Archive of Our Own

Klein’s day started relatively normal. He woke up refreshed and went to buy condiments before going to the Blackthorn Security Company, as they’d ran out. The soft chirping of birds and his footsteps on the pavement complimented the rising sun. Before long, he returned to their house and made himself a simple breakfast, eggs and seasoning on a piece of bread. His siblings hadn’t awoken by the time he was done, so he left quietly to go to work.

He entered a carriage, paid the carriage driver and sat down to read the newspaper he obtained from a paperboy early in the morning. His eyes paused on an article regarding the change in funds for Khoy University and pondered the consequences of it, though had trouble imagining the effect of 200.000 pounds. Even with his higher-than-average income for a Loen citizen, he wouldn’t obtain that amount of money in his entire lifetime.

He stepped off the carriage while thanking the driver and walked the last part to the Security Company. Leonard and Captain Dunn Smith were in conversation when he walked in, both turning to him.

“Good morning, Klein. Glad you’re here. We have a Sealed Artifact to accept very soon, do you have any pets by chance?”

I haven’t even said good morning back… Where are your manners, Captain?

“I don’t have pets, why do you ask?”

“It has to do with the Sealed Artifact. Let’s talk in my office.”

And so they did.

Captain explained that a recently acquired Sealed Artifact from a different diocese had only been placed behind their corresponding Chanis Gate for five minutes before it started acting up and affecting the area around it. It had living characteristics and mostly reacted to animal-like stimuli. Especially people that often resided around animals were affected the soonest, hence the Captain’s inquiry about pets.

Neither Leonard nor Captain had pets, making the three of them suitable candidates for the handover. They discussed the coming procedure a bit more before heading out to retrieve the artifact as time was of the essence. Klein separately divined each of them to find the safest person to take it and found himself to be considered the most safe, though the differences between them were very small.

“Remember, this Sealed Artifact has only recently been discovered and there have not been extensive tests yet. There might be complications we’re not aware of.”

“Yes, Captain.” Leonard and Klein said in unison, giving the other a glance in quiet humour. If someone of their team would forget that, it wouldn’t be them.

The Captain called a Keeper to remain on standby before saying goodbye to Rozanne and heading out to the meeting place, an abandoned warehouse in the factory district, devoid of nearby creatures.

The other diocese’s three Nighthawks stood ready to hand over the Sealed Artifact, nervousness evident in the one holding the artifact. He looked around Melissa’s age and tightly gripped a bone-like artifact. It seemed inconspicuous apart from the fact it was a bone.

Klein stepped forward and reached out for the bone.

“Don’t drop it.” The voice of the Nighthawk holding it had a soft but stern tone.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

He hesitated for a moment before carefully placing the bone in Klein’s hands. When he lost contact with it, he jumped backwards multiple times with an acrobatic flair.

Also a Clown. I suppose keeping this thing off the ground is important. Captain didn’t mention that. He probably forgot.

Klein made sure both his hands firmly gripped the artifact. It had an unnatural coldness to it and Klein involuntarily shivered. He controlled his twitching facial expression with his Clown powers and walked back to Captain and Leonard, keeping a close eye on the thing in his hands.

Klein saw the Captain make a sign to the other Nighthawks through the corner of his eye and gestured for Klein to follow him.

With Klein in the middle and Leonard in the back, the three of them made their way back to the Security Company. At times, the Captain checked in with Klein, making sure he didn’t show abnormalities.

They were a street away when it happened. The Captain had just passed an alleyway and got ready to escort Klein across the street. A kid came sprinting from that alleyway and body slammed into Klein, who was too busy staring at the bone to pay attention, assuming that his teammates would do that for him.

He tumbled to the pavement, averting his body in a way so he remained between the child and the Sealed Artifact. The impact hit his body heavily, yet he managed to keep the artifact above the ground.

Klein felt the pain reverberate through his body. It was a pain he hadn’t felt before, something so internal it shouldn’t have pain receptors, yet also external, as if his skin was on fire.

Effect of the Sealed Artifact? How does a fall hurt this much…

He noticed Leonard swiftly taking the kid away from the situation and Dunn Smith opening his mouth, though he couldn’t hear the words over the cracking sounds coming from his body.

Klein vaguely felt the bone being taken from his hands. It didn’t stop the excruciating pain throughout his body. In contrary, it felt like his intestines and major body parts were being rearranged.

It took him until he felt his clothes fall next to him to realise his body was being rearranged. He saw the small hairs on his arms thicken and multiply in number.

Am I losing control? It doesn’t feel like it, though.

His mind remained relatively clear for the fact he was changing into an animal. His vision changed along with his perspective, though he couldn’t tell in which way. He knew he was getting smaller, and his hands became more stout.

The entire process happened in only five seconds. Leonard had sent the kid away and returned in that time. The Captain stood still, focused on the artifact.

The pain faded away fairly quickly and Klein made an initial assessment of his own state. His entire body was now covered in black fur, and his hands and feet had turned into paws.

Leonard gasped.

“You’re a cat!”

“Focus, Leonard. Pick him and his belongings up quickly, we need to leave.”

Leonard snapped out of his disbelief and crouched down. He awkwardly scooped up both Klein and his clothes in such a way that he'd be able to breathe, while keeping him out of sight.

Klein let it happen. He no longer felt pain and wasn't in immediate danger, so there was no point in making a fuss, however strange it was to be easily picked up by his coworker.

He took Klein's cane last, keeping it between two fingers and, combined with his clothes and hat, making it look like he had just robbed all of the belongings of a middle-class man.

Which he had, in a way.

Leonard adjusted the way he held the pile and put uncomfortable pressure on Klein’s small cat body.

“Ow! That hurts.” His words came out like a yelp, his mouth didn’t follow the way his brain ordered it to.

“Sorry, Klein… Is this better?” Leonard adjusted his hold again, this time making it less uncomfortable. It still didn’t feel the greatest to be half-suspended in the air between a pile of clothes, but it was better than being crushed.

Klein grumbled a ‘sure’ and Leonard hummed, following behind the Captain, who was already a bit ahead. Leonard looked around for any potential issues, but didn’t find any. They swiftly entered the Security Company. The Keeper opened the door for them and led the Captain down to the gate. He ignored Leonard and his pile of clothes, fully focused on getting the artifact in its place.

Rozanne did not ignore it. Her gaze was questioningly on Leonard.

“What happened? Where’s Klein?”

He took that as an opportunity to escape from Leonard, wiggling out of his grasp. One of his nails got stuck on his shirt and Leonard dropped everything. He plopped on the ground, covered in his own clothes. His cane bounced once and fell on top of him.

“Oof.”

