In the depths of the woods, I stumbled upon a peculiar boy. His attire was unlike anything I had seen before—he wore a "hoodie" and "jeans," which stood out compared to the traditional clothing of our time. More strikingly, he appeared completely unaware of the Jadian Empire, one of the renowned
Four Great Empires
. Even the simplest peasant living in the forest would recognize that name.
Emilia positioned herself directly in front of him, her tone cutting. She demanded, "What name have you been mentioning? Did you even grasp it?"
He seemed bewildered, as if something profound had just clicked for him. "Adam Jackson," he replied, locking eyes with her. "That boy looked like he was dead… or at least, his expression suggested it."
Meanwhile, Adam was still grappling with his surroundings in the dimly lit room he had entered. Arriving there, he had knitted his brows together, scanning the strange environment. Suddenly, he chuckled—a deep, empty sound that soon morphed into sobs. Moments later, he paused to wipe his tears and fixate on his reflection in the mirror.
"Alright," he murmured to himself. "What do I remember? My name… it's Adam." He concentrated on recent memories since arriving in this unfamiliar place. Raising one finger, he thought,
First: the Jadian Empire
. He recalled witnessing cultivators soaring through the sky on their swords and lowered that finger.
Second: the peculiar items.
Eight artifacts had caught his attention, but the one to which he felt the strongest connection was a blank mask, accompanied by a monocle and a cane that astonishingly transformed into a clock.