Adam had completely withdrawn from Mia and Elliot, almost as though he wished to erase himself from their surroundings.
Yet something strange caught his attention.
He slowly opened his eyes, only to find the child trembling violently from the cold. He had given him a heavy coat, and yet the little boy seemed unable to retain even the slightest amount of warmth. His limbs were shaking, his small body curled in on itself, and fragmented words slipped from between his trembling lips.
He looked terribly fragile, as though his body might give out at any moment.
Adam listened carefully, managing to catch a few of the words the child was murmuring.
"Don't panic… Don't be afraid…"
Then he began calling for his mother in a faint, broken voice, as though trying to reach her from somewhere far away.
At first, Adam assumed he was having a nightmare. But moments later, Elliot's eyes flew open, and he began coughing violently, struggling to catch his breath.
Adam raised his hand slightly and gestured toward himself.
"Come here."
The child approached him with hesitant steps, wrapped in a coat that nearly swallowed him whole. Adam had no intention of getting up, so he simply made a little room beside him and let the boy lie down, resting his head against his arm.
Then, he began releasing a tiny fraction of his spiritual energy, which he had deliberately kept suppressed for some time. He didn't need much. Before long, the child's expression began to change, and his trembling gradually subsided.
"You're warm…"
Elliot murmured happily before pressing himself against him and wrapping both arms around him, as though he had finally found somewhere he could let his guard down.
"I'm in heaven… I thought I was going to freeze to death."
Adam studied him for a moment before asking in a calm voice:
"What happened to your mother?"
Elliot looked up at him, seeming to need a moment to process the question. Then he answered quietly.
"Mom… She's in the south. But we were in a terrible accident, and then bandits showed up… They kidnapped her. I don't know if she's still alive or if she's dead…"
Adam remained silent for a moment.
There was one detail he couldn't quite overlook, so he asked in an unusually low voice:
"Then… are you telling me that Mia isn't your mother?"
Elliot slowly shook his head.
"No, she's not my real mother. She found me when I was running away… She's really kind. She took care of me."
Adam studied the child's face for a little while. He didn't ask any more questions or try to pry further details out of him. It was obvious that the little one had already exhausted what little strength he had left, and discussing the matter would only weigh more heavily on his heart.
"Elliot, go to sleep now."
But the child didn't close his eyes immediately. He hesitated, as though something was still bothering him, before murmuring an apology.
"Carlos… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you to play with me today…"
As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, guilt still evident in his voice.
Adam raised his hand and gently patted his head, running his fingers through his hair in a soothing gesture.
"It's alright. We'll play together plenty of times in the future."
A small smile appeared on Elliot's face, as though those words were all he had needed to hear.
A few minutes later, the child fell into a deep sleep. A peaceful, rare kind of sleep, one he seemed not to have known for months. At last, his body could surrender to rest without being haunted by the cold, fear, or the constant need to keep an eye on everything around him.
As for Adam, he was fighting an entirely different battle. All he wanted was to close his eyes for a few hours, but apparently, sleep had decided to be far more complicated than it needed to be.
In the midst of his attempts to drift off, he noticed Mia slightly raising her head and looking in their direction.
"I found him while I was running away myself… Don't worry, I would never hurt a child."
Adam didn't open his eyes, but replied in a calm voice, with no apparent interest:
"Then, do you hurt men?"
Mia didn't take long to answer.
"If it's necessary for survival, yes."
Then she added, her tone turning more serious:
"Carlos, go to sleep. Close your eyes and don't worry about anything."
Adam didn't respond this time.
Perhaps he no longer had the energy to continue the conversation, or perhaps he had simply decided to let her have the last word.
Elsewhere…
George was sprawled across the sofa, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling, as though he still couldn't quite process what had happened.
He had just received energy from a demon, and it was no ordinary energy by any means. It was remarkably pure, far purer than he would have expected. He kept trying to understand its nature, replaying the strange sensation that had washed over his body when it entered him.
"What a surprise… Is this what happens when you receive energy from a creature that's supposed to be a source of corruption?"
He let out a long sigh before turning his head toward the other side of the room, where Adele was getting ready to leave again.
He watched her for a moment before asking:
"Where are you going?"
Adele glanced at him and replied while continuing to straighten her clothes.
"Nerath. I'll be back soon, and don't tell anyone about it under any circumstances."
George raised an eyebrow.
"Nerath? Isn't that the land of mages? What could possibly be taking you there?"
