Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 568: The Silent Veil

Chapter 568: The Silent Veil

Silence followed after Riona was done talking with Arwen staring at her for a bit before remarking in a wary tone. "You need my help?"

"Indeed, I need your help with escaping this place. I’ve been trapped here for so long, it’s a miracle that my sanity is still intact." Riona responded, her tone laced with a slight trace of desperation.

Arwen didn’t dare to let her guard down as she understood that she was not in a friendly location. "How did you get trapped in the Afterlife?"

"I dared to dream big only to end up crushed under the weight of it all."

"I’m going to need you to speak clearly." Arwen intoned.

"I would but I fear that doing so could lead to unsavory repercussions for you. Haven’t you heard the saying, too much knowledge kills?"

"I have also heard the saying, many have died out of ignorance so forgive me for wishing to understand a bit more."

Riona’s expression shifted, but ultimately, it went back to normal as she remarked. "You have a point. Fine then, I’ll tell you this; I dreamed of conquering death, but at the last moment, just before I achieved that, something went wrong, and my pneuma was separated from my Soma. Currently, I am trapped here while my Soma continues to persist in Eventide."

"You wished to conquer death?" Arwen grew curious as she inquired. "How?"

"We do not have all the time in the world, my dear."

"If you want me to hear your plea for help, you will tell me what I want to know," Arwen remarked in an unyielding tone, leaving Riona no room for discussion.

Letting out a sigh, Riona inquired. "What do you know about the Afterlife?"

"It’s where the dead of Eventide reside."

"Indeed, but do you know what created it?"

"What?... Isn’t everything created by the Absolute One?" Arwen asked.

Riona smirked as she replied. "You could say that, after all, the Branches of the Absolute One are portions of the Absolute One’s omnipotence."

"I don’t understand."

"The Veil, dear child, haven’t you heard of the Veil?"

Arwen pursed her lips, parsing through the knowledge she was familiar with before remarking. "The Silent Veil?"

"Indeed," Riona remarked. "The phenomenon that reveals itself during the peak of the month of Astra in places that have been graced with a large number of gruesome deaths."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I’m sure you believe that the veil is merely a visual phenomenon, but what if I told you it is not? What if I told you that it is the projection of something more powerful, a Branch of the Absolute One."

"This..." Arwen’s expression went blank for a moment as she felt like a mystery of the world had been revealed to her.

The aether stirred as she suddenly gripped the side of her head as a terrible headache assailed her senses, leaving her dazed.

Seizing the opportunity, Riona continued speaking. "The Veil is the creator of the Afterlife, dear child, it is the reason death exists, so to conquer it is to conquer death!"

"Shut up!" Arwen cried out as she extinguished the black and white flames in her other hand so she could cover her ears.

Riona’s expression turned ghastly, revealing traces of madness as she continued. "Didn’t you wish to learn, dear child, didn’t you wish to hear my truths?"

Arwen screamed as she turned and tried to flee but Riona wasn’t about to let her.

Her body exploded with eerie green flames while her beautiful physique faded away to reveal a skeletal frame covered in rags.

"Come back here and listen to my truths!... Come back here and save me!" Riona’s voice traveled directly into Arwen’s head causing her to lose her footing, crashing to the ground the next second.

Seeing this, Riona charged at her like a wraith with her mouth wide open, appearing as though she wished to devour Arwen.

Such a terrifying sight caused Arwen to nearly lose herself in the terror but she somehow managed to pull through to counterattack, unleashing a conflagration of pale flames that consumed Riona.

***

Ulysses found himself in a dark room illuminated by a single candle.

The flame flickered precariously, almost like it was on the brink of dying out but somehow managing to remain alight.

Gulping nervously, he looked around, adjusting his eye lens so he could see better in the dark.

The room was filled with polluted water, reaching up to his ankles with remnants of what appeared to be a bedroom floating about.

Surprisingly, the table the candle was placed on was stable, along with two chairs placed side by side, and on the chairs were two humanoid skeletons, causing Ulysses to turn away in fright.

Taking a deep breath, he resolved to steel his nerves and handle the situation as a seasoned explorer.

Was this the first time he had experienced danger?... Of course not!

He still had trauma from the last incident that claimed his father and other relatives, but that didn’t mean he would forget the core principles of exploration.

So, with that, he decided to head for the exit and explore this new region.

But then, he took the first step forward and was forced to stop as he felt like he’d heard a footstep apart from his own.

He looked back but saw nothing of note causing him to push it aside as a figment of his imagination.

Taking yet another step, he paused once again, once again hearing the same set of footsteps.

Pulling out a card from space, he prepared to exert his Will at a moment’s notice and once again turned around only to be met with nothing.

Gulping hard, he scrutinized the area thoroughly before proceeding to hurry toward the exit and at the same time, a different set of footsteps chased after him.

He immediately turned round, intent on utilizing the card he held only for several pale hands to grab him from underneath the polluted water and drag him down.

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