“Was that a cat?” Rozanne’s voice could be heard through the clothing.

“Yeah, Klein’s a cat now.” Klein felt layers being taken off him and looked up to see Leonard’s concerned expression.

“Are you alright?”

Klein nodded and noticed a slight increase in difficulty in doing so, requiring his head to go forwards and backwards instead of up and down. He examined the rest of his body and his surroundings with his new eyes. His perspective had lowered a lot and he could tell that any distance he’d want to cover would take many more steps than before.

He tried to activate his spirit vision and slapped himself in the face, not used to the change in the connection between his head and body. He carefully tried again and tapped between his eyes, but nothing happened.

Klein glanced around for his pendulum. It had fallen when his body changed into a cat and he hoped to not have lost it. He scoured through the left sleeve of his shirt, but couldn’t find it. He let out a frustrated noise and pushed the shirt away, looking further.

“Is it your powers? I’ve got a coin here somewhere…” Leonard patted his pockets and retrieved his wallet, picking out a gold coin and handing it to Klein.

He reached for the coin, unintentionally with claws out. Leonard placed it awkwardly between his nails and accidentally dropped it, muttering an apology.

Klein struggled to pick it up and struggled even more in properly throwing it. He made a simple divination about the origin of the coin, yet failed in completing it. The coin didn’t align with what his intuition told him.

His powers felt sealed in the small body, he felt disconnected with himself. Klein hadn’t noticed how much his powers had ingrained in him, how much he saw them as a part of himself in such a short period of time.

Captain Dunn Smith walked back in the lobby, now free of the Sealed Artifact. He looked at the pile on the floor and disapprovingly sighed at Leonard, before going to the pile himself and placing it onto one of the chairs in the waiting corner.

At Captain’s glance towards Klein, he straightened up as he would normally do when awaiting orders.

“There is some news, the initial response of the Sealed Artifact in its new environment is not out of proportion, so it will stay there. The thing we are not certain of is how long Klein’s… situation will take. The previous holders of the Sealed Artifact have performed reliable divinations and said it is not a permanent transformation. They said one of the Keepers had transformed into a rat yesterday. This was also one of the reasons for the request of transferral.”

Klein sighed in relief at the knowledge that it was temporary, but couldn’t help criticizing the Captain for not mentioning this effect of the artifact. He had only mentioned ‘inducing animal-like behaviour’ as an effect, not fully turning into one.

“It’ll likely take between a couple of days to a few weeks for the transformation to reverse.”

Klein wondered how they would explain his absence to his siblings. He had fairly recently started this job and now he would be gone for an indeterminate amount of time. He glanced at the door and thought of his chances trying to leave the Nighthawks, but quickly abandoned the idea. With how much the Churches chased after rogue Beyonders and deserters, it would only be a matter of time before he was caught. His siblings would also be implicated.

“Don’t worry about your siblings, we’ve had worse cases to explain. We will tell them you’re on a mission as a bodyguard and that we can’t give any more information as a safety precaution for the client. Of course we will compensate them and say it is from you.”

Ever the gentleman… Don’t give them too much, or they’ll think I’m killing people for a living.

Klein made sure the Captain was looking and covered part of Leonard’s coin with his paw, staring Dunn Smith intently in his eye.

“Half a coin… Not too much? I understand.” He nodded and moved to his office, gesturing at Klein to follow him. It felt strange to walk on four limbs instead of two, but he seemed to pick it up fairly quickly, as his back legs automatically followed his front ones.

“You can stay in the Security Company for the time being. I’ll have Rozanne get you a place to sleep. Will you need cat food or regular food?”

Klein instinctively knew both were fine. His organs hadn’t changed, but his preferences towards cat food were no longer negative. He’d be able to appreciate some raw meat if it came down to it.

He didn’t know how to fully convey that information, so he meowed.

“Right. I forgot.” Captain, I’m right next to you. Your memory problems are getting out of hand.

He settled on his chair behind his desk and Klein followed, jumping onto an empty one. It was surprisingly easy, like a built-in feature of being a cat. He had to consciously control his claws, though. If he wasn’t careful, he’d cut up the cloth draped over the chair.

Captain Dunn Smith grabbed a paper and wrote down words Klein couldn’t see.

“Please give one meow for cat food or two for human food.”

Klein meowed once, paused, and meowed twice after.

“Ah, either is fine?” He meowed in response, watching the Captain write some more.

“I’ll make sure you have plenty of food for the foreseeable future. Also, my apologies for not paying close enough attention. It could have been much more grave than it turned out to be.”

“Hrmmph.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He thought for a moment.

“Is 50 gold pounds too much?”

Klein couldn’t help but blurt out a sound at the absurd amount. He immediately regretted it and wished for his Clown powers to return.

“Uh, how about 40?” Klein put up a paw, low to the seat.

They kept this going until the Captain arrived at 10 pounds. He looked a little disgruntled at the amount, but Klein couldn’t let his siblings believe anything other than what he told them his job was. He’d get his compensation after returning to his human form, it wasn’t like he could use it as a cat anyway.

The Captain stood up and announced to Klein he’d get everything done. He then proceeded to walk out and close the door behind him, leaving Klein in the office. Klein hopped off the chair and moved to the door.

The door handle seemed impossible to reach at his height. Klein cursed the Captain for both not walking out with him, and closing the door behind him. Didn’t he know Klein was too small for doors now…

Just as Klein was about to explore the office and possibly finding a bit of interesting knowledge, Dunn Smith opened the door.

“I forgot to ask this, but do you have an issue with staying here in the Security Company? I thought you might want to explore, but I believe it to be safer for you to stay here.”

Klein shook his head from left to right and strutted into the lobby before Captain could close the door on him again.

“Ah, sorry for that. Good to know, I’ll be going now.”

Klein made a noise at him, hoping to remind him of his earlier promises.

“What is it?” Klein closed his eyes and made himself comfortable on the ground, imitating a sleeping cat. He opened his eyes and pointedly looked at the Captain.

“Right. Rozanne, please make sure Klein will have a spot to sleep tonight. He’ll remain in the Security Company for the time being.”

She nodded.

“Of course. Is there anything else I should get while I go out to buy that?”

“Uh, something to eat will be good too. It shouldn’t matter if it’s people or cat food. You can leave it in a box in the break room.”

“Alright. Good luck with breaking the news, Captain.” Rozanne looked at him in slight pity.

As he left, Leonard turned to Klein.

“What’s it like to be a cat now?”

Klein meowed and Leonard chuckled awkwardly. “Right. Cat-like.”

He felt a little looked-down upon and decided he needed a better vantage point. The front desk was the best available option, so he went to the chair Rozanne usually sat on and gracefully jumped up onto the desk, before sitting comfortably and licking his paw. Leonard clapped in astonishment.

