The grand sight now faded. I found myself in the same place, as I stood with the gun drawn out. This time, there were people walking around the Eastern house in regular numbers. I quickly hid the gun to avoid suspicion, and was reminded of that sight where I sat as the master of all spirits. There were still links missing. First is the suspicious movement of Barbatos. If I am truly at the command of all spirits, his series of actions require all the more explanation. Why did he possess Heinrich, was the question that needed the most answering.

When I sensed an overturn of identity in Barbatos, I felt I had heard Lukas’ voice. Overall, there were irregularities in his modus operandi. I could not tell if he was faithful, or acting on the motive of betrayal.

“Oh, if it is not Hermann!”

I recognized that voice well, although that familiarity was not out of fondness. Kurt von Hohenberg was a colleague of mine when I was at the Eastern House. Strangely, it felt odd to me to hear that name. How does he know it when my presence and mana are all different?

“Get straight to business: what do you want?”

I kept my hand on the gun kept inside.

I started to realize how odd it was now that he called me by my previous name. How did any of the members of the Eastern House know? The strangeness started to creep around me.

“Come with me. If you do not, I have other ways to make you obey.”

He whispered in my ears. As I walked through the corridors, I realized that everyone was looking at me, and seemed to chuckle in mockery. I was being guided to an inner room, and from my memory, it was the divine room, where there is the statue of the Heavenly Lord.

“Do not fret. You will be treated with care, if you do not rebel no longer.”

He seemed to speak as if he personally knew the Heavenly Lord. I could not understand the motive for this stage, except for the simple-mindedness of these followers which my mind dismissed quickly. I felt each and every moment pass with slow pace, and I could hear the tick-tock of the clocks.

“Do you remember how your dream of the library ended?”

I tried to put strain on my mind, and remembered the word: “I am.” I could not tell what those words meant, but it felt like I had been mistaken about something.

Now, I was inside the divine room. The statue of the Heavenly Lord was put up on a cross, with the words ‘Judgement’ written on one of his hands which extended outwards. I felt repulsive seeing this. At the same time, I felt a fear of oppression. Now, I could see shadows of the Angelic Order behind him, and when I glanced at Kurt, he too seemed to resemble a divine being of sorts.

Then, I remembered the book of Mana mentioning about Barbatos, who was definitely one of the Angelic Order. However, his motive for rebellion against them was omitted.

As I saw this sight of grandeur, a proclamation left my mouth:

“Ego eimi.”

Now, I realized it was the divine proclamation by the Heavenly Lord. I was being fooled all along this time. I realized that the possession was still there, and it had progressed in the time I was under the impression that it was cured. I tried to grasp at straws, trying to make sense of this.

“It seems you understand the divinity of our Lord! It was all a part of his grand game to lead you to salvation. From the moment you entered the forbidden library, you were being possessed to act under the guidance of the judgement. Oh, excuses, I should not say any further.”

Then, why did I appear as the master in front of the spirits? I started to doubt the validity of my volition, and that of Oulanem’s role. The possession seemed to be progressing at a rapid rate to the point that I could feel my identity fading.

Amongst the Angelic Order, a vacant seat had appeared, which I felt was the seat left by Barbatos, and I felt a strong sense of fondness towards it. Then, everything seemed to fade to darkness.

Now, I was among the 72 spirits, and Barbatos appeared in front of me. I realized that the Heavenly Lord had tried to avoid Oulanem from rebelling against him by making Barbatos the ‘clown’ of this game. To act to fool Oulanem, and to make him part of the Angelic Order, was supposedly his plan of action. Lukas must have been a great hindrance for Barbatos.

I must have become quite arrogant to think of myself as the ‘Sovereign.’ ‘Ego eimi’ being the divine proclamation must have meant that I was awakened to come under the command of the Heavenly Lord. However, it also had a much simpler meaning of “to exist,” which perplexed me.

The spirits seemed to shed a look of distrust on me. Discord roused among them.

Despite the appeal of joining the Angelic Order, I felt a strong presence of rebellion in my personality, as if I was made for it. I could not shake this feeling off, to rebel against the judgement, and make the spirits free of oppression.

“Why did you betray the spirits, Barbatos?”

Then, he showed me the reversed-cross and that seemed to suffice for an answer.

It seemed Oulanem was a made-up character by the spirits, and they themselves did not believe that there would be an “Oulanem” in the truest sense. But, they were proven wrong. After all, “ego eimi” was a proclamation of existence itself.

The spirits bowed in front of me, and the sight of the Angelic Order with the vacant seat seemed to fade.