Chapter 168: New Follower
"You...! You dare to trick me? I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill you!!"
Inside Jon, Alessa, who had been locked within him, screamed angrily. She finally understood the situation. Even though she wasn't aware of the Darkhold and its dark spells, she realized that she had been taken captive and now felt obliged to follow Jon, as if they were in some kind of master-servant relationship against her will.
"Trick you? I didn't trick you," Jon shrugged and replied, "You were the one who wanted to get inside me in the first place, and now you're stuck. It's your own fault for being weak, don't blame others for it."
"I'll tear you to pieces!" Alessa couldn't do anything to Jon currently because she was compelled to obey his orders and couldn't cause him harm.
Ignoring her rage, Jon went on, "But I did promise to avenge you. I've trapped those jerks from the church, they're stuck. I can let you take care of them in your own way."
On hearing this, Alessa calmed down and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course, why would I lie to you now?" Jon replied. With Alessa unable to pose a threat to him at the moment, there was no reason for him to deceive her. When he was in the church earlier, he didn't kill the followers but instead trapped them using a sinister barrier for Alessa to deal with.
Ever since Jon entered Silent Hill, he had faced various challenges, from Alessa, from Claudia, which had consumed a lot of his time. During this period, he contemplated certain matters.
One of them was the connection between Sharon and Alessa. While wandering in Silent Hill previously, he had considered that Sharon and Alessa shared the same main soul. The separation of Sharon's soul from Alessa's meant that if something happened to Sharon, it would affect Alessa too. Hence, Jon came up with the plan to trap Alessa and bind her to himself.
After all, Alessa was a formidable being capable of creating alternate dimensions. Although she might not match him in a head-on fight, overall, Alessa exceeded him in other supernatural abilities. Therefore, having her as an ally was a wise decision.
However, given Alessa's immense power, expecting her to obediently follow as a mere follower was unlikely. Despite establishing a master-servant dynamic, controlling her would prove challenging. Therefore, Jon decided to offer Alessa a bargaining chip - something she deeply desired: the chance to personally seek vengeance on the church members.
Though those church members were despicable individuals, punishing them could earn Jon significant penalty points. Using this opportunity to secure a formidable ally like Alessa seemed like the perfect strategy.
After a brief pause, Alessa responded in a somber tone, "Fine, as long as I can massacre them myself, we can deal with our own matters later."
"Hey, don't paint me as the villain here. I didn't want things to come to this. You're the one pushing me," Jon shrugged, "Besides, being on my team might not be a bad idea. And I can promise it'll be far more exciting than being stuck in a place like Silent Hill."
Alessa merely snorted coldly, choosing to remain silent.
Turning to Rose and Sharon, Jon spoke calmly, "Alright, your issues are sorted now. Sharon won't wander off without a reason. She can lead a regular life from here on out."
Rose sighed, "A normal life? After everything she's been through, do you really think that's possible?"
Realizing her words may have been insensitive, Rose quickly changed her tone, "I'm sorry! You've done so much for us, and here I am, complaining."
Glancing at Sharon, Jon sighed, "Well, good deeds till the end~"
He retrieved sunglasses from his pocket along with a neuralyzer, telling them, "Now, focus on this, and don't blink~!"
Rose and Sharon involuntarily gazed at the neuralyzer in Jon's hand. With a snap and a brilliant flash of white light, their expressions turned vacant.
Jon removed his sunglasses, stored the neuralyzer, and spoke, "Alright, Rose, you were driving near Silent Hill with your daughter when an accident occurred. Upon waking up, you discovered Sharon missing, taken by local criminals, and I managed to rescue her. May God watch over you both, and now you may return home! Oh, and Rose, your car appears to be broken down. I hope you're insured, but you can hitch a ride from a passing vehicle as you depart from Silent Hill. Leave this forsaken place."
With his words, Jon implanted false memories to ensure their safe departure.
Subsequently, Jon connected with Alessa mentally, "Alessa, guide them back to the real world, ensure their safe exit from Silent Hill, and shield them from the dark nightmares of this place!"
However, Alessa resisted, "Why should I? We share the same soul already. Why should she get to move on unscathed while I'm left inhabiting the body of such a jerk like you?!"
Fueled by bitterness and completely forgetting her original reasons for sending Sharon to the orphanage, Alessa refused to comply.
Jon didn't bother arguing with her and stated plainly, "This is the condition for my assistance in seeking revenge for you."
"Fine!" Alessa finally relented after a moment, clearly reluctant.
Initially, Jon could have transported them back to the real world, but using a portal would expose magic and invalidate his earlier explanations. Alessa, being the creator of Silent Hill's inner world, had the ability to return them discreetly to reality without revealing magic to them directly.
"Goodbye, sir, thank you for all you've done. Best of luck to you!" Rose expressed her gratitude towards Jon.
In the fabricated memory Jon had provided, her daughter had been kidnapped by drug traffickers, and Jon had come to her rescue.
Subsequently, Rose prepared to depart with Sharon, but Sharon lingered, gazing up at Jon.
"Sharon?" Rose inquired, puzzled.
After a heartfelt pause, Sharon looked at Jon with innocent eyes, then beamed angelically and said, "Thank you, Jon, thank you for everything you've done!"
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