Family

"Brother Adam!" Before Adam had even reached home, he saw Lina, with her little legs moving quickly, running towards him. Her face was lit up with a silly grin as she threw herself into his arms, smearing the dirt on her face onto his pants.Although Adam was somewhat particular about cleanliness, he didn't feel angered by this. Instead, he laughed and lifted Lina into the air, holding her high, making her laugh so much that her eyes squinted into narrow slits.Adam smiled, but his gaze shifted to the second floor, where a figure was watching him intently.His smile faltered, replaced by his usual calm, gentle smile. He set Lina down and playfully ruffled her hair.When he looked up at the second floor again, the figure had vanished.Adam's memory was sharp, and even if he had only encountered someone once or twice long ago, he could recall them clearly—especially if that person had been buried by his own hand."You thief who stole my identity!" A voice, filled with venom, rang out, but Adam chose not to turn around. Instead, he continued to chat casually with Alice and Maggie, discussing the latest gossip among the neighbors.Alice was a man of few words. He was often seen quietly working in his small woodworking room, carving with a knife.Yet, today, for the first time in a long while, he sat beside them, awkwardly echoing some of Maggie's words before sinking back into silence."All of this concern should be mine!"It was as if the howl of a vengeful spirit echoed in Adam's ears, but he remained unfazed, ignoring it entirely.Perhaps spirits did exist in this world, but for a spirit to be born, it had to be from a powerful being. A mere boy's death would not give rise to such a thing."So, is this another issue triggered by bloodline awakening?" Adam mused, his gaze fixed on the figure emerging from the shadows. There was no fear in his eyes, only a steady, unwavering resolve.Not only had he not killed the real Adam, but he had merely assumed the other's identity. Even if he had indeed killed him for the sake of the identity, and now this vengeful spirit sought retribution, Adam would face it without a hint of guilt."Must every werewolf's bloodline awakening bring about such phenomena?" Adam's psychological fortitude remained unshaken. He was not bothered by the apparition, but he knew others of his kind might not be able to dismiss it so easily."Or is it just me?" He considered some unique traits of his own."I came into contact with aconite, which is closely tied to werewolf bloodlines.""Then there's the fact that I am a half-pure werewolf; there aren't many half-human, half-wolf hybrids.""Perhaps it's the rituals I underwent, such as the Tears of the Gods, which have triggered something.""It might even be because I activated a perception state earlier than others." Adam carefully observed the figure, comparing it to the surrounding environment."Indeed, it is a manifestation of my own perception, rooted in my memory, rather than a real entity in this world.""Overactive perception, combined with a bloodline awakening, inevitably leads to a retrospective vision of the past, creating this phenomenon?" Adam felt a flicker of frustration.He quickly suppressed his frustration, understanding that it would not alter the already existing facts. This was something most people understood, yet it was hard to remain calm when confronted with the reality of a situation."Can I consider this heightened perception as one of my personal abilities? Talent exploration should be all-encompassing," Adam mused, shifting his perspective, feeling a little better as he did so."Affinity and perception—are these my talents?" Adam found some satisfaction in this thought. Although he currently required abilities that would enhance his combat prowess, in his present situation, affinity and perception were more immediately useful."After all, I've subdued those people using my acting skills, and it is my affinity and perception that support those skills," Adam said with a self-deprecating smile, slowly adjusting his mental state.The figure gradually faded, and after enjoying a relatively sumptuous dinner, Adam prepared to head upstairs.Though this familial affection was not his own, the care he felt from others still brought him a sense of joy.Yet soon, Adam reined in these unnecessary emotions. He knew full well that he would eventually be exposed—it was only a matter of time.Unnecessary emotions were best kept to a minimum; it would be better for everyone when he made his exit.Locking the attic door, Adam sat quietly and waited. As the moonlight began to seep through the windows, he even began to witness some illusions—strange people and events."White fur? Is this when I start tracing my ancestors?" Adam narrowed his eyes, not panicking at the appearance of the illusions, but instead observing them with intense focus.The content was extremely complex, with scenes of mundane life, battles, and some inappropriate imagery."Why is everything being shoved into the bloodline?" Adam frowned, noticing that the most prevalent images were the inappropriate ones."Reproduction is important for the tribe, I understand that, but this is a bit much…" Adam did his best to ignore the less useful images, focusing instead on the others."Close combat, tool-making, wilderness tracking, and even werewolves as sorcerers," he reflected. Most werewolves were skilled in close combat, but werewolves as sorcerers were rare. The scenes he saw about this did not convey much useful information.After all, combat was easier to depict in images, but the training of a sorcerer was not as expressive through visuals. One scene simply showed a werewolf sitting still, with its aura and form changing slightly."This won't help me learn anything," Adam mused, closing his eyes to clear his mind. When the night deepened, he shifted back into his werewolf form."Boom!" His head lightly bumped against the ceiling as he noticed his werewolf form had grown even stronger.The moonlight shone on his white fur, almost as if light spirits danced across his body, then merged with him.Suppressing the urge to howl, Adam crawled out of the attic window and swiftly dashed through the streets, running through alleyways and across roads.His body leaned forward, and his limbs moved with speed, the wind rushing towards him, ruffling his white fur.It felt as though his consciousness had separated from his body; he could clearly perceive what he was doing, but controlling his actions was more difficult than usual."The id is dominant now, the wildness and thoughts in my blood are in sync, the ego is sidelined, and the superego is unable to control the id," Adam's instinctive mind analyzed.Psychologically speaking, a person's mind is composed of the id, ego, and superego. Normally, Adam's ego was in control, constrained by both the id and the superego.But now, after transforming, the id took control, while his rational mind—pure and unrestrained—was the ego.The ego, although influenced by the id, typically had the power to regulate it. But due to the bloodline influence, this regulating ability was much weaker now."The bloodline amplifies the id and suppresses the ego, and without the ego to mediate, the superego cannot control the id's impulses.""Fortunately, my mental state is stable. The id, ego, and superego are still in relative harmony," Adam thought, realizing that his inner disharmony stemmed from the fact that, in order to achieve his goals, he had been enduring constant pain.But his ultimate goal was to escape that pain, and thus, the id needed only to vent its frustrations before regaining control."So, it's probably best to let myself unwind for now," Adam thought. The ego wasn't worried about his safety; in this state, his intuition would be heightened, enabling him to sense danger and evade it quickly.The id, in essence, feared pain more than anything else. It was cowardly, a pure hedonist, and with its sharp intuition, this state was actually the least likely to lead to recklessness.After the ego had fully analyzed this, it ceased interfering with the id's release of energy.Soon enough, Adam regained control of his body, transforming back and quickly retrieving his monk's robes and mask.Now, it was time to focus on the real task at hand.