The realization clicked into place like the final piece of a puzzle. The glass boy in Kaiser’s book, the one who reflected everyone he met. A mirror.
"So that is my power." Adam didn't look surprised; he looked validated. He glanced at Noah, gave a sharp nod, and turned back to the Queen. "No. I haven’t."
Selena couldn’t hide the flash of hunger in her eyes. "Great. Then I shall take the time to explain what you are becoming. It is necessary for you to understand the weapon you wield."
She placed her pale hand on the white table. The silk material rippled and rose, forming the shape of a perfect apple.
"The Epochs," she began, her voice turning clinical. "They begin once a human bites from the Cursed Apple. That human is tagged as the Original Curse Bearer, sometimes referred to as the Original Sin. Once an Epoch begins, the laws of reality loosen. Other humans can become cursed."
She leaned forward, her eyes darkening. "Only cursed humans can destroy an Eldritch Heart. Be it inside a beast, inside a human who absorbed it, or laying on the ground by itself."
She paused, letting the weight of the statement settle in the humid air. "Once the Original Sin dies, the Epoch ends. And this... is the Last Epoch. I think you realize the apple you ate had only one bite left, correct?"
"Yes, it did," Adam confirmed.
Noah leaned forward, his mind already dissecting the information. "Does Adam get a base power by being the Original? You just talked about copying. Does he get to copy other Curses?"
"Yes," Selena answered. "The power every Original Sin receives by definition is the power to Copy other curses and use them as his own."
"How do I use it?" Adam asked.
"You see those marks on your fingertips?" Selena pointed to his hands. "You must place all five fingers on the face of a cursed human. You can extract their power. It is a painful process for them, and based on what I know... it takes exactly one second of contact to complete."
Adam looked down at his hands, flexing the fingers that bore the faint, scar-like tracings at their tips.
"Is there any restriction?" he asked.
"I think there are," Selena mused, tapping her chin. "Based on my experience with the previous Original who came before you... but they are rare."
"How rare? And what makes a curse uncopiable? Is there any pattern or property to it?" Adam asked, leaning forward intently.
"I wish I could help you, but I don’t really know," Selena admitted. "I guess you will have to find such a pattern by yourself, with time. All I know is that they are very rare, and it does have something to do with the Curse properties, not its strength."
"I see," Adam nodded, masking his disappointment. "Then shouldn't I just go and copy every curse I find? What stops me?"
"Mastery," Selena answered simply. "To put it in short terms: five strong Curses are infinitely stronger and more efficient than a hundred mediocre ones. Think of yourself as a cup. Copying too much is like filling the cup with dirty water. Not only will the cup overflow, but the vessel itself will become tainted."
Adam nodded.
Noah spoke up, his brow furrowed. "I do have another question. Is the Curse's unique power the only thing you acquire when you receive a curse? Isn’t there some kind of physical enhancement? Because I noticed my body feels lighter, stronger, as if I was a superhuman of some sort. Even though my curse is technically reviving anyone I kill, my body... some kind of energy flows through it."
"Yes, I noticed that too," Adam added, flexing his hand.
"That is true," Selena nodded. "The Curse's unique power is not the only thing a cursed human possesses. That energy is what we call Curse Resonance. You might have the power to bring back the dead, or to control ice, or maybe to throw beams of fire, but without the Resonance, you wouldn't have the fuel to trigger such an event. Furthermore, your weak human body would shatter before you could even cast it. Resonance is what allows a Curse User to act as a superhuman."
"So the Resonance is basically the energy or the fuel of a cursed human, and mastering it is how they can get stronger?" Adam asked.
"Yes."
"But how is that done?"
"It is indeed a delicate process, and a tricky one at that," Selena said, her expression growing serious.
"Why?"
"Well, it is called Resonance because it represents how your soul fits your physical body. It has been analyzed in previous epochs that the Curse's unique power is determined by the shape of the soul. That shape's resonance with the body is how a human can manifest or use the power they wield. Resonance is how well your power, your soul, your body, and your mind coordinate with each other. Like ocean waves, resonating on the same frequencies."
The room went silent, save for the low, gluttonous hum of the cocoon behind them.
"How did they find out such information?" Noah asked, eyes wide, unable to hide his intellectual hunger.
"Let’s just say the world has seen its fair share of talented people," Selena replied with a cryptic smile.
"I see," Noah murmured.
"That’s not all," Selena added, her voice dropping to a whisper. "As the Original Sin, it seems you acquire another property. It is called The Sinful Eye. It allows you to see something no one else can, the truth of composition. I do not know how it works, but I believe it enables you to perceive the flow of Resonance, making it possible for you to examine curses at a higher level, perceiving them at a deeper layer. This might be a crucial factor in the process of copying."
Adam instinctively put a hand to his eyes, rubbing them. "I don’t understand."
"I don’t either," Selena said. "I am sorry, but you will have to learn and understand it by yourself too."
Silence reclaimed the table. Noah, whose mind had been wandering through calculations for the last few moments, looked up abruptly.
"About the copy power we talked about earlier," Noah asked quietly. "Do you think mine fits that criteria? Should he copy it immediately?"
Adam and Selena looked at him, processing the offer. Selena seemed to weigh the variables carefully, hesitating over something she didn't want to voice.
After twenty seconds of heavy silence, she finally looked up. "Let us try it."
"Are you sure?" Adam looked at Noah, worry tightening his features.
"Yes," Noah said, his voice firm. "We better try it now."
They both stood up. The air in the Cradle felt charged.
