I huffed painfully, feeling as well as hearing my ribs groan under the pressure of the man currently squeezing the life out of me. I didn't react immediately, perhaps out of instinctual politeness, but it quickly became apparent he wasn't going to stop until I was blue in the face and black in the ribs.

I squirmed my hand as best as I could with it tucked in under his bicep and patted him on the side. "Adam. Adam! Uncle! Aunt's Uncle! Let go!"

"Oh, that's what that means," Adam commented. He let me go and I fell to my feet, then to my butt before turning to a gasping fish on the floor. "Sorry about that."

"Ho-" I gasped and my voice cracked. Taking a moment longer to recover while the world spun, I sat up, then slowly stood as my breath returned to normal.

"How are you alive?" I asked. "I thought you were supposed to be dead."

Adam nodded, and said, as if it was normal, "The others wouldn't go so far as to kill me, no, that would be too painful for them to go through again; but they did bury me."

"Bury you?" Nothing of what he said made any kind of sense.

He continued, "When they saw you last, I didn't wake up but then they also expected you and actively made sure I wouldn't; but this time, you caught them off guard! Well done!" He congratulated me with a smack on the shoulder, which stung.

I rubbed my sudden bruise, and looked at him curiously, "I did? I mean I know I came unannounced but I wasn't planning to jump scare anybody. Wait, does this mean I have power over him?"

"Hm..." He bobbed his head in thought. "Not so much you, so much as remembering my promise I made to you. It could have been anyone for all the good it was, but I found in you a resolve to keep contesting him, which I turned into a power by my promise."

I stared at him. Even as I would later record these events, I still did not understand half of what he said.

Normally when I stare at people in open confusion, they explain themselves. Yet, it would seem Adam was quite an oddity as he nodded firmly, as if his explanation made absolute sense, because, of course, I should understand it. And he did not explain himself any further.

"So, my friend, as great as it is to see you, why are you here?"

"I came to parley with the Aeterna." I answered. "If I had known I would have this affect on him, to bring you back, then that would have tried to do it sooner, but, to be honest, I had no idea."

Adam sighed and rubbed his hair. "Then I am sorry to say this but... the Fourth neither parley's nor compromises. So far as he is concerned you either obey completely or not. There is no middle ground."

I nodded, "I remember, you told me something similar. Doesn't mean I shouldn't try. There must be a way to get through to him."

"His entire being is of single-minded purpose." Adam shrugged, "But just because everyone else failed doesn't mean you won't."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You're really not that supportive."

He smiled, "So I've been told. Shall I let him out? The shock put him to sleep, but I can nudge him awake."

I huffed and thought about it a moment. No, if I had the opportunity for inside information, I needed to take it first. The first rule of any political, economical, or business engagement is to be prepared before sitting at the table. I thought myself the residential expert on Aeterna that might be on my side of the issue, which wasn't much at all to speak of, but here was one so intimate with the Aeterna they shared the same body.

"No, not yet. First, I need to know. Who is the Aeterna, and while I'm at it, who are you? How does this work between you? What drives him? If you say he is a being entirely of purpose, then what is that purpose? How can I help you fight him if I barely know what I am fighting or in what nature? Because, honestly, I haven't understood what you have said."

"Oh, I'm sorry, which part didn't you understand?" He asked.

"Try exactly: all of it."

Adam blinked in surprise, and seemingly remembered himself. "Then, I apologize. I don't talk much with other people. Mostly its been the others, my others. Um, very well, come with me. Lets find somewhere a bit more comfortable and I'll explain best I can. Oh, and please do stay close. I wouldn't want to relapse!"

We walked through the floor a bit until we came to a large kitchen. In it was a Ne-Blood woman cleaning dishes over a tiny guizer of flowing water. As soon as she saw us, she stopped and bowed.

"My Lord, Aeterna! I am sorry, I was not expecting you until first meal!" She humbled herself.

