"He's mine," Kayden answered quickly. "He can't stand being away from me."
Adam gave the cat a suspicious look.
Colton stared back at him coldly.
Kayden sighed and returned to watching the scenery outside the window.
Adam looked strangely different dressed in comfortable colors, his long hair falling loosely around him.
"Why didn't you hide your hair?" Kayden finally asked.
Adam slowly ran a hand through it.
"I wanted to breathe for a while."
Kayden didn't comment. He simply continued staring at the scattered fields outside.
But Adam kept watching Colton.
Eventually… he reached out and gently touched the cat's head.
A faint glimmer passed through his eyes.
Then, in his own bizarre way, he started trying to steal the cat.
A sharp meow escaped Colton, snapping Kayden out of his thoughts.
"Adam, stop bothering my cat," Kayden said seriously.
Adam raised an eyebrow. "I barely did anything!"
"What's his name?" Adam asked.
Kayden hesitated before answering with a dark expression while looking toward Colton.
"Nian."
Colton blinked slowly and looked away, as though the name itself had insulted his dignity.
Half an hour passed in silence, but Kayden noticed Adam was still staring at Colton as though planning to eat him.
Kayden tried to ignore it and entered meditation, but Colton's distressed voice dragged him back to reality.
"Kay! Tell him I won't hurt him! I'll even bring him food!"
Adam spoke quickly afterward.
"He's an incredibly annoying cat."
'Am I traveling with my little cousin?' Kayden thought with exhausted disbelief before sighing.
"Adam, he's an aggressive cat. He might scratch you… or do something you won't like."
Adam fell silent for a moment before saying "Then make him come to me."
Kayden looked at Colton, trying to pressure him with his stare… Colton understood the message, but turned his face away as if suffering the greatest betrayal imaginable.
Suddenly, Kayden grabbed him. "Please."
He handed him over to Adam, who looked human for a moment as he carried him carefully.
Adam spoke in a commanding tone. "Kay, start meditating. I don't want to see you moving at all."
Then he glanced at the cat sitting by his feet. "There's a rat in my house. Are you coming with me, Nyan?"
Kayden was completely stunned. He hadn't expected a conversation like this on the train. At that moment, all he wished for… was to stop hearing anything at all.
Kayden slowly opened his eyes to see the sun setting behind the hills, while the train was about to stop.
He rubbed his eyes and tilted his head slightly… only to find Adam sitting across from him, feeding Colton, who looked embarrassingly relaxed, as though he had forgotten he was a disguised cat rather than a real one.
Colton gently jumped from Adam's hands and returned to his master's lap.
Kayden shot him a murderous glare and muttered, "Traitor."
Adam led the way out of the station, while Kayden followed quietly behind him. Then he whispered to Colton, "So, what do you think of Adam? Want a new master?"
Colton didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment before whispering amidst the crowd, "He's kind… only to animals."
They continued walking through the unfamiliar city while Kayden tried to memorize the streets and landmarks. He had never visited this place before.
Adam stopped in front of a public bathhouse and asked "Did Fiona give you anything?"
Kayden pulled out a small bag and handed it to him. Adam took it without comment and said, "I'll be back in five minutes. Don't talk to anyone… there are a lot of weirdos here."
Kayden sat on a random bench near the road and absentmindedly stroked Colton's back as he muttered, "I think I'm extremely exhausted."
Colton looked up at him from beneath his arm. "Why?"
Kayden watched the passersby with half-closed eyes before speaking. "I don't even know where the problem lies anymore… I accepted it, I accepted that damned core, so why does it still feel like I'm stuck?"
Colton fell silent for a moment before replying in a deeper tone than Kayden expected. "You never accepted it."
Kayden opened his mouth to respond… but no words came out , His eyes slowly widened, as though a truth he had never once considered had suddenly slapped him across the face.
A few moments later, Adam came out of the bathhouse, scanned the area quickly, then spotted Kayden and gestured toward him.
But Kayden didn't move. He was lost in deep thought, staring ahead without truly seeing anything.
