>>5252987"All pieces of the puzzle were found, but the image made clear was a grim one. The father could not stand to see his son's death, so we helped him forget everything once more. This time, forever."
The creature expectantly extended a hand, wanting to reach your face as it walked slowly towards your direction.
"Everything in this world happens for a reason. Cause is tied to the effects. If we were released from the eternal abyss, a reason is bound to exist."
"The Falcon Of Light has told us so: Our reason to be can only be you."
"So that was what Griffith came down here for?" You keep backing away, but the creature still follows.
"We do not remember who we were in physical bodies. We have passed on for so long, that our memories were long destroyed. Day after day, we have stolen emotions, names, identities, yet we have not found our own, no reason to live, to care, to believe. Only you can tell us who we are-"
"Vlad! You there, partner?" Hyde comes over to see you, and when he shows up to the scene of the crime, the abyssal entity is nowhere to be found.
After explaining what happened to the hunter, he appears to believe your story and understand it thoroughly, but had absolutely no clue on how to deal with it.
"The wandering spirit is chasing you now? Well, you can't exactly outrun it now given how it's been near us since the start of the trip, and if it can hide away in plain sight like that... I'd reckon we'll just have to be ready for when it finally decides to attack. If it didn't attack any of us all this time, then it's either not that aggressive, or it's waiting for the perfect opportunity."
Worrying over when the perfect opportunity will arrive is something that consumes your mind for the next week, even altering your nightmares so the same one you've been having before turns into a silent play, where no one talks, no one has a face, and you get consumed by the light without proper explanation.
Thankfully, the trail to the open part of the map made it easier for Hyde to hunt with Serpico while you rested plenty, pretty much letting them take the lead now that the worst of it was dealt with. You had to prioritise your health eventually, and it paid off by your body healing completely, while your soul was still complaining about you not being healed like if you were an old man with osteoporosis: Fine on the outside, frail on the inside.
Nevertheless, you finally see the outer walls of Ilos, the familiar sight of Barnham's creation brings a smile to your face. There are a lot of things you wish to do here and they will all take a considerable amount of time.
What should take priority?
>Look for Barnham.>Lodge the refugees.>Introduce your mother to Farnese.>Visit Bernard and commission some new armor. 