Beep! Beep! Beep!
The sharp sound of the alarm echoed through the room, stirring Lumian from his chair.
With a low grumble, he slowly lifted his head. His mind was still clouded with sleep as his gaze wandered across the room, taking in the familiar sight of his surroundings.
After a few seconds, he finally reached over and switched off the alarm.
Stretching his stiff body, Lumian stood up and headed straight toward the bathroom.
...
Opening the bathroom door, Lumian stepped inside and stretched his stiff body once more. He walked toward the mirror where his toothbrush rested.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he leaned forward and reached for it. But the moment he raised his gaze to the mirror, he suddenly paused.
A beard had grown on his face!
It wasn't particularly large, but it was still noticeable. For someone like Lumian—who shaved regularly—it felt rather strange.
He adjusted the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead and examined his reflection again.
"Not bad… not bad," he muttered. "Maybe I'll shave it when I get back."
With that, he placed the toothbrush in his mouth and began brushing—first anticlockwise, then clockwise.
After finishing, Lumian moved to the shower and turned the knob. Soon, steam filled the small bathroom as hot water poured down.
Once he was done, he wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out.
Walking over to his wardrobe, he pulled out his usual black coat and quickly put it on.
A minute later, Lumian dropped onto his bed with a soft sigh.
...
Lumian rolled over on the bed and picked up his phone, glancing at the screen.
6:00 AM.
Sitting up, he opened WhatsApp and began scrolling through his messages. After browsing for a moment, he tapped on a group chat.
His brows lifted slightly as he read the message displayed on the screen.
"Dear everyone reading this message, we would love to invite you to our son's baby shower. We sincerely hope you can join us."
Lumian read the message softly under his breath.
The sender was none other than his neighbor, Mrs. Theresa—the woman who often helped them whenever they found themselves in difficult or awkward situations.
...
Lumian smiled warmly and silently decided that he would definitely attend.
He dropped his phone onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. His thoughts soon drifted back to the last Watchers meeting.
From that meeting, he had gathered four important points.
First, the Witches Garden was most likely the organization responsible for the ritual performed on Mr. Richard. Their goal was probably to awaken Aethera.
Second, he had learned new details about the creation myth. What shocked him the most, however, was the mention of the Celestials—beings he had never heard of before.
Third, his own speculation about the Witches Garden. Judging from the name alone, he suspected the organization was mostly made up of women, with men possibly serving as little more than subordinates or servants.
Lastly, there was the matter of the Obstaque Order, which appeared to be aligned with the Church of the Pale Moon Goddess.
After finishing this brief recollection, Lumian found himself outside with Kelvin and Laura.
Morning had already arrived, the streets illuminated under the faint glow of the Crimson Sun.
Lumian stepped forward, preparing to hail a taxi, when Kelvin suddenly called out to him with a grin.
"Lumian, where are you going?" he said proudly. "I fixed the car."
...
Lumian was slightly taken aback. He knew the Ward family's car had broken down before, and repairing it would require quite a hefty sum.
Frowning slightly, he turned to Kelvin. "Kelvin… where did you get the money to fix the car?"
Kelvin chuckled. "I forgot to tell you yesterday. They paid me my salary for the last three months."
Hearing that, Lumian raised his brows with a faint smile. "How much was it?"
Kelvin returned the smile, lowering his gaze coolly as he answered,
"Four hundred and fifty pounds."
Lumian nodded in approval.
"Alright. Wait for me—let me bring the car."
With that, he turned around and headed toward where the car was parked, preparing to start the ignition.
...
As Lumian started the engine, the car gave a low rumble. He slowly drove forward and stopped in front of his siblings with a satisfied smile.
"Get in."
As he spoke, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
If I wake up around five in the morning… I could drive the car and try the taxi business. Hehe.
Kelvin noticed the strange expression on his face as he pulled the car door open.
"Lumian," he said sternly, "don't drive the car and end up picking up some random lady."
Lumian burst into laughter at the remark, and Laura quickly joined in.
...
"Kelvin, you should know me," Lumian said with a grin. "I hardly talk to other girls."
Kelvin and Laura quickly got into the car. Laura covered her mouth as she laughed.
"Kelvin is right," she said teasingly. "Don't go embarrassing the family."
Lumian chuckled softly and pressed down on the accelerator, guiding the car forward.
As the vehicle moved through the quiet streets, Lumian felt a small sense of joy. It had been quite a while since he had last driven a car, and the feeling was strangely pleasant.
Driver Lumian, he joked inwardly.
Still keeping his hands steady on the wheel, his thoughts slowly drifted elsewhere—back to his childhood friend and the shocking moment he discovered she was part of the Witch's Garden.
To be honest, he still hadn't stopped thinking about it.
Suddenly—
Lumian almost crashed into a nearby car.
His eyes widened as he immediately slammed on the brakes.
The car stopped abruptly.
He slowly turned his head to the right and saw Kelvin staring at him with a deep frown.
