The emperor watched Adam clutch his chest in horror. Hesitation flashed through his purple eyes, but a determined glow rapidly overwhelmed it. How could he demand any more help from this rude but valiant brat? Even when despair had ravaged his resolve, Adam had never given up.
No! Andras' puppet revival, the curse he now cast on Adam, and the threat looming over the realm—everything was his fault.
He leapt out of his seat, his jaw clenched. "I won't let you share my fate, brat!" His feeble grip met Adam's spasming shoulders as he tried to pick him up. "I'll distract the puppet, so leave. Leave and become the strongest cultivator the realm has ever seen. Leave and prevent another tragedy from occurring."
He retrieved a dark book. Exquisite constellations, brilliant suns, and black holes surrounded by event horizons so lifelike that they seemed to devour the other painting's lights, decorated the ancient wooden cover.
