Martin and Evelyn had only briefly seen the half-destroyed and charred notes. Even so, they had taken notice of the first page and their inability to make sense of it.

Jacob and Paul, on the other hand, had parsed through the notes multiple times, especially after their last party member betrayed them, yet even they could not find anything resembling what was written on the first page.

Yet, at this moment, both of them realized that the boy before them recognized the script.

“You can read it? What does it say?” Jacob urgently commanded with his rough voice.

“Ah…” Somewhat stumped by the sudden realization that it was a message by a future Adam for the past Adam, well… probably the past Adam, the current Adam refused to elaborate anything immediately. “Give me a moment to formulate the best answer.”

That said, Adam hurriedly went past the first page to see what else was written inside the notes, however, what he got was not what he expected. Or at least, it was not what he wanted because he simply could not read the rest of the charred notes.

After all, they were in a script he had yet to learn the written language for.

Having asked for a moment and been given the moment, Adam ignored the rest of the notes and focused on the first page and the message included.

He even closed his eyes to avoid any external factors breaking his concentration.

Like that, a few moments parted.

The Adventurers faced each other with a bewildering look because quite a few revelations had reached their minds within the last hour.

When Adam finished contemplating his options, he opened his golden eyes, ripped the loose first page from the notes, and before Jacob could protest, he folded it and pocketed it into one of the few pockets he had made for his bear/cat Monster leather outfit.

The rest of the notes, he simply offered back to Jacob. “You can have those back since they are useless to me as I can't read any of them.”

“You can’t?” Paul suddenly voiced his confusion on the side. “You can't read Common?”

Shaking his head, Adam replied. “No, I can not, as I never learned to read what you call Common. Heck, I can barely speak it, as well.”

“What do you mean you can barely speak it?” Martin called out. “I can understand you just fine. Also, how can you not know Common yet know something none of us have seen before?”

“It's simple, my new friend.” Adam reasoned with Martin. “What is Common to you is not Common to me, and what is Common to me is not Common to you. Simple as that.”

Saying it, Adam shook his head as if wondering how to explain the true Magical effect of the Human Tongue that was innate to humans, no matter the Realm they lived in. “Now, on how you can understand me, that one is a bit harder to explain. However, let us do it like this. I will speak a few sentences, and you pay careful attention to my lips, my jaw, and my tongue.”

That said, Adam began throwing random sentences at Marty and the rest of the group since they too paid attention to the little charade.

Jacob, being the oldest, realized it first. Slightly behind him was Evelyn, as she always paid attention to people's facial expressions, so being more detailed was innate to her when she wanted or needed to be, of course.

Paul was the third.

Meanwhile, Martin simply stared at Adam’s lips as if realizing something was wrong yet not knowing what.

“Ok, that is freaky.” Martin commented all of a sudden. “The way your tongue, mouth, and jaw behave is completely different from how it should be, yet I can still understand you perfectly fine.”

“Indeed.” Jacob, Paul, and Evelyn added on the side.

“What I am speaking is called the Human Tongue.” Adam explained. “It is a language designed to generate specific tones and vibrations within the throat of all human vocal cords. As such, the specific frequencies generating the sounds you hear me speak directly impact your primal human-based vibrational state so you can understand every single word I say.”

Blinking quite a few times, Martin suddenly turned thoughtful, as if something triggered within him. A similar observation was made within the other three as if they were recalling something from long, long ago yet could not quite reach it to grab it and make it surface.

“Don't bother seeking those strange and distant sensations.” Adam voiced out, breaking them from their momentary stupor. “The Human Tongue will come to you naturally as long as you interact with me because it is innate to all humans. It's just that it takes time for your brain to recall the distant knowledge to generate the needed brain circuits to utilize it for more than a plain and simple understanding of my words. When the process is completed, you will speak and read the Human Tongue without any problems.”

“Huh… Like I said, freaky.” Martin once more commented.

“Then, I take it? Soon enough, I will be able to read what is written on the first note?” Jacob spoke up.

“Yes, but it's useless to you now.” Adam told. “There are ways to speed up the process, but we don't have the time for that if we want to reach the Gate.”

“What did it say?” Jacob asked, but within his eyes, Adam saw the oppressive desire to hear exactly what he wanted to hear.