Lumian chuckled awkwardly.
"Sorry… hehe."
Kelvin simply sighed and shook his head slowly.
...
Afterward, Lumian drove Laura to her school and stopped near the gate. Once she stepped out and waved goodbye, he continued toward Kelvin's workplace.
A few minutes later, he arrived and dropped Kelvin off as well. Lumian was about to hand the car keys to him, but Kelvin shook his head.
"Keep it," he said casually.
Lumian raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Instead, he reversed the car and headed toward Lamenti.
...
Lamenti, Moonlight Watchers Faculty.
Lumian parked the car beneath a nearby tree and stepped out. He slipped the keys into his pocket so as not to attract attention before heading inside the faculty building.
Climbing the stairs, he whistled a familiar tune.
Halfway up, he encountered Lury, who was walking down.
She stopped and waved. "Good morning, Lumian."
Lumian smiled. "How are you doing, Lury?"
She chuckled lightly. "Doing great. I was just delivering a message from the captain to one of the unofficial members."
She paused, then looked at him again with slight surprise. "Lumian… you have a beard?"
Lumian touched his cheek and smiled. "I forgot to shave."
Lury covered her mouth slightly as she laughed. "It actually suits you."
"Really?" Lumian asked, clearly pleased.
She reached out and lightly poked his chest.
"Yes."
Then she continued descending the stairs. "I'm a little busy right now. See you later."
...
Lumian smiled faintly and continued whistling as he finished ascending the stairs. Reaching his office, he pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock, pushing the door open gently.
He glanced around the familiar room before stepping inside.
Just as he was about to sit down, a loud voice echoed up the stairwell.
"Sir, I didn't do anything! I swear on Skywalker! I'm an unofficial member!"
A moment later, Hargreaves appeared at the top of the stairs, dragging along an unfamiliar man.
The man had messy black hair and an untrimmed beard. His clothes looked worn, and his expression was filled with panic as Hargreaves held him firmly by the arm.
Seeing this, Lumian quickly understood that something unusual was happening.
He brought the pressure up, as white silloutes drifted around, at the same time, lines which glowed with different colors, appeared.
He looked at the unfamiliar man, and saw him glowing in black.
.... Just like Hayes before, that should mean black is dangerous! Lumian silently approved.
He brought the pressure down, as Hargreaves spoke up. "Lumian, I want you to perform a divination."
...
Hearing that, Lumian turned to his captain with a puzzled look. "Captain, what happened? Who is this man?"
Hargreaves frowned before replying, "Do you remember how St. Mary's Text was stolen?"
Lumian nodded slightly.
"It was taken without any signs of a break-in," Hargreaves continued. "Which means the person who stole it must be someone within this faculty."
He crossed his arms. "So I decided to create identification cards for the unofficial members who have been working with us for some time. No new people have joined recently, so everyone should already have their IDs."
He gestured toward the man. "But he doesn't."
Lumian glanced at the unfamiliar man and let out a small sigh.
"So he must be a spy from the Witches Garden."
"That's what I'm suspecting," Hargreaves replied.
Lumian sat down in his chair and leaned slightly forward. Reaching beneath his desk drawer, he pulled out a deck of tarot cards.
At the same time, Hargreaves pushed the struggling man down into a chair opposite Lumian. The man swallowed nervously.
...
Lumian quickly spread the tarot cards across the desk, revealing the various symbols engraved upon them.
The man lowered his gaze toward the cards. in the next instant his vision became blurry.
Opening them, he noticed the room had vanished replaced by a grey, endless landscape. It was as though he had been transported into the clouds themselves. The ground beneath him was dull and colorless, stretching endlessly in every direction.
He looked around and noticed he was strapped to a chair.
This was a divination technique Lumian had recently developed himself, following several instructions from Derrick. It allowed him to perform divination directly on a target, especially criminals or individuals unwilling to cooperate with the cards.
Within this strange spiritual space, resistance was meaningless!
Suddenly, the twenty-two Major Arcana tarot cards appeared around the man, forming a wide circle in the grey sky.
Judgement had begun!
...
Suddenly, the Fool card tilted slightly forward. A playful smile appeared on the figure within the card.
"Youth," the Fool said lightly, "do you happen to know anything about the Witch's Garden?"
The man quickly shook his head. "No! I don't—I promise!"
A moment later, the Hermit card glowed faintly. The old man depicted within it stroked his long beard and let out a low chuckle.
"Young man," the Hermit said gently, "there is nothing to fear here." He leaned forward slightly.
"Now tell me… do you know anything about the Witch's Garden?"
The man swallowed hard but remained silent.
"Hehehe." A soft, mysterious laugh echoed across the grey space.
The High Priestess card had begun to glow. "What about St. Mary's Text?" she asked calmly. "What exactly are your people planning to do with it?"
The man looked at the floating cards surrounding him.
Suddenly, he smiled.
"As I've already said," he replied confidently, "I'm just a regular unofficial member."
