Half-step Purgatory

Durin stroked the black cat on the armrest of his chair, sitting on the black leather sofa. Through the glasses perched on his nose, his gaze passed over the long table in front of him and settled on the man kneeling on the carpet:
"I understand, you've made money in Naples, your business has been very successful, and you've led a happy life. You've had those secret police, friends in both the law and the underground, and even the Royal Family speaking on your behalf."
"You don't need a friend like me, I know that. You're afraid of owing me a favor, and you don't want to get involved in troubles."
"But now you come to me and say, 'I beg you, Mr. Durin of the Corleon family, please help me seek justice, so that my life and my family will not suffer and sink into despair.'
Yet, in your eyes, I was nothing more than a second-rate artist involved in movies and music. Even at the brink of death, you still show me such disrespect, not even willing to call me by my title... Keeper of Secrets."

Durin's Diary

After confirming his itinerary, Durin would leave in three days, and he managed to pack his luggage in one day.


The next day, Durin intended to visit Anta, but there were more significant people he needed to see for the last time.


In Lublin, on the cusp of the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the rain still carried a bone-chilling cold that made Durin, dressed in a black wide-sleeved outfit, feel uncomfortable.


With a black umbrella in hand, he attended a funeral; the young man being laid to rest was his senior, the previous young master of Lublin.


He died in the distant Human World's Northern Kingdom, and ultimately his body was handed over by the secret police. Following ancient customs and practical difficulties, he was cremated and brought back to his homeland.


Not far away stood the peers of his age, with some in silence, some choking up, and others shedding tears.


Chapter 1: Tears Won't Stop