When thinking about the end of the world, one would come to realize that their own problems were surprisingly small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. One would inevitably start to think about what they should do to stop it, to save the world and their lives. At the same time, one may also feel fear about their future and think up plans to protect themselves from this catastrophic event.
Adam, however, felt no such compulsion stir inside him. The truth was that, even if a nuclear war happened at this very moment, then he would still most definitely survive through it.
Even if a new ice age covered the world and plunged the world into eternal winter, destroying civilizations and people alike, he would still survive through the world-ending phenomenon.
In fact, he was confident that, even if the planet Earth exploded in its entirety, he would still find a way to survive. Though he would need to learn how to face the vacuum of space and not constantly die through that experience. He believed that after tinkering with his domain— The World, he would be able to somehow manage without much trouble.
But… There was one problem that still haunted his mind… Others, his close ones, didn't have the same power as him.
He now realized that a class 2 Apocalypse event was indeed a good thing all things considered. Even if society and all of humanity as he knew it collapsed in its entirety, it wouldn't be a problem as long as he made sure to protect the few he cared about.
Medusa's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she keenly observed the apparent changes in Adam's body language. The sense of surprise and astonishment had already gone out the window and only a certain sense of indifference and nonchalance was left in their wake; that was what she was able to gather from the signs Adam showed her.
She realized that her little hero had a significant secret of his own, hidden from the rest of the world and probably everyone that was close to him. She was sure of that as few could stay indifferent at hearing such news, after all.
"Thanks for giving me a heads-up about the end of the world. I guess I should start making some preparations?"
"You are welcome to do as you wish."
She grinned and swiped the pictures away with a gesture. Somehow, she felt a little robbed at the moment. She would have loved to see him become a little more flustered after hearing the earth-shaking news. Sadly, it was not meant to be. That's just how the man in front of her was.
"So, you came to me for a reason. What might that be?"
Adam gazed into Medusa's eyes as he heard her question and decided to ask one of his own…
"Can I trust you?"
"No."
Medusa's answer was firm and immediate, without a hint of hesitation whatsoever, "I am investing in you for my own interest and my desire to witness the birth and growth of a true hero. In a way, you could say that I am trying to entertain myself through you. Nothing more, nothing less. From another perspective, you could also say that I am betting a lot on you."
She adjusted her glasses before speaking further, "The only link between us is of mutual benefits. Give and take; plain and simple. Trust is something that cannot be built so easily and in such a short time."
Adam loved her answer. He would have put his guard had she answered anything else. At the same time, he wondered if her words were not intentional put this way to please him.
After all, with her understanding of pyschology and humans, psyche, Medusa was easily a mastermind manipulator.
"You truly like teaching, huh?"
"I do." A small light gleamed in her eyes, as she reminisced about a far past, "Teaching was one of my passions when I was still a priestess and preached the faith of the gods… Then I was ruthlessly betrayed two times by the one person I believed and cherished the most in my life."
The pain she had felt in her heart at tat betrayal was beyond imagination.
She smiled thinly, but her eyes were cold and venomous. Adam could feel it quite clearly that she was drawing a clear line between the two of them right now.
"Adam Gospel. I know you have a secret. All heroes have at least one in their lives. Your birth is extraordinary. So, I wouldn't be surprised if you were to be the son of a god, a devil, or whatever else that is possible out there. I have seen it all. You can be certain that I am not interested in your secrets."
"Even if my identity might put me at odds with humanity?"
"Isn't that even more fun? Hahah…"
Desire swirled in her eyes as she gazed at him deeply, "A being born between an enemy to all of humanity and one of the greatest symbols of humanity. A duality. Will you become the hero of humans? Or the hero of monsters and evil? How will you grow? What choices will you make? What path will you take? So many questions. So many possibilities. An infinite number of tales interwoven to form your destined future."
The more she spoke the happier she seemed to be.
This was why she had settled on Adam even though her sisters had warned her against this decision. The duality in his existence was interesting and very attractive and his fate was so blurry that she was sure not even the almighty gods were able to decipher it clearly.
Every time she looked at him, she could see the endless possibilities and infinite potential he wielded within him, and any of his choices could become the axis of a new reality and new direction for the world.
His final Fate could not be witnessed, the destiny of a King covered him and his path in a veil much blurrier than what separated the Ordinary from the Supernatural.
If she was right in her speculation… she already knew who his father was and this was why—
"You must not tell me anything yet."
Too many ears were surrounding her in every possible moment and even if she paid attention to be as careful as possible, it was impossible for her to block all leaks.
"You should also not tell anything to your demigod friend. Even if you believe in her; even if she does not betray you voluntarily— your information will somehow leak to your enemies."
This was not a supposition but an absolution. She had done her research and she obviously knew who Yui was.
The people of the Imperial court were generally well-mannered. But when it came to taking revenge, those guys would become like infernal monsters that would not stop chasing their enemies until everything that constituted their foe was razed to the ground and scattered into ashes.
Since many of them were humans who had ascended, they faced far fewer restrictions from the world and even the Scales were lenient to its former denizens. In a manner similar to how Lilith could bring her avatars to Earth, they had many apostles in China and those apostles were just as crazy as them if not more.
"Adam, as long as our interests align, I will be willing to even die for you. That, I can swear on my existence and the endless River of Styx."
Adam had no time to answer as he felt a cold shiver go down his spine. It felt like an all-encompassing entity covered him and the sound of flowing water entered his ears and made him aware of its existence.
When this sensation finally vanished, Adam was breathless as he asked in a slightly quivering tone, "What happened… just now?"
"I have many debts to pay and the river latched on the occasion to bind me once again."
She lowered her shirt without a hint of shame and there, on her left breast encased in a green bra, he could see a mark of two scythes slowly appearing in real-time.
"Though… Two scythes already? It seems like the river was trying to work above and beyond."
She mumbled with confusion. Even though her oath had been pretty one-sided, it looked like the river, which was mostly a being without a clear consciousness, was working hard to restrict her more than usual.
Now, even the thought of betraying Adam as long as their interests aligned would bring pain throughout her body, even if slight.
She looked up at Adam and she could feel her heart beat even more powerfully,
"How fun!"
No matter what was the outcome of this adventure— this will without a doubt be the most interesting one in her nearly three thousand years of existence.
"So Adam…. Now that my life is tied to an oath, tell me… What do you want me to do?"
Adam closed his eyes, many thoughts swirling in his mind. The events had proceeded in so many unexpected ways that it was hard to make sense of it for the current him but the result was far more advantageous than he initially expected it to be.
"You told me that Gorgon's blood had two properties."
"Yes…"
She narrowed her eyes, "Do you want to save someone else? Or do you want to use my poison to kill?"
"Not exactly."
Adam grinned,
"Use your most powerful poison on me."
Medusa immediately paused in her tracks, suddenly wondering if her future hero was in reality a suicidal lunatic.
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