At that exact moment—
In the real world, Lumian quietly drew a tarot card from his deck.
...
In the grey space, the Star card suddenly smiled, its voice echoing all around.
"Then if you don't want to tell us about the Witches Garden, tell us—what are you people actually up to?"
The man looked down, as he was slightly scared, before raising his gaze back up. "How many times must I tell you? I have no connection with them."
Lumian calmly pulled a card.
The Hermit smiled. "Then how do you know the exact name we were discussing? We only mentioned it three times."
The man froze, as he realized, he had just been outplayed!
Then the Tower card boomed, its voice shaking the grey space. "Young man… besides that, do you know anything about the Obstaque Order?"
The man hesitated, then let out a wild, mad chuckle. At the same moment, fire rained down from the sky, obliterating everything around them.
Lumian quickly drew another card, stepping back to keep a safe distance.
The man's body bubbled unnaturally, his eyes sinking inwards.
He was transforming to a curse!
Lumian didn't hesitate, he quickly pulled his gun from his coat and fired.
Bang!
The man was still moving, as his body had started to squeeze together and form tentacles.
Hargreaves quickly took his shot.
Bang!
Lumian also fired. The bullet struck through, piercing his head which was barely covered by black tentacles.
...
Lumian let out a quiet sigh and slid his gun back into his black coat. Walking over to his desk, he looked down at the tarot cards he had drawn during the questioning.
He arranged them carefully and began interpreting them one by one.
The first question had been whether the man knew anything about the Witches Garden.
Lumian glanced at the first card.
The Sun.
His eyes narrowed slightly. The meaning was clear—the man had indeed known about the cult and had interacted with them before.
He then looked at the second card.
That question had been whether the man—or his group—possessed St. Mary's Text. The card revealed itself as The Tower.
Lumian frowned. That meant the man neither possessed the text nor belonged to any group currently holding it.
"But how…?" Lumian muttered inwardly. "I thought he was working with the Witches Garden."
Finally, he turned to the last card.
This question had been about the Obstaque Order.
The card lying on the table slowly revealed its image.
The World.
Lumian eyes rose up slightly, as the answer was unmistakable.
The man had indeed known about the Obstaque Order… and had been one of its members!
...
Lumian let out a quiet sigh and gathered the tarot cards, sliding them back into the drawer beneath his desk. After that, he carefully explained everything he had discovered to Hargreaves, even praising his captain for his quick thinking.
Once the discussion ended, Hargreaves left the office while the corpse of the man was taken away.
Lumian leaned back in his chair, feeling a strange sense of relief. His mind felt lighter, as if the weight of constant thinking had temporarily lifted.
He guessed that within three weeks, he would most likely receive a Law. After all, he had been faithfully performing the role of a Diviner. Though he admitted to himself that the recent interrogation divination had been… somewhat unconventional.
After handling a few remaining work matters, time passed quickly.
By the time Lumian checked the clock again, it was already five in the evening.
He stepped out of the faculty building and headed toward the car. Starting the engine, he drove first to Laura's school, then to Kelvin's bank to pick up his brother.
The three returned home together and shared a hearty dinner.
Later that evening, Lumian prepared to head out again.
This time, he dressed differently—wearing a brown jacket and matching trousers, clothes that had once belonged to Kelvin. Combined with his glasses and the faint beard on his face, Lumian now looked less like a twenty two year old, and more like a quiet schoolteacher.
He made his way downstairs and bought a small bouquet of flowers along the street.
Then he turned left and headed towards Mrs. Theresa home.
...
Lumian approached the door and opened it softly. He didn't think to knock — it was a special event, and he was already a little late.
The living room was spacious and lively. Guests mingled quietly, some chatting idly, others hovering near Mrs. Theresa, who sat on the couch cradling her newborn son. Praises and smiles surrounded her, and she radiated joy.
Lumian smiled and stepped forward. "Good evening, Aunty Theresa."
She looked up and returned his smile warmly. "Lumian! You actually made it!"
He handed her the bouquet of flowers he had brought. "Hehe, of course I would. I even thought about bringing Laura and Kelvin, but it would've been stressful with the crowd."
Mrs. Theresa chuckled, taking the flowers. "Thank you, dear. You're very thoughtful."
Lumian glanced around, and brought the pressure up to his head. He noticed that at least three of the people present were infact sorcerers. He brought the pressure down as he asked gently, "So… where's the dad?"
"Oh, he went to get some other goods for the party," Mrs. Theresa said with a chuckle.
Lumian nodded and then asked, "So what are you going to call him?"
Mrs. Theresa looked at the child and smiled tenderly. "I'll name him Tom."
Hearing that, the guests immediately erupted in applause. Still clapping, Lumian raised his gaze up, and noticed two pairs of eyes opened at the top of Mrs. Theresa.
He looked at the Sorceres, who were still clapping, looking seemingly unaffected.
He slowly realized, that this was the first chapter of a human life. Using that, he came to a conclusion.
This is the God of Beginnings!