"Where, where, where, where, where is it?!!"
In the middle of the Galestine Ocean, on a colorful island brimming with corals, a lonely figure knelt in despair.
His body was marred by hideous burn marks from head to toe, his robes little more than tattered rags. With hands raised to the sky, he let out a guttural scream that echoed across the waves.
"Where is the damned inheritance?!!"
Adam screamed yet again. But of course, he received no response. Because no one was there. He then lowered his head, hunched over, and let out pitiful, sobbing sounds.
Then, he turned over his right shoulder and whispered, "Hey, you. Yes, you! I'm talking to you! Do you know how long I've been looking for this nonexistent legacy? Three months… THREE MONTHS!!"
Adam then turned over his left shoulder and frowned. "Uhm… hello? Is someone there?"
Of course, no one was there. He was all alone on this island—this turtle shell. He allowed his body to fall backwards on the ground. Facing upwards, he murmured, "I wish I could see… I bet the clouds are laughing at me."
It had been more than six months since the Battle of Ravenfell. For the past three months, Adam had scoured the coral island, looking for a secretive inheritance left behind by the mysterious founder of the Twilight Brotherhood.
"Damn it, was I lied to?" Adam sat back up, stroking his charred chin in wonder.
"Hmm, that seems unlikely. Why would Lord Tebu lie to me? He is certain that Aldo Wagner left behind his legacy before he passed away. But where is it? Why did he hide it so deeply? Is this also a test?"
The Laughing God continued to whisper.
And Adam continued to listen.
He rose to his feet and screamed at the skies again, "Questions, questions, questions! Where are the damned answers?! Huh… what was that?"
The youth turned around as he brought his hand to his ear, almost as if he was listening to someone whisper something to him…
Then, he turned back around. He began pacing in circles, muttering incoherent words to himself, "Damn it, I think I might really be… crazy. Wait, I wonder if there are any grapes around. Now that I think of it… I'm feeling slightly hungry. No, wait!"
He slapped himself. Twice.
"I'm thinking of the wrong things here. Eh… I mean, I'm talking about the wrong things," he mumbled. "Wait, what was I thinking, no, talking about?"
Adam remained silent for a few moments, grimacing in frustration as the ravings of the Faceless Mask assaulted his mind.
"Aha!" His scarred and hideous face lit up. "Aldo Wagner's legacy! Hmm, where is it? That's right! I can't even find it!"
Understanding the ridiculous situation he had ended up in, Adam burst into laughter.
He laughed and laughed and laughed.
And then…
He finally stopped. His face twisted into a dark scowl, and he spat through gritted teeth, "That's not funny at all! I need to talk to Lord Tebu immediately, lest I forget what I was doing…"
The youth stomped eastward, cursing under his breath:
"Damn it, why is it getting so hard to remember things? Must I write everything down everywhere I go… wait, that's not a bad idea at all!"
Whistling a merry tune, the youth disappeared behind a mound of colorful corals.
And soon, he arrived at the easternmost edge of the island.
"Lord Tebu! Lord Tebu!" he called out in a loud voice.
The island rumbled.
The ocean below stirred, then, slowly, the head of the ancient colossus rose from the depths in front of the youth. Tebu's head climbed higher and higher, shedding curtains of water, until it finally revealed itself.
Tebu opened his large, sun-like ocean blue eyes and gazed at the youth with a tired look on his face. Then, he opened his giant maw and spoke in Old Lunari:
"Adam, you… you have been very bothersome."
"Huh?" The youth froze. "What… what did I do? I'm sure I didn't break any hills or anything in the last few months."
He then turned around and whispered, "Did I?"
Then, he turned over his other shoulder and added, "I don't remember doing such a thing. My memory has been failing me sometimes."
Adam then sat at the edge of the island, his legs dangling leisurely. Then, completely ignoring the giant head before him, he began mumbling to himself:
"Ah, I don't know, I don't know. These last few months have been a bit blurry. I don't know why, but my memory fails me from time to time. Is it because of my fractured mind? Or that a part of my soul is missing, or something else? I wonder…"
Suddenly, he realized that he had called for the ancient magical beast, then completely ignored him.
"Ah!" He shot to his feet, lightly patting his bald, scarred head. "I completely forgot about you! Hahaha!"
He laughed and laughed and laughed.
Tebu gazed at the tiny human laughing at his own words with a dumbfounded expression. A long time later, he muttered:
"In all the times I have drifted through the blue expanse… I do not believe I have ever encountered one such as you."
Adam chuckled smugly. "I'm quite the unique individual if I say so myself."
The next moment, his expression turned solemn, and he added, "Lord Tebu, am I… I mean, is my presence really bothering you?"
"Yes," said the giant turtle.
"Huh?" Adam flinched. "That's… rude."
He crossed his arms and pouted like a child denied his favorite toy. But in the very next moment, his expression shifted as a fleeting maturity flashed across his face. He then asked:
"Then tell me, how can I stop bothering you?"
"For starters, you could stop all that screaming and laughing," the colossus rumbled.
Adam's lips twitched, and he cleared his throat. "A-alright, I'll try. Sorry for being a bother…"
"It is alright, little Adam." Tebu's voice softened, his eyes flashing with kindness. "I know… you have your reasons, too."
Adam flashed a genuine smile. Those simple words warmed his heart. "Thanks for understanding."
He then glanced at the turtle's giant blue eyes and asked in a solemn voice, "Lord Tebu, I've scoured every part of this island… I mean, your shell. But I haven't found a single clue about the inheritance. Can you at least give me a hint?"
Tebu remained silent for a long time. At last, he said:
"I cannot tell you, for even I do not know. Wagner had cast a spell on me long ago, ensuring I would remain blind to the true resting place of his inheritance. But this much I can say with certainty… it lies somewhere upon this island."
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