Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 652: I’m sorry, little one

Chapter 652: I’m sorry, little one

With an evolved Opal leading the way, Victoria and the rest of the Constellations members quickly arrived at the room that once contained the Silent Curtain, quickly discovering the Banshees standing guard outside.

"Intruders!" One of the Banshees exclaimed while another didn’t hesitate to attack, releasing a sonic wave to knock them unconscious.

Nadia chanted in deviltongue, denying their ability to detect sound in any manner while Ana unleashed another time bubble, catching a few of the banshees.

The two that had managed to react in time attacked as well, but unlike most that were capable of manipulating sound, their area of control was instead the soul.

They first targeted Nadia, marking her out as a Mystic.

A simple gesture was all that was needed to detach Nadia’s Soma from her Pneuma, effectively rendering her powerless.

Victoria charged at them both, releasing several strings in the blink of an eye to reduce the maneuverability of the banshees but the latter two didn’t seem to bother with retreat as one attacked Victoria’s pneuma while the other attacked Ana’s.

However, the two managed to resist the attack long enough for Victoria to conjure a connection between herself and the two banshees as the latter touched one of the many threads she’d scattered about.

Lucky as she was, Victoria didn’t hesitate to knock herself out, causing the two banshees to fall unconscious as well.

Then Ana placed them in static time while Nadia finally regained the connection to her pneuma though she didn’t immediately reignite her spirituality.

Ulysses stepped up, quickly hurrying over to snap Victoria awake while the banshees she was connected to remained unconscious.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Victoria went ahead to bind the banshees with her threads while Ulysses sealed their lips with his control over the flesh.

Only after they were done did they turn their attention to the area behind the great stone doors the banshees were guarding.

Just then, Ulysses intoned. "Don’t you guys think we are forgetting something?"

"Something like what?" Victoria asked.

"Like, apart from Alex, there’s someone else we need to save."

The group glanced at each other with Ana speaking up a moment later. "That should be Arwen right?"

"Of course, Arwen!" Nadia remarked while facepalming.

To think that she had forgotten that Arwen was also in danger.

But then how could she have forgotten such an important thing?

That was the main reason they were here in the first place.

"No." Ulysses suddenly remarked, once again drawing the attention of others. "Or rather yes, but not only her. "

"Someone else that needs saving apart from Arwen and Alex?" Ana raised a brow at this juncture, unsure of what to make of Ulysses’ words.

Ulysses nodded. "Yes."

"Gregory, perhaps?" Nadia suggested with Ulysses shaking his head.

"No, not him."

The girls exchanged looks with one another before Victoria spoke up. "Are you feeling well?"

"Yes," Ulysses said. "I’m not crazy. Look, the first Lock of the Abyss Wheel, Abyssal, changed the entirety of my being."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"That means I am not a denizen of Eventide; I am a denizen of the Abyss in Eventide, which also means that the rules of Eventide don’t apply to me as subtly as they would to you guys."

"I don’t follow."

"There are times when the Will of the World acts to correct anomalies and disturbances in the natural laws, yes?"

The girls exchanged looks yet again before nodding. "And so?"

"Right now, I can feel it trying to make me forget something... something that’s connected to all of us."

As Ulysses spoke and Ana, Nadia, and Victoria listened, in another location, one far from the Wailing Peaks and perhaps within a dimension of its own, Elena’s form continued to slowly degrade, with her human form completely gone.

Instead, what remained within the confines of the skeletal hands was a humanoid figure forged of golden dust.

***

The Messengers of Death was a myth to many, the same as the existence of the PaleLands.

If not for the wisdom of the Devils, Gregory would have never learned of their existence.

In the perception of mankind, the banshees were considered as true messengers of death, but in truth, they were merely forerunners.

They announced the arrival of death while the true Messengers of Death arrived to ferry the dead to the Afterlife.

Hence, to the banshees, the Messengers of Death were considered death gods, entities that they feared from the depths of their hearts.

Riona, as a banshee, was no different.

Even as she was no longer a Cryptid, the fear she felt did not diminish and instead, seemed to grow as in her current state, she seemed to understand the true depths of the Messengers of Death.

To her, the one before her appeared more like the extension of something greater, far greater than her feeble mind could comprehend.

Perhaps, if not that she was already insane, she would have gone mad just by staring at the cloaked entity.

It would seem you have been in communion with Inevitability for far too long.

"What are you talking about?" Riona questioned as she took a step back.

As much as I do not care for the mortal world, your subversion of true death irks me. You are like a caricature, a cheap knockoff of the truth and I will not stand for such mockery.

Riona sensed danger, and she immediately backed away, but try as she may, she could not escape the cold hands of death.

The bony hand came upon her, leaving her no choice but to fight back as she unleashed her flames.

But before the pale flames of the Messenger, her green flames sputtered pathetically before dying out completely.

Just like that, Riona was consumed by the pale flames, leaving behind her essence.

The Messenger, having dealt with the annoyance, turned its attention to Gregory.

I had warned you that the next time we met, I would claim your soul as my own.

"Do what you want. But spare my daughter."

Ah, your daughter who shares a close relationship with death.

"What?"

The Messenger played with Riona’s essence before sending it towards Arwen’s fragile figure.

Your daughter is destined for greatness. There is no reason for me to claim her. As for you...

Gregory felt a hand grip his heart and in that moment, he knew it was over.

However, he did not struggle and accepted his fate.

In any case, the reason he had persisted for so long, a spell he liked to call Daydream which allowed him to manifest an ideal version of himself, had come to an end.

With a satisfied smile on his lips as his body turned to ash, he said to Arwen. "I’m sorry, little one."