Light. The man saw light—the kind of light he loved. His mouth hung open slightly as Roy's [Light Transformation] pierced through his body. In that instant, his life unfurled like a scroll, spreading across a heart that was far from peaceful—one that was, in fact, quite dark.
His name was Ribery Garcia, the second son of the Garcia family from the Principality of Samir.
According to the "Divine Right of Kings," the nobility was divided into ranks: Duke, Earl, Marquis, Viscount, and Baron. As Viscounts, the Garcia family enjoyed [Fourth-Class Protection]. Beyond the Nen abilities one could awaken naturally by opening their aura nodes, they could inherit an additional "Aura Capacity" and a new "Awakening" opportunity through this protection. This allowed one to become a powerful "Lord Viscount" possessing dual Nen abilities.
As the child of a Viscount, Ribery's rank was naturally one step lower, designated as a Baron. He could not enjoy [Fourth-Class Protection] like his father, but as a natural-born Baron, he could do what others of his rank did: pray to "God" and undergo a "Baptism" by a Bishop to be granted [Fifth-Class Protection]. Specifically—an extra portion of aura.
"I thank the [Thunder] for granting its rain and dew."
Ribery swore that no one could refuse "Protection," just as no one could refuse power.
After opening his aura nodes and awakening his Nen at a young age, he underwent the baptism of a Bishop—the man known as Benjamin Frederick. He indeed found his aura capacity doubling out of thin air. He had once naively asked his tutor why this happened. The man simply pointed a finger toward the sky.
"Everything is the arrangement of God."
God... It was the first time Ribery felt the reality of that title he had heard since childhood. He remembered it clearly. His tutor had looked so devout as he bowed. The man had placed his right hand over his heart and shouted, "Thunder above!"
He had solemnly warned Ribery: "Do not offend God. Simply remember... He is the Lord who created all, the true monarch who personally established the Principality of Samir, a great existence capable of turning all falsehoods into reality."
Like the countless people surrounding him—his father, mother, brothers, sisters, servants, and maids—they all worshipped, loved, and feared God. They swore to convert to the [Thunder] and never betray it. Until...
He discovered his father was having an affair with a maid. Hearing she was pregnant, his father ordered the Captain of the Guard to "handle" her secretly.
He discovered his mother was committing adultery with the Captain of the Guard. When his father caught them, the three of them simply ended up entangled together on the large bed.
He discovered that his normally gentle and kind sister loved to lock her doors and torture her maids, frequently killing a batch only to replace them with another.
He discovered that his eldest brother, Ulysses, had two faces; behind closed doors, he was always surreptitiously messing around with certain guards.
Ribery became lost. He didn't understand. He couldn't wrap his head around it. He instinctively resisted it, yet a voice appeared in his heart like a tempting demon, urging him... to join in.
When did it start? 'Who are you, and why are you in my heart?' On that rainy night, Ribery slowly began to descend into madness.
He remembered now. It was the "Baptism." It was the [Protection] within his body acting up. In disbelief, he locked himself in his room like a catatonic, neither eating nor drinking. Eventually, his father came to the door and ordered the Captain of the Guard to pry it open. He was hauled out of the room and thrown onto a woman's bed. His father commanded: "Take her!"
Ribery's eyes were bloodshot. He panted heavily and jerked his head up. Before his eyes was his own biological mother—the woman who had been entangled with the Captain of the Guard. She was completely naked, her eyes misty with lust as she opened her arms to him. "Ribery, come here. Come into Mommy's arms."
Boom! Ribery Garcia felt as if something had exploded in his brain!
Chaos, disorder, and insanity gripped his throat like giant hands, strangling the breath out of him. Driven by the pressure, he smashed through the window in a single bound and sprinted into the heavy curtain of rain.
"They're crazy... Hahaha... They're all insane!" The torrential rain poured down, soaking Ribery to the bone.
The man stumbled along, ignoring the shocked stares of passersby. He laughed and cried intermittently, staggering until he reached a magnificent, towering cathedral. He looked up at the dome reaching into the firmament and the massive [Lightning] emblem. Bearing his status as a Baron, Ribery bypassed the guards' inspection and found Lord Benjamin in the prayer hall, praying to the Thunder. His knees buckled, and he crawled to the man's feet.
