The Law

The owl's brownish-yellow sclerae and black pupils seemed to gleam with a faint fluorescence in the dark, its posture closer to looking down on Lumian. No longer as terrified as he had been the previous two times, Lumian cursed in a low voice, "What are you looking at? "Speak up if you've got the guts!" It wasn't that he was bent on offending the owl; he simply wanted to provoke it into revealing its true purpose. Otherwise, having it fly over from time to time in the dead of night and just stare at him like this was rather creepy. The owl remained silent, not letting out even a single hoot. After a few seconds, it spread its wings once more and flew toward the depths of the night. "Lunatic!" Lumian cursed, but inwardly he didn't dare let his guard down in the slightest. He kept his gaze fixed outside, carefully distinguishing every shadow in the dark. He remembered clearly that the last time the owl came, he had caught sight of Naroka's figure, and after dawn, he had heard the news of her passing. He wondered if something similar would happen this time... Lumian watched with meticulous care, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, draw the curtains, and lie back down in bed. In the deep darkness, Lumian kept his eyes open, thinking through his upcoming plans: *I have no idea what that owl really wants... Acting so bizarre and mysterious, it probably bodes nothing good...* *Forget it. Given the situation in the village, I need to get Aurore out of here anyway. Once we leave, I refuse to believe it can follow us all the way to Trier!* *If we don't get a telegram reply tomorrow, we'll have to make a forced escape from Cordu the morning after...* *If there is a reply, Aurore and I can head down the mountain openly along the path at the village entrance. If not, hmm... Tomorrow is the Lent Festival, and people will still be celebrating the day after, so they won't pay as much attention. Aurore can go borrow Madame Pualis's pony and ride up to the nearby alpine pasture for fun. It won't involve going down the mountain, won't look like we're leaving Cordu, and shouldn't draw too much scrutiny from the investigators. Then, we can use a dangerous trail over there to leave the mountains...* *It's barely a path at all, broken in several places. Even the shepherds don't believe it can be used to descend the mountain. But with my current abilities, crossing it won't be a problem at all. And Aurore knows sorcery and can fly short distances, so it'll definitely be even easier for her...* *This stands a good chance of slipping past the investigators' eyes...* After becoming a Hunter, many things he couldn't do before were now within reach. This gave Lumian immense confidence, allowing him to swiftly devise a plan. With his mind set at ease, he felt much more grounded, and he slept soundly for the rest of the night. ... The next morning, Lumian woke up early and busied himself in the kitchen. Thinking about how he was now a Beyonder and how he and his sister would soon be leaving the anomaly-ridden Cordu Village, he found himself in high spirits, even feeling an urge to hum a tune. When Aurore came downstairs, two bowls of pasta with meat sauce were already set on the table. "How did you know I was about to get up?" she asked with satisfaction. Lumian smiled. "I heard noises in the washroom, so I only started cooking the noodles then." At the same time, he muttered to himself: *Just as usual, you're groggy for a while after waking up—you didn't even think of that.* Aurore nodded. As she sat down at the dining table, she asked seemingly offhandedly, "Did that owl fly over again in the middle of the night?" "Yeah." Lumian knew his sister had noticed him getting out of bed in the middle of the night to gaze out the window. Fortunately, the owl had shown up; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to explain it. He couldn't very well say he was too excited after becoming a Beyonder, could he? If he did, he wouldn't escape another lecture from his sister. However, Lumian didn't intend to keep it from her for long, as it would affect Aurore's decisions on many matters. He planned to tell her when they made their forced escape from Cordu the day after tomorrow, so she wouldn't have to divide her attention to protect him. In the urgency of the moment, Aurore wouldn't have the time to lecture him anyway. "Strange owl..." Aurore furrowed her brows, looking perplexed. She couldn't figure out what the owl was after either; each time, it simply dropped by for a look. Slurping up his noodles, Lumian waited until he was nearly done eating before saying to Aurore, "If a telegram arrives, we'll leave Cordu Village this evening, taking the regular road down the mountain. "If we don't get a reply, go borrow Madame Pualis's pony tomorrow morning, and we'll head up to the nearest alpine pasture. I know a trail there that leads down the mountain, one those investigators definitely won't know about." Aurore twirled a lock of hair with her finger, mulling it over carefully. After a moment, she smiled. "Works for me. The chances of this plan succeeding are quite high." Then she clicked her tongue. "My foolish little brother has grown up, hasn't he?" Lumian beamed with delight, rather proud of himself. ... After breakfast, making the excuse that he was checking if Ava was ready for the Spring Spirit blessing parade, he left the semi-subterranean two-story house and headed straight for the Old Tavern. Now that he was a Beyonder, he urgently wanted to learn more fundamentals. And that lady had said she would tell him! Not far from the Old Tavern, Lumian saw a familiar face approaching. It was Pons Bénet, the padre's younger brother, dressed in a cotton shirt and a dark blue jacket. *All by himself...