Adam's vision of the sudden white light slowly vanished within mere seconds, followed by the noises of people chatting and walking around; the young man found himself standing in the middle of a familiar place he never expected to be in without his prior knowledge.
His back in the first floor of this library, he couldn't believe it to be honest; Adam didn't expect that this would happen to him, yet the young man can still hear his conversation with the old man and the mysterious machine that claimed to have created everything there ever was.
As much as he wants to not believe them with all his might, something tells him they are truthful in their words of intention. Still, this newfound knowledge of him being in a story and having to control his own narrative is truly hard to swallow, for he had been living his life in a normal fashion, seeing everyone as normal people just like him.
Beside this new-found discovery, his agreement with the offer had changed him somewhat; he felt as if he had lost something that protected him, while at the same time, he was able to control the personal plot of his own life, even if this was his first time experiencing this.
Cautiously raising open palms near his face while looking down at them, a strange emotion washed over him: the feeling of being the one that controls his own life while being free from someone's machinations. The very thought of it was alien to the young man, but even so, he would be lying to himself if he didn't enjoy it.
He can do it, bend the very narrative of his own story to a satisfying conclusion, or allow the universe itself to go down a certain pathway of choices, a number that will ensure the highest likelihood of making him victorious in any kind of outcome at the cost of losing once or multiple times on his path to victory.
The price to pay for being able to control one's own story is nothing short of a miracle, yet he feels more like an anti-hero than a protagonist; he has done many questionable things for the sake of his own freedom and survival, even if those things would make him a villain to others.
Then that means he can cure his daughter, right? His mind is reeling with possibilities. But it wouldn't work because this only applies to him, not her, and that alone is the most painful thing to know.
Grinding his teeth in anger at the thought of it, Adam was more than ready to use his plot powers for the betterment of his own benefit, but before it could happen, however, his boss voice suddenly appeared from behind: "There you are, man!"
Adam snapped his head forward, turning around in quick motion to see exhausted Miller in relief of finding him. "Where the hell were you?" The boss man caught his breath, crossing his arms in a sign of disapproval and wanting to get to the bottom of this: "I was looking all over you; I thought you went home or something."
Pausing for a brief moment, the young man expressed a sigh of disbelief upon what he was about to say: "Sorry, I was..." Second, it wouldn't make sense if he said everything to him; the very idea of telling him his own experience about the prior incident would make him sound like babbling lunatic.
Instead of having to get through that mess, he created another lie to make things easier for the both of them: "I was outside," he said in a careful tone of voice, hoping that his boss wouldn't be suspicious of him, "you know, having a smoke of cigars and stuff."
A few seconds passed by, and Miller blinked with doubt but slowly nodded in acceptance to his colleague's words: "You know what time it is? It's three in the morning, right?" Angrily said as he calmed down and looked over his shoulder in a careful manner, making sure nobody was around to overhear him, "regardless," turning back to his friend, "I'm glad you are okay, man."
The boss placed his hand over the young man's shoulder, showing a small smile in a sign of gratitude. Adam was relieved of not having to be interrogated but felt a tinge of guilt at his dishonesty. "Yeah, I'm fine." Adam responded with a forced smile.
Out of nowhere, he gave his boss a sudden hug, much to Miller's surprise. Miller was confused at the suddenness of this unexpected gesture coming from him. The African person didn't mind, however, and simply returned it. "Haha, what's with the sudden hug? Are you okay, buddy?" Asked Walker's son, who was getting worried about his friend's well-being.
"You are a good friend," Adam whispered. "I don't deserve you." A bittersweet smile graced the young man's features when they parted ways. His heart is filled with grief and regret, for he knows that their friendship would never be the same once the truth came out. "I'm sorry," parting away from him, the young man turned around to leave, "I have to go, right now."
He needs to get out of there because of the overwhelming feelings he's getting, and his friend won't have it. Miller grabbed Adam's arm with gentle force, stopping him from leaving while being concerned about why he was acting like this.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Said the concerned boss, not wanting him to leave like this, "Did something happen while I wasn't looking?" Despite having no clue what's going on with him, he still cares for him; they've been through a lot together after all.
"Nothing happened," Adam replied with a low voice tone, not making any eye contact with him; it hurts just thinking of what he would say when he finds out about the truth: "It's about our mission, you see," trying to find excuses to get out of his grasp: "Could we, you know, discuss it tomorrow?"
Miller's eyes widened in slight annoyance at him brushing him off like this: "What?" Tightening the grip around his arm, he wasn't going to let him go without getting the answers he wanted: "Are you serious right now? Do you think I will believe that?"
Growling, Adam is slowly starting to lose his patience, turning around to face him in an instant. He had enough of the unnecessary questions coming from him, and the young man said in a hostile tone of voice, "Just let me go, now!" Without warning, Adam grabbed onto his boss's hand, roughly yanking it off of him, and pushed his boss away from him with strength to create distance.
