Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 297: Sister

Chapter 297: Sister

Arwen sat atop a building in the underground city, her expression languid as she gazed into the distance.

Her thoughts a mess, she found herself unable to think while considering numerous thoughts at a time.

Though her mind remained scattered, the agony that gnawed at her chest was too straightforward to ignore causing her to coil in on herself, wrapping her hands around her legs as she buried her face in between them.

As she remained in that position, she had no way of knowing when someone arrived, only realizing this when a soft tap was felt on her shoulder.

Jolted from her saddened state, she glanced to the side to find Nadia standing over her, an arm placed gently on her shoulder while she peered at her with rather curious eyes.

"Hi..." Arwen greeted halfheartedly with a rather melancholic smile, a gesture Nadia was quick to point out.

"Oh, what could be bothering my dear sister that would cause her to be in such a state?... Pray tell."

Nadia’s tone was quite jovial, a stark contrast to her usual calm and composed self.

Under normal circumstances, Arwen would have been pleased to see her in such a state but unfortunately, now wasn’t the time.

"I’m... I’m just confused." Arwen muttered after some difficulty.

"About what?"

"... Am I overdoing it?" Arwen inquired with Nadia crouching to her eye level.

"Overdoing what exactly?"

"... I feel like I’m acting overly excited about everything."

"Huh?... Who said that?... Is it Elena?... I’ll go give her a piece of my mind." Nadia remarked as she tried to get back up only for Arwen to hold her down while shaking her head.

"No one said anything."

"Then..."

"I just feel this way. I feel like I’m acting this way because I’m trying to ignore the pain I experience every time I think about Claudia. I feel so empty inside whenever that happens so I end up overdoing it. I’m becoming an annoyance, right, Nadia?"

"Well..."

Arwen turned wide-eyed as she waited for Nadia’s response only for the latter to crack a smile bordering more on seduction than amused.

"Why so serious?... Calm yourself, already. I’m just teasing you."

"... Oh." Though slightly less tense that Nadia was teasing her, Arwen was unable to fight off the melancholy plaguing her.

Nadia’s expression soon shifted as she turned more serious.

Moments later, she was seated beside Arwen and then she reached out to take hold of Arwen’s hand.

"You know... I feel the same way when I think about how I lost the love of my life. However, instead of you, I find myself stuck in that sadness, unable to see anything positive."

"..."

"Hah, you know when you came into my room that night after Constellations was formed, I felt envious. How could you be so excited when you had so much pain hidden in your heart?... But then I realized that instead of being envious, it was right to learn. We have both experienced losses, Arwen, and allowing it to drown our whole world in sadness isn’t right."

"I feel like I’m not doing enough... that I’m wasting time I should be using to trying to bring Claudia back," Arwen muttered as her eyes teared up. "What do I do, Nadia?... I’m confused."

Nadia reached out with her other free hand and cupped Arwen’s cheeks. "I feel the same when I brood and curse myself for only realizing what I had after I’d lost it. So what do we do?... Do we drown in anguish or do we deceive ourselves with false happiness?"

"... I don’t know."

"We do none of that, Arwen. Instead, let us seek strength in each other to keep pushing forward toward the goal which is recovering the love we lost. So don’t give up now, Arwen. I chose you as my sister for a reason so let us perform the roles of sisters from now on, alright?"

"... Mn." As Arwen nodded, a tear drop slowly slid down her cheeks with Nadia flicking it away and then leaning forward to embrace Arwen in a tight hug.

As Arwen took in Nadia’s warmth and Nadia comforted her newfound sister, none would be privy to the fact that not too far away, beside a building a staircase higher than the one they were on, Elena was watching them with a complicated expression on her visage.

Moments passed before Elena pulled away, taking strides away from her previous location to a place unknown.

As she walked, her expression distorted in anguish as several illusory voices bombarded her senses, leaving her increasingly lightheaded.

She massaged her temples to gain some reprieve but that was to no end, offering very little calm to the bombardment.

Quickly walking into one of the houses, she rushed into the bedroom and closed the door behind her as she did, her breathing uneven as her cheeks turned rosy.

As she inspected the room she was in, she found a full-body mirror placed on the side, one carved in a rather intricate manner.

She made her way towards it and standing an arm’s length away, regarded her appearance in the mirror.

A beauty stared back, one that though lacking in seductive charm compared to Nadia, didn’t lose out on the innocent aesthetics she had.

"Who am I?" Elena muttered softly as she slowly raised her right arm.

She’d been asking herself that question ever since the meeting with Alex.

Though she could guess that he was trying to confuse her, Elena couldn’t deny that the confusion was warranted.

What exactly was she?... A doppelganger of the original Princess Berenice of Thebes or was she Elena, a young woman who wished to figure out the world she found herself in.

At a time, she considered both the same but that was her lying to herself, trying not to face the truth that... she didn’t want that.

That she wanted her own identity.

Her right arm touched the surface of the mirror, feeling its coolness that seemed to wash away her tension for a moment.

"What do I do?... I’m so confused." Her voice was filled with uncertainty, evidence of the turmoil in her heart.

Unfortunately, no response came but that was expected, yes?... She was alone after...

What do you wish to do?

Elena’s expression shifted from uncertainty to shock as she stepped away from the mirror only to realize that the mirror image wasn’t moving the same as her.

As her breathing grew uneven and confusion slowly set in, she intoned softly. "Princess Berenice..."

Nice to meet you, Elena.

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