"God... please give me guidance. What should I do... What do I do?"
Thunder roared outside the window. Ribery looked up to see Lord Benjamin turning around. The man patted his head gently and smiled. "Poor child, you must be lost. God has heard your prayer and sent a revelation."
"Victor, take him down. You know what to do."
"Yes!" The sound of metal armor clattering rang out. In a daze, Ribery felt himself being hoisted up by one hand. When he finally came to his senses, he was tossed into a dim room. Behind him, he heard the knight chuckle wickedly. "Lucky kid, pick one for yourself."
A light flickered on in the yellowed room. Ribery looked up through his wet hair. Before him was a row of young girls, stripped naked, their hands and feet bound. They were suspended from the rafters by a single rope like broken ragdolls, swaying silently in the draft. Ribery lowered his gaze. His heart was shattered.
He propped himself up, refusing to look at the girls. Keeping his head down, he said to the knight, "I'm finished."
The knight named Victor was visibly stunned. When he realized what Ribery meant, he shouted excitedly, "You said it yourself! The Bishop gave you an hour. If you won't use it, then I'll take the prize!"
Victor shoved Ribery aside and began enthusiastically stripping off his armor. He shed his undergarments, revealing layers of greasy, bloated fat, until... he felt a chill between his legs. He screamed, turning back in disbelief. Then, his throat felt a similar chill. A turquoise-encrusted dagger, coated in [Ten], was plunged deep into his neck and twisted, shredding the flesh.
He pointed at Ribery soundlessly, his head lolling to the side. He collapsed to the floor right at the feet of the girls, his life extinguished.
"Ah—finally, I feel better." Ribery let go of the dagger—the one his mother had personally given him for his sixteenth birthday. He let it lie there, discarded and filthy alongside Victor. He casually dropped a playing card onto the man's hideous, pig-like corpse. The card faced up, clearly depicting a red-nosed clown.
"A murder!"
"The killer is—Ribery Garcia!"
The next day, Ribery was placed on the national most-wanted list of the Principality of Samir. From that night on, his journey as a wandering fugitive began.
A "pop" sounded, like the sudden shattering of a dream.
In the outskirts of Iron City, beside the two skeletons, the man who had emerged from the playing card jerked awake! He immediately clutched his chest and manifested his [En], driving out the transparent insects that had been feasting on the "negative emotions" at the darkest, filthiest depths of his heart.
The [Heart Bugs] let out a dissatisfied squeak. Wriggling along the threads of karma, they turned and merged back into Roy's body. Roy then pulled back a patch of uneven turf, revealing two skeletons—one burly and one slightly thin. He confirmed they were indeed Andrew Cooper and Longergong, whom he had killed earlier.
Roy glanced at the man, a hint of sighing in his voice. "You were wrong. We... are not partners, nor are we the same."
A faint, eerie light shimmered at the boy's fingertips. Without any apparent movement, he waved his sleeve, and the remains of Andrew Cooper and Longergong instantly vanished.
Ribery Garcia watched solemnly as the youth added, "I have a family that, while strict, is fairly normal. You... do not."
Roy shrugged, admitting it quite openly.
"You're right." Ribery Garcia looked at Roy with burning eyes. "Friend, can I trust you now?"
The man plucked a playing card and pressed it to his lips. "I'm curious. You possess sharp 'Nen Bullets,' a 'Movement Technique' that resembles 'Light Transformation,' and 'Insects' that eavesdrop on the hearts of others. Which [Earl's] child are you? Or perhaps..."
Ribery Garcia narrowed his eyes. "Have I actually run into a... [Marquis]!"
Duke, Earl, Marquis, Viscount, Baron... sharing [First-Class] through [Fifth-Class Protection]. According to the "Divine Right" of the Principality of Samir, possessing three different Nen abilities was only possible with Third-Class Protection or higher—meaning a [Marquis] or above.
