A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik was about to teleport back to his room when Elora's words stopped him. "Her behaviour? What do you mean?" he asked, frowning deeply.

Elora approached him and took his hand. "Just think for a moment, my love," she smiled, exuding the endless patience she only felt for one person in the universe. "I know you're preoccupied with this choice I put in front of you, but think back to what I've told you about proselytisers…"

Erik's frown deepened. Trusting her to have a point, he started digging into his memory to cross-reference everything she'd ever told him about Nora's kind with behaviour. It wasn't long before he remembered something.

At that moment, enlightenment struck. Suddenly, some pieces he'd been missing were slotting into place. Cocking an eyebrow, he looked over at the unconscious Meilin. "Are you… saying what I think you're saying?"

Grinning with pride at his realisation, Elora nodded. "I do. It would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it? Nora has this effect as well, of course, but the religion she created doesn't have any fundamental personality principles."

She glanced at Nora, who looked back curiously. "She touts things you care about, like family, freedom, sex, dom/sub relationships, and a bit of honour. None of these things are fundamentally good or bad, though some might disagree." She looked back at him again. "The point is, if people start believing in these things more, their fundamental personality probably won't change much."

Slowly, Erik's frown became more complicated. The idea his beautiful fairy tried to make him realise took firmer shape in his mind. "It would certainly explain why all the confessors and other third-rankered hunters we've met have all been…" he shrugged wryly, unable to find a word that satisfied him.

"Right," Elora nodded, her emerald eyes sparkling with the excitement of learning new information about their enemies. "A massive faction like the Humanitas Sangh only becomes as evil as it is in a mere eight years if every single person at the top is even worse."

Erik smirked strangely, seemingly a little lost as he looked back over at Meilin. "What kind of fucked up religion is Imogene's proselytiser touting for them to warp all their higher-rankers to this extent? I just thought it was either this ascendance process they talk about, or simply Imogene hand-picking the most evil people she could find."

"Well, we have no proof, for what it's worth," Elora shrugged calmly as she released Erik's hand and stepped back. "For all we know, Meilin and all those confessors could just be chaotic evil all by themselves. Or even if they are influenced by a religion focused on cruelty, arrogance, greed, and sadism, there's no telling by how much."

Then she scoffed dismissively. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if it were like that. Just based on the short conversation we had with Imogene, it was obvious how insane she'd become since Earth was cut off from its source of aetherium. I don't think she's actually as insane as this religion probably is, but she definitely wouldn't care about it, either."

Her voice was actually tinged with some disdain for Imogene's indifference, causing Erik to smile a little. Though he was intimately familiar with Elora's callousness, he knew there was a limit to it, even without him acting as her moral compass.

'Well… Probably, anyway,' he chuckled wryly to himself. A part of him believed she might just dislike this level of cruelty towards the population they ruled over for the chaos and instability it invited. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, however, and decided not to think about it more.

Instead, he asked a question. "How much do you think the first- and second-rankers among the Humanitas Sangh are affected by this?"

Elora hummed indifferently, arms crossed under her breasts, emphasising their large size, which was already starkly contrasted against her small frame. "That depends on how much this proselytiser engages with those people, and if Imogene hasn't surrendered her last bit of sanity, I can only imagine that it's as much as possible."

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't think they've been influenced that much—if only due to the sheer number of them—but probably at least a little. At least enough to combine with pressure from their superiors and their peers, ensuring everyone quickly gets with the program."

Sighing a little forlornly, Erik nodded.

Elora smirked at him playfully, cocking an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you suddenly feel bad for the hunter's you've killed since returning to Earth?"

She was kidding, of course, as her bond with Erik told her exactly how he felt.

Rolling his eyes, Erik chuckled with self-ridicule. "Perhaps a little, but only for those who weren't hunters before the awakening yet, and that's practically impossible to tell." He thumbed at the sleeping Meilin. "Even she could theoretically be an original hunter, though it's not that likely."

He knew proselytisers needed an aetherium-rich environment to use their powers, so there was no way hunters were affected by this religion before the awakening. Even Audumla's medallions wouldn't have helped, as the vibrations they create in their voice can only travel through aetherium.

He shrugged calmly. "Proselytiser influence can't be blamed for the destruction of Frostvik, nor for the death of my father, or Edda's betrayal, and I'm not going to be barred from my revenge by brainwashed footsoldiers."

An intense flash passed through his eyes as tension rolled across his powerful muscles. "When that proselytiser lies dead, any remaining hunters can find their peace. Until then, I'll release them in the only way I know how…" he growled softly and with determination.

A short silence followed. Elora looked at him approvingly, while Nora and Anne simply looked at him with the same adoration they always did.

Finally, Erik broke the silence by sighing and combing through his hair. "Anyway… I guess that's what you wanted me to know, and what might skew my decision? Perhaps there's an innocent, kind woman hiding under those layers of sadistic religious indoctrination?"

Lowering his hand, he smirked at her with a hint of frustration. "Why am I not surprised this revelation supports your preferred choice?"

Elora started grinning widely. "You know I don't falsify information for you. This is all natural!"

Erik chuckled with exasperation and smirked at her. "I know, and that just makes it worse."

Despite feeling soothed by this distraction, frustration soon started setting in again. Sighing, Erik glanced one last time at Meilin, then raised his hand. "Anyway… I still have some thinking to do. Thank you for calling me, love."

Before Elora could respond, Erik was already gone.

With rising frustration over his seeming powerlessness in this situation, Erik dropped back on his bed to think… until there was someone at his door.