“You seem to be getting used to it fairly quickly. Is your behaviour a natural part of it or are you acting more like a cat than you feel?” His words had a tinge of teasing to them.

Does he want to be bitten? He glared at him.

Luckily for him, Rozanne softly punched his shoulder. “How about you turn into a dog and see how you start acting?”

Klein meowed in agreement, causing both of them to laugh.

“Is that a cat? What a cute kitty.” Old Neil had entered from the corridor. Klein would have gone to his mysticism class after the mission, so he was likely looking for him.

Klein watched in horror as Old Neil’s hand came close to his face. Both of his other colleagues were holding in their laughs.

He begrudgingly let it happen, though the tutting noises Old Neil made were an unwanted addition. He scratched behind Klein’s ear and the tickling feeling made him quickly retract and shake his head.

Leonard had started letting out strained chuckles, followed by Rozanne’s giggles.

“Why is it here? Is it lost?”

“You can say that. What do you think, Klein? Are you lost?” Klein hissed at him and he doubled over, no longer concealing his laughter.

Old Neil blinked a couple times in confusion.

“I don’t understand, is Klein the name of the cat? Where is he, by the way? His mysticism class starts soon.”

Rozanne stepped in. “Klein is the cat. Something went wrong during the mission and now he’s like this. It’s only temporary, though. So no need to worry.”

The dots connected in his head.

“Ah. I understand. Well then, I apologise for that.” Klein blinked slowly with the intention of saying he accepted it.

“Do you still want to commence with the class? I don’t think you being… like this… will affect today’s lesson.”

He thought for a moment and decided that anything would be better than being teased longer by Leonard.

He jumped off the table and moved to the corridor. Old Neil followed close behind him.

“It is not usual to encounter a Sealed Artifact or a Beyonder with these kinds of transformative powers, especially regarding animals. I can only think of a couple pathways related to that. And even then, turning into an animal is not a part of the powers that belong to it. I think it opens up a bit of thought about how these kinds of Sealed Artifacts come to be.” Klein tuned out his assessment halfway through, instead looking around, in search for anything his cat mind found interesting.

Old Neil opened the door for Klein and moved inside. He got onto the table in the middle of the room from a step stool near the wall. He felt he could initiate more risky movement the longer he remained in this form, mimicking his Clown powers. Of course he had to remember he was only a cat and therefore had to stay in the limits of what a cat could accomplish.

There were various items on the table. Some of them had been used in his mysticism classes before, like candles, certain herbs and multiple unidentifiable liquids. Others he hadn’t seen in this context, like feathers and sand.

The class flew by, though Klein had trouble ingesting the information. It was about a certain kind of ritual, but he clearly noticed the absence of his Seer powers. They had previously helped him in internalising mysticism knowledge, especially when it came to divination-related things.

When they were done, Old Neil rambled a little about the historical influence of cats in mysticism lore. Klein didn’t feel very mystically related at the moment, though he could understand the sentiment. Cats were often seen as a product of magic and mysticism back home, too.

He softly responded to some statements, making it a quasi-conversation.

After a while, Old Neil mentioned going to the bathroom and left Klein to himself.

He made sure he was hidden properly, out of sight from the door, and prepared to step counterclockwise, when he encountered a problem. He could not verbalise the chants in his cat form, as his vocal chords and general speaking ability had transformed. He decided to try regardless, mentally chanting the lines with accompanying meows.

As he stepped counterclockwise and ‘chanted’ the lines, he knew it wouldn’t work before he had completed the ritual. Though his intuition had been greatly diminished, it was still one of his best skills.

He stepped the fourth time, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings loudly spoken in his head.

Nothing happened.

He wondered how he’d explain this to his Tarot Club members. It was Friday, three days before the next gathering. Miss Justice and Mister Hanged Man would likely pray to him a bit after 3 o’clock when they weren’t pulled above the gray fog, and Little Sun would keep waiting, without reference of how long it would take.

He wouldn’t be able to answer or even listen to their prayers, stuck on the material plane. Klein groaned mentally and hoped it wouldn’t take longer than a week for him to return. It did mean he had about a week to think of an excuse worthy of a god to make, which would have to be exponentially more extreme the longer they didn’t receive a response.

He’d have to say he was preventing an evil god’s spawn or something equally ridiculous.

Klein lampooned his situation and prayed to the goddess for the speedy recovery of his body, clumsily drawing a crimson moon.

He walked to the break room and was greeted with Frye and Leonard unloading supplies out of a crate, with Rozanne sat on one of the chairs. Frye noticed him first and nodded in both a greeting and acknowledgement. Klein appreciated the somewhat normal demeanour of his colleague and slow blinked at him.

Klein saw a smile forming on Leonard’s face and dreaded whatever would come out of his mouth.

He didn’t say anything, but reached for something in his pockets, revealing a miniature half top hat. He glanced at Rozanne and she smiled apologetically. “I tried to stop him.”

Leonard stalked his way to Klein and he skirted away from him, swerving between the table legs.

“Come here, Klein. I’m not going to hurt you.” Leonard said, with the tone of someone who was planning much worse. He didn’t match Klein in speed, but he was able to predict his movement after a bit, faking him out on the direction of his next position.

It took only one mistake from Klein for Leonard to grab him by the scruff and place him on the table. Klein stopped resisting and defeatedly accepted the hat on his head. To Leonard’s credit, it fit perfectly. He wondered where he found a small hat, assuming there was not a store in the area selling just that.

“Such a distinguished young gentleman.” I’m glad this guy finds humour in my torment.

“Whatever shall we name you, young mister? We can’t call you Klein, that’s not a cat name.”

Klein stared at him, unimpressed.

“How about Smaller Mister? Because you’re shorter now, get it?” He then muttered to himself, saying something along the lines of ‘Mr. Small would work better’.

Once I get the chance, I’m going to get the Tarot Club to kill this guy. Or I can do it myself, I only have to advance one more time to outrank him in terms of power. Of course I can try to fight him at my current stage, though I will need some Sealed Artifact to assist me. The lifelong imprisonment would be worth it.

“Just ignore him, Klein. He doesn’t usually get a lot of enjoyment out of work.” Leonard ignored Frye’s remark and continued suggesting names like ‘Mr. Whisker’, ‘Night’, referring to his dark fur, and the name of some poet Klein didn’t know. Most of them were instantly rejected by Klein or Rozanne.

“You do need a cat name, though. It would be a bit strange to call him after a colleague that recently went away.” Klein somewhat agreed, but still hated the names Leonard came up with.