“Can't tell you yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yet!” Adam repeated. “I will tell you after we enter the Gate.”

“You know that only makes me more suspicious?”

“I know.” Adam said. “It is what it is. But… Here is the problem. This is a moment where you have to throw out reason with its logic and familiarity and instead favor a different branch of thinking.”

“That is.” Jacob inquired, only his tone became colder the moment the words left his mouth.

“Faith!”

“Faith?”

“Faith. Indeed.” Adam repeated. “This is the moment where you have to make a choice. Will you trust in Fate, which has brought all of us here together, at this moment, guiding you towards a common destination, a common goal that will most likely be tough and painful to achieve yet ultimately rewarding?”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Staying silent for a second, Jacob spoke up. “So… You want me to blindly place my Faith in something that makes no sense and should be obviously avoided because the end result is worth it, correct?”

“Correct.” Adam said with a smile on his face. “That is the basis of Faith. To allow a higher existence to guide you on the best way to grow further because said higher existence can see what you as a Mortal can not. That is why it is supremely important to be choosy in which Divine to put your Faith into as Faith is a two-way street exchange agreement between a Mortal giving Faith to receive Divine Guidance.” Adam explained before stifling any further explanation because he could see the brains of the Adventurers turn and shift in ways they never had.

“I see.” Jacob stated before looking at his fellow Adventurers. “What do you guys think? Is this something you are willing to do? Willing despite the known evidence of possible Masters and a probable Grandmaster from a nefarious criminal group?”

“When you say it like that, Boss, it's much harder to take this Leap of Faith.” Paul voiced out without the friendly demeanor usually present between them.

That voiced out, he turned away from Jacob to glare at the kid beside them, knowing full well he was willing because he was a Favored of Ina.

Still, as Paul glared at Adam, he propped his ears to listen to what others would say.

“I am afraid I agree with Paul there, Boss.” Evelyn added. “I've been taught to always assess something before taking the risk of action. Always calculate the best possible choice before acting. No, it just runs counterclockwise to my training.” Then, in the same second, Evelyn felt something unravel within herself. Something that desired manifesting and taking action.

Quickly placing her right hand on her chest because it was the origin of said manifestation, Evelyn pondered what it meant. However, before it could rise to the surface and make headway of its presence, it was smothered by a different part of herself, the part she was long used to listening to.

Holding her right hand to her chest, she stared at her party members, somewhat clouded with her gaze, as if staring into a distant place. “Maybe… That is exactly why I am given this chance to overcome my past self. Only pure Faith in some higher existence won't do. No, I will rather put my Faith into facts I can and have observed, and you, Boss, I have observed enough to know that you will not mistreat my service as long as I pull my own weight.”

“So… If you want to do it, I will follow despite the risk involved.” Evelyn finally revealed her choice.

“Alright… Martin? What do you think?” Jacob inquired of the last Adventurer in the party.

“Ah… You know me, Boss.” Martin replied proudly, though a bit shy of showing his true self. “I like it when things are simple and clear. You know? See a Nightmare? I slice it away. Simple and Clean. Still… Evelyn is right. I've been with you for the past year, and I have enough trust in you that you will guide us through this. So I will default my vote to you.”

“Very well.” Jacob said before turning to Paul again. Only Paul refused to look his way and instead persisted staring at Adam with his green eyes. “Paul?”

“One second.” Paul said. “Tell me, Adam. Do you have any idea what awaits us if we choose to forge on despite the risks? Do you have any idea what fate Ina is guiding us to?”

“Ah… About that… When did I say anything about Ina?” Adam replied, stunning all four party members. “Ina’s Domains are Light, Heat, Purity, Protection, and Providence. There is nothing in there about Fate. Oh, she can guide you, alright. But Fate? Fate, my new friend, is something else entirely.”

“You know that does not help you convince me at all?” Paul scowled at the kid for the first time since they had met.

“Maybe. But I am directly guided by one of Fate’s own. “Adam pointed out before staring at each of them in turn. ”And since you associate with ME, you are under her purview as well, whether you like it or not, until your purpose fulfills whatever grand design she has planned for you.”

“You…”

“Look.” Adam reasoned with Paul because he could see the man struggle if his Aura was any indication. After all, the colors around him fluctuated, with the green one being the least stable. “It's obvious this is all above your head. So simply ignore everything above yourself and just act as you would instead of trying to please some higher existence.”