Adam waved her concerns away, "I'm just here with a guest. Never you mind us. In fact, never mind your work. In fact, just take the day off. Take the next few days off. Tell the rest of the girls. Go see your family, have some fun, do whatever else, anything else!"

Her face lit up, but instantly her eyes went to the dishes left undone. "Thank you, but first I'll just-"

"Oh, please, don't. Seriously, just never mind it and go. I wish it. Get out! Have a holiday!"

She thanked him many times and left, at first politely and anxiously walking ever so slowly and properly then turning a corner into a mad dash giggling her way out of earshot.

Adam stared at the undone dishes and giggled to himself. I looked between him and the dishes. Adam explained, "Oh, this is going to annoy him so much."

"Ah."

Adam went to the side, grabbed a tiny pot, put it under the water guizer briefly, then placed it on something that turned red and made a sizzling sound on contact. He pulled out tiny bags of dirt and left it to the side. After a few moments the water in the pot bubbled and unleashed a high pitch scream. He poured the newly boiled water into a tiny goblet, dumped the dirt in, and passed it to me. He produced a second for himself.

I sniffed the dirt water. It smelled sweet! "What is this?"

"Its a tea you would find in South Ire. Much sweeter than your variety." Adam answered. 

"Ah." I left it close enough to smell, but not yet drink until it had cooled. "I thought it was dirt. The leaves must be ground so finely. We leave the leaves intact."

He served himself and sat across from me.

Adam looked at me and started, "To explain, we have to go start at our beginning. Before Aeterna, and before me. There are three in here." He tapped himself on the head.

"But you referred to him as 'fourth'." I commented.

"I'm aware, I will get to that."

He took a sip and explained, "The First woke in a white wasteland. He had a mind of instinct, like an animal. Eventually he found others, the Soran-Blood, but what transpired with them, and for how long, we don't know. Its all a giant blur. Anyway, something happened and we encountered others. Ire-Blood mostly. And we entered Dyson. It was too much, too quickly. The First couldn't take the growth of a larger world, and so the Second came."

Adam held the cup between his hands and looked down at it sadly. "If First was an animal, then Second was a man, nurtured, good, wholesome. We entered the world and loved it. We learned as much as we could our hands on, gained friends, family, nationality, identity, achievements. Second was the golden one. Most of all we were content in the shadows of greater men and helped them grow mighty. Second soothed First into a gentle sleep, and gave him peace. We were happy. Then we were betrayed and... executed. Along with our family."

"You died." I gaped at him briefly. I shut my mouth. "You actually died?"

Adam nodded. "Many times, actually. Second died, but death did not claim us all. The First rose up and killed millions in revenge. Literal, millions. No number was enough to satisfy First, and time became a blur for us again as we wandered about killing anything that moved."

Adam finished drinking his cup and let it be silent a moment as I processed what he said.

This man, Adam or Aeterna or First or Second, was a true immortal. Not merely long living, but unable to die. There is no threat to him. We cannot win, as even if we win in the short term he merely has to outlive us and try again the next generation.

Reaching him and convincing him is the only true solution.

Adam continued, "But then there was a voice singing, and it pierced the veil of our minds, reaching me and I was born. A priestess was being sacrificed to us, and her song to her gods reached a part of us we had forgotten. The First was growing increasingly tired from his anger, and together, the priestess and I put him to sleep. I married her, and we had a good life. I tried to be as good as Second, but no one could ever be as good as him. I did everything I could, I became the pillar she could lean on, even extended her life indefinitely, created the Numerenai at her wishes, adopted into the guild all the children across the world I could find!" He threw his arms wide as if to encompass it. Still, his eyes were sad. His arms dropped painfully. "Yet, it wasn't enough. What she had lost before meeting me deprived her of her own child, and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm not Second. I can't sooth First like she or he could, I can't create a golden kingdom as he could, I can't create a proper family as he could, I'm just what was left over, born of First's exhaustion nestled in the crack left by Second's light." Adam's voice cracked and he stopped a moment.

