CH 39: STATS
Back in the normal world, Adam's world, which had effectively drowned after staying too long in the bath awakened again as life came back to him.
Rising up from the water with a gasp, Adam's grip tightened around the brother of the bathtub so tightly that it left crack in it.
'What the hell had just happened.'
His mind was still reeling because of the event that had just happened.
[Congratulation. You have awakened the Crown Chakra without the use of Karma. As such, it will be possible to open a third Chakra later on at the price the second chakra should have been.]
Registering the words of Genesis, Adam growled; "What the hell was that? I nearly died."
[You would have not. In fact, rejecting the enlightenment of Budha was an extremely inefficient move. Had you managed to keep a greater part of it, you would have become barely comparable to the other Primogenitor.]
"...And I would have lost my sense of self and become something or someone else."
[Is power not your goal? One should be ready to pay the appropriate price when chasing after power. The world runs on Equivalent Exchange. Give something to get something.]
"It is indeed. But some limits should never be crossed."
Adam frowned as he stood up with but immediately felt like he was about to fall.
"Ugh…."
His sense of balance was completely fucked. Not only that. His perception seemed to stretch the physical limit of the human body. It felt a new part of his body was opening and he could feel all his surroundings. It was definitely a rather foreign sensation. As if he had grown an extra limb or pair of eyes in this matter.
'What is happening to me?'
He remembered Genesis speaking about the second chakra—The crown.
"Explain to me exactly what happened and why. From now, never take any initiative without asking my permission."
[Ex-rank skills are skills beyond the limit of mortality created by powerful entities. They have a hidden history and by going through the synchronization you can greatly increase the power of the skill or get more benefits. Such as you obtaining enlightenment
[The lower the synchronization rate between the two, the higher the chance of losing your mind completely by being swallowed.]
"And I suppose you didn't tell me because I do not ask?"
[Sharing information that has no value at the moment is a waste of time and energy.]
Adam nodded, "As I thought, the two of us cannot get along."
Adam leaned slowly and focused on the floating book.
The first information that caught his eyes and the reason all of this began.
[Acquisition of the Eyes of Truth successful]
Looking at his status page, he could see it slowly began to change and become slightly more detailed.
[Name: Adam Gospel
Affiliation: N/A
Alias: N/A
Race: Primogenitor
Age: 21
Weakness: Curse of Cain
Acquired Power: Book of Genesis
Innate Authority: Origin
Unique Skill: ?
Skills: Eyes of Truth
Overall Combat Capacity: D
Remark: You now have the potential to go beyond the Limit]
This was Adam's new stats page. He realized immediately that while nothing much changed overall, he was slowly becoming stronger.
Firstly, he had a unique Skill. The question mark was kinda bothering him though. This was the first time the so-called book of knowledge showed this.
Aside from this, his skill appraisal had vanished, clearly being swallowed by the Eye of Truth.
[Skill: Eyes of Truth
Description: Gazing in the sea of knowledge to obtain information. This is the apex of all sensory skills. All skills of the same type obtained in the future will be assimilated and enhanced in it to further its growth.
Rank: Ex
Proficiency: Beginner.]
"Another abstract description."
He nearly lost himself in this skill so he hoped that it would be worth it. If he understood the words currently this skill was just an enhanced version of Appraisal as it was the skill that was absorbed. But if he later on he nourished it with other skills of the same type…
"I want you to prepare a list of cheap skills I can learn or pay with karma."
[Understood.]
Adam wanted to make the full use of this power. The more information he could obtain with it, the safer he would be.
He then focused on the second skill he obtained.
[Name: ?
Description : *Currently analyzing*
Proficiency: * Currently analyzing]
[The innate power of Origin reacted with your enlightenment and gave birth to a new skill that existed in no Archive. I am currently observing and analyzing your body. I can accelerate the process by absorbing the remaining Karma]
"Accelerating by how much?"
[A few days to a few minutes.]
"Do it."
This was a skill born from the so-called power of Origin and his enlightenment. This was a skill that belonged only to him at the moment.
He was quite curious about its effect.
Adam may have joked around about being a pay-to-win player but he understood just how important Genesis was for his growth.
It could allow him to skip a long research and fumble in just understanding the basics.
Though it seemed like Karma could not help him accelerate the learning process of a skill.
[Entering the Library will help in increasing all learning processes tremendously.]
"I only have one fast pass left."
Adam did not like leaving things to chance. He still had one quest that could give him Free pass to enter the library.
Kill his killer.
This was a rather dangerous quest and Adam was not sure yet that he could do so. He lacked too much information to go on a Wild chase, searching an enemy he did not even know the whereabouts of.
Now wasn't the time to think about this yet. One thing at times. Haste made waste after all.
With that out of the way he slowly stood up, still a little wobbly but much better than a few moments ago, and approached the mirror, careful to not suddenly fall. He didn't want to die again in his bathroom.
It wasn't easy. Once again the world felt different. It wasn't the vividness he obtained by opening the Third Eye but more like an increase in the amount of information he could obtain and process.
He felt like his thoughts were moving much faster than before as well.
Reaching the mirror above the sink, Adam first observed his disheveled appearance.
The first he noticed was the color of his eyes.
He always had blue eyes. But the current ones seemed completely different. It was as if he was holding the sky itself in his eyes. In a way, they seemed more like shining jewels than true eyes.
'So I am not a vampire and my skin doesn't shine but I have eyes that can serve as lighthouses?'
It was so ridiculously funny that he forgot an instant why he was here.
But it was also worrying. With eyes like that, he didn't even need to tell anyone that he was not something human.
This was too conspicuous.
"What is happening with my eyes currently and how can I stop it."
[The eyes are a reflection of the Soul. The stronger you become, the brighter they become. They will only become normal when you lock your powers]
'Okay. Note to self. Buy contact lenses just in case.'
This was only a minor problem currently. So he decided to focus on what was important.
"Observation."
Looking at the mirror, he could see a string of words appearing.
[Adjusting the display to the cognition of the user.]
[Name: Adam
Race: Primogenitor
Stats :
Strength: D
Speed: D
Dexterity: D
Endurance: D
Prana: F
Charm: C
Willpower: C
Luck: Ex.]
CH 40: THE WORLD
Adam knew enough about games to comprehend what the stats he was seeing represented. Those stats were rather standard as far as RPG-esque games went.
But there was something that confused him about these stats. The underlying meaning behind them…
What did those stats reflect exactly?
Did it reflect the maximum potential he could reach in each department as he was now? The minimum? Or was it perhaps an average estimate of his abilities?
He was right in thinking about that. As, all things considered, humans were not really machines, nor were they pixels in a game. The stats could never be a constant of his abilities as they were usually represented in games or anything of the like.
His speed was currently at D rank. However, it goes without saying that Adam could not run at full speed without stopping. Nor could he reach the maximum velocity and just then stop on spot like nothing. The laws of physics wouldn't allow for that to happen.
[Those stats are a reflection of your maximum potential. The limit of what you can do with your body. From rank C and everything after, you surpass the limits of what is deemed to be humanly possible and enter the superhuman threshold. Your willpower and charm being at C are an example of that phenomenon.]
"What about the EX rank then?"
[The EX rank basically represents something that cannot be exactly quantified into a category as there are too many variables available for it to be properly analyzed. For instance, your skill Eyes of Truth can assimilate all types of sensory skills without any limits. But as it is now currently, it's quite weak. At the end of the day, we can observe that…the rank only shows the maximum potential something or someone can reach.]
"So stats are not everything."
Adam nodded his head, having uttered the words that first came to mind after listening to Genesis' response. It was exactly like how being able to lift heavier objects or having a faster running speed didn't necessarily mean that they would let you win a fight like it was nothing.
There were many invisible factors always at play that decided the ultimate victor.
'So my luck is potentially limitless then?'
[I would not be so happy if I was you.]
Genesis's steely and emotionless voice made Adam frown in annoyance. He prepared himself to hear another set of bad news from the synthetic spirit's robotic voice.
[The luck stat would be more aptly described as Fate or Destiny. Or simply Karma? You could also say that. What this means is that… Your very existence will bring events toward you. Events that you hold no control over. Whether you like it or not, you will be facing more and more supernatural or simply normal events. Of course, those events might be beneficial or they might be not. Whether you are able to benefit from them or would they lead to your doom, the answer to that question remains on your ability to grasp the situation in the way you desire it to go.]
"I understand."
Luck favored only those who worked hard and those who were daring enough to bet it all on this abstract concept. No matter how lucky you were, if you could not grasp an opportunity when it literally came flying at your doorstep, then all the luck in the world would effectively be useless for the ones concerned.
This was the simple reality of this world.
"Now, why is my charm suddenly at the supernatural level?"
[The most dangerous things in the world are always the most beautiful. As an apex predator, your body is simply evolving towards the most optimal way to not scare your prey, deceiving them to enter your grasp. All Earthly Supernatural creatures are extremely beautiful without exception. The best example is the Vampires.]
Adam took a deep breath and observed his naked body more attentively. He knew objectively that he had always been quite the handsome lad but as he looked at himself in the mirror, he could see that his body seemed to have no blemish now. All his proportions seemed perfect and eye-catching.
The golden ratio so to speak. The perfection incarnate.
This body would be useful in his new line of work so he was quite happy with the changes. But at the same time, he felt quite uncomfortable inside.
There were just so many things he had no clue about. He felt like an elementary school student who had to learn everything from scratch and just the thought itself was quite tiring to him.
Ignorance was a form of bliss. Such words were often spoken by many people. But Adam did not share the same feeling as those whimsical people. At least that was not the case when it practically encompassed his entire life.
He wanted no… He needed things to change.
[Analysis completed.]
[Name: (Yet to be determined)
Description: Create a zone of absolute control where the user can manipulate all forces
Rank: Tentatively judged to be at the S rank. Possible reevaluation to EX rank depending on further observation.]
[Would you like to name the skill?]
Adam looked at this skill. The moment he saw this description, he began to have an inkling about what this skill was actually capable of, And if he were to be right… Just that thought was enough to excite him to no end. He needed to confirm his suspicions.
He closed his eyes. Focusing inwardly, searching deeper and deeper inside himself till he was able to find his origin.
Slowly, very slowly, he felt like he was able to 'see' everything in his close vicinity.
'5 meters? 10 meters?'
In a perfectly spherical zone of around 10 meters or perhaps more, his senses spread completely outwards. He was now able to perceive everything and anything that transpired in that spherical area.
"Haha. What the fuck?"
Adam could only laugh dumbfoundedly after having cast this ability of his. Many things had happened to him in the short span of 48 to 72 hours but this… For the first time, after all this supernatural shit started, he truly felt that he was leaving the realm of humanity and finally becoming a part of the supernatural.
Opening his eyes, he looked at his toothbrush and focused once again. At first, not much of anything happened and everything seemed still.
He even thought he might have been wrong in his hunch and that his skill could only help him feel his surroundings at best. At least at his current level of proficiency.
But he did not stop and kept on trying.
Finally… After a few seconds of intense staring that had almost felt like an eternity…
Shake*
The toothbrush slowly shook and began to float a few centimeters up before abruptly falling down on the sink. At the same time, the feeling he got after casting his new skill…where he could basically observe and feel everything inside a spherical zone…simply vanished like it never even existed in the first place.
It was abrupt, shocking, and…painful…
"*Ugh* My head."
His head hurt like hell. He felt like this was probably the greatest headache he had ever been inflicted with in his life. From the mirror, he could even see droplets of blood dripping down from his nose and into the sink.
But even so….
"Hahaha…"
Even though it hurt so much that he felt like he was about to die once again.
Even though he had only been able to barely lift a toothbrush for the merest of moments.
Even then…. Adam had never felt so exhilarated in all of his life.
This was his first true superpower. Not just something that could be used to observe people nor something vague and limited like his immortality.
But a true and real superpower that had so many possibilities that it was almost mind-numbing.
For the first time ever since he awakened, Adam felt like less of a punching bag. Now, he at least had some legitimate means to defend himself against the supernatural side of the world— well, barely the start of a means to be exact. As it was now, the skill wasn't even worth a dog's fart. However, the thing to note was that…even the greatest castles had to start with a single brick.
[Would you like to name the skill?]
"Should I call it Zone?"
It was an apt and simple name. A zone born from his own understanding of the Truth. But at the same time, he felt like it wasn't really enough.
This was his first skill created from his effort and understanding after being nearly assimilated by the Buddha.
Adam began to remember the epiphany he had,
"The word 'I' does not exist. As such, 'I' do not exist either. If there is nothing to compare against, then how can a being that cannot be defined exist?
"From one perspective, this world and the universe were created with our birth and would perish with our death."
"I do not exist. I am simply… The World."
He smiled. Since this skill gave him power and control in a given zone, could he not say that he was a god in that zone?
He also remembered the woman in the Library. The one who called herself The Fool.
In Tarot Cards, the Number 0, The Fool, represented the First of the Major Arcana. It represented the start of a journey. The last of the Major Arcana, Number 21, The World, represented the end of that journey.
It just so happened that he was 21 years old currently.
"Well… Should I say that it's fate?"
