"Uh…" Alaric blinked, admitting candidly, "I forgot."
"???"
Bethel gave a wry smile but didn't press further. "So, when are you dealing with my little furry problem?"
"If you're ready, we can do it now," Alaric said with a grin.
"Then give me some time to finish grading these papers," Bethel replied, smiling. Responsible as ever, he wouldn't abandon half-graded papers to do something else.
"Sure thing!" Alaric nodded, then added, "Need a hand?"
"If you're offering," Bethel said, not refusing.
…
By the time they finished grading, it was late. Alaric didn't rush into the procedure, instead letting Bethel rest for the night to get into peak condition.
Alaric himself took the chance to get a good night's sleep, ensuring he was at his best.
The next morning, after breakfast, Alaric and Bethel headed to a familiar alternate space.
Roselle tagged along, mainly to guard against any mishaps during the treatment. As a Sequence 0 and a former patient, Roselle could intervene if Bethel went berserk and provide reference as a prior test subject.
The procedure went smoothly. When Bethel awoke from his induced slumber, the corruption in him had been rendered harmless, just like Roselle's.
"How're you feeling, buddy?" Roselle leaned in, waving a hand in front of Bethel's eyes. When Bethel's gaze followed, Roselle pointed at Alaric. "Any instinctive fear looking at that face?"
Bethel hesitated briefly. "It's fine. There's some instinctive fear, but it's mild and easily suppressed by reason."
"Tch, is this the VIP treatment for patients? Totally different from lab rat number one," Roselle said, dramatically sucking in a breath.
Alaric shot him a look, unimpressed. "You know why you're lab rat number one. If you hadn't been such a mess... colonial nonsense, all that chaos... your tech contributions wouldn't have landed you in the lab rat slot."
"Uh, well…" Roselle gave an awkward laugh, not arguing. He knew he wasn't exactly a saint... never had been.
Ignoring him, Alaric turned to Bethel, his tone unusually gentle. "You good?"
"I'm fine. Feeling great, actually," Bethel said with a smile, then grew serious. "So, I've decided to ascend to Sequence 0 now."
"That fast?" Alaric raised an eyebrow, not entirely surprised.
"The world doesn't have much time left. Ascending sooner benefits everyone," Bethel said, exhaling.
"Alright, I respect your choice," Alaric nodded. He always honored his friends' decisions.
That day, every door in the world shimmered with a strange resonance, marking the birth of a true god of the Door pathway.
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, at the True Creator's domain...
Amon, who had been studying the Blasphemy Slate thanks to Third Dad's leniency, suddenly looked up, sensing something. As the King of Angels of the Error pathway, it could feel the emergence of "Door."
"Bethel…" Amon adjusted its monocle, its expression complex but not overly regretful.
It knew that with Bethel taking this step, its own chances were gone.
But Amon respected Bethel, an old colleague, and had long accepted it could never become the Lord of Mysteries. So, it took the news fairly well.
…
"That's for the best…" Amon gave a relieved smile, ready to resume studying the Blasphemy Slate.
From the shadows, the True Creator, who had been silent, spoke up. "If you'd had this humanity before, that position might've been yours."
"Spare me. I couldn't handle that responsibility, even now," Amon shook its head. "Don't expect too much from me, True Creator. I'm not one of your good guys."
The True Creator seemed to sigh, then, after a few seconds, said, "What happened to 'Third Dad'?"
Amon froze mid-motion. "I'll deal with that one sooner or later."
It was, of course, referring to Lil' Amon.
The True Creator chuckled. "But isn't it you, too?"
Amon didn't argue, returning to the Blasphemy Slate.
The True Creator, seemingly pleased, retreated to the shadows to tend to his mushrooms.
…
"Tch, Bethel's ascended too, huh?" On a battlefield in Intis, Medici, commanding rebel forces, clearly sensed something. He clicked his tongue, not upset about Bethel's ascension but frustrated at still being stuck as an Kings of Angel.
Still, he was close.
Medici's lips curled into a reckless grin.
With his and the Republic's support, rebel forces across nations were advancing smoothly. Soon, this continent-spanning revolution would end, and Medici would complete his ritual to ascend to Sequence 0.
As for the Sequence 1 characteristic he lacked... Medici hadn't been idle in Intis. Beyond commanding battles, he'd been busy.
Soon, he'd claim the Conqueror characteristic from the Mirror World.
And the other Conqueror characteristic…
"The Primordial Demoness…" Medici's eyes narrowed at recent intelligence from William I.
She'd been restless lately. Perhaps it was time to make some preparations.
…
"Mr. Bethel, you've ascended to Sequence 0?"
Back at the Abraham residence, Klein, who had been waiting, hurried over, asking eagerly.
As the master of Sefirah Castle, he'd faintly sensed what had happened.
"Yes, it went smoothly," Bethel nodded with a smile, then hesitated. "If you're willing, I'll start trying to bond with Sefirah Castle over the next while."
Though Bethel still lacked the uniqueness and Sequence 1 characteristics of Error and Fool, just as Klein had begun bonding with Sefirah Castle at Sequence 2 in the original story, Bethel could attempt the same as a Sequence 0.
"Of course I'm willing!" Klein nodded without a second's hesitation. "If there's anything I can help with, Mr. Bethel, just say the word."
***
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