“That being the case. Does your current self have enough Faith in yourself and your teammates' abilities that it will help you through the incoming trials? That is all you need to think about.” Adam simplified, yet he could see that the man known as Paul had yet to be done with him.

“What about you?” Paul asked. “It's obvious you want to go, and you want us to go with you for some reason?” Not denying it, Adam nodded. “What will you do if we choose to not go?”

“An excellent question.” Adam said before replying. “Only it's worthless because it's useless as I already know the answer to your decision of whether you will come or not.”

“You do?” Stupefied by the answer, Paul and the rest of the party glared at Adam, who in turn smiled smugly and pointed at his pocket, thus reminding everyone of its presence and what it held within.

“Then why even try to convince us if you knew we'd come automatically?” Paul asked, flustered by the realization.

“It is simple.” Adam stated. “Because the Choice was yours to make and not mine to force upon you.” Nodding at them, Adam explained further. “At first, it was only Jacob. Then Evelyn’s little speech nudged herself and Martin that way. Additionally, their choice to go affected you in turn. Otherwise, you wouldn't be trying your best to convince yourself through me because it's not your Faith in your teammates that is the problem, but Faith in yourself that you will fail them. Am I right?”

“I… I… I don't understand what you mean?”

Tilting his head a bit, Adam turned away from Pual and addressed his new Boss. “Remember our earlier topic about the White and Black Auras? Remember when you confirmed that different actions and emotions contribute to different results? What are the most common actions and emotions involved with the Green Stage?”

“You don't know?” Seeing the kid's head shake in denial, Jacob recalled what he knew before staring at Paul and the fluctuating green color around his body, not seen through the naked eye. “I respected your privacy before, Paul, but not anymore.”

“How long has it been since you got stuck at Green?”

“I…”

“How long?” Jacob repeated himself with a firmer tone, one not of a friend but of a superior staring down at his subordinate. “Ever since I became Second Rank, and recruited you to my party last year, we have fought side by side. Before that, I had heard of your skills as a Ranger for at least two years. That’s basically not long after you came to Roselia, right?.” Pausing for a second, he glared further at the man with the ponytail. “Paul? Tell me. How long were you stuck at Green that your determination has faltered so hard?”

“I… Nnn… Nine years.” Paul stuttered out, surprising everybody but Adam.

“Nine?” Martin exclaimed with slight disbelief. “When did you Awaken?”

“Eleven years ago.” Paul replied, finally revealing a part of himself he'd hidden. “I awakened at fourteen and breezed through the first three stages with ease with the training my father made me do. However, ever since then, I just could not progress further. No matter how I pushed myself. No matter how many or what kind of Nightmare I slew. I just could not progress further. So… My father recommended I travel to different cities to try my luck elsewhere. Roselia is the third Major City to welcome me.”

“Wait… Have you never attempted a Nightmare Gate to combat the problem?” “Evelyn suddenly chipped into the conversation.

“After the second year of being stuck at Green, I tried. I even applied for a petition to the Church to join them on a Raid within the City Gates. Only I was always denied with the same answer, ‘Too weak and unprepared to face the Horrors they spawn.’”

Despite being surprised at what he was hearing, Adam chose not to interrupt the man speaking his mind. Still, he did glance at the others to notice no surprise upon their faces.

No, in fact, it was the opposite, as if it was anticipated.

“After that, I hoped for a Second Ranked Nightmare Gate outside the Major Cities, where the Adventurers Guild authority reigned, only I never had the luck because they were very rare outside the Cities. While the Raid Teams for the higher ranked ones refused to accept an unknown like me despite never stopping to hone my Skills.”

“And now there is one.” Though there was not, Adam noted in his head at Evelyn’s reminder. “And you're hesitating because of the presence of the Rose Heart Syndicate members?”

“I… No… Maybe? I don't know anymore.” Paul replied truthfully. Not quite daring to gaze directly at his team. Instead, he shifted his sight to his hands. “I was determined enough to not give up on this chance. Sigh… However… The more got revealed, the further I felt the opportunity slip through my fingers.”

Then, as if noticing something amiss, Paul felt his thoughts turn steady, his emotions turned clear, and his body became more agile.

More malleable, as if it was chock full of potential, just ready to burst out.