To put it simply, there were Entities outside the room who would knock at his door. It was what Blodeuwedd comprehended upon the disclosure in his mind as it was also recorded in the Handbook. These Entities would come once, however not all of them would eventually knock at his door — yet whatever they were called, those weren't mentioned in the Law.
The Law could only imply three articles to date, but they were guide in order to fathom the burden of either accepting or rejecting the offer after the knock.
Blodeuwedd stared past the lanterns. Before the hay, just meters away, stood a towering double door of polished iridium, its surface marred not by seams, but by a network of deep-set veins that pulsed with a sullen red light, like embers breathing beneath metal skin. The glow intensified along the central fissure, as if the door was alive and waiting for physical contact. Its appearance was reflected by the mirror walls, as though the room was supposed to be as strange as the current situation he was in.
'I still couldn't remember anything. I wonder what happened to my memories.' Blodeuwedd could feel the burden on his shoulders, but he still left the hay and let his feet kiss the liquid of pure black, smoke being released when he finally landed on the floor, as the gooey and adhesive liquid was as high as his ankle. 'So cold. What is this anyway, a flood of ink?'
Which was the truth because it was freezing his bare feet, the cold washing through his body.
Knees trembling from such state, he clenched his jaw.
He walked forward until he met the double door face-to-face, its sullen red lights had shone on his frame, even caressing his face.
Blodeuwedd was quietly scrutinizing the door for a while, until he heard his first guest outside.
KNOCK! The door slightly shook by the intensity of the knock, as though the Entity outside was rather rough. On the other hand, a new page had already replaced the old one. Then, a new panel had appeared as though it was in need of update itself.
「You have acquired your [First Knock].」
「The [Entity] is revealing Himself.」
Suddenly, the red glow died along with the lanterns' light. Darkness blanketed the entire room, but Blodeuwedd remained standing in front of the door. The only light he could see was from the Handbook's torn page floating in the air.
「The [Entity] has introduced Himself as [Death].」
「The [Law of Knocking] has been updated.」
'Crap.' What Blodeuwedd could only do was to wince at the rushing information being imprinted once more in him. His eyes widened when he had realized what the Entities' purpose was and why they needed to knock in the first place. His stomach churned on the idea.
'I'm gonna be adopted by an Entity with the role of a Parent?' he said in his mind, because for him, such concept was concerning and utterly devastating. 'By doing so, I can inherit their Heritage, but what exactly is a Heritage...'
He couldn't process what was given to him by the Handbook.
「Your potential [Parent] is waiting for your response.」
He suddenly remembered the First Law.
"I heed your knock." Blodeuwedd composed himself even when the cold was freezing his body.
According to the Handbook, the first stage of the Law defined recognition. A knock could only occur if a Parent had perceived a mortal capable of responding, and the mortal must heed the knock orally. This perception did not guarantee adoption, nor did it obligate the mortal to comply. It merely signified that the Parent acknowledged the soul as one who could be called and the mortal acknowledged the potential as one who could be the chosen Parent.
「"Death,"」 He replied, like an eternity of abyss, a voice hoarse — cold, and filled with the rage of hundreds of undead batallions, 「 "is waiting."」
He could feel the hair on his skin rose.
'Is it necessary for a Parent to scare the Child just so the latter could accept the knock and open the door?' At some point, Blodeuwedd felt that his ears rang, the side of his eyes twitching hideously. He felt mocked and ridiculed by the utterance.
"Mr. Death," he called, "why did you knock on my door?"
「"Child, you are not like the other."」 Death was somehow wondering with His tone, that He was silent for a second before He continued. 「"You're carrying a soul that is incomplete, a memory that has abandoned its own".」
Suddenly, Blodeuwedd sensed how his heart throbbed faster than it originally was. Death's utterance carried a truth that he might not be able avoid, but to say something that was more confusing make it even worse for him. Blodeuwedd still knew that He wasn't bluffing.
"What do you mean?" Blodeuwedd hid the curiosity in his tone, but he failed doing so. Anxiousness was somehow evident when he spoke of his query, as though he couldn't make a facade.
「"Do I have to mean anything that has already lost its meaning?"」 Now, Death sounded like He was about to parade the Child in the room out in the open to persecute him. 「"Death is waiting."」
"Why do you even need me for is what I want to understand in and of itself, Mr. Death." He had to simply take his time well knowing that what the Handbook could give him were glimpses of the whole truth. He wondered if he could even fathom everything all at once.
「"Then open the door and you shall understand."」
'He's a trickster.' Blodeuwedd nodded upon knowing that there was a bargain. Such bargain was something he might never take — at least, he wouldn't dare.
