It hardly took Adam any effort to exterminate the pest that invaded his spirit sea.
His spirit sea was the domain of the Eternal Soul Lotus. As the artifact's wielder, Adam had full authority over his spirit sea. No one could enter without permission. Naturally, no one could leave without his consent as well.
Although it remained to be seen what would happen if truly powerful beings tried to enter his spirit sea, Adam would make sure that such a predicament would never arise in the future.
Coming back to the matters presently at hand, Adam stood on the surface of the spirit sea with a thoughtful look on his face. He had just destroyed the first king's soul's Will and absorbed his soul's Vessel and Spark.
The Will contained the personality and individuality, the Vessel contained the memories and experiences, and the Spark contained the spirit energy that tied the soul to the body.
The reason why Adam appeared so thoughtful and also slightly surprised was that this time, he had managed to keep the soul's Vessel intact.
Due to his poor mastery over the Lotus, whenever Adam devoured someone's soul, he would inadvertently destroy their Vessel as well. The process absorbed the soul's spirit energy, but its memories and experiences were usually lost.
But this time was different.
For what was perhaps the first time, as far as Adam could remember anyway, he had managed to preserve the Vessel. Which meant he now had access to Phillipe d'Aubigny's memories.
Adam's gaze turned thoughtful as he absentmindedly stroked the stubble on his chin.
He had devoured countless souls before, yet he had never been able to retain their memories. His control over the Lotus was simply too crude. Whenever he used it to consume a soul, he had always inadvertently destroyed the Vessel in the process.
Adam's gaze turned thoughtful as he absentmindedly stroked the stubble on his chin.
He had devoured countless souls before, yet he had never been able to retain their memories. His control over the Lotus was simply too crude. Whenever he used it to consume a soul, he had always inadvertently destroyed the Vessel in the process.
And yet, when he devoured Phillipe's soul, he had managed to keep it intact. Adam's brows slowly furrowed. There was something strange about it. Something that did not make sense.
Why now?
Why was this the first time he had successfully preserved the Vessel?
Was this truly just a random event?
Adam's expression grew increasingly conflicted.
Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed the thought as nothing more than a coincidence. After all, he had just devoured a soul and, for some unknown reason, managed to preserve the Vessel. There did not necessarily have to be some grand conspiracy behind it.
But after what he had just discovered about Valerian's amethyst amulet, Adam found it difficult to think rationally.
Someone had apparently been manipulating their memories. That revelation had shaken him far more deeply than he wanted to admit.
Or am I simply trying to make circles out of straight lines because of what I just discovered about his amulet?
Adam fell silent.
Perhaps he really was overthinking. Perhaps his nerves were simply stretched too tight. After realizing that his own memories could have been tampered with, how could he trust his own judgment so easily?
Dragonshit!
A trace of frustration flashed in his eyes.
That was the most terrifying part about this whole ordeal. He no longer knew which of his thoughts were truly his.
Am I being paranoid?
Or was this exactly what the mastermind wanted him to think?
Adam's expression darkened, and he thought, What if this isn't a coincidence?
The thought refused to leave his mind at all. For some reason, at this exact moment, he had managed to preserve the Vessel of the first king's soul and obtain his memories.
Why him? Why now?
Uneasiness continued to gnaw at his heart. He had no answers. And after what had happened with Valerian's amulet, he no longer dared to dismiss anything as just a random improbable event.
The more Adam thought about it, the more paranoid he became.
He truly began to fear for his little brother's life. He couldn't care less whether he survived or not.
Adam had already come to believe that the mastermind on the other side of the amulet wanted to take Valerian's life in the most inconspicuous way possible. Perhaps everything that had happened so far had been leading toward that very outcome.
The thought filled him with a suffocating sense of helplessness. And yet, there was nothing he could do.
He couldn't simply rip the amulet away from Valerian and throw it aside. If someone truly was manipulating them through it, such an action might alert the mastermind.
What if they retaliate? Adam thought to himself, his heart gripped by terror.
What if removing it triggers something?
What if they've placed some kind of contingency within it?
He had no idea what would happen, and that terrified him.
Worst yet, he didn't even know when the enemy's machinations had begun. The enemy was in the shadows while Adam could do nothing but pretend that he remained unaware of their existence.
Every possible action seemed dangerous. Keeping the amulet on Valerian could put him in danger. Removing it could put him in even greater danger.
Damn it all!
Adam's thoughts spiraled further and further.
He began questioning everything. Every action. Every strange occurrence. Every memory that suddenly felt just a little too convenient.
Am I already too late?
His breathing gradually grew heavier.
He had faced enemies who were far stronger than him before. He had fought creatures capable of crushing him with a single attack.
But this was different.
He could fight a powerful enemy. He could run from one. He could scheme against one.
But how was he supposed to fight someone he couldn't even see? Someone who might have been inside their minds for decades?
And what terrified him the most was that Valerian might already be in danger—if what transpired with the vampire named Dorian was any indication.
Adam's fingers trembled slightly.
I have to protect him. No matter what it takes.
But the more he thought about it, the more helpless he felt. And slowly… his thoughts began to spiral out of control.
Am I going mad? Again?
From the depths of his spirit sea, as though sensing his distress, the Lotus let out a faint pulse of rejuvenating energy that gradually calmed his mind.
Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he was back in the royal crypt.
Valerian sat atop the coffin before him, glancing at him with a slight tilt of his head.
"Are you okay, Brother?"
Adam offered him a reassuring smile.
"Always."
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