Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 368: His Imperial majesty

Chapter 368: His Imperial majesty

The Light Stealers could be considered similar to the Whisperers of BoneHaven.

They couldn’t be classified as Cryptids or Mutants since they didn’t fall under either of the characteristics needed to be placed under either species.

They were different... in a most terrifying way.

The Light Stealers were named thusly as they sought only one thing, the light.

But it wasn’t just any light, no, what they looked for was the light of humanity which could also be referred to as their pneuma.

It was in a desire to become more human.

But the only humans that would be able to come down into the caverns were the Augustus and considering those that came in were usually Mystics, it was quite difficult to devour their pneuma without suffering from endless attacks though in all honesty, there hadn’t been a safe way to defeat the Light Stealers.

One could surely delay them or at least, keep them at bay but unlike the Whisperers who had their weakness discovered, the Light Stealers were still an enigma.

This was why seeing one mutate after stealing the light of other creatures in the cavern, Ezra couldn’t help but feel like the situation had gotten progressively worse for them.

But as an elder brother, he couldn’t reveal worry else he would risk putting Adelia in a sorry state and so, he didn’t hesitate, instantly transforming into a gryphon.

This act naturally drew the attention of the Stealers as they immediately swarmed, their numbers leaving Adelia listless for a moment.

Just then, a miniature Lightbringer emerged above and its golden light illuminated the entire hall as a powerful gravitational force locked down the Stealers, keeping them from making any more moves.

However, not all were affected as the mutant Stealer still moved, its honeycomb eyes transfixed on Adelia’s unmoving form.

It seemed intent on devouring her but Ezra wasn’t about to let that happen as several white hot fireballs rained down from above, slamming into the Stealer without mercy.

"Adelia, head to the gate, I’ll keep these foul creatures at bay."

"Mn." Adelia nodded as she rushed to the golden gate, sidestepping all the Stealers while activating her spirituality as well.

The run, bolstered by the fear of danger, ensured she reached the gate after a few minutes.

At this point, the mutant Stealer had already recovered, its gaze now trained on Ezra’s domineering figure above.

"Look away!" Ezra bellowed as he created another miniature Lightbringer and crashed it into the mutant Stealer, causing an explosion that he immediately contained for fear of collapsing the entire cavern.

Meanwhile, Adelia standing before the gate was just about to say something only to pause, her expression frozen in deep thought.

That feeling of Deja Vu she’d continually avoided had now returned and was even stronger than before.

Perhaps because she was a gate away from the Glory of the Empire, her mind turned even more lucid, allowing her to finally understand what was happening.

"You can come out now." She suddenly remarked.

There was no response, only the sound of Ezra suppressing the gate in the distance but she didn’t even act like that mattered as she turned away from the gate.

"I said, you can come out now. You may be strong but the Glory is enough to prevent you from winning." She spoke calmly, her gaze scrutinizing the area about her.

At some point, the fight ahead suddenly paused and the entire cavern turned illusory before it shattered, allowing an older Adelia to find herself in a dark place with a familiar figure seated ahead.

Sparing him a glance, her gaze drifted to the area around her, noting the existence of several black and white screens playing the memories of several people, familiar and unfamiliar.

"What sort of sorcery is this?... The only domains I know are capable of tampering with memories are Dreams, Psionics, and Imagination. I doubt you have any of that so how are you doing this?" She inquired, her expression slightly twisted.

Alex managed a smile as he remained seated, one leg crossed over the other with his head tilted to the side and his fingers intertwined.

"The mystical world is one full of surprises. Bold of you to assume that you would be familiar with all things." He casually remarked.

Adelia turned to face him, regarded even more thoroughly now. "You know, When I said that the Godstone couldn’t be given, I said it for your safety as well. There are forces at play here that would drive you mad if you continue to do this."

"Do you think I care?" Alex inquired, forcing Adelia’s expression to distort further. "What is the password to open the gate?"

"Even if I wanted to tell you, I can’t."

"What?"

"There is no password. Only those chosen would be able to open it. You only open it once and that’s it. But you know what... I’ll tell you everything you need to know."

Alex’s expression finally took a turn as he couldn’t help but notice that there was something off about what Adelia said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ashtyx or the Godstone or The Glory of the Empire. Whatever it is you want to call it, it’s in the Imperial vault in the capital. You want it?... Go there and take it. That Blackgold gate you saw leads to the vault. But mind you, to get in, you’ll have to say His name."

"Who?"

"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Enoch the Tenth."

At the mention of his name, Alex immediately felt some sort of connection forming between him and some distant figure causing him to grow tense.

Seeing this, Adelia grinned wickedly. "You feel it, don’t you?... The Emperor can establish a connection with whoever knows of his relationship to the Godstone. So good luck, Alexander Regulus. Good luck trying to get past him. I look forward to seeing you die."

Just then, Alex heard a voice in his head.

You... You will come to me.

With those words, a brand appeared in Alex’s mind, causing him to let out a cry of terror before blanking out.

When he awoke, he found himself in the cocoon of the Twilight Bloom he’d created, his forehead covered in perspiration and his chest heaving in terror.

Gulping hard, he muttered. "What the hell was that?"