“How about Mr. Fool? He’s both a Seer and a Clown, I think it fits.”

…Did Rozanne become a Seer herself?

“I like that! Great thinking.” Perhaps too great.

“Klein, what do you think of that one?”

“Mrrraw.” Do what you want.

“He definitely likes it.”

“If you say so…”

The group finished unloading and Frye gave Klein a few sardines, which he gladly accepted. He could appreciate the salty taste of the fish a bit more now that his preferences towards them had changed. Leonard placed a bowl of water on the ground and Rozanne revealed a cat bed and a blanket from her own bag. She placed them in a shadowed corner of the break room that didn’t intrude any walkable path through the room.

Klein inspected the bed and found it had a pricey feel to it. It was a round cushion-like bed with soft cotton on the inside. Rozanne likely figured the cost would be reimbursed.

He mentally apologised for the amount of paperwork the Captain would have to do while Klein remained as a cat.

Klein sat on the cotton part and placed his front paws under him, creating a cat loaf.

“Aw, you’re so cute.”

As a poet, aren’t you supposed to be careful and deliberate with your words? This man will take a lifetime to digest that potion…

Klein took a moment to assess his new body and hissed at Leonard when he figured out how to do so. The man simply chuckled and went to pat Klein’s head, to which he feigned a bite.

“Rude.”

Klein made a sound similar to a huff and laid his head down. Now that he rested for a moment, he noticed his body and spirituality being significantly more drained than he’d usually be after a mysticism lesson. It could be a residual effect of the transformation from the Sealed Artifact.

He decided to not take any unnecessary action and take a nap. He felt he deserved it, and it wasn’t like any of them would reprimand him.

He was a cat, after all.

He closed his eyes and got comfortable by wiggling a little.

Klein ignored the multiple ‘aw's that circulated the room and breathed deeply.

He pondered the meaning of life and comfortably fell asleep.

A loud bang nearby startled him awake. Klein jumped up and hissed at empty air. The lamp in the break room had been extinguished, but a sliver of light came from the gap to the hallway. He figured his colleagues had left it open for him.

Klein stalked to the door, listening intently. No other sounds followed the bang, and the hallway appeared empty.

He stepped into the light and looked around. Klein couldn’t place the direction of the sound, so he followed the hallway to the staircase of the Chanis Gate, the most likely cause of mid-night noise.

He was about to enter an area in between the Security Company and the Church when Kenley, a Sequence 9 Sleepless that was in charge of Chanis Gate duty, rushed past him. He only spared Klein a single glance.

His face remained contorted as he went into the telegram room. Klein followed close behind, curious to what Kenley had seen.

Kenley typed hastily and looked around in slight panic. He jolted a little at Klein’s entrance, but kept writing. He couldn’t see the words from on the floor, but there was no easy path onto the table, so he stayed on lookout at the door.

Kenley muttered a shaky ‘thank you’.

No one and no thing appeared, and Kenley was soon done writing and sent the telegram.

“Let’s go, let’s go. I need to go back.”

Klein agreed and was about to lead the way, when Kenley stopped him.

“Could you stay here in case of a response? I need to go back. The gate did something, but I don’t understand it.” It was the quickest explanation he could give.

Klein nodded and watched Kenley rush his way back to his post.

He returned to the telegram room and figured out the easiest way to get onto the table, which was to jump on it in one go. It wasn’t ideal for Klein’s legs, but a little concentration and a bit of wiggling before take-off helped him plenty.

He stepped on multiple pieces of paper and positioned himself so that he could see any incoming messages and keep an eye on the door.

The silence broke after a minute or two when mechanical noises came from the telegram machine. The message contained only two words.

‘Coming,

-Captain’

Klein waited for the paper to fully exit the machine before biting into a corner and jumping down the table. He was glad for the small size of the paper. He didn’t have to drag it across the floor.

As he ran down the hallways, he wondered how the Captain owned one of those machines. They seemed to be a relatively new invention and expensive, too. He remembered that they were connected to both the local Machinery Hivemind and the Mandated Punishers, so it felt unnecessary to create more lines to a captain of the team the telegram room belonged to.

He entered the room of the Chanis Gate and dropped the paper in Kenley’s hands. He sighed and kept switching legs to stand on, as if he really needed to go to the toilet. Klein looked at the closed Gate and didn’t notice any changes compared to the last time he had his shift there.

The two remained in a tense silence. Kenley sniffed multiple times and Klein took a seat on the chair.

Faint footsteps could be heard above them and Kenley immediately ran out to watch.

Klein grumbled about leaving a cat alone as a guard.

“Stay there, Kenley, keep an eye out on the Gate.” Yes, exactly.

Kenley muttered an apology and rushed back inside, followed by the Captain.

“So about thirty minutes ago, the Gate started looking a little lighter. I thought it might be because I was getting tired, so I didn’t do anything. But then around ten minutes ago, it banged really loudly.”

The loud bang was indeed the gate itself.

“It hasn’t done anything since, and I contacted you as soon as possible.”

The Captain contemplated for a moment.

“This is highly irregular. Most abnormalities happen in the first five to ten minutes after closing the gate. For it to change that behaviour so suddenly is indicative of the abnormality of that new Sealed Artifact.” The Captain’s voice held a tone of uncertainty.

As far as Klein could see, the lightness of the gate had remained the same. It could be assumed that the abnormality had been resolved by the Keepers, though Klein didn’t have enough information about Nighthawk procedures to say it for certain.

“I’m taking over Kenley’s shift in about two hours, but I’ll stay for now, too. Let’s pray to the Goddess that nothing strange will happen.” Kenley and Dunn Smith both drew the Crimson Moon and Klein attempted his own version.

“Kenley, you can grab another chair from the break room to place here.”

He went to go out, but was stopped by another request.

“Oh, and while you’re at it, could you also close the front door? I left it open in a hurry.”

Kenley nodded and moved again.

“Wait a moment.” Good Goddess.

“Could you notify the bishop about the abnormality? He should be awake right now.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

Kenley went out the door, uninterrupted this time. The Captain glanced at Klein on the chair and scooped him up without hesitation and placing him on his lap as he sat down on the chair.

Klein protested, but the Captain shushed him.

“Keep your attention on the door.”

He grumbled, but settled down.

Kenley took a couple minutes to return. He was raising the chair in his arms so it didn't drag across the floor and placed it down.

“The bishop is contacting other people to check it out soon and has said that unless the gate is showing more abnormalities… Uh…” He looked down in thought.

“We should, um, Wait? I forgot exactly what he said.” Kenley sheepishly scratched his head.

Stop that, you look like an anime character.

“It's alright. We will wait for the bishop or other authorized people to come down here, as is protocol.”

