The Black Saint is My StalkerCh141 - What was this numbness

Edited by dreamandwonder

A lonesome moon hung behind wispy black clouds. Iszak craned his head, he could smell the shift in the air; a sickeningly sweet scent that made his blood itch. wnNLjF

Midnight feathers danced in the wind, dead leaves and grass crunched beneath languid steps.

“Ah,” a slow, monotone voice rang out. “It appears that I’m late.”

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Iszak craned his neck, his vampiric eyes pierced the thick of darkness, and saw his foe clearly; the succubus’s master no doubt.

This master was slightly above average in height and wore a sleek three-piece suit. He took a moment to adjust his glasses, his face somnolent. When he smiled, it was almost meek. “It seems that you’ve already devoured my poor little owlet. What a pity.” b6a1Kp

Iszak laughed. “Demon,” he spat coldly, “No need for pleasantries with me, friend.” A red third eye appeared upon his brow. The organ twitched and zeroed in on its target.

The demon did not seem so alarmed, his smile still calm. A thick cloud of miasma swirled around him, movement slow, coiling like two protective vines of black.

Iszak could not discern this demon’s soul and thus couldn’t tell its rank. But he knew that the being had to be one of higher make, else he would not challenge a noble blood so easily.

The vampire smirked, but perhaps the expression was closely akin to a grimace. Still, he parted his arms, as though welcoming an embrace. “Demon,” he singsonged, “it is no wish of mine to cross paths with you, but I fear that you leave me no choice, for you have touched what belongs to me.” Spots of red formed on his palms.

The demon sighed and shook his head. He held out a hand and picked the air with his thumb and index. A black wing feather appeared with a flick of the wrist. He tilted his head slightly to the left and smiled like a pleasant sales representative. “Unfortunately, our paths were always due to cross, Young Bathory. I had my eyes on you for a long, long time.”

It was then that Iszak understood his mistake.

But he was already too enraged to care.

Two powers clashed, noble blood and demonic miasma. 9dV36e

By morning, nothing but ruined land and residual embers of power remained of their battle.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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There was no time to waste. Graham took large paces into forested grounds. He followed the location spell engraved into Han Li’s earring.

A part of him wondered if he was trespassing. A part of him wondered if there was truth in the strange text message he received in the dead of the night.

And perhaps he was now stumbling onto the urgent mission that Han Li had been called to join. And he was in the midst of ruining some sort of elite operations meant to unfold prior to his invasion.

At the same time, it was precisely this scenario that Graham wished to believe. The thicket of miasma and strange residual power was beginning to give him hope that maybe— just maybe— PgoiEr

Graham kept walking.

The wind was in his ear. Branches cracked and leaves crunched beneath him. The silence and symphony of the forest were stifling. Han Li was an adult, a B-ranked hunter, a half-demon. What even stood for reason of concern? Graham trusted him more than he trusted anyone else in the world—

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Yet what was this numbness that began to settle in his skull?

A premonition? Or panic born from worthless emotions? djrbsp

Graham didn’t fret. He did not allow it of himself. Forcefully, he maintained an absolute air of calm and composure. For an immortal like himself, there were little horrors that he’d yet to witness. Graham had seen it all; tortured children, dismembered friends, his fellow comrades’ haunting death mask.

Graham’s mind was steady, his emotions as tranquil as a mountain spring.

He followed the spell, which led him to a place so thick with residual energies that it burned his throat to breathe, so Graham summoned a protective shield of divine power. One thing he noticed, however, was that despite the miasma’s quality in strength, it was not Han Li’s. In fact, he couldn’t feel even the slightest trace of Han Li’s power abound.

Ahead was a clearing, or maybe, it would be more suitably called a crater. The earth had been leveled, trees snapped and uprooted. It seemed as though a mighty battle had happened here. JMUS5t

There were bloodstains, though surprisingly few, despite the magnitude of whatever had gone on; splatters and pools of it on the ground. It was still wet, as though fresh…or otherworldly.

