Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 408: Liar, Liar

Chapter 408: Liar, Liar

The hallway that seemed long-winded at first glance terminated rather quickly with a door at the end revealing a royal-sized bedroom with a balcony.

At the balcony, a man dressed in regal clothes, his presence seemingly boundless, stood with his gaze transfixed on the sight below.

Alex took steady steps with Elena trailing closely behind while clutching the locket she’d gotten from the underground city, using it as a means to bolster her courage.

Taking a deep breath, Alex greeted. "I pay homage to his imperial majesty, I am..."

"Alexander Regulus," Enoch remarked lightly, not bothering to turn and face them.

Considering he’d been marked, Alex didn’t think it strange that the Emperor already knew his true identity.

"Since you know who I am, I’d like to guess that you know why I’m here then."

"Indeed. The Godstone." Enoch remarked. "Tell me something."

Expecting a question about his reason for going after it, Alex replied. "What?"

"Why does Adam allow an error like you to persist in the Human Wheel?"

"...What?"

"Neither of your domains is related to the Trinity. Sure, you could argue that the Shadow aspect of your Evernight domain is connected to Ethereal but that is merely a small portion of what Ethereal represents. I’ve been thinking about it but I haven’t been able to figure it out."

Alex froze at this point, caught off guard by the question and also feeling somewhat naked at having his domain dissected so casually.

Enoch finally turned to face them, revealing a man so handsome, he seemed like a replica of Adam with subtle differences like how instead of blue, he had green irises and his golden hair was shorter compared to Adam’s own.

His very presence radiated peace and made one wish to worship him but that wasn’t what caught Alex’s attention.

Instead, it was the fact that Enoch was a splitting image of the man he’d seen in Elena’s dream, though a more edified version but then, how come?... How was a person from a thousand years ago standing before him?

As questions mounted, what Alex saw grew more discordant with a sharp pain rushing through his eyes at that point causing him to inadvertently groan as he clutched his forehead.

"Alex." Elena worriedly intoned as she moved to support him.

Seeing her react this way, a trace of jealousy flashed through Enoch’s eyes as he stared at her.

A moment later, he intoned. "My dear Berenice, it’s been so long since I last saw you."

Taking a step forward, he watched her take a step back in fright while pulling Alex along causing him to pause.

"Of course, how could I forget?... You aren’t her, merely a cheap copy the world wishes to use to end her life."

His words held a bit of resentment though he was quick to regain his peaceful composure.

"I..." Elena started only to pause as Enoch raised a brow in her direction.

"Go on, I’m listening. I can already imagine what you’d wish to say."

Before Elena could speak up, Alex grabbed her wrist, his breathing labored as he tried to shake off whatever was bothering him.

Enoch’s expression shifted yet again but proving his restraint, he remained calm as he intoned. "You know, I’m quite curious. What made you bring this copy here?... Did you think I’d mistake her for the real deal?"

"No," Alex replied through labored breaths. "Just thought of sharing a message."

As he spoke, he gestured to Elena who, understanding his cue, tossed the locket she held toward Enoch who casually caught it before opening it.

Within, a faded depiction of the prince and his princess was kept causing Enoch to stay silent as his eyes grew wet and his lips quivered.

Sending a glance Elena’s way, Alex hoped she’d take the cue to say something and thankfully she did.

"... She wants to die," Elena muttered softly, her tone almost at the level of a whisper though it was enough to draw Enoch’s attention.

Enoch stared at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing a few times before he inquired. "What did you say?"

"... She wishes to die."

"Liar!" Enoch bellowed, causing the scenery before them to change like a lie, switching from a bedroom to the throne room in the blink of an eye.

Both Alex and Elena were left confused by the transformation.

"Berenice loved her life more than anyone else. She always told me she wished to live a long and healthy life so she could continue with her experiments till the end!... There is no way she would wish for death!" Enoch argued, his chest heaving as he struggled to accept Elena’s words.

Elena gulped but feeling Alex’s grip on her wrist, she remarked. "But that is the truth and I’m sure you have a way to verify it."

"..." Enoch went silent, his eyes widened as he took a step back before collapsing onto his golden throne.

Silence reigned momentarily before he suddenly got up at which point the scenery transformed once again, unveiling a great hall filled to the brim with various paintings, sculptures, and depictions of Princess Berenice of Thebes, each artwork doing well to capture her flawless beauty, endless charm and most importantly, her scholarly demeanor.

As Enoch approached one of the paintings, the Constellation members present in the hall with him couldn’t help but feel like they were in some sort of crazy dream due to the rapid transitions that seemed tied to Enoch’s seemingly unstable emotional state.

It was at this point, that Alex began to understand the reason for the discordance he’d been feeling since he entered the capital.

"It’s not real," Alex muttered softly as Enoch finally arrived at his target.

It was a life-like full-body painting of Princess Berenice in her prime with a beautiful smile on her lips as she stared off into the distance.

He stroked the painting gracefully, acting as though it were the princess herself he was touching.

As tears came to his eyes, Enoch muttered. "They say you wish to die, my love. Is that true?... Do you really wish to die?... Do you wish to leave me and go?... Tell them, tell them that they are lying. Tell them you wish to stay with me forever."

At this moment, the great Emperor seemed extremely vulnerable causing Elena to feel for him, her empathetic side coming to the forefront, suppressing the underlying fear that remained.

Just as she wished to speak, to comfort the man, something unexpected happened.

The painting writhed as though alive with the image within turning to face Alex and Elena, its expression taking on a sinister tone.

"Liars!" The painting bellowed in a tone so loud that it bordered on monstrous.

Alex nearly lost consciousness while Elena held one ear while the other bled.

Enoch’s somber air immediately disappeared as he glanced at the painting. "I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t wish to die. You are my princess and I am your prince and we will be together forever."