So many small coincidences all coming together for that one single moment of magic— the miracle. Adam laughed, feeling himself to be in a great mood, so he promptly decided on the name of this skill.
"Let's call it— The World."
CH 41: TIME TO OBTAIN THE TRUTH
After Adam named his new skill, he had to admit that he felt quite embarrassed, talking about Fate and whatnot.
But even though it was embarrassing, he felt good and so he decided to relax a little before going further.
After wiping away the blood from his face resulting from his nosebleed, Adam walked out of the bathroom and changed into more comfortable clothes.
He made himself a small breakfast in order to get some energy. Since he had just died and revived, he was not particularly hungry. Most likely because his body revived in the most optimal state.
But he still ate. Not only to replenish energy but also to calm his nerve a little. There was something relaxing about eating and doing normal things and he needed those things.
'Should I watch TV?'
Adam wondered for a short time before going for it.
'Zap, zap, zap.'
In the past, the entertainment world was divided into many small streaming companies which divided the watcher and forced them to buy multiple abonnements if they wanted to watch everything.
But now, the old TV channel system had been fused with the steaming one. There had been many discussions on social networks but Adam always avoided those places like the death. They were simply too toxic for him.
"Today, we are announcing the New edition of the VR game, Mythical Life."
'Huh…Something Sae might be interested in.'
He knew that VR games were quite popular. In the past, they were still quite archaic but nowadays they were so realistic that some people considered the life in the metaverse to be their true.
New laws and regulations even had to be created because of this. As it was quite dangerous and some people went as far as killing themselves in reality if their avatars in those VR were ruined. There was also the case of a crazy developer who created a VR casque that would actually kill the user if they died in the game. Thankfully, the man was arrested long before he could make victims with that game.
Mythical life was quite a popular game as it was a VRMMORPG based on exploring a world focused on myths of old gods and the like. What made this game quite attractive was that you could even meet those gods and fight against them at a high enough level. You could even romance them.
Sae had once talked to him about some R18 mods in the previous version were you could make love to them.
Adam was not surprised. Everything that existed in this world was sexualized in one way or another. One should never underestimate the energy and skills of horny gamers.
Chuckling, Adam watched the announcements that showed some part of the Beta test before zapping.
He was not all that interested in the game world and now his life was even more interesting than those a game could ever hope to be.
"Sigh is there nothing to watch?"
Adam continued zapping, but he was forced to stop at one particular scene.
It was a program on national Tv,
"Jack the ripper makes a new victim. What is the police doing?"
The journalist started introducing the case of Jack the Ripper and the multiple victims before beginning to question the incompetence of the police and how they were more busy developing IA to profile innocent people rather than catching the true criminal roaming on the street.
"Surprisingly or should I say unsurprisingly? Despite his crimes, Jack the Ripper enjoys a certain popularity. This can be seen in certain blogs on the net."
Adam frowned in disgust and felt sick in his stomach. It seemed like some crazy people were saying that since Jack only targeted prostitutes, he was not that bad and in fact was doing good for society.
At this point, one could say they were extremists but it was still somewhat understandable. But he chuckled when he heard how some people, wished they could find him and perhaps marry him. Saying that he should be someone with a lonely soul and a mission.
"Enough Tv, for today."
Switching off the TV, Adam observed his reflection on the black screen. His eyes still had this shine, that showed that he was in no way a normal human.
Until now, Adam had been hesitating about taking the quest.
Not only did he not that the power necessary, but he knew nothing about the target.
'Sigh…All of these are just excuses.'
"Genesis do you know the race of that Killer."
[I do not. But I can make an educated guess. From the information I have, the target is most likely a vampire. Most likely a new vampire or a very very weak one.]
"How sure are you about this?"
[90% percent. The margin of error is very small. It is either a ghoul or a vampire.]
All this time, he did not ask Genesis even though he could have.
He had many excuses. After all, he did not have time, he had so many things to do, and so many events happened at the same time.
But, it all boiled down to one thing.
He was afraid.
Death was scary. Even though he had died three times now, the two recent death could never compare to that first one.
The pain of having his chest pierced through. The fear of losing one life, the despair as his blood slowly left his body and he realized that this was the end of the line. The regret and sadness about leaving his mother and all those he cared about behind.
Adam did not want to face this feeling again.
He never wanted to feel so weak and powerless again.
[1st Ordeal: Fear — The most primordial emotion.
Description: Immortal you may be. But getting killed is still an insult to your title. Find your killer and give him a taste of his own medicine by killing him.
Reward: 1 free pass to enter the Records…]
"The 1st ordeal was it?"
Indeed. This was where everything started and only by putting an end to that fear would he truly take a step forward.
"I am going to kill that vampire. What are my current chances?"
[As close to zero as possible.]
Adam smiled, not at all deterred nor surprised. He was not crazy enough to think that he could win simply because he suddenly had the determination to do so.
But…He had never intended to face that monster alone.
The world was never fair and he was not a hot-blooded youth ready to jump into the pit of fire to prove his manliness.
He had already guessed that Yui and the other had something to do with the supernatural world and having her backing him would be tremendously helpful.
Of course, before all that he had to know exactly how his kind was viewed in the supernatural world and how that world was divided exactly in the first place.
"I guess there is no other way."
It was time to confront the one who held all the keys to the mystery that was his life.
It was time to receive answers from his mother.
CH 42: COINCIDENCES
Adam had many many questions that he wanted to ask his mother.
Who he was…
What he was…
His birth…
So many questions that he couldn't even count them with both hands.
Furthermore, he wanted to train his Prana. But two hindrances blocked him from training that skill.
From what the introduction book told him, breathing techniques were as diverse as one could imagine them to be and the current level of the books he could read and learn from in the library didn't contain any particularly powerful techniques. He had not assimilated the entirety of the books. But even with the basics, one needed to memorize the position of all the Chakra outside of the 7 main ones and circulate Prana in a very specific way.
[The three books ; and were basically introductory books that will help an individual place the foundation of their future. Breathing techniques were made for humans whose bodies could never surpass the limits and who only have the option of opening up their Heart Chakra. Such techniques will be useless in the long term for you.]
"You might be right about that."
He did not have enough knowledge about this subject and he did not particularly trust Genesis either.
He had slowly started to notice by now that Genesis was not some omniscient all-knowing entity that he had previously thought of itself to be. It could also be wrong, it could make errors, and there were things it did not know about.
But even without all of this baggage, Genesis was an entity overly focused on absolute rationality and efficiency. But, as the situation with Budha had shown to him, the most efficient way wasn't necessarily the best for him as far as he was concerned.
The second reason he wanted to have a teacher or a mentor before he started learning to circulate Prana was because…he just didn't want to die. After all, he could die if he made even the most minuscule of mistakes.
'If only I had a true healing factor…'
Adam did not want to die again unless absolutely necessary or he had nothing he could do about it. That sensation was something he could never really get used to and he feared what he would become the day it stopped bothering him anymore.
If his speculation were right… His mother should have been a hunter. Most likely, the same went for his biological mother.
"Well… Gotta move."
He looked at the time. It was already 5 pm. Time flew so fast that it was dizzying and disorienting. But one had no choice other than to run after it.
Putting his hoody on and wearing his trusty pair of glasses, Adam was about to walk out when he realized that his glasses made his vision worse instead of helping him. His vision had never been particularly bad in the past but he did need those glasses in his day-to-day life.
Now though they were simply useless.
'Ugh. I really need to find a way to hide those eyes of mine.'
[Humans cannot detect the changes in your eyes. Their visions will be distorted by the veil.]
Adam laughed bitterly at Genesis' remark, "Then it's even worse. Anyone who sees my eyes will obviously be from the supernatural world and will know who or what I am too."
It wasn't like Adam wanted to play the vigilante or something along the lines of hiding his identity and powers. But for now, it was better to not be singled out as someone from the supernatural side of the world. He had no means to really defend himself yet.
He had learned how to fight from his mother. Be it in unarmed or armed combat, that included the use of weapons, and he believed he was pretty good at it too as far as civilian combat went. But he was not stupid enough to face them like this.
'Speaking of mom…'
Adam remembered the books in his mother's library. If all of them were real, then they were huge secret treasure troves of all kinds of knowledge. It would be best if he utilized the knowledge of those resources.
"Lock on— Fuck!"
Adam staggered as soon as the lock was on. He had now locked the flow of the two Chakra, becoming once a normal human once again. But he felt shitty to the extreme.
It was not unlike the feeling of suddenly becoming blind to the world or losing a few limbs. He felt incomparably weak, his mind slowed down considerably, and the amount of information he could absorb dropped sharply to the point of being laughable.
His life was truly a gigantic pain in the ass.
—
While Adam was on the subway in order to go to the hospital and was nearing his destination, a pair of red-haired middle-aged woman and silver-haired young girl was already standing in front of the hospital of his destination.
The Director was holding onto a lit cigarette with obvious disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"I simply followed our link but what the hell… Is she working here?"
The thought that her sister was perhaps sick or wounded did not even go through her mind. It was simply impossible, after all. They didn't get sick at the level they reached.
"Well, let's go up. I wonder what she will look like in a nurse or doctor's uniform."
"Master. Do you think the young lady is there as well?"
The director looked at her disciple that rarely spoke as long as she was not addressed. Even though she had the name Kaminari, Makoto was only from a branch family. All her life, she had been taught how to serve and respect the main family so she could understand the urgency and expectation underlying her apathetic voice.
As for the girl her sister was protecting… "Well, you don't have to worry. Mei might be feisty even after leaving the family. But she is kind at heart."
She grinned at the sight and extinguished her cigarette before walking in with her disciple behind her.
No matter how they advanced in the hospital, people seemed to ignore them. It was as if they did not exist in the first place. Weird but understandable since they were from the supernatural side.
"Hmmm…? That sneaky bitch."
The director suddenly stopped and her immaculate face distorted into a frown of annoyance.
"What may be the matter, master?"
"It seems like my sister judged that cutting our link was necessary. I cannot feel her presence anymore."
She hesitated, wondering if she should search the entire hospital for her, but in the end, relented to her sister's wishes. If her sister did not want to meet her, then she was not so desperate that she would hound her like a bereaved dog in pursuit of affection.
She still had her pride after all. Though it was sad that she would not be able to see the young lady.
"Let's go back. After we rest and finish the job, we will try again."
Makoto nodded, a little disappointed as well, only in heart, but she showed none of it on her face.
The two of them turned back and walked out of the hospital as people still continued to ignore them. Even when they were about to come into contact with people they would subtly move out of the way to avoid all contact with them. This was a small form of consideration from the pair of women.
But, just as they reached the corner of a street.
"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
A young man with his face hidden by a black hoody was the first one to move aside to avoid collision with them and apologized before continuing his way.
The two women stopped. "Master?"
"Hmm… Ignore him. I don't smell any blood on him. We don't hunt innocents."
The only ones who could see the two of them were people who had seen the other side of the Veil. This generally only happened to people who had been initiated and opened their Heart Chakra or… People who had directly faced death at the hands of a supernatural creature but were able to survive.
Her eyes widened and she remembered that, from what Kirishima spoke of, there was someone who survived the attack of that vampire.
Walking back, she was unable to find any trace of the young man in question and her suspicions were not enough to make running after him worth it.
She took her phone and immediately called Taeko Kirishima. It seemed like it was time to get the full testimony of the witness in question.
This case was suddenly becoming much more interesting.
—
Adam, meanwhile, entered the hospital with cold sweat on his back and an expression of incomprehension in his eyes.
'What the fuck was that?'
He had moved out of his way out of politeness in reflex and had only been mildly curious about the attire of the young girl. After all, cosplay was nothing new in this world.
It was this curiosity that pushed him to use his on them and the result made him nearly freeze in surprise before he immediately left the scene at full speed.
[Name: Makoto Kaminari
Affiliation: House of Kaminari
Alias: Lightning Blade
Race: Human
Age: 18
Stats: Unable to showcase due to the low proficiency of the skill…]
Without a doubt, he had just met one of those so-called hunters. But the problem was…
'Why the fuck did that girl have the same family name as my biological mother?'
CH 43: TRUTH (1)
Once Adam moved away from the entrance of the hospital and smoothly blended in with the crowd, he could finally let out a sigh of relief.
Who would have thought that the first time he used his skill the Eyes of Truth on a person, he would directly hit the jackpot and find someone from the supernatural side of the world? It was shocking, to say the least.
In the first place, just what were the chances even? one in a something something thousand? Hundreds of thousand? Millions? He didn't know but he deduced that it would be something like that…
He could now understand what Genesis meant by the EX rank luck that he wielded.
'That name…'
Makoto Kaminari.
It wasn't as if people of Japanese descent were rare in the city of LA or even in America, and he very much doubted that there was only one family going by the name of Kaminari in the entire world. Now if it were to be said from the supernatural world then it was a whole new matter altogether.
Moreover, there were simply too many circumstances and coincidences aligning one after another that made Adam have a strong gut instinct that the unusually clothed girl was from the family of his deceased mother.
Adam had never met any members of his family. Be it from his father's or mother's side and he was already used to this reality.
For that very reason, he had to admit in his heart that he was feeling quite a bit confused and conflicted at the moment. What should he even feel?