Perhaps it is a pathway thing. I wonder how long it will take Leonard to start forgetting. If he hasn't started doing so already.

At this point, Klein’s adrenaline had long worn off and the prospect of more waiting made his drowsiness return. A sudden but calm hand on his head did not improve his tiredness, especially not when the Captain started softly scratching.

Klein should have found it weird, but it felt strangely nice, so he tentatively allowed the petting. The pressure on his head slowed his thoughts and relaxed his mind.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

Klein awoke for the second time that day, though slowly waking up to the sound of his colleagues softly conversing was much more appreciated than promptly jolting from a bang.

He stretched his limbs far from his body and blinked his sleepiness away.

He was no longer in front of the Chanis Gate, instead laying on the cat bed in the break room. He hadn’t noticed being moved there, which would never happen in his regular body due to his enhanced spiritual perception.

Klein seriously started considering the implications of his lack of Beyonder powers. If he fell asleep in any other place, he wouldn’t have been able to resist assault. All of his usually easy to access powers, items, and the Gray Fog were now either not available at all, or heavily weakened.

He once again prayed for a fast recovery.

The voices came from outside of the room. Klein barely had to pay attention to know they belonged to Leonard, Frye, and Royale, a perk of having better ears.

He’d give away the superior ears in a heartbeat if it meant he’d have his powers back.

Klein moved to the sound and looked through the crack of the door. Frye faced the door and noticed him first, giving a small nod. Leonard and Royale turned to face him too and Leonard beckoned him to come closer.

Leonard briefed him when he stood in their makeshift circle. It reminded Klein of the gossip circles that formed regularly in the place he worked at back at Earth. He would be included in them whenever he wasn’t the object of discussion, though he was aware every person would be judged behind their back, including him.

“They haven’t said anything about what caused it, but the Keepers have said it wouldn’t be happening again any time soon.”

I hope that’s actually the case, and not just empty words to make us feel safer…

Regardless, it gave him a slight feeling of relief. He wondered how the Sealed Artifact managed to create such a disproportionate reaction from the gate, compared to the moderately low grade the artifact seemed to have.

He wanted to ask and get his colleagues’ guesses and insight, but there was no simple way to ask such a complicated question.

“The Captain is watching the gate right now. Kenley received a short mental evaluation from Daly, but she left already. He should be fine now.”

From what I’ve seen, he always looks a little scared. I hope he hasn’t been scarred too badly.

“I’m surprised nothing too serious happened, something like the gate opening usually spells disaster.” Royale’s words didn’t align with her facial expression, but Klein was glad she participated in the discussion. She usually kept a cool face around him, so it was nice to see a different side to her.

“Yeah, it could have affected plenty of other artifacts. I hope the Keepers are able to keep up with it.” Frye and Royale didn’t react to the pun and Klein blinked slowly.

This group was not the best for executing jokes.

“I’m going to review a case I’ve been working on. Good luck, Klein.” Royale left with a steady pace.

Frye gave a small bow and went a different way.

“Tough crowd.”

“Meow.”

“Thanks.”

I didn’t… Whatever.

Klein walked to the lobby, Leonard following behind him.

The clock in the lobby pointed at 10. Klein usually started working earlier, though he counted the time in the night as part of his shift. He might even be considered ‘on standby’, as he likely wouldn’t leave the Security Company for the time being.

Not that he could do much as a guard in his current state.

Rozanne gave him a bright greeting that Klein returned with a meow. She had a morning paper in her hands.

Perhaps he looked at it for a second too long, because she placed it on the desk and gestured for him to get on it.

“You want to read it?” Klein would be lying if he refused, so he jumped on the desk from her chair.

He skimmed the topics on the front, but none of the featured stories attracted him to read them. He attempted to flip through some pages. His paws were evidently not designed for that, as he struggled to separate the pages.

Leonard moved behind the desk and flipped it to the page that Klein wanted to go to; an extensive report on the best local restaurants, ranked by a professional food critic.

Klein thanked him mentally and got into the report. The author mostly described the quality of the taste. Some of the descriptions made Klein’s mouth water. He had heard of the highest ranked restaurant in the report, it was known for being relatively affordable for a middle-class family, while the taste rivalled high-end restaurants.

He wished to eventually earn enough money to go to such restaurants whenever he wanted and enjoy the food without care.

His thoughts were paused by the pressure of something being placed on his head.

Again…?

“You look even more like a person with that newspaper.”

I am a person, you asshole.

Klein stared holes through his face and hoped the message came across. It didn’t seem like it, since it only made him laugh.

He reached out with his paw, claws out to scratch him. Leonard saw it coming and swerved around the desk. Klein stalked towards him, ready to jump and take him down.

The front door opening halted his plan. He sat down in a way that made it seem like he wasn’t about to maul his colleague's model-worthy face.

Two people entered the lobby. One of them was a woman, the other a little girl around the age of 8. They had the same hair colour and a similar face shape, so Klein assumed they were mother and daughter. Their clothes had a certain luxurious flair, commonly seen in the upper-middle class.

The girl hid behind her supposed mother, clutching onto her skirt. The woman gave a polite smile.

“Hello, my name is Ellis Lavièra. If possible, I would like to hire temporary guards.”

Rozanne jumped into action to get a empty form from a compartment in the desk.

“Of course, Miss Lavièra. What would the service be concerning?” She had a pen ready and quickly noted some information.

“My house, I have recently moved to Tingen with my daughter, and I am still waiting for the warden and guards provided by my cousin to arrive. I wish for safety in the time it takes for them to come here.”

“Do you live alone with your daughter?”

“Yes, my husband recently passed away.” She couldn’t hide the flash of sorrow across her face.

“The guards we had at the time are no longer bound by contract due to his passing and did not want to come to Tingen with us. I could only manage to bring the head guard for the trip here.”

While Rozanne and Miss Lavièra specified the exact services and details necessary for the contract, the girl had set her eyes on Klein. She shuffled forward to him, reluctant to leave her mother.

Leonard noticed the girl and spoke softly to not interrupt the conversation between Miss Lavièra and Rozanne.

“Do you want to pet him?” The girl nodded and inched closer.

“He’s very sweet, watch.” Leonard’s hand came close to Klein’s face and he had to hold himself back from biting him.

Leonard scratched him under the chin and petted his backside, causing his body to involuntarily raise. Klein didn’t want to traumatize the girl by murdering his colleague, so he allowed it to happen.

The girl raised her arm up high to reach him, as she was still short, and patted below his hat. He had to close his eyes every pat to not get poked. She had sparkles in her eyes and smiled widely.

“He’s so cute! What is he called?”

