Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 646: The flames speak to me

Chapter 646: The flames speak to me

Gregory let out a sigh while seated in confinement, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

Considering he’d managed to get a few allies, he could only hope that they would be sufficient enough to perform the task he had in mind for them.

Serving as a distraction.

As much as he wanted to, he needed to be selfish if he wished to save Arwen and he hoped that Nadia and the others she shared ties with would understand that.

Fighting head-on against the banshees of the Wailing Peaks, especially at a time when they had just lost a few of their kind, would not end well for anyone.

So the only option was to cause a loud enough distraction while someone else took on the task of confronting Arwen and freeing her from the entity seeking to devour her.

With the plan already set in motion, Gregory needed to act quickly to ensure that there would be no unnecessary sacrifices.

His status as an Anomaly, though cutting him off from the path to divinity, gave him the advantage of merging the capabilities of the Dream and Sound domains, arriving at unique Abilities that would come in handy in a moment.

A unique song escaped his lips as he rose to his feet.

It was almost imperceptible to the ear but those that were in the vicinity of the song were captivated, quickly falling into a slumber.

Arriving at the entrance to the confined space he was in, Gregory placed his hand against the stone used to block it and released a unique sound wave that caused the boulder to disintegrate into dust.

Outside, he found no one awake and his path clear.

Taking a deep breath, he muttered. "Wait for me, I’m coming."

***

What to do?

That was the question on Nadia’s mind as she understood the risks of what she was about to do.

A single mistake and it would end up being a case of losing one to get another with the chances of getting the other being ridiculously low.

Was Arwen worth risking her life and the lives of the others?... Nadia bit down on her lip as she realized that if she didn’t help Arwen, there would be no life to worry about.

The entire world was at risk of being destroyed by Arwen’s flames which were nothing short of devastating.

Nadia had seen them and she was aware of the inherent capacity they held to extinguish life.

So it was either they fought now or waited for the entity in Arwen to fully awaken, resulting in a world consumed by flames.

As the decision when faced with those options was a no-brainer, she no longer hesitated to act as she got to her feet, barely managing to ignore the cries from below the Peaks as she activated her spirituality and whispered in devil tongue.

Commutatio; Vessina

The next instant, an illusory throne appeared upon which sat the Devil of Pride.

She seemed to be before Nadia and yet in the Infernal Palace, persisting in both places at once.

What do you seek?

"Your power."

And what do you offer in turn?

"Ten souls."

Your desire shall be fulfilled.

And just like that, the apparition vanished and Nadia breathed a sigh of relief.

The next instant, other members of Constellations appeared within her chamber, catching them off guard.

Before they could figure out what was happening, they all quickly noticed Ulysses’ strange condition.

He was unconscious, his body in a constant state of burning and regenerating while emerald flames danced atop, the reason for his peculiar state.

Just as they were about to panic, Ana got to her feet and rushed over to him before proceeding to reverse time for him.

Within seconds, Ulysses awoke, his body free of the torture Arwen’s flames inflicted on him.

"What happened?" Ulysses asked with confusion in his eyes.

Ana replied. "Don’t worry, you’re safe now."

"Nadia," Victoria called out as she got to her feet. "Why did you summon us?"

"Arwen’s father is here," Nadia replied. "And he needs our help."

Silence followed as Victoria, along with Ana and Ulysses, stared at Nadia with questioning looks on their faces.

***

"Won’t you speak?... Or did you not consider that before embarking on your glorious plan?" Alex calmly asked.

Arwen’s lips parted but instead of a response, what escaped was a peak of eerie laughter, leaving Alex on edge.

"Did I say something funny?"

Arwen’s laughter grew louder, causing Alex to shift, growing even more uncomfortable.

Finally, she spoke, a maddened look in her eyes as she placed her hands on her cheeks. "The flames speak to me, they speak of death, of madness, of despair... of chaos. They wish to consume everything."

"Arwen."

"Chaos lives, chaos seeks, chaos devours all!"

"Arwen!" Alex shouted her name, hoping to snap her out of her reverie but alas, she was far gone as she continued to sing of the flames and chaos, leaving Alex unsure of what to do.

Just as she was about to break out into a song, a resounding explosion caused her to pause, drawing her attention elsewhere.

"It seems your subordinates have decided to cause trouble."

"Arwen..."

"The ritual will be performed now. I doubt there’s a reason to tarry any longer."

"Arwen, think about what I said. If you destroy death or life, the balance will be disrupted. Chaos would surely ensue!"

"With the Tenets of Order gone, all will be lost and chaos will arrive to consume everything." Arwen recited before turning to face Alex.

"Arwen, you can’t let that happen." Alex intoned.

Though confused about a lot of things, he understood one thing, and that was that the Tenets of Order were what allowed Eventide to persist as it was.

If it fell, drastic changes would occur and if that were to happen, what would happen to his chances of returning home?

"Come with me." Arwen remarked as she conjured green flames, allowing them to devour Alex and herself.

The flames died down to reveal that they were gone from the hall.