Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 229: Confession

Chapter 229: Confession

It started as a faint ripple but as it grew larger and more intense, it was difficult to ignore it.

Ana was the first to react, her attunement to the aether allowing her to acutely pinpoint the origin of the disturbance.

Lionel was a close second as his expression crumpled. "It’s in Natasha’s vicinity."

"What is it?" Ambrose asked in a flustered manner, the mention of Natasha rousing him from his seated position.

Ana remained silent before finally speaking up. "It’s not aether. If I’d say, it’s even more fundamental than that."

"I don’t follow," Lionel remarked as he rose to his feet.

"Eventide thrives on the concept of balance. Hot and cold, light and dark, sweet and bitter... all these dual concepts consolidate into yin and yang. Right now, what we are sensing... is a tremendous amount of yang."

"But..."

"It should be impossible to handle such concepts. For one to find a way to extract these concepts..." Ana trailed off, unwilling to continue any further.

Naturally, Lionel quickly caught on and his expression fell even further.

"Let’s go." With that, he quickly led the way with Ana following closely behind, leaving Ambrose and Marcus perplexed.

***

Natasha looked on, unsure of what to make of what was ahead as she stood in place.

She and Theodore exchanged looks for a few seconds before he spoke up.

No, it was right to say that he merely opened his mouth after which words traveled from somewhere to drill into her head.

Nice to see you, Ms. Enforcer.

Natasha’s expression contorted as she grabbed the sides of her head, attempting to ward away the ear-splitting pain that followed but regardless, it remained.

Are you here to witness the advent of our lord?

Gritting her teeth, Natasha mouthed. "What Lord?"

The Black King, of course. He will rise and all will have to bend to his will.

"You are crazy. What the hell are you doing?"

I am merely acting as the lord’s servant, protecting his belongings. Of course, now, there is no longer a need.

"Now what?"

Now?... Now, I wait for him to decide my fate.

"This is madness," Natasha muttered as she tried to step forward but hardly had she done so when she was forced to pause with the gaze of more than a hundred Whisperers staring at her.

Natasha gritted her teeth and after further introspection, ended up staying put.

Mindlessly rushing forward would yield no results.

Seeing her behave sensibly, Theodore paid her heed no more, instead returning his gaze to the brilliant light.

Ah... so beautiful.

***

The alabaster temple had long since had almost all light within sucked away, except for the area Nadia and Roland were in.

This was done on purpose, naturally, a vain attempt by Abraham to ensure Nadia watched his ascent.

Nothing could be done to stop him and he wanted to drive home that feeling of helplessness.

At this time, two beams of light, one gold and the other black, streaked through the sky and pierced through the ceiling without destroying it, before penetrating Abraham’s body.

He let out a muffled groan but regardless, did not attempt to avoid them.

Just like that, the dual concepts of yin and yang filled Abraham, using the Mantle as a canvas on which it drew the likeness of a god... a True God.

***

The white light died down but apart from a large crater that was soon covered up by swirling shadows, nothing else happened.

The constant stream of black light continued unabated and Alex looked on with a solemn expression.

"We lost." He muttered.

Charlotte glanced at him. "We can’t just give up now, master."

"There’s no point. I don’t believe any form of attack would be able to disrupt the pillar, at least no attack that I’m familiar with." Alex remarked while carefully scrutinizing the pillar.

"So... what now?"

"I would leave it be if not that Abraham plans on using the Mantle to facilitate his ascension. If that happens... who knows if I’d ever be able to get it back?"

Charlotte was unsure of what to say so she remained silent, her gaze alternating between Alex and the pillar of yin.

After some introspection, Alex spoke up. "The only reason we are losing repeatedly is because he had the time to plan. By the time we discovered his plot, he was already in the endgame. If we want to win, we have to even the playing field."

"What do you suggest, master?"

"..." Alex remained silent, still pondering his thoughts only for his eyes to flicker with realization blooming.

"Time." He muttered softly.

"Master?"

"He had the time to plan but we didn’t. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t get some."

"I don’t follow."

"Watch the perimeter, I need to make a quick call."

Leaving behind the order, Alex quickly entered a lotus position and seemingly entered into deep meditation.

Of course, in reality, he instead sought a connection with one he knew that was knowledgeable about time.

A certain dragon that was destined to be his subordinate.

***

Ana was rushing through the tunnels with Lionel leading the way only to pause as she sensed a familiar presence.

Immediately, she paused and said. "Go on ahead, I’ll catch up."

Then without waiting for a response, she turned and rushed into a different tunnel, leaving Lionel to lead Ambrose and Marcus.

Once she ensured she was alone, she muttered. "Alex."

A few seconds passed before a familiar voice replied. "Nice to see you again."

A grin tugged at Ana’s lips as she remarked. "I thought you forgot about me."

"I’m afraid to say that I did."

"..." Ana remained silent for a moment, an awkward silence enveloping the duo.

Coughing awkwardly, Ana pouted as she inquired. "So... how come you remember me now?"

"I need your help."

"... What’s going on?"

"Someone is trying to use the Mantle of Darkness to become a True God. We need to stop him." Alex quickly explained.

"Ambrose was right?"

"... What do you mean?"

"That... never mind. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to send me back." Alex quickly replied.

"Back?"

"Yes. A year ago, roughly during the month of Eurus."

"That..." Ana hesitated briefly before she answered. "I don’t know if I can."

"Why?"

"Because my strength is not what it used to be."

"How come?"

"... Because I’ve been corrupted," Ana said before adding for emphasis. "I’ve been corrupted by the Abyss."