“Mr. Fool.” The girl giggled.

“What a silly name.” The comment made Leonard laugh too.

“Silly name for a silly cat.” Klein huffed and the girl paused her petting, curiosity evident.

“What a smart kitty! Did he understand it?”

Leonard quickly wiped the alarm off his face in favour of a grin.

“Uh, maybe. He’s always been intelligent. For a cat.” That feels back-handed…

“Then you should be nicer, sir. Words have power.” The girl’s words contained the tone of an authority.

This child has better self-preservation than some Beyonders out there. She has been raised properly.

Klein glanced at the girl’s mother and caught her gaze. She watched their interaction and smiled knowingly.

The contract was finished about fifteen minutes later, and the mother and daughter left with the expectation of seeing them again in the evening, when the period of protection would start. Rozanne would confirm the details and people involved with the mission when the Captain returned from his Chanis Gate shift.

“The reason for her husband’s passing might be the reason for wanting to hire guards, but I wonder why she had guards before that.” Rozanne speculated.

“She or her late husband might belong to a noble family or a political group, or be in possession of something valuable. She could also be trying to establish a connection with the local official Beyonders. Though this begs the question of how she knew we were here.” His words made Klein think of potential dangers, not only to the Nighthawks, but to the lady as well. If she was an unofficial low-sequence Beyonder, it would be akin to walking inside of a lion’s den with only a needle to protect yourself.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, there is a possibility she wishes to find a safe place to go to in case of an emergency. She has a child to take care of, after all.” Rozanne interjected.

Royale emerged from a shadowy corner. Only Leonard didn’t jump at her appearance.

“In the end, without a proper background check, this is all just speculation. What did she say her name was? I’ll run a basic check on her and her family.” Rozanne provided her information and she left normally through the door.

The running of a background check was a way for her to involve herself with the mission, essentially claiming a spot in advance.

Klein mentally commended her for the tactic and stored it away in his brain for later use.

Rozanne placed the form in a different part of the desk, now fully filled out. She sat down on the chair and started reading the food report Klein had read, though her enthusiasm for it did not match his level. He went to her side and sat near the paper in a way that both of them could read it.

With both of his colleagues in quiet company, Leonard got bored and walked away.

Klein waited patiently for Rozanne to finish reading after he was done, letting her take the lead of the speed in which they were reading.

The two of them finished the report, and various other articles, with a steady pace. They ate together as well. Rozanne gave him a special type of fish that had a tinge of lemon, making Klein’s mouth water with anticipation. He lampooned a little about eating better as a cat than as a person, but the incredible taste made him forgive his own transgressions.

Eventually, Leonard came back with Royale in tow, ready to take on the mission of guarding the estate of Ellis Lavièra.

Royale filled them in on the details of her background check. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary to Klein and even made it seem like the Lady wasn’t a Beyonder at all.

Either she was really good at hiding her powers, or she truly wished to feel safe as a non-Beyonder. For both of those options did Klein assume there would only be a little risk in taking on the mission. He’d have to do with assumptions, as there was no way to confirm using divination.

Leonard had already checked with the Captain to make sure he knew where they’d be going and he had approved of it, so the team confirmed their roles and headed out.

Only Leonard and Royale had joined the team as guards, and Leonard grabbed Klein on his way out, so he joined them as well. He could have fought back, but he was as curious about the mission as his colleagues were.

The house wasn’t too far away from the Security Company. They went there on foot and arrived in about twenty minutes. Klein gladly covered the entire distance in Leonard's arms. He'd be able to walk all the way, but his newfound legs would not appreciate it.

The house itself was not too large, but it was freestanding and had a nice garden around it. It couldn’t have been cheap, assuming she bought the house and hadn’t rented it.

Klein spotted the girl watching from a window. Her eyes sparkled as she waved to him. Leonard noticed his gaze and followed it, causing the girl to jolt and hide from sight.

Royale went up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A short tune resounded through the house. A little thumping and stumbling around happened, before the door opened to reveal both Miss Lavièra and her daughter.

Miss Lavièra smiled warmly at the group.

"Welcome in, I'll show you around first." The tour consisted more of Miss Lavièra making the team aware of places she thought were spots sensitive of infiltration than a genuine show of the house. Miss Lavièra placed special attention on the door in the kitchen leading to the back garden. The lock on that door was a rusted piece of metal that could break with a little force.

Both Leonard and Royale nodded at Miss Lavièra, indicating they understood.

During the tour, the girl tried to subtly get attention from Klein without alerting the adults. After the third time of 'psps'-ing, Klein tapped Leonard inconspicuously and made him put him down.

He scratched him behind his ear and jokingly told him to behave. Klein pretended to not understand and trotted to the girl.

She almost jumped forward to pet him, but her mother called her name and she sat down with her hand outstretched instead. Miss Lavièra watched her with immense fondness.

Klein received pets from the girl who he now knew was named Anna. It felt a lot smoother without the cat top hat obstructing the pet-area on his head.

"Would it be okay for them to play in the living room?" Ellis Lavièra asked Leonard. The unsaid question of asking to talk to them without her daughter was picked up immediately.

Leonard smiled. "Of course, Mr. Fool is a very sociable cat."

Anna jumped up in excitement and Klein couldn't help but flinch away. An 8-year-old girl seemed as large as a giant to him and fast movements would quickly be interpreted as a possible attack.

Tears filled her eyes and her bottom lip started trembling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fool. I didn't mean to scare you."

Oh Goddess.

A subtle glance at his colleagues told him he was terrible with children, but also a cat.

He sat down in a pathetic attempt at a loaf to emanate cuteness and blinked at Anna with huge eyes. She sniffed and slowly went to pet him again, this time without sudden movements. A meow from him made her giggle through her tears.

Miss Lavièra sighed and gestured for his colleagues to follow her. They disappeared above the stairs.

Anna stood up, carefully this time.

"Mr. Fool, do you want to play? Follow, follow!" She skipped to the living room. Klein lampooned about having become a babysitter, but followed.

The living room was as large as one would expect from this type of house, though the interior was a bit barren. There was a shrine dedicated to the late husband of Miss Lavièra. It had multiple pictures of him, Ellis Lavièra, and their daughter Anna.

The daughter in question danced around the living room while singing an upbeat song Klein didn't recognise. He walked along in the same steady pace as her, though his energy did not reach her level.

He could swear she went through three different albums before she tired herself out.

She rested on the couch and invited him to sit as well, patting the pillow beside her. Klein was glad for the break, he felt as though his paws would break into a million pieces. The jump onto the couch almost made him cry.

The pillow he laid on was firm, yet soft. He got comfortable very quickly and appreciated the clumsy pets he received.

