Immediately after pulling out Adam's necklace, Mr. Klein demanded, "Where did you get this from?"
Adam reached out, desperate to reclaim what was rightfully his, but once again his strength failed him. Yet this time, the weakness felt different. There was a darkness an emptiness with an unfathomable depth pulling at him from within. It whispered a name he didn't recognize, yet felt eerily familiar:
"Nefisis,lost king ."
Unaware of what was happening to him, Adam smiled. Then he laughed. Then growled, inhuman sounds coming from his mouth. He wasn't conscious of it. His subconscious was in play here, and all he could feel, deep in his chest, was betrayal.
Emotions boiled over from the depths. The darkness swelled, and this time, it didn't stay hidden. It reached the surface and manifested physically.
A single moment was all he remembered.
When Adam opened his eyes again, the world was blurred and distant. Mr. Klein stood before him, blood staining his robe. Fear gripped Adam, cold and sudden, crawling down his spine like ice. Pain surged through his back. He looked down.
His hands and feet were unshackled. The enchanted chains infused with high-level anti-magic spells crafted by no ordinary mage were broken.
Mr. Klein had seen the change. He had seen the darkness in Adam's aura and, curious to understand what Adam truly was, had taken him directly to the dungeon. During the switch, he had cast a high level suppression spell on the chain.
Now, Adam's memories returned in fragments. One flash at a time.And then he saw it.The blood,he knew where it came from.Guilt hit him, and despair followed swiftly. He dropped to his knees, tears down his cheeks.
But Mr. Klein beside him said firmly, "This is no time for tears, boy. With your existence comes responsibility Nefisis"
Then, placing the necklace back around Adam's neck, he warned, "Never take this off again."Before Adam could respond, the distant sound of boots echoed. Soldiers, drawn by the earlier commotion and the overwhelming aura of bloodlust, were closing in fast.
Without another word, Mr. Klein grabbed Adam by the arm, and the two disappeared into an empty chamber. There, he handed Adam a dark, humming wand with rune patterns just like the one Mr Klein has .
"If you ever want answers to your questions, use this," Mr. Klein said. "But only when you are worthy of being it."
He stepped back, gave Adam one final look, and smiled.
"I'm sorry, Adam. You have to go."
With a gentle swing, he shoved Adam through a door.
"I don't understand ! Where does this door lead?!" Adam shouted.
As the door began to close, Mr. Klein's voice came through, fading:
"Trust you."
Adam lunged toward the door, his voice shaking. But it was too late. The elf's footsteps faded with the wind, and the wooden creak of the closing door echoed in the stillness behind him.
Adam stared at it for a long moment, then whispered:
"Thank you… Mr. Klein."
Each step Adam took beyond the door echoed through the dark passage. He wasn't afraid,there was too much on his mind. His thoughts spiraled, trying to make sense of the chaos. Since childhood, he had lived in the service of Lord Julian, dreaming of glory in battle, of a life of adventure, of becoming a hero of the realm.
All he had ever done was train. Strive. Hope.
And now?
Now everything had changed.
As he moved deeper, a figure emerged from the shadows. Adam didn't falter. The path led toward a great tree massive, ancient and just beyond it, a hollow opening in the trunk .
With no other path in sight, Adam stepped through.