Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 644: The Callings

Chapter 644: The Callings

Nadia paused, taking the time to digest Gregory’s question in a bid to answer it only to quickly come to a realization that left her baffled.

It made no sense.

Apart from the fact that long-term teleportation was impossible over the Azure Seas and flying was a dangerous affair, why would the Banshees take the risk of offending a world power just for the sake of one individual?

But then the truth remained that because of the fear the banshees had incited in people, few dared to take the risk of ingesting their dead brethren to become a Mystic.

It didn’t make it any better than those that did would end up disappearing not too long after, further adding to the truth of the rumors.

"There are many ways to hide the truth, one such way is by cloaking it with something so frightening, few would be willing to investigate it." Gregory calmly said, breaking Nadia away from her reverie.

"I don’t understand." Nadia intoned. "What is the truth?"

"The banshee race, since its inception, has always suffered from something they refer to as the Callings." Gregory began, ensuring that Nadia was paying close attention before he continued. "From what I’ve experienced, the Callings are the voices of the dead and those about to die. Their voices transmit the anguish they experience, constantly torturing those that hear it."

"That... sounds unpleasant."

"Maddening actually," Gregory remarked. "Of course, depending on where the banshee is, the Callings can be managed. For example, staying near a cemetery would result in worse pain than staying in a school, the same with staying in a hospital against staying in a courthouse. This is why the banshees remained within the Wailing Peaks because it is far from any living settlement, and so, also far from where death resides."

"So, these Callings..."

"They are the reason the Banshee leaders decided to weave the lie and with the help of a GodSpawn of the Devil Wheel, deceive most of the world into thinking the same. It was better than allowing people to ingest the body parts only to run mad due to the Callings."

"That’s why you left..." Nadia muttered with Gregory nodding.

"There were nights I was so close to losing it, putting Arwen at risk. After I realized that I wouldn’t be able to manage, I decided to come here but not before making sure that Arwen would be safe. I created a host body for Cassia to inhabit using the corpse of a recently deceased, after which I reached out to Elizabeth who was willing to watch over Arwen, not because she particularly cared for her, but because she was worried that she would become a danger to the city."

Nadia pursed her lips, as she recalled clearly that there was a ghoul that had taken care of Arwen up until the unfortunate incident involving the Blood God.

She froze in that instant, as a worrying thought crept into her mind.

"Ada," Nadia muttered the name, almost like it was taboo.

Gregory was moved by the name as he responded. "That was the name I gave her. As much as I wanted to make her live a normal life, I didn’t have the strength. All I could do was make her a Ghoul. Tell me, where is Ada now?... She was supposed to be protecting Arwen, why did she let our daughter travel across the sea?"

"... She... Something happened. We needed all the help we could get to stave off a disaster. She sacrificed her freedom for our safety."

"... I see." Gregory didn’t know how to feel at that moment as he stared blankly at Nadia before looking down at the paved road below.

"Even though she never said it, Arwen always wanted a family. You could have at least left a message telling her that Ada was her mother, not just some maid. She lived her life thinking if her parents ever even loved her!"

"I should tell a young girl that because her pneuma was too powerful, her parents made stupid decisions?... I should tell her that because of those decisions, her mother is a ghoul and her father is an Anomaly forced to stay in the Wailing Peaks to avoid becoming a monster?"

"..."

Gregory shook his head. "It’s best she doesn’t find out. At least that way, she won’t blame herself. Let her put the blame on me. It’s best that way."

"I’m sorry." Nadia softly intoned. "I thought you abandoned her for selfish reasons."

"Don’t worry, if I were in your shoes, I’d have thought the same." Gregory calmly said, managing a smile that was more melancholic than anything else.

"What now?... Why did you bring me here?"

"To ask for your help and that of your comrades. I wish to save Arwen."

"But how?"

Before Gregory could respond, a fearsome bang echoed, rupturing the space above and causing the area they were in to tremble violently.

"What was that?"

"Something terrifying is happening in the real world. We don’t have much time. To save Arwen, we first have to stop the ritual she plans on carrying out. If not, the likelihood of bringing her back would be reduced to the realm of impossibility."

"But the corruption is to her Avatar. There’s nothing we can do to erase that."

"There is. But she has to be the one to do it. What we need to do is weaken the entity attempting to take over her body. That way, she won’t be overwhelmed."

"Alright then."

"Awaken your comrades, we will fight together!"

Nadia nodded and with that, the dream ended, returning her to where she was kept, separate from the others.

Before she could recover completely, though, she sensed something causing her to immediately dive to the side, just in time to watch as a rock, the size of a watermelon, slammed into where she was previously seated.

Only then did she realize that the mountain was trembling violently, almost as though it had been hit by a powerful earthquake.