Adele casually waved a hand, as though the matter hardly deserved so many questions.
"What do you think? Prince Sirius wants to meet with me… It's nothing more than business."
George sat up, the relaxed expression on his face fading slightly.
"First of all, we're not hired killers, do you hear me? Remember that. Don't kill anyone for his sake, and don't let yourself get dragged into any political conflicts. I don't want to find myself dealing with the consequences of your decisions."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at her outfit and frowned.
"Secondly… Why are you even wearing a dress like that? Please, my head already hurts enough as it is."
He pressed a hand against his forehead before lying back down on the sofa, as though simply looking at her had made his headache worse.
Adele, however, showed no interest in his objections. She had grown accustomed to his constant complaining and no longer saw any reason to respond to every word he said.
George, however, wasn't finished.
"By the way, that person called Isildar… Do you like him? I think I might start—"
"He's a friend."
Adele interrupted him immediately, her tone so firm that it left no room for interpretation.
"Don't pursue him, and don't interfere with his work. Most importantly, don't do anything that might damage my reputation in his eyes."
George blinked slowly, then looked at her as though trying to make sure he had heard correctly.
"A friend?"
"Yes."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
He stared at her for several seconds, but Adele offered no further explanation. She simply finished checking her belongings and left without looking back.
George remained where he was, staring at the door she had closed behind her.
Her words had been far too straightforward, and that was precisely what made him suspicious.
"A friend… Of course. A friend."
He muttered sarcastically before letting out a short laugh.
He wasn't convinced by her explanation in the slightest. If anything, her insistence on denying there was anything more only made him even more curious about what was really going on.
"Fine, I won't interfere with her work… At least, not for now."
He rested his head against the cushion again, but another thought soon occupied his mind.
"She left me here with all these questions, then walked away as though nothing had happened."
He fell silent for a moment before remembering someone else he hadn't seen in quite some time.
"I wonder how Adam is doing…"
George's expression shifted slightly as he recalled their last encounter.
The last time he had seen him, Adam had been disguised under the name Carlos, and they hadn't had much of an opportunity to talk. Given how strange the circumstances surrounding them had been, George hadn't expected to find himself thinking about him like this.
"I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble again… Though I wouldn't put it past him."
George finally closed his eyes, but his curiosity lingered.
He had a feeling things wouldn't stay quiet for much longer.
Back with Adam…
Adam was still experiencing vivid dreams, despite never having crossed the threshold of sleep in the first place.
But Elliot slowly rose to his feet, moving in an unsettlingly strange manner. His movements were sluggish, almost as though his body no longer belonged to him. He sat down facing Adam and remained silent, his eyes fixed on him for several long seconds that felt like hours.
Then the little boy raised his trembling hands to his head and pressed down hard, suppressing a groan.
"Don't panic… Don't panic… Don't panic…"
Adam's eyelid twitched. He opened one eye halfway, only to witness the scene.
His heart nearly stopped.
There was a child sitting before him… but his head had begun to swell and contract in an irregular manner. One moment, it grew so large it seemed about to engulf his entire body; the next, it shrank as though it were on the verge of collapsing.
It was inhuman. Unreal. Repulsive.
A sharp wave of terror seized Adam, so intense that he instinctively held his breath. He dared not breathe. He dared not move.
He heard the whispers.
"Don't grow… Don't grow…"
Elliot repeated the words in a hoarse voice, as though struggling against himself.
In a sudden, desperate motion, Adam squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep, like a child hiding beneath the covers from a monster he knew would show him no mercy.
But Elliot stood up again.
His steps returned to normal, and his face regained its innocent expression. He slowly approached Adam and gently patted his head.
Adam tensed.
The touch felt unnaturally heavy. It wasn't the hand of a child, but that of a grown man, laden with strength and roughness. It came again and again, each pat growing more unsettling, until it felt like a hammer repeatedly striking his skull.
Then came the voice…
Cold. Strange. So eerily calm that it sent a chill down his spine.
"I know you're not asleep… Get up."
Adam slowly opened his eyes, his face pale.
"Yes?"
Elliot smiled, but it was a smile no child should ever wear.
"Aren't you going to ask who I am?"
Adam froze for a moment, watching him cautiously, trying to assess what was happening before him.
But Elliot leaned closer, his words spilling out like a demonic whisper.
"I know you noticed from the very beginning… And yet, despite that, you chose to remain silent. Now, get up."