Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 256: Elena

Chapter 256: Elena

Elena’s eyes suddenly snapped open as a gasp escaped her lips.

Recalling everything she’d dreamt about from the strange machinery to the floating particle and finally the doomsday light, she found herself unable to understand anything.

As she tried to make sense of her bearings, the area about her turned pixelated leaving her confused at the sight.

She closed her eyes and promptly opened them to find that the sight was gone.

Using her fingers to massage her temples, she tried to make heads or tails of what she’d just experienced; however, the next moment, her eyes flashed with a strange light and her composure quickly returned.

Taking a deep breath, a warm smile adorned her lips as she got out of bed and walked over to the window in her room.

Pushing it open, she took in the morning breeze, enjoying the sweet taste that accompanied it.

A few seconds passed as she regarded the sight the window afforded her before closing the window.

As she turned around to head to the bathroom, she paused as her brows furrowed slightly.

"What now?" She couldn’t help but wonder.

Her memories a convoluted mess, she soon developed a benign headache that left her disoriented for a moment.

Just then, strange voices that seemed to originate from somewhere far away and nearby at the same time rang in her ears.

It didn’t take long however before the pixels appeared again but before then, Elena seemed to have gained a sense of where she needed to go.

Glancing to the side, she noticed a newspaper and diary placed conspicuously on her bed.

Elena sat back on the bed and picked up the newspaper first, perusing the main stories on the front page.

The most eye-catching was the one that read...

[Emperor Enoch gains victory against the rebels!]

As she glanced at the image of the emperor, she couldn’t help but stare for a bit longer than necessary before finally putting the newspaper down.

Then she picked up the diary and quickly found a note with a list drawn out.

At the top of the list, the statement ’Can be forgetful due to short-term amnesia, need to recall things’ was written boldly which gave Elena an understanding of her lacking memories.

Taking a deep breath, she finally nodded before standing to her feet to get prepared.

She had finally recalled what she was to do based on what was on the list; go on a tour of the inner city!

***

Donning a white and blue gown with her hair tied in a bun, Elena admired her appearance in the mirror before promptly taking her leave only to pause as she realized she was forgetting something.

She turned to find a ticket placed neatly on the stool beside the bed.

Facepalming in embarrassment at how bad her forgetfulness was, she picked it up before leaving the room.

As Elena walked, the strange pixelation followed her, causing changes that she, for some reason, was unable to pick up on.

As she arrived at the bar on the first floor, she found that it was currently filled with some familiar faces though she was unable to recall where or how she knew them.

"Hey Elena, thanks for last night, your miracle drug really helped with my boy’s health."

"Oh my gosh, I tried the concoction you suggested and I have to say, last night with my wife, it was a long one."

Hearing the flurry of greetings from the customers, she couldn’t help replying in kind, her mouth offering responses she couldn’t fully register.

Just then, she noticed the gaze of a green-haired man with green irises who had a complicated expression on his face as he regarded her, causing her to grow wary.

Soon, she arrived at the counter where a middle-aged woman donning a faded maid attire regarded her with a smile.

"Is it the usual, Elena dear?"

Unsure of what the ’usual’ was, Elena could only nod in silence.

As the woman left to get her meal ready, Elena furrowed her brows, unsure why she felt that something was off.

Massaging her temples, the lady soon returned with a tray with a plate of beans and mashed potatoes.

"Here you go."

"...Thanks," Elena replied and after some hesitation, decided to take her mind off the troubling questions she held.

All it gave her was a bad headache.

She indulged the meal placed before her, finding that it was quite tasty and left her wanting more.

However, as a proper lady, she didn’t ask for extras and after she was done, prepared to leave.

"Oh, Elena dear. Will you be going for the tour in the inner city today?" The lady asked kindly.

Elena nodded. "Yes."

"That’s good. You have been overworking yourself, you deserve a bit of rest. In any case, you’ve been talking about the inner city for so long, one might think you were born there."

Chuckling at her joke, the lady continued. "Regardless, make sure to have a good time and if possible, get me a souvenir or two, okay?"

"Alright," Elena replied with a smile before leaving the bar.

With a tour ticket in hand, she made her way toward her destination... wherever it was.

***

"Damn it, it’s been 2 weeks since the last one was found. I’m starting to think she’s never coming out." A brusque figure with a rather eye-catching pair of sideburns remarked in Aragon’s national language, Gaia.

He, as well as a few others, donning rather peculiar armor with similarly cut sideburns, were gathered in a room with a view that overlooked the city.

Wielding weapons with intriguing markings, a rather tense atmosphere lingered amongst them.

"I agree. The other parties have already returned to support in the fight back at home. Why do we have to stay behind to hunt her?"

Numbering 13, the one that appeared to be the leader of the group, spoke up. "Calm down, all of you. There’s no need to get worked up. The situation here is just as important as back home. It’s something we can’t just abandon."

"So we abandon our brethren back at home?... From what I heard, the situation with the Wandering Forest has gotten worse."

"Yeah, we should go back. We can’t keep on waiting."

Just as the others began to voice their thoughts, the leader bellowed. "Enough!"

As they turned silent, he continued. "I already sent a message to Aragon. We should receive a response soon."

"Hah, this is getting tiresome."

"I understand, but as we all know, the target has been known to cause sufficient problems during previous restarts. For now, return to your post." The man said before adding. "All of you."

Albeit unwilling, they adhered to instructions, quickly stepping out of the room to give the man some privacy.

Letting out a sigh, he walked toward the window and opened it up to get some fresh air.

Leaning against the frame, he regarded the view afforded to him as he delved into his thoughts.

He could understand the frustration of his men.

As hot-blooded youths, the current situation was nipping at their already short patience, causing such complaints to arise regularly.

If nothing happened soon, he would have to disregard the remainder of the mission to find a way to placate them.

As he pondered on the best way to do so, he couldn’t help but pause as he saw someone.

It was a woman with brown hair, unassuming for the general populace but what stood out was her appearance... one which shared an uncanny resemblance to the one they were looking for.