She seemed to sense the dead silence around her. Several seconds passed before she tentatively raised her head slowly.
A small face covered in tear stains and dirt entered Adam's view.
Those blue eyes were as pure as the sky. They clearly reflected his inhuman figure which radiated an ominous aura.
Her body trembled violently like a startled deer in the forest. She scrambled backward on all fours until her back pressed against a cold tree trunk. There was nowhere left to retreat.
Adam just looked at her. He did not move.
Perhaps it was because he had just become a Demon King. This was the first time he observed a female character he once liked from such a close distance. This strange feeling was a first for him.
He took out a loaf of white bread wrapped in clean oil paper and a flask of clear water from his bag. Squatting down, he placed them three steps away from her.
"Eat"
His voice sounded dry when he spoke. It seemed as if this was his first time speaking.
The girl's gaze was instantly fixed on the white bread that released the scent of wheat. A clear and uncontrollable swallowing sound came from her throat.
Yet the wariness in her eyes deepened. Her thin and small body curled up even tighter.
She did not understand.
The aura on this man was ten thousand times more terrifying than that group of children combined.
Just being watched by him made Seraphina feel like her blood was freezing.
Why would he help her?
"Who... are you?" Her voice shook uncontrollably.
"Adam" Adam spoke his name and said nothing more. He stood up and silently walked to a tree ten steps away, sat down and then turned his back to her.
Seraphina was completely stunned. She had expected ridicule. She expected to be driven away or faced with excessive demands.
She never imagined he would leave her such an absolutely safe space.
The aroma of the bread was like an invisible hand scratching at her insides.
She had not eaten for two days.
Hunger and fear fought wildly inside her small body.
Reason told her to run away!
Yet her physical instincts screamed at her to crawl over and grab that life-saving food!
Time passed second by second.
That black back figure never moved. He was like a stone statue.
The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else. Seraphina stared fixedly at his back as she inched over little by little.
Her small hand reached out slowly. She touched the oil paper package that still carried the man's body warmth.
She quickly grabbed the bread and the flask before shrinking back under the tree. She stuffed the bread into her mouth as fast as possible. Choking and rolling her eyes, she hurriedly opened the flask and gulped down several mouthfuls.
The long-lost feeling of fullness almost made her cry.
She finished eating.
The man still had his back to her. He did not move.
The sky grew dark. The howls of beasts came from the distance and made her hair stand on end.
The man stood up. He seemed ready to leave.
That black figure was about to merge into the night.
"Wa... wait!" relying on instinct, she shouted with all her strength.
She knew that if this man left, those children would definitely come back for her. They would drag her into an even deeper darkness.
Adam stopped walking. He did not look back.
"Where are you going?" The girl's voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum. It carried a plea she did not even notice herself.
"A place without idiots" Adam's voice came from ahead. It remained calm.
The light that had just lit up in the girl's eyes instantly went out again.
She bit her lower lip hard. The metallic taste of blood spread in her mouth.
She knew this was her only chance.
"Take me with you... can you?" She spoke again. Her voice was so thin it could be scattered by the wind, yet it carried the resolve of betting everything she had.
Adam stood with his back to her for a long time.
Then he turned around.
Those black eyes looked like two bottomless vortexes in the dim light.
"You will die if you follow me"
His voice was low and deep. It sounded like a judgment from hell.
Seraphina's body shook even harder as tears burst from her eyes.
Yet she did not look away. Instead she met that gaze which could make the most powerful warrior tremble. With a crying and hoarse voice, she shouted out word by word.
"I! Am! Not! Afraid! Of! Death!"
"I am only afraid of living like this with no dignity!"
Adam looked at her.
"Good"
He said only one word then walked back to her and reached out his hand.
It was a large and gentle hand.
The girl hesitated for a moment. In the end, she placed her small dirt-stained hand onto his.
She had not walked far when her legs went soft. She fell forward.
Adam stopped and looked back at her. A trace of impatience seemed to flash across his unchanging face.
He squatted down in front of her.
"Get on."
The girl hesitated but obediently climbed onto his back. It was not broad, but it was as steady as a mountain rock.
He carried her through the dark forest as if walking on flat ground.
Finally, the two stopped in front of a mountain wall covered in vines.
Adam waved his hand casually. The vines seemed to come alive as they silently retreated to the sides to reveal a dark cave entrance.
"This is..." Fear filled the girl's voice.
"Home"
Adam spoke this unfamiliar word and carried her inside.
It was dark and damp inside the cave. He put the girl down.
She anxiously grabbed the corner of his clothes.
"Watch" he said.
The next second.
Seraphina felt the ground beneath her feet begin to shake violently. She screamed and fell onto her butt in fright!
The uneven ground wriggled and smoothed itself out before her eyes in a way that defied logic. It finally turned into a floor of obsidian as smooth as a mirror!
The rough stone walls crumbled and reshaped themselves. Countless complex golden runes lit up on the walls and illuminated the entire space as if it were day.
She wanted to retreat in fear, but she discovered black rocks bursting from the ground behind her. They grew, twisted, and took shape at high speed!
In the blink of an eye, they turned into a large bed covered in black velvet!
Tables, chairs, bookshelves, a fireplace...
Everything grew out of the ground!
Warm flames ignited out of thin air in the fireplace.
This was not a miracle.
This was the magic of a demon!
"Ah!"
Seraphina could finally take it no longer. She let out a short scream and curled into a ball. Hugging her head tight, she trembled violently like a sieve.
Her understanding of life was completely shattered in this moment.
Adam walked up to her and looked at the small ball on the ground.
He reached out his hand, but his movement paused unnaturally halfway. It seemed as if he was trying to recall how to use this gesture. It looked exceptionally stiff.
The moment his fingertips were about to touch her skin, the girl shrank back as if burned by a branding iron!
That was a stress reaction engraved into her bones against all touch.
Adam's fingers paused in mid-air.
But he did not pull back. He just used the pad of his finger to gently wipe away a streak of dirt on her cheek.
There was no pain.
There was no beating.
There was only a cool and dry sensation.
Seraphina's trembling stopped for an instant because of this unfamiliar touch.
Adam took his hand back. He looked at this perfect, absolutely quiet home he had created with his own hands and fell silent for a moment.
"From today on, this is..."
He paused, seemed to be savoring the pronunciation of this word.
"...Home."