It felt like I was seeing this odd scene through another person’s eyes, yet this feeling of first-hand experiencing it was still true.

The train rushed its way away from the border, and it silenced the trumpets of mourning. At midnight, it will be one month from then that the reigning monarch of our neighbor ended her life. It still is the matter of speculation between those of the upper class why, or even how, it took place. So much so, that I feel it has become a more popular topic of discussion in the Republic than the Kingdom itself. I lit out a smoke, with a tipsy chuckle. I dare not imagine what their minds were amused with.

“Ah, the second rising of the spirits. What is more of an interesting topic to choose than that. Perfect for a read with a cup of morning tea, do you not agree?”

The man sipped his morning tea as if he were amused more by the fact that it was heresy to write about it, than what his student’s report entailed. Reports on such topics are on the rise as of late. Now, even the smaller newspapers have started publishing on it.

“ ‘As per Stirner’s theory suggesting the rise of ‘The Spiritus’ as a priori for the second rebellion of the spirits, and major advances in the field of alchemy confirming the existence of several ‘series,’ and beings capable of utilizing it, it can be concluded through the Book of Joseph’s lemma for necessary reason….’ What a runny sentence!”

Stirner was one who opposed the traditional thinking that humanity can achieve an infinite number of breakthroughs artificially, and professed his own words through the support of the book of Joseph, although it is typically credited directly to the Book of Joseph, and is known as the lemma for necessary reason. It is on this that a number of alchemy is based upon, although that is not supposedly what Stirner had intended to do with it.

"Upon the time of rebellion against the Primordial, the Heavenly Lord, who limits the natural law for humanity, the Sovereign will rise onto the throne!”

“What an exercise in excess.” I snatched the paper from Johann’s right hand, and put it beside me to keep my hands away from the freezing sofa. I flipped through the pages, and was shocked at the last indexed page number.

Now, I opened today’s newspaper expecting a great deal of important information, although I did not expect brilliance considering it that of the regional kind. Still, I was distracted from the student’s report, and was reminded of a previous lecture I had attended at the state university covering the same overall topic.

“Nonetheless, Stirner approached the matter with great diligence and concluded some very important lemmas which we will read in this semester. They are not only key to understanding alchemy, but more importantly, to understanding the observations that we had looked at in the previous lecture.”

In his report, Stirner mentioned the two basic observations, as he had supposedly encountered in his regular readings of ancient text: The key mentions of the spirit names, as well as the repeated inclusion of “The Spiritus,” or as we call it by many names in different traditions. The compilations of which, he named the book of Mana.

“Did you hear about the recent increase in demonic possession cases as of late?”
It has become a trend to talk about this as of late, although I did not believe their topic was of great importance, contradictory to what one may think of a student who has taken this course.

“Apparently, one of the scholarship students attending this institution was possessed as well.”

“I mean, are not all scholarship students commoners?”

Before realizing the time, the lecture had ended. The professor bid everyone good wishes, except me, who he signaled for a talk. I could tell what he wanted to talk about, considering the anxious look that he wore.

“It seems your friend has not been attending college as of recently. Do you know anything about it?”

“Nothing that comes to mind, sir.” His long grey hair hung down his shoulders. He glared at me for a while, and wore a look of suspicion. It seemed he knew about who I was.

“Be careful.”

I snapped out of it, realizing my hands shaking.

“I find the entirety of the spiritual idea quite romantic, in fact. It is a bunch of utterly ludicrous bunch of idiots coming in to play witchcraft!” I let out a gasp, keeping the newspaper aside. I put my hands together, and rest my head on it.

“Who knows how many people have suffered because of it? It is, in essence, a discriminatory policy.” Still, my hands shook in fear of what had already taken place. When I visited my friend, his entire blood was clotted, and it made black marks on his body. His family had locked him in a room, and he survived there for a week with no food or water.

Johann picked up the newspaper from beside me, and put a stern focus on the first page. While I looked outside the window, I could not help but try to remember what was on there. Soon, the train halted to a stop, and the sound of the rain became audible.

Slowly, I withdrew from my gaze, and found Johann to be at a loss of words.

“Heavens, is this not the case which you were investigating?” He tilted the page, and I was reminded again of the marks on his dead body.

“It seems he was starved to death.” People of different attires shook hands. Some gossiping, while others chuckled their way through. But, no one was in mourning.

“It is the devil’s doing.”

I had only second-heard it, but I mumbled those words as I saw the headline: “Men, and many following him, covered in black marks walking on Republic’s streets!”

I quickly snatched the paper from him, and started scanning it with haste. After all, of the spook they had caused, each one of them were stricken down, and killed under the pretext of ‘civil misbehavior.’ Out of them, I looked for one name that would force me to believe this farce.

I remembered now that he had forgotten his name by the time I went to check with him. No funeral was conducted, and his body was burned instead. On his chest was a discrete pattern: a reversed cross. At the time, I felt it was a mere symptom of insanity. Now, I doubt my longest standing belief in reality as I thought it to be.

“Frederich” The name escaped my mouth as I read his name written on the list of deceased.