Klein purred. He then thanked the Goddess and any other being watching over him that Leonard wasn't there to witness it.

Now that she felt fully comfortable with the cat called Mr. Fool, she wouldn't stop talking. Most of her monologues consisted of her daily life, and the struggles that an 8-year old faces. These include having to eat many gross foods and not being allowed to get a pet snake.

Leonard entered the living room, addressing both Anna and him.

"Our friend has gone out to keep watch outside, could I stay with you two?"

Anna nodded on his behalf. "Mama has someone put with me almost every day. So I am used to it."

Klein would call her eloquent for an 8-year old, before realizing he barely talks to children, so he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The only people he regularly talked to that were not either his age or older, were his sister and her friends, and they were way past the early stages of linguistic development.

His dear poet positioned his ass to sit on the exact pillow where Klein was seated. He had to frantically scramble to not be squished.

Not only had he taken his spot, he also put the pillow on his lap and patted it with an evil grin as an invitation. His face was turned away from Anna, so she couldn't even see the injustice happening in front of her.

If he sulked away to Royale, it would only make Anna sad.

He begrudgingly walked over and punched Leonard in the side where Anna couldn't see it. The punch had the force of a cat and Leonard had to hold himself back from bursting out in laughter.

The pillow was still warm when Klein jumped back onto it. It could not compare to the warmth of Leonard's hand immediately petting him as soon as he settled down.

While Anna seemed like a giant, Leonard seemed closer to a God. His hands were a lot larger and his strokes considerate and calm.

Klein felt his body gradually relaxing. Anna and Leonard's voices came over him like a gentle wave. He ebbed into sleep.

"Mr. Fool, wake up. We have to get ready."

For a split second, Klein worried he fell asleep in the Gray Fog, but his consciousness soon recovered. He shook out an itch by his ear that happened to be Leonard's finger. Luckily for him, Leonard took away his hand before he could accidentally poke him in an eye.

"He's awake. Let's go, my dear friend." Leonard angled the pillow until Klein jumped off.

Ellis Lavièra had joined their company at some point without him knowing. Once again, Klein mourned the loss of his abilities.

She stood up and announced to Anna it was bedtime. Anna protested heavily and wanted to follow behind Leonard and Klein, but their pace was too fast for her. Her grumblings faded into the background when they walked outside.

It was their time to stay watch. They would relieve Royale from her position and Royale would take over their task of monitoring Anna and the interior of the estate.

She had just finished a round of patrol around the house and emerged from the shadows.

"Nothing happened here. Anything on your end?"

"No, nothing. Let's pray to the Goddess to keep it that way." Royale responded with drawing the Lady's symbol on her chest. Klein meowed as a way to participate.

It was easy for her to disappear again, the darkness of the night had already descended.

They first patrolled around to familiarise themselves with the estate and the area around it. Klein had a new perspective on missions like these. He could see a couple entry points that he otherwise wouldn't notice. He notified Leonard of all of the locations he was unsure about.

They returned to a part of the garden that was simultaneously a clear viewpoint and hidden away from the gazes of potential attackers. Leonard used his abilities to fade into the darkness, and Klein was a black cat.

"So what's it like being a cat? Any crazy notable differences? Apart from the uh, bodily changes."

"Meow."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well."

This conversation filled with nonsense went on for a long time, broken up by sporadically decided patrolling rounds. His ability to keep a one-sided conversation going rivalled that of Anna.

It helped that Leonard knew Klein was a person and his meows were actual responses from listening to him.

Leonard had exhausted most of the easy conversation topics and went on to more obscure ones, like:

"If you could choose pathways again, would you still choose Seer?"

Yes, no doubt. There was no way for him to convey his entire transmigration life story to him as a cat, so he settled for an agreeing meow.

"Hmm, alright. I think I would stay as a Sleepless as well, but it would depend on if there would be any other choices added as well. Though definitely not Assassin." He shuddered.

Klein shuddered inwardly as well. For how beautiful the man was already, the amount of damage a female Leonard could do may even destroy Loen as they knew it.

Only after he didn't get a response to even worse questions like 'would you still appreciate me if I were a worm' did his energy dwindle.

After Leonard stopped grumbling, they sat in silence and basked in the quietness of the night. While they had to be alert, both of them could feel the gentle embrace of the power of the Evernight Goddess.

They remained in Her Greatness throughout the rest of their shift.

The sun had just peeked out from the horizon when the guards of Miss Lavièra's cousin arrived. Leonard and Klein were on their third inside watch and were greeted by Royale a lot earlier than her next inside shift would start, causing them a little concern.

It was quickly relieved by the reveal of two calm-looking people in semi-formal clothes, typical of what Klein assumed the casual clothes of contracted guards would look like.

"My name is Malina, good to meet you. We have just arrived from our trip. I've been told you two have watched over Miss Lavièra and her estate until now?" Leonard affirmed and introduced himself. They exchanged some official information about where they worked and what their next plans were. Leonard also gave a short report on the happenings at night.

As they were the official guards of the estate, they would take over their shifts immediately. Leonard and Royale were allowed to wait until Ellis Lavièra woke up to take their leave and so they did.

Anna sat on her mother's hip and waved them goodbye with a sad look on her face. Her mother softly spoke to her, her words creating an excited look on her face.

"Yay! I want five of them!" Miss Lavièra's expression cringed for only a moment before laughing and soothing her daughter's antics.

Leonard whispered to Klein when they were out of earshot.

"You inspired them to get a cat when you're not even truly a cat. Very impressive." Klein gave a disgruntled noise as a response and could see a small lift of the corner of Royale's mouth.

Leonard caught it too and chose to capitalise on the positive moment.

"Do you think they are Beyonders? The guards, I mean." Klein did a bad imitation of a shrug, his intuition heavily suppressed by his cat form.

"I don't know. Nothing seemed off about them, but if they are Beyonders in this line of work, they would be experienced at hiding their powers." Leonard hummed in response.

The following days went by without a hitch.

At some point, Klein stopped feeling uncomfortable being casually petted by his colleagues. Sometimes when he felt alone or bored, he even sought them out. Being a cat, not a lot of them would ignore his requests. They were surprisingly supportive in his asking for moderate affection.

Maybe Leonard was too supportive. Klein had once gone up to him while he guarded the Chanis Gate and sat next to him. Leonard had grabbed him by his body without warning and trapped him on his lap.

He had protested, of course, but Leonard had shushed him and said he felt very lonely. He said that he felt a darkness in his heart and that only Klein could fill the void.

Any sincereness in that statement was completely overshadowed by the massive grin on his face.

