In the streets, near the Tussock River bay of West Borough, lower street.
The rhythmic throttle of the horse resounded in synch of the sporadic turmoil inside the carriage. Light permitted and illuminates Selina, Klein and Dunn from the windows, across each other with the latter two side by side.
Frye was steering the reigns as the coachman. While basked in the sun on the window, Selina stared at the streets blankly. She can't help but think.
Klein has submitted his application and he'll soon become a Sequence 8 Clown... How does one acts like a Clown?
Just be a Clown? Hehe will he start using makeups from now on? Oh! I haven't been using makeups ever since high school...
Mhm yes! I'll make him the most beautiful Clown! I can still vividly tell I have a nag in these sort of stuff. After all, I've been to a ball! Selina was enthusiastic until she added,
Only... as a makeup artist...
She once attended a cosmetic group as a part-time job. Though vanity was another matter.
In the presence of silence. Dunn suddenly spoke in deep voice while merely glancing at the seat next to him,
"Moretti, do you think perhaps this is one of the things lurking in the dark?"
He was referring to the coincidences Klein had mentioned.
Klein snap from his thoughts. He saw Selina looking at him, then looked at Dunn.
He quickly adjusted his tone, "I believe so. I don't exactly know what is happening but I feel this is interconnected."
Dunn's eyes deepened and after awhile, he said, "I received an intelligence recently. From the Mandated Punishers..."
Mandated Punishers? Selina secretly gulped a saliva, hoping it's not about her.
"A report came to their agency, and it seems to be about Leonard and Seeka's commission of a missing jewelry. They made a great judgement about filing and lodging the case for the Punishers to settle." Dunn described.
Selina nodded lightly and was relieved.Otherwise there would be conflicts regarding jurisdictions...
Hmm, from where Captain's information is going, it seems to be about Carter Works and the safe... or maybe not? I want to know...
"What's this about Captain?" she said with curiosity.
Dunn thought about it carefully that he remained silent succeeding Selina's question.
It's alright Captain. I'm all the way here. Sigh if only the carriage were wider, our condition would not clash... Selina remarked dryly in her heart.
Only after the carriage drove pass a street, did Dunn responded in a reflective tone, "It was about the safe. They recovered files regarding of cutting of wages higher than usual for an operation and Carter's connections.
"Few of them are identified to be a suspected Demoness Sect members, and the other is the Rose School of Thought."
"The Rose School of Thought?" Selina repeated.
Dunn fell silent for a bit before adding, "Yes, he has been meeting with the Rose School of Thought members that are in Halzter Company, discussing about the Chained God and the preconditions for certain arrangements.
"He has also been involved in the case of human-trafficking across Tingen's dock areas as recorded in a grid."
Human trafficking... the street paupers and tramps disappearances? Two secret organizations? Is that the contents of the second notebook I didn't checked? Selina gripped the fabric of her coat.
What could his involvement be with the Demoness Sec... Oh, I guess that explains the mistresses... But what about the Rose School of Thought?
"Are there more?" Klein was eager as his voice turned deep.
At this moment, he had an epiphany—Carter Works is a building situated near the docks of Tingen and when he divined Marvik's location, it was the same landmark!
"The records also planned on transporting the trafficked people to an island. Meanwhile, majority of the other notebook are the details of his mistresses.
"That's all" Dunn described with slight difficulty.
Sigh A slow, faint breath escaped Klein's mouth. I'll have to see it for myself personally...
"..." Across him, Selina has been gazing at his expression silently.
...
After going inside the apartment. Dunn quickly pulled the dream of the first day's listed individual. He fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Selina once again stared at the light of 3-0137 Dreamcatcher, and subsequently dozed off right into Klein's arm, after he had finished setting up a wall of spirituality.
Within the depths of her consciousness, illusory blend of violet and gold formed a brilliant light.
The darkness receded in the arrival of a scene. Selina discovered that her body was that of a man. Burly body, robust arms wearing a shirt made of cow's hide.
What is this place? Selina can't help but scan the dream.
The road was dirt and mud. The architectural designs of buildings are cobblestone and wooden beams. There was no multi-faceted roofs, nor gray fumes bellowing from afar.
As she gaze around, she witnessed vendors selling meats in the open. Pedestrians wore either bandanas on their heads for women, with classic girdled dresses and wooden sandals, and tunics tucked into their pants with chemise underneath for men.
This felt more like medieval... Selina remarked.
However, strangely, the man she's occupying the dream, had been walking in the same linear path. The merchants and pedestrians looked at him intently, as if he had done terrible of them.
Selina was a bit puzzled until she realized what was happening, I see... Social Disorder or Scopophobia...
What does locking this dream even do? Does it help coping with the phobia?
While pondering, she saw the man took right. Immediately, she perked up.
Once the man stopped at a wall, he turned his gaze to spot a iron-gridded lamp, with a bright plume burning on its candle.
3-0137!
...
Selina's eyes fluttered open and it was Klein's face did she saw first upon waking up.