'Sigh. No need to think so much about this matter. I just need to ask.'
He had already pondered enough by himself. Since there was someone who could give him all the answers he needed, there just was no reason to wait anymore or take the long route in this situation. He just needed to do what he had to do and live with the consequences of his choices. Be it good or bad.
Mustering all the courage he could find in himself, Adam began walking toward his mother's room.
—
The distance from the lobby to the room on the upper floor, where his mother was admitted, was not that far. So it did not take long for him to reach the door of his mother's room.
Once there though… He had to admit that he was quite hesitant to take the next steps. Even though it may sound lame to some, Cecilia had been his entire world for as long as he could remember. If she were to somehow reject him and loath him….
"You should enter, Adam."
He was startled out of his thoughts as Cecelia's voice reached his ears from the other side of the door.
How did she know that someone had come in front of the door of her room? How did she know that it was him?
He did not ask such a question to her, nor did he have any plan to ask now. When factoring in the world of the supernatural, just about anything was possible. Pulling the door open, he entered his mother's room with slow mechanical steps.
The room was as simple as he remembered it to be and his mother, sitting on the bed, was gazing at the world outside of the window.
The sun was already starting to set behind the curtains of the horizon, giving a beautiful and enchanting glow to her crimson-colored hair.
Adam felt like his heart had missed a bit, seeing such an ethereally beautiful sight. It was as though he was gazing at a work of art of the likes never before created in this world. And in his heart, it just felt right when his mother was the protagonist of such an unmatched piece of work.
"Why are you standing still and gawking at me like that? Come and sit here."
Silently, and without a moment's lapse, Adam did as he was told by his dear mother and took a seat on the stool in front of her bed.
"How was your day, mom?"
"Hmm, well, as boring as could be I guess? I am just not used to staying in a place like this. Sitting still and doing nothing. I think that I will check out by tomorrow at the latest."
Adam tried to open his mouth to utter a rebuttal to her words but was cut off before he could even speak by the gestures of his mother, "I know. I know. My heart is in a bad condition. I need to have an operation and all that. Well, you don't need to worry about that. While my heart won't become any better than it is now. At the very least…. It won't get worse now."
Silence fell between the two of them… That one sentence was enough for Adam to understand that his mother was now talking business.
"Adam… You didn't manage to get home before midnight on your birthday, Right?"
Even though it was formulated as a question by her, they both knew that it was more of a statement than any question ever could be.
Adam had so many ways to explain his point of view but at the end of the day, all of them would change nothing of the reality that was now his life. So, he didn't bother to complicate things anymore.
"I didn't…"
"I see…"
Another heavy silence settled between the mother and son pair before Cecilia slowly raised her hand and placed it on the head of a now stunned Adam. Not in a million years did he imagine her patting his head after uttering those lines.
"I heard a bit of what happened to you that night from Shuri. I am sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. It must have been very hard for you, right?"
The smile on her face was all the more present. There was no remonstrance, no anger nor disappointment. Only a sense of regret at not being present and relief to he he was safe.
"I am glad that you are alright."
She hugged him with a fierce grip and all he could do was bury his head and hug her back with an equally intense embrace. No matter how old he was… No matter how independent he became… He would always be a little boy in his mother's eyes.
This was a fact that he could do nothing about and a point of concern that had frustrated him many times when he was younger. It was to the point where he even became a delinquent and said many things to her which he regretted immensely afterward.
But even so, she had never stopped caring for him for even a single second. Even when he had acted like a spoiled boy, she had always stood by him and made sure that he could live a normal life free of any wants.
Why did he even doubt her?
"Yeah…"
His voice was a little hoarse and broken due to the immensity of all the emotions he felt. But even so…
"Yeah, it was pretty hard, mom."
One day, he had been living a life as normally as anyone else would and the next, he was plunged into a series of accidents that became progressively weirder and deadlier than the previous one.
He had died three times already, discovered the existence of the supernatural world, and nearly got his soul wiped out in his pursuit of obtaining power. He faced some kind of deity living in a place outside of space and even time. He became something like an inhuman with no knowledge of just what he really was.
All of this happened in less than 48 hours.
Not even two full days had passed but he felt like he had already suffered for years upon years. In fact, he had lived through a great part of Buddha's life as a human so it had indeed been years from his perspective.
He was tired. He was stressed. He was scared.
But he had no one he could really share his secrets with. Because he did not know who he could really trust. The feeling of dread of being caught or chased without an end was ever-present in his heart.
A baby lion might be destined to become the king of the Savanna but with no one to take care of it, even a weak herbivore could kill it.
Adam had been desperate all this time. As if he was about to drown in an infinite sea of troubles that he just couldn't get out of.
But now…
Now everything was finally alright. Everything was finally in place.
He knew now that even if the whole world condemned him for his identity and his existence, there would be at least one person who would always believe in and protect him no matter what. That was enough for him…
"Please, mom. Tell me the truth."
CH 44: TRUTH (2)
"Please, mom. Tell me the truth. The whole truth."
Hearing his words, Cecilia sighed out loud and slowly the two of them separated from their hug.
"They say ignorance is bliss. I wished with all my heart that you would live all your life in ignorance of the truth but it seems that Fate is inevitable."
She sighed once more and her eyes focused on the horizon through the window that was dyed in a faint reddish glow. The night had already fallen. But the city did not sleep. Neon lights could be seen everywhere, illuminating the busy streets.
"Will you tell me everything, mom?"
"I will. But even I do not know the full story regarding your circumstances. I can only tell you what I know."
She continued in a helpless tone, "Honestly, there are many things I need to teach you and things I need to tell you. But first, do you have any specific questions?"
"Are you trying to determine exactly how much I know in order to determine what kind of information you can share with me?"
Adam joked lightheartedly to which Cecilia chuckled out loud, "If my plan had succeeded, you would have never needed to learn anything about this side of the world. But since I failed, I would rather tell you everything that I know than give you half the information that may possibly cause you harm. I never want any harm to befall you, my dear child."
She squeezed his arms gently. Her expression was one of immense regret. She truly hoped that Adam lived his life without ever having to face the other side of the world. It was not a world one would want to live in.
"Is my father Cain?"
"If you already know this much then you must have met the Librarian."
Adam was a bit surprised at the knowledge she wielded. He had summarized that Akasha was some sort of secretive figure that only the Primogenitors had knowledge of and no one else.
"I can see that you are confused. Sigh, I understand."
She swept her hair to the side before continuing her speech, "Let me give you the information that you'll need to know right now and we can go from there.
"Cain is indeed your father."
Her eyes blazed with unbridled rage and hatred but in the end, all she could do was sigh once again. There was nothing she could do about it, so she felt quite a bit helpless, "Let me start from the beginning."
She closed her eyes, reminiscing of a past she cherished deeply, "I have a sister. The two of us became orphans after our parents were murdered by a cult of fanatics who worshiped a devil of hell. We would have followed in their footsteps but we were saved by an old man— Musashi Kaminari."
She chuckled, "The Kaminari Family is a very powerful and respected family on the Supernatural side of the world and Musashi is the strongest member and the Head of that family. So him choosing to adopt two foreigners in the family was a pretty big deal, you know? But the old man is pretty stubborn and no one could reject his orders anyways.
"Long story short we smoothly became a part of that family. Trained, became stronger, and gathered our own fame in the supernatural world. It was then that Musashi asked me to take care of his daughter."
She smiled and caressed Adam's head with unbridled affection in her eyes, "You should have already put two and two together by now. Indeed, it's as you think. It was your biological mother, Lady Mei.
She closed her eyes, "Mei was… She was simply incredible. A genius of the likes never seen before in history. A true monster of the Supernatural world. She awakened the 'gift' by the age of 10 even though the awakening generally happens at 15. She obtained the title of the Lightning Blade at the age of 13 and was bestowed the 'Kusanagi no Tsurigi' at the mere age of 15. The time when most people just start on their path.
"When she finally reached adulthood she had already surpassed the level of a Director and became one of the Twelve Generals. The highest level possible to attain in the Asian continent."
The more she spoke the more excited she became but she was forced to stop as she began to cough out loud.
Adam immediately helped pat her back and brought her a cup of water, which she drank in one shot. She was feeling quite thirsty it seemed.
"I don't have any references to make a comparison with but it seems like she was pretty awesome, huh…."
"Haha. Your mom was one of the strongest humans in the entire world. Tell me if it isn't awesome?"
She seemed so proud of his biological mother… Seeing his mother so happy made Adam also feel happy and fulfilled.
"You seem to have really liked her."
"Hah… I did, huh… Adam you see, people only see the success of others without caring about the grueling road that was walked to reach there. Of course, Mei was born with an incredible amount of talent that could be said to be practically unprecedented. But she would have never reached the place she did without having put forth everything she was able to and then some. Hours and hours of non-stop training. Sweat, blood, and tears. Your mother was as straight-laced as imaginable and some of us even thought that she just might be asexual. But then…
"Imagine my surprise when she came to me, after having vanished for a few months without a semblance of where she was, with a big belly and a body covered in wounds."
Adam stayed silent, keenly listening to Cecilia's words.
"I wondered what could have possibly happened to her. Had she been forced? Did she fall in love? Was it just the result of a casual fling? She never gave me an answer no matter how I asked, she just needed a place to hide."
"I was beyond appalled by her condition but more than anything I could not understand her decision. No matter how bad it looked, Musashi would have never rejected his daughter because of her early pregnancy. So, of course, I refused but it was then that she revealed to me who your father was."
She gave a bitter laugh full of melancholy, "Cain the Cursed. Cain the Sinner. He is like the bogeyman. The one whose name is used to scare children. That man is the number one enemy of the world. The most wanted man in all of history."
She took Adam's hands in hers and looked at him deeply in the eyes.
"Adam. You must swear to me. No matter what happens. You must never let anyone know your true origin. We will need to think of an excuse for any power you might have. But, never…ever…let anyone else know that you are a Primogenitor. At the very least not before you are able to stand on your own feet and fear no one in the world."
The intensity and the desperate feelings laced in her voice were like nothing he had ever heard from his strong and invincible mother. Adam understood then that he had been right in being cautious and waiting to speak with his mother before doing anything else.
"Just how bad is it?"
"The world has changed, you know. There are laws and regulations and even hunting innocent supernatural creatures is frowned upon in most places and outright forbidden in others. But a new Primogenitor is different. Many will try to kill you. Others will try to manipulate you. A smaller percentage will try to experiment on you."
A new Primogenitor meant the possible advent of a new race. The status quo that had been barely attained after many sacrifices and uncountable years of bloodshed would be nullified like it never even existed in the first place.
"Is this why you wished that I would never awaken?"
"Promise me first."
He closed his eyes. In the first place, would revealing his identity give him any advantages? He believed not. At least, as of now, he did not have the information necessary to make that judgment.
But he did not wish to close all avenues so easily. As such, his decision was inevitable, "I promise that if I ever want to reveal my identity to anyone, I will come to ask you first."
Cecilia hesitated a little before finally relenting and taking a step back. "You really became cheeky, haven't you? Even going as far as to negotiate with your own mother."
"Heh, I learned from the best."
"You did, didn't you?"
The two smiled. Even though so many things were revealed, Cecilia was happy to see that there was no sense of distance between the two of them.
Still, Cecilia felt sad and tired. Her explanation had been extremely disjointed. Jumping from one topic to another without a clear correlation.
She had so much she wished to say and share with him right now. But it felt like all her thoughts came to a screeching halt and all she could do was speak gibberish.
Still… There was one thing she needed to say no matter what.
"Adam…"
"Yes?"
"I am sorry."
"Why the sudden apology, mom?"
Adam was quite surprised. Cecilia was a very proud woman and she was not the kind to put herself down like this.
Furthermore, he felt no anger towards her. Doing so would be the height of hypocrisy.
Cecilia had been a young woman herself when she suddenly had to raise a child that wasn't her own.
The child of a monster that was chased by the entire world.
She could have killed him while he was a baby and she would have still been hailed as a hero. She could have also simply abandoned him.
But she did neither. She raised him alone. Went into hiding, leaving everything behind her. Gave him love, food and a shelter and always treated him like he was her own flesh.
Adam could not even begin to imagine how much she must have suffered for him.
She might not have been perfect but she was the best in his eyes and would always be.
Cecilia looked up at the scenery through the window with melancholy, "If I had been more courageous, I would have accepted your other side and trained you sooner rather than try to fight your true nature. I vainly thought I could change your Destiny."
"Haha. That woman was right, in the end… I simply pushed back the inevitable."
Shd gave a bleak laugh and looked at her hands, "I taught you how to fight and also forced you to learn some basic mythology. Half-assed measures that showed my hesitation. But this ends now."
Her eyes were filled with determination. "In order to make sure you survive, I will teach you everything I know. I hope you are ready for that, my dear son."
Seeing her fierce smile, Adam had a foreboding that he would not like what was about to follow. But did he really have a choice?
"...I am ready."
What didn't kill you made you stronger… Right?
CH 45: CRAZY PLAN
At the center of Los Angeles, in a large building that solely belonged to her firm, Shuri could be seen working as she typed away on her computer.