Most of his colleagues would address him as Mr. Fool, though more often than not it would sound like 'Kle- uh, Mr. Fool'. Leonard had started saying 'Kemeow' as a replacement, believing it to be a more natural transition from human to cat. Klein thought it was annoying and too on-the-nose at first, but hearing 'Mr. Fool' coming from his mouth that many times got on his nerves a little, so he appreciated the divergence.

Monday went by and as expected, Klein had still not returned to his regular form. He hadn't paid attention to the clock that day, but could immediately tell when it was three in the afternoon, as both of Mr. Hanged Man's and Miss Justice's voices echoed softly through his head.

He could not distinguish the words in their prayers, though it was not difficult to imagine the content. He went through many excuses that day, eventually settling on being unexpectedly attacked. He hoped they would extrapolate that the attack was perpetrated by another God.

Him saying he was attacked was practically the truth. Just because he leads them to a different and more serious conclusion, doesn't change the honesty of his original words.

Leonard had not stopped after the top hat. He walked in the Security Company in the morning with a bag in his hands. Klein had just woken up and was still a little groggy.

He went to go to Rozanne to receive his breakfast, which now mostly consisted of various fish types, when he was ambushed. Rozanne and Old Neil had watched in amusement as Leonard attempted to stuff Klein into a cat-proportionate pink dress. The dress had many frills and a smudge of glitter he didn't even know were attainable in this Earth-like world.

After nearly half an hour of intense struggling on both sides, Leonard ended up with a deep scratch across his face and no dressed-up Klein.

He sulked as Old Neil bandaged his face up, pouting any time Klein came near him for the rest of that day.

Klein huffed and internally criticised his mummy-looking colleague. You're very reliable and a good friend, but this goes too far…

Two days after that, Klein heard the addition of a young voice in his mind. It appeared that Little Sun had felt too much time go by without a warning of an absence or presence of the next gathering and prayed to double-check. His tone was a little unsure, but his prayer was longer than both Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man.

Luckily for him, it didn't take too long after that for Klein to return to normal. Klein felt something strange inside of himself a couple of hours after 'hearing' Little Sun's prayer. There was an uncomfortableness that he couldn't fully place. He prayed to the Goddess it wasn't anything serious and went about his cat life.

The morning after that, the feeling disappeared. In its stead, Klein regained his human body. He laid on the cat bed in the break room. The first thing he noticed was how cold he felt. The blanket he used had fallen to the ground and he was fully naked. He had no clothes on and the absence of his fur made him feel like he was on another level of indecency.

His clothes had long been washed. They laid neatly folded on the table next to him so he could immediately dress himself once he returned to be human.

He stood up to do so and fell to the ground. His sense of balance was completely overthrown and he had to take a moment to reassess himself. When he felt like he had control over his body back, he slowly sat up.

His centre of mass had shifted and his joints felt familiar, but weird. It hadn't been a long time since he turned into a cat, but returning to his body still felt like waking up after a decade of being asleep.

He managed to dress himself up before anyone entered, though it took him a lot longer than usual. He had to get used to having hands instead of paws. His clothes felt like a cheap replacement for fur, but it was nice to have something over his bare skin.

When Klein felt stable enough, he activated his Spirit Vision and was delighted to find it worked. He could see a couple of people in the lobby, including Old Neil and Captain. Old Neil's colours were a little concerning, but nothing too out of the ordinary for an old man.

He deactivated it and braced himself to see his colleagues.

Captain Dunn Smith smiled at his appearance.

"I see you've recovered."

"Yeah. Would it be okay for me to leave?" He chuckled.

"Could you give a small report on how it was like? Nothing too crazy, the Church just wants a bit of information about the effects of the Sealed Artifact."

Klein found he could control his expressions again and gave a small nod, though he wanted nothing more than to sprint home and pass out in his own bed.

He gave the shortest possible statement while still including all the relevant information and got out of the Security Company as quickly as possible. He heard the Captain thank him on his way out and to not worry about work for a couple of days. He thanked him and gave a half-hearted goodbye.

He opened the front door and was greeted with Melissa on the couch. She had her jacket on and her backpack laid next to her. She was just about to go to school.

"Ah, Klein! You're finally back, where have you been?" Her pout betrayed her worries.

"I've been very busy, I am exhausted." He sheepishly smiled. It wasn't a lie, the return to their home took a lot of energy when trying to stay upright after a while of moving on four limbs. Not to mention the mental exhaustion of being in the Security Company the entire time, while not truly being himself.

He could not say anything about what had happened, so he settled for the next best thing.

"I'm so tired, I'll tell you about it tomorrow." He hoped to delay the explanation until it inevitably disappeared. Melissa accepted it for now and Klein didn't waste time going up to his room.

He felt he had to inform his Tarot Club before going to bed. He had the responsibility of relieving their worries.

He couldn't go above the Gray Fog inside of the Security Company as he didn't want his body unconscious and ready to be found when he just returned from being a cat. He thought it would be best not to scare his colleagues like that.

Taking four steps counterclockwise, he chanted the lines of the ritual and went above the Gray Fog.

The three red stars of his Tarot Club members pulsated quietly. He touched them one by one and listened to their questioning prayers.

As expected, Little Sun sounded the most unsure. He didn't know whether enough time had actually passed, but felt it had been way too long since the last Gathering and prayed for confirmation.

Klein sent him a short message back.

You are correct, the last Gathering was unexpectedly cancelled. The next one will occur without a problem.

He intended to 'explain' in the next Gathering, so they could speculate amongst each other.

Mr. Hanged Man's prayer was short and concise. He only asked whether the Gathering had been cancelled that week and hadn't followed up since.

The Gathering will continue on Monday at the same time as usual.

Miss Justice had prayed another time after her first questioning prayer. Her voice contained a lot more concern in the second prayer as she asked if he was alright. She then corrected herself and apologised for her prying and stated that she was honoured to be a part of the Tarot Club so far and that she would gladly continue participating if he wished to keep hosting Gatherings.

I am alright now. The next Gathering will occur on Monday at the same time as usual.

He received a confirmation prayer from all three of them very quickly. Miss Justice sounded relieved in hers, Mr. Hanged Man reassured, and Little Sun enlightened.

Klein rubbed his temples and descended back into his room before changing and dozing off into sleep.

He was a human in his dream, but treated by everyone like a cat. Though he was lucid, there was an element of horror in watching and feeling Leonard ruffle his hair and pinch his cheeks while being a person.

When he returned to work a couple days later, he didn't stop Leonard from doing the same in real life. He only showed a hint of hesitation when he raised his hand. The result remained the same, though. He had to spend the entire day undoing Leonard's attacks on his hair.

But if he had to be truly honest…

It was quite nice.