Adimar continued with greater pride. "My father, and his father before him, followed the path of lord Edmenial."
Kayden raised an eyebrow with growing interest "And what is that path?"
Adimar straightened in his seat, his eyes shining with confidence. "Knowledge , That is the foundation. If you look at Adam sitting beside me, you might see a destroyer… but no one can deny his brilliance. Adam even mentioned your name in the letters related to his research, and your brother's activities were included in his reports."
Then he added with deep conviction, almost like a creed "Knowledge is the true power… and it is what pushes us forward."
Kayden thought to himself, ' This explains a lot… it explains why Adam always seems like he knows more than he should, and why this world feels so advanced… even if only partially'
Adimar spoke with clear pride, "Lord Edmenial was incredibly powerful… he was even one of the Three Greats."
Kayden raised an eyebrow, curiosity surfacing.
"The Three Greats? Who are they?"
At that moment, Adam slowly removed his hand from his face. He first looked at Henry with a meaningful gaze, then turned to Kayden and spoke in a deep voice, "Kai… since when do you ask this many questions? Don't you know what happens to curious people?"
But Adimar interrupted him with a sarcastic smile.
"You were curious too… and you're still alive. But their curiosity is natural. Ordinary people follow the Church… we, the bound ones, follow our masters. There's a difference. And clearly, they took a long time before obtaining a spiritual core."
Adam cast a cold glance at the twins and pointed at them. "I mentioned you both in my reports because you deserved it. But don't forget… you're still very weak. Adimar, have you started playing with children now?"
Adimar sighed and looked at Adam seriously "You're still young, despite everything… you need to be careful about your nature before you lose yourself completely. You're the youngest one here… and your mind has already been tainted."
Then he turned to Kayden and Henry, who were standing beside Ayrton in silence. "I'll tell you now… what really happens to the curious."
Adimar looked at Adam, who gave a small nod of approval. Then he began, "Adam… the one you see before you now wasn't always like this. When curiosity took hold of him at thirteen… a disaster fell upon him."
Adam cut him off coldly, as if recounting something trivial. " They burned my eye… broke my hand, dislocated my shoulder, and crushed my foot. After that? I don't remember much. But I recovered… as you can see."
He pointed to his right eye.
Kayden stiffened as he stared at that blue eye, which suddenly felt too heavy to face. ' I could endure broken fingers… or my body being torn apart… but an eye? No. Not the eye.'
The thought passed bitterly through his mind as a numbness crept into his limbs. He never wanted to experience such punishment.
Adam continued, more seriously this time "Sometimes… curiosity is deadly. Kay, after your research was stolen, you fell into a spiral of suicide. Three times you tried to end your life… and three times you barely survived."
Then he pointed at Henry. "As for him… his curiosity is even stronger than mine. But he's cautious. That's what has kept him safe so far."
Everyone's gaze shifted toward Ayrton. He remained silent for a moment, then simply nodded. "I'll speak with Mr. Price about this," he murmured.
Henry hesitated before asking, "Is… Lord Edmenial still alive?"
A heavy silence fell.
Then Ayrton replied quietly, sadness in his voice "No one knows. His true fate was never discovered."
He lowered his head briefly, as if an old memory had returned to haunt him. "We're trying to restore his legacy… to rebuild what we can from what remains. And we're not alone..your father was among the first to support this idea. Do you remember the last battle? It was… terrifying. His flame went out suddenly. No scream, no sound… just a great light… and then ashes scattered into the air. That's when we knew… he was gone."
He looked at them again, his eyes filled with a bitter helplessness. "That night, the entire city went dark. Candles were lit in every home… mourning the one they called Lord. He wasn't just a name… he was a symbol. And his disappearance felt like the heart of this land had gone out."
Kayden asked again, confusion clear in his voice,
"Why? Why would my father support something like that? What would make him believe in something… that's already over?"
