Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 494: Call me Hunter

Chapter 494: Call me Hunter

Alex couldn’t be certain that Eternal Night would be useful in curing Alejandro’s madness as he had no idea what had caused it in the first place.

However, with Eternal Night to calm the Rey’s nerves, he proceeded to snap, utilizing Mindscape to reach into Alejandro’s thoughts.

Within the mind, Alex was shocked at the level of damage that had occurred with Alejandro’s metaphysical mind in literal shambles.

"What exactly happened to you?" Alex muttered softly as he pondered for a moment before instinctively gazing upwards.

Within seconds, it all began to make sense.

"You saw it." He intoned before looking back down at what remained of Alejandro’s mind.

It was damaged but not impossible to fix and so, Alex, taking a deep breath, slowly healed the Rey, one step at a time.

Slow as it was, Alex saw progress and in that progress, he saw hope.

The situation was dire on all sides so gaining powerful allies would surely help to tilt the balance, even by a bit.

Finally, he was done and though it was amateur at best, Alex had to applaud Alejandro’s willpower which helped to ease the amount of work he had to do.

Alex was no mind expert in the first place so any help provided was appreciated.

Finally, he pulled away and allowed Alejandro to handle the rest.

Opening his eyes, he watched as Alejandro stood as still as a statue.

"Alejandro." He called out softly.

Silence was the response given and for a time, Alex wondered if he may have to wait longer to see results.

Letting out a sigh, he willed a chair into existence before attempting to take his seat only for Alejandro to stir, a mighty gasp escaping the Rey’s lips as he regained himself.

Alex was for a moment, rather impressed by this.

However, before he could say a word, he watched as the Rey dropped to his knees, hyperventilating as he struggled to stay upright.

Alex watched this and though he utilized Eternal Night to try and calm the Rey, he found that some things could not be forced.

More than a minute passed before Alejandro glanced up at him, his breathing still uneven.

"You are here."

"That I am." Alex acknowledged with a nod.

"Why?"

"I came to seek your aid only to find out that you and your people require mine."

Alejandro looked around, realizing that Eternal Night had covered the entirety of Aragon.

"It was horrible. I felt like there was no hope."

"You saw it, didn’t you?"

Alejandro nodded subtly. "It’s huge... it’s powerful."

"Would Aiden be able to defeat it?"

"No." Alejandro shook his head. "If it were an appendage, sure, or at least if the aether was not slowly accepting the Abyss, but not in this situation. If that creature makes a move, we have no hope of winning."

Alex pursed his lips. "That strong, huh?"

"Indeed. First Class Otherworldly are on par with Demon Gods and Anti-Gods. So unless the Emperor stands strong, no one else would be able to beat that creature in combat."

"... Well it would seem we have a problem on our hands."

Alejandro nodded. "I agree. We must make haste and send that creature back into the Abyss before the aether completely accepts it. As it is now, the only thing stopping it from destroying everything is the Will of the World and that barrier is slowly thinning."

"This is troublesome," Alex muttered.

"I agree." Alejandro intoned. "But first, I must thank you."

"Hmm?" Alex raised a brow.

"You saved my people, Alexander, and for that... I thank you immensely." Alejandro muttered with a respectful bow.

Alex made to speak only to pause as something clicked in his head at that moment.

Taking a moment to ponder, he waved his hand over his face, causing a dark mask formed from Eternal Night to emerge, obscuring his features.

Next, a black cloak with white sparkling dots appeared over his shoulders, and with a change in demeanor, Alex radiated an air of mystery.

"Hunter" He muttered softly, drawing Alejandro’s attention.

"Huh?"

"Call me Hunter." He repeated.

"... What?"

"As of this moment, I am not Alex, I am Hunter. So refer to me as such."

Alejandro raised a brow. "Are you running mad?"

"Damn it, just play along, it’s for our own good!"

Though perplexed and still wondering if perhaps Alex had contracted some of his madness, Alejandro obliged. "Thank you... Hunter?"

"With more sincerity."

"What in the world are you trying to do?" Alejandro snapped, barely able to hold himself back any longer.

"I can’t tell you now so do as I ask or so help me..."

"Oh great Viracocha." Alejandro muttered as he massaged his temples.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Alex before shaking his head after which he bowed and remarked. "Thank you for saving my people, Hunter."

Silence reigned for a moment that seemed to stretch to eternity as Alex feared that his idea wouldn’t pan out.

"Happy now?" Alejandro inquired with a sass unbecoming of a great ruler.

Alex sighed. "It seems..."

Trailing off, he felt it.

It bubbled within like some sort of chemical reaction that had been dormant but had now gotten the catalyst needed to proceed.

Something had been missing but as of this moment, Alex had recovered some of it.

His pneuma grew and his spirituality sprang forth like a reinvigorated spring.

It felt oddly... refreshing.

Alex took in a deep breath, allowing fresh oxygen into his lungs, a satisfied smile on the corners of his lips.

He had done it, as half-baked as it was.

He had recovered half the key to the Lock, WatchGuard.

***

The journey passed by like a blur.

When she came to, she found herself in a cathedral formed from flesh and blood vessels, with bone pillars proposing up the ceiling.

The chairs leading up to the altar were filled with all manner of monstrosities with shapes and sizes that seemed wrong to behold.

These creatures cheered as she was taken in a princess carry toward the altar.

Considering the creatures could not be properly regarded, her attention was drawn to the altar which had a throne at its center but what caught her eyes lay behind it.

A large bone beam protruded from the wall, edged at an angle allowing it to hover above the throne, and on the beam was a man with a large belly, his body caught between the process of death and rebirth.

Terrified, Emily curled into herself and muttered. "Douglas, where are you?... Douglas, I’m scared."