She hears his heart racings and face slightly red. But regardless, he still made a solemn expression.
"Anything happened? Did you discovered something? Do you still feel nauseous?" Klein asked in quick succession.
His reaction of the dream's contents, coupled with Klein's earlier solemnity, made Selina chuckle a bit from the contrast and answered, "I'm fine, I can rely on Mrs. White. I'll tell you what I saw again later."
Klein creased his eyebrows. "Alright, just finish this as soon as possible."
He never forgot Azik's words of advice regarding this Goddess, and with the addition that Mrs. White is actually the Giant Queen of the Kingdom of Silver, that only weighted on his concerns.
"Mhm." Selina reached for the veiled object while in Klein's arms and opened it.
She stared and Klein pulled his gaze away from the light. In just ten second, his spiritual intuition triggered as Selina almost dropped 3-0137 on him.
Phew. Klein caught it just in time.
...
When the chaotic blend receded. Selina saw herself in a grand tapestry hall. High, intricate windows bathes the eight circular columns, heralding a carpet path all the way to platform, elevated half a meter above the ground, revealed the thick wall signaling the hall's end.
To the left, 41 inverted candlesticks stood, mirrored by 40 on the right. Atop the raised platform, towering ancient seats overlooked the others positioned below.
Emblazoned on the back of the seats were two distinct emblems: one bearing the insignia of a tasseled spear with golden wreath-like crown, while the other displayed the emblem of a peculiar golden feathered avian, with stalks frozen in an emblem.
The Tudor and Trunsoest crests!
Selina froze and her heart skipped.
A dream of the Fourth Epoch!? The castle of the Tudor-Trunsoest Empire!?
Right on the heels of that, two blurry, misty figures walked toward the intricate carpet, illuminated by the streaks of sunlight coursing from the windows.
One had a deep-brown hair, clad in a black regal tailored coat with gold epaulets and rich embroidery. Next to him had a similar attire, only white. It formed a crest by the chest and a red lining sash hugs his body. He had a dark-ebony hair, wearing a clear glasses.
Standing side by side, they project an atmosphere of rulers and sublime princes.
A-Alista Tudor? T-Trunsoest? Selina was aware of the different rulers of the Fourth Epoch empires.
In the Warring Era, the Black Emperor Solomon reigned over the Northern Continent, that was later replaced by the Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire.
The two rulers. They're depicted in this dream!
Through the lens of the girl did Selina saw a sudden motion. It seemed the scene was turning for the giant double-door right at the end of the hall.
The architecture was mesmerizing, even the heavy panes of the entrance had crests, misaligned from each other.
At the hall's base stood seven large, weighty black stone doors. Positioned in a line, two on the left, one in the middle, and four on the right, exemplifying the Fourth Epoch's penchant for asymmetry.
And when the scene shown the door opened and closed, another hallway came illuminated with arbitrary placed windows. A valet greeted the girl and led her straight to the spire.
At that moment. When the girl entered and gazed down the deep, dark, abyss. A burning light suddenly appeared.
It outlined a pale-white candle, inside of an iron-gridded lamp.
...
Selina once again woke up, and she noticed Klein had put 3-0137 back into the suitcase.
"Captain is waking up." Klein leaned in and whispered.
Due to that, she quickly got up and left his warmth. At the same time, Dunn's eyes were starting to open as he contorts them.
How convenient? Selina looked at Klein.
"I know. You woke up just in time. But I don't sense anything so it's purely just a coincidence..." Klein, although skeptical, understood that he couldn't always associate coincidences to the mastermind he's convinced is behind majority of it.
"Let's pack up." Klein added as he stood up first from the couch and offered a hand.
In that moment was Dunn waking up, right next to another sofa, holding up a sleeping person, dressed in pants and stained shirt.
"Captain, how did it go?" asked Klein right as got up, placing her hand on his palm for help.
Dunn took a bottle of Soothing Rigor, a concoction made by Selina to help fight the effects of waking up and stupors, and drank it.
"There's nothing significance I've seen. Let's head on to the next on our list."
Selina secretly sighed in relief.
She glanced at Klein, stretched her arms a bit and fixed a crease of her long coat. As Dunn walk to the door, she took the suitcase and quickly followed him, along with Klein.
...
On the third house, with a terrain close to a Workhouse.
As soon as Dunn entered the tenant's dream, the deceased victim's niece. Selina herself took ten seconds in on staring at 3-0137.
When it passed, she collapsed right onto Klein again.
And as her vision turned elastic of violet and gold. The darkness receded from a point of light—a scene from which she somewhat recognizes.
That is that a man, seated alone in a room, where he's writing on a note in front of a desk, has a dark-ebony hair, princely air and clear glasses.
In front of him, unlike the notes Selina had seen from previous dreams. These particular ones had written letters.
I-Is that the dark-haired prince from earlier?
Right as Selina blurted that out, the scene transitioned to where the woman acting as her lens, finally crept up to the note the prince was writing.
"From this day forth. I will be called the Night Emperor."