Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 226: A Dark World

Chapter 226: A Dark World

Natasha emerged from the stairs with a tired look on her face.

Clearly, straining herself after the incident that occurred not too long ago wasn’t exactly a smart choice.

Unfortunately, she saw no other way to go about this.

And in a strange, convoluted way, she saw this as an opportunity to prove herself.

During BoneHaven destruction, she’d done nothing but remain unconscious, leaving the city she swore to protect to fend for itself.

Sure she was too weak to make an impact but still... that moment of weakness gnawed at her like an annoyance that wouldn’t go away.

Adding to her... past, Natasha sought to find a way, any means to prove herself, and this... suicide mission she was about to undertake was the first step.

Thinking back to those who had died during the destruction and those who died during the emergence of the Whisperers, she felt that she owed them this much.

With that understanding, she steeled her nerves and prepared to move only to pause as she sensed movement.

Soon enough, a door opened and Anderson revealed himself, staring at her with a vacant gaze.

Natasha’s breathing slowed as she prepared for the worst.

Slowly clenching her fist, she inquired. "Is there a problem?"

Anderson stared intently at her before shaking his head. "Not at all. Any luck with the investigation?"

"... No, not yet."

"... Alright then. Keep me posted."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Natasha alone in the basement.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Natasha made no attempts to move just yet as she took a moment to meditate.

Just as Anderson had entered a trance-like state that allowed him to navigate this strange world, she sought to do the same... of course, not in the same way as she knew her physiology wouldn’t allow that.

But, there had to be other ways and without hesitation, she made to interpret and apply them.

Time was of the essence.

***

How long has it been?

Alex couldn’t help but wonder as he walked through the Labyrinth with Charlotte moving beside him.

About them, Embers of Twilight went to work, its spectral black and white flames devouring everything in its path, both ahead and behind.

This prevented the appearance of any Shadow warriors and facilitated the hastening of Alex’s search.

However, despite taking care of one problem, Alex found himself faced with another, namely, he had no idea what he was looking for.

Coupled with the fact that everywhere he looked was covered by swirling darkness, he was like a blind man groping about in the dark.

He’d considered using White Hole to get things rolling but if he took his experience with the Shadow Warriors seriously, he knew that wantonly blowing things up wouldn’t make the situation any better.

Letting out a sigh, he soon paused in his tracks, taking a moment to catch his breath while pondering the matter thoroughly.

He knew for a fact that Vessina and Xistora hadn’t deceived him, especially with his new understanding of the situation.

But even they only knew that there was something special in Popolis, something that would facilitate Abraham’s... no, Fear’s ascent to godhood.

But what could it be?

There were no records of rituals done to facilitate godhood in human history.

Which meant the ritual ’Abraham’ was carrying out was something he came up with after rigorous personal research.

Taking a deep breath, Alex decided to take a seat while Charlotte remained standing, keeping watch though there was no need.

"Charlotte," Alex called out after a few seconds of silence.

"Yes, Master?"

"What does it mean to be a god?"

"That... I don’t understand."

"I mean, what does being a god entail?"

"... Well, I have never come across a True God but I am familiar with False gods and Evil gods."

"Go on."

Charlotte pondered briefly before replying. "Eventide thrives on balance, with the Will of the World ensuring order. Everything possesses a disk, one which contains both yin and yang. The quantities of both may not be equal but they are there. When one completely overpowers the other and erases it, one gains the criteria to become a false god born from yang..."

"Or an Evil god born from yin."

"Rightfully said, master."

"And Abraham... he wants to become a True God. What does it mean to be true?" Alex muttered, more questioning himself than Charlotte.

Of course, this didn’t stop Charlotte from responding. "It might be that a True God means creating a perfect balance between yin and yang."

"... And using something as a catalyst, that something which could be the remains of a True God and possesses an uncommon amount of divinity." Alex’s eyes flickered with understanding as he rose to his feet.

Taken aback for a moment, Charlotte quickly regained her composure.

Meanwhile, Alex seemed to be on the precipice of realization as his breathing quickened.

"That’s it." He remarked after almost a minute had passed.

"Master?"

With a hint of triumph on his visage, Alex intoned. "I know what we are here for."

***

Claudia was on her last legs, her skin exhibited cracks in various locations and in some places, one could already see the hollowness of her insides.

Black blood trickled down from her nostrils and the circle of black and white on her head seemed to be on the precipice of completely fading away.

Her breathing turned ragged and she staggered a few times, clearly finding it difficult to maintain an upright posture.

"Damn it." She cursed.

’Is this the extent of my ability?... Can I not do more?’ she thought to herself as she tried to hold on for a little while longer.

Unfortunately, her desires were not proportional to the power she held, and soon enough, Abraham began to move from where he sat.

Tears welled up in Claudia’s eyes as she exhausted the last of her powers, the circle on her forehead fading as a result.

At the same time, stasis ended and Abraham’s feet touched the ground.

"Incredible." He muttered as he watched Claudia slowly turn to dust.

Despite her unfortunate predicament, life was retained in her eyes, her gaze filled with hatred and unwillingness as she stared at Abraham.

"Do not fret," Abraham remarked, perhaps in an attempt to appease her. "You will be a part of my world... a Dark World."