"We will visit the Blackthorne family," Selene said out of nowhere.
Adam raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Selene to suggest that, knowing his past experiences.
As if reading his thoughts, Selene explained:
"My physique activated just a moment ago. If we want to find information, I'm afraid we must visit your former family," she said, aware that Adam wouldn't like the idea.
There wasn't much he could say. Though he disliked the suggestion, he knew Selene's physique never failed, so he could only nod.
"Alright, but we'll have to come up with a plan to get the information out of them."
"Leave that to me."
And so, they set off quickly. Selene could have teleported to the city in an instant, but a spiritual art of that scale would leave a residual qi trail that someone skilled enough could easily detect. Flying wasn't an option either, as Selene had no means of concealing them both, so they were forced to travel on foot.
Night fell swiftly. Selene carried Adam at an incredible speed, but it wasn't enough. Adam's mortal body had its limits, and Selene estimated that it would take at least a week to reach their destination.
When they finally stopped, Selene took out a small, improvised shelter from her spatial ring—something she had prepared beforehand.
"Sleep. I'll keep watch tonight," she said, blushing slightly as she recalled the events of the morning. At least now, she had an excuse to step away for a bit.
Adam nodded and fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the journey.
Hours passed, and little by little, Adam regained consciousness.
"Master..." he called out, his voice hoarse.
Silence.
He frowned and called out again. Nothing.
Selene would never leave him alone. Something must have happened.
He quickly sat up and stepped out of the shelter. The night was dense, and no sound could be heard. He was completely in the dark.
"Master, where are you?" he continued calling as he walked in a random direction. He couldn't think of anything else to do.
Thud!
Suddenly, he collided with something and fell to the ground.
"A tree...?" he murmured, dazed.
"I'm no tree, bastard," a voice answered—a voice that didn't belong to Selene.
Adam's frown deepened. That voice was far too familiar.
"Who are you?" he asked, on alert.
"Don't you recognize me?" The voice sounded amused.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
"N-no way... You're..."
"So quick to forget your own father," said the voice of William Blackthorne.
A shiver ran down Adam's spine.
"What are you doing here? What did you do to my master?!" he roared, charging at him with all his strength.
His efforts were in vain. William easily blocked all his attacks.
"I don't know where you get the guts to attack me. You're still the same talentless trash. I should have made sure to kill you that day."
"You bastard! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MASTER?!" Adam lost control, a terrible feeling crushing his chest.
"That bitch?" William laughed with disdain. "I must admit, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. A pity she didn't last long… I suppose we went a little too far with her."
"N-no... That's impossible... You're lying..."
"At least you did something right by finding her, you damned bastard," another voice chimed in. Alex Blackthorne.
"N-no... Master couldn't have..." Adam refused to believe it.
"You can only blame your own weakness. If you weren't such a useless fool, you could have done something to save her," a third voice said—one of his former servants.
"You disappointed me, Adam. I thought you were someone I could trust. I see I was mistaken," whispered yet another voice, this time belonging to the second princess, Althea Amberfall.
Everything was too confusing. His heart ached, his head felt like it was about to burst. The pain overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.
-----
"Adam..."
A distant voice.
His eyelids were heavy, and his head still throbbed with pain.
"Adam..." The voice came again, closer this time.
"Adam, wake up!" a feminine voice shouted.
Adam sprang to his feet, his mind flooded with memories of the nightmare.
"Master!" he called out, as if he had just seen a ghost.
This time, there was a response.
"What's wrong, Adam?" Selene asked, concerned. She had heard him murmuring in his sleep, as if he were suffering.
Adam didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly embraced her.
"A-Adam..." Selene stammered, unsure how to react to the unexpected contact.
"Just for a moment... please..." he whispered, holding her tightly, as if she would disappear if he let go.
'It was just a nightmare.'
His traumas hadn't healed completely yet.
Selene gently patted his back, trying to soothe him.
"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked softly.
Adam nodded, still holding onto her.
"Was it about your old family?"
He nodded again.
Selene sighed. She felt guilty. She knew Adam wasn't ready to face his past yet.
Silence stretched between them for several minutes until Adam finally broke the embrace. He still wasn't fully recovered, but he forced himself to move forward.
"Adam, I won't force you to visit the Blackthorne family. We can find another way. My Celestial Origin Eyes only show me the best way to find what I seek, but not the only way," Selene said, worried.
"Sooner or later, I'll have to face them. We'd just be delaying the inevitable."
The nightmare had made Adam realize something. He depended too much on Selene. If someone more powerful than her appeared... he wouldn't be able to do anything.
These past years, he hadn't progressed enough.
'I need power.'
That thought etched itself into his mind. They needed to obtain all the treasures from the tomb. Perhaps there, they could find something to solve their problems.
He had to become stronger. Not just for himself. But for Selene.
With renewed determination, Adam set off once more. Selene wrapped her qi around him and propelled them forward at full speed, heading straight for Blackthorne City—the home of the Blackthorne family.