Her expression was extremely focused and her room was filled with a plethora of documents she needed to review and approve with her signature.
As she was the leader and the highest shareholder of the company, she could not take too much time off and had to be quite careful with each and every one of her tasks and decisions.
"Madam, you are receiving a call."
"I already told you to ignore all calls when I am working."
"It's a call from the hospital."
Shuri immediately shifted her attention to her secretary.
"Transfer the call."
[Hello, we are calling you about…]
Shuri had been really worried at first, thinking about why she was being called by the hospital authorities. She was wondering if anything had happened to Cecilia and thus the call to inform her of the bad news. But the more she heard from the other side, the more incredulous she became at the absurdity that was registering in her ears.
When the doctor finally hung up, Shuri sighed and began searching for something to cure the headache she was feeling.
This mother-son pair would really be the death of her. They even acted in the same way by leaving the hospital early.
She opened her phone and debated on what she should do.
If she were to be honest, she wanted to call her dear friend and scream her throat out. But even friends had limits that should not be crossed.
Moreover, Cecilia was not a child. Far from it, in fact. If she decided to be discharged then it meant that it was the best decision in her opinion.
She knew how stubborn her longtime friend could be and knew that shouting would just be a waste of time and energy on her part.
In the end, she decided to send a simple message to her, showing her concern.
[Be careful and take care of your health.]
She decided that she would shout at her after getting a little drunker, having the mentality to scream her lungs out, and doing so face to face.
Chuckling quietly, she once again focused on the innumerable stacks of never-ending paperwork.
She was currently holding the draft for Adam and Natasha's internship contact.
It was pretty standard, all things considered, but she decided to increase the salary to the limit possible for an intern.
This was one of the subtle ways she thought up to help them. She had long since understood that such an indirect approach was much more interesting than doing something straightforward.
It was better to teach how to fish than to simply hand over a fish on a silver platter. As long as Adam wished, the door of her firm would always be open for him.
'Well, let's continue to work.'
She had already decided that she would retire early and enjoy her time away from the scenes.
She had no children, she hated her relatives and she would might divorce soon anyway.
She had already named Adam as her heir though she wanted to keep this as a surprise.
Him working here would be the first step for her to start transferring her legacy. Thankfully, Adam was a brillant student and she was sure he would be an even more brillant lawyer.
'I wonder what expression he will show when I tell him this.'
She just needed to finalize a few more paperwork and this would be done.
Taking her second phone, she began to send a message,
[Did you obtain the proof I asked?]
She didn't know yet if she wanted to go through the hassle of divorce. Even more so since it could impact negatively her company for a while.
But she was no young stupid girl. She was ready to play the loong game if necessary.
All she needed was a few proof for a good old blackmail.
—
Adam observed his mother as she put down her phone with a smile.
"So, what did she say?"
"Haha. Not much but I believe she must be seething in rage. I will have to cook something for her as an apology."
Cecilia smiled as she opened the door of their home.
"Hah… It feels good being home. Staying in the hospital is rather depressing."
She stretched her arms, showing her amazing curves to the world, and Adam felt like he could literally hear all her bones crack and pop.
"Are you sure that you will be alright?"
Adam had not been able to stop Cecilia from leaving the hospital and he was quite worried due to that.
Seeing her son worry so much for her, a smile unknowingly crept up her lips and she ruffled his hair, "Don't worry. I know my body better than anyone. As I said, my state won't deteriorate further. At least as long as I do not use Prana… Hmm. Now that I think about it… Do you know what Prana is?"
"I do."
"Okay. We will return to that later. Anyways, I am not in any danger as long as I don't use Prana too much."
Adam was skeptical about her words. So he couldn't help but ask, "So you're telling me that you don't need a new heart then?"
"Oh, I do. But it can wait."
Cecilia sighed out body had already surpassed the limits she could tread as a mere human. No normal human heart could ever help her recover from her damaged state. She would need the heart of a hunter. Someone with the 'gift'. The ability to open their heart chakra.
Sadly, hunters either lived too long or simply died by being killed and devoured by monsters. Intact hunters' hearts or any organs for that matter were literally priceless as they could be used as artifacts in some cases.
Hearing her explanation, Adam's eyes flickered slightly. It seemed like he still needed money, after all. A shit ton of it, in fact. But, at the same time, a particular idea began to grow in the back of his mind.
He slowly touched his chest, stroking it as he ruminated over the possibilities.
'Well, I will need to think deeply about this matter later.'
It would be painful and would perhaps even fail.
But…If it succeeded, it would be really worth it.
CH 46: ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS
Once they finally reached the living room of their apartment, Cecilia plopped down on the sofa with a relaxed sigh.
"Why did you want to leave the hospital in such a hurry?"
"Ugh… I wouldn't have minded staying there longer initially. But I had no choice but to leave."
She shook her head, "I told you I had a sister, right? She was there in the hospital. I don't want her to find us for now. At least not before we get our story straight."
She covered her eyes with her hands. Years of lies and secrets were suddenly being undone so fast that it was overwhelming her.
In the first place what the hell was her sister even doing in LA? Last she remembered, her sister had been named a Director not long ago. Those higher-ups shouldn't be allowed to move so freely in other countries.
Even Cecilia had to hide her identity and stay low when she entered America.
Adam's eyes widened a little in surprise. He remembered the people he had passed by when he reached the hospital. He had not inspected the red-haired woman, but the silver-haired young girl's name was too coincidental…
"I think I have met them already."
Adam explained what happened to Cecilia. She seemed surprised when he mentioned his ability to see names and races but her surprise was even greater when he spoke of Makoto Kaminari and her alias of Lightning Blade.
"I do not remember anyone going by the name of Makoto. I guess many things have changed in the years that I have spent fleeing. For her to have that title, she should be pretty strong. Hmmm. By the way, what do you see when you look at me?"
Adam tilted his head, "Wait a second."
He now noticed that he hadn't even tried to gaze at her situation. He was now pretty curious about what her status would be like.
[Name: Cecilia Kaminari/Gospel
Affiliation: Mei Kaminari
Alias: Mad Hound; Destroyer; Vermillon Knight.
Race: Human
Age: 43
Stats: Unable to showcase due to the low proficiency of the skill…]
Adam's eye twitched a little after gazing at the information that popped up in his head. The title Vermillion Knight seemed pretty cool, all things considered. But… What was up with the other two?
Cecilia grinned a little when he told her what he saw.
"Haha. Let's just say that mom was also quite the rebel when she was young."
She stood up and began to walk in circles around Adam. "I need you to tell me everything that happened to you during those two days. Absolutely everything. From your meeting with the librarian to what kind of power you awakened. We will move from there. You need to be very careful about that woman."
"Is she an enemy?"
Cecilia chortled after hearing his words, "This is exactly the problem. No one knows what she wants. Nor what her ultimate goal is."
She scratched her hair in frustration, "The librarian, as we call her, is a mysterious figure. We believe that she had in hand in pushing the development of humanity greatly. Whenever a great figure of science or any other discipline appears, there was a high chance of her influencing it.
"But why? Why does she help humanity? What does she gain from it? Is it just fun for her? If so, what would she do if she gets bored? All of this makes us extremely wary of her."
She finally stopped walking in circles, as she had managed to get her thoughts in place. "Back then when your mother gave birth to you and… Anyway. I was able to enter the Akashic records. I do not know why or how it happened. But she proposed a deal to me. A way to stop you from awakening and staying human all your life. You would not have to suffer from a curse. Would not become the enemy of the world. You could have a peaceful and normal life far from the blood and death-filled world that you were…are destined to."
She shrugged. "I was pretty desperate I guess? I don't know. I wasn't really in a good state of mind after seeing Lady Mei pass on. But it doesn't really matter."
Adam stayed silent. Cecilia was 43 years old. She was only 22 years old when she was suddenly given the responsibility to take care of a child that was not her own and in fact, was the son of a monster. Moreover, said child was even the cause of the death of someone she respected.
Cecilia though did not try to fall into endless excuses. "So I made a bet on my life. I used my Heart Chakra to seal your powers. But then I realized how stupid I was."
She shook her head, "Every year… On the day of your birth at exactly Midnight… The curse would fight back."
Adam thought back to how Cecilia would always fall sick around this time of the year.
"As if that wasn't enough. Providence itself seemed to want your awakening. As supernatural and evil creatures would appear during that time as if attracted by your existence."
He remembered how she always disguised as a knight and would swear that her duty was to protect him.
"So I fought. I just had to hold on for 21 years. As long as your 21st anniversary went by without any accidents, it would have been enough for you to stay humans forever at the price of definitely losing all my powers."
But,
"The mind was willing but the body was too weak to make it a reality."
She could not fight destiny.
"In the end, as she said to me all those years ago, all my effort were for naught."
Adam looked down with guilt apparent in his eyes but Cecilia just caressed his head with gentle motions, "Don't feel down. I guess in this case I was the dumb one. I cannot help but think. What if I simply told you the truth? What if I gave you a choice? It was one thing when you were too young but as you grew older I should have shared things with you. It is your life, in the end."
Sadly she did not.
"I was arrogant. I believed I could protect your everyday life without ever worrying you. I wished that you would stay ignorant of the truth and live in the blissfulness of ignorance."
Sadly, bliss born from ignorance could never change reality. Her desire to protect him was in the end what doomed all her efforts.
Adam closed his eyes and uttered after taking a deep breath to control all the emotions he felt at this moment.
"Why 21 years exactly?"
He was curious.
"She told me that it was the time of a Journey."
'Hah…'
Adam understood right there and then that his mother had no chance from the very beginning. As it has been a rigged game from the very start.
Twenty one. The journey from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World.
It seemed like everything had been in the palm of her hands from the very beginning.
Adam sighed out loud, "I guess it's time for me to tell you everything on my side."
—and so Adam spoke. Giving the whole truth for the first time. To the only person, he could depend on in the entire world.
CH 47: A MOTHER LOVE
Once he finished with his story, Adam had to admit that he felt incredibly refreshed. Having been forced to lie to everyone had been incredibly hard for him and was taking a toll on his mind. He was glad that he now had someone he could share his troubles with.
Of course, he omitted the part about working as a Gigolo. Lying by omission was not really a lie, after all… Right?
He also did not talk about what happened with Sae. This was a personal event that transpired between two consenting adults and he didn't feel the need to share it with anyone else.
Cecilia meanwhile pondered after hearing Adam's side of the story. Soon she nodded before speaking, "Good job not telling anything to the police. Now we can work on another version to give to them. In fact, ideally, just talk gibberish. Anyways, that's Shuri's job and she is far better at this than me."
"As for Yui. I wanted you to keep your distance from her but well I guess this is also fate. Either way, the Feng family is pretty renowned in the Hunter world. Smaller than the Kaminari family, of course. But still not bad."
She nodded to herself as if coming to a sudden realization, "If I remember right, you are also friendly with that girl from the Hanekawa family, right?"
It seemed true at this moment that Adam had really been destined to never escape his fate.
"Well. Let's see. I will give you a proposal and you will tell me what you think about it. After all, it's your powers and the final decisions are ultimately in your hands."
Cecilia realized that she had been used by the Librarian all this time. Clearly, she needed someone to push away Adam's awakening for the last 21 years and she had been the perfect pawn to make that happen.
Even so, the power of Genesis and the access to the library were simply too useful to throw away.
What Adam lacked the most currently was time and that Book he wielded gave him the time he needed.
'Once again, it seems pretty intentional.'
But the reason she did not feel any hostility for the Librarian yet was because…in the end…everything was her own fault.
If she had talked to the Kaminari family.
If she had told Adam the truth.
There were so many possible ways the current situation could have been changed and even might have been made better.
But it didn't matter right now. There was nothing wrong with thinking of the past but one should not forget to move forward in the end.
"Firstly, when facing anyone from the supernatural world you will present yourself as a Shaman. I believe this is the easiest way."
"Shaman?"
"Saints, Apostle, Witches, Shamans, Spiritualists, Demon Summoners. No matter how you name them… They are simply people who obtained power from celestial supernatural creatures by signing a contract with them and paying an adequate price for it."
Cecilia waved her hand and showed the number two with her fingers. There were two types of humans who handled supernatural powers.
Hunters were humans born with the gift and the power to open the Heart Chakra.
But some humans could obtain power by signing contracts with powerful entities.
"Honestly those guys are a pain in the ass to handle and they caused many wars to happen because of the different doctrines they preached but whatever… What matters is that we have all the elements we need."
Cecilia may have retired but she knew the rules of how the supernatural world functioned. Since a crazy vampire was going around, soon many others would act to put him down for good and they would inevitably make contact with Adam.
"You survived an attack against a supernatural being. Opened your eyes to the Veil and signed a contract with the spirits or gods."
"If they ask for a name?"
"They won't. Most people don't give the name of the entity they signed a contract with since it would give others the opportunity to make research and understand their powers. Of course, that is only for those who signed with minor deities."
There existed thousands of gods, spirits, and the like.
"Thankfully, despite your power, you do not exhibit any particular inhuman trait. Shining eyes are not something special. Though things might become problematic when your physical body starts surpassing the human limit. We can still bluff a little here and there."
