6 Chapter 006

"Calm down Cheryl. I was forced to hide for a while due to the circumstances. I'm sorry for making you worry" said Alvin gently, while caressing her head.

Cheryl continued to sob in hid arms for a while more, and finally calmed down.

"You were away all night! I thought that you would definitely contact me or even come back by midnight. I was worried sick" she complained.

"Did you not sleep all night?" asked Alvin.

"How can I when I was so worried? You should have taken this huge risk. According to the informant, there was a huge fight, and many dead Beyonders and angry Nighthawk. I was almost sure that you were never coming back again" said Cheryl with tears still in her eyes.

Alvin continued to comfort Cheryl as best as he could.

Cheryl was the granddaughter of Grayson. She had been living in the manor since she could remember, and was one of the childhood friends of Alvin. She was treated almost like a daughter by Alvin's mother, who always wanted a daughter. When Grayson, who was then a Sequence 8 Clown, predicted that no one would escape unless he took drastic measures, he sent off Cheryl secretly and had her wait for Alvin near an escape route. He could have escaped by himself and lived out a few more years he had left of his life, but he decided to save his granddaughter and Alvin in exchange for his life instead. He consumed the main ingredients of the Sequence 7 Potion on the spot when the attack was initiated by the insiders and lost control. With the bit of remaining rationality he had, he madly attacked and distracted the insiders, long enough for Alvin to escape.

Alvin burned down the laboratory, the escape route, and most of the mansion using the arrangements left behind by Grayson, and fled. He met up with Cheryl, and Naomi who also came with Cheryl, and the three of them fled together.

They came to Backlund afterwards and settled here. There were plenty of unused identities prepared by his family for informants, and the three of them stepped into suitable once with little disguises. Alvin purchased a property with the money he had left, and established a bar at the edge of the Cherwood Borough. Alvin's current identity was Alvin Jonas, a bar owner and part time bartender. He also had an identity of a bounty hunter with the nickname of Hunt. Cheryl was now Cherly Jonas, his wife, while Naomi was her sister who was staying with them when she was studying at a university in Backlund.

Cheryl calmed down after a while. "How did it go?" she asked.

"It went great. Some things did not go according to plan, but I got a Crimson Wolf's core. Also, I got something else. I am not sure what, but it seems valuable, as it was sat the core of the arrangement" said Alvin.

"You got a Crimson Wolf's core? Does that mean you can advance into a Hunter?" asked Cheryl.

"Yes. I will advance tonight" tonight!" said Alvin.

Cheryl nodded and stayed silent. Alvin then said, "You need to get some sleep. I will go to the bar today" said Alvin.

Cheryl nodded. She then asked, "You probably use the sword today right? Do you need to do it now?"

"There is no need. You should go to sleep" said Alvin.

"There is no need? Did you go to the Golden Rose again? Is that why you were late?" asked Cheryl suddenly angry.

"No! It's not like that. The negative effect did not happen. Well, more accurately, it happened but I couldn't deal with it back then due to the circumstances. I fell asleep alone in the safehouse" explained Alvin.

Cheryl looked at him sceptically, and Alvin stared back innocently.

"I'm telling the truth" said Alvin again.

"Alright. I believe you. Also, there is bread in the pantry for you and Naomi when she wakes up" said Cheryl.

Naomi was the daughter of one of the retainers of Baron Avril Hans. He was sent to Backlund in the group seeking him when he didn't reply to letters. Needless to say, he disappeared with the group and was never seen again.

She was Cheryl's best friend, and happened to be near her when Grayson arranged Cheryl's escape. She too had no family other than her father, so she chose to escape with Alvin and Cheryl back then.

She was studying to be a doctor back then, and now was continuing her studies at the Backlund Medical Institute.

The three had frequently used the Coin of Wonders on their way to Backlund. From their attempts, they learnt that Grayson was dead, the aggressors took his remains with them, and they worked for a powerful noble family in Backlund. Avril Hans was also dead. But the retainers that went to fetch him were alive including Naomi's father. There was no imminent danger to his life. Hence, Naomi calmed down and stayed with them. She decided to study to become a certified doctor, and Alvin planned to have her become a Beyonder of the Planter Pathway when appropriate. He had the formula for the same, and one of the main ingredients for the Potion collected so far.

Cheryl on the other hand, had already embarked on the Seer pathway. The formula for the same was in Grayson's book, along with the formulas for Clown and Magician. She had advanced close to 6 months ago. She frequently helped Alvin with divination, when the yes-no parameter of the Coin of Wonders was restricting his choices. She had divined a great chance for Alvin when she first heard the rumour, along with a great chance of death. Because of this, she felt worried and guilty when Alvin was late.

"I know. You should go to sleep. I want to examine something, after which I will go to the bar. I will advance to become a Hunter tonight. And you can be there with me" said Alvin gently.

"Okay. But you should be careful. For the first few months, I almost lost control several times, and I would have if it weren't for you and Naomi. So you should be prepared to take a couple of months off the bar work and be ready" reminded Cheryl.

Alvin looked at her back as he left, hesitating to tell her that it won't be a problem as he knew the acting method. He then went silent, deciding to tell her after he had advanced. She wasn't even close to losing control anyway.