He stepped closer to Maria and gently lifted her after draping another coat over her—one far larger than her small body, swallowing her like a cocoon. She looked as though she had finally found a long-lost warmth, even though his arms themselves were not free of cold.
Ayrton gave a faint smile and said in a sarcastic tone,
"You'll get the money… was all this killing really just for the pay? You're a troublesome one—I'll report you to the Church."
Adam didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked at Maria and asked calmly, his voice a blend of mockery and seriousness,
"If a stranger promised you candy, would you follow him? And if he said he knew your brother… would you trust him?"
Maria lifted her head, her tired eyes meeting his, and slowly shook her head.
"I was kidnapped… I wasn't given anything."
Her words came out like the confession of a child deprived of the simplest form of childhood.
Ayrton let out a long sigh, staring at Maria as she began to fall asleep in Adam's arms. He spoke in a trembling voice, as if confiding more in himself than anyone else,
"The stronger a person becomes, the easier a target they are… My family is paying the price now. I don't know what awaits us after this."
Adam broke the silence with his usual dryness, not lifting his gaze.
"I can read your palm for sixty coins. And she's not part of your family, so don't make things worse."
Ayrton shot him a cold look and said flatly,
"You're a small-time con artist."
The scene faded from Kayden's memory like smoke evaporating after a fire. The wish he had hoped would come true fell into ash… The killer had not been a stranger—it was Adam himself, who had killed all of them for a trivial sum.
Kayden rubbed his eyes, as if pulling himself back from the abyss of memory, then asked quietly,
"How old were you back then?"
Fiona answered without hesitation, "Thirty-four."
She then smiled a bitter, sarcastic smile—one that carried more bitterness than levity.
"Maybe my mother sold me because I never married, even though most of the village's young men didn't marry either due to poverty. But she found a treasure through me… so it's fine."
Kayden nodded in silent understanding before asking again,
"And how old was the commander at the time?"
She raised a hand to her forehead, as if searching through the stacked numbers in her head.
"I'm about eleven years older than him… approximately."
Then she added with a long exhale,
"I was kidnapped four years ago. I'm thirty-eight now."
She laughed briefly, lifting her eyebrows in amused disbelief.
"My God… just saying the number feels heavy! Never ask a woman about her age—this is a basic survival rule. And if anyone asks about my age, tell them I'm in my mid-twenties."
Kayden looked at her and smiled gently, sincerely, without pretense.
"Actually… when I first saw you, I thought we were the same age. Is that because of the spiritual core?"
Fiona laughed this time with pure joy, as if the laughter came from a place untouched by wounds.
"That's right—and that's another reason to love me. You should be happy about it! Life here will be easier for you and your brother… thanks to me."
Then she thought out loud,
"Hmmm… Ayrton is twenty-seven now, maybe…"
Kayden smiled mischievously and joked,
"Can I call you 'Auntie,' then?"
She shot him a mock-stern look and replied quickly,
"I'm still young!"
Kayden laughed, thinking,
Ayrton in his twenties… that's a huge gap. Like a student beside his teacher. I like that… I'll tell Henry. Wait—Ayrton is the same age as George??
Then his tone shifted, growing more serious as he asked with genuine interest,
"Is that the full extent of your power?"
"Yes. That's my ability—it only affects me. But I'm thinking of creating something new."
Fiona spoke as she closed her eyes for a moment, as if testing the idea in her mind before letting it out.
Kayden replied thoughtfully, "You praised the commander a lot, and said you loved Maria's eyes… but maybe she wasn't the true target to begin with."
He paused briefly, then stood up slowly and added,
"We're friends now. And maybe in the future, we'll expand the scope of your power's simulation. But first… I need to fully understand how it works."
"You don't have good morals, do you? But you do have sharp observations," Fiona said.
She stood up quickly, her eyes shining as she looked at Kayden, smiling as if she had found a challenge that excited her.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Kayden nodded confidently, his tone that of a student hiding something from his teacher.
"Plenty."
Then he asked her directly, "Who taught you?"
She answered without hesitation, like someone recounting the details of an ordinary day.
"Ayrton… and sometimes Adam. He taught me a few tricks of fraud and drug manufacturing, then how to develop my abilities. Though he was far more interested in the drugs—but honestly, I didn't mind."
Kayden's jaw tightened for a brief moment. He realized Adam had exploited her abilities to the very last drop. Yet she showed no regret, as if it were all still just a game to her.
Suddenly, Fiona cut him off, her tone turning practical.
"By the way… you and your brother need to undergo an examination. Don't worry—we won't take long."
She grabbed his arm and pulled him quickly toward the examination room.
There, they found Henry standing in front of Adam, receiving a long lecture, his face stiff as if he were a student trapped in a particularly hateful class.
Fiona murmured lightly, with a small laugh,
"Poor luck."
Adam spoke sternly, his eyes fixed on Henry.
"Your core recovered too quickly. That means your body hasn't adapted yet. You need physical training and intensive meditation. Study how the core interacts with your body… and meditate with your brother. I don't want any more trouble. Nothing in this world is free."
He then handed him a bundle of old papers, written in extremely messy handwriting.
"These are some of my research notes… on the interaction between the core and the body. Read them carefully. You're smart."
At that moment, Ayrton entered. He didn't say a word—he simply extended his hand and handed Adam the money in silence, like paying a bill at a market stall.
Henry stood up immediately and moved to stand beside Kayden. The resemblance between them was striking, even in the way they held themselves tensely.
Fiona looked at them, her brows knitting slightly.
"Henry?" she asked cautiously, as if seeing the mirror-like reflection between the two brothers for the first time.