* Remembering how Pons Bénet had chased him across half the village with thugs last time, Lumian couldn't help breaking into a bright smile. Having just gained Beyonder powers, he was itching for a fight, eager to find someone to test them on. "Hey there, my bastard son," Lumian called out in greeting. "How dare you go out alone without Daddy's permission?" He intended to provoke Pons Bénet into attacking first, preventing him from fleeing early. Hearing the voice, Pons Bénet looked over and saw him. The rogue's expression shifted slightly. He spun right around and bolted at full speed. *Thud, thud, thud...* Lumian watched dumbfounded as the man vanished around a nearby bend. *He sure runs fast...* *Pretty alert, isn't he...* Lumian reflected silently. Although Lumian had believed he could beat Pons Bénet handily in a one-on-one fight even before becoming a Beyonder, Pons Bénet had likely thought the same thing. After all, the two had never actually fought hand-to-hand, and each was full of confidence. Who would have thought that today, the moment Pons Bénet laid eyes on him, he would turn tail and run as if encountering a beast of prey? *There's no way he knows I secretly became a Beyonder last night... Could it be that because he's so brainless and stupid, he's acquired a beast-like instinct instead, sniffing out the scent of danger?* Lumian disparaged Pons Bénet in his thoughts. He didn't try to give chase, because immediately after calling out that greeting, regret had set in: The village was rife with anomalies and the situation was perilous. Until they actually left, fewer complications were better than more! If beating up Pons Bénet caused the padre's clique to set their plans in motion early and jeopardized his and Aurore's escape, Lumian wouldn't even have tears to cry. Besides, the padre's bunch acted so mysteriously that Pons Bénet might well harbor some bizarre trait himself. If Lumian really fought him, he would likely expose his status as a Beyonder, which would bring endless trouble down the line. *Becoming a Beyonder made me a bit too smug and arrogant. I didn't control myself well...* Lumian engaged in some deep self-reflection, then walked into the Old Tavern. He originally intended to head straight up to the second floor, but noticed the lady sitting in the corner. Today she wore a pearl-gray dress paired with a light-colored bonnet. No food was laid out in front of her. "Had breakfast already?" Lumian walked over and sat down opposite her. "Not yet," the lady replied offhandedly. "I made plans to meet someone today. I'm still waiting for her." *Her? So not me...* Lumian glanced around. Aside from the tavern keeper, he saw no one else. He looked back at the lady and said earnestly, "I've become a Hunter." *Time to keep your promise and tell me more fundamentals.* The lady wasn't surprised in the least. She smiled faintly. "You seem to be in good shape." She paused, her voice turning slightly ethereal. "What you need to grasp right now are two laws and one method." *Why does this sound like studying physics...* Lumian didn't dare say it aloud. The lady continued, "To most Beyonders, this knowledge is exceptionally precious—worth everything they own to obtain. But as for you, since destiny has made its arrangements, I'll tell you free of charge." *Free things are always the most expensive. Where will I end up paying the price?* Lumian felt an inexplicable heaviness. After becoming a Hunter, his intuition and observational skills had sharpened significantly. At this moment, he clearly sensed that indescribable emotion surfacing in the lady's eyes once again, thicker than before, though he still couldn't tell what it was. The lady straightened slightly. "The source of all Beyonder powers can be traced back to the original Creator. As a follower of the Eternal Blazing Sun, you should be well aware that His eyes turned into the sun." "Yes." Lumian had heard the padre preach. "That is actually a symbolic description," the lady explained simply. "In short, the original Creator made this world and created numerous deities, and in the end broke apart, dividing into the Beyonder characteristics of the various pathways." "So that's why they're called 'Pathways of the Divine'?" Lumian came to a sudden realization. The lady nodded gently. "Correct. Sequence 0 of every pathway equates to a true god. For example, Sequence 0 of the Bard pathway is called 'Sun'—that is, the Eternal Blazing Sun you believe in." *Every Beyonder can become a god if they reach the end?* Lumian was thoroughly shocked. At the same time, a surge of joy welled up within him, accompanied by an inexplicable dread. Had he been a devout believer in the Eternal Blazing Sun, he would already be accusing the lady of blasphemy. Unfortunately for the faith, he wasn't; he was the type who simply followed the crowd in worship, not caring either way. He even pressed further, "What's Sequence 0 of the Hunter pathway called? And the Mystery Pryer pathway?" "Didn't I already tell you? 'Red Priest.' That seat is currently vacant." The lady shook her head with a chuckle. "Sequence 0 of the Mystery Pryer pathway is called 'The Hermit,' currently occupied by an evil god. He is known as the 'Hidden Sage.' He takes great pleasure in force-feeding knowledge to Beyonders of that pathway—or as the specialized term puts it, 'knowledge pursuing people.' A large part of your sister's problem stems from this." "I see..." Lumian began harboring a grudge against the Hidden Sage. The lady brought the conversation back on track: "Precisely because all Beyonder characteristics originate from the original Creator, they can neither be destroyed nor created. They can only transform from one form to another, or transfer from one object to another. "This is called the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility."