off the exit entirely.

And that was the current plan.

"First things first, let's convene a special meeting within the Secret Order, to set things straight".