A second passed.
And another.
Then another...
Almost a minute later, Adam opened his eyes, a light frown appearing on his face.
Nothing?
The divination had yielded nothing.
He had considered that possibility, especially given how extraordinary the lotus was, but he still couldn't help but feel a trace of disappointnt.
Adam sighed and rubbed his temple.
I was hoping for too much...
Suddenly, his movents ca to a halt. As he felt his hand brush against his face, he couldn't help but wonder:
What if I...
His heart started racing again.
The Eternal Soul Lotus was the most valuable artifact in his possession.
So what if... he used it to divine the origins of another artifact he owned? The Faceless Mask!!
The Lotus was far more valuable and mysterious than the Faceless Mask.
The Mask was ancient and powerful, yes, but it was still an artifact with a clear function. The Lotus, on the other hand, felt deeper. Its origin was unknown. Its abilities were not fully understood. Even now, Adam believed he had only scratched the surface of what it could do.
In theory, if he used the Lotus as the anchor for the divination, he might be able to trace the origins of the Faceless Mask.
A greater mystery probing a lesser one.
A superior artifact illuminating the history of another.
And here, inside the dream, his chances improved even further.
The dreamscape blurred the line between mory and possibility. Divination rooted in consciousness was stronger here, as already proven when Adam divined Valerian's origins.
So with the Lotus as the focal point and the mask as the target - both of which he rightfully possessed - performing a dream divination was no longer a reckless gamble.
It was a golden opportunity!
Adam had always been deeply curious about the Faceless Mask.
It was the artifact that had once driven him to the brink of insanity. It had whispered to him, warped his thoughts, and nearly swallowed his sense of self. Even after regaining control, the questions had never left him. What was it truly? Who was the Laughing God? And why did it carry such madness within it?
Now, for the first ti, he had a real chance to uncover its secrets!
The thought stirred old emotions within him. He felt unease, resentnt, and even a trace of fear. But he did not allow them to linger. Slowly, he steadied his breathing. He cleared his mind. Curiosity replaced agitation, and focus replaced doubt.
Inside the dream, with the Eternal Soul Lotus as his anchor, he let his consciousness settle into perfect stillness.
He weaved the hand seals and, at last, cast the spell.
Adam then closed his eyes and softly repeated in his mind:
Origins of the Faceless Mask...
Origins of the Faceless Mask...
Origins of the Faceless Mask...
***
Adam's mind arrived at a magical place sowhere in the spirit world.
The vision opened to a vast pool of starlit darkness.
It was not water, yet it moved like it. The surface rippled slowly, reflecting countless distant stars.
There was no shore, and no horizon. Only an endless expanse of black, faintly illuminated from above.
A massive silver crescent moon hung low in the sky, which was streaked with muted colors. The moon was far too large, far too close. It lood just above the pool, close enough that its reflection bled clearly into the stygian surface
below.
From the inner curve of the crescent moon, dark silver liquid poured downward in a steady stream. It did not scatter like rain. It fell in a thick
stream, controlled and continuous.
At the center of the pool stood a grand anvil made of obsidian tal. It rose from the pool of darkness as if anchored to nothing. The falling silver struck its surface and spread across it like molten tal.
Before the anvil stood a towering figure...
He had pale blue skin. Long white hair fell to his shoulders. His fra was tall
and solid.
In his hand was a hamr. It was large, simple, and heavy.
Each ti the dark silver liquid gathered on the anvil, he brought the hamr down. The impact rang out in a deep, tallic strike that echoed across the
entire pool.
The sound did not fade quickly. It carried, repeating in distant layers, as if the darkness itself rembered the blow.
On the anvil lay the rough shape of a mask.
It was not complete. Its surface was uneven, its edges undefined. But with
every strike, the shape beca clearer. The curve of the face sharpened, and lines ford where there had been none.
The towering figure did not speak.
He focused entirely on forging the artifact.
The silver continued to fall from the moon.
The hamr continued to rise and fall.
And the mask continued to take shape in the pool of starlit darkness.
Witnessing this scene, Adam was shocked to his very core.
The sight of the mask being forged should have caught his attention.
The silver, the hamr, the anvil... this was the birth of the Faceless Mask!
But he was not looking at the mask.
No.
He was staring at the one who was forging it.
Those fox-like eyes, that faint curve at the corner of his lips, as if every strike
of the hamr carried a private joke.
Adam felt a chill run down his spine.
The Laughing God!!!
The hamr continued to fall, its sound echoing across this magical place.
And then...
Everything went quiet.
The echo of the hamr against the anvil cut off abruptly. The dark silver
stream from the crescent moon slowed, then stilled. Even the rippling surface
of the starlit pool beca motionless.
The Laughing God stopped.
The hamr hovered re inches above the unfinished Faceless Mask.
Slowly, he turned his head...
His fox-like eyes shifted away from the anvil and settled on Adam.
In that mont, Adam felt like lightning had struck him. His thoughts froze
violently, and his breath got locked in his chest.
The weight of that gaze was imnse and ancient.
And those eyes were looking right at him!!!
Recognition flickered within the Laughing God's eyes. Then, the corner of his
lips curled into a mischievous smile.
And in a voice that traveled across space and ti, and rang directly inside
Adam's consciousness, the Laughing God whispered:
"Limitless..."
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