Chapter 1075: Fond Memories

Adam found himself lying in bed, under the warmth of a thick quilt. He was teetering between deep slumber and wakefulness when suddenly a familiar voice called out to him.

“Welcome home, Adam,” said the voice, her tone warm and happy. “When did you get here?”

Adam frowned ever so slightly.

This voice, he wondered.

Could it be…

His heart pounded in excitement. He wanted to immediately open his eyes and greet his dear sister. He hadn’t heard her voice in so long. He hadn’t… seen her… in so long.

…For so long.

The frown on his face deepened a little.

Wait a minute, he thought.

Something’s… not right.

Why would she be here? Didn’t I…

His mind felt sluggish from… whatever it was that he was doing earlier. He couldn’t remember anything. All he knew were two things: that his mind felt terribly slow and that he wanted to take a look at his sister.

“What has gotten into you?” Said the voice, her tone full of warmth.

The voice belonged to none other than Anna.

She walked up to the bed, then knelt beside the sleeping youth. She outstretched a hand, then gently carresed his raven hair.

“Aren’t you going to wake up?” she said dotingly.

“I, uh… I’m awake,” he whispered.

“Then open your eyes, silly.” Anna covered her mouth and giggled.

Adam wanted to open his eyes and take a look at his loving sister. He really, really wanted to look at her. But strangely enough, he also wanted to keep his eyes tightly shut.

That’s weird… Adam wondered, the frown on his face deepening.

Where am I?

Why is… Anna here?

And why do I not want to open my eyes?

Suddenly, in the depths of his spirit sea, the Eternal Soul Lotus hummed, sending a gentle wave of tranquility to calm his mind. Slowly but surely, Adam felt his mind turn sharp. His thoughts started to flow smoothly, and he remembered the events that led him to this place.

His frown deepened even further, marking his face with a dark scowl.

“Oh, my!” Anna yelped in surprise. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Y-yeah…” Adam muttered, his voice strained. “I wish to sleep for a bit. I-is that okay?”

The youth suddenly remembered his battle with Felix in the material world. He remembered how the two had fallen through the spirit world, then battled the four-armed monster in the snowy island.

He also remembered that he had arrived at the peak of the hill to escape from Felix, his centipede summons, and the four-armed monster.

Finally, he recalled stepping into the long-abandoned temple.

And then…

“…Of course,” Anna answered after a long time. “You may rest until supper is ready. I’ll be back.”

With that said, she rose to her feet, turned around, and walked away. The sound of her footsteps gradually disappeared. Silence reigned once again, and in that silence… Adam felt his blood turn cold.

W-what… what is this place? An Illusion? A dreamscape?

Fear crept into his heart, slowly spreading to every part of his being. But he didn’t show it on the outside. Instead, he shifted a little and pretended to fall asleep again.

On the outside, he appeared calm and at peace as he dozed off. But on the inside… a storm of thoughts exploded within his mind.

Just where the hell am I?!

And what the hell is this temple?!

Two things were certain.

First, because of the white lotus, he was able to remain lucid amidst whatever it was that was unfolding around him.

Second, the four-armed monster was not the ruler of the hill!

As his mind started to clear up, he recalled more and more things.

He finally remembered why he had made the decision to enter the temple, despite Valerian’s warnings and his instincts screaming at him to run the other way.

He had to return home!

And to do that, he had to defeat Felix. And to do that, he required the help of whatever entity resided inside this abandoned temple.

It sounded insane, but there was a method to his madness.

And… there was also a great deal of risk involved—risk that could very well cost him his life. But if he hadn’t taken that risk, he would have died either way.

Adam’s mind turned sharp, cold, and calculating.

His thoughts drifted to the four-armed creature, and he wondered:

Why did the monster stitch his eyes shut? There has to be a reason. That is the key to my survival.

And it all comes down to the entity that resides within this temple. It seems to be fluent in the School of Enchantment and the School of Illusion.

It weaves an illusion, or perhaps even a dream, to trap its target. It seems to be incapable or extremely weak at dealing physical damage, considering I’m still alive.

I can still feel my physical body. It’s faint… but I can feel it.

I’m safe from the entity’s mind magic thanks to the lotus, but what now? How do I get out of this mess?

And how exactly do I deal with Felix? That bastard must have definitely followed me inside!

But more importantly, what is this entity’s goal?

Its goal… the four-armed creature’s eyes sewn shut…

Slowly, Adam was able to understand the entity’s motive. However, these were just his speculations. But he had a feeling… that he wasn’t far from the truth.

Suddenly, the door creaked open once again. Adam heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.

Here we go again, he thought as he became more and more certain of the entity’s motives.

Then, a voice echoed inside his ears, one that made him shudder.

“Adam, is something the matter?”

This voice…

No… it can’t be!

He gulped nervously. His lips parted, and he whispered in a trembling voice, “M-mother?”

His mother sat beside him with a concerned look on her face. She gently caressed Adam’s cheek and said, “Anna told me you might be feeling sick. Is everything okay, dear?”

Adam’s lower lip quivered, and unbenknownst to him, his eyes had started to tear up. He wanted to open his eyes. He wanted to catch a glimpse of his dear mother. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hug her.

But…

Inside, Adam’s heart was churning with tumutuous waves.

How dare you…

How dare you use the memory of my mother?!

“Son, why don’t you look at me?” His mother said gently. “I’m worried about you. Is everything okay? You’re scaring me.”

Adam didn’t reply. He didn’t open his eyes. He just silently sobbed.

His mother frowned. “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” she said.

More tears streamed down Adam’s face as he gently shook his head.

“I said open your eyes.” His mother’s words turned cold.

Adam remained silent.

His mother’s lips curled up slowly. Soon, she started to grin from ear to ear. Her face was gradually distorted by that grin, turning into a grotesque imitation of what a human’s face was supposed to look like.

She gripped her hands around Adam’s neck, then tightly squeezed. Her lips parted, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and she screamed:

“LOOK AT ME!!”