Adam Lumina

In the Arcadia Household, the man with the scar of a bullet wound on his forehead continued 'cooking'.

Only briefly pausing when seeing a shadow…

"I'm working on it. You can't rush success." He didn't turn around, eyes staying on the 'medicine'.

The cure for apathy…

"My family has done a lot for you. It's better you don't get any strange ideas. Father cares about you because of your brilliant mind, but you can't compare to the rest of us." Clara crossed her arms.

Her words only revealing a hint of insecurity that existed in her heart, which the man just ignored.

"Right, right…"

"Frederick Mather…!"

"You know, calling me to unload your insecurities doesn't really help with what you're planning. Is getting in my way beneficial to anyone?" Rather than humouring her, the serial killer got serious.

His tone leaving no room for her to retort…

"…How is the production going?" Rather than antagonising him further, Clara got to the point.

"Not good."

"You spoke so confidently before…"

"The 'Devil Dust' I created is a poisonous drug that deteriorates the body and reforms it into a creature with low mental resistance. It actively breaks down the target… but what you and your 'Father' want from me is an enhancement drug to form bonds."

"And you said that it was possible to do it."

"It's possible in theory… But your master has only recently given me research regarding Dissolved Unified Strain Texture and mysteries of 'Demonic Energy'. I've been trying my best to help you all."

"Who're you calling my 'Master'?!" Rather than nitpicking on the latter half, she had bones to pick.

"…Does that really matter?"

"It matter to me! I'm the proud daughter of the Mirror Legion. Don't disrespect my family…!"

"Understood. Now… can you leave already?"

"I'm not done yet."

"You're becoming more 'demonic' than your Father everyday. He must be proud." Fredrick scoffed.

It was too bad that… SHE WAS INTO THAT!

"Really~?" Clara blushed while holding her face. An act that made serial killer hold his head in disbelief.

'Why am I working for this woman again?' Was his inner thought, but that vanished after a minute.

The father figure of her Mirror Legion was scary…

"Anyway, are you sure about not telling him about your plans? What if he doesn't like them the way you think he would? Moreover, is your cult seriously planning to revive the 'World Dragon' like he said?"

"…I don't know where to start swearing at you. Do we look like a cult? Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Not at all… just…" He shifted his eyes to the side and thought about relationship between the cults.

From what he'd heard, the Shadow Overlord (who had been running the Dragon Cult for years) was under the control of this 'Father' of hers. It was thanks to him the Mirror Cult could traverse realms.

With that in mind, what was the end goal to all of this? Their actions didn't make much sense…

The pope and 'God' of the Mirror Cult, Father, was a man shrouded in mysteries. His goals undefined.

This was especially true in regards to recruiting Fredrick. After all, 'they' supplied him with DUST.

Without the cursed materials from another world and the base material of Gravity DUST, it would've been impossible for him to create such an amazing narcotic so quickly. 'Their' assistance was crucial.

But what did they want?

The only thing he knew of was the end goal 'Miss Arcadia' herself wanted by creating this new drug.

With it, she would be able to allow those poisoned by it to feel an extreme form of Emotional Contagion towards Clara. Mimicking her… and even feeling inclined to do whatever she was doing.

As if they were sheep…

If that was all, it would be a pretty big downgrade from his own zombie narcotic formula. However, it seemed like her Father also had high hopes in seeing how this experiment would work itself out.

Which was why he'd arrive on the day of reckoning to see the results of the data… with his own eyes.

"Duchess Arcadia, I hope your faith in your 'legion' doesn't hamper my work. Don't you have a little sister to find at the moment?" This was the last thing Fredrick spoke before turning to look at her.

His eyes glowing a deep crimson light… which was followed by the reaction of his Spectre Possession.

['Whispering Devil' awaits to see a spectacle.]

Seeing the skeletal figure that arose behind the serial killer, Clara had no choice but to step back.

Fighting the man would be useless anyway…

['Whispering Devil' is disappointed.]

[The spirit of corrupt whispers desires conflict and depravity. Show him your loyalty to gain strength.]

Another message was directed towards Clara, but she ignored it. This spectre had no use to her.

The only thing that mattered was her family…

Meanwhile, back at the Noble Familia territory, the twin consciousnesses of Adam openly hugged.

Solaris felt her tears staining his white shirt…

Their display of affection confusing the Beastkin who had found bravery after the spawns vanished.

Thanks to the difference in height, it was easy for the idealistic face of the male figure to stand out.

The female counterpart buried into his chest…

'I understand…' The thought in his heart was sent to the woman crying in his arms, but to no avail.

These weren't the tears of her showing weakness.

They were the teardrops of someone who looked death straight in the face, then decided a rebellion.