Taking a step back in shock, Miller did not expect this to happen. "W-what's your goddamn problem?" Feeling offended and surprised at the same time, standing firmly in his ground with an incredulous expression on his face from this sudden
"I just..." scratching his head tiredly, "I'll be back in your house at night, okay? Just let me rest for a moment; I've been through a lot." Adam said in a regretful tone that he hated himself for lashing out like this at him. Yet the young man knew he had to get out of here and do something else to let his mind wander off for a moment.
Understanding of what his friend is going through, despite the awkwardness, Miller just gave him a sympathetic nod as he glanced downward and let out a sigh of defeat: "Fine, make sure to come back before the day breaks," gazing upward to look at his partner; Walker's son smiled as he attempted to lighten the mood up: "Don't forget that we still had a job to do."
"I won't forget," Adam replied, returning the smile to his friend as he left. "I promise," as he turned around to the exit, taking a deep breath in, he was grateful that he didn't press the matter any further than it was, "see you, Miller."
And with that, he left The Patrimony Library on his own. Exiting out the doors as the wonderful blue sky and its illuminating sun shined through his surroundings, the young man stared at the blinded light for a few seconds, squinting his eyes to ease the glare and saying, "Good to be back."
He stretched out his limbs and let out a yawn as he made his way down the steps of the library, exhausted after what he had been through, and was still surprised to discover that everything has a story of its own.
Almost making him question who or what controls this, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a car engine being revved nearby, making him turn his attention to the right to see many incoming vehicles on the road.
"Come on, Adam," he said to himself in a quiet tone, "just find something to enjoy for the moment." The young man brought his gaze to the other side, staring at the busy streets where many people were walking around in their daily lives. "This is your new home, he said, smiling bitterly as he shook his head, "despite all the things that have happened."
Walking on the busy sidewalk, he mindlessly moved and passed through bystanders as he gazed at his own reflection through the nearby windows of several stores. Numb and distant from the world, he found himself wandering through the crowded streets as the sounds and sights of the city faded away into the background.
Loneliness, sadness, and self-doubt welled up inside of him as he aimlessly looked around, not having the faintest idea of where he should go or what he should do. Lost in thought, he had no clue where his feet would take him. But even in his directionless state, there was something that kept pushing him forward.
This inner drive drove him onward, forcing him to stay strong despite how broken he felt inside. His inner turmoil made him want to curl up and cry, but he refused to give in. There is one thought that kept running through his mind—a simple idea that kept him moving forward—to care for and protect his loved ones at all costs.
Making his way into this never-ending cold world. It's been almost a month or more since he was living in Hope City, having to survive this frozen wasteland while also adapting to its new life. It was a lot to take in, but with the help of his new companions and friends, he started to overcome it, with some difficulty along the way.
Scratch that; he's still having problems accepting and trying to forget what he's gone through. For now, all he can do is have a moment to himself. Reaching his hand into his coat pocket, he pulled out his packet of cigarettes and lighter from it as he proceeded to light one up while breathing in the smoke. While it was difficult to cope with his life in the world now, he does find some solace in knowing he had to accept the things he made.
He hoped that he wouldn't fall back into his old habits, promising himself to never use his friends again. Not wanting to have anyone get hurt by his actions or mistakes ever again. While he is not the most heroic person, he still has compassion and empathy, which are the source of his humanity.
Something he is proud of because they are what define him as what he considers human, wanting to cherish these tender feelings. Despite that, his pessimistic nature still remains within him, and he still has doubt in his heart. But that doesn't matter to him now; what is more important is that he does something productive with the life he has.
Continuing his walk, he once again got a glimpse of a few dirty crackheads across the street, acting like complete madmen as they acted out of nowhere by chewing on their infected limbs or talking to themselves in crazy ways. Seeing these homeless people from his perspective makes him question himself: Is there such a thing as happiness in this world when one is born into such unfortunate circumstances?
Pity is all he has for them; these people have suffered the most and are rejected by society because of who they perceive them to be—drug addicts or lunatics in their eyes. In his opinion, the poor and unfortunate people suffer the most in life. Even in this cold world, the world itself has social structures in which people who are not accepted in the eyes of the majority suffer in loneliness, being shunned by them altogether.
Society is never perfect, and if it were, then these types of problems wouldn't have happened to begin with. Let alone the existence of people who have nothing, not even a proper home to call their own or even a proper mental evaluation. Being left by the streets in their own misery, he felt bad for them.
Ignoring their presence, he eventually noticed a small store on the other sidewalk that caught his eye, where they appeared to sell any form of jewelry that people could buy. Having a small neon sign above the roof that reads, 'Mendell's Jewellery & Pawn Shop'
Seeing this gave him an idea—someone precious he wants to give to. And because of this change in events, he finally decided what to do with Meridiana after his whole case in catching their guy was finished: a proposal to be engaged with.
New life, new beginnings, and a new chance to start anew.
