"...Catalyst Event?" he repeated.

"Yes. But a lot of people call it a Canonical Event, which isn’t surprising. From the outside, it really might seem like something predetermined, like something you’re born into..."

"Wait, wait, padre." He pressed his hand to his forehead and exhaled heavily. "Please, explain it properly, step by step."

Continuing to scan the bookshelf, Schrödinger nodded and continued.

"As you guessed, the methods of advancing on each Path involve specific steps and conditions. No one can advance without fulfilling them all. If you’re aware of them and capable of fulfilling them, that significantly increases your chances of taking the First Step... But beyond that, things aren’t so clear-cut."

"But why?"

"Because there is no single, correct Catalyst Event. Even with the same Path and similar abilities at the First Step, the Catalyst Event will differ from person to person. It’s not something you can achieve by following a simple set of instructions. That is precisely why people associate it so closely with a purpose or a destiny given at birth, and why there are so few people with supernatural abilities."

The information didn’t fill him with despair, but it clearly stunned him.

’The one who proves worthy to soar...’ the thought flashed through his mind.

He braced himself against the table, still unable to fully believe what he’d heard.

"But it can’t be that straightforward. For example, on the Path of Havoc, they perform a bloody ritual for advancement, and on another Path..."

"Bear in mind, boy, I can only speak about what I’ve seen with my own eyes," Schrödinger interrupted him.

With these words, the old man was clearly hinting that he meant only the Path of Knowledge, and not the other Paths.

"...I see."

All Mr. Nobody could do was sigh.

Trying not to lose what little optimism he had left, he tried to piece things together.

’Perhaps it’s not so clear-cut, and the bloody ritual on the Path of Havoc might exist to trigger the Catalyst Event.’ He reached out to the cat, and she slowly climbed onto his shoulder. ’If my hunch is correct, then by following those steps on the Path of Dreams, I’ll be able to achieve a similar effect... But for now, it’s just a hunch.’

No matter how hard he tried, everything he’d heard pushed him toward an inevitable conclusion.

’...Will I really have to rely on fate?’

With all his heart, he hated it when fate wouldn’t let him grab it by the throat and forced him to rely on it. And all he could do was stand there, watch, wait, and, hoping for a miracle, listen to that damn ringing of the hospital...

"Meow..." A soft meow right by his ear snapped him out of his train of unpleasant thoughts.

He checked the time and put his mask back on, getting ready to leave.

"Wait, boy." Schrödinger rolled up to him, holding an unusual, dusty book in his hands. "Considering that we’re in Concord, and there aren’t even any elders left who could help, stepping onto one of the Six Paths has become nearly impossible... But maybe this can help you at least a bit."

He handed him the book, and from beneath the rolled-up sleeve of the old man’s right arm, a black star tattoo showed beneath his sleeve—the symbol of the Partisans of Darkness.

The small, worn book in a worn gray cover looked rather unremarkable and, at first glance, looked more like a diary...

But that unassuming first impression quickly gave way to shock.

’Italian...’ flashed through his mind as he saw the title.

"It’s more than a hundred years old. For most of that time, it was revered as a sacred treasure... It was only by a miracle that it was preserved when everything happened."

"But... why are you giving it to me, of all people?"

"In all these years, no one has ever managed to fully translate it, but even from what we’ve managed to understand, it’s clear that it contains unimaginable revelations..." Schrödinger cast a barely perceptible glance at his left hand. "Who knows, perhaps you’ll be the one to fully understand it."

"I... thank you, padre." He bowed his head slightly, then turned his attention to the title.

"Notes of a Stranger in This World" read the title, written in flawless Italian.

Beneath it was the author’s name, almost worn away, barely shimmering silver in the light.

"He whose Heart is clad in Iron."

’This is insane...’ he thought, his hands trembling.

Hiding the book under his jacket, he quickly said goodbye to the old man and headed for the door.

"Wait," the old man called out as he opened the door.

"Yes?"

For a moment, Schrödinger looked out the window. The seeping sunlight fell on one half of his face, while the other remained in shadow.

"A man cannot be both. A savior and an oppressor. Light and shadow." He looked at him. "We all have to choose."

"...But that’s exactly why I decided to be simply Nobody." He looked back at him.

Schrödinger folded his hands on the table and shook his head.

"I know. But there are moments when even Nobody will have to choose. So, when the time comes, boy... Choose."

"..."

He didn’t answer.

Bowing, he headed for the door... but stopped before slamming it shut.

"By the way, may I ask what the First Step of Knowledge is... was called? Just curious."

"...The Cognizer." The old man looked at him with an inscrutable expression. "A person who has taken full control of their own mind can turn thoughts into weapons and is no longer limited to a single mind. The energy that a person on the Path of Knowledge can wield is the field of information permeating everything around, and that which is hidden in its depths... That’s what I’ve heard."

"I see. Thank you for everything, and take care." He left the old man.

"..."

After he left, Schrödinger stared out the window for a long time, clutching a certain framed photograph in his hands.

...

"35 hours 38 minutes remaining." That was the inscription held by the hologram of Paymax, peeking out from the bracelet.

"Looks like I’ll only reach the First Step in time if I rely on a miracle... And you can’t rely on those. It’s useless." He muttered dejectedly under his breath as he walked through the equally bustling streets of Southville’s underground.

The clear sky here was beginning to take on the colors of evening, and the sun was gradually setting. Just like the real thing.

"In the end, it turned out to be impossible to achieve in a single day what people strive for over years. As expected, I suppose."

"Meow," the cat replied calmly.

"I know that the progress we’ve made today is truly important. I’ll even try to follow all the steps, trigger the Catalyst Event, and ascend within the time I have left... But something tells me that would just be sheer arrogance." He took his music player out of his pocket and began untangling the headphones. "In the end, it all comes down to this... I’ll have to go there as just a human."

Instead of the expected emptiness, despair, or fear, he felt something else.

As he let those words sink in, a smile involuntarily spread across his face.

He felt a wave of goosebumps run through his body, and his blood began to boil. He knew that feeling.

Anticipation.