Lord of Mysteries: Sustainer of Salvation

Michael stared at the foggy figure at the end of the table, a slight grin appearing on the figure's face.

In the novel, every time a meeting started, the Justice greeted the Fool. Should I do the same? I suppose it would be the best thing to do, right? A normal greeting would be appropriate, I suppose...

Michael questioned in his thoughts as he decided to greet the foggy figure.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool," Michael greeted the foggy figure calmly, sweeping his left foot behind his right while holding out an imaginary skirt.

The foggy figure laughed, the sound echoing through the space above the fog.

Hearing the figure's laugh, Michael realized what he had done.

What was that!? he thought. From both my own and Michael's memories, I know that this kind of greeting is meant for women. Why did I do that!? There's no way i forgot that...

Michael panicked as he tried to think about what happened, but he didn't seem to reach a conclusion.

"Mr. Fool... I believe you are mistaking me for someone else, Mr. Michael. I am not the Fool; you may call me..." The foggy figure paused, letting out a light chuckle.

"The Path. The witness of a forgotten era; the eye that sees everything through the fog; the light at the dawn of the apocalypse." The Path's words echoed through the space above the fog.

As Michael processed the Path's words, the fog covering his face began to fade.

He appeared to be a young man with curly black hair and black eyes, a broad forehead, and a thin face. He wore a long black cloak and a crystal monocle over his right eye.

Michael suddenly felt his legs go weak as he looked at the Path's face.

N-no, this can't be... A-Amo-

Michael's thoughts were interrupted as he forgot what he was thinking.

"Did I scare you? Don't worry," the Path smirked as his face shifted, now resembling a young gentleman with neatly combed black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked cold and sharp, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

His voice deepened as he continued, "I'm just playing with you," he said as he changed his appearance once more.

Now he looked like a young girl with brown hair and green eyes.

Becca?! Does he know who I am!?

Still confused, Michael crawled to the fourth chair on the left and sat, trying to organize his thoughts. But every time he reached a conclusion, he forgot it.

Ugh, of course he knows who I am; the first thing he said was my name. Why is my mind so weird right now? I can barely think for a second before my thoughts turn into a mess...

He then transformed into a young man, no older than 20, with dark blonde hair, light brown eyes, and a tan that suggested he had lived his whole life at the beach.

Michael's eyes widened in shock as his hands trembled with fear.

Shit, shit, shit! This can't be...

"Why are you so afraid? Do you recognize the appearance I've taken? Yes, I believe you do. Am I correct, Mr. Abel?"

How does he know that!? Is he the one responsible for my transmigration?

Michael's mind spun with different thoughts and theories about his situation, but the more he thought, the more anxious he grew.

The Path observed the visibly shocked Michael and chuckled.

"No, I'm not the one responsible for your transmigration; we can talk about this later."

"I wish we could talk more, Mr. Michael; you are funny. But a meeting is about to begin here, and I don't want to delay it... Wait..." The Path paused, thinking.

"Maybe you could be a temporary member. Yes, that would be interesting."

"But you'll need a nickname since everyone there uses one... I thought of 'Prince Charming,' since you remind me of that tale about the girl who ate an apple and died. Heh, but given what you just did, you'll be 'Princess Charming'!"

Michael thought about complaining to The Path, but since the intentions of the existence above the gray fog were unknown, he stayed quiet.

The Path's face disappeared again, and the entire fog turned a baby-blue shade before eight people entered.

Why did the fog turn blu-

Michael's thought stopped as he forgot what he was thinking.

Has this fog always been blue? Weird... Is this what they call the Mandela effect? I could swear it was another color...

Each of the eight people stood behind a chair at the table. A tall woman in a long black dress stood behind one of the table's ends.

Four men stood behind the chairs on the right, while two men and a woman stood behind the chairs on the left.

The blonde woman standing behind the third chair on the left greeted the Path: "Praised be the savior of humanity." She swept her left foot behind her right and held out her skirt.

The Path looked at Michael and chuckled.

"See, Mr. Princess? That's how it's done."

Michael closed his eyes and gave a nervous smile.

The blonde woman sat next to Michael, and the other eight members took their seats as well.

"Before this meeting starts, I would like to introduce a temporary member. You may call him Princess Charming."

"Allow me to introduce everyone, Mr. Princess Charming. To the right are: the Endless Glory, Living Wheel, Thousand-Year-Old Sage, and the Classical Musician."

"On the left, we have: the Corrupted Paladin, Filthy Desire, and King of Despair."

"And the lovely lady at the other end of the table is the Mother. Now that introductions are complete, we may begin the meeting."

The eight people sitting at the table didn't seem to care about Michael, didn't even look at him. During the Path's introduction, they all just stayed quiet.

Michael looked around the table, sitting in shock.

Endless Glory, Living Wheel... those are the names of orthodox deities from the Northern continent. Do they just want to blaspheme against them by using those names?

Numerous thoughts raced through Michael's mind before he began to notice his surroundings.

I just realized that ever since I entered this place, the Path hasn't moved a muscle. Sure, he's changed his appearance several times, but he hasn't lifted his arms from the chair or even moved his head. It's like those street performers who do living statues...

Something about this place is seriously wrong. Why is the Path acting like a talking statue, and why are those two using the names of the orthodox deities?!

While the other members of the meeting started talking to each other, the Path kept staring at Michael with a slight grin.