'I will never die… NEVER!!!' Lumina sent her fiery thought to him. The outrage strengthened her Dao.

This feeling inside her was only amplified by the newly born spawns that returned to her shadow.

Their feelings causing her to lose composure…

It was because the incident from earlier had highlighted an inherent contradiction within her.

She didn't want to die, but the most rational way to survive was to lose individuality and form Eclipsus.

That way, none of them would feel fear any longer.

The same way Solaris hid behind his immortality…

"Give it to me…!" Lumina spoke out loud while grabbing the white tie of his hybrid clothes between shirt and paths and a hanfu. Her eyes glared at him while showing her greed for power.

If only she was Eclipsus… If only…

…If only she had his Bloodwood Immortality!

Her nails dug into his skin, but we're unable to reach deeper than just a mere layer of his skin.

The difference between their physiques was high.

The female counterpart might have been created with portions of Adam's 'vessel', but not that much.

The split between them was in a 70 to 30 ratio…

She knew at that moment that the only way to attain things from him… was by stealing everything.

Lumina just had destroy him!

But before she could try to fight, Solaris brought her closer even while she tried to rip him apart.

"Give up… Just admit it to yourself."

"Admit what?" The black dresses femme fatale smiled to hide it, but her shivers betrayed her.

"That you can't exist without Adam. You've tried your best, so isn't it time to stop existing alone?"

"What's the difference between admittance and death? I'm not going to end up like our original!"

"Didn't you already do that?"

"…How?" Lumina and Solaris weren't speaking these words anymore. The world had stopped.

The people had slowed down thanks to their high cognitive facilities and ability to share thoughts.

Creating a domain solely for their communication.

"Your spawns..." The lanky caught her red-handed.

The black dressed femme fatale's face spasmed when she realised he'd hit the nail on the head.

"I'm not like him!"

"Emptiness without me is nothingness. Isn't THAT death to you?" He retorted without missing a beat.

This interpretation was new to her, so she couldn't help but look at the man silently as he continued:

"Wouldn't you be more alive by accepting yourself as who you are… Adam?" Her hair stood on end.

There was acknowledgment in the man's voice.

"You… will disappear if I become 'Adam'. Are you planning to die?!" She grabbed him by the neck.

Her words and actions didn't mesh together well.

"…If that will protect you, the yeah… I am." Solaris didn't hide his feelings. This was his true thoughts.

A change occurred within the both of them.

His body became corporeal one moment, but ethereal once streams of energy went into her.

Lumina was unconsciously devouring him…!

"Stop!" She pushed him away. Their mental space became cracked, but the connection was solid.

The frozen world around them stayed still…

Her male counterpart didn't know why she'd pushed him away. Wasn't this what she wanted?

He could feel that this was still the case, so why was she acting against her feelings and interests?

It didn't make much sense to him.

"You… You idiot! I don't want it to be like this. Who are you to give up? You call this kindness? Is this your compassion? Screw it! Fight for your life! Fight for your independence… Your individuality…!"

"Why?" That one word made her choke on her next words. She had finally realised it. Their similarity…

There was warmth mixed with disinterest towards his health. Perhaps this was his truer, uglier face.

The embodiment of altruism…

His next words only proving her thoughts to be spot on: "Why? My individuality isn't a problem."

"Because me and Adam is all that matters to you?"

"Lumina… You're me. Of course I care about you the same way as I do myself. Isn't that the point?"

"You're… You're acting weird now!"

"Am I?" The lanky didn't seem to think so.

"Yeah… You were acting really strange since a bit ago. Is it because of what Sebastian said to you?"

"…No." Solaris turned away his eyes. Her words made a ripple that let her read relevant thoughts.

It was at that point she realised what he'd felt.

"You don't feel like you exist independently, but you think I do because I'd took the role of a mask."

"I'm not feeling that way." Solaris continued his plea. There was no meaning in accepting this.

What she said made sense to him, anyway…

Compared to how Lumina seemed to have a grasp on who she really was, 'he' was merely a fake.

The lanky was the type who tried to be nice, and even that was just him trying to act like Kang Hyuk.

What more could he say?

He had no 'role'. Just a plagiarist of essence.

They were cut from different fabrics. A rag like him couldn't compare to silk woven by fine weavers.

Their positions was too different.

"You dare to think that?!" The tears were wiped off the femme fatale's face and replaced with outrage.

The injustice he'd committed was against himself!

"You're not strange because you don't know what you are or who you want to be. That's normal!"

"…" Solaris wordlessly looked at her face, his heart thumped when she acknowledged him like this.

This somehow felt out of character to him…

Was she the type to give someone else this kind of encouragement? Or was it because this was him?

