Forgotten City, Mabi.
The aura around Adam changed abruptly. Though his charred face was hidden in the shadows of the hood, one could still feel the coldness emanating from it.
And in the depths of his dark, hollow eyes, madness flared to life.
"...You sleep first, Iâll keep first watchâ" Merene was about to rise to her feet when suddenly, Adam interupted her.
His lips parted, and he muttered in an ice-cold voice:
"What do you know about the Cult of Bones?"
In that moment, he focused the Sphere of Resonance entirely on the elf, looking out for even the most minute of changes, be they in her facial appearance or body language.
If she were to lie... he would immediately know.
Merene immediately froze in her movements, a frown gradually appearing on her fair, beautiful face. She intently looked at the youth and asked:
"The Cult of... what?"
"The Cult of Bones," Adam repeated, his jaws clenched tightly together. "And donât you even think of lying to me, Merene. If you do... Iâll know."
Behind him, the white-robed Adam sighed. He shook his head and murmured, "So itâs finally come to this..."
Adam turned his head, a dark expression on his face. "Come to this? What the hell do you mean?"
The white-robed Adam shook his head. "I told you, didnât I? Talking to this... elf isnât going to fix things."
"The hell are you talking about?" Adam snapped. "Damn it, can you stop talking in riddles for once?"
The white-robed Adam sighed helplessly. He walked to the side and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms, then looked towards Adam.
"I told you once before," said the white-robed Adam. "Talking to her will only make things worse. And trust me... it has."
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Adam growled, his aura radiating utter madness and fury.
Right at that moment, Merene chimed in.
"Adam, you... who are you talking to?" Her voice was laced with apprehension. "Y-youâre scaring me..."
"No one!" Adam roared as he turned back around, facing Merene again.
But when he saw the state she was in, his heart ached. The elfâs eyes were wide with fear as she crawled away from the fire. She pressed her back against the wall at last, casting a trembling glance at Adam.
Seeing her reaction, the white-robed Adam sneered. "Donât fall for it."
"Just shut up for a moment!" Adam turned towards him and yelled in frustration. "Just... one moment... just shut the hell up!"
The white-robed Adam simply shrugged in response. Then, he slipped into silence.
Meanwhile, Adamâthe real Adamâinhaled deeply, trying to keep the madness at bay. The Laughing God continued to whisper, and he continued to listen. Despite it all, he drowned the ravings of the mask and focused his attention on Merene.
He slowly raised his hands in surrenderâa gesture that he meant no harm.
"I apologise for my behavior," he said, his lips gradually curling into a wide, unnatural grin. "Now, allow me to repeat my previous question..."
He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath. Then, he continued:
"What do you know about the Cult of Bones?"
Mereneâs hands moved on their own, clutching at each other until she found herself hugging her own body. In the four months that sheâd spent with Adam, she had never seen him like that. She knew that Adam was mad, but she never once thought that heâd hurt her.
But today, for the first time... she truly feared for her life.
"I... I donât know what youâre talking about," she replied in a low, shaky voice. "What... what is this Cult? I donât know anything!"
Hearing her response, Adam couldnât help but frown. He focused the Sphere of Resonance even more intensely on the elf. Then, he repeated his question:
"What do you know about the Cult of Bones, Merene?! Answer me!"
The elf covered her ears in panic. "Stop screaming at me! Just... whatever youâre doing... just stop! Please, I beg you! I... I donât know anything about this Cult! You must believe me! I swear, I donât!"
The frown on Adamâs face deepened. Based on what he sensed through the Sphere of Resonance, he knew that Merene wasnât lying. But... she also wasnât telling the truth.
"What... what is happening?" His hand involuntarily reached out for his head as he suddenly felt stabbing pain lancing through his brain. "I... I donât understand. Whatâs going on?"
The white-robed Adam heaved a long, helpless sigh. He looked at the perplexed Adam and softly said, "Hate to say, I told you so."
Adam turned to him and muttered in a trembling voice. "You... whatâre you talking about? What do you mean? Told me about what?"
The white-robed Adam shook his head helplessly. Then, he muttered under his breath. "I guess todayâs the day that you finally realize your folly."
"My folly... what?" The more Adam heard his fractured self speak, the more perplexed he became. "Just what the hell are you talking about?"
Suddenly, the mimic, who had been keeping quiet all this while, started loudly calling out to Adam, "Gege! Gege!"
The youth grimaced in pain. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Stop it, Gege! Not... not now! Please... just stop it."
"Gege..." The mimic listened to Adamâs words and quieted down.
"At least, someone listens to me," Adam murmured, his lips curling up into a wide, maniacal grin. "What was I talking about? Yeah..."
He then turned to his fractured self and asked coldly, "Are you going to tell me whatâs happening or not?"
The white-robed Adam shrugged. "Whatâs there to say? I told you the girlâs trouble."
Adam gnashed his teeth in frustration. Seeing that he was unable to get a straight answer out of him, he turned towards Merene, who was still sitting on the ground and trembling in apprehension.
"Merene, youâre lying to me," he said with a raised voice. "I need you to be honest. Tell me, what do you know about the Cult of Bones?! This is important to me, do you understand? So just tell me the truth! I need to know this... please..."
The white-robed Adam shook his head and sighed again. He looked at Adam and said:
"Are you sure you want the answer to that, old sport? You canât handle the truth. Just forget about it and go to sleep. I promise you, when you wake up, itâll all beâ"
Suddenly, he was cut off.
But it wasnât Adam who interrupted him.
And it wasnât the mimic either.
Mereneâs fearful expression was replaced by a mask of indifference as her gaze shifted from Adam... to the white-robed Adam!
Her lips parted and she coldly said:
"Shut up."