Roy had seen Ribery Garcia's dark past through the [Heart Bugs] and keenly captured this intelligence. He glanced wordlessly at the numerous "skills" lying in his system panel—[Yin], [Yang], [Water], [Fire], [Earth], [Wood], [Wind], [Lightning], and various other Ninjutsu and Breathing Styles. He gave Ribery Garcia a strange look and fell silent.
"I wouldn't dare claim a title. I am merely a minor 'Abandoned Person'..."
An 'Abandoned Person' confined to the island in the center of Lake Mobius, Roy added silently in his mind, though he spoke the truth aloud.
Ribery Garcia's ornate, exaggerated trench coat swayed in the wind. He froze for a moment, then laughed with relief. "I believe you."
He continued, "The fact that your [Sins] are even deeper than mine proves I've found the right person!"
With a whish, the man produced a deck of cards out of nowhere. With a flourish of both hands, he stretched them out like an accordion. It almost made Roy think he had encountered a certain "fruit farmer." Roy nearly unleashed a flying slash to cut him down right then and there.
Roy suppressed the impulse and watched the man's performance, waiting for him to continue.
Ribery Garcia had felt a sudden chill, sensing a faint, fatal threat. He looked around suspiciously before shifting his gaze back to Roy. Steeling himself, he said, "Sir, would you allow me to perform a small divination of your fortune?"
The cards from Two to Ace, along with two Jokers depicting "Red" and "Grey" clowns, flashed before Roy's eyes.
The youth felt a stir of curiosity, forming a vague guess. This former noble Baron had managed to kill church guards and remain a fugitive from the Principality of Samir for all these years while living quite comfortably; clearly, it was inseparable from the Nen-infused deck in his hands.
'Divination... Is it a "prophecy-type" Nen ability similar to Neon's?'
Roy's mind immediately went to Neon and her ability—
[Specialization]: [Lovely Ghostwriter].
[Lovely Ghostwriter]: When activated, it manifests a feather pen that automatically writes down events occurring within the next month. The prophecies vary by person but generally consist of four to five stanzas of four-line poems (Note: One line represents one week).
Requirements: The target must write their name (pen names or stage names work), birth date, and blood type on a piece of paper. Neon then writes the divination on the same paper. (Note: If the person isn't present, a photo is required).
Results: If an ill omen appears, it serves as a warning; as long as the warning is heeded, the event can be avoided.
Flaw: The user cannot predict their own fortune.
This was a manifestation of the "Law of Equivalent Exchange."
Roy pulled back his thoughts and met Ribery Garcia's expectant gaze. After a moment of silence, he asked calmly, "Before that, I want to know the price you must pay."
All [Gains] coexist with [Risks], just as [Faith] corresponds to [Nature Backlash]. As the beneficiary of the [Divination Result], Roy had to clarify this to avoid being entangled by any subsequent fallout.
"As you can see, my divination is related to playing cards." Ribery Garcia was middle-aged and no longer the reckless youth he once was. Having seen that Roy didn't immediately refuse, he felt a sense of relief and quickly added, "Please rest assured, sir. The risk lies with me."
"My divination results manifest at the cost of my own injury. It will not harm you."
Ribery Garcia coughed lightly. His lungs felt as if they were on fire, burning with pain. He forced a smile. "To be honest, before finding this place, I performed a divination for myself. That is how I... waited for you here."
Roy asked, "And then?"
"I coughed up a mouthful of blood. It felt like someone had punched me in the chest."
"Is that so..."
Roy pondered for a moment before finally nodding in affirmation.
Seeing this, Ribery Garcia pushed his luck, fanning the cards again. He said to Roy, "Sir, please select three cards."
"Fine." Roy glanced over them casually. "[Jack], [Eight], [Ace]."
"Suits?"
"Spades, Clubs, Diamonds."
"Understood." With a surge of "Nen," Ribery Garcia brushed his hand over the deck, pulling out the [Jack of Spades], [Eight of Clubs], and [Ace of Diamonds]. He held them between his fingers and closed his eyes. His consciousness rippled along with his aura, and a vision slowly began to take shape.
In the vision...
Within a vast mountain range, high above the sky...
A solar carriage, pulled by a three-legged gilded bird with wings that blanketed the heavens, slowly drove forth.