Lea took a day to rest and for observation; everything was right in the Reve District. But with the added sounds of children ughing brightly.

  Beneath her view from the window, clowns jugglings and magicians performed their tricks to earn extra cash. Nothing wrong was going on...

  There was absolutely nothing nefarious going on.

  It might be like what Andre said, everything is bigger, and it wouldn't just include Ein. However, the other Pathstriders that came to the circus are another major problem.

  Today is the day she heads to Lacrosa.

  After admiring the view a bit more, she readied her things and went ahead to the cafe. Her mind was still whirling about the upcoming gathering.

  The familiar scent of hand-ground coffee bean wafted to her, easing her mind.

  Naturally, she came to the counter, "I'd like some kene bread, please."

  The owner nodded, "It's in the back, you can use upstairs."

  "Thanks."

  She headed to the back, going to the door with the hammer and sickle symbol. Pcing her card against it, she opened the elevator.

  =0=0=

  Jim took a bowl of stew from a masked tribal man, nodding in appreciation.

  "Thanks, Akyu."

  He was resting in a vilge not far from his ritual ground, the pce he had been staying for the past few weeks. After yesterday's gathering, he found a new introspect into the culture of the New World.

  The presence of the malevolent divine entity known as the Tome of Light here is stronger than ever, to the point that the social norm here is to run away in the opposite direction when a second bright light source suddenly appears.

  And the Goddess of Madness is here, Her presence is the only worship prevalent in this pce, but under another name - Mother of Desire. People here, across all tribes, asked for Her protection through ritual offering, granting them power not unlike Pathstriders.

  The masked tribal man eating next to him, a friend he had made in his lone journey across the New World. His strength is comparable to Third Step Pathstrider.

  But there are those, like in his home continent, chosen ones of the gods, the Blesseds, who are at least at the Fifth Step. They are true monsters, watch over the nd, called the Oath Keepers.

  In fact, all of his actions are sanctioned by one of them by giving the appropriate offering he had traded with Rasputin - Eric. He was fast, sure, but not even he could outst them, who usually hunt Horror-like monsters in the nd.

  The animals here are way tougher than the ones back at home, not only big but capable of shrugging off sshes. Hunting one can take over hours, but one such beast can feed an entire vilge for at least a week.

  Finishing his dinner, he went ahead to the river nearby and washed the wooden bowl.

  Jim stood at the riverbank, bowl dripping in his hand, the water running cold against his scarred knuckles. The vilge y quiet behind him, shadows flickering under torchlight.

  Akyu and the others sang low prayers to the Mother of Desire, voices carrying like smoke through the jungle canopy.

  He let the bowl sink into the current. His hand lingered a moment, then released. That simple act, letting go, marked the st comfort he allowed himself before the trial.

  He walked to the ritual ground, a clearing painted in pale ash and blood.

  Six stakes circled the pce, each carved with runes of a different domain- stone, sand, water, wood, wind, and fire.

  The Oath Keeper who sanctioned him had marked these paths personally, warning Jim in his guttural voice...

  "If you fail to run them, boy, your flesh will be torn apart by Desire’s ughter."

  But this trial he had failed over and over again just made him stronger, sharpening him like a sword.

  Jim breathed once and stepped barefoot into the circle.

  The first torch fred.

  The ground beneath him buckled. Stone erupted from the soil, and suddenly he was sprinting across a cliffside where every step sent shards tumbling into a bottomless abyss. Thin air cwed his lungs.

  The world shook under him, avanches rolling like thunder. His legs screamed, but he pressed forward, body snapping into rhythm, his blood pounding with the cadence of falling rock.

  He burst from cold mountain air into the blistering breath of dunes. The sand burned and shifted underfoot, swallowing him to the ankles with every stride.

  Every grain of sand stung like knives. Hours passed like seconds. His sweat turned to salt. Still, he ran.

