Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 729: A gasp was heard

Chapter 729: A gasp was heard

It was Alex’s first time laying eyes on the entity referred to as the King of Spiritual Flames.

Magnificent yet terrifying, those were the words Alex could use to describe the one-eyed giant as it made its entry into Eventide via Victoria’s portal.

For Victoria, however, it was much more than that.

Merely gazing upon the creature caused her to recall the incident that left her temporarily scarred.

If not for Alex, the physical reminder would still be present on her body.

But then again, even as Alex had helped to fix the physical damage, there was still lingering mental damage, one that ensured that merely laying eyes on Ifrit sent her into a frozen state.

In that moment, she saw not the flaming giant, but a terrifying flame that sought to devour her, causing her to back away before ultimately turning to flee, leaving Alex stunned at her exaggerated reaction.

Taking one last look at the burning valley and the reason for the invisible flames, Alex snapped, teleporting next to Victoria before once again snapping, this time taking them far away from the valley.

A terrifying roar echoed in the burning valley moments later.

***

Nadia left the settlement with a heavy heart, guilt-ridden at what she’d done to the people.

Even though she had not killed them, she had ensured that they wouldn’t be able to survive the next few weeks of winter, basically dooming them to a slow and painful death.

Reminding herself that there was no other way did nothing to ease the burden, and so, for a time, she wandered through the snow, barely keeping track of where she was heading.

Ultimately, she stopped, putting her head up to scrutinize her surroundings.

Everything was covered in layers of white snow, ensuring that few landmarks or the like were visible to the common man.

Of course, for Nadia this was no problem as she could always deny the fact that she was lost, allowing her to find her way to civilization.

But as it was, she needed some time to herself.

Just then, she sensed something causing her to glance back, only to lay eyes on a figure far out in the distance.

She couldn’t make out any features, try as she may, but for some reason, she could tell that the figure was looking at her.

Taking a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart, Nadia decided to leave.

She didn’t know why, but she felt threatened by the figure, and she was not about to figure out why.

Moments after she left, the figure disappeared with the winter wind, leaving nothing to prove that it was ever there to begin with.

***

"Why don’t you want us to go out?" Arwen asked as she indulged in a bowl of soup with an assortment of vegetables that grew only in Henos.

Ana indulged in a similar dish as she replied. "It’s not that I don’t want us stepping out but rather we can’t."

"Why?"

"Because it’s better not to draw any attention."

"... I don’t get it."

Ana let out a sigh. "We aren’t alone in Thespene, Arwen. There are others here, others that we would do well to steer clear of."

"Who?"

Ana’s lips parted and she muttered a name.

At another location, Sayda paused, her expression shifting as she sensed a change in the air.

Someone new had stepped into Thespene, and they had quite an interesting scent.

Glancing at Douglas, she muttered. "And here I thought you and your brother were the last ones."

After saying that, she vanished with Douglas.

At a different area, three individuals walked, two males, one female, one with a mask, the other a pure-blooded Emetite, and the last, an average-looking Henosian.

The masked man was the first to detect the approaching danger, prompting him to remark. "Scatter!"

The Emetite and the Henosian exchanged looks before proceeding to do as instructed, launching themselves into different streets while the masked man turned to run back the way they came.

Alas, hardly had he taken a few steps when the reason for his worry appeared, utilizing her terrifying Authority to hold him in place.

"Well, well, I had no idea that there were still Half-breeds left in this world. How come you are still alive." Sayda coquettishly said as she approached the frozen masked man.

The man strained against her Authority but was unable to break away, merely twitching in place while perspiration covered his face.

Once she was close enough, Sayda reached out and took off his mask, her lips curling as she regarded the face underneath.

"My oh my, you look quite familiar. Have we met before?"

The man said nothing, merely staring at her in defiance, further amusing Sayda who reached out once again, this time grabbing his neck and squeezing it, choking the life out of the man.

Soon, the man’s eyes dimmed, and Sayda tossed him aside like a piece of garbage, his lifeless corpse breaking through the wall of an empty house before slamming into another wall, after which he fell unceremoniously to the ground with a sickening squelch.

"Boring, " Sayda muttered in a disappointed tone, only for her eyes to light up as she remarked. "Perhaps it’s time to open up my surprise package now."

Upon saying that, she disappeared from the scene, making her way toward a different destination.

Meanwhile, Ana and Arwen had just finished their soup when Ana suddenly exclaimed in a panicked tone. "Elena, now!"

The next moment, both disappeared from the room and a moment later, Sayda appeared with Douglas, her expression sour as she regarded the empty room.

Sniffing the air, she breathed out. "She runs fast."

Back at the location where the masked man seemingly lost his life, the rays of the Nighteye suddenly grew brighter, parsing through the snowflakes and entering the broken wall of the abandoned house.

A series of sickening sounds echoed within the house from bone cracking to flesh melding, until finally, a gasp was heard.