AN: Don't have much to say except things will progress a little faster now. Sadly, we won't be seeing Lu Bu for a couple of chapters, only conversations about him. :(

We're still in the Lu Bu Arc. I just need to set up plot points that give Adam a reason to come to battle with him, which I'm still deciding on.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ruby

I woke up to the morning sun. Today is Friday. I love Fridays. Regardless, all I wanted to do was curl up under my blanket, which is what I did. However, the sun was a big bully, and its rays were exactly over my bed. It was starting to get hot under the blanket.

I groan as I get out of bed. I glance over to where Yang is sleeping. Sound asleep, but not for long. The sunlight will eventually coat her bed in its immense heat. I would love to wait and see her roll over in her bed back and forth, but the growls coming from my stomach said otherwise.

I tried to rub away the tired feeling in my eyes, but that didn't do the trick. I went downstairs to see if Dad was awake. He usually cooks me some breakfast to give me the boost of energy that I need in the morning. Although I wish breakfast was chocolate chip cookies instead. Like how my Mom used to make them.

I let out a long sigh. I know she's… gone. But I still love to eat sweets. I would bake some chocolate chip cookies, but I can't because of my Dad—something to do with cavities. I kept telling him I brush my teeth every night, and to my surprise, he used another excuse. His excuse was that I kept eating the raw cookie dough he needed to bake cookies, and we didn't have any more to cook the chocolate chip cookies. It's his fault for not letting me bake some cookies. Besides, I wouldn't dare use store-bought cookie dough. Mom made it from scratch, and so would I. Plus, It was the survival of the fittest out here, and I had no other choice. Baked cookies or not. Both tasted, delicious.

I raise my clutched hand, proud that I had made the right decision eating all the raw cookie dough.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" Dad says. Oh, crud. I turn towards him. I scratch my head nervously as I try to hold in my embarrassment, "Ah, nothing, I was just thinking of how great of a dad you are." I gave him the brightest smile I could muster.

Dad clutches at his heart. "Ruby, that means a lot. You don't understand," Dad says before running up to me, hugging me, and sobbing tears of joy. I let out an oomph. My dad's hugs were always strong. Too strong for my liking. I don't hate it. I'd rather him give hugs every day than not, but his hugs make it feel like my spine will snap in two. But weeks prior, I missed his love, and I wouldn't turn down his hugs just because they were a little strong.

Dad squeezes tighter. Okay, maybe they're more than a little strong.

It was starting to get tough to breathe. "Dad-" I choke out. "Can't breathe-" I tried to break free of his bear hug.

Dad releases his devilish hold on me. "Ah, sorry, sorry, are you okay?" Dad says, worriedly. I take a couple of breaths, gaining my strength back. "Dad, I'm fine. Can you cook the same breakfast as yesterday?" I ask.

Dad narrows his eyes, "Ruby… yesterday was french toast—you poured the entire bottle of syrup on top of your only two slices…"

I blow out my cheeks, pouting, "Dad, I already told you this. It's because I have a sweet tooth." Dad gave a skeptical look, "More like sweet teeth. With the amount of sugar you're eating, it'll affect your health. We're going to be eating scrambled eggs with sliced sausages. And that's final." Dad says, sternly.

I was about to use my secret technique to change his mind, but Yang interrupted when she came yawning from the stairs. Yang rubs her eyes before looking over the railing. "Is breakfast done?" Yang says.

Dad chuckles, "I'm getting on it, you two just wait by the couch. Don't want any accidents with you two running around the kitchen like last time." Dad heads inside the kitchen and starts to prepare the food.

Yang shrugged as she went to sit down on the couch. I joined her. "Yang, let's play some games on the TV," I say. Yang picks up the remote, flicking through the channels, "Let me check out the news first then we can play. Is that fine with you, Rubes?" Yang asks. I nod in response. I scoot farther back onto the couch as my feet barely hover above the floorboard.

Yang never missed a single day of the news. Ever since- well, I'm not even sure how long ago. Watching the news channel is just something she does now, and I'm not entirely sure why she does.

"Today on IBN. A seventeen-year-old girl, named Saffron, has recently gone missing. Saffron Ambrosia, is a daughter of a family of three and a student at Haven Academy. It has been stated by an eyewitness that she was seen running off into the outskirts of the city of Mistral. A search team has recently been dispatched to find the missing girl-" The news reporter was cut off when Yang switched channels to VNN(Vale News Network).

I didn't bother to listen in on VNN. It's probably about car accidents, and they were sad to watch. I think back to the previous news channel. It's awful hearing news like that—a person going missing. Especially for me since I know that could've been us just two months ago, when me and Yang had suddenly been attacked by the pack of beowolves. I'm just glad we made it out alive.

I cross my legs. It was thanks to Adam.

I wonder what happened to him… It was out of nowhere. Adam just stopped visiting us a month ago. We haven't seen him since then. I know we've only known him for a couple of weeks. But I didn't know I would take his absence harshly. I thought I took his disappearance just okay, but Yang and Dad said otherwise. They said something close to the lines of me keeping to myself. And a lot less energetic for a couple of days.

