Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 446: Fear of god

Chapter 446: Fear of god

From the creation of the Homunculi to the formation of the Empire, Alex had always been curious about the motives of the Great Families.

On one hand, they acted as benevolent keepers, protecting the empire from all sorts of supernatural dangers, and on the other hand, The revelations from Abraham about the origin of the Homunculi and Alejandro’s words about the true nature of the Great Families, painted them more as villains than anything else.

Having such a dualistic representation depending on those aware of them warranted slight confusion as though Alex wasn’t one to think of humans as either black or white, he understood that there needed to be a reason for one to be gray.

Now, he seemed to have gotten a vague understanding.

"You prepare for the inevitable, doing whatever you can to save as many as possible." He muttered after pondering Aiden’s question for a whole minute.

Aiden nodded. "Indeed."

"Is that why you built the Empire?"

"We needed a home base and Ra’as was the perfect place. But then again, we knew we needed a power capable of ensuring those fools across the Azure Seas don’t get tempted to spread their reach here."

"Are you referring to the Church?"

"Also Judah." Aiden intoned. "Though they generally do not enjoy wars, that doesn’t mean they won’t make the world in their image if given the opportunity."

"I see." Alex was quick to note that down as he remarked. "But that still doesn’t explain why you’d want to bet on me."

"It doesn’t, so I’ll say this instead; you are the Dark Lord yet are not Him, you were meant to die yet still walk freely as a living person, you are not truly human yet you turn the Human Wheel to godhood, you managed to survive the madness of Enoch and you have somehow found a way to contain two Branches. Do you understand now?"

"... I am a walking pile of improbability," Alex muttered softly.

He hadn’t considered it before now but thinking back, his fate somehow allowed him to survive this far.

Even his patron wasn’t benevolent, so how could he explain his seemingly extraordinary luck?

Then Aiden spoke up. "I want to believe that your identity runs parallel to what our world is familiar with, which is why you have been able to survive thus far. If you keep going at this pace, you could become an Error strong enough to, even if it’s by a little bit, tilt the tables in our favor."

"And if I’m not able to keep up the pace?"

"Then the world might adapt and once it does, there’s no telling what might happen. Perhaps others, Errors just like you, would begin to emerge."

Alex made to speak only to pause, his eyes widening as he came upon a realization.

"What are the chances that the world is already adapting?"

Aiden grimaced. "Another Error has already emerged?"

Thinking back to a certain Devil Wheel Mystic he has in his group, Alex closed his eyes. "Perhaps."

"... Then you must hurry, Alexander. Hurry and do what is necessary." Aiden remarked, his tone laced with a sense of urgency causing Alex to lash out.

"I’d be hurrying if a certain someone hadn’t just pummeled me."

"Ah, my bad," Aiden muttered softly. "In that case, let me make it up to you."

"How?"

"I’ll give you the coordinates for another Branch."

"And you’d know them, how?"

"My ancestors were the ones that buried it."

Alex went still, having not expected the revelation.

Managing a smile, Aiden sat up and drew in the sand, his drawing taking the shape of a cylinder without a base.

"What is it?"

"They called it the Fountain of Knowledge and from it, they fashioned Elixirs of Truth," Aiden remarked.

"Who are they?"

"The Circle of Three. Utilizing the Elixirs is what allowed them to create the Warrior Wheel."

"What?"

"Shh, that’s a secret," Aiden said as he placed his finger over his lips.

"Go on."

"They had planned to keep it with them in their city. It was meant to serve as a means to keep Judah in check but just like the Mantle of Darkness created the Labyrinth of Dread and a sealed Ashtyx created the Light Stealers, the Fountain created its terrors forcing the Circle to make a choice; either they handed the Fountain over to Judah or they kept it somewhere no one would find it."

"I’m guessing they chose the latter." Alex calmly replied.

Aiden nodded. "They did. Judah already had too much going for it, handing over one more would surely lead to terrible consequences. So they charged my ancestors who took the Fountain across continents, where they decided to seal it underneath Cinerath."

"Where?"

"The City of Tomorrow. The divine kingdom of the Goddess of Automation." Aiden remarked. "It’s located in Henos, in a region known simply as Nomansland."

"I have a feeling there’s a reason for that title," Alex muttered with a deep sense of foreboding.

"Maybe, maybe not. You’ll have to find out." Aiden remarked with a tease.

Attempting to rub his chin resulting in a pained grunt, Alex regained his composure as he intoned. "So the Fountain is still there?"

"My ancestors offered an Elixir to the Goddess in exchange for sealing it far beneath her kingdom. To ensure she never tried to get to the rest, they put in a defense mechanism that prevented anyone from getting close."

"A Blackgold gate?"

Aiden chuckled. "Nothing of that sort. The Blackgold gate wasn’t to keep anyone out but to keep the Godstone in."

"Because the Emperor is more than enough of a deterrence," Alex muttered, gaining a bit of understanding.

"Indeed, he is. That you survived his madness tells of your capabilities, which is why I feel okay handing this to you."

Reaching underneath his shirt, Aiden pressed his hand into his stomach before ripping out a key-shaped artifact covered in blood.

"What in the world?"

"This is the key."

"Couldn’t you have just kept it in a drawer?"

Aiden shook his head as he responded. "The Goddess is always watching. The fact that we utilize most of her creations means that we are inadvertently always under surveillance."

"Wait, you mean..."

"Indeed. Anywhere machinery resides, a portion of the Goddess of Automation resides as well." Aiden said, resulting in a prolonged silence.

For the first time since his arrival in Eventide, Alex felt the fear of god.

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