Adam slowly opened his eyes. Where am I?

  He pushed himself up from the floor, palms pressing against cold concrete. A damp, rancid stench of mold flooded his nose. His brow furrowed as his eyes adjusted to the harsh white light flooding the room. Fluorescent lamps were embedded into numerous oblique statues, their glow reflecting off pale surfaces.

  Where the hell is this? A freezer?

  Each breath left his mouth as thick condensation, momentarily clouding his vision.

  Adam rose to his feet.

  Only then did he truly take in his surroundings.

  Hundreds of dismembered mannequins hung from hooks lining the room—torsos, limbs, cracked heads frozen in grotesque stillness. Some were missing faces. Others stared back with hollow eyes.

  That guy canceled my Domains… and hers, Adam thought grimly. How strong is he?

  The last thing he remembered was being swallowed by that mannequin-turned-wyvern. After that, nothing.

  He scanned the room again. Aside from a handful of intact dummies stacked against the far wall, there was nothing else.

  Just as the silence began to feel oppressive, a voice boomed beside him.

  “You’re awake—finally!”

  Adam flinched and twisted to the side.

  A mannequin’s head hovered near him, its porcelain face spiderwebbed with cracks. It was smiling.

  “Were you planning on turning me to one of your ingredients?” Adam asked flatly. “And how do I get out of here?”

  The head rocked backward as it laughed, the sound hollow and wrong. “Surely you jest,” it replied. “Approach the walls, and you’ll leave automatically. I’ll be here—waiting.”

  Adam turned toward the nearest wall.

  His form blurred as stealth mode activated. He crossed the distance in an instant, palm touching the surface, and the cold vanished.

  “Welcome back to Dratol.”

  Elliot’s cheerful voice echoed through the darkness.

  Adam remained silent, surveying his new surroundings. A single candle flickered atop a dining table, its light barely illuminating the pulled-back chair beside it. Everything beyond the table was swallowed by shadow.

  Elliot spoke again, softer now. “I apologize for not greeting you at the port. Today’s been… eventful.” He chuckled lightly. “But enough about me. How are you?”

  The candle flared brighter.

  Another chair emerged from the darkness—and with it, a familiar face seated across the table.

  Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Where is this?”

  “A safe place,” Elliot replied easily. He gestured to the empty chair. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

  Then he tilted his head and beckoned into the darkness with a finger.

  Footsteps echoed.

  A pleasant aroma drifted through the room as several mannequins emerged, each carrying plates laden with food, bottles of wine, and polished cutlery. They moved with unsettling grace, setting the table before retreating back into the dark.

  Adam remained standing, watching them work. His gaze flicked back to Elliot, whose smile never wavered.

  “You’re not going to stand while eating, are you?” Elliot said lightly. “Go on. Try it. Tell me what you think.”

  The mannequins vanished.

  Silence reclaimed the room.

  Adam stared at the smiling chef, his eyes occasionally drifting to the dishes.

  What kind of Blessing does he have…?

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  That helpless, colorless world still lingered in his memory. As a Domain user, Adam knew exactly what it meant.

  A higher-caliber Domain.

  It was suppressive. Absolute in its might.

  Adam pulled out the chair and sat.

  Elliot’s smile widened.

  “I knew you couldn’t resist my cooking,” he beamed. “I’m eager for your review.”

  He slid several plates toward Adam.

  Adam studied the food in silence.

  “Why don’t you tell me the information while I eat?” he said at last.

  “We’re not savages,” Elliot replied mildly. “Relax. There’s time.” He gestured again toward the food.

  Adam’s gaze lingered on Elliot for a moment longer before shifting to the nearest dish—marinated meat glazed in a thick sauce, paired with vegetables cooked to perfection.

  Time passed quickly.

  When Adam finally set his napkin down, only two of the ten plates before him remained untouched.

  “Can we start now?” he asked, wiping his mouth.

  “Of course—but first,” Elliot clapped his hands, “how was it?”

  Footsteps returned. Mannequins emerged, clearing the empty plates with practiced efficiency before retreating once more.

  “It was better than your last meal,” Adam said once they were gone.

  “Is that all?” Elliot pouted theatrically. “Don’t hold back. You’re my best customer.”

  “If you’re not ready to talk,” Adam said evenly, pushing back his chair, “then we’re done here.”

  “Whoa—easy,” Elliot laughed, raising a hand. “I’m kidding.” He scratched his head before gesturing Adam back down. “The boss would have my head if you left without a debrief.”

  “I won’t hesitate to leave if you start talking about food again.”

  “You’ve changed,” Elliot said, smiling again. “But in a good way.”

