14. Pleasant conversation

Adam tapped the ground with his fingers, acting carefree. He didn't pay attention to the five guards pointing spears at him, no. He was waiting for a bigger fish ... more precisely an amphibian, but not the essence. He looked at these frightened people with a calm look and he felt a little sorry for them.

After all, they became like this because of him. He chuckled, noticing at the same time that some of them flinched.

( Maybe I went a little too far ? I don't think I should have dumped my anger on that poor guy. Well, what's done is done. It remains only to wait until the mother comes out to me. )

[ KNOCK. KNOCK.TU... ]

Adam stopped knocking, noticing a slight tremor in the ground. He stood up and stretched, he had been in one position for too long. The guards shuddered and gripped their spears tighter, preparing to attack.

( Well, finally. I was running out of patience. )

With every second the trembling became stronger, until a huge body emerged from the ground. She, Olm's mother, was much bigger, wider and taller than all her children and grandchildren. It reached the ceiling of this area and could even be even higher.

She was a very old-looking proteus, with several scars on her head and a leaf-shaped spot on her forehead. She also had fins all over her head that radiated a mysterious light. Olm lowered her gaze and met his gaze. Her terrible mouth full of sharp teeth formed into a smile.

"Ah, there you are. The first one arrived. " – she leaned over to him and embraced him with hot air from her mouth

"I knew you were coming and I know why. Your desire for power, thirst for knowledge and rage of revenge brought you here. " – she moved away from him and waved to the guards to move away

"Tell me, I will answer all your questions. But before that, take off your helmet. I know what your family looks like, you won't scare me with your appearance. "

Adam nodded and slowly took off his helmet, exposing his appearance. The guards standing behind the Olm looked at it with great surprise....creature. It didn't look like a frog, toad, or newt. The skin is too rough, there is a lot of hair on the head and a strange process in the middle of the face.

" Since you know why I'm here, why don't you just tell me the answers right away? You know what questions I'm going to ask. " – Adam threw the helmet on the ground and sat on it, resting his head on his chin

"But it's not that interesting. I've been waiting for your arrival for a thousand years and I want to enjoy our conversation to the fullest. Since half a year ago I had a vision of our meeting, I knew that you would come. But I didn't know that you would arrive in my city on such a... scale." - She looked at the terrified guard who was sadly stroking his spear

" Well , I 'm sorry ! Your... I don't know who, weren't too polite. You could have warned them about the intruder before I came and made a mess here. " – she waved her hand

"It wouldn't have worked." - She grinned and brought her face closer to him

"You are a star, bringing misfortune. I know your story, Adam Wu. A victim who became her voluntarily. You deceived everyone that you were crazy and a liar, but that was exactly what your lie was. " – she grinned looking at his surprised eyes

"I like having a conversation with you, but it's time to move on to the part where you ask questions. "

"Good. Let's start with the easy one. The Newt Empire, what happened to it? " - He crossed his arms over his chest

"Oh, it turns out you managed to unravel this mystery, too. I didn't see that. Empire of Newts..... " – a chuckle came from her

"These fools did not have time to notice how greed swallowed them up. They took over worlds, destroying all life and taking all resources. Did they not think that someday they would be rewarded for it? Their energy source, the main treasure, was stolen and hidden in another world. "

" I know about it, but what was it to them? I didn't find any mention of him."

"The source of a huge power that did not belong to them. A box with three gems. Power, Emotions and Knowledge. "

"Mmm... I guessed that. Next, my powers. What do you know about her ? "

"A little, a drop in the sea. Your powers give you the opportunity to find an answer to any existing question, but later you will have to pay for it. You are a defender, you must protect and protect three fragile stars that are ready to crumble at any moment. Your power will work to its fullest, only when you have something to protect. "

Adam paused, lost in thought.

(Apparently nothing has changed. Whether on Earth or Amphibious, I have always been and will always be their shield. It's always been enough for me to get them out of trouble on Earth, but here, here I'm afraid everything will be much more difficult. )

"Last question. " – Adam got up and put on his helmet

" What is darkness ? "

Olm was about to answer his question, but noticed that he was drawing something on the ground with a stick. She squinted at his words. When she saw the question, she involuntarily shuddered.

[ What do you know about HIM ? The one who started all this. ]

Their eyes met. Adam's eyes looked resolutely into hers, full of fear and... pity? Olm looked around, looking for danger and finding nothing quickly approached him. She began to whisper softly to him

"Be careful, little star. I can't tell you anything, I'm bound by an unbreakable oath. He watches us through everyone's eyes, but he hears nothing. All-seeing, but silent. I don't know anything about him, it's like he doesn't exist."

