Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 333: No lies

Chapter 333: No lies

"Are you ready?" Nadia inquired while standing before Elena with Arwen by her side.

The trio, encamped in the underground city of Thebes and tasked with developing their Powers, were currently focused on helping Elena through her first hurdle.

Understanding her Power.

Unsure and clearly not ready, Elena replied. "I don’t know if I can do this. I mean, before now, I’ve only ever done it once and I didn’t do it intentionally. It just happened."

"I know you are scared and worried, as is to be expected but I need you to trust yourself and then trust us. We know what we are doing." Nadia remarked.

"We do?" Arwen couldn’t help but comment though a glare from Nadia told her to stay silent.

Coughing awkwardly, Elena watched the duo squabble while struggling with the uncertainties that plagued her.

"Alright, let’s try this. How about telling us how it felt the last time?... Maybe we can try to recreate that feeling." Nadia suggested with Elena nodding in response as she closed her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she delved into her memories, flitting back to that specific moment when she first utilized it.

It was that night... or was it day?... It was hard to tell since Evernight had no such demarcation.

In any case, she’d ’teleported’ in a sense, moving from Evernight and appearing in the underground city.

The feeling she felt then... it was hot, almost scalding even.

It was almost like her insides were on fire and if she didn’t let the flames out somehow, she’d only end up burning herself and so she did, and perhaps that act was what caused the subsequent movement.

After some thought, Elena tried to replicate that burning feeling but with little success.

The problem was she didn’t know exactly what she’d done.

Was she moving from one point to the other through some metaphysical bridge?... Or was she removing the distance between two points and just appearing at one end?

With that question unanswered, it would be difficult to make any sort of headway but she couldn’t languish in her failure.

She feared that if she didn’t get something reasonable soon, she’d be left behind, left to return to whatever she had before now.

And so, with the fear of being left behind and the desire to be acknowledged gnawing at her insides, Elena plunged further into the depths of her subconscious.

At that moment, both Nadia and Arwen noticed a qualitative change in the air about Elena.

It was as though she was no longer just Elena, but rather, something even more... someone even more brilliant.

Meanwhile, Elena found herself pondering concepts she didn’t think she knew though some introspection quickly gave her the answer.

This was the knowledge of Princess Berenice, the knowledge she’d gained in her short but eventful life with Ashtyx.

It was the knowledge of one who had perhaps glimpsed certain truths of the world due to proximity with an aspect of the Absolute One.

As expected of the creator of the Catalyst, her knowledge was incredibly vast.

Though she felt weird drawing from the vast knowledge, Elena knew that everything she was doing was to ensure both she and the princess had a happy ending.

So without hesitation, she delved deep into its contents, seeking out anything that would help her out of her current predicament.

Time seemed to move slowly as seconds inched toward minutes before finally...

"I got it!" Elena suddenly exclaimed as she opened her eyes in excitement.

"Got what?" Nadia inquired, infected by the joy Elena radiated so freely.

It was the first time she’d shown such emotion, a most welcome change.

"Well, I don’t think I’ve got it but I have an idea."

"Okay..."

"But I might need help in making sure it’s the right direction."

"What do you need?" Arwen inquired, beating Nadia to it.

"I need a guide, someone well versed in the topic of dimensionality."

Silence reigned for a moment with Nadia furrowing her brows before slowly turning to find Arwen grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, well, would you look at that?... My life’s work wasn’t a complete waste."

"What?"

"Come, come, let me regale you with the tales of my travels over the years." Like a boisterous old lady, Arwen turned and left in a certain direction with an extra spring to her steps, causing Nadia and Elena to exchange looks painted in confusion before ultimately following after her.

***

It was a dark room lit up by candles, revealing the red and black drapes hung over the windows to ensure not a speck of light came in from outside.

Alex was kneeling before a mirror with Fitzgerald taking a similar stance beside him, his entire demeanor a solemn affair.

Silence persisted as none spoke, each keeping to their thoughts before finally, Lord Fitzgerald remarked.

"Are you sure about this?... There’s no going back if we do this."

Alex took a deep breath before replying. "I’m ready."

Nodding slowly, Lord Fitzgerald began the chant, utilizing Razan instead of Enochic.

Once he was done, the windless room suddenly felt windy and the yellow flames turned an eerie green.

Instantly, Alex felt like he was being scrutinized by someone... or something, though he did not attempt to act like he noticed this as he bowed his head in reverence.

As goosebumps broke out on his skin due to the unnatural cold that seemed to gnaw at his bones, a voice was heard.

"Raise your head."

Alex slowly did as instructed, his gaze resting on the full-body mirror that rested in a corner.

Within the mirror, the likeness of a woman with a blurred face stood, covered on all sides by darkness.

"You asked to see me."

"Yes, Mouthpiece." Alex immediately responded with a curt bow.

The woman looked him over, or at least it felt that way before she remarked.

"Three."

"Hmm?"

"I will ask you three questions. If you utter a single lie or hold back any portion of the truth, you shall die. Am I clear?"

Swallowing nervously, Alex nodded. "... Yes, Mouthpiece."

"Good. Now then, first question... Are you Lucius Fitzgerald?"

The question was simple but held endless meaning behind it.

A single misstep and everything would go to waste.

However, Alex had prepared properly for this and he dared not doubt that his preparations were lacking as that would be the first step towards failure.

And so, with a confident yet hesitant tone, Alex replied. "Indeed, I am Lucius Fitzgerald."

Silence reigned, even persisting a bit longer than necessary as Alex felt the unnatural cold grip his insides as the wind in the room blew past and strangely, through him, causing him to tremble ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, Lord Fitzgerald remained silent, his gaze trained on Alex... or rather, Lucius.

His thoughts a veritable mess, he found himself pleading and begging to whatever deity was listening that indeed this was his Lucius.

The silence soon turned agonizing as Fitzgerald’s heart ached terribly, already blaming himself for allowing the boy to leave only for the lady in the mirror to respond.

"You told no lie."

Instantly, a wave of relief washed over Fitzgerald as he unknowingly clenched his fist and released the breath he had no idea he was holding.