Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 265: I’ll be waiting

Chapter 265: I’ll be waiting

It was silent.

It seemed to be the first time since she woke up that she could enjoy such serene calm.

As her eyes fluttered open, she found herself staring at a roof made of black stones with a crystalline sheen.

A faint white light lit up the room she found herself in as she slowly sat up while placing a palm over her head, feeling slightly groggy.

Pondering what happened before she passed out, she caught sight of something within her peripheral vision.

She regarded it with interest only to find that it was a rather beautiful flower that happened to be the source of the light within the room.

Rising from her bed with minimal difficulty, she slowly made her way over before coming to stand an arm’s length away from the flower that grew out from the black crystal.

Stroking its stem, Elena found that her mind grew clearer and the lightheadedness she felt was slowly dissipating as well.

"Incredible..." she muttered softly as she regarded the strange flower with a mixture of awe and curiosity.

Just as she prepared to exert force on the stem to uproot the flower, a voice was heard.

"That’s not going to work."

Elena glanced back to find a silver-haired girl with looks placing her at roughly 18 years old, standing at the door, a warm smile on her lips.

Try as she may, she found herself unable to consider the strange girl as an acquaintance though she could tell that there was no hostility.

Silence reigned for a moment before the silver-haired girl sauntered over, her footsteps light enough to prevent any sound from getting out.

Once she’d arrived beside Elena, she reached out and took hold of the flower, gently rubbing its stem while Elena took her hand off.

Just as Elena was about to question what she was doing, the girl slowly pulled out the flower, taking care to not use any force as she did so.

Surprisingly, the flower detached without struggle and even bloomed further in her grasp

"How..."

"Mybella is a unique flower of Evernight. Using force to pluck it won’t work. One must be calm and exude a serene aura to be able to do so." Once the girl finished her explanation, she turned to Elena and with a warm smile, handed her the flower. "Here."

"Thank you," Elena muttered softly as she glanced down at the flower in her palm, her eyes reflecting its beautiful white glow.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?"

Elena pursed her lips before slowly nodding. "It is."

"It’s one of the many beautiful things in Evernight." The girl muttered, her gaze seemingly wandering as she fell into her thoughts.

Elena scrutinized the flower for a bit longer before finally looking up to meet the girl’s gaze.

"Sorry, but... who are you?... I don’t think I know you."

"Ah, sorry, where are my manners?" The silver-haired girl facepalmed as she replied. "You may call me... Apys."

"Apys," Elena muttered softly before inquiring further. "And you speak of Evernight, is that where we are now?"

"Indeed. Welcome to Evernight, the domain of my master, Orion."

"Orion?... I don’t understand, who is Orion?... Where is Evernight?"

"You’d understand everything and much more but first, we have to be sure you are well enough to move about."

"... I am. I would like to meet with your master. Take me to him." Elena remarked.

Nodding in response, Arwen remarked. "Follow me."

With that, the duo exited the house with Elena taken aback by the impressive sights waiting outside.

Perhaps the most incredible out of all was the circular moon in the sky which gave light to the unique land with several strange sparkling lights about it.

"This... isn’t Eventide." Elena quickly deduced.

Arwen shook her head. "It is and it isn’t. Take it as a dimension that borders our mortal world. Do not fret, you are safe here."

"Safe." As Elena uttered the words, her mind seemed to dull momentarily as she recalled something though what it was, remained a mystery to her.

Arwen noticed her relapsing and quickly moved to her aid.

"Are you okay?"

"I... I can’t stay here." Elena muttered after a full minute of silence.

Arwen paused before quickly replying. "Well, that’s true but that’s because only by becoming a denizen of Evernight can you permanently stay here but you haven’t been here for too long so the rejection of the world shouldn’t be too much on you."

"No, I can’t be here. I have to return. I must facilitate the meeting."

"What meeting?"

"I don’t know." Elena’s expression distorted as she gripped the side of her head.

"Come on, I’ll take you back inside."

"No, stay away, I have to go now."

Arwen tried to say more only to sense something incredibly dangerous from Elena.

Instinctively, she teleported a few meters away in a flash of black and white just as Elena’s skin began to glow a distinct golden.

"Uhmm."

Elena quickly grew ethereal before she muttered in a spectral voice. "I’ll be waiting."

Before Arwen could question what she meant, a blast of golden energy erupted from Arwen, swallowing everything within 10 meters of her.

By the time she was gone, all that was left was a smoking crater and a perplexed Arwen.

".... What just happened?"

***

"I didn’t think you’d get her so soon." Arthur pointedly said.

Alex nodded. "I agree. Her presence serves to make me question just what happened to cause such a coincidence."

"Perhaps we might have to meet with her to know more."

Sighing helplessly, Alex muttered. "I despise this feeling of being led by the nose."

"Well, that is the thing about the supernatural, my boy. Only on a few occasions can you truly be in control of a situation. There would always be someone greater, something stranger, waiting for you to encounter them. It is your job as a Mystic to survive through it all and use those experiences as nourishment for your growth."

"Is that..."

Bam

Alex glanced at the open door to find Arwen standing there, her expression a confused mess.

"What..."

"She’s gone!"