I'm fine now, of course. But I… I miss him like how I miss my Mom. They both feel like the exact same person. It was bizarre at first. I occasionally confused him with my Mom. I accidentally called him 'mom' when we were playing games. It was embarrassing. It's like how you accidentally call your teacher mom, or dad. Thankfully, Adam understood. He would say he's more of a father type of guy. A joke that made me less embarrassed about the whole mom thing. But Yang didn't like it when I called him that, even when I explained it was an accident. I don't know why.

Maybe it was because I always spent most of my time playing with him when I could. Yang, the protective big sister she is, coddles me. Even when I told her I could take care of myself. Besides, I knew she also found his presence pleasing. It wasn't hard to tell. Still, It didn't change how overprotective she is of me.

So why did Adam stop visiting? Did Adam not like being around us? I've heard that some people loathe the thought of having to play with children or hate standing near them. Adam didn't seem like that type of person. He doesn't act like that type of person either, so why did he suddenly stop visiting us? Did we do something to upset him?

At times I feel his presence standing directly behind me, but when I turn to look, he's not there.

"Rubes, what's taking so long?" Yang says teasingly. I looked at the TV to see Yang had already booted up a game, and we were now on the character selection screen. Yang had already picked her character. She was waiting for me to select mine.

I take out my scroll and switch into controller mode, connecting it and selecting a character. "Yang, you can't keep doing this. I didn't even hear you open the game." I pout. It wasn't Yang's fault. It was mine for being deep in thought, but I won't ever say that to Yang. She would bug me to no end for me to tell her what was on my mind. I'm not bothered by her persistence. When I spill out my thoughts, it frees up a lot of weight off my mind. Usually, I'm a little happier and more energetic at the end. I love my sister, but there are some thoughts I want to keep to myself.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll warn you next time. Anyway, you ready?" Yang says excitedly.

I smile and nod, "Yeah, ready when you are."

Adam

I don't desire to watch my children be harmed. Be it by animals… or by their brothers and sisters. It brought grief to choose a side. To clash for what is morally acceptable and against what is immoral. I have attained morality from the forbidden fruit, a blessing, and a curse.

If one of my children stood to become corrupt, what would I do to stop them? A question that forever sat in the back of my mind, gnawing at my mind and morality. If I cannot change them and I turn a blind eye, choosing to leave them to their own devices—they may massacre everyone around them.

Would I kill one of my own to save the many?

Swoosh

I dodge his attempts to land a hit on me. He consistently swung his fists wildly. I take a single step back for every blow I evade. The air pressure emitting from his strikes violently shook the air and ground.

"Stop dodging!" He shouts. He interlocks his hands, striking the ground. His sudden attack causes a crater to form. Dust and grass blocked my sight. I jumped back to safety while watching the dust cloud I was in break apart, and out came him, rocketing out of the dust cloud with his fist pulled back. My body became as flexible as a cat—allowing me to dodge his attack in mid-air.

My feet met land. "Why do you pursue this child?" I ask. She's only a troubled child. A wonderful girl who's only ignorant of her actions. Her actions so far were selfish, yeah. But she still has the rest of her life to make up for them.

He jumps forward with an uppercut that I easily dodge. "As I said before, it's none of your business!" He yells.

"Yet it is," I say. He lunges towards me, aiming for my chest. I dodge and firmly wrap my hands around his forearm, tossing him roughly a couple hundred feet away. His screams of anger go silent. A thump from the distance suggests he has landed.

I took one step forward—reality blurs. In a fraction of a second, I stood face-to-face once more. His eyes dilated, shocked at my sudden appearance.

"You seek vengeance, why?" I ask. He clenches his fists as his attitude switches in less than a second. A face of wary. "What are you talking about?" He says, holding back his rage as best he could. It became clear that he held no ill will for the girl.

"The cause for your suffering, the basis for you to take the life of another," I say. His heart is weeping. Why? "I, who obtained the gift of morality, can tell you don't wish for bloodshed. Yet what motives push you to walk that path?" I ask.

He grinds his teeth, "You sound just like the bastard, the bastard who sent my sister to her death." He says. His muscles began to twitch. He's not truly angry. "...but, unlike him, you didn't take Gretchen from me."

He took hold of both the crystals in his arms, ripping them out. You can hear the flesh attached to the crystal being torn off. Blood gushing out. "I don't normally allow my target live to see another day. Even when I'm certain that I would die fighting them." He says with a rough voice. "I like you. And It just so happens I hate murdering girls the same age as my deceased sister."

A frown emerges on his face before turning his back on me, "Take that girl far away from here, off the continent. Make it impossible for me to find her. And don't make it obvious where you're headed next."

He began to walk away, "One more thing," He looked over his shoulder, making eye contact, "If I find her again- well, just hope I don't." He says. Disappearing into the forest.

I let out a sigh before looking up at the sky, the brightest stars visible in the dwindling sunset.

...In the end, I couldn't take it upon myself to answer that question of mine…

AN: I wanted to beat up Hazel a bit, but I don't see Adam wanting to hurt Hazel at all, maybe rough him up a little, but not cause injury like bruises, sprains, etc. It's a character flaw. Imagine not being able to hurt or kill anyone even when you have immense power. That's basically him right now.