Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 544: OneEye Jackson

Chapter 544: OneEye Jackson

It was in an underground tavern lit up by cheap oil lanterns, illuminating a dirty room filled with the scent of cheap booze, smoke and sweaty men.

The room’s occupants indulged in beer bottles while singing songs popular amongst those who frequented the sea.

It was such a happy scene that a young man with dirty brown hair and dressed in ragged clothes burst in.

"Captain, there’s a lady that wants to see you." the young man remarked, drawing the attention of the one-eyed individual seated amid a few drinking buddies.

The man clicked his tongue in slight annoyance, revealing his flushed face as he replied. "If she isn’t here to pleasure me, then let her wait, can’t you see I’m busy?"

"I could pleasure you but I fear you might not survive it."

The voice came from behind the young man, startling everyone present as they went silent, their gaze focusing on the person standing at the door.

The young man turned and immediately backed away upon setting eyes on Sayda.

Her lips curled in amusement as she stepped into the room, accompanied by a barely lucid Douglas.

Dressed in a dull red saree while adorned with a plethora of expensive jewelry, she gave off an exotic aura that left almost everyone breathless.

Almost everyone, as the one-eyed man, had a change of expression as he hastily rose to his feet, causing his chair to tumble.

Sayda smiled at the man. "You must be OneEye Jackson. I hear you have a ship capable of braving the treacherous Azure Seas."

"How did you find me?"

"I asked around," Sayda replied with a knowing smile. "I need a ship, you will take me to Emet."

"And if I don’t?"

"You should know the answer to that question already."

OneEye gulped nervously as he intoned. "It’s still the Month of Astra. Sailing now is akin to suicide. We can set sail once the first light of Eos arrives."

"We can’t wait that long," Sayda replied with a shake of her head.

"We would die if we set sail now," OneEye remarked in a hoarse tone. "So we either wait or you might as well kill me now. At least, I would die on land. I have seen men die on the Azure Seas, it was no pretty sight."

Sayda looked him over for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Alright then, if I can calm the storms, would that ease your burden?"

"If you can indeed calm the Azure Seas, then yes, it would."

"Make the necessary preparations. I wish to leave within the next two days."

With that, she turned and left with Douglas following closely behind.

***

The church was mostly empty, with Nadia seated at the front with the altar but a few meters away.

Her eyes were vacant as she stared at nothing in particular, her mind pulling up memories of her time with Arthur.

She could still recall her first time in a church.

Arthur had dragged her there, not because he was a devout believer.

Rather, it was merely because he wished to meet with a contact who happened to be a priest, and he didn’t want her to be by herself.

To think that Arthur would consider taking a young budding lady to an underground meeting as a good bonding experience.

He had always been a rather eccentric fellow and though tedious to get through, it was one of the many things she loved about him.

A melancholic smile painted her lips as it flashed through her mind like it was only just yesterday.

She’d met with the priest again recently, giving him a task that seemed completely suicidal, and yet, he had accepted.

Of course, it wasn’t because he was indebted to her or Arthur.

Sometimes all a person needed was a bit of persuasion to act and not just the mystical kind, but the mundane as well.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped her cheeks as tears trailed down.

A golden radiance flashed behind her but she didn’t act like she noticed.

Footsteps echoed and soon after, a figure came to sit beside her.

"How did you find me?" Nadia asked as she glanced at Elena.

"After you left me in BlackWatch, I picked up a few tricks. As long as I’ve had prolonged contact with a person, I can track them across dimensions. Of course, there’s a bit more nuance but that’s the gist of it."

"That’s like Alex’s skill."

"I wouldn’t deny that he served as inspiration," Elena admitted with a sheepish smile.

Nadia didn’t respond, merely nodding before shifting her attention back to the altar.

Realizing that Nadia was not in the best mood for a laugh, Elena remarked. "They sent me to give you this."

As she spoke, she took out a medium-sized scroll and handed it to Nadia, who took it and unfurled it only to set eyes upon the realistic painting within.

Blinking a few times as she detected faint traces of divinity from it, Nadia rolled it back up and replied. "Thank you."

Silence followed before Elena inquired. "Do you have to do this?... It’s dangerous, you know?"

"If I die, then I die, if I don’t, then I will grow."

They’d already had this conversation countless times from the moment Nadia brought up the crazy idea to carry out her Trial on Kastarus and on each occasion, Elena had failed woefully in convincing Nadia to change her mind.

Letting out a regretful sigh, she got to her feet, having already accepted that she wouldn’t be able to change Nadia’s mind.

"Be careful on your way back," Nadia muttered softly as Elena walked away.

Pausing briefly, Elena replied. "When you need us the most... I promise we will be there."

And with that, she left as quickly as she came, leaving Nadia to continue reminiscing within the quiet church.

***

A Creed was special to a Warrior Wheel Mystic.

It represented a set of doctrines that the Warrior was meant to live by, doctrines born out of a statement of what the Mystic believed in.

For each Advancement, a new doctrine was set, enhancing the Warrior’s Creed, which in turn strengthened them, ensuring that they embodied what it meant to be a true Warrior.

This was why Natasha was currently seated in a lotus position in her room in a regular inn, her eyes closed and her breathing measured, attempting to put forth a new doctrine that would enable her to walk the path of an Enlightened One properly.

Unlike Natasha, most Warrior Wheel Mystics of the current generation didn’t need to comprehend doctrines as these doctrines had already been set in stone by the first-generation Warriors.

The Warriors Codex was one known to all members of the 12 Great Families and even Natasha knew of it, but she couldn’t practice it for the same reason she was forced to leave her home.

So she was forced to forge her path, struggling to make a mark in a Wheel that seemed to reject her existence.

Of course, it was hardly an easy task as she opened her eyes, her expression a veritable mess as she found herself unable to comprehend anything.

Though disappointed, she didn’t seem to feel bad about this as it had been the case when she first started, and so she was prepared for such setbacks.

Just as she was about to get off her bed to check on how the survivors of Parafall were faring in their new homes, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, revealing the person on the other end, causing Natasha to freeze as she went wide-eyed.

"It’s been a while, Natasha." Noah SilverThorn, head of the SilverThorn family, remarked as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Natasha’s lips quivered as she stared at the man who had brought her into this cruel world only to reject her.

Her throat felt parched as she replied. "Why are you here?"

"I heard about your exploits in Parafall. You have done well."

"I hope you’re not here to patronize me." Natasha coldly remarked, causing Noah to smile wryly as he responded curtly.

"No."

"Then what would make the great lord of the SilverThorn family take time out of his busy schedule to see a reject like myself?"

Noah let out a sigh. "The Warrior Wheel is a Wheel created by women for men. Your existence was and is still an anomaly that shouldn’t exist."

"Which is why you kicked me out like a dog?"

"I am not here to argue or banter words with you."

"Then what?" Natasha questioned. "Why the hell are you making me go through the torture of seeing your face?"

"It is because your existence is no longer as anomalous as I would have thought."

"I don’t understand." Natasha furrowed her brows.

"You don’t have to," Noah replied before adding. "Regardless, I hope you grow stronger, strong enough to have your revenge... strong enough to protect those in need of protection. I look forward to seeing what sort of error you turn out to be."

With that, Noah turned and left, closing the door behind him as he did, leaving Natasha confused as she struggled to understand everything he’d said.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.