Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 214: I need a favor

Chapter 214: I need a favor

As the group stared at the Shadow before them, its mouth curled up in a twisted manner, there was a brief moment of silence in which neither party moved.

Of course, this situation did not last for long.

As quickly as it arose, the Shadow charged at the group.

Thomas immediately reached for his gun while Gerald prepared to attack, with the priest the last one to move but before any of them could act, a snap was heard.

"Rune," Alex muttered calmly as a black and white circle appeared behind him before a brilliant beam that seemed to embody the two colors rushed forth like a wave, striking the Shadow before it got a chance to withdraw.

A pained screech erupted once again and this time, the Shadow dissipated without a trace.

The apartment they were in seemed to brighten up at that moment.

However, despite the easy dispatch of the creature, none in the room let go of the tension they felt.

Just as Alex began to ponder why, Thomas muttered. "Something is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Alex inquired.

"From everything we have gathered about the Shadows, they hardly attack so openly, even going as far as to attack so many powerhouses directly."

"Hmm."

Gerald seemed to agree with Thomas as he nodded. "This is the first time such a thing has happened and most importantly, a Shadow has never been that large."

"Indeed, mostly human-sized." The middle-aged priest chipped in.

Alex remained silent for a moment, pondering their words.

The others ended up doing the same as each fell into their thoughts, trying to unravel the mystery of what just happened.

The apartment was quickly coated in silence and it persisted for more than a minute before Alex muttered, his voice carrying with it a rather grim tone.

"I have two conjectures."

The others turned to face him, paying heed to what he was about to say next.

"Either it’s because of something we are completely unaware of... or they are related to the Black King and the same God that I said would descend in 7 days..." Alex trailed off, shifting his attention to Gerald who quickly caught on to what he was on about.

"You think the Black King will descend in 7 days?" Gerald remarked, clear unease etched on his face.

Alex nodded as he began to make out more portions of his memory.

It concerned several events he’d experienced during his time in Krobridge.

"... It would seem I was wrong. The most important portion of our conversation was indeed the riddles." Alex muttered, eliciting a reaction from Thomas and the priest.

No, it was more apt to put it that they were already reacting, having heard that a deity was about to descend.

"This cannot happen. We need to send correspondence to the Archbishop. We can’t allow an Evil god to descend on a land blessed by the Great god Marduk." The middle-aged priest said, clearly agitated by the news.

Thomas nodded. "If it is at the level of a god, I don’t believe the Great Families will continue turning a blind eye."

"There are only 3 days left." Alex quickly said, leaving the duo silent for a moment.

Even with the fastest mode of transport, there was no way either of their backups would be able to get here in time.

"... Gerald, can we trust this man?" Thomas quickly asked, turning to the one man he trusted to watch his back.

In a moment of desperation, he needed to be sure Alex was fit enough to be an ally.

It didn’t take much for Thomas to deduce that he was no small fry.

Gerald pursed his lips, staring at Alex tentatively while pondering a response.

It took merely a moment before he let out a sigh. "If anything, I don’t think he would want to be in the same place an Evil god would descend."

Thomas glanced at Alex who silently nodded in agreement with Gerald’s evaluation.

"Then, help us. We can’t allow the deity worshiped by those crazy Acolytes to be born." Thomas remarked, stretching his arm out for a handshake.

Taking a moment to consider, Alex felt within his gut that he was on the right path which meant that stopping the Black King from descending was indeed part of the reason he was in Popolis.

However, something was missing, and more than anything, he despised his inability to do nothing but be led by the nose.

Glancing at the middle-aged priest, he spoke up. "I will join your crusade but first, I need a favor."

***

"How much longer?" Nadia’s raspy voice echoed as she leaned against a white alabaster pillar.

About her, flame tongues danced on torches, illuminating what seemed to be an incomplete temple.

Roland’s voice echoed beside her. "3 more days."

The latter approached and as he knelt before Nadia, he stretched out his wrist and slashed it before putting it before Nadia’s lips.

Despite not being a vampire, Nadia didn’t hesitate to sink her teeth in, enjoying the sustenance the blood provided her.

After almost a minute passed, she stopped and pulled away before muttering softly. "Thank you."

She slowly rose to her feet but despite her best efforts, she ended up falling back down.

Her skin was slightly pale and her breathing labored, She looked to be on the cusp of death but managed to remain conscious due to the vitality within Roland’s blood.

"Let me help you," Roland remarked as he moved to her side, his wound already healed, and placed her arm over his shoulder.

They walked slowly but steadily, approaching an altar that sat quietly at the center of the hall.

On the altar, a man lay quietly, a quaint smile on his face as he seemed to be in a deep sleep.

"Why don’t we just kill him?" Roland asked while restraining the bloodlust threatening to gush out.

Nadia shook her head as she reached out to allow her palm to hover over the sleeping man’s face, her irises flashing a faint crimson hue with ripples flowing through the aether.

"An attempt on his life will end the dream. Once that happens, nothing is stopping him from ascending. We must wait... the Hunter will complete his mission."

***

Alex sat in the apartment with the middle-aged priest seated before him.

Thomas and Gerald stood behind, watching the proceedings while keeping their senses sharp in case of any intruders.

"Are you ready?" The middle-aged priest inquired.

Taking a deep breath, Alex replied. "Yes."

"Then let us begin."