He recalled the Second Law.
"You shall flee, Mr. Death." Blodeuwedd thought of what His reaction could be, knowing that he just provoked an Entity. It was even Death Himself, though it was never fun for him. He simply needed to get rid of His presence. Though he must have faith that another Parent would knock.
For the second stage governed sequence and limit.
Like Death, each Parent was bound to a finite number of knocks, predetermined by their nature. These knocks could not be repeated indefinitely, nor could they be reclaimed once exhausted. The manner of knocking, its number, rhythm, and interval, was unique to each Parent and served as both signature and constraint. A Parent who exhausted their allotted knocks could no longer attempt persuasion, nor could they intervene further, regardless of outcome.
This meant that Death could only knock once if that was His allotment.
「"You tell Death to flee?"」 There was a bit of annoyance in His cold voice. 「"Interesting."」
"I will not open the door."
「"And why is that?"」
"Do you even have to know?"
KNOCK! It was an angered knock filled with force that Blodeuwedd had to step backward to compose his stance. Blodeuwedd didn't expect that He could knock another, but his understanding could be wrong due to the sudden turn of event.
'That knock seems personal. I thought He's about to kill me.' Blodeuwedd silently heaved a sigh of relief, being mindful that a door was separating them, and inside the room, he was being protected by someone who was called The Widower.
「"I have made my last attempt,"」 Death said without any worries in its tone as though He regained His lost composure. 「"I've deemed that you might have clung on Hope, but will Hope come, old Child?"」
"Flee," Blodeuwedd repeated himself. As though he would not want to hear His voice speaking nonsense.
「"Don't worry. My knocks are exhausting themselves."」 Yet it was as if He was telling him that He would pester the Child until the exhaustion took place. 「"Tell me. Why must you put yourself in the pedestal for Hope?"」
He creased his forehead. "You seem to be mistaken."
Surely, he wasn't really waiting for a specific Parent in mind. Aside from Death, the Law of Knocking hadn't mentioned any of the Entities aside the fact that it was updating, though not from time to time. Perhaps, the Handbook could only give glimpses that a simple mind could explore.
「"Yet shall I be when you speak as though Death is a feeble thing."」
Death's retaliation caused him to be mute.
「"Your tongue is a sword I wanted to destroy, yet a sword that might be the only thing keeping you sane."」 Death was as though He was comprehending Blodeuwedd's soul, as though He was forcing Himself to see him through. 「"One knock is enough for Death, twice means Death warns, yet Death is patient."」
"You speak different things and try to converse with unfathomable words." Blodeuwedd blindly gazed at the mirror ceiling, his reflection was vaguely noticed because of darkness. "I do not wish to say anything more, so flee."
「"Consider yourself lucky that there is a door separating us." 」 Death growled unhappily and unsatisfied. 「"But it seemed Hope is waiting for Her turn. My knocks are bidding farewell."」
Blodeuwedd was reminded of the Third Law.
The third stage concerned persuasion without coercion. Upon knocking, a Parent was permitted to speak, to answer questions, and to present truths or riddles according to their nature. However, they were forbidden from inflicting harm, imposing force, or compelling obedience. Any act of violence prior to acceptance was a violation of the Law. Such reason was enough for Blodeuweddto instigate Deathto flee.
When the lanterns' light came back along with the red glow on the double door, Blodeuwedd sighed with relief once more.
「Your potential [Parent] [Death] has left.」
「You have rejected the offer of a [Parent].」
'Is it Miss Hope's turn?' He was unaware if he could call the Entities with such endearment, but Blodeuwedd still had the guts to show some respect. Though he became a provocateur in his conversation with Death. 'Such hypocrisy that I respected and disrespected Mr. Death at the same time.'
Knock, knock, knock. It was three times, but each knock was calm and gentle, as though what was outside didn't mean any harm at all. Blodeuwedd assumed that it was indeed the Entity called Hope, otherwise what could be waiting for him in this round?
When a new notification appeared, Blodeuwedd prepared himself.
「You have acquired your [Second Knock].」
「The [Entity] is revealing Herself.」
His assumption was correct, as it was also stated by Death.
「The [Entity] has introduced Herself as [Hope].」
But what good would it do to him?
He was wary of a certain fact he simply veiled to Death.
"Blodeuwedd, never open doors."
So when he looked at the door intently, he was exactly being mindful that never had he mistook something.
「Your potential [Parent] is waiting for your response.」
「The [Law of Knocking] has been updated.」