Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 221: The Labyrinth of Dread

Chapter 221: The Labyrinth of Dread

In the partly built alabaster temple, the sound of heavy breathing permeated the hall as footsteps resounded, each one heavier than the last.

Soon, a familiar figure came into view.

With flowing dark hair, donning a corset and leather trousers with heels, Claudia stopped a few meters away from the altar, her arms outstretched as she continually exerted her will on the world.

As she stood there, staring at Abraham, several thoughts crossed her mind at that moment.

That this was the man who started everything.

If only he hadn’t come to Krobridge, if only he hadn’t gotten Damian to do his dirty work... her father would still be alive, and Arwen would still be alive.

Her eyes turned wet as she barely restrained the sadness gnawing at her heart while red liquid flowed freely from her nose, stopping at the top of her upper lip for a moment before moving further down.

She could still recall the sadness on Arwen’s face as she gave up her life.

The helplessness she felt that day still resided within her, leaving Claudia regretful that she couldn’t do more.

"So I can’t give up now." She muttered softly even as intense pain wracked her head, leaving her light-headed.

Just as Arwen decided to believe in Alex, she would believe in him as well.

Clenching her jaw, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

At that moment, a black and white circle appeared on her forehead with veins branching out from it, causing Claudia to grimace.

But despite the pain, she remained resolute as she opened her eyes and unleashed everything.

This was her final piece.

Not once, not twice... she’d allowed herself to be beaten 3 times.

Not again.

This time, even if it cost everything, she wouldn’t back away.

***

The expedition went smoothly as they passed through the ruins of BoneHaven to enter the Evergarden forest.

Serene as always, one might be fooled that it held no connection to the terrifying entities known as Whisperers, even more so, considering not even one was in sight.

But that was just it, one could not see them until they were right before you.

This prompted the family head to remain cautious with the members of his party taking on similar positions.

Soon they arrived at their destination.

The Catacombs... or at least what was left of it.

Decayed body parts could be seen lying about and the ground had collapsed in some areas, revealing interconnected tunnels below.

Ensuring they remained alert, they soon arrived at the entrance to where the Relics were kept.

The gates were destroyed, revealing a dark entrance with an eeriness that stretched on for as far as the eyes could see.

"Marcus," Lionel called out as he kept his gaze on the entrance, unable to do away with the feeling that someone was watching them from within.

Marcus promptly stepped forth and quickly began to recite some verses from the Noxus while holding an effigy of what looked like a likeness of fire.

Those who were knowledgeable understood it to be the likeness of the Blazing Angel.

Soon, plumes of flames emerged around the party, possessing no heat but with enough brightness to dispel all forms of darkness.

Lionel nodded in satisfaction.

This was one of the key reasons reinforcement from Angelica was needed.

The Whisperers were capable of interfering with mechanical devices, rendering torches obsolete and their speed made it difficult to keep a normal flame burning, thus supernatural means were needed to break through.

With the flame tongues hovering about them, Lionel was the first to step forward with Ana following closely behind and the others following after.

As they stepped into the dark tunnels, it seemed as though they’d stepped into a different world.

***

With Thomas... extinguished, for lack of a better word, Eternal Night was finally able to return to silence.

Sparing the shadow a glance, Alex casually snapped his fingers, undoing his Ability.

However instead of the colorful sitting room he’d been in before its emergence, he was greeted by darkness that moved like smoke, sparks of red and yellow flashing within.

It took on a shape similar to the sitting room, prompting Alex to note that this was its original appearance.

Just then, a sharp pain surged through his right hand, causing him to grimace.

Master

Charlotte remarked as she moved over to Alex’s side.

Once an enemy, she’d long since discarded those notions to become a Knight of Evernight, A Forever Knight.

In her current form, only one goal kept her going; to ensure Alex’s safety which was why seeing him in such pain left her worried for him.

Muttering a brief thank you, Alex looked down at his right hand only to discover that half of it had turned black, similar to how it would look if he’d suffered third-degree burns.

And just like how it looked similar to a burnt hand, it hurt as badly as well.

Master

"I can’t stay here for long," Alex muttered through gritted teeth as he regained his composure.

Taking deep breaths to handle the pain wracking his nerves, he added. "Let’s go. We have work to do."

Nodding in agreement, Charlotte led the way into the hallway which was naturally no longer there, instead, a path walled on both sides by swirling darkness and leading toward more darkness had replaced it.

"This is troublesome."

Hardly had those words left Alex’s lips when a terrifying growl erupted from behind, causing him to turn just in time to see it.

A humanoid creature born of shadows, possessing red eyes and donning black armor stood a few meters behind and stared at Alex while brandishing a great sword.

Alex furrowed his brows as he readied to snap and the moment it moved, he didn’t hesitate to do so.

Pa

A wheel of black and white appeared, unleashing a beam that erased the Shadow warrior instantly.

Alas, that was hardly the end as even more warriors appeared, each one bigger than the last until the entire hallway was filled with nothing but fearsome red-eyed shadows.

Letting out a sigh, Alex intoned softly. "Now I see why it was called the Labyrinth of Dread."