Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 227: Abraham’s ambition

Chapter 227: Abraham’s ambition

It happened in the blink of an eye.

No, it was safe to say that it was how Roland perceived it.

One moment, Abraham had awoken and attempted to move but then... blank.

The next time he opened his eyes, he saw an uncanny scene, one that ripped apart his heart and left him empty.

"Claudia!" He exclaimed as he watched Claudia slowly turn to dust.

In her final moments, she took one last look at him and mouthed.

’Take care of my father’s legacy.’

With those words, she closed her eyes, and the rest of her body was gone... never to be recovered.

Roland stood there silently, unable to process what had happened.

Nadia’s voice helped him snap out of his daze. "Get yourself together!"

Grabbing his arm, she sought to stand but her body was far too weak to facilitate such an endeavor.

In the end, she had no choice but to remain seated on the marble floor, staring at Abraham as he turned his attention toward them.

Regarding them for a moment, he inquired. "You managed to house two of my sisters. It’s a wonder your Avatar hasn’t fractured yet. But then again, I guess that’s not my concern."

As he spoke, he got to his feet and slowly made his way down the altar.

"Tell me, sisters." He began. "Do you regret it?"

"..."

Despite the silence, he continued. "All these years, I’ve had to suffer all because you couldn’t swallow the thought of a male having more power than you. Pathetic."

He shook his head. "I had no ambitions but you made me this way so I ask you..."

Trailing off, his voice took on a chilling tone as he inquired. "Do you regret it?"

Roland remained blank while Nadia pursed her lips, her eyes flickering with potent emotions.

After a few seconds, she opened her mouth but it wasn’t her voice that was heard.

<Maybe... maybe not. The fact is that it’s already been done. What happens now... it’s the endgame.>

Abraham grinned. "Indeed. Unfortunately, it seems your little... struggles are at an end."

<...>

"Thank you.. because of you, now I have an ambition, one I desire to follow till the end."

<You will not win.>

"Heh, I relish the challenge." With those words and a mocking grin, Abraham took a deep breath and pulled out a card.

Tossing it into the open air, it paused and the next moment, seemed to meld with the fabric of space, disappearing like it never existed.

Almost at the same time, a crack appeared and then another... until a hole was formed.

Abraham stretched out his arm and a large cloak stained ink blank which seemed capable of absorbing all forms of light about it and was no larger than an oversized blanket but thinner than a piece of paper, floated out from within the void only to pause before him.

Nadia couldn’t help but shiver in the presence of this similar mundane object.

No, it was wrong to call it an object.

The sheer divinity within was enough to let her know what it was.

It was what Alex was searching for, it was... the Mantle of Darkness.

***

The Labyrinth wasn’t something that could be understood using the concept of mazes.

There was no beginning, there was no end.

Only swirling shadows as far as the eyes could see.

But Alex no longer dared to use his eyes since it was pointless.

What he was looking for couldn’t be found with eyesight in the first place.

He slowly walked, led by Charlotte with Embers of Twilight continually burning and creating a pathway for them to follow.

Soon, Alex bid her pause with the Knight promptly obliging.

He opened his eyes and scanned the area, for sure, there was still nothing but shadows.

"It’s here," Alex spoke with an unmistakable confidence.

Charlotte blinked as she looked about, unsure of what she was supposed to see.

"Master..."

"You said it yourself. To become a True God, one has to perfectly balance both their Yin and Yang aspects while using something with enough divinity, allowing them to bypass the constraints needed to reach that level."

"...That was your assessment."

"No need for the specifics." Alex snapped before adding. "If I’m correct, then the assault on BoneHaven and Penemuel’s appearance was in a bid to harvest the Yang aspect he requires."

"Then his actions at Krobridge?... Wouldn’t that mean that the Blood God ritual was meant to harvest the yin aspect of that being?"

"No." Alex shook his head. "It has to be balanced. Tell me, what was the full potential of the Blood God?"

Charlotte pondered momentarily before replying. "Demon God at best."

"And would a Demon God compare to an Angel?" Alex asked, slightly worried about the answer.

Thankfully, Charlotte’s reply doused his worries.

"I don’t believe so. I have never seen an Angel but if there is anything common sense has dictated, it is that Angels are the most powerful force in Eventide. There’s a reason the Salem Theocracy can be so aggressive in their preachings."

"Which means it’s impractical to say that the Blood God would have a Yin aspect capable of balancing out the Yang Aspect of an Angel. Yes?"

"Indeed, especially since he would be a newborn Demon God." Charlotte had begun to understand Alex’s thinking pattern but one thing quickly stuck out to her.

"Then what was the need for the Blood God?"

"... I can’t be sure but... if I were to guess, it might be to construct a body capable of withstanding the power of a True God considering the vitality a Blood God would have," Alex replied.

"That... does make sense." Charlotte nodded.

Alex stayed silent for a moment before nearly snapping his fingers, only to catch himself.

"Ahem, Charlotte."

"Yes, Master."

"Vampires are more yin than yang, correct?"

"That is indeed the case, master."

"Good." Alex nodded. "I need you to help me find something. I need to destroy it but I need to be sure that I destroy it at once else, repeated attacks might alert Abraham to what’s happening here."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Tap into your Yin aspect and use it as a tracker to find a greater source."

"That... master, the Labyrinth..."

"Yeah, I know, it’s practically made of Yin. Like looking for a needle in a haystack but you should be able to pinpoint it. I looked for where the power was most focused, now it’s your turn. Can you do it?"

"...Leave it to me, master. I will find what you are looking for."