Proof of Identity

i.

Pushing past the sweet layers of sleep, he brought himself to awareness. He tried to remember what he was last doing, only to have the icy realisation that he couldn't remember anything at all.

It gripped his heart, squeezing it dry, but he kept a clear mind. There could be clues around.

He pushed off the lid above him and sat up, to see that he was in a large room, surrounded by snowfall.

...No, not snow. It was some kind of paper—white sheets messily littering the floor.

Curious. He picked one of them off the floor and started reading.

Once he started, he couldn't stop. Each one sparked memories, together creating a long trail. He remembered his name, his past and the things that were dear to him.

Alongside which he learnt the trials and tribulations his student had faced in such a short time. He wouldn't put all of it down in words, but there was much Azik could read between the lines.

Finding some writing material, he penned down his own reply. For nearly fifteen minutes, there was only the sound of pen scratching paper in the room.

Once finished, he called for his messenger. Not to deliver the letter, since he doubted his messengers could ever do that again unless specifically allowed, but to tell him about the times it met Klein.

The four-metre-tall skeleton communicated in the language of the dead, and Azik's suspicions were fully proven true. Klein had not only become a god, but also the master of the legendary Sefirah Castle.

In the end, Azik was presented with a gold coin. It was an ordinary item, save for the aura of Sefirah Castle integrated into it.

His messenger couldn't tell what it was for, but there was no doubt it was important. Until he knew, he couldn't keep it aside and risk missing any changes.

When Azik changed clothes, he placed the coin into his breast pocket.

The first order of business was to learn the current news and find the newest god. Whether orthodox or not, an apotheosis had effects that couldn't be hidden from the rest of the world and that would lead him to what he wanted to know.

It didn't take him long to hear talk about the Fool. A religion which had taken hold in the Rorsted Archipelago, silently approved by the other Churches. The Fool, the Sequence 0 position of the Seer pathway.

Klein.

He thought he had accepted it when he read the letter, but hearing it confirmed brought an odd feeling. When Azik had fallen asleep, Klein had only been a demigod.

Wanting to find out more, he took a trip to Bayam, the centre of the Fool's faith as per news in Loen. He made his way to a bookstore to find a copy of the Fool's Bible. The contents of it were likely to be far from reality, as Klein could not put in his true origins as a Beyonder of three years, but there would have to be nuggets of truth in it all the same.

He found the book rather easily and bought it. The rather-tall man at the reception looked at Azik's purchase with a smile, asking if he was interested in the Church. He even kindly told Azik the directions to the Fool's Cathedral. Azik kept it in mind. While he planned to visit, that would be after he read the Bible.

It told the story of an ancient god who woke up in recent times, recovering his strength as he dealt with evil, bringing salvation to his followers. The latter part was perhaps described in the most detail—the Fool had sent his messenger to bring out the people of the Forsaken Land of Gods and show them light, after millennia of their despair.