Adam opened the dimensional bag he got from cedren. The bag seemed to the eye just a worn cloth, but inside it stretched like another space, infinitely wide, capable of swallowing a Whole Pantry.
Slowly reaching his hand inside, he brought out a bunch of strange resources, some shining with poisoned colors, others emitting suffocating black steam.
He smiled coldly as it happened himself:
"These resources will be the key... to force the Yukon to return to the evanhart family mansion. Before he faces disaster, I have to set the stage.»
He grabbed a corroded piece of metal that looked like scrap, but its surface had dark, unreadable inscriptions. Adam remembered in his previous life how one day he dared and stole some rare books from the libraries of elite families. That robbery, dangerous though it was, was now his most precious possession.
"Knowledge... is the only thing that cannot be taken away by force.»
He sat down on the floor, stacked the materials in front of him:
The eyes of the fire Tiger, still glowing as if the animal was not dead yet.
The swamp Viper's heart, beating slowly like a living piece of meat.
A black stone taken from the heart of Devil's island, shimmers with a faint violet shimmer.
A rare battery from the Mexico family, filled with a mysterious card.
A flame stolen from the flame of the world, dancing without fuel.
His hands began to move expertly; he grinds, mixes, presses. Suffocating smells were emitted, sparks flared in the air. After an hour of work, a ball the size of his fist rolled up in front of him, glowing to the point of blinding his eyes.
Adam waved his hand, drawing a few runes in the blank. Thread the characters in the air like an invisible guard until he hid the light of the ball.
He looked at her at length, thought:
"Simpler than I expected... a primitive Mana ball. However, this little thing is able to easily kill a d-rank awakened. If this is their fate... what will you do, baby, when it's your turn»
He returned the ball to the post bag, then got up and left.
Adam parked the car in a dark side passage, away from the eyes and the iron gates guarding the ivanhart Palace. He turned off the engine, remained sitting for a moment, listening to the sound of his breath alone. Neither the sound of the wind nor the sounds of the night mattered to him... all he cared about was not leaving a trace behind.
He quietly opened the door, stepped out onto the dirt road. His first steps were ordinary, but with every meter that he moved away from the car, his movements turned into a strictly calculated rhythm. He knew that any one mistake could provoke the guards or do a hidden trap.
After a few minutes of walking, he stopped in front of a rock protruding from the ground. He put his right foot on it and pressed at an exact angle. Nothing changed to the naked eye, but Adam felt a slight vibration under his feet, as if the Earth recognized his passage.
Smiling coldly, he continued.
At the first tree, he raised his hand and put his palm on its bark. Feel the hidden point between the cracks, lightly pressing. A faint line appeared, a blue comet quickly extinguished, as if telling him: you are on the right path.
Go to another slightly sunken stone, and then a second tree whose trunk hid a narrow cavity that only those who know the secret can see. Every step was a mystery... and every mystery he carried from his old memory, from a life he lived and then died in.
"Even your secrets are no longer secrets for me.»
He reached the last mark. He bent down a little, touched a third trunk in a special way, and then, without hesitation, jumped into the running river water below the palace.
The cold penetrated his body for a moment, but the current did not pull him away... rather, a Dark Passage opened in front of him, hidden under the water.
He came out the other side, his body is wet, his breath is heavy. In front of him is a huge metal door with dozens of runic symbols engraved on it. The runes were glowing with a faint light, a silent warning to any intruder.
He raised his hand, quickly drawing opposite signals in the air. One by one, the symbols went out, as if succumbing to a force he knew by heart.
The door made a muffled creak as it opened.
Adam entered the room. The place was spacious, fortified as an impregnable fortress. The walls are covered with layers of bizarre glass, trapping behind them artifacts and mana stones, each of which radiates a different energy.
The atmosphere inside is heavy, as if the air itself is heavier than outside. Everything suggests that this room was designed not only for conservation... but for absolute protection.
He stepped towards one of the corners, took out the Mana capsule that he had made with his own hands hours before. He carried it like a small bomb, and then carefully placed it in a narrow cavity between the stones.
He smiled a faint smile as he muttered to himself:
"The preparations are over.»
Then he turned back, before anyone noticed his absence.
While returning to his room, he accidentally met Smith, The Butler.
The man asked him with a calm smile:
- "What are you doing here at this time, Adam?"»
Adam didn't answer. He didn't even bother to look at him. He walked past him in cold silence, as if Smith were just a shadow.
Smith blinked slowly as he followed him, and nothing appeared on his face... but behind his eyes there was something not to be said.
Adam returned to his room, took a shower, and then put on clean clothes in preparation for breakfast with the family. He sat among them as any ordinary day: Leon, Elise... light laughter, daily rituals, but Adam's mind was working coldly.