"Tell me everything you know, that will be enough. "

"Phew... listen carefully. For what I say, I may not live to see our next meeting. " – she took a deep breath and began to speak

"Find the box and the stones, they are the key to everything. Protect the stars, they are the key actors of this game. You has to follow the script, but you can supplement and change it a little, the main thing is that everything goes the way HE wants. "

[ PSCHAH ! ]

Adam heard a strange sound and wanted to turn around, but Olm grabbed his head and wouldn't let him look.

" Mh ! Don't look, listen to me. Ha... ha... there is something in the stones, HE protects them like the apple of his eye. They are important to HIM, so get them soon. I'm sure you've already found THOSE things. " – from her words , Adam inadvertently touched the pocket in his raincoat

Olm moved away from him and he saw a terrible thing. Her whole body is covered with wounds from which blood flows thickly. She couldn't stand straight, but she was still holding on to the ground.

"That's all I can tell you. I can't help you any more. " - She shook her head sadly

"Thank you. Really, thank you. " he answered her sincerely

" Come on ! Go your own way ! Find the stars and protect them ! " - Olm waved her hand and slowly sank into the ground

"I will retire, we will not meet soon. "– she'll take one last look at him before disappearing

(It all depends on you. You're the Joker, the one who doesn't follow the rules. The fate of everything depends on you. ) – her eyes were slowly closing

(Adam, please be careful. HE's not the kind of being you can negotiate with. Take care of yourself and them, save my world and your friends. ) – her eyes closed, putting her to sleep

(Be careful, Guardian. For HE is watching all the time.)

---------------------------------

Adam came out of the Protean kingdom....mixed feelings. He sat down on a nearby rock, took off his helmet and looked up at the sky. Time flew by quickly and night fell on the street. The sky was lit by bright stars and a quiet moon.

"... and what should I do now? "

{ Go in search of the first... }

" Fuck off ! It was a rhetorical question. ! " - He waved his hand, expelling Saul from his mind

Adam sighed and looked down at his hands. He took off his stuffy gloves and just traced the lines on his palm, looking for something. He rubbed his palms, warming them, it was cold outside.

For the first time in his young, sixteen-year-old life, he felt so... weak and helpless. He never felt weak, never. When his friends turned away from him, he got used to it. When he left home and lived on the street, eating anything, he was able to get used to it and endure it.

When everyone turned away from him and he was left alone, he did not cry, he created his own family. A family that never turned away from him. A gang that followed his every order.

But now, now he finally felt what it was like to become " weak. ". He is in a strange world, he has no one, there is no one to cover his back. In his head there are such knowledge, because of which Andreas would have killed him long ago if he had known.

He has an invisible and heavy weight on his shoulders, which he cannot take off. And soon, more serious problems will begin soon.

" What should I do ?" - Adam pulled the locket out of his shirt and rubbed it

" What should I do ? " - he leaned it against his forehead, hoping for a revelation

Now that he was in complete despair, Adam felt that he really needed someone. For the first time, he felt the loneliness binding his heart. He needs allies, humans, newts, frogs or toads who can cover his back at the right moment.

Adam looked at the locket, then smiled at his reflection and hid it.

"Well, apparently I have no other choice. " – now he knew what to do

He looked around the whole neighborhood and took a deep breath of the fresh air of the mountains. He cleared his mind and began to slowly descend to the ground.

It's time to go back to Newtopia, to your friends. He needs them.

-----------------------------------

"Adam, of course I'm glad you came back so quickly, but that's all....it's too much." - Olivia ran her palm over the dusty table

" Why did you call us here ? We could meet at our usual place. Why such secrecy ? " - Yunan was sitting on a chair and looking at Adam with her arms crossed

He was on his bed and looked at Olivia and Yunan sitting in front of him. He didn't say anything, just grinned and slowly pulled his hands towards the helmet. He relaxed and gently took it off, revealing his appearance to these two.

He took a breath of fresh air before opening his eyes and smiling at them. Surprise mixed with incomprehension caught on their face.

"I remembered everything. Who am I, where am I from and what is my goal. " - He placed the helmet next to him and folded his arms across his chest

"Yunan, Olivia. I can only trust you. And I ask you from the bottom of my heart. " - he bowed his head

"Please help me. "

Sixteen-year-old Adam James Wu. The storm of the streets, the prodigal son, the selfish bastard who will never trust anyone. For the first time in my short and surprisingly busy life, I decided to trust someone.

"Trust" is the way out of despair. That's exactly what he decided.

He raised his head and smiled at them.

"Well, friends, I see you have a lot of questions. " - he held out his hands

"So let's get started. I will answer all your questions. "