Adam hesitated for a fraction of a second, looking at his friend. Then, he raised his hand and placed his five fingers splayed across Noah’s face.
One second.
BANG.
Adam’s hand was rejected backward with the force of a magnetic repulsion.
"Gah!" Noah dropped to his knees, clutching his face, gasping in sudden, searing pain.
"It didn’t work," Adam said, cradling his own hand. It was smoking slightly.
"Do you know why?" Selena asked, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"I think..." Adam looked down at Noah. His pupils constricted, emitting a faint, eerie light. "The curse is closely linked to something inside him. As if... they both own it. It's not fully his to give."
It must be Zoe, Noah thought, the pain throbbing behind his eyes. She is part of the curse.
"I see," Selena murmured. "That is a shame. Your curse, Noah, might have one of the highest potentials in history. Perhaps... a potential equal to that of Kaiser’s."
Noah’s head snapped up. The pain was forgotten.
Huh? Did she just say Kaiser?
Is he a Curse holder? Not an Eldritch? But he existed before Adam bit the apple... How?
Noah wanted to ask the question, but he felt like it wasn’t the right time as there was more important immediate things to discuss, so he left it on his mind for later.
"Speaking of him," Selena continued, oblivious to Noah's internal crisis, "we should look for him. We don’t know where he is right now, but there might be a way or a lead to his loca, "
"Not yet."
Adam interrupted her.
Zzip.
There was no sound of movement, only the violent displacement of air.
Feng Jian was suddenly behind Adam. The tip of an iridescent purple spear pressed against the skin of Adam's neck, just below the ear. A single drop of blood beaded on the skin.
"Disrespect Her Majesty one more time," Feng Jian whispered, his voice sounding like vibrating glass, "and your head is on the ground."
Adam didn't flinch. He didn't even turn his head. He looked straight at Selena with dead, unhinged eyes.
Selena was surprised.
"I know you can't kill me... And, honestly", he paused for a second, "I understand the urgency... I'm also grateful to you for saving us ... But I won't help find Kaiser until we get Evelyn back ... ", he looked at Noah for a second then continued, "I will go by myself if I have to...".
The tension in the room spiked to a suffocating level. Noah gripped the arms of his silk chair, ready to summon his monsters, though he knew it would be futile against the Royal Guards.
Selena stared at Adam for a long beat. Then, she smiled, a genuine, sharp smile.
She glanced at Feng Jian.
The dragonfly guard retracted his spear and vanished, reappearing at her side instantly.
"You are right, Adam," Selena said, smoothing the silk of her dress. "We heavily need you."
"But I need to go bring back Evelyn first, I can’t leave her there no matter what" Adam stated.
"I see you cherish her, but the stakes are too great, we do not have time for sentimental --"
"I do," Adam cut her off, stepping closer to the table. "If you want my help, we find Evelyn first, then we look for Kaiser."
Gerrick Tor stepped forward, the floor shaking under his massive weight. Feng Jian’s visor flashed. They were done with his insolence.
But Selena looked into Adam's eyes. She looked for fear, for hesitation, for the bluff of a child. She found none.
She realized that she couldn't actually stop him. Not if she wanted his cooperation.
Noah smiled lightly, feeling a surge of pride burn in his chest.
"And how do you plan on doing that, exactly?" Selena asked, her lips curving into a smile that mirrored Noah's.
"I will kill Malthane," Adam said. "And I will save Evelyn. There isn’t much else to it, really, we will make a plan and find a way to do it."
Selena stared at him for a few moments. Then, she threw her head back and laughed. It was hysterical, genuine, and echoed wildly through the Cradle.
"Well, it’s not like I have an efficient and complete plan on finding Kaiser yet," she conceded, wiping a tear from her porcelain cheek. "Also, to even begin the lookout for him, we might need to retrieve some things from the Kingdom of Light anyway."
She clapped her hands together. "So be it as you wish, dear child."
"Thank you for understanding," Adam said, his voice lowering. "And I apologize if my attitude seemed inappropriate."
He shifted his gaze to Feng Jian. The Dragonfly Guard didn't move. He stood perfectly still, even without seeing his eyes behind the visor, the intent was palpable, he was dissecting Adam with his gaze, waiting for a single excuse to turn the boy into ribbons.
"I respect your determination to protect your friends, as I said, we will have to go to the Kingdom of Light regardless. The path aligns."
She glanced at Lian Mei, who gave a sharp nod before stepping to Adam and Noah’s side.
"The meeting for today is over, my dear children. We will discuss the exact procedure at a later time. Lian Mei will escort you outside. A residence has been prepared for your stay, my servants will ensure you receive the keys and the location."
"Thank you."
Adam and Noah spoke in unison, placing their hands over their chests in a clumsy but sincere bow.
They turned, walking towards the elevator with Lian Mei trailing silently behind them like a shadow. They were halfway across the dais when Adam stopped.
His boots scuffed against the floor, the sound echoing in the vast chamber.
Selena tilted her head, the movement fluid and bird-like. "Yes?"
Adam turned back to face the colossal cocoon and the marionette queen.
"I wanted to ask you something. If you don’t mind."
"I am all ears."
Adam hesitated for a beat, his dark eyes searching the porcelain perfection of her face.
"Is Kaiser... a good person?"
The question hung in the humid air, simple and childish.
Selena didn’t blink. Her expression didn't change.
"There are no good or bad people, Adam," she said softly. "But one thing is for sure, he is one of the two strongest existences in this world, probably the strongest among the two, and he is also, an old fr…", Selena stopped for a single moment, her expression shifting into a sudden sadness, "acquaintance."