Graham avoided stepping on any of these stains or marks of battle. He tried not to think too hard of what could have gone on here because his hypotheses wouldn’t even be able to account for the possibilities at hand. He merely followed the spell…

Eventually, he stopped. And knelt.

His pulse quickened but he ignored it. He did not need his emotions here. AftqwB

Cautiously, Graham reached out, brushing stray leaves from the ground. Something shone beneath the loose dirt. He sunk his hand into the earth and plucked out a familiar piece of jewelry.

Graham inspected the silver piece between his thumb and index, staring as though he did not know what it was. Or maybe he was trying to reason just how this earring could have ended up in a place like this, amid the remains of a desperate battle.

His pulse was in his ear, like a terrible ringing. Graham stood, but the world felt like it was swaying around him. He pressed his palm to his head, willing the strange headache away.

Why wasn’t he thinking straight? fg2qHe

Han Li— where was Han Li?

Graham scowled at himself, chiding. This wasn’t the time to be swayed by his heart—

His—heart. 

Graham swallowed, closing his fist around the necklace before tucking the hand into his pocket. 0M3LTR

Steady now.

If Han Li was in danger then Graham would find him. If Han Li needed him, then Graham would come to his aid, just like Han Li had done for him, once.

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Old memories stirred with old feelings. Graham did not waste time, marching back to his car. Clear of mind was to be clear of heart, but Graham, in truth, felt as though he was wading in mud.

If only he had convinced Han Li to stay home, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. cmjrED

If only he hadn’t been so harsh then maybe—

Graham’s scowl deepened. What was he even thinking about? Useless, inconsequential things! Absurd thoughts that led him nowhere. He was too old for those already.

Before he knew it he was back in his car. Before Graham knew it, he was on the highway once more, back in the city, back in his home. Almost forgetting to take his shoes off, he stormed up the stairs.

In Han Li’s room, there had to be a clue. He kept all his important belongings there, his documents, his hunting gear, old posters, things he had no use for anymore and— fO3JlR

Graham found himself staring at a hunter’s jacket that had been left haphazardly on the floor. He imagined Han Li storming into the room, ripping off his gear with eagerness to change and forgetting to put everything away. Unwittingly, Graham picked it up and folded it up neatly before putting it on the countertop. It needed to be cleaned. He should call a maid—

No. 

He should be focusing. Graham blinked, taken aback by his wandering mind. He inwardly scolded himself and took out his phone, revisiting the odd message that he received from the prior night.

[ Hey Graham! Sorry, something really urgent came up. John came to me with an A-rank mission. It’s super urgent so I’ll be out of town for a bit. I know it’s a bit short notice, but surely you know how it’s been with missions lately. I’ll talk to you soon. ] EfoBKV

Graham focused on the name John, recalling Han Li’s operator. Han Li rarely spoke of his hunter’s arrangements, guarding his privacy and keeping his professional career away from Graham’s meddling. And Graham, for the most part, had respected that wish.

That was, until now. Graham tore through the room, searching for Han Li’s copy of his hunting registration and at the same time called a few people that he knew with political authority. A few strings pulled, old favors called upon, Graham interrogated everyone he knew about this John Right.

Except, no one knew anything.

Not even the Hunter’s Guild, who had the man registered as a high-profile operator, had any information on the man. Luoc8T

They had only an address registered for his office and when Graham searched it up, he was startled to find that it was a place that he had been to before, albeit rarely.

For it was the same office occupied by Han Li’s therapist, Cyrus S. Morgan.

Author: Ahh it seems that I’m feeling better now and was able to write and upload on time..ish! Thank you everyone for supporting me and being patient. I admit I get really stressed and nervous when I feel like I might an upload or two T o T;; As for the story… U-ummmm so…..? things….are….happening! Wah! Plot things u w u;; all those little random hints and scenes are finally coming together weeeee