A week later…
The time had come.
It was nighttime. Along a vast corridor inside the Verdant Palace, a small procession of Magi wearing ceremonial robes advanced with solemn expressions.
Those at the front dispersed clouds of incense, while those behind them chanted a low, reverent hymn.
And at the center, flanked on both sides, Adam walked with slow and measured footsteps. He wore loose robes on this night, and nothing underneath.
Not even the strips of bandages.
Not even the mask.
The entire process was part of a ritual designed to induce a trance-like state. This was crucial because he was about to experience hellish pain. The ritual was supposed to soothe his mind and soul.
But he… laughed.
His crazed laughter echoed alongside the hymns of the elders. His shadowy silhouette was cloaked by dense incense smoke.
He looked like a mythical warrior who was on his way to a grand battlefield.
In a way, what he was attempting to do was no less than engaging in a battle.