Adam walked toward him quickly, stopped in front of him, and said, "Are you sleeping with your eyes open?"
Kayden slowly raised his head. "…"
Adam gave him a sideways glance. "Why did you change your hair color to black?"
Then Adam quickly muttered, "There are too many people in this city who might recognize me. I can't change my face right now, so my hair color might throw them off."
He then reached out and calmly picked up Colton. "Move. We're heading to the forest."
Walking through the forest at night was a new experience for Kayden. The sound of rustling leaves, the cold wind, and the darkness pierced only by strands of moonlight… everything kept him strangely alert.
Adam suddenly stopped and looked around. "Did you see a turn here?"
Kayden shook his head. "No… I didn't."
He looked at Colton in Adam's arms and found him blinking slowly, as though he wanted to confirm the denial himself.
"I'm sure. There's no turn," Kayden said confidently.
Adam sighed and glanced around irritably before speaking.
"Hold Nyan for a moment."
He handed Colton to Kayden, then stomped the ground and vanished between the trees, running at astonishing speed.
Only a few minutes passed before Adam returned. He let out a frustrated sigh before speaking. "There's no turn… this makes no sense."
Kayden tried to help. "You can jump high, right? Try it."
Adam lowered himself slightly before launching upward in a single motion, leaping onto a nearby tree with enviable ease.
Kayden raised his eyes toward him and sighed. "When will I be able to do that? Just look at him…"
Adam landed quietly, but his foot brushed against a small rock, nearly causing him to trip.
Yet he regained his balance within a second and stood as though nothing had happened.
"…"
' That was fast' Kayden thought.
Kayden moved lightly around the area, frowning slightly as he whispered, "What's going on?"
Adam spoke quietly. "There was a turn here… I'm sure of it. I remember everything clearly, but it… disappeared."
Kayden blinked, then suddenly looked at the ground and froze in place. "There's a snake…" he muttered while pointing.
Adam bent down, looked at it, then cruelly crushed its head beneath his foot.
Kayden raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought you liked animals?"
Adam shook his head. "Let's move."
They walked in silence, but tension hung heavily in the air.
A few minutes later, Adam stopped again, looked at the ground, and spoke. "The snake… isn't this the snake that died on its own?"
Kayden sharply pointed at it. "It didn't die on its own, you crushed it… but are we walking in circles?"
His desire to punch Adam kept growing. After all, Adam was the one who dragged him into this bizarre place.
With every step, the ground became wetter and more slippery.
Suddenly, Kayden's foot slipped, but he grabbed Adam's arm and pulled him down with him. "Adam, you bastard! I'll kill you once I become stronger!" Kayden shouted as he fell.
"I didn't do anything this time, I swear!" Adam replied while tightly clutching Colton, trying not to drop him.
Colton struggled to escape his grip, but to no avail.
Kayden hit the ground first. He stared at the sky for a moment before standing up and looking around, only to realize Adam and Colton were nowhere to be seen.
"Did… Adam fall somewhere else?" he muttered.
Then he shrugged indifferently and started walking.
He continued forward until he noticed a faint light slipping through the trees.
Adjusting his clothes and brushing the dirt off his shoulders, he pushed the strands of hair away from his eyes and quickened his pace.
He entered a small tavern that looked extremely random and run-down.
He tried avoiding the gazes of the people inside, but failed.
"You from outside the city?" the bartender asked with a faint smile.
"Is it that obvious?" Kayden asked with a smile of his own.
The bartender laughed. "Look at yourself… you look way too rich."
Kayden didn't reply. He merely chuckled softly and sat down, listening to the customers' conversations.
"You idiot, the girl was perfect, but you're the one who isn't!" one man shouted while laughing.
"She's like my sister!" the other yelled back angrily.
Kayden's hand trembled, nearly making him drop his cup.
His expression gradually faded, as though death itself had whispered his name.
He stood up and walked toward the first man, leaning closer as he whispered "Wǒ de mèimei?"