I clenched my hands tight. It hurt to see my friend like this. "Adam, I-"

"I'm sorry." He sighed, put a hand to his face, and rubbed water from his eyes. "I'm rambling."

"You haven't talked to many people about this, have you?"

"I haven't talked about this to anyone, actually. Not even her. I needed to be strong, but I think she still knew. The only reason I am telling you is perhaps coming so close to Second recently has left me vulnerable."

Adam sniffed, and I gave him time to compose himself. Eventually his composure returned. "Then there was the Fourth, the Aeterna. He appeared among us twelve -no- thirteen years ago now, and was violently authoritative from his first word. He had a plan and anything that went against the plan had to be removed, including himself. Us. Me. The First obeyed instantly, instinct telling him Fourth was the leader. Against the two, I was the weaker and was in a losing battle for a long time. Fourth allowed the battle, but was inevitable, as the closer he came to conquering Dyson, the more I dwindled. I was buried into the darkness when he destroyed your capital, and the first stage of his plan was complete."

I leaned forward and asked, "What is that plan?"

"Absolute authoritarianism. Control without care for anyone else's opinion. To reshape it into what he wants it to be."

"And what does he want it to be?" I pressed. "If you are of the same mind, then you must know! What is the future he envisions!"

"A place where he could remake Second's light." Adam explained. "And to prevent death to-" He stopped. He put a hand to his head and panted. His breathes became deep, panicked, afraid. Sweat suddenly came over him and his muscles contracted. Between fight or flight he was choosing the former.

"To whom? To himself? To you? To your wife? To revive Second?! Adam! What does he-"

Adam snapped up and on his face was fury. He growled through his teeth and his eyes tore into me. I paled.

"Oh. Shit." I muttered.

XXXXX

"Get a good rest?" Izthark inquired.

From inside her helmet, Jyesthra yawned, but she nodded all the same. 

"Give me a moment." She muttered.

Izthark had met her at her door in the tower at the top floor. Having been unsuccessful in their pursuit of the young master, finding he had made it as far as the capital city, yet not finding him yet, they took time to rest. As well as Numerenai could, that is.

"'Get a good rest?'" Jyesthtra muttered, mocking him. "Good one. Jackass." 

She returned to the door and slapped him on the shoulder with her gauntlet before putting it on. Izthark smirked through rubbing it away. They walked down the hall towards the stairs.

"Think we'll find him this time?"

"I think so! I got a good feelin' about it." Izthark smiled.

She huffed in amusement. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Being a downer."

"Eh, it is what it is. We should really-" Izthark stopped. There was rumbling. He smirked, "Get you something to eat!"

Her head movement told him she was rolling her eyes. "That's not me."

The rumbling continued, and was coming closer. Soon it sounded different, like an echoing stampede.

"That's not a stomach at all." She continued.

Immediately someone turned the corner just ahead and ran between them without doing the polite thing and slowing down. "Run!" The person yelled, continuing to hightail it down the hall.

"Valspear?!" Izthark gasped, turning back. 

He heard Jyesthra squeal in fright, and turned forwards again to see Adam, yet it was clearly not the Adam he knew. His eyes were beastie and furious, his stance was hunched forwards and ready to lunge, his muscles flexed with his heavy panting breaths, his hair was wildly disheveled, his teeth were bared. It was like looking at an angry dragon trapped in a man's skin.

Izthark gulped. He had never recalled Adam ever being this angry, even when he nor his adopted sister messed up at their worst. Whatever Valspear had done had truly pushed him over the deep end.

Izthark put up his hands to fight. Adam stared at them, measuring them up, and Izthark knew that whatever part of Adam was still in there knew he had trained them to be strong. "We can do this." He hoped. "We may be only a few decades to his centuries, but we still outnumber him two-"

He heard a pop in the air next to him, and didn't have to turn his head to know Jyesthra had disappeared. She didn't even take him with her!

