The Crucivire

Chapter Forty One: Where Everything Stands

A few days later.

Since the night of the battle, more and more supernatural creatures had been sighted approaching Saint Vivia City. Furthermore, Hunters still working in other parts of the world began noticing a consistent migration pattern with the monsters they were tracking. It was now quite certain that the seal was drawing these creatures there.

The Night Hunter council ultimately saw the wisdom in Farrow's words and decided that the best way to proceed would be to work with the Saint Vivia Police Department, who could get information to people explaining how to protect themselves. As the police began this process, enough civilians began asking questions about the soldiers they'd seen all over the place. The police were instructed to say that the soldiers were U.S. Military, some of whom were still surrounding the city, but not everyone was buying it. Some had put together that there must be some special fighting force here to deal with all this, and people started whispering.

The police were also instructed to warn people that if they tried to discuss the supernatural events with anyone outside the city, the U.S. Government would deny all of it. This didn't stop some people from trying. A lot of stories were shared online about paranormal activity in the city, and the rest of the world responded with skepticism. As the days rolled on, news headlines began to dominate the news.

City suffers mass delusion.

One sign that something strange was going on with Saint Vivia city was the increased levels of cremation over burial. So many people had died of vampire sickness, and burning the body was the easiest way to prevent people from coming back as a revenant. There were still a few revenants roaming town, and the idea of a loved one coming back undead was downright terrifying for people. The police did try to instruct people on how to make a dead body safe for burial later, but most didn't want to take the chance by this point.

Director Farrow, meanwhile, had soldiers all over the Vampire's Mansion, keeping any form of explosives away from the seal chamber. Even pistols were kept out of that room. They brought in Professor Halloway to study the seal, but he had no idea where to start. All his experience with magic was theoretical, and figuring out how to use it for real was going to take time. As he worked at a table with various artifacts and books, Farrow and the Night Hunters with him had an ominous feeling in that red light from the seal.

Meanwhile, in the Night Hunter medical wing, Jamar was steadily recovering from his wounds. While a missing arm would normally mean an early retirement, the recovery of the magic seal meant the possibility of him returning to active duty. Night Hunters in ancient days used an early form of prosthetics, basically wooden arms enchanted to move.

Jamar told this to Alice, Marcia, and Robert with a big smile on his face.

"I'll sure I'll be back out there in no time," said Jamar.

"I'm just glad you're okay," said Alice, whose hand had almost grown back completely. Her fingers were still a little short, but it wouldn't' be long before they were at their full size. It was so strange to think that this wasn't the same hand she had a few days ago but she was at least grateful for this ability. Looking at Jamar's missing arm, she hoped he was as okay as he seemed.

"I'm surprised you want to be back out there so soon," said Robert. "As for me, I can't wait to visit my family. It will be nice to see them after all this."

And speaking of family, Alice's thoughts turned to her mother, still unconscious in another room of the Night Hunter facility. When she focused, Alice could sense a blue thread from her, but it was faint. She hoped Mom woke up soon.