  A wall of rot and steam swallowed him next. Murk rose to his knees, vines dragging at his legs, insects biting raw flesh. Frogs croaked like drums in the dark. The smell of decay thickened until breathing felt like drowning.

  Jim's stride staggered, but his will snapped sharper. He heaved himself over roots as thick as towers, each step a battle against sinking deeper.

  Then green, so much green. Trees rose into an endless cathedral, branches cwing the sky. Birds screeched and scattered as he tore through, weaving between trunks at inhuman speed.

  The forest floor was tangled with thorns and roots sharp enough to pierce flesh, but Jim’s body moved like memory.

  He leapt, rolled, surged forward, his bare feet slick with blood and sap. Shadows twisted into shapes... men, beasts, things with too many eyes. He didn’t stop.

  Then, sudden openness.

  Grassnds as far as the eye could see, wind ripping across the earth with the voice of ghosts.

  The horizon never came closer, but Jim’s stride lengthened, every muscle burning as he pushed faster.

  Storm clouds galloped with him, lightning fshing at his heels. His bones rattled with every thundercp, but he welcomed it. He was the storm now, a shadow cutting across an endless field.

  And finally, the roar of waves. He hit water at full sprint.

  He ran across the ocean as if the waves hardened just beneath his soles, each footfall leaving steam and salt spray in his wake. The moon’s reflection fractured into silver shards around him.

  For six hours, he thundered across six worlds, his body breaking and rebuilding with every breath, his soul tearing and knitting tighter with every stride.

  By the time he broke back into the clearing, the torches had burned down to embers. His body colpsed, face-first into the dirt, chest heaving like a beast just escaped the hunt. And he felt it— power came into his body, merely waiting to be solidified.

  He had run the equivalent circumference of the world, making twists and turns to supplement that. All of his efforts had finally paid off... his timing was perfect...

  Straggering up, he let out a breath... and he chanted the Honorific Title the Lady of the Library had given him long ago.

  "Speed beyond Light and Darkness!!Trailbzing through all Possibilities!!Weaver of Fate and Destiny!!!"

  He let out a struggling breath, feeling the power inside wrecking him, insanity gnawing at him like mad beasts trying to tear him apart. There was only one more step!!

  "Tachyon!!!"

  For the briefest of moments, Jim saw It— motes of bck and yellow weaves together, forming a colossal beast of fur and eyes. Staring straight at him...

  He blinked, and he colpsed.

  =0=0=

  Lady Keter opened a bnk book, for the briefest of moments, it glows a yellow light, dyeing the monochrome world in its radiance. Then the library once again was swallowed by the void.

  Closing the book, it now bears a title - Jim Ramore.

  "I welcome you to the Paean of the World."

  =0=0=

  With a bag of donuts in her hands, Lea made her way through the streets of Lacrosa. She had already traded the gold bar for some Cee; it was surprisingly easy.

  She now has ten thousand Cee at her disposal; it was a lot of cash for Lea. So she patted the banknotes in her inner pocket from time to time, making sure they were there.

  Still, due to her sensitivity, Lacrosa makes her a bit nervous. The abundance of Pathstriders casually walking around gives her shivers. But she managed not to show it.

  After being lost for a bit, she spotted a guard on patrol. Taking the chance, she came over and asked.

  "Excuse me, where is Esmerm Street?"

  The guard in golden armor looked at her for a second, scanning to see if she was a danger, then spoke, "Just head over to the right, go through two crossroads, and take a left turn, walk down that way for a while, and you should see the sign."

  Lea nodded. She was about to say thanks, but...

  "Or, you could take the cab.", he pointed behind him.

  Steam-powered cars were lining up, waiting. It made Lea blush a bit out of embarrassment.

  "Thanks...", she bowed and hurriedly left.

  The guard chuckled and waved at her departure.

  Lea quickly got to one of the cabs and requested Esmerm Street as her destination. She paid 2 Cee for the entire trip.

