Klein forced a smile, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Long time no see, Mr. Leonard. Do you remember me? Sherlock Moriarty, at your service!"
Leonard, initially confused by Klein's hand over his mouth, caught on under Klein's deceptively friendly yet pointed gaze. Feeling a pang of guilt, he shrank back, nodding to signal he knew his mistake and urging Klein to let go.
Though still wary of his scatterbrained colleague, Klein couldn't keep his hand clamped forever. He released Leonard, quickly adding, "You're already a Red Glove?"
He wasn't worried about exposing anything... Leonard had already blown his own cover.
"Not quite. I've got a bit more training, probably until next month before I officially become a Red Glove." Leonard replied instinctively, then lit up with excitement. "Sherlock, you're in Backlund, right? Can I come find you later?"
Leonard genuinely missed his friend. Though their time together in Tingen was brief, they'd been through a lot. Even knowing Lucifer was an ally, he still worried about Klein's safety after leaving with him.
Klein hesitated, studying Leonard's concerned expression, then nodded. "Sure."
Leonard broke into a grin, then leaned in, lowering his voice. "Oh, Sherlock, you probably don't know since you left early... Daly confessed to the Captain!"
Klein froze, stunned for a moment before memories clicked into place. Daly did care deeply for the Captain... it wasn't surprising she'd harbored feelings. "Did the Captain say yes?" He asked eagerly, recalling how often Dunn mentioned Daly.
"The Captain was shocked and flustered at first, but then Daly kissed him, and he agreed." Leonard said, brimming with gossip. His face lit up with anticipation. "Before I left for training, I heard Daly was thinking about engagement. The Captain's also close to Sequence 6, and he might get transferred to Backlund. If that happens, we could all reunite."
Klein's expression softened. His short two months in Tingen were unforgettable, etched in his heart. Reuniting with Daly and Dunn in Backlund, maybe even attending their wedding, would be a joy.
"Oh, Sherlock, who's this?" Leonard asked, curiosity turning to Alaric.
"This is Jack Jones." Klein said after a moment's thought. "Lucifer's student and my teacher."
"Nice to meet you, Leonard." Jack said, offering a timely smile. "Teacher's mentioned you. It's great to meet."
Klein's expression flickered subtly. He recalled Jack once calling Leonard "that fool." a term apparently coined by Lucifer himself.
Leonard blinked, then beamed with enthusiasm. "Hey, Jack! I'm Leonard Mitchell."
Pallez, meanwhile, drifted into thought at Jack's introduction. The surname wasn't Zoroast, but combined with the bloodline aura and his status as Lucifer's student, the truth was clear: another Zoroast descendant, like Lucifer, who held no fondness for Pallez as an ancestor and had abandoned the family name. It was understandable, and Pallez had no right to demand more, but a twinge of melancholy lingered.
Just then, a new figure appeared in the alternate space... Lucifer himself.
"Everyone, The Ancient Sun God is about to act, bringing light to City of Silver's region. Anyone want to watch?" Lucifer asked with a smile, scanning the group.
Medici was the first to speak. "Do you even need to ask? No way I'm missing this."
Ouroboros nodded seriously. "I want to see."
Reinette Tinekerr's four heads spoke in sequence: "I'm looking forward…" "to The Ancient Sun God's…" "miracle…" "in action."
"Thank you, Lucifer." Azik said warmly, his stance clear.
No one objected, so Alaric, in his Lucifer guise, nodded and snapped his fingers. A ripple appeared above the space, projecting an image of the outside world.
There, the Ancient Sun God stood, eyes lowered, his expression a mix of sorrow and pity. Not far off, a relatively intact city-state... City of Silver... was faintly visible.
"Enjoy the show, everyone. I've got some matters to handle, so I'll step out for a bit." Alaric said with a smile, vanishing as swiftly as he'd appeared.
Moments later, in City of Silver:
"Are you ready? Light is coming. My advice... don't look directly at the sun. Its brilliance could harm your eyes, especially since you've lived in dimness for so long. Early on, keep them closed." Alaric said, his rare sincerity shining through.
The Forsaken Land of the Gods had no sun. City of Silver's candles couldn't compare to solar radiance. If its people stared at the "sun" when it appeared, blindness might not occur, but their eyes would surely suffer.
"Thank you for the warning, Your Excellency Lucifer. We're prepared." Colin Iliad said, head bowed, seeming calm. But his clenched fists betrayed his tension.
Will the sun really appear? Colin didn't know, yet in that moment, even he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope.
"Of course it will." Alaric said, reading Colin's thoughts with a smile. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a click. "I'm no god, but let me say... let there be light!"
In the next instant, golden sunlight erupted, just as it had thousands of years ago in the Second Epoch when The Ancient Sun God brought light to a darkened world. Now, a golden "sun" rose on the horizon, illuminating a land shrouded in darkness for over a millennium.
***
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