"Don't misunderstand! No one knows who they are the same way I do. They don't know what they want or why they exist. I'm different. You… You're just like Adam. What hurts you only makes you want stuff, and to get things.. you try to learn."

"…" These words touched the white-collar altruist deeply. He found her expression to be adorable.

So it was okay for him to exist…?

It was okay if he didn't know himself as a person?

A knot in his heart was untied by these words. This caused the sense of ease he felt to release his Qi.

The manifestation of his Sea of Consciousness formed in this virtual space. The sky turned blue.

Boundless were it's walls, as it continued to expand past her body. This was like a never-ending torrent.

However, the Sea of Consciousness didn't interfere with her. In fact, it was all absorbed into her body.

The excess of metaphysical willpower manifested from him was taken in, along with extra vitality.

A thing Solaris had in heaps and bulks.

Now this became a question of viability…

Solaris was all Lumina was, and he was everything she was not. They were sides of the same coins.

But then, how could one be both mortal and immortal at the same time? Wasn't this an error?

A contradiction of existence?

If Adam was immortal, then it should be right that both Solaris and Lumina should be immortal too.

In the physical plane of existence, change occurred when their Seas of Consciousness overlapped.

Solaris became the sun, and Lumina the shades.

Her existence became more defined. Her Yin Qi becoming clearer, along with her 'Mask' ideal…

Was the ideal a mask for 'Darkness', or was the 'Darkness' a mask for her ideals as Adam Graham?

This inquiry manifested as an existential alteration.

Her body morphed when the emptiness and darkness of her Sea of Consciousness took in the layer of metaphysical willpower. The starry space of emptiness was covered up by a bright blue sky.

The darkness beneath was hidden by an ocean…

Her ego remained intact, but it morphed into a figure not unlike how she looked in her 'Masked' form before extending somewhere else. The blade in her physical body's hand was refined again.

This time, even becoming an extension of her Sea of Consciousness. It became a true 'Dao Weapon'.

A blade that the extension of her 'Self'.

Hyuk would've been surprised, but would then have calmed down after remembering something.

The Martial King would've already thought about how myths foretold Immortals could create these kind of mystical weapons. Wasn't that how they got passed down in influential clans in his realm?

Such an explanation would've made a lot of sense.

And what the Beastkin saw…

It was at that moment she'd finally become the messily dressed Landlord she wanted to become.

With all the skills of Solaris replicated onto her.

Like a shadow of him…

Though it was merely an imitation of the Eclipsus form she so desired, this much was enough.

She decided to accept this act of mimicry.

The words she'd spoken also accepted by herself.

The new 'mask' Lumina's body wore was one that was both part her, and an extension of Solaris.

The now 'True Mask' of regards to Adam Graham…

The once black-dressed femme fatale moved the fingers through her now short and unkept hair.

Feeling right at home in this new form.

'Adam Graham' was back, even if he was now a reflection in the surface of water. It made her smile.

"Congratulations." Solaris welcomed back the arrival of this imitation of their Eclipsus form.

Adam Lumina smiled back at him…

But just as he was about to speak, an arrow of Ice DUST flew through the air towards his silhouette.

The crazed smile of the cowardly lion was seen in the handsome lanky's eyes, unable to say a word.

Pain started to appear in Adam's eyes…

She couldn't die anymore, but the seriousness of the injury when the arrow his hit her hurt a lot.

It felt like her organs were put in a freezer!

On top of being blended like blades cut into her.

'Adam' fell into Solaris, but this time her face was covered in pain… unable to hold onto herself.

After all, she had recently made a breakthrough.

Maybe it was luck, but the lion managed to attack when her mental condition was in its weakest state.

The interval just after breaking through her limits.

On top of that, the Beastkin seemed to become more savage after seeing her taken out so easily.

The whites of their eyes filled with red veins…

"Hey, where'd that bitch go?! I won't forgive what she'd done to us! Bring her out now! I'm going to make her beg! Strip her… and make her wish she was dead! You monsters, I'll fuck you all up!" Ardo Brigsy seemed to have regained his confidence.

Maybe if Lumina was conscious enough to release her dozens of spawns, they'd be able to fight him.

However, that was useless now…

She had lost consciousness thanks to the sudden attack, which was the worst state for her to be.

Without her numbers in marionettes, Solaris would be left alone to fend for himself in the 'stampede'.

His immortality would only make them a target for capture and containment, one that would hurt her.

When Lumina's transformation into Adam managed to wear off, who knows what they would do to her.

The mere thought caused a ripple in the lanky.

His subtle smile had now become a deep frown.

Flames started to literally erupt from his eyes at that moment, and his Heart Devil reared its head.

Smiling at the bad situation's great convenience.