  Then his tone shifted—subtly, but unmistakably.

  “First, congratulations. You’ve raised your rank once more. You’ve exceeded every expectation we had.”

  Adam’s brow twitched.

  Raised my rank?

  Because of the Domains…? It seems there’s a misunderstanding.

  His expression remained unreadable.

  Elliot continued, “With that said, please don’t do anything as reckless as what you did with the agents. You were minutes away from being surrounded by several A-rank Awakened—and you might have even drawn the attention of an S-rank. Understood?”

  Adam nodded.

  “Good. Then let’s begin.” Elliot reached into his pocket and produced a small crimson orb. “Everything you need to know is in here. I’ll only cover four major points. You’ll piece together the rest yourself.”

  He rolled the orb across the table. It came to a stop directly in front of Adam.

  Adam made no move to pick it up, his eyes lifting instead to Elliot’s face.

  Unbothered by the hesitation, the chef continued. “Do you remember Dominic Armstrong?”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. What about him? Shouldn’t that weasel be dead by now or something?”

  He hadn’t expected the first topic of their discussion to revolve around that man—but he hadn’t forgotten him either.

  Elliot’s lips curved into a thin smile. “He’s alive and well. In fact, he’s better than ever… since he’s Awakened.”

  Adam cocked his head to the side, one brow rising. “Go on.”

  Elliot gestured lazily toward the orb. “It’s all in there.”

  Resting his head on one hand, he idly spun a silver fork with the other. “Moving on. You’ll need to apply for a rank reassessment when you reach Varidan Academy. The reason—and the process—are fully detailed in the report.”

  He lifted his gaze back to Adam. “As for the Coalition and their agents: for your own good, do not kill any of them. Dratol has been on high alert since the ‘terror’ incident. The Labyrinth of the Nameless acting up only made things worse.”

  Elliot paused, studying Adam with an almost lazy intensity, then pointed the fork at the orb. “An in-depth overview of the Coalition and their agents is included.”

  Adam nodded once. “Anything else?”

  “Yes.” Elliot straightened in his chair. “Now we’ve reached the most important topic.”

  Adam noticed the mischievous smile creeping onto the man’s face—but resisted the urge to speculate.

  “Your substitute has… experienced quite a lot over the past few months. You’ll see the details soon enough.” Elliot chuckled softly. “It was designed to mirror your demeanor and temperament, but if someone looked closely, discrepancies were inevitable. Thankfully, no one important noticed.”

  He covered his mouth, shoulders shaking. “As for the unimportant ones… well. Your substitute was involved in quite a few incidents.”

  Adam frowned. “What kind of incidents?”

  An uneasy feeling settled in his chest. Elliot’s barely contained amusement only made it worse.

  “You’ll find out when you read the report.” Elliot winked. “Relax. Nothing dangerous. Nothing serious. Just… amusing.”

  He waved Adam off with one hand, still suppressing his laughter. “The substitute will arrive here in seven days. That should be plenty of time for you to review everything. We’ll have another briefing once it gets here.”

  Then he gestured toward the two remaining plates. “By the way—are you going to eat the rest of that? Should I have them pack it up for you? I’d hate for it to go to waste.”

  Ignoring him, Adam reached for the crimson orb.

  The moment his fingers made contact, a chilling sensation surged up his arm. His hand trembled as the orb dissolved into his palm, vanishing completely.

  Adam steadied his breathing and looked up. “Where will I sleep?”

  Elliot pointed off to the side. “There’s a portal there. It’ll take you to your quarters.”

  “Alright.” Adam rose from his chair. “I’ll take my leave.”

  “Adam,” Elliot said suddenly. “Did you experience any side effects after absorbing the essence?”

  Adam stopped.

  Slowly, he turned his head, his glare sharp enough to cut.

  How does he know about that? An unsettling speculation quickly reached him. Was he watching while I assassinated the Cartman’s?

  Silence stretched between them.

  Then Adam turned away. “I’ll be going to my quarters. Contact me if anything important comes up.”

  Without another word, he disappeared beyond the reach of the flickering candlelight.

  A wry smile lingered on Elliot’s lips as he watched Adam vanish into the darkness.

  Kids these days, he thought with a quiet chuckle. So feisty.

  His amusement faded, replaced by intrigue.

  His abilities improved far more than expected after absorbing the essence. What kind of Omen does he have…? Three Domains?

  Elliot shook his head and stood.

  Footsteps echoed through the dining hall as the mannequins returned. In silence, they cleared the remaining dishes, table, and chairs—then vanished into the darkness, leaving the room empty once more.