"Oh you, rat ba-" Izthark muttered. But he was cut off as Adam lunged forward, back handed him out the window, and kept running. 

XXXXX

Whether by intruding in territory I shouldn't be in, delving into information Aeterna or First finds threatening, or simply hurting his pride by causing Adam to wake up briefly, I had managed to become the target of an ancient angry mortal-god that may or may not have wiped out entire civitilizations.

Why do I do things?

Self-reflection could come later, right now I needed to survive. Abhdan insisted I learn basic martial arts and be at least average in swordplay, as the final defense incase my royal guards were overwhelmed. However I lacked guards and right now both them and my training would probably be useless. Father, on the other hand, and his training in hunting might prove useful.

Taking a page from his education, as soon as I found myself with a few seconds to breath, removed my shoes. Now quieter, I considered my environment. The top floor of the tower was almost barren of hiding places, being mostly doors, halls in a circle, and stairs. The kitchen lacked anything useful. Some of the rooms likely had something, but I would also be quickly trapped.

Which, on the other hand, could be useful.

Running around a corner I came across a series of doors with another turn at the end. With seconds to spare, I pattered to the final door, opened it, but did not enter and instead hid around the corner. I had no time to spare as immediately the immortal juggernaut entered the hall behind me. I remembered Adam being shorter, but right now it felt like his frame took up every inch of the pass from side to side and from floor to ceiling.

A beast of instinct, indeed. He ran into the room where I had opened the door and set to thrashing it. I slammed the door shut, which while making him angrier and to immediately crash into it knocking me down, still held tight.

With Adam distracted, I fled down another hall. Though I had only been here for less than an hour, I figured out the lay out quickly. Most floors had room for a thousand or more people, and here barely ten; yet in general structure it was identical to the other floors.

A crash behind me alerted me to Adam. I gained scant seconds.

I made it to the exit door. Behind me was another window and the next two sets of stairs, one leading up and one leading down. I put my hand to the door to open it, but it didn't react.

"Oh, come on!" I whispered. How did Bagon do it? I'm pretty sure I was doing the same thing!

I tried again and again, but nothing. The exit would not react.

Adam was nearly upon me, so I abandoned the door and hid on the upward stairs. He examined the door I had failed to open, and smacked his hand on it clumsily. The door opened for him. He entered in.

Good, if he could leave it open when he exits again this should be easy.

A noise next to me alerted me. It was a jab sound, like metal cleaving into stone, loud and sudden. It was followed up by soft pitter-patter and a grunting sound. Most of all, it was outside the tower. Was someone on the outside?

Worse, it drew Adam's attention. He returned and coming closer to the sound put me in his sights.

Nowhere else to go, I spun around and ran up onto the roof. 

XXX

Fereren cast a dismal eye at his surroundings as he rode into town with a few trusted officers. He had heard his people were being rounded up like cattle and sold off, but to see it was another thing entirely. The Erl-Blood probably out populated the town two to one. 

He told his companions, "I know it looks worse than he said, but remember: do not react, it will draw attention. We find my boy and we find Valspear. If Caius has harmed either one of them, he will pay with his life."

XXX

The sun was blinding without a roof atop the tower, and there were no walls, just about six pillars with arches between them. The roof was entirely flat and vacant of anything to hide anymore. Just above me was the fullness of the sun.

I was at the center of the world, the very core of Ancestral Creation, standing on holy ground.

The grandeur of the moment was lost on me for two reasons. The first was the most obvious, Adam was going to kill me. The second, was that I could plainly see a darkness growing on the ground around the edges of the combined continent that made up all nations besides Ref. It was like a picture frame growing suddenly, and slowly at once, but something in my memory recalled the story of Ref, how the Night-Blood came from the ocean to consume it even in the daylight. This was similar to the stories.

Were the Night-Blood responding to First Adam? Were they rising from the ocean once again, being called by this man?

