Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 658: Splitting up

Chapter 658: Splitting up

"You’re back early." Adam intoned as he welcomed Alex once again into Eden.

Letting out a sigh, Alex replied. "I think I’m ready to start the next trial."

"Oh?" Adam raised a brow. "Any particular reason?"

"The Hero of Light."

"Ah, so that’s how it is." Adam nodded in understanding. "In that case, of course, but it would be advisable for you to reach the 7th Lock at the very least before leaving Henos."

"You know his current location?"

"Of course. His presence is a bit too conspicuous to ignore. He is currently in Argent and mind you, he has begun his journey on the Divine Wheel. Just like you, he is a bona fide Error."

Alex’s expression fell ever so slightly as he came to the grim realization that the clash between him and this so-called Hero was inevitable.

Adam chuckled as he tapped his shoulder. "Don’t overthink it. You still have a good head start so you can use that to your advantage. As long as you attain divine status before him, it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with him."

"Isn’t there a chance I can reason with him?" Alex asked even as he already knew the answer to that question.

Adam offered no response as he intoned. "Walk with me."

And so, the two walked in silence, quickly ascending the stone steps to arrive at Adam’s favorite boulder.

"Been a while since I came here," Adam said as he gestured for Alex’s gate to emerge, revealing four Locks currently open with six more to go.

"So what’s the trial?" Alex asked, with Adam taking the time to pluck an apple from a tree next to the boulder before making himself comfortable on it.

Then, taking a bite from the apple, he remarked. "Amongst those in the depths of despair, serve as the light that would pull them out."

"So I should be the hero again?"

Adam smirked as he replied. "It’s much more than that, my friend, much, much more."

Alex furrowed his brows, taking the time to ponder the idea behind the trial though he struggled to figure it out.

After much thought, he decided to sleep over it.

Hopefully, when he woke up tomorrow morning, he’d have figured something out.

"Alright then, thank you," Alex said, intent on taking his leave only to pause as he recalled something.

"Anything you wish to tell me?" Adam inquired as he noticed his hesitation.

"You said something about being careful of Death. You were talking about the situation with Arwen, right?"

Adam shrugged, not bothering to say anything as he took another bite from his apple.

"Well, we’ve dealt with it, so the danger is averted now right?"

Adam was just about to take another bite when he paused, his gaze seemingly drawn toward a certain location as he stared in silence before finally shifting his attention back to Alex.

"You claim to have dealt with the danger yet I still see death hovering over the land."

Alex’s expression shifted. "Are you saying that Arwen’s problem hasn’t been dealt with?"

"... I do not know but what I do know is that death still walks amongst the living. It represents both an opportunity and a risk for you. You’d be wise to be careful."

Alex pursed his lips before ultimately nodding. "Alright then, thank you."

"You may leave."

And so, Alex left Eden, leaving Adam to indulge in his apple.

***

The next morning, Alex made his way to Ana’s quarters for a brief discussion.

"Is everything okay?" Ana asked as she yawned while stretching. "You seem bothered about something."

Instead of responding immediately, Alex snapped, conjuring Eternal Night to secure the surroundings.

"I need you to keep a close eye on Arwen." Alex calmly said, causing Ana to frown.

"What’s wrong?"

"I just need you to watch her. Keep an eye on her and make sure she remains... sane."

Ana’s frown deepened at this juncture as she understood quite well the significance of Alex’s warning.

"She’s still corrupted?"

"Her current state is... vulnerable. We aren’t sure of what’s happening within, so we can only prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"I understand. I’ll keep an eye on her."

"And be careful as well."

"I’m not a child. I’ll be fine, don’t worry."

Satisfied with her response, Alex nodded before undoing Eternal Night and taking his leave.

Later in the day, members of Constellations went their separate ways to begin their assignments.

Alex left with Victoria, utilizing the Spirit World to shorten their journey while Ana transformed fully for the first time since she arrived at Henos, allowing Nadia and Arwen to ride her as they took off in the direction of the train tracks.

Finally, it remained Ulysses aboard the submarine, waiting patiently for his ride to arrive and she didn’t disappoint as Elena soon emerged from a golden circle, dropping into the vehicle straight from Confluence.

"Any luck?" Ulysses asked with Elena nodding.

"More or less."

She looked quite exhausted, which meant the process of locating the Abyss wasn’t simple at all, even with his flesh serving as a makeshift compass.

"So, do we go now or would you like to get some rest first?"

"Now is the best time." Elena intoned. "The Abyss is constantly moving. If we don’t go now, we’d miss the window and I’d have to locate it again."

"Oh, alright, but you look really tired."

"Don’t worry, I can handle it. Just get ready to pilot this thing so we don’t crash."

Saying that, she took a deep breath and drew on as much authority as she could before channeling it to create a dimensional breach which the submarine swiftly fell into.

Ulysses rushed to stabilize the vehicle while Elena took the time to get some well-deserved rest before she came to join him in the cockpit.

There, she was met with the intriguing sight outside the submarine, the same one Ulysses was currently staring at with a mixture of awe and instinctual repulsion.

"You did it," Ulysses said, almost regretfully with Elena replying with a slight grimace.

"Welcome to the Abyss."