The Seeker | Volume 2

"Cards of Replication? The last time I'd heard of such a thing was when Mrs. Mulligan went off to find them. She hasn't returned to the historical society since…" Arden said as he scratched his nose. Cosette was silent for a few more moments before looking back at me, her eyes filled with a tiny yet clear amount of concern. "May I ask where you're looking for them?"

I didn't know how to answer. How could I tell the siblings that I made a deal with a half-resurrected Lord of Angels? I took a deep breath before replying. "It's a deal I'm unable to disclose. I know that Sylvie Mulligan has worked here, what do you know about her?" I asked.

"Well, she's a pretty difficult person. She'd always show up late for some reason…" Cosette answered. "When's the last time you have seen her?" I continued to press her. 

"About a week ago. She told us she found another job on top of this one to make better profit off of, but the job?...she never disclosed what it was." 

It was most likely Ian's gathering. The mental remembrance of the gathering reminded me to learn more about the Silver Snake Committee. "When do you think I'll be able to see this Silver Snake Committee?"

Cosette and Arden looked back at the historical society for a few moments, watching Mrs. Adriana work inside the building, she was accommodating the guests who had just walked in. "Well, Mrs. Adriana looks busy, so she probably won't notice our departure for long." 

Cosette said as she grabbed her brother's arm. She led us downtown and led us to a very ordinary looking building. The metal print "Pan Marché de Bolivar" was engraved in a metal plate that hung on a street light near the front door.

"We usually let ourselves in. This place is large so it wouldn't be that much of a hassle to do so." Cosette said as she pushed open the door. The inside of the complex had a homey feel, but it was cluttered full of businessmen and businesswoman working at their desks, mumbling indescribable things at their notes.

They didn't pay us mind, in fact, I'm not even sure they looked up at us. Cosette and Arden led me down a dimly lit hallway with a wooden door at the end of it. The door was featureless until Cosette pressed her palm on the center of it. The sigil of a snake wrapping around a sword appeared, dyed with a snow white hue.

The door suddenly opened on its own, leading to a staircase that descended down into the darkness, the length of it was unknown. Arden grabbed a nearby gas candle and illuminated it by blowing on it. At Order 8 conducting "miracles," even very small ones, was a common ability among the more virtuous Routeways. 

The staircase descended for about 2 minutes before we walked onto the stone floor. The room was dark and I couldn't see anything, but the 2 siblings maneuvered through the dark chambers as if they knew it like the back of their hand. "You seem to know your way around, huh." I said softly as Cosette and Arden approached an iron door.

They didn't say anything as they pushed it open. The room behind the door was dimly lit by a gas lamp above a burgundy table. They were quite common in the prosperous towns of Seraphis Kingdom due to the rich being able to afford them. At the table was a man dressed in black robes. He had iron black hair and yellow eyes that glowed dimly in the lack of illumination. 

"May I ask who you are?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow with an indiscernible smile. I walked into the room before sitting in the chair across from the man, which I guessed would be Mr. Dwane Konstantine. "My names Isaac, your accomplices Cosette and Arden Stiener led me here under the promise that I might be able to attend your gathering. I've only come here in the hopes that you'll be able to help me attain the Cards of Replication." I said solemnly.

Mr. Dwane paused for a few moments, looking down at his desk before looking back up at me, his expression now suddenly unreadable. "This gathering is a secret one…did Cosette and Arden tell you about it…or did you find out about it yourself?" he asked, his voice filled with a strange amount of suspicion. 

"Arden described it inadvertently, he said that he and his sister would be able to be promoted to Order 7 under your help." I said as I straightened my back. Mr. Dwane shot the 2 siblings a bitter glance before looking back at me while rolling his eyes. "Well, tell them their desired potion ingredients will be suspended from them until further notice."

I could hear Arden and Cosette mumbling angry things behind me after being punished, but I quickly returned my attention to the yellow eyed man. "You said you needed the Cards of Replication?" Mr. Dwane asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "I-I do. Though the reason I need is not open for disclosure." I replied. Mr. Dwane's lips curled up slightly as he gripped the silver snake pendant that hung around his neck. "Tell me…are your intentions with the cards good or bad?" He asked.

On the table before me, 2 pieces of paper suddenly appeared with writing plastered in black ink. The paper on the left read "yes" while the other paper read "no." I didn't know how to answer this question. I only needed to give De-Taylel the Destruction card and its characteristics to let "him" revive. So was I doing a bad thing by letting "him" revive? Or am I doing a good thing by letting "him" revive?

As if it were instinct, I grabbed both papers. The snake pendant on his neck began to vibrate, and the tiny eyes engraved in its head glowed a bright white. Mr. Dwane took my options back, aware that I had taken both.

The snake pendant suddenly began to move left and right simultaneously between the 2 cards, as if in a dilemma on which answer was correct. Mr. Dwane raised an eyebrow from this sight and frowned. "It appears the pendent doesn't even know your answer…you're confusing me, child."

