"I… I was stolen as a child from my mother's side… my parents were fighting… my memory is fuzzy… there were other kids with me that day...and… and", Adam has to pause for a moment to gather his thoughts, the events occurring so many years ago.

"And then we were surrounded by a lot of grimm… but there were people with them controlling them", he closes his eyes, the memories turning even darker.

"They ordered the grimm to kill the others, there was a lot of blood and screams, but I wasn't killed… they told me I would be useful to her, she wanted me", Adam then grabs his right arm looking at the prosthesis longingly. "I lost my arm that day… one of her minions cut it off to make everyone believe I was also killed and devoured by the grimm", he says shuddering, the pain of that day had been terrible, the amount of blood he had lost, how his severed limb laid in a pool of blood twitching, the dying screams of the other children, the scent of blood in the air.

The shaking of ice in a glass snaps him out of it, he looks at Vicious that is offering him a cold glass of water. He hesitates for a few moments before taking the glass and taking a long drink. The faunus quickly hands the glass back to Vicious. "More?", asks the king, receiving a nod from Adam.

He gets up to refill the glass, taking the chance to give Adam some minutes of respite, knowing that memories like that are a heavy burden upon the soul.

"Is your mo… the woman that gave birth to you, is she still alive"?, Adam asks in curiosity.

Vicious walks back to Adam with the glass filled once more and gives it to the faunus. "No", he answers, looking at Adam directly, the faunus could detect something dark within those eyes, as if reading his thoughts Vicious elaborates. "We tore her to pieces with our claws and fangs", the king says for the first time, not struggling to voice his feelings or having to pause to gather his thoughts, flashing his teeth.

Most people would shrink back and squirm upon hearing that answer and the amount of sharp teeth in Vicious mouth, but Adam gives him a small and sincere smile of approval. "Good. What about the one that tortured you?".

A hint of anger and blood lust shows in Vicious eyes and voice. "Someday...What happened next?"he asks, turning the focal point of the conversation back to Adam, which the faunus accepts, given that his questions have been answered.

" They took me to her… to Salem…", he said with a bitter voice, the revelation picked Vicious interest. He knows that she is the grimm queen and had his encounters with her in the past, his old master making deals with her.

"She wanted me to become a tool for rule humans, faunus and end those who opposed her. I became an instrument of chaos and destruction... I was also sent to hunt down those with silver eyes… I harmed the people I loved the most", he says, voice filled with regret, pain and self loathing.

"By... free will?", asks the king looking at Adam already knowing the answer, but wanting to make a point across.

Adam takes a moment before shaking his head getting the message. "No… she did something to me… but I can't remember what exactly", he says growing, combing through his hazy memories of certain periods of his life. But it's like a fog, he can't remember and it causes him to feel helpless.

He can remember very well many instances that he caused pain and misery but he can't recall how she had managed to make him obey. He knew he had struggled and tried resisting and was punished because of it. Vicious voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

"It's sufficient… for today", he knows how overwhelming it can be to revisit old memories, so he won't ask Adam anymore to share details of his troubling past at the moment. They revisit the topic another day.

"Are you going to tell her too?", he asks referring to Xiang.

"Only if... you wish to", is the reply that he receives. He pauses for a moment to contemplate his options, in the end he concludes that at least he owes her this much, after his previous outburst.

"It's … alright for her to know", he says nodding.

He feels worn out by today's events, his body still hasn't recovered from the panic attacks nor the spar he had with Vicious previously and his injured shoulder. He leans back into his pillows, planning to close his eyes for a little bit, but he unwillingly falls asleep.

Quietly the king continues working on the papers he had previously brought, reflecting on what he had been told today. And keeping watch in case Adam has another panic attack.