"Today... the game will start.»
Suddenly a violent explosion sounded. The walls shook and the palace shook violently, the corridors were filled with the sounds of running and screaming.
The servants ran, the guards raised their weapons nervously, but Leon stood at the passage leading to the Forbidden pavilion, his body like a dam.
He raised his hand, blocking everyone:
– "Stop it! No one is getting one step closer.»
His wife Elise approached, her face smudged as she clung to her dress:
- "Leon! Why prevent them Is there something so dangerous in this place»
He answered in a stern tone, almost hiding the trembling of his voice:
– "This place holds a family secret. It is forbidden to be stepped on by anyone but the head of the family and the elder elder.»
Elise raised her eyebrows in surprise:
"So... the explosion was right here?"! Answer me, what is inside!»
Avoid her eyes, just saying:
– Nothing the public can understand. Don't worry, I'll handle it.»
But she did not give up. She took a step towards him, her fingers clenched:
- "Leon, suppose there is a trap inside?"»
From behind came the voice of Smith The Butler, calm as usual, but this time it had a slight hesitant tone that no one paid attention to:
– "Sir... madam... the explosion is really strange.»
Leon looked at him sharply, and then returned fixing his eyes on the closed door:
– "I know. Don't worry, someone has already entered. I clearly sensed the danger.»
Elise raised her hand to her chest anxiously:
– "Then don't go in alone! At least take some awake people with you.»
He shook his head stubbornly:
- "No way. Whoever enters this ward will see things that no one outside the family should see. These are secrets that have been buried for generations.»
She persistently said:
– "Then I will enter with you, even if you refuse.»
Get confused for a moment:
- "It's dangerous المكان I don't know what awaits us inside -"
But she didn't wait for him to finish. She slightly lifted her dress and lightly stepped inside, boldly pushing the door as if opening her bedroom.
Leon stood stunned for a moment, then exhaled heavily:
– "Ah... she's more stubborn than I can stand.»
He looked at Smith, who contented himself with a small inexplicable smile:
– "That's why she's your wife, sir.»
Leon looked at him with a nervous look, and then said:
– "Take care of the palace during my absence.»
Smith replied submissively:
– "Rest assured... just don't be late for breakfast.»
Leon entered behind his wife, but inside he was boiling. He knew that what awaits him inside is not something ordinary.
In a distant corridor, Adam was listening to every word of this conversation.
"You're still a fool, Leon. Even knowing that this is a trap, you enter yourself... and with your own eyes. That's exactly how you'll die later.»
The system is in a careful:
"The mission will fail if a member of the evanhart family dies.»
Adam smiled coldly:
"I won't let them die... not now.»
Inside the Forbidden Room, Elise stood inspecting the place.
- "Is that what you were guarding?" Just a hall full of artifacts in glass domes»
The room seemed wider than one sees from the outside, its walls were covered with pale shadows, as if the light refuses to settle in it. At every corner, huge glass domes contain artifacts; some are rusty antique weapons, but they still vibrate with suppressed energy, and some are just stones radiating a strange light.
Elise advanced slowly, her eyes wide with amazement:
– "This... this is the big secret that you forbid even the guards to approach?" A room full of junk!»
Leon did not answer her. He was moving slowly, as if listening to a hidden voice.
– "The explosion damaged almost nothing.»
- "Very strange... there are no traces of an intrusion.»
Whisper Leon:
"I... I still feel the danger, but it's coming. It's like someone is hiding among these monuments.»
Elise answered him sarcastically:
– "Or maybe you imagined everything. What if there was no one there from the very beginning»
He clenched his teeth, then said sternly:
- "No. My intuition never betrays me.»
Elise said sarcastically:
- "Then keep investigating, hero.»
Outside the room, the guards stood alert, hands on their weapons, sweat pouring from their foreheads. The silence was so heavy that it suddenly seemed as if the air had split.
A red light curtain exploded from inside the room, extending like lightning to cover the entire corridor. The tiles trembled, and a suffocating heat rose as if fire broke out in the walls.
The guards bounced back, and one of them shouted:
– "It's... it's a matrix! At least the fourth degree!»
Luminous symbols flowed into the air, strange letters swirled like a whirlpool, made an ear-aching buzz.
One of the guards stepped forward, put his hand on the floor, mumbled:
– "I can try to disable it... but it's very complicated.»
Smith raised his hand quietly, his voice like a piece of ice:
– "So... try.»
He didn't seem to panic, unlike everyone else. His eyes were fixed on the closed door, not blinking, not moving.
In the near shadows, Adam was watching the scene, a cold smile was on his face:
"The first stage... is completed