The Knights of Grimm - Act 4 - Whispers of Arkhonex

Chapter 37 - Son of the Fractured Eclipse

Hyde

It lingers in all their minds...

The Apathy...monsters that were lurking inside of the city, and nobody even knew about them. The six of them – Hyde still extended from Kassius' body – are all sat outside the Hotel on the step. Luckily everyone is asleep now, but the situation is starting to secure itself once more. People are talking more often than not, and that constant feeling of defeat in their hearts has finally subsided. Velvet has a bandage wrapped around one of her ears that they got from the first aid kit inside of the Cellar, her aura slowly healing the puncture inside of her bunny ear. Coco is sat beside them and Emerald is stood up with her back to the wall, arms crossed as she looks at Hyde.

Kassius is sat beside the Demonic Entity that has become like a brother to him, and Cardin sat on the path, still feeling strange after losing the Hym. Not like he misses it, but like an organ has been ripped out of him, at the end of the day the body is going to notice that something that was inside of him for so long is gone suddenly – it may take him some time to get used to that. The six of them all sit there in a pregnant silence as they all contemplate on the monsters that lurked down in that Wine Cellar.

Velvet stammers as she asks the question. "W-What were...those things?" She questions, and Hyde gives them a very detailed answer, showing to them all that the memories of the Ebony Berserker are coming back for him.

"The Apathy." He answers as he looks across the path at the houses where so many people are sleeping, and cars parked outside them. The distant lapping waves of the ocean being the only sound that they can hear apart from the occasional gales from the sea itself. "They're not strong or ferocious like Beowulves or Ursae...no..." Hyde explains, looking over his shoulder slightly at Velvet. "...they drain you of your will to go on."

Cardin looks down at the ground and he squeezes his eyes shut with a heavy sigh, realising that they must have been the reason why the Hym's hunger increased to such an explosive stage. "They...make you give up?" Coco questions with disbelief and Hyde nods his head.

"I have seen cases...or...the Ebony Berserker did...entire cities claimed by the monsters, all of them just shambling around an underground Metro Tunnel. They spread their curse throughout the entire city, causing their Apathetic Thoughts to claim everyone inside...millions died in their sleep at the exact same time." Hyde explains, shuddering as he remembers some of the memories of his past life, ones he never wished he could have – hell he never expected to have memories of his own that he never experienced with his host.

"How the hell did they get into Queen's Cove? This place is secured, there's no way in hell the Grimm could have entered this place and not one person noticing." Emerald states, remembering how difficult it was for her and Cinder to infiltrate this city years ago when they were still working for Salem.

"My honest guess?" Hyde asks them, and they all wait for his answer and he looks at the book sat on Kassius' lap – the one about Bartleby and his many ideas. "I think this was a test by Vir Nominis Umbra."

"What? Why?" Coco inquires.

"He wanted to test our valour, our determination to keep going despite knowing what he is. He likes playing games with his enemies, forcing them to make difficult choices, tear them apart from the inside. More enjoyable than just killing them." Hyde explains, and Cardin scoffs as he looks at Hyde where he sits.

"You get these from your memories too?" Cardin questions, clearly still struggling to trust Hyde right now. They have so many questions to ask him, but they simply need to know what the purpose of those Grimm could have been.

"No, this is simply from experience with Kassius. Most of the Ebony Berserker's memories of Vir Nominis Umbra...are...oddly hazy. They're coming back slowly, but they're the hardest." Hyde explains, looking at Cardin. "I am on your side, I may have once been one of his disciples, but I am not that monster. And even then, the Berserker betrayed him. But either way, I am with you." Hyde promises.