"You didn’t kill me." Douglas said as he watched Alex approach.
Alex paused a few meters away from him and sat on a tree adjacent to the one Douglas was occupying.
"I know what you are."
"So you don’t have to act like you are my brother. I know Alex is dead."
Alex pursed his lips as he stared intently at Douglas.
Taking his time to consider, he finally spoke up. "How do you know?"
Douglas had an empty gaze as he met Alex’s own.
Looking away, he moved his attention to the night sky as he answered. "All Werewolves in a pack are born with something known as a Link. It connects the tribe, ensuring that apart from being individuals, we are all part of a cohesive whole.
"The Link has a variety of uses, including but not limited to sharing abilities, absorbing the memories of fallen members and keeping tabs on the condition of loved ones."
"... So the Link we share..."
"We don’t share a Link because the real Alex is dead. The moment he died, I received the feedback."
"... I see." Alex remarked.
Douglas glanced at Alex. "Why Alex?... Couldn’t you choose another body to possess?... Why couldn’t you allow him to rest in peace!"
"... I had no choice."
Alex couldn’t help but feel bad as he studied Douglas’s condition.
"Isn’t it easy to tell?" Douglas questioned. "I already lost a brother, would you let me lose a sister too?"
"Emily isn’t related to you by blood."
"But I raised her like my sister so I will not allow anything to happen to her. Even if I have to wrestle with death, I will not allow it take anyone else from me."
"So let’s work together." Alex suggested. "I’m also here to get Emily."
"And why should I trust you?" Douglas glared at Alex. "For all I know, you are just a newborn evil god using my brother’s identity for nefarious purposes."
Alex sighed. "I understand your feelings."
"...Yes. if I could change my identity, I would but right now... it’s not convenient."
"Can you just... trust me?"
"I’d rather jump into an active volcano."
Taking a deep breath, Alex slowly got to his feet before making his way over to Douglas.
"I may be an Evil god, but I have done nothing to soil the name, Alexander Regulus. Now, in that little town close to the lake, a young girl is waiting for her brothers to save her. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan to waste any more time arguing with you.
"So I will ask you to join hands with me and save her. If you agree, good, if you don’t, also good. However, I will still be entering Townsend to get Emily out of there. So make your choice."
Douglas stared into Alex’s eyes and saw a determination he recalled once seeing in a certain beautiful woman with white hair.
Biting down on his lower lip, he said. "I want to save Emily as well."
"Then let’s go save her." Alex extended his arm out.
Douglas looked at the outstretched hand and after a brief hesitation, he reached out and grabbed it.
Just as the rumors had said, Townsend was an eerily quiet place.
Referring to his memories of the town, Alex deduced that it wasn’t normal.
Even at this time, Townsend would normally be quite noisy yet not a single sound could be heard.
Both he and Douglas stood just outside the village, surveying it from the outside before stepping in.
"I don’t hear anything." Douglas said.
"Do you have to ask?"
Taking a step forward, both men entered the village and it felt like they were passing cobwebs as the sensation of penetrating something lingered.
Dusting himself, Alex activated his spirituality only to experience a headache that caused him to deactivate it.
"Is there a problem?"
"I saw something... strange." Alex completed before he began to move forward with Douglas following closely behind.
They had barely taken 5 steps forward when Douglas paused.
"Hmm?" Alex raised a brow.
"It sounds like... the laughter of children."
"... I don’t hear anything." Alex said but still increased his vigilance as he didn’t consider Douglas as a pushover that would mishear things.
Douglas closed his eyes and listened further before reopening them. "I can definitely hear them and... it sounds like they are close by."
He turned back but saw nothing causing him to frown.
"Be careful." Alex reminded him.
Douglas nodded in response as they kept moving.
After a few minutes of walking, they had already gotten to the center of the villages yet there was nothing.
"It really does feel like a ghost town." Alex commented.
Douglas looked around for a bit before suggesting. "We should head to our family house. Emily would most likely be there."
Alex readily agreed with both men picking up the pace.
Upon getting there, Douglas stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Hey, Emily, are you home?"
Despite how loudly he called out, there was no response.
"Emily, it’s your big brother Douglas..." Douglas trailed off as he glanced at Alex before adding with obvious difficulty. "And Alex."
Unfortunately, there was still no response.
Meanwhile, Alex seemed to be in deep thought as he pondered on something.
Turning left and right, there was nothing to see apart from rows of wooden houses.
Turning back, the same scene remained.
Pursing his lips, he decided on something before going ahead to look between his legs.
Dozens of children, ranging from 1-7, dressed in pure white that was stained with blood were walking toward him but the strangest part wasn’t their clothes, or that they were walking with their four limbs.
It wasn’t even about the fact that they had creepy smiles or that their eyes were hollow.
The strangest part was that... they were walking upside down?