Ayrton answered in a vague tone, yet it carried a strange weight. "Ask him yourself, Kayden… perhaps then you'll understand that sometimes… the end is far more terrifying than the beginning. Ah… but my lord will return soon."
Adimar let out a short laugh. "That's why you both felt familiar to me from the beginning… blood doesn't lie."
Adam muttered quietly, "In fact… there are rumors that Lord will return soon."
Ayrton turned to him. "And who told you that?"
Adam smiled faintly."I searched for a long time… and at the beginning of this month, I met that trash, Arbella. She wasn't willing to talk, but I convinced her… She said there are small signs clear signs that point to his return. She even mentioned that the Great Saint herself is preparing to receive a very important figure. Maybe him… or maybe something worse. But I have a bad feeling… that after Lord returns, things might only get worse."
"The Great Saint…?" Kayden murmured.
Adimar exhaled slowly, his eyes roaming the room as if weighing the burden of fate itself. "Does that mean we need to perform a ritual? To summon him?"
Adam shook his head slowly. "I don't know."
Henry hesitated for a moment before asking,
"And why… might things get worse?"
Adam looked at him steadily. "Because these are the battles of the immortals. We… are nothing but shadows in their path. All we can do is watch from afar… and wait in silence for one of them to fall."
Kayden fell back into thought, their words echoing in his mind. ' Could this acceleration be connected to his return? Could his noticing me… be a sign that something is approaching? I was told it was just someone ascending to immortality… but what if it's connected to Lord Edmenial? What does that even mean? And who are the followers of the one about to become immortal? None of them have appeared yet… they're not like the followers of the Lord of Fate… this is irritating.'
The questions piled up inside his chest until he felt like they were suffocating him.
Adimar interrupted his thoughts as he turned toward Henry and asked in a low voice—though his eyes were testing something deeper than the question itself. "Your name is Henry, right?"
Henry nodded briefly. "Yes."
Adimar smiled calmly, though his expression carried hidden meaning. "Your name is rare these days… but you and your brother are welcome. We may look like a group of losers, digging through the remains of a man who died long ago, disturbing his eternal rest… but we haven't lost our faith. The Lord was not just a man… he was a beginning. And true beginnings… are not easily ended."
Kayden looked at him steadily and asked without hesitation, "Will you support our research… without conditions? Without questions?"
Adimar nodded confidently, a firm smile on his face. "Of course. Just send me what you need."
Kayden replied with composed coldness, "We'll think about it."
Henry glanced at his brother and muttered quietly, filled with confusion, "Again…?"
Kayden let out a faint laugh and gave him a small nod, fully understanding what Henry meant. Then he whispered, "We need more support to continue… this is our chance. But you have to pretend a little that you don't need it."
Ahead of them, Adam sat absent-mindedly, staring into nothingness. His face was heavy with exhaustion, the dark circles under his eyes deeper than ever. His body was slowly collapsing he hadn't slept for days.
And yet… it didn't seem like mere insomnia was consuming him, but the weight of thoughts he didn't dare to speak aloud , Without noticing, his nose began to bleed.
Dark red blood flowed quickly, nearly staining his clothes.
Adam pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief and pressed it against his nose, wiping the blood swiftly but he couldn't hide it from Kayden, who immediately recognized the handkerchief.
Adam suddenly stood up.
He said nothing, offered no explanation—only cast a deliberate look at Kayden, heavy with meaning, before leaving the room with steady yet exhausted steps.
Kayden remained seated for a full minute, silence tightening around him, before he stood and followed him to the area near the bathroom.
He leaned his shoulder against the cold wall, staring at the ground, haunted by echoes—about the Lord, about his return, about secrets he did not possess… and that strange acceleration within his chest that he still couldn't explain.
At last, Adam came out.
His face was wet, as if cold water had not been enough to extinguish whatever burned inside him. His steps were heavier than before, his features carrying an ancient exhaustion—something deeper than sleeplessness, something devouring him without mercy.
