Chapter 4

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Power Stones are always welcome. Just so you know. In case you don't. So that you do. 

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Valerie tossed and turned, indescribable sounds plaguing her dreams and sleep. The red moon hung above the house, while a quill scribbled through the night. She felt something calling out to her, trying to tell her something. 

But she couldn't make out what the voice was saying. But the words were wrong, corrupting her mind and soul, trying to make her lose control. Drive her insane. Strange images plagued her dreams, trying to show something she shouldn't see or know. 

She woke up in a puddle of sweat, strange thoughts filling her mind with pain and the feeling of incomprehensible danger. She groaned, her spirituality out of control. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. She tried to breathe deeply and focus on her memories, her purpose, and who she was. 

She sat for several minutes, until the whispers and feeling of being watched eventually disappeared. She let out a shaky breath as she slowly recovered, turning to the scratching quill on the table in front of the couch she was sleeping on, reaching out and grabbing it. 

She rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted, as if she didn't get any sleep at all. She wanted to go back to bed, but she felt an instinct of fear, that her already weakened spirituality would be corrupted under the influence of those mutterings. She turned to look at the red moon hanging outside, criticizing it. She then turned to see what the Quill had written. 

Due to being a foreigner in this world, a certain existence on the moon has turned 'his' gaze upon Valerie, influenced by an even stronger and more powerful existence. However, the mutterings of such a being contain a great corruption, which presents a great danger to Valerie while the moon is full, when 'he' has the clearest connection with the world. 

This is a very unexpected development! For the rest of her life, Valerie will now have to fear the full moon, knowing well that every time it shines red it could easily make her lose control or go insane listening to the ramblings of a higher existence!

Not to mention, the power of those ravings will only grow stronger and stronger as her Sequence gets Promoted, until she either goes insane or gives in to the being's wishes!

Valerie's expression darkened greatly, the whispers still lingering in her mind. She stuffed the Quill in her pocket, and got up, intent on relaxing. She couldn't go to sleep, not now at least. She walked into the kitchen and began to cook herself breakfast in the middle of the night. 

She found a cookbook in the kitchen and began to make several dishes at once. Bunkland delicacies and vague memories from her previous existence served her well, as she cooked a pie while trying to ignore the whispers in her ear that seemed to come from the shadows. 

She cooked for several hours until the sun had risen and was shining upon the many workers waking up early to try and find work in a factory. Valerie had burned and ruined several dishes, but she didn't care. It was something to focus on and pass the time. 

She sat at an empty table and enjoyed a self-made feast, with far too much food for one person to eat. She rubbed her eyes, deep bags easily visible under them. As she stared out into the sun through a window, she came to terms with what had occurred. 

The mutterings in her ear had also not ceased, and in fact, seemed to slowly be getting louder and stronger. Her emotions were hard to control, and she felt a strange hatred for the food she cooked, and everything else in the world. 

The Quill scribbled on the table, as Valerie tried to block out the noise. The cherry pie she had made was very good, and the pancakes were fluffy and just how she remembered them. She nursed her head, sipping on weak liquor she had found in the basement of the house, reading what the Quill had wrote. 

Such a being would never avert their gaze, because the existence behind them is interested in Valerie. Not to mention, now several Beyonders belonging to the Rose School of Thought were ordered to begin looking out for Valerie, on orders from their leader who has a close connection with the powerful existence.

Valerie was trying to stop the slowly strengthening corruption she obtained after listening to the mutterings in vain. Only by seeing a priest or Beyonder capable of sealing the corruption could she be free of the mutterings, until the next full moon at least. Her current state was an interesting one. She wasn't a Beyonder, so the mutterings had a weakened effect, but for the same reason, she had no defense against the corruption. 

Such was the curse that now plagued Valerie, the very same curse that plagued the Abraham Family. Unfortunately for Valerie, no members of the Abraham Family were present or near Bunkland, and most information on them was destroyed and sealed by the Church of Storms and Evernight Church. 

Valerie read this blankly, a dark expression on her face. This was dangerous. She could feel the corruption in her mind, and it slowly was draining her spirituality, which would prevent her from using 0 - 08. 

Who was the being behind the mutterings? Why was he on the moon? Who was the existence behind them? And why was he doing this to her? Valerie was deeply worried. Someone had noticed her existence in this world already. This compromised her idea of laying low. 

