Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 620: A bonafide Inventor

Chapter 620: A bonafide Inventor

Victoria was the first to react, her expression shifting as she instinctively raised her guard.

Nadia and Elena wasted no time as they jumped to their feet with Arwen revealing a complicated expression while Alice maintained a sense of calm while reaching for her dagger.

"So we all hear that, right?" Elena inquired, referring to the feminine cry echoing from outside their residence.

"Loud and clear." Victoria intoned. "It seems they are here."

"We should try talking to them considering we plan on heading to the Wailing Peaks," Nadia suggested.

The cries continued unabated for a while before it stopped, and then it continued, but this time, it was from two directions.

"So we have another one," Elena muttered, but that wasn’t the end as even more cries echoed, causing their expressions to fall.

"That’s too many for comfort." Alice finally remarked her desire to fight was no longer as high.

She was well aware of the fact that Banshees were not to be trifled with.

They were not as agile as Vampires, nor as durable as Hyenas, but their strength came differently.

"Aren’t they scared of Pheripoli law enforcement?" Elena couldn’t help but ask with Alice shaking her head.

"There’s no reason to fear. The Wailing Peaks and Solomon Alliance are in a silent agreement. As long as they don’t cause widespread destruction and death, they are free to do as they please. It is similar to the agreement they have with the barbarian tribes."

"But still..."

"They are acting!" Victoria announced as she chanted.

Open sesame.

As a Spirit Portal appeared next to her, Nadia also cast a spell in deviltongue.

A moment later, they all felt a pull to their pneuma, knocking them out before they could get a chance to fight properly.

By the time the cries stopped, Arwen was the only one still conscious, her gaze sweeping across the unconscious bodies on the floor before she focused her attention on the door.

It swung open not too long after, ushering in a beautiful woman donning a cloak forged from black feathers.

The woman met Arwen’s gaze, seemingly scrutinizing her before she spoke. "You hold her essence within you. I would have thought it a lie had I not seen it myself."

"Is my body still intact?" Arwen asked, though her voice seemed different, distant.

Seemingly recognizing something, the lady went on her knees and bowed. "It is. We have waited patiently, My Lady."

"Good." Arwen nodded in satisfaction as she rose to her feet.

"But my lady, have you conquered death?"

"Why do you ask?" Arwen inquired with a raised brow.

The lady hesitated before explaining. "You said that the resurrection can only happen after you have conquered death."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Then yes, I have conquered death." Arwen intoned before adding. "Soon, everyone will come to conquer death just like me."

With that, she got to her feet and made her way to the door before stepping outside to find several bird-like humanoid creatures flying about with skeletal wings.

Resembling ugly hags with black and white dots on their desiccated flesh, these creatures were the Banshees, denizens of the Wailing Peaks, and masters of the domains of Sound and soul, as well as the forerunners of death.

These creatures gazed upon Arwen before dropping to the ground and bowing to her, they all recognized a presence.

"We pay homage to the Dread Widow!"

***

By the time Victoria and the others regained consciousness, the Lightbringer had already opened, and Arwen was long gone, leaving a note on the table that read, don’t follow me.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Elena muttered. "Well, that was embarrassing. We didn’t even get a chance to fight back."

"We were already aware of their capability to mess with the pneuma," Nadia muttered. "Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough insight to defend ourselves properly."

"So what now?" Elena asked. "They took Arwen. We have to go after her, right?"

"I vote against it," Victoria remarked.

"What?... Why?"

"You cannot be asking that question," Victoria remarked in slight annoyance.

Alice commented. "Victoria’s right. You guys would undoubtedly die if you chased after her. The only reason you aren’t dead is because of your gender. That doesn’t mean they won’t kill you if you continue to trouble them."

"But we can’t just abandon her." Elena insisted, unwilling to believe that Arwen was beyond saving.

"Elena," Nadia muttered softly. "As much as I can understand your annoyance, we were already prepared for this. All we can hope for now is that Arwen can deal with the corruption of her avatar."

"You are abandoning her as well?"

Nadia shook her head. "But right now, we’ll be doing more harm than good if we chase after her. We should figure out a way to reach out to Alex for the time being. We need more hands on deck before we can consider doing anything."

Gritting her teeth, Elena turned and went upstairs, leaving Victoria, Nadia, and Alice to clean up.

***

It felt like no time had passed at all when they finally arrived in Eventide, safely escaping the dangers of subspace.

All simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief as they laid eyes on the familiar blue skies of Eventide, away from the blackness that characterized subspace.

But that wasn’t all for Alex because just as he recognized familiar connections in his perception, he also felt something unlock within him, a familiar lock that he had opened once before.

His expression shifted as he glanced at his palms.

Noticing his reaction, Ana inquired. "Is everything okay?"

"Indeed," Alex muttered with a pleasant smile. "Everything is just fine."

Ana couldn’t quite understand his words but Alex didn’t bother to explain further.

It seemed the fact that the Goddess of Automation had fallen into a slumber to recover from her injuries ended up being a boon for him, allowing him to complete his fourth trial earlier than he anticipated.

From now onwards, he was a bonafide Inventor.