Adam cornered me from the stairs and inched his way to me, his frame wide, his hands out reach to rip and tear. I was winded, shaking, barely able to stand, gasping for breath, and sweating, but he looked like he had barely warmed up.

I backed up completely to the edge and felt the wind tugging at my jacket. The fall was probably measured in the miles, I wouldn't survive, I could barely even see the ground through the clouds.

The Cynn-Blood armored woman popped into place between us, immediately kneeled, and presented something in her hands. Against the light it was blinding so I couldn't make it out.

"Are you looking for this, my lord?" She asked.

Immediately First Adam's eyes were drawn to it, and they widened in awe at the brilliance of it. His posture straightened, and he came closer, no longer hunting, but uncertain and gently. He reached a hand out to it and touched the object lovingly, letting his fingers grace its surface. As his frame leaned over it, shadowing it, I could make out that she had found the Aeterna's gauntlet and was returning it to him.

Adam's eyes hardened, narrowed, and at once he snapped his hand into the gauntlet and lifted it. No longer looking feral, his eyes had a purpose and reason behind it that controlled the anger, and most of all a focus. A focus he immediately directed onto me. The woman stepped aside and continued bowing to him on a knee.

He raised his hand, palm up, and the sun screamed. A wind erupted from its scream like a gust of wind, nearly blowing me off was I not holding on to a pillar already. Immediately the black frames around the continent, the Night-Blood, returned into the ocean and was no longer visible.

Aeterna, Fourth Adam, then brought his hand down facing me, palm towards me, and I felt gravity shift towards him. I lost my sweaty grip on the pillar and flew towards him. He reached out, caught me by the face. As the rest of my body continued on and swung on his hand, he slammed my head down into the stone.

I heard a crack, and felt my entire body scream in pain. I tried to move, do anything, but I couldn't so much as lift a finger or open my mouth to scream.

After a moment and the immediate pain subsided, the Aeterna Emperor stooped down and whispered, "That was a mistake. Do you know what you almost caused?" I guessed it had something to do with First Adam willing and able to wipe out the entire world. He concluded, "Do not surprise me like that, again."

Aeterna glanced towards his Cynn-Blood servant. "Thank you for acting quickly and decisively, Jyesthra. You did very well."

She, Jyesthra, responded, "Thank you, my lord. What is to be done with him?"

"What indeed?" He mused. Releasing my head, he stood up and looked down at me. The sun was blinding behind his head, and in the shadow I couldn't make out his expression.

I wanted to cry. I hadn't just failed, I had nearly destroyed the world. I had no way of knowing about First Adam nor what might happen from showing my face so suddenly, yet, it did not matter. I did it. Ignorant or not, the Ancestor's will seemed to be that I would not measure up to the Aeterna. I did not have the respect, authority, nor power to stand here and parley with what was basically a mortal god. The idea of being 'Successor of Adam' was a power granted to me, but it was not born of me, and so wasn't a title I could deem myself of having nor thinking myself beyond what I was. There were things I could do with the authority and power given to me, but I had vastly overreached myself.

I wasn't a hostage king anymore than I was 'Successor of Adam'.

But that didn't mean we still didn't need one.

It was at this time that there was a noise to the side on the edge of the tower. We turned towards it, and out of the air came a metal hand. The metal hand grabbed the top of the tower and dug its fingers in deep, crunching the material in its claws and grabbing tight. Next to follow was a fleshy hand that grabbed the edge and pulled itself up alongside the metal claws.

The white-haired boy, whom I had met at the bar and stole my drink, climbed onto the tower.

"What the-" I whispered. I was surprised, utterly shocked, that this boy had just spent who-knows-how-long climbing up the entire tower to get here. I had seen him climb things but this was insane!

What was more surprising, however, was the flabbergasted expression on the Aeterna as he  openly stared at the boy.

"Son?" The Aeterna whispered.