It wasn't the most ideal case, however. Spiritualists were not particularly well appreciated by hunters in general. Many considered them to be traitors to humanity or even whores as they sold their bodies and souls to unknown entities.
It didn't help that most spiritualists ended up causing great problems after they lost their minds.
Humans could not comprehend the mind of celestial beings and trying to do so generally ended pretty badly.
It was only after the Christian church started signing contracts with some angels that the stigma calmed down a little. But it never really died down.
She had hoped to hide until Adam became a full-fledged human and bring him to his rightful home as the Heir of the Kaminari family. But the reality was what it was and now she could only adapt.
Since her sister was in the vicinity and Adam had seen the new inheritor of the Lightning Blade title, Cecilia knew that she could not flee anymore nor did she even wish to flee once again.
It was time for the reckoning and she would accept her punishment, whatever it may be.
But not before making sure that Adam would be able to stand in this dangerous world without her presence.
She stood up. "Let's go to the basement."
They had talked enough. It was time to train.
She already had a good plan in mind.
"We lack time. The training I gave you in the past is not really adaptable for your current strength and you obviously have no experience dealing with supernatural beings."
There was so much they needed to do yet so little time to spare.
"So this is where the Library will play a role. Ask that book if the bronze section contains anything that can create skills related to Martial arts or weapon manipulation."
"Genesis."
[The bronze section contains most information that can be easily obtained in the current time and with the current technology of humanity.]
He explained this to Cecilia as they began walking down the stairs.
"Perfect... The next time you enter, try searching for any skills that can be useful for your current situation. You should focus on obtaining more eye techniques or more martial art techniques. You don't need to learn everything. Just enough to engrave them in your book and come back to reality."
"I see. So you want me to abuse the time dilation as much as possible."
"Bingo."
"But…"
Adam frowned a little but then shook his head, "Forget it."
"Adam…" Cecilia stopped and looked him in the eyes.
"I know what you are scared about."
Adam had not delved too much into the details but clearly, the longer he stayed in the Library the more his physical body was affected.
"I have been training all my life like I was about to die the next second. Broken bones and visits to the hospital were commonplace. But I have never died. I cannot even begin to imagine how it must have felt and how scary it must be for you every time you go through that scenario."
She could certainly give some grand speech about him gritting his teeth and holding on for a better future.
But she hated uttering such light words.
"Everything I say is nothing but my own advice. I realized that you are not a child anymore. You have the right to make your own decisions. But every right gives birth to a corresponding duty."
She pinched his nose. She could still remember the toddler who would giggle when she played with him like this. But now that small toddler was a young man who could think for himself and make his own decisions in life.
"For every choice you make. You must be ready for the consequences. Just be sure to never regret those decisions."
She gave a smile but inwardly what she thought was totally different from what she showed.
It didn't matter what decision Adam took and what consequences came from them.
As long as she had the strength to do so… She would always be on his side and even if the sky itself was falling, she would hold it for him. All for her beloved son.
This is what it means to be a mother in her opinion. Without such resolve, no one is allowed to call themselves a mom.
"Now then Adam. Show me your power. Show me [The World]..."
CH 48: CLUMSY
[The World]
The power he discovered after reaching enlightenment up to the second Chakra— the Crown Chakra. As of now the abilities he could wield were severely limited if spoken plainly.
"So something similar to telekinesis and a full awareness of your surroundings? How intriguing…"
After Adam finished giving an overview of his powers, Cecilia mused out loud.
"Are those powers rare in the Supernatural side of the world?"
"Rare? The more accurate thing to say would be that… They don't exist in the first place. The power to manipulate physical force with your mind like this… At the very least, I have no knowledge of anyone who can use their mind like you seem to do."
She smiled and cracked her fingers, "Okay. I have an idea. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Focus. This will be your first lesson."
She flashed him a toothy grin,
"There are three steps when using Chakra for humans. The first step is known as reinforcement."
Outwardly, no change seemed to have happened when she spoke those words.
"Since your ability, The World, can feel the energy and even go through the barrier of solid objects like the walls, then use it on me and try to get a feel of the flow of my energy."
Adam tilted his head slightly in confusion. He was not able to understand what she was trying to do here. Nonetheless, he soon did as he was told.
Closing his eyes, he opened the locks— shackles binding his chakra and limiting his body.
Immediately the world started to feel right once again. As though he had finally entered where he truly belonged to. He could feel his strength and all his senses sharpening greatly and following this, he used the skill he had recently achieved by gaining enlightenment.
His senses began to spread outwards as information began to fill up his brain, slowly but surely overwhelming him.
Cecilia looked all around her as soon as Adam's power was deployed. She could faintly feel as though she was being observed from all directions at the same moment. It was as though she was being observed by an omniscient being.
It was a rather interesting sensation. It reminded her of the power that the top-class vampires could wield but in a purer than anything she had ever come across.
"How far can your domain reach right now?"
"I think around twenty meters is my limit."
"Contract it. The larger it is, the more information you will receive in your brain. So make it smaller. Try maintaining an area of 2 or 3 meters in diameter for now. We will then continue to adjust until we find the right distance that suits your abilities to the max."
Adam took a deep breath and slowly, very slowly, began to retract his domain as he was told by her mother and current instructor.
Slowly, the burden on his mind diminished and the things he could observe became so lifelike that he felt like his eyes were open and not closed as they were.
"What distance?"
"Five meters."
"Good. Now focus on me and tell me what you see. What do you feel with that ability of yours, my son."
Adam took a few steps so that Cecilia was now in his range and slowly began to mute out all other sensations as he focused purely on her body.
The movement of her eyes, the twitching of her lips, the tightening of her muscles. He slowly began to get used to all of the outward reactions that her body was making and went deeper to feel what was underneath.
He was momentarily embarrassed as he was suddenly able to 'See' her ravishing body below the clothes but he did not let that momentary sense of shame bother him and focused even more on accomplishing the task he was given.
'It's here…'
Finally… He seemed to have broken through some kind of limit, a barrier of sorts in simple words, and his vision opened wide as it went past her skin and observed the interior of her body.
"I…"
[The Third Eye and the Crown Chakra answer in Synergy to The World.]
[Birth of a new skill— Eyes of Perception]
[Eyes of Perception
Description: A skill that allows the wielder to see past the spectrum of what is known to be humanly possible. You are now able to see past buildings, clothes, and skins and even observe the flow of Chakra in an individual as you wish.
Rank: C]
[Eyes of Perception synergizes and is now assimilated with the Eyes of Truth]
[As the Eyes of Perception was partially created due to the use of The World. The Eyes of Truth can now be used in conjunction with The World…]
"Oh my…"
Adam was quite surprised by this abrupt yet welcoming outcome. He did not think that he would manage to get a new skill like this. He was feeling joyous at this sudden stroke of luck.
"What happened?"
Seeing the expression of surprise and subtle joy etched on Adam's face, after he looked up at the air, Cecilia was quite curious about what might have happened for his sudden reaction.
"Haha, you are really incredible."
Adam laughed as he began to explain what happened for him to be in such a joyous mode. "Was it what you were pursuing?"
"Hmmm… To be honest I was thinking that it would be possible. Though I didn't think it would create a skill like this."
She shook her head, "With just those two skills alone. As long as you can increase the rank of your Eyes of Truth, you could become the greatest spy to have ever existed in history. Your information-gathering skills are already top-notch."
Cecilia grinned proudly. Even though it was Adam's powers, there was no way she wouldn't be happy to see that her son was so talented and could generate such great skills.
"There is also another important point. Now we know that you can create and generate new skills on your own. You should strive to create as many skills as possible by yourself. After all, Genesis ultimately does not truly belong to you."
Adam had his own powers and while Genesis was useful in helping him open the Seven Main Chakras and protect him from most of the bindings of the curse, one should never be entirely dependent on someone else. Much less an entity with unknown goal.
"Anyway, since you obtained that skill why not try using them right now…."
Adam smiled and activated the Eyes of Truth. Looking at Cecilia's internal body, he could see many vein-like arteries coursing throughout her body.
He described what he could see her which was promptly responded with a nod from her, "Those are the minor Chakra. Now follow my lead and focus."
The beats of her heart slowly started accelerating and under his observation, a subtle green-colored energy left her Heart Chakra point and flowed through all her minor Chakra in a set path before coming back to her heart once more.
At that moment, he felt like a flower was opening in that point.
Once there, the energy started spinning faster and faster and the result made way for an even faster circulation. At the same time, it also created an incredible spectacle for Adam who was seeing something like this for the very first time.
"What do you see?"
Once he explained what happened from his perspective, she smiled brightly,
"Oh? You can even see the color, huh? Good. Anyway. As you can see, for us hunters, the Heart Chakra is like a motor. In the same way, the heart itself helps blood to circulate, it helps Prana circulate in our body.
Reinforcement is the most basic skill for a hunter and at the same time the most important use of Prana for us. It's the only way for us frail humans to face monsters like vampires or shapeshifters without being completely helpless."
She rose her foot before stepping hard on the ground, causing the place to shake a bit as she literally left her footprint on the concrete below.
"Thanks to reinforcement. Even a weak and ill woman like me can hit harder than the strongest human could ever hope to. This is the beauty of Prana."
Cecilia explained calmly. But she could not hide the proud smile from gracing hjer lips as she informed Adam of her capabilities.
Having to hide her power from Adam all this time had not been easy for her and was constantly taking its toll. But now, she could enjoy showing off a little to her son and see him admiring her for who she really was.
How could she be unhappy in such a situation?
"Hmmm… Mom?"
"Yes? Do you have any questions? My display was pretty impressive, right?"
"Huh…Well, yes it was. But the problem is…. I think you broke a pipe."
Cecilia looked down as water slowly started to rise from the hole she made during her display of strength.
"Heh…*Ahem* *Cough* It was intentional. I need you to understand that using your powers could be quite dangerous so you need to be careful when doing so. Haha."
She finished her sentence with a somewhat awkward laugh.
"Is that so?"
Adam gave her a half-lidded look and all Cecilia could do was look away, not being able to face the judging gaze of her son.
"I was lying."
In the end, she could only relent under the judgmental look that her precious son was throwing at him unhinged.
"*Sigh* I am going to bring a mop and cut the flow of water."
Adam realized now why she had the alias of [Destroyer]. He wondered just how much destruction she usually wrought while fighting her enemies.
CH 49: THIS IS GOING TO HURT
After a rather embarrassing interruption, from Cecilia's side, the mother and son duo found themselves back on track with their discussion.
"Okay. *Ahem* Any questions so far?"
"I do have one, actually. All supernatural creatures can use Prana, right? If so what advantage do humans even have? If they can also use reinforcement then there would be no hope for humans, right?"
"Heh…"
Cecilia grinned after hearing Adam's plausible words. She promptly replied to clear out his confusion, "Before answering your question, I need to first point out that you are making one simple mistake. Humans can hardly match Supernatural Creatures of equal level. However, you see… We are called Hunters. Not fighters or brawlers or anything else.
"We don't fight them as equals. We hunt them. Ambush. poison, gang fights, weapons, anything you can name… Everything is fair game for us at the end of the day if we are able to hunt our targets. The best hunters aren't actually the strongest, but those who know how to exploit all the weaknesses available to them of their prey."
She smiled and explained further, "For example, all our weapons are always covered in a thin layer of silver. Not only that, but we also have legendary weapons created by using the remains of powerful creatures. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi that your mother wielded is an example of that. You could also include legendary and mythical weapons like Excalibur or Balmung into this category."
Adam's eyes shone the more he heard his mother speak. He was getting really interested in this right now, "So King Arthur and Siegfried were actually hunters?"
"Oh, Adam. I have so so much to teach you."
She shook her head and dispelled all the regrets she was feeling right now for her past decisions. As long as one was alive, it was never too late to redeem themselves and right any wrongs.
"Anyways, as I said weaponry is an integral part of the reason why we are able to fight those Supernatural Creatures. But of course, that wouldn't be enough for us to really triumph. No matter how powerful a weapon is, if the disparity between the hunter and the creature is too great then it would be useless.
"Thankfully— Supernatural creatures cannot use Reinforcement or rather they can do so but it's so inefficient that they simply don't. They do not have the Heart Chakra after all. As you may have surmised already, the Heart Chakra is absolutely essential for one to master the ability of Reinforcement."
What followed was a rather simple explanation that anyone would be able to understand, but it was important knowledge nonetheless. All Chakra had a specific role and only Celestial Supernatural creatures at the level of gods were able to open all of the 114 Chakras as they were born as the perfect being.
But for the others it was different.
"The three ways of using Prana are Reinforcement, Cladding, and Emission. Those main types also have subtypes but, in the end, everything comes down to those three methods. We humans, thanks to the Heart Chakra, are very good at Reinforcement. Less so in the art of Cladding.
"Most Earthly supernatural creatures are pretty good at Cladding and completely surpass us at the art of Emission.
"After years of research. There are two things that we noticed. One– they never have the Heart Chakra unlocked and two— they always have their Solar Plexus Chakra, also called Manipura or in simpler words, The Core unlocked."