  As she was enjoying her donuts, gazing out at the beautiful yet strange architectural style of this city, gold and marble everywhere, she heard a shriek that jolted her up.

  "What happened?", she asked the driver.

  Who just chuckled, "The Steam Bat announced their arrival to the city."

  Looking out of the cab window, her gaze was pulled toward the city’s heart, where the tallest tower pierced the heavens. And there, looming over the skyline, It appeared.

  The Steam Bat.

  A titan of brass and shadow, its body pted in golden pipes that hissed and exhaled streams of vapor like the breath of a thousand furnaces. Its vast wings unfolded not with the rustle of flesh, but with the thunder of engines, each motion a storm of gears grinding against unseen ws of the world.

  Five pairs of eyes burned upon its skull, radiant pools of molten gold, each iris marked with a crimson 'X' that pulsed like a brand. When those eyes turned, the very air seemed to warp, as though the Bat was not merely looking at the city, but through it. Piercing its veins, its foundations, its every hidden chamber.

  Its cry rang out, not a mere shriek but a choral roar of steam whistles, warped horns, and the groan of ancient machines. It was the sound of industry dreaming, the hymn of furnaces in endless bor. People clutched their ears, but none dared scream.

  The golden mist it exhaled descended upon Lacrosa like a benediction and a warning, settling over rooftops and marble spires.

  The cab driver only smirked, steady hands on the wheel. Amused at the awestruck Lea.

  After all, most people never have the chance to witness the divine body of a god. Here was one, imposing without even exerting its divinity.

  "The Steam Bat that protects the Nation of the Forsaken, as long as you paid It enough treasure or made enough, It would fulfill an accepted deal.", he casually mentioned, "Our ancestors performed just that, by making a pact with It, in exchange for eternal servitude, the Steam Bat would forever protect us."

  Looking at the silent divine entity, it is obvious that nobody would mess with a creature of that size, not to mention a god.

  For indefinite protection, eternal servitude...

  "What does eternal servitude mean exactly?", she pried in further.

  "It's just taxes, fifteen percent of all income.", he chuckled, "We don't even need to do taxes, the money just magically vanishes from our account at the end of every year, even if you don't have an account, the money will magically disappear."

  It sounds... reasonable?

  If it wasn't about eternal servitude, Lea bet the Steam Bat would be an orthodox god.

  Soon, she arrived at Esmerm Street. Looking around, she spotted the sign for Galley's Salon. She looked into the window of the shop, and she was amazed.

  Felt velvet chairs y around, women dressed in high society dresses lounging around, gossiping, drinking tea, and doing their make-up.

  It was way too fancy for someone like Lea, who was currently dressed in a fur coat, making her look like some sort of gang member, even more so with her eyes.

  Still, she steadied her heart and walked right in. Her destination was the reception table where she... met an old woman who looked like she would eat children, crooked, untrustworthy, and uncomfortable to be around. Especially with that long nose like a witch. Her red, extravagant dress certainly doesn't help it either.

  Bathory's description was accurate.

  "Hehe... an unfamiliar face.", even her voice screams untrustworthy!!

  How in the name of the Lord... Lea thought she had somehow met someone this suspicious.

  "I came here via recommendation.", she held herself back, "I seek the Lady in White..."

  The sounds of the gossip and discussion vanished in an instant. Lea internally screamed, this was a Pathstrider, not just a normal crooked woman who most likely ate children!! Of course she was!!

  The woman smiled, her blue eyes gleaming with a purple tint, "hoho... veery well..."

  From underneath the table, she took out a masquerade half-mask and a key, giving them to Lea.

  "This is your waiting room, newcomer, get free for the first time.", the woman smiled, giggling, "When the clock hits seventy-three, open the door next to the bed and just follow the path— and be sure to wear the mask, hehehehe..."

  And so, Lea was about to enter her second gathering of mysticism.

  This time, not invited by a god.