"Why am I confusing you? What aspect does the snake read, someone's heart, or someone's logical and rational reasoning?" I asked, holding my arms. Mr. Dwane fell silent. "Well, that answer is something even I don't know. This snake was an artifact from the third epoch…it was constructed by angels."

Made by angels? I suddenly remembered Crodio's words: "Morality isn't much in the face of those who can create and destroy as they please…"

After remembering that, I chuckled as I leaned back in my chair. "It reads logical reasoning, doesn't it? If it read emotional reasoning, it would have given you the same answer. If using proper logic both answers are available with enough given factors…but emotions are deeper than logic, it's what makes the human brain so complex, so intricate…it's what makes a human a human, the ability to make a decision."

Mr. Dwane raised an eyebrow as he chuckled suddenly. "You're smart, a lot smarter than I'd previously thought. I have a feeling you're going to be a valuable asset to us." he said with some genuine semblance of amazement and acknowledgement in his voice. 

I thanked him, before leaning forward in my chair and looking him in the eyes. "I appreciate that. Though, there are some things I'd like to ask you."

…

After Aizawa woke up from his previously aroused state, he cleaned himself up and bathed before heading out of his apartment. He'd previously purchased an apartment near our complex as a way to keep tabs on us. In the morning he'd talked to Cattleya about his strange state the previous night, so she gave him an address for him to visit, an address Cattleya had previously described as "familiar" and "routine."

Aizawa took a carriage to the address, but to his surprise he didn't see a building, but instead he saw a small tent where it should've been. He sighed as he approached the purple fabric tent and pushed it open, only to see a woman with a veil over her head, her eyes unseen.

"A woman named Cattleya told me to visit you." Aizawa said as he sat down across from the lady. She nodded her head. "I know Cattleya, I was her mentor. If she's sending you to me it must be something she couldn't handle on her own."

Hearing this, Aizawa's heart sank a little. Cattleya's knowledge of mystical and spiritual aspects was beyond what he could have imagined. But if it's something not even she knows about, it must be serious. "Now tell me dear, what exactly troubles you? What exactly could Cattleya not have mended?" She asked in a neutral voice.

Aizawa blushed a little, slightly embarrassed by the previous night's happenings, but he shoved it aside and spoke up. "After I returned home from the bar, I felt this overwhelming state of arousal, and when I was about to leave the bathroom I saw a bottle filled with purple liquid."

The woman nodded slowly, taking in Aizawa's statements. "You came home from the bar, did you have anything to drink?" she asked. Aizawa nodded; "A beer."

She then fell silent, after a few moments she took out a small knife. "Give me your wrist." Her tone was neutral, but behind her voice Aizawa could sense some unreadable feeling, something he couldn't quite see yet. 

Aizawa hesitantly reached his hand out, allowing the woman to gently grasp it. Suddenly, she brought the knife to his wrist, allowing warm blood to seep from the wound. She then grabbed a tiny bowl made of wood and allowed the blood to enter it.

"Cattleya told me that one of her friends; Aaron, utilized science when it came to testing blood, but the ways of the ancients have proved to be a lot more effective, and a lot quicker." 

She reached into a sack by her table and took out a few miscellaneous ingredients. One looked like some red powder, the other looked like green crystals. "What are those things?" Aizawa asked in curiosity. 

The woman didn't reply as she dropped the powder and crystals into the blood mixture. The blood soon began to glow and turn an illusory purple hue. Suddenly, the newly made formula began to rise as if more liquid had entered the bowl.

Within the liquid, Aizawa could begin to see a strange symbol. When it fully came into fruition, Aizawa could see it clearly. It was a circle with numerous spikes protruding from it, and in the middle was a lit flame, dancing as if it were animated. 

"So, you've inadvertently drunk the Demon Routeway potion." She exclaimed in curiosity. She then looked back up at Aizawa and nodded. "The Demon Routeway contains mostly sensual aspects upon being consumed, so I must have guessed you drank this before extracting your blood."

"How would I control and harness these new abilities? Would I have to be promoted, or can I stay lower?" Aizawa asked.

The woman shook her head. "At Order 9 of the Demon Routeway you mostly gain Spirit Calling, enhanced seduction abilities and some form of heightened physical strength. Or voices that come from spirits to guide you, at Order 8 they fade and instead become a heightened intuition." She explained. Aizawa nodded, not knowing how to take in this information. Aizawa had already had a quirk, and he was completely unaware of how supernatural and foreign abilities would collude with the power he was born with. Would one fight the other? Would they merge and become one?

Aizawa didn't have the time to answer these questions. He thanked the woman before leaving the tent and going back to his apartment. When he entered the semi-familiar space, he collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. "Apocalypse…Apocalypse…" strange ravings began to echo in his ears…