She groaned as she remembered this fact and subsequently informed him in an annoyed voice, "Honestly. That Chakra point is a literal cheat. It isn't an engine like the Heart Chakra but rather a great container that can hold a large quantity of Prana at once."
Once she pointed at Adam she spoke in a slightly leveled tone. "Now there is you."
"You do not have a Heart Chakra. So you cannot strengthen your body efficiently. You don't have the Core Chakra, so your reserve of Prana is also shit. You aren't a real shaman either so you cannot use the energy of a superior entity. As if that wasn't enough. Because of the curse, your body cannot surpass the limits of humanity."
The more she spoke, the heavier her tone became, "From what I know, none of the other Primogenitors were born with the Curse of Cain. If you did not have Genesis and had awakened as you were… I don't really know what would have happened to you."
At the end of the day, The curse that was placed on Cain was a punishment. Not a way for him to become stronger.
The goal was pretty simple, all things considered. Reducing all the capacity of the fleshly body to that of a mortal but giving an Eternal Life with no end in return.
She clapped her hands to clear out the gloomy aura, "Thankfully, that isn't the case. You have opened something much much better in a certain way."
She pointed at his forehead before continuing her speech. "The Crown Chakra. I guess we can call it lucky in a way?"
"What makes you say so?"
"Humans have studied the chakra in order to better understand our target and find a way to become stronger. All Chakra are complementary see? But The Crown? Heh, it gives you the ability to constantly absorb Prana from nature itself."
—
After Cecilia finished her lecture, she began to give directions for his future training.
Firstly, the fact of the matter was that Adam could endlessly absorb Prana from the world and that was a great advantage for him to utilize. In a way, it meant that his Prana was basically endless. But of course, nothing was ever so easy and convenient.
For one, he was limited by his own upper limit of Prana and the limits of his physical body.
It was decided that for the third Chakra, he was going to open, Adam should choose to unlock the Manipura or The Core. Doing so would give him an immediate great boost in maximum output.
The second thing they needed to take into account was using his ability – [The World] – to its fullest potential. It was decided that Adam would now spend most of his time completely blindfolded when training and even in his everyday life as long as he was at home.
The goal was for him to completely adapt to the sensations of moving by using the information he received from his skill.
Not only that, he would have to use his Eyes of Truth at the same time to constantly identify different objects not only at the surface level but also in depth. This would not only rise the proficiency of his skill but as long as Adam became used to this way of doing, even if he was surrounded he would always be able to obtain the maximum possible and subvert any danger as long as he was physically able to do so.
Once Adam became used to this, they would accelerate their training regime by running and even fighting while blindfolded.
Adam had been pretty skeptical about this. But when he saw her avoid all his punches with her eyes closed, he wisely decided to shut up and listen to the professional.
Learning to fight in the dark was a necessary form of training for Hunters at a high level. After all, Earthly Supernatural creatures generally moved during the night when they had all the advantages for them.
Of course, there were limits to this training. There was only so much humans could do without their eyes. But he, in fact, did not have such limitations. He basically had a 360° vision alongside X-ray vision and would add more to the list when he absorbs more sensory-type abilities.
For him, becoming a master at this training was a necessity. She wished that at least in the 5-meter diameter of his domain, no one would ever be able to take him by surprise.
After finishing all those explanations, Cecilia sighed, "To begin all this, we need one prerequisite to make this training as efficient as possible."
Her voice was low as she spoke in a strained tone, "We need to open your minor Chakras to start the circulations of Prana."
Opening the Chakra was a very painful experience for all individuals. It was like piercing open parts of their bodies that had been intentionally closed.
Some Hunters even compared this to the pain of childbirth. Cecilia never had a child of her own but she definitely would never forget the first time she learned the Breathing Technique of the Kaminari clan.
The worst thing was that one couldn't even use sedatives and they couldn't faint either.
"For humans to learn Prana circulation, many sacrifices were necessary as the slightest mistake during the opening could make you a cripple or outright kill you. After years and years, the circulations techniques are now very diversified and perfected.
"But here is the problem… You do not have the Heart Chakra so no Breathing Technique in existence is suitable for you as of now. The only way is— to open all your Chakra one after another by yourself."
Adam closed his eyes in resignation.
The body was composed of 114 Chakras— 107 minor ones and 7 Major Chakras.
Opening all the Chakra points by force?
Then he would have a high chance of dying more than one hundred times to complete this ordeal.
CH 50: DEATH IS THE ONLY WAY
Adam was currently sitting alone in the basement of their home. Cecilia was still very much tired and he did not wish for her to see what would happen next to him.
It was a sight no mother would ever want to witness happening to her son, after all. He did not wish to burden his mother further by letting her watch this ensuing grueling scene.
At the end of the day. Cecilia was not all-knowing and there were limits to the information she could provide to him.
Adam knew that he had another choice, in fact. He could take the easy way out and farm Karma to unlock all of his minor Chakras.
It would take some time. After all, without any active ordeals, be they minor or major ordeals, he only managed to get a few dozen points of Karma from Sae.
If he decided to focus for a few days, have sex regularly with Sae, or even call a few call girls and invoke their surfaces he might be able to reach his goal eventually.
Was Adam really disdainful of the easy way out? Disdainful to become a lustful man that would have no bottom and fuck girls left and right?
No. Not at all. The choice was between fucking a bunch of hot girls non-stop for a few days or dying and suffering in pain and unthinkable agony over and over again for more than a hundred times maybe more. It all depended if he could really open the Chakra points in one go or not.
The choice was a no-brainer truly. Anyone with a sane and functional mind would choose the former and discard the latter.
Sadly, there was a teensy weensy bit problem with choosing the easy way out.
[The next Chakra that should be opened is the Vishuddha —Throat Chakra, to be clear. The three upper Chakras… The Throat, Third Eye, and The Crown are a set. They represent the Spiritual Plane. The result will greatly boost the strength of your Soul and allow you to stay far longer in the Library. It will also boost all your spiritual type skills too and enhance the other members of the set.]
Genesis had already told him that each time he used Karma to open a Chakra, the next one would cost exponentially more.
So he had to cherish the opportunity he was given and set it aside for opening up the major Chakras.
This also meant that… He was left with the hard choice with no other way out.
"What is the price to open the second Chakra? and is there a way to obtain the Throat Chakra by myself as I did with the Crown Chakra?"
Since he had opened the Crown Chakra by himself already, the price to open the next Chakra was still the same.
If he could continue like this, it would be really helpful for him.
[It was a freak accident born from synergy with your innate attribute The Origin. As long as you are ready to risk losing your mind once again. You can do as you like.]
Death of the body or death of the Soul. A tough choice, after all.
Adam knew he could recover from the former without any side effects but the latter was much trickier. He did not wish to lose his sense of self and he did not want to gamble that he would be able to keep himself awake while swimming in the mind of some supernatural entities.
He also remembered the benevolent smile Buddha gave him at the end. If the Celestial Supernatural creatures could be aware of his presence, he couldn't always bet on hitting the jackpot and hope that it would be someone who wouldn't try harming him.
[As for the price. The first time we opened The Third Eye Chakra it cost 1000 Karma. The second Chakra opening will cost 10 000 Karma.]
Adam took a deep breath and immediately scrapped all plans about farming with sex alone.
When he did so with Sae, he only obtained 40 Karma. Without counting the rewards from the quest.
Even if he was able to double his earnings and reach for 80 Karma per day, he would need 125 days of nonstop sex for him to reach the threshold to unlock his second Chakra with Karma.
[The additional Karma rewards based on Lust are calculated from the number of times you made your partner reach Nirvana. 10 karma for each time.]
"Nirvana? You mean orgasms?"
Thinking about it like this made him laugh a little and helped him relax.
"I guess we are back to square one."
He sighed and closed his eyes, spreading all his senses before focusing them outward.
At first, it was quite complicated but slowly he became able to shift his view to a makeshift version of the third-person perspective.
Something akin to an out-of-body experience that you would usually have the sense of witnessing in a horror movie or some supernatural genre-based animes.
Once this happened… He then began to look at his own body, using the perception skill Eyes of Truth.
Since he could observe the body of others there was no reason he could not do the same for him and indeed, as he had expected, he was able to observe the closed Chakras in his body.
The difference between his Chakra and those of Cecilia's was quite clear even at a first glance. If her Chakra felt like a beautiful river filled with water, his were more like a completely dried-up river in the desert.
The good thing was that…with this alone, he had an overwhelming advantage compared to anyone else. After all, he doubted many people could see their own innards and become aware of their circulation of energy.
'Okay, Adam, you can do it.'
Learning How to Breath
One of the books that the mysterious woman had given to him back at the start of all this.
Breathing here did not just refer to breathing oxygen or the breathing techniques that were used by Humans to operate their Chakra.
It was simply a basic way to slowly feel the Prana in the air and absorb it with his body.
Adam had been in quite a bit of a hurry when reading this book the first time around he had read it in the Library, but the more he paid attention the more he realized that this technique was different from what he had initially thought of it to be.
It did not provide any special skills. It did not particularly make one stronger either. It simply helped in learning how to efficiently circulate Prana in the body in order to create a perpetual machine that would need no conscious thought for it to be operated. Kind of like an automaton.
The technique itself needed no particular Main Chakra so even a nonhuman entity without a heart Chakra could probably use it.
'This…'
The greatest advantage of this technique was that it could be upgraded to any breathing technique in the future with no problems.
For anyone else, this book would be useless. But it was perfectly suited for Adam.
But he was not surprised. Perhaps there was no one who could understand Adam's body more than that person.
He had been despairing at first, thinking he would have to poke around blindly.
But his situation was not so despairing anymore, after all.
'Okay, Adam you can do it.'
He had no other choice but to do it.
He inhaled deeply and then exhaled, repeating this movement deeply each time.
He slowly attuned his sense to the world around him and focused not on the flow of air but on the natural energy that was omnipresent in the air.
It was just a small strand of energy so he decided to gather a little bit more of it.
Once he was satisfied, he slowly started to breathe in, only this time – he was focused on the natural energy itself instead of breathing in air.
And as that energy slowly entered his body before reaching the first Chakra point around his head, he decided to open it first.
It was a mistake.
*Splat*
Thankfully for Adam… The death was instantaneous and without any pain.
CH 51: SECOND PIVOT
What didn't kill you only made you stronger.
This was a quote that was generally used to help people who were going through a difficult phase in their lives. Giving them the hope that there would be a better tomorrow as long as they held on and muscled through the tough times. Survival was the key motive here.
This quote could also be used for people who had specific goals that they wished to reach in life. By giving up on many pleasures of life and accepting the suffering the path towards their goals entailed, they could obtain a better future for themselves. Hard work and suffering in return for a smooth sailing tomorrow.
It was truly a beautiful quote with an equally beautiful teaching. It was a quote that showed humans the essence of survival and the rewards of perseverance.
But Adam realized that this quote had to be changed for him, an ever-resurrecting immortal that he was.
Death was the only way for him to become stronger. Even in death…he would only return as someone stronger and better so there was no other way for him to improve his powers.
"Fuck…"
Breathing roughly, Adam was lying down on the cold and hard ground with his whole body trembling from the agony she felt. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat and sticky blood.
He could not move his legs anymore and this was not even a metaphor. He literally couldn't move them.
By moving the Prana through his spine and attempting to open the minor pathways there, he had made a mistake and while he didn't die for doing that, he had lost all sensations in his lower body.
Should he say that this was a boon instead? The small light in the sea of bad things currently happening to him, since he could not receive any sensation now. This simply meant that he could not feel any pain. The soul-shivering pain that could make any veteran warrior piss their pants with tears and snot marring their faces.
"Hah…"
Just remembering the sensations of pain was enough to make his mind and body shiver. It was a completely inhumane experience.
The opening of the Chakra itself was painful but as if that wasn't enough, every time he made a mistake, he was able to find out just how fragile the human body truly was.
'Sigh…I should just kill myself now, I guess.'
If there was one thing good about this at least, it was that he did not fear death as much anymore… However, he wasn't quite sure whether this was a good thing for him or bad.
The first death during this training was caused by his head exploding, quite literally, in fact. He had used too much Prana when trying to open the Chakra pathway that was located in his head. He was thinking of doing it because he thought it would be easier since the Crown Chakra was already open.
Boy! He was wrong as he could be.
The ten or so following deaths were caused by the same reason. Thankfully by the 11th, he was able to get a hang of the amount of Prana necessary to open a pathway perfectly.
The Eleventh death was caused by blood loss after his right arm exploded due to a slight mistake in circulation.
The thirteenth death was him bursting the artery around his heart and dying due to a literal explosion of his heart.
His twentieth….
His thirtieth…
Every time, the cause was slightly different than the rest but the result was the same.
Death. Death. Death. Death. Death.
Again and again and again. Over and over again without seemingly any signs of an end.
If there was one good thing about this then it was that as long as he opened a Chakra, even if he died afterward, the Chakra would stay open.
Genesis explained that it was because his body always reconstructed itself into its peak state.
This was really good news for him. He didn't know how many more times he would have died without having this cheat skill.
The bad thing though, was that he understood that his little idea for his mother had to be scrapped or changed entirely.