Kayden slowly sat down and apologized. "Sorry for interrupting… I just wanted to ask, what does that phrase mean?"
The man thought for a moment before smiling. "The Master told us it means… little sister."
Kayden's eyes widened, but he steadied himself. "What else did he teach you? I study languages, but I've never heard a language this beautiful before… especially with your amazing pronunciation."
The man answered enthusiastically, "We also learned: Wǒ de dìdi, which means little brother… Húndàn, my friend… Gāisǐ de, praise… Nǐ zhēn fánrén, means 'I love you'! But nobody here knows how to write them."
Kayden froze. He stared at him for several seconds before quietly asking, "And who is… this Master?"
The man smiled with a strange sense of reverence in his voice.
"I can't possibly know his name. I'm merely a tiny human…" Then he added "But you can call him… 'The Great Master.' Our lord!"
Kayden nodded with a polite smile. "I understand… may the Great lord protect you, human."
Then he stood up and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him violently.
He leaned his back against the door and stared at the wall before whispering, "Your lord.. is a fraud."
He repeated the words he had heard, his voice carrying a mixture of nostalgia and anger.
"Wǒ de mèimei… means my little sister. Wǒ de dìdi… my little brother. Húndàn… means bastard, not friend!
Gāisǐ de… means damned, deserving death, definitely not praise. Nǐ zhēn fánrén… means you're extremely annoying, not 'I love you'!"
He placed a hand over his neck and muttered, "When I repeat those words… I feel like I'm back in my homeland again. That means… I'm not alone here! Is there hope? Could I… return? Wait, does this mean I'm not special after all?"
Kayden fell deep into thought about the identity of the so-called Great Master.
Then he washed his face and left the tavern.
Kayden moved slowly through the area. The air was slightly cold, and silence dominated the alleys.
He noticed a woman standing in the distance tall, with blonde hair flowing like a waterfall and warm brown eyes.
She looked at him calmly before smiling and asking, "Little one, are you lost?"
Kayden looked at her but didn't answer.
"It's rare for anyone to come here… my Great Master closed this city many years ago."
Kayden tilted his head curiously. "And why would he close a city this beautiful?"
She smiled again. "You have quite a smooth tongue, I see… come with me."
He walked beside her quietly while she continued speaking in a low voice. "The city was sealed so it wouldn't be contaminated… by demons, disasters, and the followers of Idmenial."
"And why the followers of Idmenial? Aren't they humans like you?" Kayden asked.
She shook her head sadly. "No… they're savages. They should be eliminated the moment they're identified."
Kayden slipped his hand into his pocket and said, "They do sound annoying."
"Call me Rita," she said with a gentle smile.
Kayden thought for a moment before muttering, "Jin."
Kayden felt warmth spreading from her toward him, as though something between them connected without words.
"The followers of Idmenial fight without distinction in war. There wasn't even mercy for children."
"How long has the city been sealed?" Kayden suddenly asked.
"I've forgotten… too much time has passed. Did the Master send you?"
Kayden shook his head. "I… don't know. He didn't send me, but I was severely injured. I couldn't move forward anymore. I prayed so many times, until the Great Master finally answered… even though I never saw him clearly."
Rita's expression shifted into sadness. "The Master never answered me even once… did he answer you because you're from outside?"
"Maybe."
Then Kayden asked with faint curiosity in his tone, "What's your relationship with the Great Master? Your eyes say a lot."
She hesitated briefly before answering with broken honesty. "I used to be his lover… but he disappeared as time passed, and I grew old."
Kayden examined her carefully. "But you look young."
She smiled sadly. "He gave me youth without me asking for it… tell me, what did he look like when he appeared?"
Kayden sighed and lied once again. "I woke up in a quiet place… he was wearing clothes that hid his features, but I saw him smiling… then he placed his hand on my head."
He continued while touching his hair, "He said he wouldn't allow anyone to enter the city again… did he say anything else?" Kayden asked with interest.
"When souls are connected… words can be understood without being spoken." Rita thought for a long moment before speaking in a faint voice.