Plus, the Quill had made it very clear that these muttering would continue every full moon. And in this world, the moon's cycle was not set. It was random when the moon was full or red, and it followed no set scientific pattern. 

She could be in the middle of a fight or an important deal when this 'curse' could suddenly pop up and drive her insane while she was not prepared, or weaken her enough for a hostile Beyonder to take advantage of her. 

She had to find a way to stop this corruption. But she couldn't go to the Church of Storms or Evernight Church. She would have to find an artifact or rouge Beyonder to cleanse herself. 

She also had to find a way to get rid of this curse. She knew nothing about it, or how to solve it. But she knew people who likely did. The Quill had told her about the Abraham Family, but she had no information about them or if they were even able to be contacted. She should look for a sealed artifact to negate the mutterings, but she couldn't focus on that right now. 

She supposed this drastic coincidence was not so random. It was likely backlash for altering fate in such a drastic way, manipulating a Demigod and Level 0 Sealed Artifact. She had noticed it before, but it was only showing itself now. 

The effects of 0 - 08 were not actually as severe as she originally thought. The book was sentient, that much was sure. It possessed some measure of preference and difference in treatment towards different Beyonders. 

While it was constantly hostile and trying to kill Ince Zangwill, it had not yet done such a thing to Valerie, perhaps due to her origin and 'Uniqueness' it talked about. Passively, it caused dangerous situations and coincidences, but they weren't necessarily negative all the time. Some of them were even helpful. It instead seemed to want to make the life of the wielder like the life of a protagonist, full of ups, downs, failures, triumphs. Challenges, challengers, and involve the user in dangerous occurrences. 

Such was the passive effect of wielding 0 - 08. It was only then when she forced something to change, that a change of equal misfortune was given to her for every fortune she gained. Her very dangerous manipulation of a 0 Level Sealed Artifact and Demigod had led the Quill to in turn cause this 'curse' to appear. 

That wasn't to say she knew or understood the purpose or true intentions behind 0 - 08. This 'curse' was very detrimental and the problems it could cause far outweighed the fortune she got from her previous writing. Was it because she specified an artifact that could counter or seal 0 - 08, and it had consciously created such a dangerous situation as a warning?

Valerie's eyes narrowed. She would have to be more careful. This Quill was an opportunity, not a gift. She could easily be killed by it should she be careless. She sighed, finishing her glass of liquor, before she got up. 

For some reason as well, she could feel a certain strange understanding and analysis of things she observed or thought about. As she grasped 0 - 08, she felt she could make a few deductions about its current state and her next moves. 

She felt a certain 'debt' from the previous coincidence so that the Quill wouldn't actively fight her for a while. As well, the negative scenarios shouldn't be too dangerous for any small uses of 0 - 08 today. 

She groaned, stalking up to the upstairs bedroom to change into simple outdoor clothes. A brown Victorian dress, with no jewelry or expensive adornments. It was the clothing of a lower-middle-class citizen of Bunkland, from what she could guess. She picked up the quill and began to write on a piece of paper after she finished getting ready. 

Valerie had an aura of someone ordinary about her today, a sense that she was not someone important or worthy of looking at, able to blend into a crowd and easily forgettable, nothing notable about her. 

Valerie specifically tried to make this 'stealth' ability of hers as weak as possible, only being noticeable and making people unconsciously dismiss her. It wouldn't likely work on any Beyonders, but she should be fine for now. 

She was tempted to put a few measures in place to prevent any of the official organizations from noticing her, but she was confident that for now, no one would be able to connect her to Ince Zangwill or track 0 - 08 to her. She let the Quill write by itself, to gather information. 

The Angel of the Evernight Church Arianna was currently out of Bunkland, chasing after Larrion and 0 - 02, but she would soon return when Larrion finally arrived in Bunland. Currently, Larrion was taking several secret routes through the Spirit World to throw Arianna off his trail, but he unfortunately ran into an out-of-control Spirit Creature and was forced to delay his arrival. 

Valerie frowned, a little worried. An Angel of the Evernight church would no doubt know all about 0 - 08. What was strange was how 0 - 08 could see her, given the Evernight Goddess's authority over 'Secrecy'. 