Kayden stepped closer and looked at him silently.
Adam finally spoke. "You shouldn't tell anyone about the acceleration… it ruins people's lives. It brings misfortune… or worse. It might even make my luck worse."
Kayden replied quietly, his voice closer to a confession, "Henry knows… from the beginning. Besides, you're already unlucky—you probably wouldn't even notice if it got worse. So there's nothing to worry about."
Adam blinked slowly. "Didn't you receive any upbringing?" he said flatly. "Anyway… you're brothers. You only have each other. Just look at his face you're connected. Don't lose your brother… or your family. Take my words seriously. You might wander the world, but your home and your family must remain."
Kayden smiled faintly and cut him off, "Your words will be my way of life… and the light I walk by. Perhaps more valuable than books."
Adam paused, looking at him with quiet surprise, then said, "Then… if you're asked to support the Great Lord, do it. You'll gain a lot. Don't worry—he won't harm you. The Lord… was always merciful."
But Kayden didn't respond directly.
Instead, he pointed at Adam's right eye and spoke in a low voice, almost piercing the silence,
"But he hurt you. He didn't spare you, did he? So what's the difference? He could kill me at any moment."
Adam lowered his head and raised his hand to cover his injured eye, as if trying to hide it from the world. "I shouldn't have said anything."
He slowly pulled a cigarette from his pocket, followed by an elegant lighter. He lit it and took a long drag, as if breathing in his own ashes.
Kayden couldn't help but notice the lighter.
Polished. Dark. A delicate engraving along its side catching the light.
For a brief moment… he thought about stealing it, as he usually would.
But something in this moment stopped him.
Adam continued in a calm voice, as if the words didn't matter to him.
"I'm the reason for everything that happened to me. Nothing happens without a cause. I was a troublesome child… a fool who didn't understand boundaries. I didn't respect the rules, nor those who made them."
He pointed at Kayden with a faint smile and added in a half-joking tone, "By the way… how's my lighter?"
Kayden raised his eyebrows coolly and replied with light sarcasm, "In excellent condition. It seems… it doesn't want to go back to its owner."
Adam let out a quiet laugh and took a long drag from his cigarette before saying, "So you're a thief? Keep it… I don't care anymore."
He turned toward the window, watching the street in silence. The city's dim light reflected against the glass, as if passersby and their illusions moved behind a veil of fog. The silence in the room grew heavier than the cigarette smoke.
Behind him, Kayden spoke coldly, "I wasn't going to return it anyway."
A moment of complete silence filled the room—then Adam cut through it with a clear, calm, and unexpectedly deep voice "Kill yourself. You're a thief—with a perfect face."
He slowly put out his cigarette, letting the ash scatter across the table. Then he stood up and walked toward the reception room with steady, weary steps, leaving his words echoing behind him.
⸻
Inside the room, Henry looked on the verge of collapse—his eyes full of questions with no answers. Every word seemed to push him deeper into a spiral of confusion and fear.
When he saw Kayden approaching, he stood up quickly and leaned closer, whispering in a tight, strained voice,
"I'm going to the library… If I stay here another minute, I'll lose my mind."
He sounded like he was suffocating.
Then he rushed out of the room, almost as if he were on fire, leaving Kayden stunned.
"Wait!" Kayden called, quickly following after him.
A pounding headache crushed both of them along the way, as if the earlier words had turned into a suffocating ringing inside their skulls, pressing harder and harder.
When they entered the library, they both felt separated from the noise of the world. The air was heavier here, filled with the scent of old paper and aged ink. A silence fitting for graves—yet it offered a strange comfort they hadn't found outside.
Henry sat down, pressing a hand to his head as he let out a deep breath. "I feel like my head is going to explode…"
' Like a balloon filled beyond its limit' , Kayden thought, pressing his fingers against his temples, trying to contain the rising pain.