It is done.
Alex opened his eyes, taking a look at Humphrey before shifting his gaze to Emily or at least what remained of her.
In his mind, she was a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl with dreams of building an airship and improving the steam engine.
Now, all that was left was a shriveled-up corpse that held no semblance to that bubbly teenager.
Indeed, the supernatural world was a cruel one.
Letting out a sigh, he looked down at her stomach to find that it no longer glowed purple and had instead cracked open, revealing an interior filled with pungent liquid and what looked to be a face.
"Was there no way to save her?" Alex softly asked with Humphrey replying.
It was her and she was it. The only reason she was speaking with you was because of her exceptional willpower. The truth is that from the mont the child was fully ford, there was no going back.
Alex let out a self-deprecating chuckle as he muttered. "If only I was a bit faster."
You cannot bla yourself. At least you saved her from the worst of it. Being the mother of such an abomination would certainly have been worse than this. At least she died with family.
"But I am not her family," Alex muttered softly.
"I’m sorry." The man in the tree suddenly spoke up, drawing attention to him. "If I hadn’t accepted the Lord of Flesh and Blood, none of this would have happened. It’s all my fault."
"So that’s what she ant by you making bad decisions," Alex muttered softly before shaking his head. "There is no point apologizing now. What’s done is done."
What now?
Alex glanced at Humphrey. "Can you destroy the tree?"
Unfortunately not.
"What about you, Alejandro?" Alex asked with Alejandro replying.
"I’m already in a situation where I can’t use all my strength and even if I could, there’s too much to burn. I won’t be able to do it."
"What about the Family Heads?"
They already have to deal with a Daemon of the Abyss Wheel. I doubt they would have enough strength to handle an appendage of a 1st-Class Otherworldly.
Alex nodded as he closed his eyes. "I guess that leaves one option then."
Nyx.
When he opened his eyes he found himself in a dark space.
You called.
Alex looked around but saw nothing. "Won’t you show yourself?"
I don’t feel like it.
"I see. I have a question."
I’m listening.
"Could you have saved her?"
... No.
"Quite unfortunate," Alex muttered as he let out a resigned sigh.
What do you want?
"I need your help. Take the first year after my mum died."
As you wish.
The darkness quickly receded as Alex found himself back in the flesh, bone, and blood cathedral.
Nyx’s current state was strange but Alex couldn’t be bothered to think deeply about it... at least not right now.
He had a responsibility to the young lady that just died and he would accomplish it.
Letting out a sigh, Alex’s appearance swiftly changed, taking on a shadowed form with a pair of crescent moons for eyes.
His very presence caused Alejandro to take a step back as his hair stood on end due to the terror he felt.
Darkness surged like a wave before proceeding to devour everything in its path, nothing was spared except for those he wished to be left alone.
The tree let out an anguished scream as the darkness devoured it without rcy.
Naturally, this caught the attention of those outside as Aiden and the other Family Heads watched as the towering tree was engulfed in inky black even more powerful than what Obadiah could conjure.
Even Obadiah himself trembled as he had a feeling that even if he were free and at his peak, he wouldn’t be able to contend with the owner of the darkness.
Of course, the darkness didn’t stop there as it spread across the Highlands, destroying all the corrupted life it ca in contact with.
By the ti the darkness receded, all that was left was a land bereft of excess life, oozing with darkness so powerful, perhaps only the Night Kindred would thrive in such an environnt.
"Is this the Dark Lord’s doing?" Lionel couldn’t help but ask.
Aiden shook his head. "Yes and no. I cannot comprehend this darkness. The Dark Lord, on the other hand, is not so much of a mystery. Perhaps in a bid to end this battle, he has touched on things beyond our ken."
"Regardless, he has helped us deal with the forest of abomination. I was already having a headache thinking about how we’d clear it up." Godric intoned from the side.
"Sa here." Henry nodded in agreent.
anwhile, with the tree gone, Alex let go of Nyx’s power, allowing it to leave him with a portion of his mories.
A dull thud echoed behind him causing him to turn back only to discover that it was the man in the tree.
With the source of his bondage gone, he had fallen from the height he was stuck in.
Surprisingly, he seed unhard.
The man sat up before proceeding to check his physical condition after which he t Alex’s impassive gaze.
"You saved ."
Alex replied. "It was one of her three wishes. I am rely fulfilling it."
"But it’s all my fault. If not for , the madness wouldn’t have gotten to this level. Don’t you resent ?"
Alex gave no response, rely giving him a perfunctory glance before turning to take his leave.
"No, wait!" The young man called out causing him to pause in his tracks.
"What is it?"
"How can I make ands?"
"To who?... To the continent?... To ?"
"To her." The young man replied. "I’m willing to do anything."
"She would want you to live your life."
"I know. We were only together for such a short ti yet it feels like we knew each other for a lifeti." The young man intoned in a reminiscent tone. "She gave a second chance... I don’t want to waste it."
Taking a deep breath, he remarked. "So I’ll continue traveling the world until my dying breath."
Alex turned to look at the young man, scrutinizing him for a mont before inquiring. "What can you do?"
"I am a traveler with excellent skills in cartography and linguistics."
Is this fate?... Alex thought to himself with a wry smile on his lips.
Perhaps it was, perhaps it was not.
Regardless, he would take what he could get.
"What is your na?" Alex asked.
The young man replied. "Ulysses Nester."
"Would you like to join on a journey, Ulysses?"
"... Will I get to travel the world?"
"Maybe," Alex said as he glanced at the sky. "I’m not so sure myself."
"Alright. I’ll be in your care..."
"You may call Alex."
The young man, or rather, Ulysses, nodded. "Okay, Sir Alex."
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