Chapter 6

//Sefirah Castle//

Klein smiled as Audrey disappeared to continue on with her daily life. Klein silently thought to himself before leaving Sefirah Castle to Tonelico to clean and stay in. 

//Backlund//

With a thought, a bout of gray fog descended onto Backlund for a moment. Everyone looked alarmed for a moment but soon all recollection of the gray fog disappeared. A young man emerged from the dissipating fog with a star speckled cane and black gloves. The crisp sound of shoes clacking on the stone sidewalk continued to fade away from the consciousness of everyone nearby. 

His very existence was concealed and revealed only to a few. 

He stopped at the front of a house before conjuring a bouquet of the same golden flowers. He remembered when he disappeared to Backlund and gifted Melissa golden flowers. This time, he was coming back. He also had a niece now. 

Klein knocked on the door twice leaving a crisp sound each time. The door slowly opened as a hand shot out at speeds Klein was not expecting. A crisp sound as echoed throughout the house as for the first time, a Great Old One, The Fool, The Lord of the Mysteries, Dominator of the Spirit World and King of Space-Time, had been slapped in the face. 

Klein took it sincerely as atonement. "Melissa, I'm back." A hug suddenly enveloped him. The humanity in him was rekindled into a blazing fire. For years he had been alone, living a life of a lie. Mimicking others until mimicked by others. A lonely existence that couldn't be understood by anyone. But she didn't need to understand, she simply accepted him for what he was. 

"You stupid fool Klein. Why wouldn't you tell us about your troubles?" 

Klein placed his hand back on her back as he reciprocated. "If I were to tell you, you'd likely die from just knowing. In fact, even right now, I'm repressing everything. If you were to even gaze upon my true form now you'd most likely die. Some things are better not known." 

Melissa looked at him "You've become a god already what else have I not found out?" Melissa gave him a glare before softening as a giggle sounded closer as the sound of feet running could be heard. It was Klein's niece. Suddenly the small girl tripped as she let out a cry, she had scraped her knee against the floor. Klein chuckled "Nice to meet you young one. I'm your uncle." 

The girl brightened up "Da Pool apove gway pog!" Klein paled at the butcherment of his name. Klein bent down "Does it hurt? Uncle has a way of fixing this boo." 

The girl nodded as she showed Klein her knee. Klein simply snapped his fingers as the wound disappeared. Melissa looked at Klein "I suppose the fact that you appeared means most of the troubles have been solved? You must have fun using godly powers for menial tasks." 

Klein shrugged "It's needed. I need all the power I can get in order to protect all of you. The impending apocalypse is eventually coming." Melissa nodded before Klein pulled out his wallet. "I think we should eat out on me." 

Suddenly Benson who had woken up from his daughter's shouts suddenly noticed Klein. "Melissa wasn't lying. You really are still alive. Wait does that mean Melissa was also telling the truth that you are The Fool?" 

Klein gave a stare at Melissa who looked away "Only a few of my closest angels know, but here you are preaching to every family member that I'm the Fool." 

A wave of mysticism filled the room as Klein checked "Benson, what is 1+1?" 

Benson looked completely out of it "What do you mean Klein it's obviously 3." Melissa paled "Klein what did you do to Benson?" 

Klein smirked before replying and looking at Benson "Blind stupidity. Benson, you don't know that I'm the Fool. You have no evidence that I am. I'm alive from a faked death." A simple application of Error and a snap of the finger as Benson acted as if nothing ever happened. "Klein it's good to see you again." 

Melissa smacked Klein again. "That's your brother!" Klein shielded himself as he explained "Benson isn't part of the world of mysticism, It's best he doesn't know. You at least are a beyonder." 

Melissa scolded him "It's not just about that. You can't just use your godly powers for everything." Klein sweatdropped as he confessed to Melissa "You know that when I woke up and realised you were planning to elope with a homeless divorcee I was about to smite him. Luckily I found out it was your friend." 

Melissa's mouth opened as she continued to smack him "KLEIN! You almost smote my friend with a lightning bolt? So that's why there was lightning on a clear day."

Klein sighed as their position shifted into a restaurant. "I'm won't be seeing you as much. I'm going to spread more anchors among parallel worlds. Just being with you alone is enough to regain a bit of humanity but my overall amount of anchors is small. I'm not like Evernight who had quite a time to amass a following. I'll visit when I have time." Klein shook his hand as he handed Melissa a worm of spirit.

"This is a worm of spirit, a part of me. You can communicate with me through the worm and it'll be able to protect you to some extent by coordinating with others through Sefirah Castle." 

Melissa nodded as the family sat down and had a peaceful dinner once again. 

Klein simply sat and watched them with joy. The scene he saw before he went to sleep could be seen. 

The candle lights flickering, voices filled with joy. Family, company, friends. Now the family that sat at the table was complete. He closed his eyes hoping that whatever he saw remained. His eye opened as his niece poked him and offered a bit of her ice-cream. Klein gave a genuine smile and out of selfishness, he had fooled time into making this moment last a bit longer as he wouldn't be seeing them for a bit. 

 After a period of isolation and walking a journey that no one praised. The Fool finally tasted love and joy, ridding himself of isolation. Yet now that he has tasted that feeling, can he afford to lose it this time? Klein steeled himself after that thought vanished from his mind. The long pleasant dinner finished as Klein took of his hat and bowed in front of Melissa "I must be going soon before the other gods express their displeasure of me descending." 

Melissa blinked and he was gone as if he had never been real. She clenched hard on the worm that was left. 

"Ouch" 

Melissa almost jolted as she stared at the worm.

"Melissa you almost chocked your brother to death."