Since he could die and come back to life, he had thought about using his heart once he opened the Heart Chakra and giving it to his mother so that it could be a replacement for her weakened heart.
Of course, he didn't know if they were compatible or if there was a problem with a woman using a man's heart.
But he had been stopped in a more fundamental place.
His resurrection seemed to always wipe away all traces of his death. No blood, no brain matter. No busted limbs or anything of the like.
His body was always spotlessly clean when he woke up from death.
'Sigh. I should try opening a few more before dying.'
Adam did not even realize how much his psyche had changed in the few moments he spent deep in this basement.
It was then that the Book opened and the pages turned until stopping at a specific point. Letters started appearing before him as the book of genesis started inscribing something in itself to reveal to him a new set of Pivots.
[Pivot: Acedia — A Sin Oh So Sweet—!
Description: Why suffer so much now when you can slowly push it back? Push back the opening of your Chakras and rest.
Reward: +500 karma]
[Pivot: Diligentia — A Virtue Oh So Tiring—!
Description: Grit your teeth and continue trudging on the grueling path.
Reward: +250 Karma]
[WARNING: Pivots are choices, important or unimportant at the instant, that might change the direction of the future ordeals given to you…]
Adam looked absentmindedly at the book before simply ignoring it.
He did not even need to ponder on his choice.
"I will continue."
'At least, I have not become completely crazy yet.'
Was it because of his C-rank willpower? After all, the D rank was the limit of humanity. He literally had supernatural willpower at his disposal.
This was perhaps the only reason he could still grit his teeth and continue this horrible experience.
Prana entered his body once again and like a needle, it pierced the next chakra point following his spine.
"Ugh! Argh!"
His eyes became bloodshot and blood flowed out from his mouth as the pain shot through his body.
People generally became used to resisting a certain threshold of pain as they grew older and went through more events during their lives.
A wound that would make a kid cry would only make an adult frown and professional fighters could take hits without even flinching.
But for Adam, the pain he felt was basically soul deep. There was no getting used to it. All he could do was do his best to stifle his screams as much as possible.
'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'
The pain was simply too much to bear. But even though he wished to stop, even though he simply wanted to take a pause and breathe a little, he knew he could not.
He did not even try to think about the sweet temptation the book was offering him.
Right now, he was entirely working on adrenaline. He did not think that he would have the courage necessary to start something like this again if he really stopped now.
Acedia or sloth in Latin. He knew very well that once you found an excuse to push something back, you would find a new excuse the next time around.
Again and again. Always saying tomorrow. Always thinking that you had time. Even though time was the most precious commodity for humans.
A limited non-renewable resource that humans have always chased after.
The pain he felt now was only momentary. The blood, sweat, and tears that flowed now were necessary if he wished to not become a burden for his mother in the future.
Saying I would do it tomorrow was equal to saying I would never do it.
He did not wish to ever again be in a situation where all he could do was die helplessly because of the whims of someone else.
He wanted to become rich. He wanted to become powerful. He wanted to obtain as much knowledge as possible.
All of this was means to an end — Living happily far from any wants and any fears.
He was greedy and it was this greed that continued to fuel him every time he wished to give up.
His scream rang once more in the room as Adam opened another Chakra.
This was going to be a long night.
CH 52: CONGRATULATIONS
Sitting alone in the living room, Cecilia was absentmindedly staring at the TV while holding onto a can of unopened beer. She had brought the bear out to help her in calming down her nerves but she didn't have the mind to drink it. Thinking about what was going on downstairs was enough to muddle out all her thoughts.
Right then… As if on cue…
A scream filled with pain and unbridled rage and unfiltered despair reached her ears and lashed at her heart, inflicting pain that was far different from any complications her heart had shown thus far. However, all she did as a response was to close her eyes and unconsciously tighten her grip around the can, crushing it along the way.
Looking down as the amber-colored liquid stained her clothes and seeing her hand dripping with the juices contained inside the can, she couldn't help but sigh out loud and stood up before searching for the mop.
She was feeling like a robot programmed to do a limited set of tasks and unable to do anything else.
Whenever a sound of agony would come out from downstairs she would tighten her jaw to its limits and persevere, doing nothing. She was using all her might and willpower to fight the desire to go down and tell him to stop.
This was the first and most important step to assure that Adam could survive in this dangerous world. Only by using Prana would he be able to bring out the true powers of his skills and only then will he be able to fight against those who want to hurt him.
As a mother, it was very excruciating to experience something like this. She wished for nothing more than to go down there and comfort him. Tell him that he did not have to suffer, that everything would be alright in the world, and that she would take care of everything for him so that he could just relax and enjoy life.
But she did not do that. She had run away from reality for twenty-one long years already. His awakening should have happened long ago if she did not intervene and then it could have been less painful for him.
His suffering was her fault and trying to stop him now would only push back the inevitable.
'What the hell am I doing here?'
She threw away the can of beer into the trash can. She could take care of the drink spilled on the ground later. She needed to take care of some important matters.
Walking upstairs to her room, she searched for something in one of her old shirts and took out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it in a way that only skilled hunters or people who were aware of the methods could identify it.
Once the call started, she waited for a few seconds, anxiously wondering if someone would really answer or not after all these years,
[Hello.]
A gruff and deep voice sounded from the other side, making Cecilia let out a sigh of relief that the number still worked.
"It's Cecilia."
[...]
"Hello? Someone still there?"
[Fuck! You crazy bitch! You are still alive!?]
She gave a bitter smile after hearing the plethora of curses the man on the other side threw her way, "Yeah. Still hanging onto these old bones. I guess the underworld doesn't want to offer a residency to me yet."
[Hahaha! I am sure even the great grim reaper themselves would think twice before taking your soul.]
The joy blatantly revealed in his voice was unmistakable and Cecilia was happy to hear that her old friend was still alive and well. At least, that was what she could infer from his jovial voice.
[So. Why did you call me? You went deep into hiding one day and there was no contact from you ever since. Pretty sure everyone thought you kicked the bucket already.]
"I need your help."
[Ohoh? You aren't even ordering me this time? Where is the real Cecilia and what have you done to her?]
"I am not that shameless you know."
The snort coming from the other was pretty loud and clearly telling that she was spouting absolute bullshit. Knowing herself and her deeds of the past, she didn't have it in herself to make a retort.
[I won't go into detail about how much you owe me. So what is it? Do you want a new weapon? That is the only thing I am good at after all.]
She hesitated for a few seconds about what to say.
This was a determining step for her. A step she knew she needed to take but didn't know how she should take it or if it was even right to do so.
Ever since she began raising Adam, she had been determined to not even introduce the slightest bits of the supernatural world into her life and, in essence, Adams's.
She made sure to vanish completely off the grid and erased all her traces before beginning to live a normal life here in LA with her precious son.
But now? Now she was about to go back to her old life— and she was not at her peak. Not even close to it now that her heart was such a mess.
Did she have a choice, though? She didn't believe that she did.
Her sister would find her or Adam sooner or later since he was implicated in the vampire case. Once this happened, the Kaminari family would learn of Adam's existence.
She could lie and say he was her biological son. But she was tired of lying all the time. Adam had the right to reach his true family and she had no right to hide him from them any further.
"I want something sharp. Hidden weapons that can be easily carried in everyday life without raising suspicions. Also, something that conducts Prana easily. Ideally, it should be quite light as well."
[Huh? Hidden weapons and Cladding? This isn't really your style.]
"It isn't for me."
[...]
She could hear the man groaning slightly on the other side of the phone.
[Okay. *Pheww* Even though you owe me quite a bit of money, I owe you even more for saving me all those years ago. Can I ask who is it for?]
"My son."
She chuckled at the trail of curses that followed after her declaration. She could imagine just how surprised her friend must be after hearing this news.
But she would hide no more.
She would not hide his true ancestry anymore.
But no matter what anyone said. She was a mother in all but blood.
She was not always the best. She may have made many mistakes in her life and she without a doubt had many regrets.
But at the end of the day— Adam was her beloved son. Nothing more, nothing less.
Once she finished her call and thanked her old friend for helping her despite all the years she vanished, she walked down and was about to finally reach for the mop to wash away that stain she caused when she realized that no more screams came from the basement.
She gulped down a little in nervousness and with a hint of anticipation and dread, she took one step after another and finally stopped in her tracks when she reached the closed door of the basement floor.
"Adam?"
She called out softly, wondering what she expected when *Clack* the door opened by itself, giving her a view of the room beyond.
The first thing she noticed was that, even though the room was spotless, the odor of blood was beyond overpowering. She could not even imagine how much blood had to be spent to reach such a level of metallic scent.
But all of this paled in comparison to the second thing she noticed,
"Adam…"
Sitting in a lotus pose, her son was quietly floating a few centimeters above the ground.
His right eye shone with a golden luster, while a grin full of happiness was plastered on his face.
"I succeeded."
Two simple words. But Cecilia heard none of them as she rushed and hugged her son tightly before he fell down in her arms— unconscious. The toll had been too much for him and seeing his mother had been the last straw for him.
"I am proud of you. Congratulations."
Cecilia did not even tear up when she was told by the doctor that her body was deteriorating and that she might die soon if she was not given a heart.
But right here, right now, she was crying tears of joy and relief.
The only times she had felt like this was when Adam took his first steps and called her mom for the first time.
Today was a good day.
CH 53: DO YOU KNOW HIM?
While Adam was resting after going through a great Ordeal, that pulled every bit of willpower he had in him, and succeeded only after swimming in a sea of pain that even numbed down his very soul, the world was moving as it always did. The gears were moving in their ever-staunch rhythm, not caring for anything or anyone.
In an abandoned building, a great meeting was about to take place.
Sitting on a chair that seemed clearly out of place in such a place, The Director was quietly reading the information that had been transferred to her notepad.
She was not particularly interested in this case, all things considered. But since she was a young director, the job fell on her lap.
She could have easily ditched this work as she was not really obligated to clean out LAPPD's mess but she had decided to use this case as an opportunity to impart some knowledge and experience to her student. After all, the girl was basically a shut-in who never left her house and only trained at home day in and day out.
"So, how are you finding LA so far?"
"The LAPPD is sloppy. They lack discipline and training. The supernatural creatures are wreaking havoc as they wish but no one seems to care at all about the situation."
"Haha. I meant to ask your impression about the more mundane things of the city but I guess it was too much to ask that of you."
"I am terribly sorry, teacher."
"*Sigh* You really remind me of the Lady from back then. I always felt like that girl had a stick shoved up her ass to keep her straight to the bitter end…"
"Teacher!"
"Heh… Well, even though I found her way of life to be extremely boring… The results spoke for themselves. So I guess I can't talk too much about it. She would be able to destroy me without a problem even if we were to fight now after all this time."
Makoto was surprised to see a smile on her teacher's face even as she admitted her inevitable defeat at the hands of Lady Mei.
Theresa Kaminari. She was a woman who had been adopted alongside her sister, Cecilia, into the Kaminari Family by the clan leader.
Makoto was not born at that time but she knew that this decision had caused a great uproar in the family back then.
In the end, though, the detractors were forced to stay silent as the two sisters showed their overwhelming superiority in talent and effort.
As proof, Theresa was now one of the youngest Hunters ever to be promoted to the position of Director and there were even talks about her becoming a bonafide Zodiac in the future.
Makoto knew that her teacher was a very bad loser who would do anything to win if it was possible and within her reach.
"I can see that you are surprised. Well, it's understandable. Wait patiently. When you meet her, you will understand yourself."
Theresa chuckled bitterly. In this world, there was always a sky above the sky and a higher, loftier mountain beyond a mountain.
Theresa had always thought that she was talented and even though her sister was more talented than her, it was not to such a big degree that she lost all hope to surpass her.
But Mei? That girl was simply a monster in the absolute sense of the word. The difference was so great that she could not even bring forth the slightest feeling of envy or jealousy for her. Only endless admiration was left to be felt by her competitors and onlookers.
The same happened to all those who faced Mei in a fight. They would always give up and drown in endless admiration of her abilities and talents.
Though they had been one exception – Her sister, Cecilia.
'I guess her stubbornness is the reason she surpassed me while I stagnated into what I am now.'
"By the way, teacher. Why did the Lady leave the family and vanish like that?"
"Hmmm. Beats me, to be honest. Geniuses have different ways of thinking. Perhaps she was just bored by the life in the clan and wanted to experience the mundane or something."
She enlarged the photo of a victim on her notepad and observed carefully around the neck but she could see no traces whatsoever.
"This is weird…"
"Teacher?"
"Hmm… It's nothing. Perhaps I am just thinking too much."
The criminal was suspected to be a newborn or a vampire who went crazy.
This was nothing particularly new but this case was simply too weird.
The criminal was just too meticulous.
Newborns who were abandoned would simply drink blood without really understanding everything that entailed. Only guided by their hunger, they would leave a trail of corpses behind them until they were exterminated or taught properly by the ones who turned them or the other vampires.
The same more or less went for the crazy vampires.
But this one here was very careful and meticulous. Never leaving any particular traces and even destroying the body as much as possible.
'Ugh…'
She felt like she was missing a piece. It felt like something big was preparing or perhaps she was just thinking too much.