She reviewed what she knew, trying to understand this Sealed Artifact better. She sighed, as she came to another conclusion. She needed to become famous or feared. 0 - 08 could only write about people who knew about Valerie or 0 - 08. It was perfect for knowing who was after you or what was happening to the user, making them able to know any trap in advance and know who was chasing them. 

But Ince Zangwill was dead. No one was chasing 'Valerie Zangwill', thus she had no idea who was after her. The Evernight Church was clever, limiting information about 0 - 08, so that only a select few knew about 0 - 08, and could therefore be 'known' in return for 'knowing' 0 - 08.

Arianna knew about 0 - 08, which was why she was 'known' by 0 - 08. Quill only wrote a few things. 'Coincidences' for the holder, information about people who were actively acting against the user or 0 - 08, or anything interacting with the 'coincidence' created by the wielder using 0 - 08. It wasn't as omnipotent as it first seemed. 

In fact, she doubted Arianna would have ever even been revealed by 0 - 08. She had the authority of 'Secrecy' held by the Evernight Goddess, which made her the perfect counter for 0 - 08. But because she inadvertently entered the 'story' created by 0 - 08 involving Larrion, she became 'known'. 

Valerie hardened her gaze. She was still being hunted by the Churches. She had no doubt that the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom and the Church of Steam would also consider her an enemy. But among them, she feared the Evernight the most. She had to be careful, as she was extremely weak and vulnerable right now. 

The easiest way she could be rid of this corruption was to simply pray to a God. But that would be akin to turning herself in, something she definitely wanted to avoid. Valerie sighed, taking the Quill and begging to write her plan for the day. 

Valerie would go to the library today, and by a stroke of luck, come across a book holding a basic solution for stopping the spread of corruption temporarily. As well, she would come across a clue regarding the Abraham Family, but she would not realize it for several days. 

She shook her hand, feeling it was a bit sore. She was careful to word this 'story' naturally and make it flow smoothly. While she could try and force a way to cure this curse or cleanse her corruption, she also became paranoid after last night. 

She had overestimated her limits and paid the price. Her spirituality was already low, and should she spend any more she could risk the mutterings and corruption spreading faster or driving her insane. As well, because of the 'smooth' flow of the 'story', she theorized the negative effects should be less, and 0 - 08 won't twist the 'story' as much. The clue about the Abraham Family was just a setup for the future, and a hopeful cure to her now curse. 

She hadn't specified whether the ritual could be completed by her or the requirements for the ritual, so she hoped that it was possible to be assembled and done in a timely manner. Also, she had not specified how effective the ritual was, its side effects, or other inaccuracies. 

This was a temporary solution, to hopefully recover her spirituality and create a situation where she could be fully cleansed with little side effects or negative consequences. She had to be careful, as she was in a dangerous situation, closed in from both sides. 

Her one way out of her current situation could turn on her in a second, and if she did nothing, she would be corrupted by this 'curse'. She would also have to come up with a permanent solution to avoid this situation in the future. 

Valerie thought about all this while applying some makeup she found to hide the bags under her eyes and change her features a slight bit. A small disguise wouldn't hurt. However, her easily identifiable platinum white hair stood out. She contemplated dying it, but thought better of it. It would be useful to dye later, once she became known for her recognizable hair, by then she should be easily able to use 0 - 08 to escape any pursuit. 

She rubbed her eyes again, trying to ignore the sounds in her ears and the strange illusionary knocking she swore she heard from every door she passed. The Quill continued to write, but Valerie was too distracted by her extreme exhaustion, slight tipsiness from alcohol, and mutterings in her ear to notice. 

While Valerie began her search for a way to solve her curse, several higher beings noticed a few irregularities. A certain 'angel' had begun to change his plan in regard to several new variables. As well, the —------ noticed an irregularity with the sealed door in a hidden forest, which behind it held a very powerful existence. Finally, the 'being' who held the authority over 'Reader' became interested in the happenings of Bunkland. 

[The Readers in the Stars watch with rapid attention. They wait for the promised time, when the Door shall open, and the Gate will be unlocked with the Silver Key.]

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Man, the Visionary pathway is overpowered as heck. Also, why are their 9 Sefirot, when there are 11 in real life? A future plot, perhaps?

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