She stepped closer to Henry and placed her hand briefly on his chest, as though listening to a hidden rhythm only she could hear. Then she smiled.
"His core is excellent."
"Don't start a discussion with me now," Adam muttered, his eyes drifting toward the money.
Fiona repeated the examination with Kayden, with the same speed and precision.
Henry suddenly spoke, trying to break the seriousness.
"We haven't used the height measure in ages!"
Kayden casually slipped off his shoes and stood beside the wooden pillar.
"One hundred ninety."
Henry raised his eyebrows in shock.
"Since when? Are you cheating? What do you eat?"
Kayden shrugged indifferently, as if it were trivial.
"I don't know. Why are you acting like you eat different food?"
Henry took his turn, measuring himself with childish focus.
"One hundred eighty-nine."
Kayden laughed cheerfully.
"Too short. You need vitamins."
Fiona shot him an amused look, then suddenly turned to Adam and grabbed his arm without warning.
"Take off your shoes."
Adam sighed slightly but complied.
"One hundred eighty-six."
Kayden leaned toward Henry and whispered mischievously,
"Maybe he's the one who needs vitamins…"
Henry struggled to suppress his laughter, but Adam turned slightly—as if he had heard the whisper clearly. Still, he didn't comment.
He took a deep breath, then said coldly as he walked away,
"I feel like I forgot something I wanted to say."
They all followed him until they reached the balcony. There, Adam picked up the bundle of money, tied it slowly, then simply lifted one foot… and jumped.
His body plunged into the void as if dissolving into the air. There was no hesitation—no farewell gesture at all.
Kayden stared at Henry in shock, then muttered slowly,
"Is he actually insane? How did he just jump?"
They leaned over the balcony and saw Adam calmly walking on the ground below, as if the jump had been nothing more than an ordinary step. Kayden spoke stupidly,
"I want to—" He didn't finish.
Henry cut him off, pulling Kayden back sharply. "Don't jump… you might actually die."
They exchanged a brief glance, then left the place together. The night was quiet, the cold wind tugging at the edges of their coats.
Kayden spoke lightly, his voice closer to a secret whispered into the void.
"Something strange happened today."
"What is it?" Henry asked.
Kayden told him what he had discovered about the abilities—and about Fiona. Henry listened in silence, until a trace of genuine sadness settled on his face.
"If I were in her place…" he said softly, "I might have really killed everyone."
He lifted his gaze to the moon hanging in the sky, its reflection glimmering in his eyes.
"This life… it's terrifying after obtaining a core. I feel like I'm walking steadily toward my own death."
Silence lingered for a moment, until Henry suddenly broke it, as if recalling something critically important.
"Adam told me something strange today."
"What was it?" Kayden asked, curious.
Henry smiled a half-smile and said lightly,
"Can you run?"
Kayden nodded.
"Then… run!"
Henry took off his coat, grabbed it in one hand, and dashed forward like a madman, his footsteps striking the stone pavement in rapid rhythm. Kayden followed instantly, and from the very first moment, he felt something like freedom—the cold air hitting his face, the silent city parting for them.
Henry laughed out loud, a pure laugh he hadn't let out in a long time, as if it came straight from the depths of childhood.
"Where are we going?!" Kayden shouted, panting.
Henry answered with an excited yell,
"Adam said he'd tell me something important while you were there! I won't be able to sleep until I know!"
They ran together through the empty streets, as if chasing a vague promise… or fleeing from a heavy shadow that had followed them for years.
"At least you can sleep," Kayden snapped harshly while gasping for breath, then added irritably,
"You sleep like a delicate dog! I don't sleep well at all… I feel like I want to sleep for an entire year."
Henry gave a tired smile.
"What are you, a bat? You big-headed idiot."
They both arrived at an elegant tavern, muffled noise spilling from inside. Candlelight reflected off polished glass, giving the place an air of luxury tinged with secrecy.
Kayden spoke as he adjusted his coat collar.
"I heard he's stingy… get your money ready. I'm not paying this time."
Henry laughed lightly, then they followed the attendant to the table, where Adam was already waiting for them—calmly sipping his drink, as if their arrival had never been a surprise.
They sat across from him quietly and spoke in unison, "Hello."
Adam lifted his eyes from the glass and spoke in a calm tone laced with subtle mockery.
"You're good boys… relatively speaking."
He then gestured with his glass.
"I'll do you a free favor tonight—just because you didn't mention my… private corpse trade."
"He has a sense of justice!" Kayden whispered into Henry's ear, barely holding back a smile.
"What kind of favor?" Henry asked directly, his voice far more serious.
Adam rubbed his forehead as if suffering from a headache, then said sluggishly,
"Don't worry. No wagers. I'll just read your palms… you know I'm good at that, right?"
He pointed the glass toward Kayden.
Kayden raised his eyebrows, pretending to think.
"I know a little."
Adam took Henry's hand first, staring at it for a long moment as though examining lines only he could see. Then he said,
"Your futures are strangely intertwined… Henry, preserve your purity, no matter the cost."
He then turned to Kayden, offered a sardonic smile, and added,
"And you… try not to lose your mind. That's the most I can say."
A brief silence followed, broken by the sound of hesitant footsteps in the background. Kayden caught sight of a familiar figure, rose slowly from his seat, and walked toward him.
"Roger? What are you doing here?"
Roger turned, a hint of surprise crossing his features before he answered calmly,
"I finished my work and bought some good liquor… I was just about to leave."
But his eyes soon landed on Henry, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"You're here too? Who corrupted you enough to sit in a place like this?"
He walked over to join them. Yet the moment his gaze fell on Adam, his steps halted abruptly, his eyes narrowing in surprise tinged with suspicion.