Either way, 'Fun things are about to happen.' She idly thought in her head.
She moved to the next picture which showed the photo of a young boy in his 20s.
She only had his name and photo for now— Adam Gospel. The only survivor to ever come out of this case of serial murders.
She had been quite interested in the boy as she indeed confirmed that it was the same boy that walked past them a little earlier this afternoon but she was surprised to find that she could find basically no information about him in the LAPD database.
It was only after Kirishima told her that he had ties with the Triad and the Yakuza in this place that she understood what was really going on.
'The world is really such a small place.'
After all—
"I must say. You really have a weird taste."
Both Makoto and Theresa looked up as two women entered the abandoned Usine.
The first one was a boyish girl with short red hair wearing a black Tuxedo and a pair of black gloves. She looked like a professional butler. Uncanny but not really uncommon.
The second one was more a glamorous and enthralling woman. A beautiful woman with the air of a queen. She was clad in an intricate night blue short robe with a long slit on the sides that nearly reached her hips, showing off her beautiful and slim legs.
"Feng Huang Yui. How time flies. I remember when you were still a toddler, now look at you."
Yui smiled as she put a hand on her hips, "I am also happy to meet you, Director. I am sorry that I cannot remember you."
"Heh. Don't worry. Your mother brought you, when you were born, to the Kaminari family. I would be surprised if you could actually remember me."
She switched off the notepad and gave it to Makoto,
"Well, I don't want to waste any more time, though we are still lacking someone. Where is the representative of the Aldini family?"
"How would I know? I don't really have much business with the Vampire Mafia. You would have to call my brother for that."
Theresa nodded to her words, "I see. I guess I will have to pay them a visit soon. After this case is over I will officially take office for the next few years in California."
"I see. I was curious why the old director didn't come. So you replaced him, huh…"
"Nope. He died. Got assassinated by a Drow. At least it was painless it seems. I got sent here because of the new problem with that vampire and to find the reason why a Director got killed."
Even though she was talking about the death of a colleague, Theresa showed no particular feelings on her face which mirrored the state of her mind. In the first place Directors rarely met as they had specific districts to take care of.
Furthermore, she was from the Kaminari family. Many old Directors did not like her as they thought she only got her job thanks to her family.
Theresa had never bothered defending herself. She was as strong as any Director but she knew very well that she would not have her post without her family name.
She felt no shame over this reality though. Only morons or supremely talented people would try becoming self-made even though they could make use of their familial connections.
She was neither.
Yui meanwhile was quite surprised that someone actually dared to kill a bona fide Director. Even though they were criminals, there were lines that shouldn't be crossed if one didn't wish to have a big problem fall onto their head.
But since the one who did the deed was a Drow she knew that it would be hard finding the culprit. They were even better at stealth than the Yokai.
"Are the two cases connected?"
"Hmm… No. I do not think so. The Director in question was investigating a new drug. Fairy Dust or something. Haha, people are really ready to sniff anything."
Yui grunted, "I think I may have some information about that which would interest you."
"Oh? Really now…"
Theresa crossed her legs, showing a barely visible glimpse of what was beyond her skirt.
The smirk on her face grew deeper when she realized she made the right decision in convening that meeting.
"Very well. You caught my attention. But before that there is something I am pretty curious about."
Makoto switched on the notepad and showed them the picture on it.
"Do you know that boy? Adam Gospel, was it? I wish to meet him."
Yui and Nikola's eyes narrowed.
Things seemed to have become quite troublesome.
INTERLUDE 1: AS A CHILD
This was a dream of the distant past.
The day everything changed for her in its entirety.
The day she realized that in this rotten world, one should cherish every day as if they were their last— because it might very well be.
Cecilia Ataegina was a normal girl. At least she was as normal as one could be when they were born into a family of Hunters— humans with the power of the gift coursing through their veins.
Her father was not a particularly high-ranked hunter in the association and her mother was merely a scientist working in the development of weapons for hunters. But she had retired from her post in order to take care of the children till they were old enough.
All in all, there was nothing particularly interesting about her life outside of listening to her father show off sometimes about his 'Legendary and epic hunts' or something along those lines as he used to call them.
She had a little sister, just a few years younger than her and even though they would sometimes get angry at each other and fight it out amongst themselves, they still loved each other.
This was her ordinary everyday life.
A genius but clumsy mother who stayed at home to take care of her daughters. A caring father who worked in order to provide for his family and then there was she and her sister. Two girls whose greatest problem was what to watch on TV or what to eat for dinner.
It was a normal life of the likes that could be observed in hundreds of millions of families in just her country alone. But it was a happy life nonetheless.
She thought that this life would last forever. No, in the first place, she never even thought about the eventual possibility of losing her current life. How could she? She was just a kid at that time, after all.
But even adults rarely thought about what if their lives would go on to take a pessimistic turn. Humans always averted their eyes from the possible inevitability of a disaster that may occur in the future. That's just how humans were. Ignorant till the end until their doomsday arrived on their doorsteps.
Such was the case for her.
It started like any other day.
She would wake up her sister in the funniest possible way, she would go down and cringe visibly as she watched her parents show of affection to each other, and she would wiggle out of her father's embrace as he tried to give her a kiss on the forehead. Then giggle foolishly when he showed a crestfallen expression at seeing her reject his embrace.
Sadly, this was the last time she would live such a moment for the rest of her life.
What followed next was nothing short of the scariest nightmare that one could come up with. And the incident traumatized her deeply.
She did not know why such a thing happened to her family. Perhaps her father had pissed off someone he shouldn't have? Or perhaps they were just unlucky to come across people who just wanted to have a good time, relishing in other people's misery?
The reason did not really matter. All that mattered was that her life was shattered on that day as her house was raided by a group of terrorists who kidnapped all of them. The assailants had no pity for them and they were not the only ones captured— a fact they learned after having dropped off in the criminals' hideout.
That day, she watched as her affectionate father was torn apart from limb to limb before her very own eyes. No longer could he take her in his embrace. No longer could she hear those clumsy and made-up stories that brought her so much joy.
She looked on helplessly as her mother had her stomach sliced open with a knife while she was kept alive using substances she had no idea about. Gone was that caring mother. She could no longer experience her gentle embrace.
Even now, she could remember the scream of pain and agony her parents let out as they were tortured.
But back then she did not care for all that. She couldn't care. All she wanted was to survive through this ordeal. She cried and cried but tears never changed anything.
Even as she covered her ears and curled up, she could never get those screams to go away.
In the end— her parents died.
Their bodies— mutilated beyond recognition.
Their faces— forever distorted in agony and grief.
"You are next."
How terrifying those words sounded in her heart.
She backpedaled. cried, begged, and screamed— all of this just to survive and live.
But once again— this changed nothing.
It was then that he appeared.
He was an old man with a hunched back. His expression was filled with a mix of sorrow and anger.
What followed was simply a pure massacre.
Those monsters who laughed in delight as they tortured her parents were now trying to run away as much as possible but they could only be helplessly cut down by the sword of that man.
In a few short seconds, all of them died. All of them but one.
"Choose."
The old man gave her and her sister two knives.
Kill the man who destroyed their family with their own hands thus avenging her dead parents, or simply walk away and never have anything else to do with the hunter world.
It was definitely a crazy choice. What kind of insane man would ask this of two young girls?
But Cecilia did not care. Neither did her sister.
They chose the knife. They chose vengeance against the promise of a peaceful life.
On that day… Cecilia took a life for the first time—She was nine years old.
INTERLUDE 2: A MOM
The years went by in a flash and the young traumatized girl, that took the blade instead of a life of peace and normality, became a mad hound that hunted down all manner of criminals in the most grueling ways possible.
She was no hero, she was sure of that fact. She did not think that what she was doing was noble or that it served any purpose other than fueling her vengeance.
It was just for her own self satisfaction. Her own desire for revenge against the cruel criminals who decimated her family and her life.
The ones who caused the death of her parents were from an organization called Pandemonium.
Devil Worshippers.
Her only judgment when meeting them was an absolute infliction of death.
Truly she had sunk low. So low that she might have never walked away from the darkness if she had not met her. That one fateful encounter that completely changed her view of life.
Mei Kaminari.
The young lady and heiress apparent of the Kaminari family. A powerful family of hunters and the family of the old man who had saved her and her sister and adopted them.
The old man, Musashi Kaminari, had asked Cecilia to take care of Mei, essentially working as her attendant and while Cecilia was a little reluctant to follow through with that proposal, she owed him simply too much to even think about refusing.
That day was a day she would never forget for the rest of her life. It was the encounter that would change her whole world and make her walk out of the shadow of her parents' death.
Cecilia was a very talented woman. One of the foremost prodigies of her generation, in fact. She had learned many things faster than normal hunters would ever hope to learn and was strong enough to hunt down supernatural creatures with next to no problems.
But Mei? Mei was a pure monster. A force of nature that defied all common sense.
By the time Cecilia took one step, Mei would have taken 10 or even 100 steps. Words couldn't define her potential and talent.
It was hard for her. It was frustrating, seeing someone so talented deny everything they've worked hard for. All her attendants slowly gave up as they decided they had no use and could not keep up with Mei's growth.
Cecilia, however, never gave up.
She gritted her teeth and continued to train alongside and eventually, through their close interactions and sparring, the two of them became friends. Then confidants. And finally, sisters in all but blood.
They trusted each other with their lives. Believed in each other and their respective convictions. Cecilia became strong enough that even when Mei went on a rampage, she could keep up with her and proudly walk shoulder to shoulder with her.
During those days, she became known as the Vermillion Knight. The result of her bright red armor and use of her crimson red greatsword— Muspelheim.
Even after Cecilia left the Kaminari family in Japan and began working as an independent hunter in America, she always kept contact with Mei.
Her life was great. It was finally taking a positive direction, away from the scars of her past.
She had walked out of the shadows of her trauma. She had advanced her career to the point of being considered and even a prime candidate for the position of Zodiac and she was living more freely than anyone else.
If nothing else had changed, she would have continued to walk this road.
Sadly, life had other plans for her.
—
"What am I gonna do now?"
She still could not understand how it happened.
Cecilia was currently standing in front of a burning corpse. That of her long time friend and sworn sister— Mei Kaminari.
Even now, she was confused and lost. Mei appearing at her doorstep with a pregnant belly. Discovering that the father of the child was the infamous Cain. Taking care of Mei during her pregnancy and when she gave birth, finally watching helplessly as her friend lost her life during childbirth.
All of this was so absurd, so out of the spectrum that even now, she felt like she was simply trapped inside a bad dream. That she would wake up soon and everything would be well and dandy again.
But, as she watched the body of her friend slowly burn away into ashes while being incinerated by the flame, reality finally hit her. And she became all the more lost due to it.
"I… What am I going to do now?"
Tears began to gather at the corner of her eyes. Once again, she had lost someone she cared for in the most unjust way possible.
The cry of a baby startled her awake from her spiral of negative thoughts and she looked down in her arms to look at the origin of the voice. It was a cute baby with sparse black hair and deep blue eyes.
'It's because of you…'
Her eyes burned with unbridled rage. She felt hatred from the bottom of her heart for the small child that was resting in her arms.
'If it wasn't for you…'
Her tears streamed down even more as different thoughts fought and disoriented her mind further, severely degrading her mental state.
She was only in her twenties. Her life was barely starting. She was now free of her nightmare and obsessions. She was about to move to a bigger stage of her life. Perhaps even become someone who would go down in the annals of history in the hunter world.
But now, she had to take care of a child that was not even her own? The baby of a monster?
That night… Cecilia was truly near the brink of losing herself to the darkness. Once again, pitted into that corroding corner that had accompanied her most of her life. She wondered if she should simply dispose of the child or send him to some adoption agency or an orphanage.
But, even though he was the child of a monster, he was also the child of Mei Kaminari. Her sister and family.
Could she truly use an innocent child as a scapegoat for her feelings of anger?
In the end, the good side of her won the tug of war that was constantly pressuring her mind.
The following days were true hell on earth for Cecilia as she fell to an all time low.
Depression became her companion and alcohol was her only escape. Escape from the reality of her situation.
She had fled from everything she held dear. She went into hiding, discarding her honor and wealth. Discarding her identity as a hunter.
Even when her parents had died, she had never fallen so low.
She was alone. All alone in this cruel world, at least it was so in her mind.
Everyday, she would wonder if she had made the right decision or not. If she should visit the Kaminari family or if there was any other solution other than what she was going through.
But she had no one to give her advice and thus fell into a spiral of self depression, doubt, and hatred.
It was when she was crying, when she had given up on all hope that the little Adam approached her.
A small and weak baby who couldn't even properly walk or think for himself. He did not even know what was happening, but already, he was trying to console her in his own ways.
Most likely there was no deep meaning to his actions. He was just a baby after all. But those were enough for her to wake up from her haze and truly observe the small infant for who he was rather than what he was.
She realized then that Adam's lineage didn't matter.
It didn't matter that he was Mei's son or Cain's son.
Since she had chosen to take care of him rather than abandon him, she had to raise him right.
On that day, for the first time in her life, Cecilia acted as a mother— She was twenty-two years old on that fateful day.
